Poet, acquisitions editor, and award winning professor, Micheline Maylor examines the craft of being a lifelong artist. Micheline discusses the importance of paying attention to what we are feeling, cross pollination of ideas, and breaking patterns. We also discuss being brave in your writing. Micheline says, "Bravery in writing is the thing that will take you far."Micheline and I dive into her latest work, The Bad Wife, a brave, first-hand account of how to ruin a marriage. To those wanting to spark your creativity, this is the conversation for you.About Micheline Maylor Poet, Acquisitions editor, Co-founder of the Freefall Literary Society, and award winning professor, Micheline Maylor is the author of five books of poetry - The Raymond Knister Poems, Whirr and Click, Little Wildheart, Drifting Like a Metaphor, and The Bad Wife. In 2016 Micheline was appointed as Calgary's first female poet laureate for a two year term.Micheline is the acquisitions editor for Frontenac House Press and is the co-founder of the non-profit Freefall Literary Society where she was the editor in chief from 2006 to the present. She currently edits the Quartet poetry series for which the authors have been shortlisted or have won numerous awards including, The Goldie Award for best Lesbian poetry book in North America; The Gerald Lampert Award for best first book; The Pat Lowther Award for best book by a Canadian woman.Micheline was the editor of the award winning This Wound is a World by Billy-Ray Belcourt, which won the 2018 Griffin Poetry Prize, and the Most Significant Book of Poetry in English by an Emerging Indigenous Writer, and the Indigenous Voices Awards (2018). Micheline is a decorated professor specialising in creative writing and contemporary Canadian literature who has inspired countless students to write through the years.Micheline Maylor’s newest collection, The Bad Wife, is an intimate, first-hand account of how to ruin a marriage. This is a story of divorce, love, and what should have been, told in a brave and unflinching voice. Connect with Micheline:Web: http://michelinemaylor.comPublications:The Bad WifeDrifting Like a MetaphorLittle WildheartWhirr and Click

When Natalie Meisner started her career in theatre, she was cast for roles that didn't represent the women she knew or the women she wanted to become. So Natalie started writing her own plays. In today's episode, poet, playwright, and professor Natalie Meisner discusses the importance of LGBTQ2S+ representation in all stories. Natalie shares how comedy can be a catalyst for social change and how her book, Double Pregnant: Two Lesbians Make a Family, lifts the veil of silence around fertility and pregnancy while making us laugh at the same time.About Dr. Natalie MeisnerNatalie Meisner is a playwright / poet from Nova Scotia, a full Prof at MRU, and Calgary’s 5th Poet Laureate. Her work deploys the power of comedy for social change.  Baddie One Shoe is a collection of odes to renegade women. Legislating Love: The Everett Klippert Story illuminates the life of the last Canadian jailed for homosexuality. Speed Dating For Sperm Donors was a hit at Lunchbox & Neptune. Double Pregnant: Two Lesbians Make a Family topped non-fiction lists and My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother & Me is about a two-mom biracial family finding community.Natalie holds a PhD from the University of Calgary in creative writing, an MFA in Creative Writing form the University of British Columbia. She is the recipient of the Annual Alberta Playwriting Competition, the Canadian National Playwriting Award, and the Lion Award for Advocacy and Awareness for Original Stage Play. Her forthcoming book, It Begins in Salt, is a collection of poems and love letters to those that share the tides of life. It urges us to love harder and give homage to those loved.Natalie's Books: Baddie One Shoe (Frontenac House) Speed Dating For Sperm Donors (Playwright's Canada Press)Legislating Love: The Everett Klippert Story (University of Calgary Press)My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother & Me (Nimbus Publishing)Double Pregnant: Two Lesbians Make a Family (Fernwood Publishing)It Begins in Salt (Frontenac House)

