This episode reveals not only the details about a world-renown researcher, who is a scholar in emerging tech and the first Black woman to be President of a Canadian university, but the radiant human who embodies fearlessness and inspires so many. Friends for two decades, Host C-A Granatstein and Dr. Rhonda McEwen cover a range of topics, like Rhond…

The episode starts out as a story about a broken down vintage Austin-Healey and a chance encounter with a real life superhero. It evolves into stories about helping others, being part of the fabric of the community, and aslo a big surprise for host C-A’s friend Mike.By C.A. Granatstein

It’s the stuff of movies, mystery and faraway places. Records show that as early as 2,000 BC falcons were used to hunt and feed communities, for sport, and as highly effective pest control. C-A has a fascinating conversation about falconry with the hard-working falcons Bullet and Petey, and Falconer Keith Everett from Falcon Environmental.…

C-A speaks to Steve Paikin, journalist, author, documentary producer, podcast co-host and host of TVO’s flagship current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin. The conversation focuses on interviewing, but Steve breaks out into song, recalls great moments, surprising moments, being starstruck and a few personal - but not too personal - nugg…

In a follow-up to Episode 17, C-A speaks to Warren Kotler again, who is not only a guest this time around, but her husband, who lives with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. They talk about the unique conversations considerations that took place when they started dating and why they asked family and friends to donate to the OCTANE research project t…

Fashion rentals, refurbishment and resale is just about the easiest and most enjoyable way to support local businesses, save money, reduce the carbon footprint of your clothing and rescue clothes from the landfill which pollute water systems and through their decomposition process and incineration, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. C-A talks …

This conversation with Dr. Kasra (Kas) Khorasani is about a unique approach that he developed for his inpatient psychotherapy groups using LEGO Serious Play methodology. Learn why group therapy is such a valued tool in for psychotherapy and how building with LEGO in Kas's sessions empowers further connection, allowing people to become authentic, ge…

In March 2021, Glenna Gosewich became an non-directed living organ donor. 62% of her liver went to a stranger who was in need of a vital transplant. Glenna sees this as a form of charity, a good deed — something she can do because she’s able, despite the risks, post-op recovery and even judgement from others. Glenna is also a wealth of information …

Just when you think all teenagers spend every waking moment on TikTok, there’s Naila Moloo. At 15 years old, this STEM researcher's drive to contribute to a sustainable future, her stellar networking tips and her ability to handle rejection with grace in order to get exactly what she wants... is so totally boss. You are guaranteed to learn one life…

Close to home: Stories of neighbourhood businesses in the COVID economy are conversations with six business owners in the St. Clair West community, in midtown Toronto. Part one was published a year ago this week. Like so many things in the last 14 months, the conversations with Cocoa Latte, The Rushton, Ecoexistence, Playfulminds, Philosophy and Ko…

Ed Lawrence is THE Gardening expert. He was the Chief Horticulturalist for six consecutive Governors General and has been a regular on CBC's Ontario Today show for the last 40 years. Whether you are a beginner gardener or you are well versed in the ways of plants, Ed is a joy to listen to and learn from. In this episode Ed's got plenty to say about…

The activity level of humans is generally at an all time low as people work from home, spend countless hours on devices and endure waves of lockdowns. Sitting is stressful on the back, hips, neck and shoulders. The lack of movement is being linked to a decline in mental health and an increase in injury. Dr. Waj Hoda is back on the show with prevent…

Smut, trash, beach read. All terms used to describe the romance novel. This genre often gets a bad rap despite it being a massive industry. C-A speaks to romance author Victoria Denault about writing sex scenes, an unexpected review from comedian Paul Scheer and #Bridgerton fever. As people dream of adventures while shut in, locked down and cut off…

Dog loves you. Dog wants to teach you about love and presence and patience and forgiveness and gentleness and benevolence. Dog wants to cherish you, wants you to be a certain way and is always there to teach you. Dogs are meditation masters. Master dog trainer, mindfulness teacher, meditation instructor and soon-to-be author, Jesse Sternberg provid…

Just in time for winter, second waves and lockdowns, C-A learns how to make chicken soup, also known as “Jewish Penicillin”, with help from her mother. Bones or meat? Gloves or no gloves? Turnips or parsnips? Together, but in different cities, mother and daughter get all of these questions answered and more. Check out the Show Notes for the full re…

C-A is ready to forget about what's happening in the world and wonders if it's possible for a mentalist to do a show over Zoom. Mysterion the Mindreader, who is one of few to fool Pen and Teller, proves that yes, it is possible! Mysterion blows her mind with a few tricks and they also talk about the mindreading biz during the pandemic. "It's about …

C-A speaks to Kathy Hay, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone, Canada’s only 24/7, national support service that offers professional counselling, information and referrals, and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people in both English and French. C-A is a volunteer crisis responder with Kids Help Phone. She talks to Kathy about her experien…

In this episode, C-A talks to Sandy Carlton, owner of Arcadian Daylilies, an urban farmer in midtown Toronto in his backyard garden, where he grows about 300 different varieties of daylilies and other plants that perform well in a northern climate. Sandy offers up a wealth of garden wisdom like what chicken fat has to do with daylillies, how to get…

