Susannah and Gillian get back to their roots with an in-depth conversation with Traditional Knowledge Keeper Red Stone Snake Woman, Jenny Sawanohk. Jenny does not shy away from telling it like it is about Truth and Reconciliation, decolonization, land back and the 8th Fire Prophesy. https://www.redstonesnakewoman.ca/ https://fncaringsociety.com/7-free-ways-make-difference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvol_Looking_Horse Search for him on Youtube! Remember Me: A National Day of Remembrance, Sept...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 5Ep. 10
In this episode we talk about the final three modules of the Indigenous Canada course including Indigenous in the City, Social Movements and Indigenous Art. Wet’suwet’en: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Canadian_pipeline_and_railway_protests @hesquiaht Carol Anne Hilton, MBA @helen_knott Helen Knott @KimTallBear Kim TallBear @DecolonizeWealth @Qchasinghorse Quannah Chasinghorse @_IllumiNatives IllumiNative National Association of Friendship Centres https://nafc.ca/?lang=en Neechi Commons http...
Apr 29, 2022•56 min•Season 5Ep. 9
This conversation delves into the lives of Indigenous Girls, Women and Genderful People whose community status, societal roles and responsibilities have been irrevocably changed due to the heteronormative, patriarchal, and misogynist influence of colonial settler culture. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Genderful https://www.forbes.com/sites/afdhelaziz/2020/10/09/how-supercool-queer-owned-boy-smells-celebrates-a-genderful-lifestyle/?sh=142323df6794 Invisible Women: Data Bias in a...
Apr 15, 2022•31 min•Season 5Ep. 8
In this episode of our ongoing journey to learn more about the Indigenous experience of life in Canada, we explore what Indigenous relationship to the land really means. It's a whole lot more than finding a dot on a map! We're referencing Module 8 in the Indigenous Canada Course. From Indigenous worldview to Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) to the impacts of settlement on Indigenous people, and to key legal decisions around Aboriginal Land Title: we seek to understand the importance of the...
Apr 01, 2022•43 min•Season 5Ep. 7
By the 1970's and 80's, whether settler Canada understood it or not, the reality was that generations of Indigenous people had attended and/or been scarred by the residential school system. Traditional gender roles and ways of life had been flipped on their heads. As more indigenous folks moved into urban areas, they were bumping up against Canada's political and legal structures in new ways. In this episode, we learn about pre-existing Indigeous political structures and the role of Indigenous l...
Mar 18, 2022•35 min•Season 5Ep. 6
This weeks episode centers around the events that bring the Indigenous people from the late 1800's into the modern time. The focus includes economic enterprises that the Indigenous people could engage in, the movement from the reservation to the cities and factors that pushed and pulled people off the reservations. Inherent here are conversations about resource extraction, changing gender roles imparted by the colonizers and how women were impacted by the Indian Act. **Correction from the episod...
Mar 04, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 5
The story of Indian Residential Schools is one of the darkest chapters in Canadian History. Join us as we talk through the reality of Residential School: it's impacts on the children, parents, survivors and communities. This will give the background for what trauma experts are realizing is a pervasive influence on the health of the Indigenous people today. Important Links: Indian Residential School Survivors Society 413 W Esplanade North Vancouver, BC V7M 1A6 Main: 604-985-4464 Fax: 604-985-0023...
Feb 18, 2022•38 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Come with us as we delve into Week 4 of the Indigenous Canada Course all about Legal Traditions. We will cover how Colonial ideas of law are different than Indigenous legal traditions, and how settlers utilized Colonial law to disrupt Indigenous cultural traditions of justice, systems of government, and trade. Find the Indigenous Canada Course: Indigenous Canada via Coursera.org Indigenous Canada via the University of Alberta Discover Small Conversations on Social Media Instagram Facebook Twitte...
Feb 04, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Susannah and Gillian cover week 3 of the Indigenous Canada course. This module covers the history of the treaty process in Canada from the Peace and Friendship Treaties all the way through the Modern Treaties. It is shown that the two sovereign nations involved in the treaties viewed the process of negotiation, and the content of each treaty very differently, giving perspective on the current land use conflicts. Find the Indigenous Canada Course: Indigenous Canada via Coursera.org Indigenous Can...