In the second episode of our two-part series, journalist, photographer, and AI researcher Leslie Salgado guides me step by step through AI ethics, ChatGPT, and parenting in the age of AI. Leslie explains, "Their world is going to be heavily influenced by AI… For me it's not about prohibiting or denying that reality. It's about educating them and educating ourselves." Leslie explores the need for ethics-driven AI, explaining,  "We need to go a step back and think of what triggers the innovation. What triggers those people to create a new tool, to create a new technology… Why are we creating this? For which purpose? Is it for sustainability? Is it for profitability?"About Leslie SalgadoJournalist, photographer, and AI researcher Leslie Salgado is a Doctoral Student at the University of Calgary. Her current area of research includes Human-Centred AI, intersections between communication and AI ethical values, Online Trust and Safety, and Technology and Democracy. She is a former Public Communication Officer for UNESCO as well as a Broadcast Journalist for Canal Habana. Leslie worked as Professor at the Faculty of Communication at the University of Havana. Her recent solo photography exhibition entitled, Emotions Allowed, explores the range of human emotions. Connect with Leslie:IG: @lesliebayamesaLinkedin: Leslie Salgado ArzuagaResources: Globe and Mail, Opinion - ChatGPT has convinced users that it thinks like a person. Unlike humans, it has no sense of the real world:https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-chatgpt-is-a-reverse-mechanical-turk/?login=trueAlgorithmic Justice League - Unmasking AI harms and biases: https://www.ajl.orgAlgorithmic Justice League - How well do IBM, Microsoft, and Face++ AI services guess the gender of a face?http://gendershades.orgPEW Research Center, 6 facts about America’s STEM workforce and those training for it:https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/14/6-facts-about-americas-stem-workforce-and-those-training-for-it/Statista, Software developer gender distribution worldwide as of 2022:https://www.statista.com/statistics/1126823/worldwide-developer-gender/

In the first episode of our two-part series, journalist, photographer, and AI researcher Leslie Salgado and I dive deep into the world of emotions. Leslie shares the importance of releasing our emotions and trusting what our emotions tell us. Leslie speaks to her solo exhibit, Emotions Allowed, and explains how the inspiration came to on her morning commute.About Leslie SalgadoJournalist, photographer, and AI researcher Leslie Salgado is a Doctoral Student at the University of Calgary. Her current area of research includes Human-Centred AI, intersections between communication and AI ethical values, Online Trust and Safety, and Technology and Democracy. She is a former Public Communication Officer for UNESCO as well as a Broadcast Journalist for Canal Habana. Leslie worked as Professor at the Faculty of Communication at the University of Havana. Her recent solo photography exhibition entitled, Emotions Allowed, explores the range of human emotions. Connect with Leslie:IG: @lesliebayamesaLinkedin: Leslie Salgado Arzuaga

Author Heidi Barr shares how to live with intention and the importance of ceremony, rewilding spirituality, and contemplating the wild silence. Heidi explains, "Being in relationship with the outdoor world is the foundation of my writing."  We discuss her newly published book, Collisions of Earth and Sky: Connecting with Nature for Nourishment, Reflection, and Transformation. This is the perfect conversation for those who are feeling the novelty of the New Year subside, are battling with the montoney of February, or just need a moment to check in with yourself. About Heidi Barr:Heidi Barr lives in eastern Minnesota (Mni Sota Makoce in Dakota) near the St. Croix River — on ancestral and contemporary lands of the Wahpekute (Dakota), a place that also holds significance for Ojibwe and Ho Chunk people — with her family where they tend a large organic vegetable garden, explore nature and do their best to live simply.  As a mother, spouse, gardener, wellness coach, and writer, she is committed to cultivating ways of being that are life-giving and sustainable for people, communities and the planet. Hiking through forests and across prairies, wading in streams, digging in the soil and surrounding herself with natural wonder helps her stay grounded in reality.  Author of Slouching toward Radiance, 12 Tiny Things, Cold Spring Hallelujah, What Comes Next, Woodland Manitou: To Be on Earth, and Prairie Grown: Stories and Recipes from a South Dakota Hillside, she is also the editor of The Mindful Kitchen, a wellness column in The Wayfarer Magazine. Every now and then she coordinates with yoga teachers and organic farms to offer retreat experiences and always makes really good scones.  Her next book, Collisions of Earth and Sky: Connecting with Nature for Nourishment, Reflection, and Transformation comes out in January 2023.In 2022, Heidi was a Poet of Place, a group of five regional poets who are advocates and ambassadors for poetry and creativity in the lower St. Croix Valley.Connect with Heidi:Web: https://heidibarr.comIG: @heidicbarrFB: Heidi BarrLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-barr-3884107/

