For R. Renee Hess, a chance encounter with Pittsburgh Penguins fans led to a lifelong passion for hockey. She has become a passionate advocate for Black women in hockey through education, representation and community building. Renee discusses her new book Blackness is a Gift I Can Give Her: On Race, Community and Black Women in Hockey and how she’s…

Quit the seemingly endless cycle of online outrage and unproductive arguments. Aftab Erfan is the executive director of the SFU Centre for Dialogue and she is passionate about constructive conflict resolution and helping people build their communication skills. We discuss the art of constructive dialogue and how we can build space for healthy conve…

On the outside, David A. Robertson has a loving family, a successful career as an author, and a platform to promote Indigenous perspectives, cultures and concerns. On the inside, he lives with “little monsters”: chronic, debilitating health anxiety and panic attacks accompanied, at times, by depression. David shares his mental health journey and hi…

First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada have a long tradition of military service. The challenges they faced often extended to their post-service life, as many Indigenous war veterans didn’t receive equal treatment compared to other veterans in Canada. Clarence Wolfleg Sr. is a deeply respected veteran and Elder from the Siksika Nation and …

Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa dreamed of becoming a doctor her entire life. But as a psychiatry resident, Chika quickly learned that medical school and a medical career are not immune to systemic discrimination. She discusses her journey through medical school and residency, advocating for change and her new memoir: Unlike the Rest: A Doctor’s Story.…

Why are women still fighting for equality in 2024? Elizabeth Renzetti is an award-winning journalist who has spent decades reporting on women’s rights in Canada. She shares her candid insights on what needs to change, the barriers women still face and why the fight is far from over. We also dive into Elizabeth’s new book What She Said: Conversation…

What does it take to live a life of constant adventure and exploration? Frank Wolf is one of Canada’s most prolific adventurers, trekking thousands of kilometres across the world’s wilderness every year. As a writer and filmmaker, Frank is also passionate about the power of storytelling to foster connection between people. He joins us to discuss hi…

When Reuben Coe sent his brother Manni a desperate text message during the peak of the pandemic, it sparked an extraordinary journey of rescue and recovery. After a year of living alone in care, Reuben was isolated and deeply depressed. Manni knew his brother needed help and the family came together to heal. Hear the inspiring story of one family's…

Is your endless to-do list keeping you from just enjoying life? Tamu Thomas wants women to reclaim a more balanced approach to work and life and let others feel good about pitching in. She shares her own journey with burnout and the social factors that make women more susceptible to overdoing it.

Carolyn Roberts is challenging the colonial foundations of Canada’s education system. As an Indigenous academic and educator, Carolyn has firsthand experience in the classroom. We explore the impacts of colonialism on curriculum, offer practical strategies for creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments, and discuss Carolyn’s new bo…

For Tanya Talaga, memory is not just about the past. It’s a tool for survival and resistance. Remembering and honouring ancestors through stories ensures that their spirits and wisdom continue to guide future generations. Tanya reflects on how reclaiming Indigenous family histories opens the door to understanding the real, often untold, history of …

Valérie Courtois is building a social movement for environmental conservation. For more than 10 years, she has been the executive director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative and has been an advocate for Indigenous-led conservation. We discuss Valérie’s career, the importance of Canada’s boreal forests, and the role of conservation in truth and…

Coercive control—subtle, persistent abuse that manipulates and dominates victims—is being recognized as a serious form of abuse in Canada. Angela Marie MacDougall is the executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services and is helping women escape violent relationships. She joins us to share her thoughts on coercive control and how we can bet…

Back to school can be a stressful time for the whole family. We’re taking another look at our episode with Dr. Ellen Choi, an expert on mindfulness. Dr. Choi felt like she had been moving through her life on autopilot. Through mindfulness and meditation, and removing the burden of perfection, she was able to connect with herself and learn how to li…

With young men in the grip of a loneliness epidemic, Ruth Whippman asks: How do we raise our sons to have a healthy sense of self? As an essayist, culture critic and mother of three boys, Ruth discusses the impossibly contradictory pressures boys now face and how parents can nurture empathy, positivity and compassion in their sons.…

What do animals know that we don’t? Martin Wikelski has spent his professional career trying to answer this question. He’s the director of the Department of Migration at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and also pioneered ICARUS, a system for continuously tracking thousands of animals from space. Martin discusses his work in animal track…

Have you ever felt constantly confused in a relationship, with someone treating you hot and cold or blaming you for things that weren't your fault? For Bren Worthington, becoming a mother helped her recognize the narcissists in her own life. We explore how to identify narcissistic behaviours and cope with the aftermath of abuse.…

