Sammy had an amazing trip to India, where she did volunteer work. It included an awe-inspiring view of Mount Everest, after ascending in the Himalayas while picking up trash left behind by climbers. Laurie Flanagan felt an affinity to meditation her whole life. She started a meditation practice in 2017 after physical, mental and emotional exhaustion led to a breaking point. Even though she’s a very positive person, her “brain went black” with only negative thoughts. She started using breathing exercises, then went on to read Deepak Chopra. She started using his work, leading to her mediation practice. Laurie talks about what she does and how meditation helps her. Cameron describes the “nose trick” to help raise the soft palate, which creates resonate space to make notes sound round and warm. John gets on his soapbox for a few minutes, this time to talk about why “Move That Body” is at the very heart of the message we’re trying to share on this podcast. On Popup, he talks about an insightful quote by Albert Camus. Sheila and John reminisce about a few memories, just before they celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary.

Sammy and John talk about ideas to boost energy without using coffee – from CBD, to hydrating, to sunlight and more. In Part 2 of our interview with Jill Melanson on financial savings concepts (Economic Wellness), we chat about different types of savings accounts (e.g., regular bank account, TFSA or RRSP), and options for saving or investing (e.g. cash, stocks, mutual funds and bonds). Cameron fell in love . . . with Spanish. Sheila came across an article on the 5 best exercises you could ever do. John had a breakthrough thought about the wellness check-in theory he’s exploring. When you stop to think actively about the activities you are doing to nourish wellness in the different categories of wellness, the check-in has more than one side. You can see what’s missing, but you can also see what you’ve got – how rich your life is. On Flipside, we appreciate that kids are very creative and their movement and thoughts are very lively, but lament that we take that out of them as they grow up. It’s almost like our society beats the naturalness and creativity out of us.

Guest host Elise Seifert explores the concept of the four R’s as the driving force of an Indigenous community, discussed in the book Legacy: Trauma Story and Indigenous Healing by Suzanne Methot – Respect, Responsibility, Reciprocity and Relationships to help build a healthy community. Shirley Madill, Executive Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery discusses art as a rich source of wellness. We chat about the impact of removing art from a community, and the benefits of art in general, and art programs that help seniors, youth (including at risk youth), people with Alzheimers or autism. Cameron recounts the process of a film score coming to life. Tushar Anandasagar found sledding as a way of addressing back pain. He finds sledding to be a great workout. John made a discovery and wrote a poem about it 30 years ago. He reads it to celebrate his and Sheila’s 35th Anniversary. On Flipside, we talk about an amazing example of art as a fabric of a community, flowing from a performance in Roundstone, Ireland, in 2018.

We start a new series where we explore activities that foster wellness in different facets (or categories) of wellness. We call them the facet activities. Today we discuss a couple activities that foster intellectual wellness: brainstorming and conversations. We interview Rev. Michiko Bown-Kai of the United Church of Canada (Spiritual Wellness). They discusses gender topics in the Christian context. Michiko enjoys the grey areas in conversations about gender, because they teach us to be curious and ask questions of each other. They discuss discrimination and how confronting challenges and navigating the world helps develop spirituality. Cameron enjoys instrument jams with other musicians, seeing them as conversations. Brad Mills enjoys canoeing, portaging and camping in nature, enjoying rivers, lakes and the beauty of the land. John realized he had the wrong image of how the planets circle the sun. He missed the true perspective, which makes him wonder whether he misses perspective in other areas. We came across and article about how to furnish your home sustainably. It has lots of great ideas.

We introduce our travel series, asking Sammy about achieving her vacation frame of mind during a recent trip to Greece. We interview Jill Melanson in the area of Economic Wellness.⁠ We’re not financial planners, so can’t give advice ourselves. Our goal is to tweak people’s interest to get financial advice from qualified financial planners. Jill introduces general approaches to saving, different reasons to save, connections between levels of risk and what you’re saving for, and how you find someone to help you with finances. Cameron made it through a busy time and finally got a chance to rest and recuperate. Not only is gardening a great way to Move That Body, but a study found that it improves mental health, even for novices. John talks about the “I Feel Amazing” scale he’s developing. He’s trying to figure out what combination of activities he’s doing when he feels amazing physically and mentally. Sheila and John really appreciate living in a place where we have four distinct seasons.