Calgary's Poet Laureate, Wakefield Brewster, explains the intersection of art and healing. Wakefield and I discuss unlearning, why communication is essential, and how art has the potential to soften the blow of heavy messages. Wakefield speaks about getting our thoughts out on paper—even the darker ones. Finally, Wakefield shares his early experience as a classically trained musician and how that shaped his future with poetry.About Wakefield Brewster:Wakefield Brewster is one of Canada’s most popular and prolific Performance Poets. He is the Current Poet Laureate of Calgary, and 3-Time Calgary Poetry Slam Champion & Team Captain. He was the Inaugural Poet Of Honour at the People’s Poetry Festival, and was appointed as the First Resident Poet & Spoken Word Artist of The Grand Theatre in Calgary, Alberta. Wakefield sits on the Board of Directors of the E.A.R. Society —Emergency Artist’s Relief — which provides emergency relief funding and affordable Health Care for Artists.As the founder of Page2Stage Productions, Wakefield has been bringing Poetry to students for over 21 years by building communities and engaging in volunteering, leadership and mentorship for youth, through the arts. He is also an advocate for Healing Arts & Alternative Medicine; Mental Wellness & Recovery. He holds a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, and is the Lead Therapist, owner and operator of WakeFull Wellness Massage Therapy and HealingSpace.Connect with Wakefield Brewster: Web: https://wakefieldbrewster.comIG: @wakefield_brewsterFB: @Wakefield Brewster aka da lyrical pitbullLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wakefield-brewster-91658a23/Twitter: @lyricalpitbull

In this solo episode, I look back at the year and share my thoughts on parenting (one might think I have it figured out by now, however, that's not the case), rest, and embracing the illogical.Today's episode is full of resources for those who might be in the midst of parenting chaos, yearning for rest, or wanting to embrace their more intuitive, creative side.ResourcesParenting:Breaking toxic parenting cycles with Shannon SmithOur Mental Health Stories with Karen Turnock MSW, RSWRest:Radical Self-care with Dr. Bri WiensThe Nap MinistryRestful Leadership with Deanna MasonEmbracing the illogical: The Colour Gap PodcastUnlocking Us: Being Illogical with Emmanuel Acho

Neuroscientist and public school advocate Dr. Wing Kar Li examines the current state of Alberta's public education and explains what we should be paying attention to right now. Wing discusses how current policy is moving Alberta public education backwards & why education should be a top priority when in next year's election. Her advocacy in education and how she's using her voice to activate social change for the good. And how learning is contextual & involves connectivity between one memory to the next. About Dr. Wing Kar LiDr. Wing Kar Li (She/her) is a parent, a neuroscientist who specialises in memories, and the communications director of SOS Alberta (Support our Students, Alberta). SOS Alberta is Alberta's public education advocates, fighting for the right of all children to an equitable and accessible public education system.Wing grew up just outside of Edmonton and attended K-12 public schools in Stony Plain, Alberta. She attended the University of Alberta, graduating with a BSc in Psychology & Biology. She holds an MSc and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Lethbridge. She has taught at the post-secondary level and has worked with science education and knowledge translation initiatives. Through her current volunteer work, she hopes to help draw public awareness to the interconnections between social inequities and advocate for a truly universally accessible public education system for all students. ​Connect with Wing Kar Li:Twitter: https://twitter.com/wingkarliConnect with SOS Alberta:Website: https://www.supportourstudents.caTwitter: https://twitter.com/SOSAlberta

