About
Hi, I'm Jai.
I'm a facilitator, mediator and strategist, and principal at Agentic Communications. I founded the practice in Vancouver in 2000, and it has always worked with social-change organizations.
These days that means helping groups plan together, work through conflict, and make sense of the digital systems they depend on. I'm most useful when the work is complicated and the people doing it matter.
Some people knew me as Phillip. I changed my name to Jai in 2019.
How I got here
Where I started
Composer
I trained in electroacoustic music and composed for theatre, dance and film. Composition taught me to listen first, and to pay attention to how the parts work together.
2000 – 2017
Digital agency
Agentic began as a digital agency, building websites, campaigns and creative technology projects for non-profits, unions, cultural organizations and Indigenous communities.
2017 – now
Working with people
In 2017 I moved from building websites to working more deeply with people: facilitation, coaching and transformational consulting. I'm a certified trauma-informed workplace investigator and have trained in mediation with Mediate BC.
2023 – now
Teaching
I helped launch, and now lead, the Interaction Design and UX program at Capilano University's IDEA School of Design.
What hasn't changed
My values are the same as when I started: community, collaboration, creativity, and making positive change in the world.
I work with an anti-racism lens that keeps power dynamics in view, and I treat organizations as ecosystems, not machines. Every part needs care, and the answers usually come from the people already in the room.
Want to work together?
Tell me a bit about what you're working through. You can also find more about my teaching and creative work at djwa.ca.
Get in touch