Julie grew up on a small family-run farming operation and spent many summers in the heart of the forest, with fishing and hiking her principal activities. Being that close to nature led her to cherish the relationship. She did her studies at Concordia University in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, and continued at Université Laval in horticulture and green space management. By way of an academic exchange at the Institute of Biology of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM) and Québec sans frontière training in agriculture in Peru, her passion for plants and nature only grew greater. She works now as an assistant botanist at the Jardin botanique de Montréal.