The health of our kids in schools is vital, and currently in Alberta, devastatingly precarious. This is such a timely conversation with Dr. Angela Grace on the importance of comprehensive school health.Dr. Angela Grace discusses how body image is a social justice issue, how consent is far more complex than saying yes or no, and how our current health curriculum is failing our students.Angela States, "School health is far beyond just kids eating and getting 20 minutes of daily physical activity. It is the entire environment. We have this amazing capacity right now to make health and wrap around health services for kids a foundation  of our school environment." About Dr. Angela GraceAngela holds a Ph.D. in Counselling Psychology with a specialization in the prevention and treatment of eating and body image issues, life stressors and trauma. She specializes in holistic approaches to women's health and well-being. She was an invited community stakeholder reviewer in 2017 and 2018 on the Draft curriculum and has been a ceaseless advocate for large structural changes to the Wellness curriculum that was implemented this year in Grades K-3. She has Fine Arts and Education degrees, and previously worked as an elementary teacher and school counsellor, which gives her an in-depth understanding of girls, families, teachers, and school communities.  Angela's training in theatre, art, dance, yoga, and play therapy enables her to work in creative ways to enhance girls’ and women’s sense of well-being.Connect with Dr. Angla Grace:FB: Dr.AngelaGrace IG: @dr.angela.graceTikTk: @drangelagraceTwitter: @DrAGrace_cyhtt YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCezDojLfmDVe9c1K4kTLGYw/featuredWeb: https://www.heartcenteredcounselling.com Resources from today's episode: Dr. Angela Grace on Teacher Fan Club Podcast:https://teacherfanclub.com/dr-angela-graceDr. Angela Grace on consent:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XRUQoo-8pACrash course on the Draft curriculum Part II:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2cJqKiCdwg

In the second episode of our two-part series, photographer Shannon Smith and I dive into our lives with ADHD. We discuss how ADHD presents as parents, as creatives, as women. How we, as neurodivergent folks, tend to mask and the repercussions of masking. Finally we explore the beauty of being neurodivergent, specifically as it relates to our work and lives as creatives. About Shannon SmithShannon Smith (she/they) is a professional photographer and soul liberation coach based out of Calgary, Alberta. They have made it their life’s work to empower and liberate their clients. Shannon believes that all humans deserve to celebrate their unique beauty, feel validated and liberated from societal norms that no longer fit.As a photographer, Shannon offers spaces for clients to celebrate their bodies in ways they’ve likely never experienced before. Shannon has built an inclusive, safe space for their clients to simply be. As a coach, Shannon provides deeply personal support in a loving environment. Their goal is to lead clients in the journey to discovering their authentic self and soul.Shannon is deeply passionate about social justice, intersectional feminism, and supporting the LBGTQ2IA+ community.Connect with Shannon Smith:Web: https://www.soulnnection.comInstagram: @Soulnnection Tik Tok: @Soulnnection Facebook: Soulnnection

Artist Shannon Smith and I discuss how parenting patterns run deep and stopping toxic cycles is sometimes like looking off a cliff into the abyss. How certain environments can cause us, and our kids, to mask. How Shannon and I both are unlearning relationship patterns and learning how to re-parenting ourselves. How art is going to save our world—seriously it is—and how as artists we live in the grey zone. We're inquisitive, curious, and this is exactly what the world needs more of. About Shannon SmithShannon Smith (she/they) is a professional photographer and soul liberation coach based out of Calgary, Alberta. They have made it their life’s work to empower and liberate their clients. Shannon believes that all humans deserve to celebrate their unique beauty, feel validated and liberated from societal norms that no longer fit.As a photographer, Shannon offers spaces for clients to celebrate their bodies in ways they’ve likely never experienced before. Shannon has built an inclusive, safe space for their clients to simply be. As a coach, Shannon provides deeply personal support in a loving environment. Their goal is to lead clients in the journey to discovering their authentic self and soul.Shannon is deeply passionate about social justice, intersectional feminism, and supporting the LBGTQ2IA+ community.Connect with Shannon Smith:Web: https://www.soulnnection.comInstagram: @Soulnnection Tik Tok: @Soulnnection Facebook: Soulnnection

