At Home and Abroad with Harris and Walker

The rarefied realm of royalty. We are fascinated by these ancient institutions, and the people who populate them, even from afar.    Is it our childhood fantasies of castles and knights on horseback that fuel this preoccupation with the lives of these privileged few? Or is it the gasping chasm that we are trying to bridge between the haves and the have nots?   We also have...

Meet Albert Austin, a self-made man, and his wife, Mary, a charitable socialite with feminist leanings. Their lives unfolded in the early 20th century on a beautiful estate just north of the young city of Toronto, steeped in privilege and wealth. Their happy family life was shattered by the Great War leaving two of their children shell-shocked and another a victim of the tuberculosis epidemic . Jo...

What better way to launch our second season of At Home and Abroad than to discuss our dreams! Our dreams are an enigma.   They can be fleeting or vivid, exhilarating or terrifying, but do they contain a message for our waking life? Can we somehow intuit a greater sense of self-understanding or even glimpse the future? Join us as we make meaning of our dreams with Jane Teresa Anderso...

We celebrate our beloved canine companions today on the International Day of the Dog and honour the bond that has always existed between these incredibly clever and loving creatures and their people.   Dogs support and serve us in a myriad of ways, from forging new pathways in space to the service of those of us with disabilities.   Join us as we delve more deeply into just what it takes...

According to the United Nations, there are approximately 476 million Indigenous people around the world representing 5,000 communities in 90 countries and speak 4,000 languages. A common but dark thread links these peoples. The Indigenous people are the stewards of the land, the sea and all who dwell within and upon it. Their teachings, carried carefully from generation to generation, have demonst...

Trigger alert: The following content includes discussion of addiction, substance abuse, eating disorders and other behavioural disorders. If you or someone close to you is struggling with addiction, please find support. We will include some helpful resources in our notes. Addiction is a scourge on our society, an epidemic in its own right. Addiction can manifest in different ways, whethe...

Camp 30 was a prisoner of war camp for high-ranking German military officers in World War II. This camp was not located behind Allied lines in Europe, but rather thousands of miles away nestled among the bucolic fields and flowers in Bowmanville, Ontario.   Join Harris and Walker as they take the scenic route and walk the grounds of this historic site that set the scene for riots and esc...

Trigger alert: The following content includes discussion of genocide, murder, racial discrimination, assault and rape. If you are the victim of violence and discrimination, we have included resources in our show notes. Please seek support. No one should bear suffering alone.  Genocide does not occur in a vacuum. There are signs, signals, no matter how small, that portend t...

The wedding is steeped in tradition, legend and lore. It is not just an occasion to celebrate a lifetime commitment, it is a performance of age-old rituals, sometimes with a modern twist.   Jacqueline Au, founder and owner of The LOFT Bridal Boutique in Hong Kong, shares with us how she has levelled up the bridal industry by providing a unique, bespoke, and carefully curated experience t...

Cocktail culture is robust owing to the creativity and imagination of legendary and modern mixologists.   So what makes a drink a cocktail? Listen in to our crash course in mixology featuring a little excursion to the top bar in Canada, Civil Liberties. ***A shout out to our loyal listeners in Slovenia! We are honoured to highlight one of your delicious contributions to the cocktail cosmos!**...

Come along with us as we take a little detour from our normal format and take the scenic route! Our destination? The Cheltenham Badlands, a geological wonder on the epic Bruce Trail, a 890km hiking haven that extends from beautiful Tobermory to the Niagara River.  We also take an unexpected detour to The Great War Flying Museum where we chat with volunteer and author Dan Middleton about the e...

Change is the external mechanism that forces us to adapt and transition to a new normal. It is inevitable, but that does not mean that it is at all easy.   Our guest, Harlan Cohen, New York Times Bestselling Author, journalist and speaker, helps young adults as they navigate new beginnings. His work is now recommended reading on campuses across the continent. How comf...

Real estate agents are vilified, glamourized and sometimes ridiculed in popular media but seldom are the real day to day stresses, and even dangers, facing realtors examined or understood.   Our guests, Trish and Andrea Drynan, sisters, authors and leaders in wellness, navigate with us the necessity of pursuing balance and self-care within the real estate industry and beyond in today’s s...