Sammy and John talk about baggage you don’t need to carry – your past, guilt, expectations, other’s mistakes and negativity. We interview Jason Balgopal in the areas of Social and Mental Wellness.⁠ A web of support helped him through a period of deep depression, but felt something missing – being able to speak with other people who walked in his shoes. He developed a mental health peer support group. It helped. Cameron talks about music theory, including breaking THEory rules. Brian Peyton built his eBike after retirement. He loves riding around the city. John’s Popup – there are steps forward and back when getting to a better place. It’s rarely a straight line. Sheila talks to John about a thought from his book, Accidentally Well: being too skeptical (or dogmatic) is problematic.

⁠Sheila chats with her sister Laurie about energy takers and energy givers. The energy takers can exhaust you. Bring on the energy givers. In our interview (Social Wellness), Clarence Cachagee tells us about differences between a territorial acknowledgment and a land acknowledgment. He describes an Indigenous smudging ceremony and we chat about allyship and reconciliation concepts. Cameron navigates sniffle and road blocks before performing live. He also did studio work with artists who are releasing new songs. Sheila tells us about someone she met on a scenic hike on a recent trip, who hikes Signal Hill every day. What a great way to Move That Body. John describes his favourite running feeling, and when he feels it. John attended a comedy show with the “happy sisters”.

John talks to Sammy about a continuum, with extreme dogmatism on one end and extreme skepticism on the other. We interview Dr. Shirish Nathwani in the area of Spiritual Wellness.⁠ He offers reflections on Hindu spirituality, including about reincarnation, purification of oneself, becoming childlike (not childish), mediation, liberation and more. Cameron’s Canada Day weekend was chock-full of performances. On Move That Body, Sheila brings up a point from John’s book, Accidentally Well. The quick fix doesn’t work for him when it comes to losing weight or getting into better physical shape. John explains his “to do” list approach to getting things done. He came up with an acronym: D.R.E.S.S. for Success. On Flipside, Sheila notes that popups come to us in different ways. John has his running popups. Sheila’s popups come to her after sleep.

Sammy came across an interesting TikTok video. When people say, “That’s just how Sammy is”, or “That’s just how John is”, are they missing an opportunity to see that there’s much more to it? Comedian Alex "Sandy" MacFarlane rejoins us (Artistic Wellness). We chat about a theory that many comedians ask the audience questions, based on the unique way they see the world, including observations many of us miss. Cameron was in a booth at Jazzfest, helping kids have fun with button-making, while connecting with new students. Brad Mills enjoys indoor rock climbing. John realizes that he forgot that he was supposed to make the world a better place. Life got in the way? Sheila and John discuss (argue about?) what we shouldn’t say on the podcast.

Sammy and John discuss a post about high functioning anxiety. What we see on the outside often doesn’t match what’s going on inside. Stephanie Sutherland was recently diagnosed with ADHD. In her case, the challenge is attention deficit, not hyperactivity. She talks about her experiences with executive dysfunction, and about coping mechanisms that help her. Cameron’s teaching season is winding down and wedding performance season is winding up. He stopped to immerse himself in the present moment and discovered something interesting. Elise enjoys biking to work and for fun. John celebrates a “rebirthday”. Sheila came across an article about four hormones.

Julie and John chat about an article about “How to become more resilient, according to the research”, by Sandee LaMotte [CNN Health, Dec. 7, 2021]. We interview Hillary Fitzgerald in the area of Physical Wellness.⁠ She’s a personal trainer and fitness coach and talks about the benefits people get out of different types of workouts, such as aerobic, core, strength, high intensity interval training and more. Cameron was all smiles after enjoying his students perform at a concert. All ten performers did well! Sheila’s sister, Laurie, tells us about 26 and 2 yoga. John discovered a magical cycle when we inspire each other to get physical. Sheila and John worry about the stress and anxiety inflation will cause, especially if people don’t get ahead of it by planning in the area of economic wellness.

Sammy and John chat about a quote: “It is much easier for us to give advice to other people than to ourselves” [Ethan Kross], and that we forget that it’s okay to make mistakes, to have bad days or be less than perfect. Rev. Anne Anderson is interviewed about thirdspace_, which is an alternative worship community operating at Martin Luther University College. Cameron helps students with pre-show jitters, and gets some nice walks going. On Move that Body, it’s rewarding to choose to walk instead of drive, even if conditions aren’t ideal. On Popup, John’s learned that taking away the unknown is a good way to reduce stress and anxiety. On Flipside, we introduce the theme to not judge others. This time it’s about not judging people based on appearance.