Political-minded powerhouse for 2SLGBTQIA+ and women’s issues Anna Murphy shares how parents & educators can create spaces our gender diverse kids need. She speaks to what needs to be done for gender diverse kids in Alberta's schools, communities, and beyond. And provides us with next steps to fighting back against global stripping of 2SLGBTQ+ rights.TW// self-harm, suicide About Anna Murphy (she/her) Anna (she/her) is a political-minded powerhouse for 2SLGBTQIA+ and women’s issues in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and beyond. She is vice-chair of the Gender Equity Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee of the City of Calgary Social Wellbeing Advisory Committee, and serves on several other committees including Calgary Stampede Community Connections, as a University of Calgary senator and on the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs' 2SLGBTQ+ advisory council.Anna recenly spoke at Telus Spark Scince Centre on Transcending Transgender. Here Anna pledged to support Transgenered and gender diverse kids and youth. Her article in CBC news, Pride is more than a parade and rainbow crosswalks. We need action and allyship, is a call to action for allies to step up and support 2SLGBTQIA+ in meaningful ways.Connect with Anna Murphy:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murphydianne/Twitter: @TheAnnaMurphyIG: @theannamurphyTelus Spark Transcending Transgender: In Conversation With Anna MurphyPride is more than a parade and rainbow crosswalks. We need action and allyship.Mental Health Resources: Alberta Mental Health 24/7 Confidential Line: 1-877-303-2642National Mental Help SupportCall 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to:686868 for youth741741 for adultsTalk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Country music artist, healer, and author D’orjay speaks to us about healing, music, and her book,  SHIT MY SHAMAN SAYS. D'orjay shares her healing journey and how it led to her work as a Shaman and Pranic Healer. Dorjay explains that a shaman is, "Someone who sees light in the darkness."In today's episode we discuss:Healing. How it's not a linear process and how it can take on many shapes and forms. Addressing our Fear. How to address our fear that shows up when we try to change the status quo and when we engage in a creative endeavour. D'orjay takes us step by step through her process of how she addresses fear before a show. Music. How it's a form of healing. About D'orjayCountry music artist, healer, and author, D’orjay the Singing Shaman (she/her), believes that a shaman’s learning is never done. She found the healing arts through her own journey of mending from the traumatic abusive and abandoning experiences of childhood. She was introduced to Energy Medicine, Shamanic healing, her Guru and Buddhism as well as Pranic healing in 2010, and has been developing her unique shamanic practice ever since.Her book, SHIT MY SHAMAN SAYS, VOLUME I, is available through Party Trick Press. It's a refreshingly down-to-earth approach to energy medicine. In this self-help chapbook, D’orjay leads beginners and experts alike through her relatable, nurturing, and oftentimes downright entertaining approach to healing. D'orjay's critically acclaimed debut, New Kind of Outlaw, was released in November 2020. Her style of country music continues to evolve honouring the classic country music she grew up on living in Rural Alberta while also colouring outside the lines of what current mainstream country music has to offer. As a Black Queer woman, D'orjay is passionate, vocal and committed to bringing diversity and inclusiveness to country music. Connect with D'orjay:Web: https://www.dorjay.caListen to D'orjay:https://dorjaythesingingshaman.bandcamp.com/album/new-kind-of-outlawSee Dorjay at this month's Calgary Folk Fest July 21-24:https://www.calgaryfolkfest.comShit My Shaman Says, VOLUME I:https://www.partytrickpress.com/shit-my-shaman-says-volume-one-product-page

