Collected by Unum Co.

In this episode of Collected, we sit down with Melissa Gallagher, Founder & CEO of Alma Care, a company revolutionizing what postpartum care looks like for Canadian families.  Melissa shares how her own fourth trimester sparked the question that started it all: is this really all the support there is? Just weeks into life with her first daughter, she realized the gaps she was experiencing were...

In this episode of Collected, we sit down with Sommer Collins, founder and CEO of Explore Well — a digital health platform designed to be your health-savvy local friend, no matter where in the world you are. Sommer shares the deeply personal journey that led her to build ExploreWell, from navigating her daughter's first seizure while living as an expat in Krakow, Poland, to a New Year's...

In this solo episode, hosts Megan and Farah reflect on the incredible conversations from Season 1 (so far) of Collected. They dive into the powerful themes that emerged from speaking with seven remarkable women who turned personal challenges into health care innovation and systemic change. Key Takeaways: → The best innovations come from lived experience → Peer support should be standard practice i...

We sit down with Jennifer Patterson, CEO and Co-founder of Coven Women’s Health , to explore how lived experience can become the foundation for more compassionate, accessible women’s health care. Jennifer shares her non-linear path from advertising and corporate strategy to entrepreneurship, and how years of navigating chronic, cyclical headaches — alongside repeated dismissal within the health ca...

What if the key to better health care isn't just in hospitals, but in how we think about nourishment, space, and human connection? In this episode of Collected, we sit down with Kate Taylor Martin, founder and CEO of nutbar, a superfood café with six locations across Toronto. Kate's journey began in an unexpected place: the hallways of St. Michael's Hospital, where she worked after...

In this episode of Collected , we sit down with Robby Spring , a patient advocate who has been open about navigating breast cancer as a young woman, and about what it truly takes to advocate for yourself inside a complex health care system. Robby shares her experience being diagnosed at 35, after pushing for screening following her sister’s (and mother's) diagnosis. Despite having knowledge,...

In this episode of Collected, we sit down with Maria Haugen, CEO & Founder of FoXX Health—a women’s health advocacy app designed to help patients be heard, understood, and better supported in the health care system. Maria’s mission began with a frightening personal health experience: recurring heart-attack–like symptoms that were repeatedly dismissed as anxiety. After months of uncertainty, sh...

In this episode, we’re taking you behind the scenes of how Unum Co. came to be.  Megan shares how navigating her own health journey led to peer support, advocacy work, and a career in health care communications. Farah reflects on 15 years in pharma, the push to listen to real patient experiences, and the moment she stumbled upon a small but growing online community called The Gut Gazette. From pat...

In this episode we sit down with Wendy Smith—entrepreneur, creative, and community-builder—to explore what it means to lead with empathy and intention. From handwritten notes to community events that bring people together, Wendy shows how small, thoughtful gestures can create lasting impact. She shares her journey of evolution (across industries, identities, and roles) and how consistency and care...

When her eight-year-old son Andrew died from a preventable medication error, Melissa Sheldrick’s life changed forever. What began as unimaginable grief became a call for accountability and a movement for safer care. In this episode of Collected by Unum Co., Melissa shares how she transformed personal tragedy into pan-Canadian and global advocacy, helping to shape policies that protect patients acr...

In the first episode of Collected by Unum Co. , Farah and Megan sit down with Dr. Saskia Sivananthan —a leading data scientist and neuroscientist specializing in dementia and other neurological conditions. Together, they explore how stories, systems, and stigma shape the way we think about brain health. From her early experiences as a neighbour and caregiver to her work influencing pan-Canadian po...