The Conversation Lab

Understanding an Official Community Plan (OCP) If you've ever wondered whether your children or grandchildren will be able to afford to live in your community, worried about housing, transportation, water, wildfire risk, climate change, traffic congestion, environmental protection, or simply what future generations will inherit, then you already have a stake in this conversation. While this episod...

AI systems carry embedded worldviews. This isn’t a metaphor—it’s architecture. They inherit Western epistemologies, English-language biases, individualistic assumptions, capitalist logics, hetero-normative defaults, racialized categories, settler-colonial knowledge priorities, Silicon Valley’s belief in optimization and speed, and a particular moral grammar about what counts as “rational,” “true,”...

Dr Jonathan Eaton is the lead author of a new study that takes a deep dive into how Vancouver residents think about disaster preparedness. He talks about how disaster preparedness is about more than seismic retrofits, sandbags, or evacuation routes - It's about people, about how we understand risk and what we value, and how our sense of place, memory, and community shape the choices we make before...

Two years ago, I underwent open-heart surgery at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. What stayed with me, beyond the procedure itself, was the extraordinary level of care I received—from the cardiac team, nurses, and support staff. It felt deeply human, attentive, and intentional. When I later circled back to thank them, many of those I spoke with credited their approach to the teachings of Jean Wat...

In this episode of Sticks & Stones, Roots & Bones, we sit down with Liz Stewart, a Defend Our Homes organizer with Neighbours United in British Columbia. Liz shares how deep canvassing, a powerful tool rooted in empathy and storytelling, is helping bridge divides in forestry towns where proposed biodiversity legislation is sparking debate. With curiosity and care, Liz opens up about what i...

Andy Hoffman is a distinguished professor at the University of Michigan, holding joint appointments at the Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability. His work bridges two often disparate worlds—business and environmental stewardship—challenging the status quo by advocating for a new kind of capitalism, one rooted in moral purpose and long-term societal impact.  His...

Ian Williams is a poet, novelist, and essayist whose work explores themes of race, identity, and social complexity. Born in Trinidad and raised in Canada, Williams has developed a distinctive voice that combines lyrical sensitivity with sharp cultural insight. His debut novel, Reproduction, won the 2019 Giller Prize and was celebrated for its inventive structure and moving exploration of familial...

barbara findlay is an old white cisgender queer lawyer with disabilities who was raised working-class and christian on the prairies. In this episode, we explore barbara's extensive career and contributions to social justice, her involvement in fighting against oppression, and her continuous advocacy work. The conversation touches on significant topics such as the challenges of navigating difficult...

Corey Nathan is the Executive Producer and Host of the Talkin Politics & Religion Without Killing Each Other podcast. In this podcast, we discuss the importance of words and conversations in various aspects of life. Corey Nathan shares his background as a stockbroker and theatre conservatory student, as well as his experiences as an entrepreneur and podcast producer. We emphasize the need to b...

Bowen Island is a small island and municipality at the entrance to Howe Sound. It's connected to Vancouver and the rest of the Lower Mainland in British Columbia by a short ferry ride. Bowen Island residents are passionate about many things and its one of the many reasons I enjoy living here. Just over a year ago, we elected a new municipal council and in this podcast our Mayor (Andrew Leonard) ta...

Nick Enfield is Professor of Linguistics a the University of Sydney and a co-director of the Sydney Centre for Language Research. His recent books include Languave versus Reality, Concequences of Language, and How We Talk. In this podcast Nick discusses the importance of language and its impact on conversations. He emphasizes the need to understand language in its broader context, including its cu...

Held is a partnership of facilitators, culture creators, and practitioners building a world liberated from oppressive systems, dynamics, and relationships. In this episode, one of their founders, Vanessa Faloye explains how with the help of co-founders, Alex and Pria, how they hold people, organizations and movements to build relational skills and cultural practices rooted in collective liberation...

Naomi Oreskes is a Professor of the History of Science and the author or co-author of 9 books, 150 articles, essays and opinion pieces. In this episode we talk about the latest book that she worked on with Eric Conway, The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market. If you want to know why we are so polarized and have so many differeing beliefs you shou...

In this episode of Sticks & Stones, Roots & Bones, Jason talks about the interconnectedness of environmental history, capitalism, and social theory and how it impacts our current social dynamic. He highlights the urgency of the planetary crisis, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and inequality. Moore emphasizes the need to understand history to address this present moment effect...

Tzeporah Berman, an environmental activist and campaigner, talks about her work at Stand.earth and her role in campaigns to stop fracking, protect forests, and clean up the fashion industry. She emphasizes the need to replace fossil fuels and prevent their overproduction, as they contribute to climate change. Berman reflects on her journey as an activist and the challenges of finding common ground...

In this episode Wendy and I talk about the concept of paradox and its relevance to organizational dynamics and personal decision-making. We talk about the importance of recognizing that beliefs and values are shaped by historical context and influence our perception of the world. They emphasize the need to focus on what is right and find transformative moments to navigate the future differently. W...

This episode includes two conversations with Connie Zweig. One in August 2023 on Zoom and the other on the phone in the summer of 2017. Connie's work deals with the hidden power of the dark side of human nature and we talk about how the shadow affects us.

Connie is a retired Jungian psychologist and therapist, a writer, Climate Reality Project Leader, and Citizens Climate Lobbyist. We talk about her new book Meeting the Shadow on the Spirtual Path, some of the things religion and politics have in common and how our shadow can influcence our conversations.

Bob Joseph has spent more than twenty years training corporations and government organizations to work effectively and respectfully with Indigenous communities through his business, Indigenous Corporate Training. He has been an associate professor at Royal Roads University and a guest lecturer at other academic institutions. He is the author of Canadian best seller, 21 Things You May Not Know Abou...

I've started a new series here and I'm calling it Sticks & Stones, Roots & Bones. Its part of my disertation research project with the University of British Columbia as I explore the power of the words we use in a polarzed world with experts who research, study how to navigate difficult conversations. In this episode, we're joined by Teun van Dijk. Teun is a Dutch linguist who studies lang...

In this episode we catch up with Jessie Sutherland. Jessie developed Intercultural Strategies and the Belonging Matters framework to provide the knowledge, processes and tools that can bridge the gap between people with lived experience and system influencers in order to create lasting and sustainable personal and community change. We talked about many things but I'm still thinking about naming th...

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, columnist, filmmaker, and author. I had the opportunity to speak with her a few years ago when she wrote No Is Not Enough. While this conversation was a few books ago, when I went back to listen to it I found it eerily relevant as she discusses the political climate and the rise of Trump as a brand. She highlights the dangers of equating wealth with wisd...

If there was ever a time we needed some radical democracy its now! In this episode of The Conversation Lab, Stuart Poyntz and Joanna Ashworth talk about the CERi-Participedia Summer School and how they have brought together leading experts, researchers, graduate students, community leaders, activists and change makers to talk about what it means to radically re-imagine, research and practice democ...

Barry Rooke is the Executive Director of the National Campus and Community Radio Association. He works with 126 radio stations across Canada. In this episode of The Conversation Lab we talk about the differences between campus, community, and commercial radio statiions, the regulatory and financial landscape, changing technologies (including AI), the impact of consolidation in the private sector a...

Jeff Fitzpatrick describes the opportunities and the challenges that a new regional park presents for visitors from mainland communities to Bowen Island. As a long time resident of Bowen David Hocking helps us understand more about the history of nature and conservation in the small village and community of Bowen Island; the threats from logging and development, and the several failed attempts tha...