1. Riley got a new wearable fitness tracker. How do they affect us, especially when it comes to fitness and whether we can disconnect? 2. Interview – Cris Duval and her family experienced tragedies and challenging situations. She realized that it’s possible to reframe something that is hard into something that is positive. There’s something positive in every single event that happens, even if you need to slice things very thin. That’s what she looks for – the positive. There is a dramatic positive impact on our brain when we accomplish a hard thing. Resilience includes an ability to bounce back after hard things happen. We should think about our resilience in life, including about challenges that we can give ourselves to increase our ability to do hard things. Growth is important and it happens when you get out of your comfort zone and do something you haven’t done before, or is difficult for you. 3. Running Popup – A recent interview about functional medicine led to a new approach to wellness – functional wellness and balance. 4. Starving Artist – Cameron is off to a fresh start as 2025 kicks into gear.

1. Noura and John share why they enjoy long walks in nature. 2. Interview – In an exercise of Social Wellness, we asked personal injury lawyer Gord Harris for dangers to avoid and things to think about for driving safely and preventing accidents and injuries to ourselves and others. In Gord’s experience, most accidents are caused when people move from a position of safety, then create a danger. They make an unsafe move from a position of safety. This could happen in many situations. It could be an unsafe lane change. You could be stopped and waiting to turn. Accidents can happen when people don’t shoulder check, or make sure the lane is clear, or don’t check their mirrors, or don’t look both ways, etc. They’re often in a hurry. Speed affects reaction time. It might prevent you from recovering from a driver error. It will definitely increase the amount of damage caused when you collide with someone. 3. Move That Body – Sheila found a great list of 25 activities to work on in 2025. They’re practical and doable.

1. After 2023, we looked back real changes we made in our lives because of this podcast and the approach to wellness we talk about. It’s time to do the same for 2024 activities. 2. Interview – We meet Dr. Tracy McCarthy, a psychiatrist and physician, who has never been comfortable with a “diagnose and prescribe” approach. Medication has its place, but Dr. McCarthy digs deeper. She works with patients to investigate underlying issues, then treats them. Functional medicine is about identifying root causes of symptoms and understanding the body as a whole, taking a systems-based approach. Inflammation can affect the body in many ways. Systemic inflammation affects the brain, e.g. it could affect how neurons are working and how well they’re firing. Therefore, it can affect mental health. 3. Flipside of the Coin – We disagree with a tip we heard – don’t start into a relationship unless you’re in love. Our experiences are different. Maybe the person meant don’t get married or don’t start into a serious phase unless you’re in love. A relationship can grow and turn into love even if it doesn’t start there.

1. Cleaning can be an underappreciated chore, but it’s great for wellness to live in a clean house, in many ways. Sheila and Elise found an article with ideas to keep a clean house, including jobs that work well doing daily, weekly and monthly. 2. Interview – Dr. Frederic Schiffer introduced us to dual brain psychology on Episode 147. Split brain studies show that each brain hemisphere can have a mind of its own. One of them could be troubled by past traumas, while the other is quite healthy. This time Dr. Schiffer talks about things we can try for ourselves, and about successes in helping clients by using dual brain psychology. 3. Running Popup – Looking back and appreciating what I got out of reading more than 50 books of fiction this year. 4. Starving Artist – taking time and enjoying creating new music.

1. It’s important to ask people what they need or want and how we can help when we believe they could use our help, rather than assuming what they need. 2. It’s our second Interview with David Hulse, who journeyed from a fundamentalist Christian upbringing to an inclusive spiritual vista that champions love over fear. He challenges conventional religious dogmas and offers a message of unconditional love and inclusivity. We ask him about connections between science and spirituality. David sees that creation and evolution have met in a state of consciousness. He sees consciousness to now be driving evolution. By raising or consciousness, we are moving our ability to evolve ourselves to the next level of what it means to be human. Thinking about quantum physics led him to shift from a religious spiritual point of view to a scientific energetic point of view – that everything is energy. All consciousness is connected to all consciousness at some deep level. As we follow consciousness in, our consciousness becomes part of that one consciousness that we call god, life, spirit, unity, or whatever. He believes that we need to find and remember that connection. 3. Move That Body – We encourage people to find time and ways to move that body during the holiday season. It’s easy to avoid movement, but it feels great to move.