Jan 21, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 2
We're diving into learning about Indigenous History and Culture in Canada with the Indigenous Canada course, developed by the University of Alberta, Faculty of Native Studies. This week we cover a summary of what we learned in Weeks 1 and 2 of the course. We gain a better understanding of Indigenous Worldview and the events of the Fur Trade. These episodes are full of dates, and names, and events - chock full of learning, that set the stage for all that follow. See the links below to find the co...
Jan 07, 2022•43 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Season 5 of the Small Conversations for a Better World Podcast is coming up in January 2022! This season, we're doing something a little different. We're dedicating this entire season to conversations about decolonization. And we want you to join us! Here's the plan: Hosts Gillian McCormick and Susannah Steers are currently completing the Indigenous Canada course, created by the University of Alberta's Faculty of Native Studies. Indigenous Canada is a twelve-week long MOOC (massive online open c...
Nov 23, 2021•18 min
These days, there is more and more evidence to suggest that strength training is beneficial for women of all ages. For a lot of women, that has meant going to the gym and training in exactly the same way a man does. But what if the variable and changing hormone levels in a woman's body affect performance in ways we have not fully accounted for? What if strength training could look, and maybe feel different in a woman's body? In this episode, we're talking to Warrior School founder, Amy Bowe, who...
Oct 08, 2021•55 min•Season 4Ep. 8
With all the election campaigning in Canada in recent weeks, we've heard a lot about affordable housing. What does that really mean for some of the more vulnerable people in our community? In this week's episode, we get down to the nitty-gritty of housing and homelessness in BC. With her vast experience in different countries, Sandra gives us a sense of what homelessness means in Canada and in different parts of the world. In this wide-ranging conversation we discuss everything from drop-in cent...
Sep 24, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Joins us for Part 2 of this eye-opening conversation with Dr. Dedeshya Holowenko about menopause. In this episode we discuss the Women's Health Initiative in the early 2000's and how it derailed the treatment of menopause for a generation of women and their healthcare providers. Learn what current research shows about different treatments and what they can do for women and their menopause symptoms. And even with all the latest research, women still may find it difficult to access the support the...
Sep 10, 2021•41 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Menopause. Traditionally, menopause has been something we don't really talk about. It has been something that women have had to deal with quietly and often on their own. Today - we're going to TALK about it! Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Dr. Dedeshya Holowenko, a family physician with a special interest in women's health. We dig into some important questions: What is menopause and why it is important for women's health to understand it? What are some of the common symptoms? Why do...
Aug 27, 2021•42 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Seniors in British Columbia face a range of challenges, from healthcare to housing, finances and personal supports. The Covid19 pandemic exposed many of the ways that we need to think and act differently to better support our seniors in the later stages of their lives. Isobel Mackenzie, BC's Seniors' Advocate, joined us for a wide-ranging conversation about long-term residential care, dementia care, elder abuse and neglect, pensions and finances and more. As we look toward a winding down of the ...
Aug 13, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Data is, by definition, the facts, statistics and information we gather for research and analysis. In our digital age, data is being produced, analyzed and used in volumes and ways that are difficult to imagine. Among other things, data is the stuff that health and public policies are made of; the information that often decides where the money goes. We were curious to know where the data is coming from, who is looking at it, how it is being used, and what we're missing in the quest for equity an...
Jul 30, 2021•51 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Trigger Warning: In this episode, we discuss mature themes, including issues of violence, indigenous traumas and more. Please consider whether this conversation is appropriate for you and/or others in your environs before pressing play. This episode is Part 2 of our in-depth conversation about trauma with Registered Clinical Counsellor, Tyler Milley. We pick up where we left off last time; as Tyler walks with us through the aftermath of a violent incident in North Vancouver, and the ways that ex...
Jul 16, 2021•33 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Trigger Warning: In this episode, we discuss mature themes, including issues of violence, indigenous traumas and more. Please consider whether this conversation is appropriate for you and/or others in your environs before pressing play. Trauma can be acute. Trauma can be chronic. Trauma is always overwhelming. In today's episode, we're digging into what trauma is, how it manifests, and how it affects us, and the people around us. With clarity and compassion, registered clinical counsellor Tyler ...
Jul 02, 2021•45 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Lost Immunity is the latest explosive thriller from international bestselling author and physician Daniel Kalla. In a story with some uncomfortable parallels to the Covid19 pandemic, an experimental vaccine is deployed to battle a lethal outbreak - until patients start dying of unknown causes. Are the deaths due to bad science, or is there something more sinister going on? Join us for a conversation about the book, and for some frank perspectives about the Covid-19 Pandemic from a physician work...