For many years, melanoma was considered a death sentence. But in the last decade, huge strides have been made in skin cancer treatments. We sit down with the Save Your Skin Foundation to discuss the role of patient advocacy in improving cancer patients’ lives. Founder Kathleen Barnard is a melanoma patient and awareness advocate, and Dr. Alison Wep…

Where would human evolution be without the female body? Despite the invaluable ability to create life, Cat Bohannon says the female body has been historically overlooked in medical research. As an author and researcher, she wants to close the gaps in our understanding of the female body by taking a trip through time. We unpack medical bias, sexism …

The weeds in your garden have a fascinating personal history. Jessica J. Lee is challenging us to reframe our ideas of the natural world. As an environmental historian, she is an expert in exploring the entangled relationships between people and plants. We discuss Jessica’s fascination with the language used to describe plant species, such as "inva…

From ancient Greece to modern media, rhetoric has played a massive role in how we perceive reality. Robin Reames is a rhetorician, author and professor at Indiana University and she argues that understanding rhetorical techniques helps us avoid being manipulated by authority figures who don’t have our best interests at heart. Robin discusses how we…

What if the key to addiction recovery lies not just in treating symptoms, but addressing long-buried trauma? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Alana Hirsh, a Vancouver physician specializing in trauma-informed addiction treatment. Through moving patient stories and her own experiences, Alana shares how a trauma-informed lens is transforming health…

When Miranda Newman was growing up, her mother didn’t know if Miranda needed ‘a psychologist or an exorcist.’ It took years for Miranda to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder - an explanation for the complicated way she moved through the world. Miranda discusses her experiences navigating the Canadian mental healthcare system, her wor…

Indigenous peoples have used fire to shape landscapes for millennia, but centuries of colonial fire suppression policies have disrupted these relationships. Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson is a fire research scientist and expert in Indigenous fire stewardship. She is working to restore the relationship between Indigenous communities and fire. We disc…

How can we get ourselves in the right headspace to lead? The importance of leaders having leadership skills can’t be overstated. Dr. Diane McIntosh joins us to discuss the psychology of a successful leader, how to create a thriving work environment and her new co-authored book, You Belong Here: How to Make People Feel Safe to Be Their Best, Take Bo…

For as long as Kate Manne can remember, she wanted to be smaller. Even as a feminist philosopher, she wasn’t exempt from the cultural conditioning that drives so many of us to a negative body image. Kate draws on her research from her new book, Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia, to discuss what fatphobia is, how it works and why it’s a vital socia…

Psychiatrists Dr. Benjamin Rosen and Dr. Andrew Howlett believe the mental health of fathers is a wellness indicator for the whole family. Why then, do so many dads feel shame about caring for their mental health? Benjamin and Andrew discuss this stigma, how the brain is impacted by becoming a dad and why they founded the Fathers’ Mental Health Net…

After bringing home two Olympic medals, Stephanie Labbé wants to make it easier for athletes to speak about their mental health. There were many ups and downs on Stephanie’s journey to the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. We discuss how she learned to manage mental health challenges, the future of Canadian women’s soccer, and her brand new documen…

What started as a casual effort to increase disability awareness turned into a social media following of almost 100,000. Ashley Harris Whaley launched her ‘Disability Reframed’ Instagram account in 2020, and as her following grew, she also published her first children’s book, I Am, You Are, to help children and adults have meaningful discussions ab…

Anyone who has ever read to or with a child—parent, family member, teacher or friend—knows books leave lasting impressions. Tasha Spillett is a New York Times bestselling author with a passion for writing for children. For Tasha, books have the power to instill empathy, affirm, teach, transport and inspire action. She discusses her journey to becom…

Race, Black masculinity, hip-hop culture, and education have an intricate relationship with one another. Matthew R. Morris is an educator and author who has dedicated much of his work to exploring racism in Canada’s school system. We discuss how we can make the classroom a more inclusive space, a phenomenon Matthew calls the Fresh Prince syndrome, …

Could a simple swab replace painful biopsies and transform uterine cancer screening? Dr. Aline Talhouk is a leading researcher developing new screening methods for endometrial cancer. Aline's non-invasive approach could offer millions of at-risk women an easy way to get screened. She discusses how her work aims to catch this little-known but common…

Schizophrenia is one of the most misunderstood mental disorders. With plenty of misinformation and stigma, it’s important to have a grasp of schizophrenia and its impacts on people’s lives. Dr. Diane McIntosh joins us to explain the difference between schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, explore the spectrum of symptoms and treatment ap…