1. Elise found a post about situations where it makes sense to stay silent. What do you think of them – you don’t know the whole story; when you feel too emotional; in the heat of anger; if your words can offend; your words can destroy a friendship; if you can’t talk without yelling; and if you silence can save bonds? 2. Interview – We interview dental hygienist, patient-health advocate and wellness coach, Cris Duval. Cris founded the LifeGuard Approach, which helps dental and medical teams shift their mindset from repairing damage to preparing patients for health. Soft plaque is now called biofilm. The mouths of many people are infected with dangerous pathogens, or bad bacteria. When your gums bleed from gingivitis or periodontal disease, it inoculates those pathogens into your vascular system, which creates inflammation. They also migrate into other areas and joints of your body and create inflammation. You could do a pathogen test to find out whether you have pathogens in your mouth and at what level. A good way to know if you have the impact of those bacteria in your mouth is whether or not you have bleeding in your mouth. Dentists and dental hygienists can help manage patient’s risks and do multiple types of life saving screenings. 3. Flipside of the Coin  – Elise and Stephen talk about nostalgic video games they enjoy playing, and transitioning to new games. The whole discussion might be nostalgic now. They recorded it before they became first time parents. Who knows whether they have time for video games these days?

1. Do people at different ages and stage think about a framework to work towards wellness and balance? John plans to ask different people this question. Today we hear Riley’s perspective. 2. Interview – We interview Susan Lazar Hart in the area of intellectual wellness. She discusses ways to foster curiosity, including by asking questions of yourself. We focus too much on our smart phones. Wouldn’t it be great to learn and teach tools again to help us experience being alive? It helps to ask yourself questions. What would a cell phone free day look like? What would bring me joy today? What’s my foundation? What’s my intention with today? I might think about all those things I’ve put aside and ask myself which one is really scaring me. I’m may not do it, but I can at least think about it. I can imagine how I will feel at the end of the day if I accomplish this? How am I going to feel if I don’t do this? You’re in a conversation with yourself. Her intention for the day is to always grow. She believes we go backwards if we don’t ask ourselves to grow. We don’t stay stagnant. We change all the time, either growing or going backwards. 3. Running Popup – Having studied history, including the fall of empires, John sometimes lament what he sees going on the in the world. 4. Starving Artist – Cameron had fun with a group jam session using buckets for drums.

1. Can you be brave and afraid at the same time? Yes. We are capable of doing what appear to be contrary activities, or holding what appear to be contrary thoughts. It’s not all about polarization. 2. Interview – We interview Gord Harris in the areas of economic, mental and physical wellness. He tells us about accident benefits insurance coverage. It’s important for people to know that there’s a path for almost anyone hurt by a motor vehicle to access insurance benefits through the no-fault auto accident benefits system, even if they don’t have their own auto insurance policy. The no fault benefits regime started in Ontario in 1990. The Ontario government recognized that it helps if people can sue when someone else is at fault. Ultimately, they’ll get compensated, but what about the people who drive too fast in winter and go off the road and hit a tree? What about the person who’s changing a tire and the jack fails and the car lands on them and it crushes their shoulder and they’ll never work again? How does that person pay their mortgage or buy groceries or pay for anything ese? The idea behind this was to make sure that at least the people hurt by cars had a basic social safety net, even if they didn’t have someone to sue. In Ontario, Canada, no fault benefits are a mandatory part of every motor vehicle insurance policy. You are required to pay additional premiums to get what we call no fault accident benefits coverage. The idea is that if you get hurt in a motor vehicle accident, then you will have access to immediate help. It might be a disability benefit or help with your physical or psychological recovery. You can get back to work or your activities of daily living. That’s what it’s for. It doesn’t matter whether you or someone else caused the accident. It doesn’t matter if you’re a passenger, pedestrian, bicyclist, roller blader, etc. If you’re hit or hurt by a car or motor vehicle, then you can claim for these benefits. 3. Move That Body – We tend to become less active in cold climates in Winter. Sheila found a 10-minute indoor workout idea to inspire us to find a way to get into a good “keep active” mode.

