A Brief Summary

Molly is a child of the marsh, born and raised in Minnesota (the stolen lands of the Dakota and Anishinaabe people). I am a queer cis-woman with white privilege who grew up curious about the natural world and a caring heart. I spent many of my younger years learning how to connect to people and the world and how not just to love others but to love myself—and let’s be honest, learning self-compassion is a lifelong journey.

In 2012, I received my B.S. in biology, with minors in chemistry and film production, from the University of Oregon. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I worked as a freelance writer and editor, youth worker, outdoor educator, and independent living specialist. These years were highly formative, professionally and personally. I learned a lot about how to work with youth, as well as with adults with disabilities. I also traveled abroad and got to meet some amazing people. And I got more involved in social justice initiatives. First with the LGBTQIA+ movement (Vote No Campaign) and then with the Black Lives Matter movement (after the murder of Jamar Clark).

In 2019, I completed my master’s in Natural Resources Science & Management from the University of Minnesota with a minor in Evaluation Studies. I graduated with my master’s bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, though after working in a nonprofit, I became aware of white-supremacy culture, not only from leadership but also within myself. I could see how I was perpetuating harm to the communities we served through my silence and using extractive education and evaluation practices to get data to appease leadership and donors.

In 2020, after a deep burnout and a COVID-19 layoff, I decided to go independent as an evaluator to: (1) Learn and practice culturally responsive, equitable, and creative evaluation approaches; (2) Build a business that breathes joy rather than toxicity; and (3) take time to dismantle systems of oppression (white supremacy, misogyny, etc.) within myself and my professional practice. This was how Coco Canary Consulting was born!

A Visual Timeline of Molly's life

The Artist

Molly is an illustrator, filmmaker, and musician. She has been illustrating and cartooning for over a decade—and, honestly, since she was a little girl! Molly minored in Film Studies during her undergraduate, focusing on documentary production. She has been making films ever since, predominantly montages of her trips and cherished memories.

Lastly, Molly has been playing and writing music for a long time. She is classically trained in clarinet and is an indie vocalist. Her first band was Coco Canary—yes, the band came first—and released her first EP in 2023. She now continues to use Coco Canary as her musician moniker and is currently a lead vocalist and clarinetist in Tree & Co.

The album cover for Coco Canary, the EP (designed and made by Molly C. O'Connor)

We are streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, and More!

Click here to listen to the EP on Bandcamp!