Award-Winning Aboriginal Entrepreneur, Oil-Sands Tycoon and Health & Safety Expert Embraces Two-Spirited Lifestyle.
Massey Whiteknife is much more than an oil-patch entrepreneur who overcame great adversity to build a multi-million dollar enterprise.
As a proud member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation and the founder and CEO of ICEIS Safety, he is also an entertainer whose growing celebrity and extraordinary life story are inspiring audiences from all walks of life.
Having endured years of childhood abuse, gang rape, bullying, addiction and homelessness, Massey learned to cope by embracing the other side of himself: a fiery woman with a penchant for peacock headdresses, fur coats and sparkly stilettos.
Massey is two-spirited, a term First Nations people use to describe someone with both masculine and feminine identities. Embodied in the same person, Massey is an oil sands tycoon specializing in occupational health and safety and sustainable development, while Iceis Rain is a sassy, voluptuous, multi-nominated pop singer and Fort McMurray’s premier drag queen.
Massey built a thriving enterprise with ICEIS Safety, in part by assuring customers that his sexuality wasn’t a reason not to hire him.
Now a sought-after public speaker, he helps others develop the tools they need to overcome adversity and succeed in their lives and careers. What’s so refreshing is that he’s willing to share not only the highs but also the lows of his exceptional life.
At one point in his career, Massey was on top of the world as business accolades and awards poured in, including the 2016 Eagle Feather Award Of Distinction. But with the collapse in the price of oil and the Fort McMurray wildfires, Massey lost everything and was forced to move to Edmonton to regroup.
Now, after a rough couple of years, he is stronger than ever, rebuilding ICEIS Safety to adapt to the dynamics of an industry experiencing huge change. “No matter what I go through I try to look at the positives in everything,” Massey says. “Every day when you wake up and put your shoes on, what you do is up to you.”