Kindness is Everything

Dr. Marc Bekoff, joins Anitha to share his journey into the study of animal behaviour and how humans and non-human animals are not as different as some think. Dr. Bekoff talks about the many emotions, such as love, grief and empathy, that non-human animals show. He also talks about his long time friendship with Dr. Jane Goodall and he shares exciting news of an upcoming picture book he co-wrote wi...

Shaine Kilyun joins Anitha to talk about the many ways she advocates for animals, including making wheelchairs for pets! She also shares being featured in Rebel Girls, a book series all about inspiring young women to chase their dreams! Such an uplifting episode. To learn more about Shaine and her work to help animals, check out the following link: Wheelies for Dogs and Cats on IG As a thank you t...

Ingrid Smith joins Anitha to talk about how she supports and coaches parents of trans kids. She comes to this career from her own experience of having a transgender child. Ingrid talks about the biggest concerns parents have, the importance of family and parental support to the person who comes out as LGBTQ+, parents not having to say the right thing all the time, and so much more. A great episode...

Dr. Dale Kalina Samji, a medical physician and infectious disease specialist, joins Anitha to answer questions about two very different viruses which have many folks wondering, COULD HANTAVIRUS  and/or EBOLA be the NEXT PANDEMIC? Dr. Kalina Samji shares what the medical and scientific communities currently know about these viruses, such as how they spread and how they differ from COVID-19. Should...

Animal lover Aliesha Verma joins Anitha to talk about all she does to help stray animals in India, including rescuing a puppy who couldn’t walk. Aliesha who lives in Canada, regularly returns to India to visit family. Most of her visits are spent helping the many stray animals she comes across. From feeding them to providing shelter to getting them medical care such as spaying and neutering. But o...

Jon Seymour, the founder of Tielmour Press, joins Anitha to talk about the world of publishing and how he united his love for the environment and his love of books. By their very nature, books destroy trees. Books are made from paper and paper is made from trees. As someone who cares about the environment and the preservation of trees, it was important for Jon to find a way to reduce the environme...

What would you do if you saw a shark struggling near shore? And not just a shark—a Great White Shark. Rebecca Puckett joins Anitha to talk about what she did in this exact situation. She and her partner worked for hours to help a Great White shark break free of the sandbar and swim away. Their efforts were captured on video which has gone viral! Rebecca also talks about her love for all non-human...

Tom joins Anitha to talk about his Instagram account JustAsking. US.CA , which he created to raise awareness about so many topical issues in the US and Canada. From healthcare to gun violence to racism to LGBTQ+ rights to the environment, Tom asks questions about all of these topics and more, in hopes of initiating healthy and respectful conversations from his followers.  He and Anitha also talk a...

Stef Vachon joins Anitha to talk about his life growing up in Montreal, Canada in the 1970’s as a young boy who loved to figure skate and the trauma that followed. Stef shares how the bullying and hate he endured as a child forced him to stop doing what he loved—skati Website ng, but he also shares how, with the help of his son, he has returned to the ice and reclaimed his joy. Stef talks about cr...

Dean Wyrzykowski joins Anitha to talk about the incredible recent rescue of beagles from Ridglan Farms. Located in Wisconsin, Ridglan Farms is the second largest breeding and lab testing facility in the United States, with 2000 dogs bred and subjected to cruel and inhumane forms of testing without anesthetic.  Dean takes us back to 2017, when investigators witnessed firsthand the horrible conditio...

Anitha is so grateful to have Dr. Izzy Hirji back on the show. Izzy talks about becoming a veterinarian, an animal activist, a conservationist and of course a friend to Dr. Jane Goodall. He also shares his journey into spirituality and wellness.  Anitha and Izzy spend a great deal of the episode talking about their mutual hero, Dr. Jane Goodall. Izzy shares stories of their time together and how h...

Comedian Aaron Foster joins Anitha to talk about his journey into comedy, his decision to share his struggles with mental health in his shows AND also reuniting with a dog he fostered twelve years ago! Aaron and Anitha begin the conversation talking about Aaron’s decision to share his own struggles with mental health in hopes that it will help others who are also struggling.  The conversation then...

Kindness Is Caring For Those Left Behind—When someone dies, what happens to their beloved companion animal? Anitha continues her month-long celebration of her hero Dr. Jane Goodall who passed on October 1, 2025 at the age of 91, by chatting with Lindsay Kirschner. Like Dr. Jane, Lindsay had a close relationship with her mom. Sadly, Lindsay's mom unexpectedly passed away leaving behind a grieving f...