Six entrepreneurs from the St. Clair West neighbourhood in midtown Toronto talk candidly about running their businesses over the past nine weeks since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, how they are innovating and what people can do to ensure this community, and communities like St. Clair West, thrive in the new COVID economy. Very special thanks to …

C-A talks to her childhood friend, Dr. Daniel Labow, Chief of the Surgical Oncology Division and Vice Chair of Outpatient Services for the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City about the tough decisions he's had to make as a doctor, husband and father during COVID-19. They also discuss his toughest day on the job and the go…

C-A turns to Wendy Lund from Ep. 2, Has Mindfulness Lost its Meaning to see if there is a meditation that could help cultivate a sense of peace in this time of uncertainty. Wendy walks listeners through Metta, or compassion meditation, to help send loving- kindness to the people in our lives and to ourselves.…

Dr. Waj Hoda, chiropractor extraordinaire from episode 15 - Your body knows, listen to it talks about how he’s helping clients virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, his simple triangle approach to maintaining good health and things you can do to regain a sense of control in a time when everything feels pretty out of control. Visit @drwajhoda on I…

C-A checks in to see how Alan's doing during the Covid-19 pandemic and how the music industry is faring. Alan's of course got a few band recos plus some thoughts on the emergence of art when society is upside down. C-A gets an answer to a burning question she didn't ask Alan on Ep. 8 - Midlife Playlist. Hint: Turkeys.…

By C-A Granatstein

By C-A Granatstein

By C-A Granatstein

This episode with Dr. Waj Hoda gets into the many different ways the body signals what's really going on with you if you listen, what happens if you repress these signs, stress and the pelvic floor, and staying mobile in a time when we are allowing technology to turn us into sedentary beings.By C-A Granatstein

There are life coaches, psychologists, astrologists and family counsellors. What if there was a way to draw on all of these disciplines to help you understand your best qualities and also make you aware of those personality traits that can trip you up, leading you to a happier, healthier and more purposeful life? The patterns and cycles of the star…

This episode is for people out there who are experiencing poor quality sleep because they are women, women who are in that life stage leading up menopause and beyond. Many are hanging on for dear life when it comes to not just getting a decent night’s rest but actually falling asleep. This conversation with Dr. Sara Nowakowski, a clinical psycholog…

Scientist, Psychiatrist and hunter Dr. Albert Wong provides the rational approach on the topic of why shooting guns and hunting is a mental holiday much like yoga is for some, how this form of technical mastery allows humans to be humans in the completely artificial environment that we’ve created for ourselves and how we should save the hysteria fo…

There are so many things that affect the quality and quantity of our sleep and many ways people go about to try and improve their sleep, from THC and CBD to sleeping pills and aromatherapy. With Dr. Michael Grandner, Director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, this episode explores some key issues around sleep: how to recognize when the Land …

Dealing with a troubled teenage or adult child can be overwhelming. The kids need help and resist any interference in their lives. Parents feel like the only way to remedy the situation is to be "the enforcer," and make their child comply. Things escalate from there and when parents aren’t able to cope, it can make progress seem impossible, and eve…

What makes more sense? Doing a bit of paperwork or letting your family duke it out with each other for decades, spending ridiculous amounts of money on lawyers fees as they fight over your stuff after you die? On this episode, we learn why getting a will done by lawyer - for your children, for your spouse or partner, for the people you leave behind…

Music journalist and industry veteran Alan Cross talks about the stickiness of the music we attach ourselves to, his own music journey, breakup tunes, the power of soundtracks and how both age and access to so much music may actually be getting in the way of broadening our music experience. For the episode music playlist, please head over here. Mus…

Going Grey author Anne Kreamer talks about dating, the corporate experience and personal transformation as she embraced and documented the journey of returning to her natural hair colour. Maria Petrou from Little Bird Salon talks about how to transition to your natural colour.By C-A Granatstein

There's a new anxiety in town. For real? Real enough that the American Psychological Association published a 69 page guide about the effects of climate change on mental health. In this interview, C-A speaks with Adria Vasil, the Managing Digital Editor at Corporate Knights and bestselling author about her experience dealing with this strange state …

In this farmside chat with one of Canada's favourite comedic performers, C-A talks with Sandra Shamas about the application for a waitressing job that changed Sandra's life, the rewards of climbing menopause mountain, her experience as a woman in comedy, teaching moments on stage and so much more. This is intimate conversation is filled with wisdom…

This episode to about What to Expect when you're not Expecting to enlighten people about the symptoms of perimenopause, became an eye-opener about the retention of women in senior roles in the workplace. With 4.3 million women in the UK over the age of 51 in the workplace, corporate UK has recognized that should they neglect the health and well-bei…

The gig economy is defined as part-time or contract work for more than one employer for under 30 hours a week. It is estimated that more than a third of workers in the US are working in the gig economy. The HBR article, Thriving in the Gig Economy stated that 150 million workers in North America and Europe across demographics are working in the gig…

An industry to commoditize or should we pay closer attention? Guest Wendy Lund is one of about three people in North America with a Masters of Science in Mindfulness studies and about one of 100 globally who hold this degree. Wendy has helped pioneer programs for those who engage trauma in their work to help reduce their risk of psychological injur…

By C-A Granatstein