John and Sammy have a conversation about areas of wellness and approaches to wellness, comparing thoughts to the approach John’s working on that involves a wellness check-in. We interview the Executive Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Shirley Madill, about a wonderful program she developed – Feast for the Senses. A chef and a sommelier (or mixologist) get inspired by art, then share their creations and stories with guests. Cameron is a proud teacher, with great students. Regular exercise feels good after retirement. Brian Peyton makes the most of the gym experience. John laughs about a past memory on Popup. Sheila and John disclose why they call the last segment Flipside of the Coin.

Sammy and John love the environment. There are little things each of can do to help. On the Expanding Minds interview, Tova Davidson 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. Cameron was happy to get back to a live show with rock band Shy Harry, even if it was a very long day and night. Sheila loves to swim. She chat’s about it on Move That Body. John sees a difference between complex and complicated, which helps in his approach to balance and wellness. Sheila and John chat about economic wellness in the context of a new adventure in Collingwood, Ontario.

Sammy and John chat about tips they came across for active listening, including the importance of suspending judgment and being fully present. Our interview is the area of physical wellness. Ruby Konkol experienced life-threatening health challenges caused by inflammatory bowel disease. He believes his life today is better than ever, because of his struggles with IBD and what he learned about himself after finding the internal strength to continue. Cameron catches us up on two projects he completed. Our Move that Body guest, Elise, talks about online fitness classes. John realized he’s in the dreamers and tryers club. After a long Covid distancing period, Sheila and John finally had a chance to have friends over for a dinner party.

Sammy and John discuss social support networks and surrounding yourself with right people, who add value to your life. It strengthens and protects us. Rev. Jessica Purple Rodela is an atheist minister, who talks about spirituality in the context of atheism. Cameron has another chat with mixing engineer Charles Volk, this time about collaborative projects. We start something new on Move That Body – chatting with friends, family and others about enjoyment from being physical. Today we speak with Rosa Lupo. On Running Popup, John sees resilience in a new way – as a protective shield or as armour. On Flipside, Sheila and John talk about stopping digging when we find ourselves in a hole.

⁠Sammy and John talk about resilience – how we are often more resilient than we think. It’s Part 2 of our Elisa Brewer-Singh interview: we ask about how people can ask for help, or how we can offer help to someone else in the context of suicide prevention. On the Adventures of the Starving Artist, video game team play turned “Duh Nuh Nuh Nuh” into an instant classic. An understated part of Move That Body is to not move that body sometimes: sleep, rest and recovery. On Popup, John recounts a very enjoyable long run, basking in feelings of gratitude. On Flipside, we talk about cleaning as part of environmental wellness.

Sheila and Sammy kick off the show exploring the giver syndrome. Our guest, Elisa Brewer-Singh, discusses suicide awareness, prevention and bereavement, including myths, the importance of language and why we should normalize discussion about suicide. Cameron talks with mixing engineer Charles Volk, who started up his very own music industry business. They share a degree of awkwardness that many artists feel about simultaneously pursuing art and ensuring that they earn based on what they are worth. Julie and John talk about the temptation of snacking at night and how they try to resist. For his Running Popup, John says he doesn’t feel proud, but more often feels appreciative. He had reason to be thankful this week. On Flipside, Sheila and John reminisce about a wonderful time visiting Musée d'Orsay in Paris.

Julie and John discuss a quote about liking people by doing things for them. Adrian DeCoo and John recount experiences where helping others was rewarding. Adrian highlights the importance of asking and listening. Cameron illustrates three types of chord functions, with surprisingly different impacts. For Move That Body, common sense works well when it comes to healthy exercise, but it’s fun to talk about fads. On Running Popup, John discloses a lesson learned from years of studying philosophy. It’s not what you’d expect. Sheila and John talk about stretching on Flipside, with two sides to that coin.

It’s Part 2 of our interview of Sammy. We get to know her better. We interview stand-up comedian Alex “Sandy” MacFarlane in the area of artistic wellness, including a connection between stand-up and mental health. Sandy's the founder of Rusty Nail Comedy Club hosted at the Crazy Canuck Restaurant. Spring has sprung for Cameron on the Adventures of the Starving Artist, with a sense of rejuvenation. On Move That Body, John talks about losing weight by not working out. Huh? His running popup is about his Run Kitchener Project. Sheila and John chat about life boards on Flipside.