1. Noura shares thoughts after taking a Mental Health First Aid training course. There were interesting lessons, with a focus on active non-judgmental listening. 2. Interview –David Hulse has journeyed from a fundamentalist Christian upbringing to an inclusive spiritual vista that champions love over fear. He challenges conventional religious dogmas and offers a message of unconditional love and inclusivity. He is on a path to enlightenment or awakening. He doesn’t think of God as an anthropomorphic old man in the sky. He sees the God as his own potential and he’s looking for it as a presence within himself and within our humanity. He believes that an environment of love is needed for an awakening to happen. Not love in the emotional sense, but the state of consciousness that makes us all one. The word “spirit” means motivation or breath – it moves us. We appreciate and look forward to advancements in technology and many other things, but religions get stuck in their own dogma. This prevents growth and movement. If he’s constantly judging himself morally, asking whether he did this right or wrong, or whether he’s good enough, then he can’t grow in that atmosphere. He focuses on spirituality (not religion). If he accepts unconditional love, then he can have sacred space within himself to grow, mature, research and study. 3. Flipside of the Coin – Sheila found a fun article with lots of ideas for different types of dates for couples.

1. John asks Riley about the ways people are connected to screens. She’s more familiar with platforms like Tik Tok, Youtube and more. 2. Interview – Mental Wellness – Dr. Frederic Schiffer discusses dual brain psychology, which comes out of rigorous scientific research. Split brain studies show that each brain hemisphere can have a mind of its own. One of them could be troubled by past traumas, while the other is quite healthy. Victims of trauma often judge themselves as inadequate and feel they are weak. The purpose of dual brain psychology is to treat the trauma – to help the immature side realize that they were not responsible and they are not inadequate. They were traumatized. There’s a difference. An idea from dual brain psychology is to get the healthy side to be a co-therapist to help treat the trauma in the more troubled side. Initially the two sides are sabotaging each other. They can become cooperative. 3.  – 4. Adventures of the Starving Artist – The group Massive Attack is taking active steps to help the environment on an upcoming tour. Cam tell us about this great idea.

1.Bad traits that kill good traits, and vice versa. 2. John introduces the category of Social Wellness during our 8-week Focus on Facets program. 3. We interview Shereen Samuels in the area of Social Wellness.⁠ What is the difference between not racist and anti-racist? Trying to be not racist puts an enormous amount of pressure in the wrong place. It implies that racism comes from individuals. Racism is built right into the systems and structures. Anti-racism is saying that my participation in the system doesn’t end with me saying I am not racist. With an anti-racist approach we say, regardless of what I as an individual believe, I understand that the structures are built to trust some people more and other people less, and to give some people more power and other people less. If I know that to be true, then it’s not just my job to not see colour but to look at the ways the structures are unfair or unequal and do what I can as a person to change that, so that people do have equal access and can be heard. Shereen sees community as the foundation of how to think about this. We want our communities to be healthy and connected, and we want people to thrive in our communities. 4.  Move That Body – We came across surprising stats about what the average adult does and doesn’t do when it comes to physical health. It inspires us to eat nutritious food, to move that body, and not to neglect ourselves.