Let’s get spicy, folks!  Today we take on the steamy and the superheated with our fiery guest, Greg Foster, six time Guiness World Record winner and founder of Inferno Farms Hot Sauce Company. Find out just what it’s like to take on the Carolina Reaper and win. Why are some of us drawn to always pushing the boundaries of our spice tolerance, and what does it say about our personality? Listen...

Music is powerful, evocative and truly healing. It can change mindsets, spark revolutions, spread knowledge, or just be in the background, serving as a soundtrack to our lives as they unfold in all their drama, trauma and glory.   We are diving deep into the power of music to bind people together and build community with Cheryl Bower, President and Founder of Voices Rock Canada, an...

There is a movement to repurpose, re-use, and transform the old and once forgotten. What we discard can be reimagined into new and beautiful forms.   There is a fondness, a nostalgia for eras gone by and seems to resurface from generation to generation. This sentimentality appears to be a uniquely human.  Perhaps it reminds us of our own impermanence or comforts us as we age. J...

The words ghost town commonly conjure images of empty narrow streets of wooden buildings with dusty verandahs support blackened, gaping windows, and if you wander far enough, you might come across a rickety old saloon or perhaps a general store. Abandoned villages are not just forgotten remnants of a time gone by.  People flee their homes, sometimes overnight or over decades, when it no longe...

Content Warning: This episode discusses loneliness, sadness, depression, anxiety and suicide. This may be triggering to some listeners. Loneliness is an epidemic in today’s society. Though it’s prevalence may have been exacerbated as a result of the imposed isolation of the recent pandemic, loneliness is a real and devastating issue for so many.   Loneliness is lack of integration, a sen...

Gardens, whether large or small, grand and humble offer a horticultural respite from our busy lives and fulfill our passion for nurturing the natural world. John Lenz of the innovative Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company in Mansfield, Missouri joins us in this episode to share his passion for rare seeds and heirloom varieties that should be preserved for future generations.  So let’s start sowi...

Do you love your fur baby? Of course you do! Pets bring us joy, companionship, and are even good for our health. Most people seek to bring into their homes dogs, cats, rabbits, or even the odd hedgehog or snake, but exotic pets can pose a myriad of issues for the owner. So where do we draw the line? Listen in as we have a real chat with Eftihia Lachanas, a representative of Nine Lives Greece.&nbsp...

Diversity, inclusion, equity and anti-racism are some of the terms that are bandied about boardrooms and many public arenas, but what do these hefty words really mean in our daily lives, especially when we travel? How these closely-related social values are expressed or repressed can significantly impact people’s sense of belonging, their sense of security whether at home or abroad. Discover more...

Just like a postcard, tune in tomorrow for this bite-sized correspondence between Harris and Walker as they chat about Harris’ recent adventures in the Galapagos Islands. Recorded live on location in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Must Mention Semilla Verde @semillaverdeboutiquehotel Sea Finch @yachtseafinch Charles Darwin. "On the Origin of Species." November, 1859. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

It is believed that Charlemagne once said that to have another language is to possess a second soul. Language connects us, binds us, but is also a vehicle for social and cultural norms. Language can define our values, express our ethics and establish boundaries of behaviour. Explore the science of language with Dr. Margaret Grant, professor of linguistics and cognitive science at Simon Fraser...

Feeling the pinch in your pocketbook? It’s nifty to be thrifty!  Our hard-earned dollars are doing double duty these days to make ends meet. And as we all know, money doesn’t grow on trees. Find your frugality with economizing expert, Ashley Barnes, a crackerjack couponner and greenback guru who shares her money saving wisdom with us. Must Mentions @couponwithashleyb Sources “11 peo...

We have had the absolute joy of bringing our listeners weekly episode of At Home and Abroad for six months! We can hardly believe it. Thank you to all of our supporters out there. We just love you! We want to hear from you too. Find us on Instagram at @harrisandwalker and drop us a line. We would love to hear from you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.