Meet the Tickle Trunk Team 

Brenda 

Hi there!  I'm Brenda, the founder and owner of the Traveling Tickle Trunk.  I manage the office and I also do a lot of the parties and presentations.  I am a social worker by profession.  Most of my career has involved doing counselling, education and crisis intervention for women who have lived through physical and sexual violence.  In 1999, I got a job as an educator for the HIV Network of Edmonton.  At that same time, I began seeing a very adventurous man who started to teach me all about toys and a lot about sexual expression.  My personal exploration and my professional training merged and I began to learn a lot about sexual health.  When I found out that there were companies that sell sex toys at home parties, I thought that would be a fun and positive way to do sexual health education (and to get lots of toys!).

I started working for one of the many toy companies out there.  Because of my interest in sexual health, I began to research the products I was selling (no, like most home party companies, they didn't do any training at all on what was actually in the products).   I was shocked to discover that many of the products i was selling contained ingredients that are not safe to put inside the body!  I also began to notice that many of the products were very poor quality and would break easily.

I started to look for a company that sold high quality, safe products.  I wanted to find a company that had an emphasis on product knowledge and education.  I wanted to work for a company that people could go to with their concerns and questions and get accurate, honest, non-judgemental information.  I wanted to find a company that treated sex in a fun and respectful way, not as a joke.  I could not find any company that did all these things.  So I decided to start that company myself.

In February 2003, The Traveling Tickle Trunk was born.  It is my passion and my joy.  It is a place where you can get the information, support and high quality products you want so that you can make your sex life the best it can be - whatever that means to you.  It is a place where all of the staff are trained sexual health educators who really understand sex and pleasure.  Your sexuality is a gift to be proud of, to celebrate and enjoy.  We want to help you do just that!

I love to chat, you can reach me with questions or comments or to book a party or presentation, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Jil

Hello, my name is Jil, and I am new to the Traveling Tickle Trunk team as of spring 2010.  I have been an on-again, off-again student for the past seven years and spent time working for various community organizations in the field of social services throughout this period.  I am working towards finishing a degree in Human Ecology, while balancing my academic life with opportunities for learning and growth in my community.  I have found a great fit at the Traveling Tickle Trunk—a place where I can share my own knowledge and background with others while learning new things all the time!

I have always been interested in the world of sexual health and I am excited to be part of offering a space for people to explore their own sexuality in a fun, encouraging and safe environment.  My open, non-judgmental and curious attitude towards sex often makes me the ‘go-to’ person for questions and discussions with my peers, so it feels good to have a chance to expand this role and do the same with customers.  

I look forward to chatting with you in the store soon.  :)

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Dinah

 
I have been involved in the health and wellness field for the past 8 years. After receiving my degree in Pharmacology at the University of Alberta in 1998,  I completed Grant MacEwan's Holistic Health Practitioner program in 2003. For the past 4 years I have run Bear Hands, a complementary health practice providing Reiki, Reflexology, Wellness Consulting and Seminars.

Over time my focus has moved towards women's sexual health, and I began looking for ways to educate myself in the field. In November of 2006, I began studying  Women's Fertility Awareness  Advocacy  with Justisse HealthWorks, as well as taking classes with the  Alberta Society for the Promotion of Sexual Health. 

That same month I discovered Brenda and the Traveling Tickle Trunk. Such  serendipity! I loved the TTT's aproach to the sex toy industry being on health, comfort, fun, and pleasure, as well as the focus she put on training and understanding a wide range of sexual health issues. I signed up to do her staff training as a way to broaden my understanding of the sex toy industry. Then I  decided to try some parties as a way to further my comfort level talking to women about a wide range of sexual topics. Well, who new how fun that could be? The Traveling Tickle Trunk parties were so much fun to do, and Brenda and the whole team are so fabulous to work and play with, that I have stayed on and am proud to be part of the official TTT team!

(look for Dinah's fertility awareness sessions in our event listings!)

 You can reach me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Hey there!  My name’s Amber Krasowski, I’m a full time Registered Nurse currently working in the inner-city & have been working part time at the Traveling Tickle Trunk since October 2008.

I was first introduced to the Traveling Tickle Trunk at the 2007 Harm Reduction Conference in Red Deer. I was immediately drawn to the display of colorful toys & was incredibly impressed with the knowledgeable staff. As a registered nurse, I strongly believe in quality toys, which I’m pleased to report is exactly what I’ve found.

Brenda’s asked me to put in a little bit about myself, so for those of you interested… I grew up in a super liberal home, where my mom was also a Registered Nurse working in the field of sexual health. As you can imagine, dinner conversations in our home were far from “normal” hence my ability to discuss just about anything under the sun without batting an eyelash, or passing judgment.

When I was 19, I received my first vibrator & a few hundred condoms as a going away gift, “to prevent any STD’s,” my mother said. This was my first experience with a toy of any sorts, and I simply haven’t looked back since.

As much as it may seem, my world doesn’t solely revolve around sexual health & toys (though some of my friends may beg to differ) I’m also interested in outdoor sports such as cross-country mountain biking, road biking, bikram yoga, camping in the Rockies, and of course training my 107 pound dog, Tonka…he’s lovely and I’ll talk about him for hours, so only ask if you’re prepared

I hope to see some of you in the store on a Saturday, or perhaps at a toy party. I also truly look forward to sharing my knowledge regarding different toys/products e.t.c & would love to answer any questions you have, to the best of my knowledge.

Cheers & see you soon!

reach Amber at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Chris

Hi There!  My name is Chris and I'm a proud new member of the Traveling Tickle Trunk team.  

I had the opportunity to meet Brenda at a toy party a few years ago and had kept in touch with her.  When I decided to take on a second job, I wanted to make sure I found a place where I was excited to work and it seemed natural to ask Brenda if she had a spot for me. As luck would have it, the store was opening and she was looking for some additional members for the team.

 I have spent hours with Brenda learning about the products we carry and she has impressed on me the importance of the quality and content of the products and how important it is to make sure that what we sell only positively influences the sexuality of whoever buys them.

 I've been told I'm very approachable and show the products in a matter-of-fact way that makes people feel comfrotable around me.  I believe that consenting adults should have access to as much information as possible to allow them to have the most enjoyable sex lives possible.  I am part of this team because I want to share what I have learned.

reach chris at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Hey! I’m Kristen. What can I say about myself?

Well, I’m a student nurse and about 18 months ago I was the girl who would blush when my girlfriends would talk to me about their sex life. That changed quickly when I was volunteered by my friends to teach sexual health to a classroom full of teenagers. I felt completely unprepared! Luckily, I ran into a podcast called “sex is fun”. I learned so much and I actually did quite well at my task of educating hyper-sex-driven hormone-crazy teen’s the ins and outs of safe sex. This sparked my interest in safe, healthy sex. I’ve been learning all that I could about safe sex and safe sex toys and then it happened – I found the Traveling Tickle Trunk!   Cut to now - my blurb on the team page! 

Lauren

Hi my name is Lauren and I have been working with The Traveling Tickle Trunk since January 2007. I am a teacher and I am currently working on my Masters degree in Adult Education. I have always been interested in areas relating to sex education and when I was introduced to sex toys in a Human Sexuality course during my undergraduate degree, my curiosity was piqued. After meeting Brenda and learning about her women-friendly, sex-positive focus and her emphasis on quality toys, I signed on to do home parties and I haven’t looked back since! I really enjoy meeting new people, having a great time, and talking about sex (who doesn’t love that!?!). Inevitably, I learn something new every time!

I look forward to meeting you at a party soon!

You can reach me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it