. 1. We have learned that doing hard things is rewarding. It seems to be a cornerstone of working towards balance and wellness. We’re now more inclined to lean into hard work to foster wellness, rather than sitting back and hoping wellness falls into our laps. 2. John introduces the category of Economic Wellness during our 8-week Focus on Facets program. 3. Interview – Jill Melanson – Budgeting is a fundamental and common sense approach to financial wellness. It got John and Sheila through their early days as students with two children and a modest income. Jill chats about strategies to help in the process, such as where to look for the information you need, and ensuring you give yourself time. Budgeting provides us with information that helps sort wants from needs. It allows us to find ways to cut back on some items, to make it possible to obtain others. 4. Flipside of the Coin - We noticed a sticker on the back of the car in front of us – giving us and the whole world “the finger”. It threw us off. We talk about why it wasn’t great to be forced to see that and think about the message.

1. Cheryl and Sheila have conversations flowing from segments in our August episodes. 2. John introduces the category of Intellectual Wellness during our 8-week Focus on Facets program. 3. Interview – 3. Al Tordjman discusses Steven Covey’s approach to time management. Think about combinations of activities and where they intersect on important, not important, urgent and not urgent. Al’s experience, he benefits a lot by making time to deal with important but not urgent matters: things like preparation and planning, setting priorities, relationship building, true recreation. 4. Running Popup – They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What about our own age? Do we feel younger is we see ourselves as younger? 5. Starving Artist – Cameron is staying ahead of the season. The view outside says it’s fall, with leave changing colour. It this the time to be practicing holiday music?

1. Isabelle plays basketball at high levels. John asks her whether things transitioned during different eras, e.g. in youth when building skills, then in the times she was trying out for high-level teams and playing games at that level. More recently it’s been more about fun and love of the game. 2. John introduces the category of Physical Wellness as part of our 8-week Focus on Facets program 3. Interview – Hillary Fitzgerald talks about how setting goals motivates us.⁠ She likes to set mini goals that work towards a larger goal. Goals don’t need to be grandiose. Often, it’s good to set small goals, achieve those, prove to yourself that you can achieve them, get that feeling of success, then set your next goal and succeed there. New success builds off earlier ones. You start to really believe in yourself. Goals keep us disciplined and on track. Achieving harder goals has additional benefits. If she’s in a tough situation, she can tell herself, “look what you can do. You’ve done tough exercise. You can push. 4. Move That Body – We ask Sheila how things are going with her 5-5-5-30 program. She’s been doing it for a while immediately after she gets out of bed- 5 push-ups, 5 squats, 5 lunges per leg and 30-second plank.

1. Noura asks John what’s on his bucket list. John’s not really a bucket list person, but he does have things he wants to try. Noura shares her ideas. The discussion covers staying overnight in a haunted house, surfing and more. 2. John introduces the category of Spiritual Wellness as part of our 8-week Focus on Facets program. 3. Interview – It’s Part 2 of our interview of Reverend Nora Fueten.⁠ She received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Once Nora stopped being able to be a Minister and a choral director (and to do other things), she wondered “who am I then?”. She started to let go of all that. You let go of the ego stuff and recognized that you’re cared for and loved. There’s beauty all around you and every moment is precious. She’s happy she had a chance to have a bonfire by a lake with her grandchildren. She talked about the circle of life, that every life comes to an end, and that we celebrate what was good about the person’s life. She believes it’s important to share our common experiences. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a matter of expressing how it feels and being thankful for the wonderful things we’ve had in our lives. 4. Flipside of the Coin – Elise and Stephen talk about sharing everyday household tasks, with lots of working together.

New episode available today. 1. We found a nice Mental Health Commission of Canada social media post with a mental health check-in prompts. 2. John introduces the category of Environmental Wellness as part of our 8-week Focus on Facets program.. We interview Tova Davidson, who points us to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals – a set of goals that each person and organization must move forward to have a just, clean and prosperous future on this planet. 3. Running Popup - Some guests thank us for getting their word out. We send thank you’s right back at them, for helping us learn and understand wellness concepts. Starving Artist – Cameron had short notice to take a shot at a cruise gig. He learned much in the process.