Helen Knott’s mother and grandmother passed away within six months of each other. In addition to losing two matriarchs in her life, Helen had to step into the shoes of her loved ones and fulfill new family responsibilities. Her new memoir, Becoming a Matriarch, is an exploration of grief, love and legacy. She discusses the journey of becoming a mat…

Men are facing a mental health crisis and Dr. John Ogrodniczuk says many of his patients felt they couldn’t seek help because of narrow ideas of what it means to be a "real man." As a professor of psychiatry and founder of HeadsUpGuys, John is working to make mental health resources more accessible to men across Canada. He wants men to know that as…

For many living with chronic pain, the goal has often been to find an elusive "cure". But what if our understanding of pain itself needs rethinking? In 2008, Simon Paradis fell off a scaffold, causing severe injuries to his brain and spinal cord. Despite making a strong recovery, he lives with chronic pain every day. As a team, he and his wife, Kar…

Every person alive has benefitted from the menstrual cycle, and yet there is so much shame surrounding periods. Dr. Jen Gunter has made it her mission to change how we think about menstrual health as a key component of overall wellness. So much of what we know about menstruation is a myth or simply false, and as a renowned gynecologist and author, …

Loneliness rates are increasing steadily across the globe, in what experts are calling the loneliness epidemic. With social media on the rise, face-to-face interactions have become less common. Dr. Diane McIntosh joins us to discuss how we can better prepare for this epidemic, how loneliness can impact our health and the value of strong social conn…

Tobias Dengel believes voice technology is poised to completely transform how we interact with apps, services and even entire industries. As someone who has been working with digital technology for decades, Tobias predicts a major shift from conversational assistants to devices that combine voice, visuals and more. He joins us to talk about his wor…

As a kid, Mark Stoddart says he had a basketball in one hand and an art portfolio in the other. Now his artwork is permanently installed in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. With a career spanning over three decades as a visual communicator, graphic designer, and painter, Mark’s work illustrates the history of Black athletes, entertainers, and public fig…

Valerie Jerome grew up in Canada’s fastest family. As the granddaughter of John “Army” Howard, Canada’s first Black Olympian, Valerie says she was “blessed” with genes for speed. She was only 15 years old when she competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Her brother, Harry Jerome, was one of the most recognizable Black Canadian athletes in the 1960s.…

When Kathy Wagner’s son, Tristan, began experimenting with drugs at the age of 14, she told herself it was just a phase. But by the time he was 15, she had to face the gravity of Tristan’s addiction. Kathy opens up about the early signs that her son was at risk, the grief of losing him to an accidental fentanyl overdose, and how she began healing w…

With the rapidly rising cost of living, immigrating to Canada can be challenging. Now imagine going through those same challenges without speaking English or French or having a network to support you. Anila Lee Yuen, the CEO of the Centre of Newcomers in Calgary, helps people build their new life and overcome the challenges of finding community, ac…

The Arctic is evolving every day. New shipping lanes are opening, remote minerals are becoming accessible and tourism is taking off. How can Canada make sure it's prepared for this emerging Arctic economy? Clint Davis is a leader in Indigenous economics and a member of the TELUS Indigenous Advisory Council. He discusses the opportunities and challe…

Everyone has a relationship to pop culture. Whether you’re a casual fan or superfan of your favourite actor, musician or athlete, we all have interests that connect us. Throughout her life, Jen Sookfong Lee has seen how Canadian pop culture staples, such as Hockey Night in Canada, can create community across different walks of life. On this week’s …

As a Black child adopted at birth by a white family, Harrison Mooney grew up with a desire for belonging and looked for cultural connection. His memoir, Invisible Boy, explores his experience as a transracial adoptee. Harrison discusses how being separated from his birth culture and community had an impact on his sense of self and how we can work h…

Like many Canadians, farmers across the country are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression and burnout. Megz Reynolds, Executive Director of the Do More Agriculture Foundation, says there is an intense stigma surrounding mental health care in agriculture. She discusses the unique stressors facing Canadian farmers and the need to make mental h…

Every 22 minutes, a Canadian woman dies of a heart attack. But the majority don't have to. Dr. Tara Sedlak is one of the few certified women’s heart health cardiologists in Canada and is a fierce advocate for education and awareness. She discusses how heart disease can show up differently for women and how we can improve our heart health every day.…

Steven Nitah believes Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) are the future for Canada’s conservation efforts. As a leader in this space for more than 10 years, Steven has seen firsthand how IPCAs benefit biodiversity and advance reconciliation.

Dr. Ellen Choi felt like she had been moving through her life on autopilot. Through mindfulness and meditation, and removing the burden of perfection, she was able to connect with herself and learn how to live with intention and purpose. She joins us to discuss how everyone can develop their own personal practice.…