Dr. Maki Motapanyane explores the ongoing, unceasing tension that exists for women navigating motherhood and careers. I found this conversation refreshingly validating; Maki doesn't downplay the challenges mothers in the twenty-first century face. I think that Maki says it best with this line from our conversation: "You can imagine conceiving of yourself as a modern liberated woman in the individualist liberal democracy who has choices and who can do things and who can plan for the kind of life that she wants… until motherhood." In today's episode, we explore the state's role in supporting women. As well as what needs to be put in place so that women can be successful. We also dive into the motherhood tax and discuss why women face a per-child drop in their wages when they become mothers while men face a wage increase when they become fathers. An important and necessary conversation that I invite you to share. About Dr. Maki Motapanyane Dr. Maki Motapanyane is a cultural critic, researcher, writer and educator. She teaches in subject areas that include feminist theory, feminism in Africa, global gender studies, Hip-Hop culture, and motherhood. Her research projects and publications examine various feminist traditions in Africa, maternal theory and motherhood, childcare policy and the political economy of care, Hip-Hop culture, stand-up comedy, and equity and inclusion in organizational practice.Dr. Maki Motapanyane was recently awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award from Mount Royal University, the Knowledge Mobilization Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to research and scholarship from Mount Royal University and the Alberta Professional of the Year Award.She is the founder of MESA is a boutique consulting firm delivering strategic training and expert solutions in leadership, communication, and conflict resolution for the modern organization and group. MESA builds skills in areas such as communication and dialogue, conflict management and resolution, constructive and effective team dynamics. Connect with Maki:Web: https://www.makimotapanyane.comMESA Consulting:Web: https://www.makimotapanyane.com/consulting

I speak with activist-scholar Dr. Bri Wiens on  radical self-care and communal self-care. Bri and I discuss the invisible labour that women are currently expected to do in the academy and in other places of work.  Bri shares her research on feminist shadow networks, explaining, "They are quiet when they have to be; they are loud when they have to be."  About Bri WiensDr. Bri Wiens (she/her) is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Digital Activism, Design Equity, and Feminist Media Futures in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Waterloo. Her interdisciplinary work draws on her mixed-race queer activist-scholarexperience to explore the digitally and culturally mediated phenomena of networked social movements and the politics of their design. Dr. Wiens co-runs the digital archive Feminists Do Media (IG: @aesthetic.resistance) out of the Feminist Think Tank, a research-creation lab. Wiens's collaborative work has recently appeared in NECSUS, Feminist Media Studies, and Digital Studies/Le Champ Numériqe. She is a co-editor of Networked Feminisms: Activist Assemblies and Digital Practices (Lexington Books 2021) and is lead editor on the forthcoming collection Stories of Feminist Protest and Resistance: Digital Performative Assemblies (Lexington Books 2022).Connect with Bri Wiens:Web: https://uwaterloo.ca/games-institute/people-profiles/brianna-wiensTwitter: @Bri WiensNetworked Feminism:https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781793613790/Networked-Feminisms-Activist-Assemblies-and-Digital-PracticesFeminst Think Tank:Web: https://www.feminist-think-tank.com

Today's episode is with Calgary writer, journalist and truth teller Tomi Ajele. Tomi shares with us the importance of slow journalism, creating your own blueprint and treating stories with care. Tomi speaks to the intent behind the media collective, Afros In Tha City, saying, "We don't want to give you a soundbite. We don't want to give you a quick pitch. We just want to show up and tell our truth." She also speaks to the creation process, "We don't even know what failure looks like because we don't even know what we want to become. It was just us putting our truth out there; it didn't feel like it needed to look a certain way." This is an episode about truth telling. This is an episode about healing. I deeply enjoyed this conversation with Tomi and I can't wait to share it with you.About Tomi AjeleTomi Ajele is editor in chief at Afros In Tha City Inc, the only media collective of its kind – a platform where the breadth of the Black experience could be explored with nuance. She has worked with The Huffington Post, CBC, ByBlacks, Avenue Magazine, Sprawl Calgary, and Shameless Magazine. Tomi is a data-driven communicator passionate about anti-oppressive and sustainable policy. She is a strategic planner, writer, podcaster, and speaker who is fueled by drama and Black joy. She holds a communications degree from Mount Royal University and is pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy from the University of Calgary.Connect with Tomi Ajele:Twitter: @TomiAjeleIG: @tomiajeleConnect with Afros In Tha City:Web: www.afrosinthacity.comIG: @afrosinthacityTwitter: @AfrosInThaCityRelated Articles:2020 Was The Year I Stopped Trying To Live Up To Others' Definition Of Blackness