New episode available today. 1. John asks Isabelle whether each year of university feels different. She shares her experiences about changes and getting to a different place. 2. It’s week 2 of our Focus on Facets. We’re highlighting the 8 facets of wellness we explore. Today’s focus is Artistic Wellness. Interview – Shirley Madill, Executive Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery discusses art as a rich source of wellness. What’s the impact of removing art from a community? What are the benefits of art in general, and art programs that help seniors, youth (including at risk youth), people with Alzheimers or autism? 3. Move That Body  – Karen Redman enjoys working out at home, with a mix of aerobics, weights and stretching. She also enjoys Zumba classes.

Sheila and Cheryl tell us what came to mind when they heard July episodes – what they liked and what segments made them think about. Then it’s the first of an 8-week Focus on Facets, where we get back to basics. The podcast stems from John’s book, Accidentally Well, in which he describes his epiphany and how he’s now on a practical path to overall wellbeing and balance. He considers eight areas of wellness: Mental, Physical, Spiritual, Economic, Environmental, Artistic, Intellectual and Social Wellness. In the next weeks, we’ll focus on each area by selecting a past interview that’s connected to it. John and Sheila have a hard time choosing between them, which is a fun conversation. This week the focus is on mental wellness. We go back to our episode 2 interview of lawyer Beth Beattie. Her story of living and working with bipolar disease is well publicized. She revealed her bipolar disorder at work after keeping it secret for 14 years. She’s been a mentor to law students and junior lawyer on how to foster their own mental health. She works to eliminate stigma associated with lawyers who face mental health issues. It’s so important for business leaders to publicly disclose their mental illnesses. Beth is one of the brave leaders willing to do so.

1. What’s on Your Mind – Noura read about a challenge to do 75 hard things. We talk about how doing hard things, in the physical challenge sense, made a positive impact in our lives. 2. Interview – Ben Flanagan spoke to us on Episode 108 about his dream to run in the Olympics. Today we speak with his dad, Ron Flanagan, about what it felt like to see a child live out that dream. Ron and Ben’s mom, Michelle, booked flights and accommodations in Paris well before Ben qualified. More than 20 people would join them in Paris. All they could do was hope, support and cheer, waiting months to find out whether he qualified. Ben hit the Olympic standard on January 26, but had to keep racing. He got the official nod in late July, shortly before the Olympics began. The venue was stunning. The energy and excitement were high. Seeing Ben run is a memory that will be etched into Ron’s heart for a very long time. To use the word “proud” is an understatement. Like every parent, you want what’s best for your children. You know what their dreams and aspirations are. Ben’s supporters knew how long he wanted this, and how long he tried to get there and the obstacles he faced. For Ben to finally realize that, it warms your heart. It was humbling to see the support of so many people. It was a great moment for sure. 3. Running Popup: Podcast discussions keep helping John to improve and refine an approach to wellness and balance. Recent examples include the role of compartmentalizing and mental toughness. / Starving Artist: Cameron had and fast session musician experience with Perry & the Wobbly Pops.

1. Elise learned ways to conserve water in the home while staying in Jordan for six months on an archeological dig. We talk about some, e.g., turning the shower water off while we lather up. 2. Interview – Regional Chair Karen Redman often says there is no work-life balance. John doesn’t agree. He sees work-life balance as possible, especially if thinking about it over the course of a lifetime. After discussion, they arrive at a similar place. There’s no formula or combination of activities to perform week after week that makes it all fine. You need to be intentional about it and there are days when things just don’t go right. When Karen says there’s no work-life balance, it’s not flipping a switch or checking a box. You need to be intentional about it. For example, I can examine what in my life makes me feel better, so that spilling the milk or having the car run out of gas isn’t as devastating as it might otherwise be. It’s a process and a journey, as opposed to getting it right. 3. Move That Body – a pedestrian’s perspective on how some drivers make them feel like pylons – what it feels like when car’s encroach on us. A friendly request to drivers to treat walkers, runners, bikers, etc. like people, not like pylons.