Kindness Is Loving Dogs—From fostering to creating an animal sanctuary Anitha continues her month-long celebration of her hero Dr. Jane Goodall who passed on October 1, 2025 at the age of 91, by chatting with Alyssa Blackwell. Like Dr. Jane, Alyssa loves dogs. Alyssa has been fostering dogs since she was 16 years old. For the past 20 years Alyssa has cared for, fallen in love with and had her hear...

Kindness Is Carrying On A Legacy–How the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada continues the work of Dr. Jane Goodall. Dr. Jane Goodall passed on October 1, 2025 at the age of 91. She was and still is Anitha’s hero. To honour her, Anitha is dedicating the month of April (Dr. Goodall was born on April 3rd) to showcase folks who are helping the animals Dr. Jane loved. We start off with Bella Lam, the CEO...

Kindness Is From Fauna—Spreading awareness about cultivated meat. Sixteen-year-old Shimoi Kalra started working with From Fauna when she was 11 years old. She joins Anitha to talk about why she joined this non-profit that shares information about cultivated meats in a way everyone can understand. Apparently, the is a lot of technical jargon behind the science of creating cultivated meats and one o...

Kindness Is Food Empowerment—How the power of one’s food choices can create a just & sustainable world. Lauren Ornelas, the founder of The Food Empowerment Project (FEP) joins Anitha to talk about all the amazing work this organization does. From encouraging healthy, vegan food choices to spotlighting the abuse of farm animals to raising awareness about the unfair working conditions for produc...

Kindness Is The Caregivers Journey—A podcast helping caregivers of Alzheimer's and other dementias. Nancy Treaster and Sue Ryan join Anitha to talk about their podcast, The Caregivers Journey. Both Nancy and Sue share their personal stories of caring for someone with dementia and how that not only brought them together but inspired them to create a platform for others who are facing the difficult...

Kindness Is Blink Now—How a gap year turned into a life dedicated to empowering children & women in Nepal Humanitarian and CNN Hero of the Year, Maggie Doyne joins Anitha to talk about the incredible initiative she co-founded called BlinkNow Foundation. What started as a gap year for 19-year-old Maggie grew into a love story between her and the children of Nepal. In the past 20 years, she has...

Kindness Is Creating Transfarmation—Helping to build a just & sustainable food system. Katherine Jernigan, the Director of the Transfarmation Project, joins Anitha to answer a question Anitha has often wondered about—What would it take to transform an animal agricultural farm to a farm that grows vegetables, fruits and other plants for human consumption? Katherine also talks about the harm to...

Kindness Is Furball Confidential—A podcast all about folks and the adorable animals they share space with. Jen Moroz has run some of Canada’s largest radio shows, including CBC’s The Current and Q. She has also developed several popular podcasts. Now she has her own podcast called Furball Confidential. She joins Anitha to talk about the inspiration behind the podcast (a lovable dog named Clutch),...

Kindness Is Keeping Neighbours Safe—Helping black & brown folks in Minneapolis/St. Paul as ICE descends upon this community. Mike Hotz joins Anitha to talk about what is happening in the twin cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul as ICE rounds up people of colour. Mike shares stories of law-abiding folks who have been detained by ICE based solely on the colour of their skin. He also talks about how s...

Kindness Is Social Media For Good—Using the power of social to advocate for animals Johnny Oberg is an animal advocate dedicated to making the world a kinder place for animals by utilizing the power of social media. He joins Anitha to talk about his journey to becoming a full-time animal activist, what it means to bear witness as these sentient beings are transported to their death and using the p...

Kindness Is Making Poetry—Creating meaningful poems for strangers Hannah Monsour joins Anitha to talk about creating moving and thoughtful poems almost instantly. Hannah calls herself a typewriter poet. She can be found in Central Park in New York City meeting strangers who share personal parts of their lives. Hannah transforms their words into on-the-spot meaningful poems. She shares some of thes...

Kindness Is Remembering Esther—Continuing the legacy of Esther the Wonder Pig. Steve Jenkins, often known as one of Esther the Wonder Pig’s dad’s, joins Anitha to talk about his life with Esther, grieving her passing and creating a legacy in her name. Steve talks about being back at the farm where he lived with Esther and so many other beautiful individuals. He gives a fun update about the animals...