May 21, 2021•55 min0
When was the last time you thought about the food you eat - beyond "what's for dinner?" In this our final episode of Season 3, we have a HUGE conversation about food systems and food security with Dr. Tammara Soma, Assistant Professor in the School of Resource Management at Simon Fraser University. We dig deep into food systems, food waste, food security and a circular economy. Dr. Soma takes things way beyond a simple food supply chain to help us understand the vast complexities of our food sys...
Feb 19, 2021•52 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Do you love to play outside? How much do you know about the skilled volunteers who jump into action to help when things go south for us in the wilderness? Part outdoor adventurers, part community-minded volunteers, Search and Rescue members offer an extra layer of safety for anyone exploring the outdoors in beautiful BC. Join us for a conversation with Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue Search Manager Dave Steers about how search and rescue groups are managed and funded, how teams are trained, how...
Feb 12, 2021•56 min•Season 3Ep. 7
A conversation about the readiness of British Columbia NICU's to employ a model of care imported from Columbia called Kangaroo Care with the project coordinator and an Independent Consultant working for Perinatal Services. BIO: Sarah Coutts - Independent Consultant, Kangaroo Care Project Sarah is a lactation consultant, neonatal nurse and the mother of 4 kids. She has a passion for Kangaroo Care (continuous skin-to-skin contact) with preterm infants and their parents while in the Neonatal Intens...
Feb 05, 2021•1 hr
Concussion is a confusing, somewhat misunderstood diagnosis that impacts many individuals every day. We have an in-depth conversation about Concussion, to discuss what it is, what happens to individuals who have one and what kinds of things help to cure concussion. One intervention that can really make a difference for those who suffer concussion is Vision Therapy, and the growing field of Behavioural Optometry. We discuss how athletes who play sports with high risk of concussion can be assessed...
Jan 29, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Homelessness is a pervasive and growing problem in Canada. It is both a cause and a consequence of many serious problems around a person's health and wellbeing. When homelessness strikes for our youth, those problems can be amplified exponentially, and can have impacts that last a lifetime. Katie Heggtveit is the Founder and Director of Impact, Bootcamps for Change, an organization dedicated to improving fitness, health, self-efficacy, confidence and employment prospects for youth living in home...
Jan 22, 2021•55 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Endometriosis is a diagnosis that many women in Canada and globally struggle with. It can take many years to be diagnosed, leads to serious health issues and creates significant economic impacts. Endometriosis is present in 50% of women with infertility and often results in chronic pain. There are many myths and much misinformation about endometriosis. We brought Canadian Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, Jill Mueller, on the podcast for a stark conversation on the truth about endometriosis, a disc...
Jan 15, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 3
We may not always connect the dots, but our social environment has a massive impact on our health and wellbeing. Social Determinants of Health involve a list of things that are proven to directly influence health outcomes. They include sex, gender identity, race, the level of education of your parents and of yourself, where you live, how much money you make, and a host of other factors. We reached out to Kristy Kerr, Executive Director of the BC CDC Foundation for Public Health to ask her about ...
Jan 08, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Last year on the podcast, we learned that health and security are a lot more closely linked than we ever imagined. The Covid19 pandemic amplified that fact exponentially. We realized that we had some big questions about systemic racism, misogyny and intolerance in Canadian policing. We also wanted a better understanding what it might actually mean to defund the police. We reached out to BC RCMP Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan for her take on things, and for a Canadian, and an historical co...
Jan 01, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 1
The Small Conversations for a Better World Podcast is officially one year old! And on January 1st, 2021, we're launching our third season. We can't wait! With a global pandemic as a backdrop, 2020 was a rollercoaster ride on an epic scale. The interconnectedness of things became even more apparent. Cracks in the foundation were revealed, and we realized it was even more important to talk about the things we see and experience around us that influence, and are influenced by our health. With that ...
Dec 25, 2020•15 min
Discover The Embodiment Conference, a 10 day, free, online conference about all things Embodiment. We talk to Mr. Embodiment himself, the charismatic Mark Walsh about what it is and why the people and the planet need this more than ever right now. Mark's Bio : I’m Mr Embodiment! 😉 I run the Embodiment Conference, wrote the embodiment book, and make the embodiment sandwiches for lunch daily. But you knew that already, so what’s the story? I have loved body-mind arts like yoga, conscious dance, m...
Sep 21, 2020•53 min