Sustainability Leader, mother, and activist Nagwan Al-Guneid explains explains how the climate crisis is not gender equal or gender neutral. Nagwan discusses her vision for the future of energy and the importance of empathy, conversations, and coming together to create a just energy plan. Nagwan states,  "I believe energy transformation is about having conversations in diverse settings with diverse perspectives. It involves everybody." This episode is one of empathy, of change, but most importantly, one of action. About Nagwan Al-Guneid For more than a decade, Nagwan Al-Guneid has built a career in the energy industry here in Alberta, in Europe, and the Middle East. She completed an undergraduate degree in communications from the University of Calgary and Master’s of Science in Sustainable Energy Development. Her research focused on addressing climate change through collaboration between the public and private sectors.Facing another four years of divisive politics, a worsening climate crisis, and a stubborn and single-minded approach to resource development in Alberta, Nagwan couldn’t be a bystander any longer. She is currently seeking the nomination for Alberta’s NDP in Calgary-Glenmore. As a mom of two young kids, running was not an easy decision. But, she made the decision with the conviction that we can do better.Najwan champions causes that are close to her heart. Whether volunteering with women in domestic violence or youth at-risk or refugees and victims of war or helping to prepare more than twenty women to run for politics, she channels her passion into community work that has impacted lives.Connect with Nagwan Al-Guneid:Web: https://www.nagwan.caTwitter: @NagwanYYCIG: @nagwanyycResources: How Gender inequality and climate change are interconnectedA growing force in the climate movement: MomsThe Moms Who are Battling Climate Change

Recovering hustle culture disciple Miche Priest walks us through the process of getting unstuck. She provides three steps we can take to finding solutions: widening the lens (not hyper focusing on two binaries), getting missing data, addressing the risks/fears holding us back. Miche also speaks to how we can remove the hustle culture in our work. She shares her own story of burnout. Miche says, "Even though the burnout is hard, if I had to go back, I wouldn't change anything about the path." For those of you who feel stuck in your careers and in your life, this episode is for you.About Miche Priest:Miche Priest is a recovering hustle culture disciple. She empowers people to live the life that's waiting for them by helping them get unstuck, navigate career transitions, or build revenue streams with digital products.Miche knows a thing or two about career transitions. A multipotentialite, she's had 7 careers from Art Teacher to AI Intrapreneur. She holds a Master of Arts in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta.Connect with Miche Priest:Twitter: @MichePriestLinkedin: Miche Priest, MACTUnstuck in 15: https://www.unstuckin15.comSpecial thanks:Working Mom Wellness design was created by Dr. Milena Radzikowska  and Chris Shaddock of Two Hot Soups Consulting Post production and sound editing is done by East Coast Studio.

Why we need to dream—and dream big—especially during challenging times. I share my thoughts on why we must dream our own dreams and not what society expects us to dream. I tell a story involving a spreadsheet (because spreadsheets are beautiful) about how taking ownership of my dreams is something that I still struggle with to this day.I also share a book with you that I recently read and fell in love with, Luvvie Ajayi Jones' Professional Troublemaker. We explore Luvvie's maddening and hilarious chapter of dreaming and touch on why those who fall outside the category of white, straight, christian, able bodied, cisgendered man might struggle with dreaming big.This is an uplifting and optimistic episode that I very much needed in my life. I hope it encourages you to embrace dreaming beyond what you ever imagined. Especially during challenging times. Resources:Professional Trouble-Maker: The Fear Fighter ManualProfessional Trouble-Maker. The PodcastGet comfortable with being uncomfortable. The TedTalk

"Modern Sexism simply denies that sexism exists. This is the most insidious form because it doesn't argue that men and women should be treated differently, but rather claims men and women are already treated the same." - Dr. Kristin NeffIn today's episode, I discuss something that has been on my mind for a while—Modern Sexism. Recently I've either experienced it or seen other women become entangled in it. However, I didn't have the vocabulary to express what was happening. It wasn't until I recently read, "Fierce Self Compassion" by Dr. Kristin Neff that I had the full understanding of what was happening: Modern Sexism. (Because we didn't have enough going on already with just the regular form of sexism) This is not an eloquent episode—I tell stories of children's books and swear frequently. But it's a story that is authentic and very close to my heart. It is also an important story. And I thank you for letting me share it with you. Resources:Fierce Self Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive