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.

1. What’s on Your Mind – Sheila and Cheryl kick off a new regular session – chatting about their favourite episode segments from a prior month. They start with May – segments they enjoyed and/or made them think.2. Interview – Martin Pytela talks about ways the environment impacts our bodies [Physical and Environmental Wellness]. Our bodies are not designed for the industrial age. There’s no natural way to get rid of lead, mercury, microplastics, etc. The body can only sequester it, for example hide it away in fat, cartilage and bone. The industrial age has brought a rising level of autoimmune and chronic, degenerative, inflammatory diseases. When a manufacturer sells you a car, they don’t care about what happens to the carcass. When you put tires on your car, what happens to them when you’re finished with them? There is a price to be paid. Martin would like to see us holding each other collectively and individually responsible for the full cycle of everything we make. Otherwise, the environment will become so toxic that life will probably fail. 3. Move That Body – There are some miniscule muscles in the body. We need to work them and pay attention to them.

1. What did Carl Jung mean when he said, “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves”? We’re not sure, but it’s an interesting quote to discuss. 2. Interview – We speak with Gowling WLG lawyer Erin Farrell about pro bono legal work [Social and Economic Wellness]. With pro bono work, lawyers provide legal services to clients without charging fees. The services are often provided to marginalized or disadvantaged people, non-profits or charities. There are barriers to accessing legal services, including costs, comprehension and other barriers. Pro bono works has increasingly become a part of what lawyers look for as having a successful career. It gives lawyers a sense of balance, working for paying clients and also using their brain and resources to help those experiencing hardship in one way or another. It’s becoming more important to up-and-coming lawyers. It helps them see themselves long-term at a law firm when they are encouraged to do this kind of work in their communities. 3. Flipside of the Coin – After seeing people cut the line while boarding a plane, unwilling to wait for their zone to be called, we wonder why some people won’t follow social constructs that help all of us.

1. A Martina Navratilova resonates with us: “The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.” We learn so much on the way, and when we don’t win. 2. Interview – We welcome back Bronwyn Schweigerdt for a discussion in the Mental Wellness area. Bronwyn is a psychotherapist who helps people reconnect to their anger and heal their relationship with themselves. We often don’t recognize that we have supressed anger – disassociated anger. She helps people to stop letting anger stagnate in their bodies, but to channel it out. Validation is a kind of mirroring. We are blind to ourselves. We need someone to mirror us and say, “You know John, you actually have a good reason for being angry and I don’t blame you one bit.” When you validate, suddenly a person can think, “Oh, it’s okay to feel this.” We can also start to do that for ourselves. We can start to be that mirror for ourselves. When we have a healthy relationship with ourselves, we are attuned to ourselves, we validate our own feelings, we prioritize our feelings and know they are significant and there for a reason. We learn to channel out feelings out in healthy ways, with boundaries and assertiveness. When we do all that, we don’t get depressed. We are true to ourselves. 3. – Running Popup: John likes the expression that running makes him love the feeling of living. On a recent run he realized that he’s living when he’s running. / Adventures of the Starving Artist: In one of Cameron’s live performances during a busy stretch, a traffic light was perfectly in synch with a shift in the tempo of the band’s song.

1. We are introducing a new show format – moving from 6 segments to 3 segments per episode and shortening from about 50 minutes to 35. We talk about why, including to keep things fresh. 2. Interview – We interview Chris Pelletier about the Mark Preece Family House in Hamilton, which provides a calm in the storm when people travel from another city to be with loved ones in hospital in Hamilton. Mark was an ICU physician at Hamilton Health Sciences, who passed away from cancer. He received care in Pittsburgh during the last 6 months of his treatment. His family stayed at a hospital family house. They realized there was nothing similar in Hamilton where they lived. They decided to get working on the project, which was named after Mark. Guests stay at a low cost, with access to free parking, a kitchen and laundry facilities. Community members provide support, including by making dinner for guests. Guests have other people to talk to, who are experiencing similar things. Many guests say, “You guys saved my life. It was so nice and warm and comforting and homelike.” People can go to the website – markpreecehouse.ca – to make a donation and find other ways to help. 3. Move That Body – A great way to start each day – 5-5-5-30. As soon as you get out of bed, do 5 push ups, 5 squats, 5 lunges and a 30-second plank. It gets you energized and kicks our system into gear.

1. Many people talk about spoiling themselves as self-care – eating sweets or pampering with a spa day, etc. We see self-care differently. 2. Interview – We interview Martin Pytela, who gives science lessons about important aspects of nutrition (Physical Wellness). He explains macronutrients (which give us energy we need day-to-day) and micronutrients (which protect us from damage done when macronutrients burn in the energy creating process). Martin talks about metabolic typing, where autonomic dominant and oxidizer dominant people process energy in different ways. There are differences in endocrine dominance. You could be dominated by thyroid, adrenal or pituitary. Each has a different preference when it comes to food. He explains how antioxidants work. We talk about different types of toxins and the need to eliminate them, including how moving that body (one of our podcast themes) helps the process. He asks us to consider three processes: appropriation (what you put in), absorption (what you keep); and elimination (what you get rid of). If any one of these three is impacted, you have deficits. 3. – Starving Artist – Cameron got busy when he thought he was about to have down-time to chill out. 4. Move that Body – Gym etiquette – Part 3. 5. Running Popup – John likes Michael A. Singer’s sailing analogy when it comes to balance. It’s about avoiding the extremes . 6. Elise and Stephen took lessons from teaching children in Korea (and for Stephen in the U.S. as well). It helps them when teaching students in Canada.