Maggie Westhaver began her path in the 1980s as a member of the Halifax Shambhala Center in her native Nova Scotia. She received all of the transmissions and texts of the Shambhala path. She met Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche in 1987 and soon after, became a founding member of Siddhartha's Intent Society (1990). She was the first managing director (1996 to 1999) of the Sea to Sky Retreat Centre (1992). In 2007, she became the archivist and curator for Dzongsar Khyentse Archives.

Currently, Maggie heads the Khyentse Vision Project platform an online exhibit showcasing the legacy of the Khyentse Lineage. Maggie co-lead advanced vajrayana meditation programs on the Longchen Nyingthik ngondro and Tsa Sum Dril Drub, transcribed a number of practice manuals, and is overseeing the revision of the Vajrakilaya practice manual.

Maggie also served as advisor to Lotus Outreach Canada where she guided the board in societal and charitable matters. She has credits towards a MFA degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing from University of King's College, Halifax, Nova Scotia as well as a degree in nursing and a diploma in critical care nursing. She has seventeen years of clinical experience.

Maggie also worked in the area of sustainable international ophthalmology with programs in Nepal, Tibet, India, Tanzania, from 2001 to 2005, as she served as the Executive Director of Seva Canada Society, an INGO based in Vancouver. Maggie is an advocate for a non-sectarian approach to Buddhism and practices meditation under the guidance of 7. She lives between Thailand, India and Canada.