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.

1. Sheila and Riley both travelled to Prague and both loved the city. They reminisce and exchange stories about their experiences. 2. Interview – Karen Redman is Regional Chair of Waterloo Region. Spiritual beliefs are important to her. Karen was raised in the Christian tradition. She has always felt that her religion is deeply personal. She meets people with different backgrounds and beliefs. Being an elected representative, she has become familiar with other faith traditions. There’s so much that unites us. There’s so much commonality between different religions. People want to be good to each other. They want to practice their faith and allow space for other people too. Karen wishes, especially post-pandemic, that we would all give other people the benefit of the doubt. We are in an inflationary period. People are worried about their jobs, their finances and their families. It helps to give people the benefit of the doubt, whether you agree or disagree with them. Her hope is that we are a bit more generous with people when we’re talking about topics, rather than seeing everything as black and white. 3. Flipside of the Coin – Sheila was inspired by an article about four reasons why couples should travel together. They are happier in their relationships. Women are less stressed. Many couples have more “love” in one week than in eight weeks when not travelling. Almost all who travel regularly feel closer in their relationship.

1. Sheila and Cheryl connect for a month in review for June – Episodes 123 to 126. 2. Interview – We interview Dr. A. Wade Wilson. It's an exciting time in the field of mental performance. There are now Certified Mental Performance Consultants, who receive their designation through associations such as the Canadian Sport Psychology Association. We’re all faced with the three C’s – comparison, criticism and complaining. We all do the these to ourselves, especially comparison and how it plays into our fear of failure. Mental performance refers to engaging our cognitive abilities and skills, which impact how we think, feel and perform in the sports or competitive performance context. The field looks to apply these techniques and skills to enhance our cognitive abilities to improve our probability of success. Examples of practical strategies include self-talk strategies, reframing to find positives in learning situations, managing our energy, breathing techniques, psyching ourselves up, pre-game and pre-performance routines and imagery visualization. Wade suggests that we think of it like a pyramid. Process is the first level. Performance is the next. Outcome is the very small thing at the top. The things we do in our process give us a higher probability of achieving our performance, which in turn gives us a higher probability of achieving the desired outcome. 3. Running Popup: John found a blurb about the origin of his last name. / Starving Artist: Imagine Cameron’s surprise and amusement when he found a piano with the name “The Cameron” while waiting in a green room to perform. Can you guess whether he played The Cameron?

1. Elise was reflecting on how it’s easy to get stuck in our heads. It stimulated a discussion about mind-body connections, and how to connect to our body even more. 2. Interview – We’re convinced that travel enriches us and improves our wellness. It’s great to explore this thought with guests. Isabelle Sinclair spent four months studying abroad, in England. She loves travel in that every day is a different opportunity to learn something about others, and about herself. She loves seeing what the world has to offer. She joined a competitive basketball team, which helped her see many cities in England. She and her friends took the opportunity to see European cities. In general, traveling made her feel more positive. She felt she was achieving a childhood dream. She felt enriched. 3. Move That Body – On the Episode 127 interview, Martin Pytela noted that our lymphatic system doesn’t have a natural pump. It only moves when we bounce the body against gravity. We need to move that body (walking, running or other activities) to circulate extra-cellular or interstitial fluids. A sedentary lifestyle creates a swamp inside us. We were struck by that. It’s another great reason to move that body.

1. Chatting about Au Pairs, including Elise’s experiences in Germany and England after her first year at uni. 2. Interview – Sheila Webster describes how she’s adapting in everyday life to help the environment. Examples include: going from a 2-car couple to a 1-car couple; using laundry strips instead of liquid detergent; reusable mop pads; silicone bake mats instead of parchment paper; refillable hand soap and dish soap containers, instead of single-use versions; not washing all clothes on single use; reducing the garbage and recycling we create; finding spots in the garden for perennials where they do well without being watered; getting high efficiency appliances; and cooking our own food most of the time, rather than going out or delivery/take out. When you start asking, “What will this do to the environment?”, you start making positive changes in your life. Real people like us start doing things that make a difference, especially if all of us are doing it together. Plus, it makes us feel great. 3. Flipside of the Coin – Elise and Stephen are going through a first pregnancy. They came up with tun things to call the baby before knowing whether it’s a boy or girl, and before picking a name. Poppyseed? Raspberry? Peach?

1. What’s on Your Mind – Noura’s discussion question: during your life and career have you ever experienced being talked out of doing something you so deeply in your heart and gut wanted to do? How did it feel? 2. Interview – We interview Michael Herman, one of many lawyers and judges who contributed to the groundbreaking book, The Right Not To Remain Silent – The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession. It contains candid and courageous memoirs by members of the legal profession living with mental health and addiction issues. The book came about primarily through the efforts of lawyers Beth Beattie and Carole Dagher. They had a conversation in 2022, after a large research study about mental health members of the legal profession, who suffer from high rates of depression, anxiety and substance misuse. It's important for the legal profession to be able to engage in a dialogue, to raise awareness, to reduce the stigma and to bring about change. This book is an effort to advance these objectives, by having different legal professionals tell their stories, to permit others to use it as a launch pad to advance the dialogue. The message of hope is the theme that emerges and gets stronger as the book goes along. People are not saying they solved all their problems and don’t have the issues anymore. Instead, it’s that they found their way to work through the struggles. They moved from being in a position where they were hopeless, to a little bit of belief and then to hope. 3. – Running Popup – Michael A. Singer’s analogy of people being like flowers – beautiful whether seen individually, or together as if in a garden. Starving Artist – An enjoyable music group’s tradition in the midst of a hurly burly schedule – the band dinner together before a show.