Make It with Mike and Kristen

This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Adam Nimmo — touring drummer, creative force, and the mind behind the project Drummer to Drummer. The concept is beautifully simple: a drummer talks to a drummer… and then they drum together.    Through Drummer to Drummer, Adam has carved out space for the musicians who keep the heartbeat of bands alive but don’t always get the spotlight. He’s sat down wit...

This week on the podcast, we sit down with first-time novelist Shawn Lawlor, author of Boom Road — a darkly funny, tender, and at times violent debut novel set in rural New Brunswick in 1982.   Boom Road follows Jackie O’Connor, a sawmill worker living a simple life along the banks of the Miramichi River. Jackie believes in one thing above all else: keeping your word. But when he unexpectedly inhe...

Episode 191: Intuitive Astrologer Deborah Young Offers a 2026 Cosmic Forecast   This week on the podcast, we sit down with intuitive astrologer Deborah Young to explore the cosmic energies shaping 2026. With deep astrological knowledge and spiritual insight, Deborah helps translate what the universe has in store — and why this year may be unlike anything we’ve experienced before.   In this convers...

This week, we’re welcoming our very first chef to the podcast — and we couldn’t have asked for a better one. Chef Stephen Barrett joins us for a rich, thoughtful conversation about food, place, and the communities that shape how we eat.   Stephen grew up in Goose Bay, Labrador, where culture, community, and resourcefulness played a huge role in his relationship with food. That early experience con...

It’s our first episode of the new year, and we’re easing into it the only way we know how—honestly, imperfectly, and with a few sniffles still hanging on.   In this episode, we reflect on goal setting and how that looks different for each of us. We talk about what it means to come back after being sick, how we rang in the new year and what habits we hope to instill kicking off January.    The conv...

This week on Make It with Mike and Kristen, we’re easing into the holidays the way we know best: with stories, laughter, food, and a reminder that there’s no one “right” way to celebrate this season.   We chat about our own holiday traditions (and how they’ve changed over time), visits with friends and family, and a very local hockey game where—let’s be honest—the fights were half the reason the c...

This week, we sit down with the incomparable Bridget O’Donnell — multi-instrumentalist, singer, poet, painter, and hands-down the kindest podcast fan we’ve ever met. When we hit a moment of doubt about the value of this show, Bridget took days to write us the most thoughtful, deeply researched, personal email. It was a genuine work of art — one that shifted our entire perception of what we’re doin...

This week, we sit down with the wildly accomplished Patrick Doyle, a veteran camera and Steadicam operator with more than 30 years of experience working across the TV and motion picture industry. Pat has collaborated with some of the biggest studios in the world—MGM, Disney, 20th Century Fox, NBC Universal, Warner Bros, A&E, Sony Entertainment, Hallmark—and worked shoulder to shoulder with ico...

This week, we sit down for a vulnerable check-in and ask the question every artist quietly carries: Are we actually making it? Several months after our rebrand, we reflect on how the show is feeling, what’s working, what’s shifting, and where we’re still finding our footing.   With so many creatives struggling in the current climate, we talk openly about our place in the industry—what we’re contri...

This week on Make It with Mike and Kristen, we sit down with the wonderfully thoughtful Anne Lévesque — writer, poet, and author of Lucy Cloud and The Secret Lives of Public Servants. Born in Rimouski, Québec and raised in a small working-class town north of Lake Superior, Anne’s story is one of courage, curiosity, and reinvention. She shares what led her to Nova Scotia — and why, after some early...

We’re back for round two with the one and only Ria Mae — and just in time for the release of her brand-new full-length album, Two, dropping this weekend!   Ria talks about what’s changed this time around — from promotion to production — and how focusing less on perfection and more on authenticity has shaped both the music and her mindset. She shares how running her career like a small business has...

This week we’re joined by the remarkable Lisa Nasson — a Mi’kmaq actor, director, and storyteller whose warmth, humour, and depth instantly drew us in. After seeing her perform at Neptune Theatre, we knew we had to have her on the show. Since then, Lisa has become not only an inspiring guest but also a true friend (and yes, we’re still waiting to hear if she and her partner Mitchell found that spe...

This week’s guest is the radiant and soulful Avery Dakin, an artist who completely stole our hearts the first time we heard her perform at a songwriter’s circle at Togetherland. Her youthful glow and gentle spirit are beautifully contrasted by vocals that feel timeless — rich, emotional, and wise beyond her years. Avery’s blend of Pop and R&B feels both nostalgic and new, steeped in vintage se...

This week, we’re honoured to welcome Inverness, Cape Breton’s beloved literary hero, Frank MacDonald — an author whose work captures the rhythm, humour, and humanity of small-town life. Frank shares stories from his adventurous travels and humble beginnings growing up in a coal mining community, and how he’s spent a lifetime borrowing, shaping, and preserving the tales of his neighbours through hi...

This week on Make It with Mike & Kristen, we welcome the wonderfully talented Angela Jane Lavender, Togetherland’s guest artist for the month of October. Angela’s mixed media paintings are an expressive dance of colour, texture, and energy — each piece filled with movement, intricate details, and thousands of tiny dots that draw the viewer deep into her vibrant world.   Growing up as the middl...

This week on Make It with Mike and Kristen, we sit down with the extraordinary Gabrielle Papillon — a multi-dimensional artist with roots in dance, music, theatre, academics, and producing. Despite her long list of accomplishments, Gab speaks honestly about what it means to “make it” as an artist in today’s world, and how her own definition of success continues to evolve.   Her latest project, Min...

This week’s episode is a bittersweet one. After three years of concerts, workshops, markets, open mics, art-making, and friendship building, we’re officially closing the doors of Togetherland Art Gallery. What started as a temporary home for us after being evacuated from our house grew into a vibrant creative hub that fostered connection, bravery, and joy in our community.   It has been an incredi...

This week we’re joined by writer and comedian Bryn Pottie, who proves that sometimes the best material is hiding right in your hometown. Bryn takes us on a hilarious tour of his journey from “comedy college” in Toronto (where, as he admits, none of the credits transferred) to performing on stages across North America, writing for TV, and eventually returning to Nova Scotia’s South Shore.   We dive...

This week on Make It with Mike and Kristen, we’re joined by the incomparable Richie Wilcox — performer, playwright, and co-founder of the trailblazing performance company, HEIST.   Richie takes us home to New Waterford, Cape Breton, where his latest show Coal Bowl Queen was inspired by the legendary Coal Bowl basketball tournament that’s been bringing teams together since 1982. We talk about the s...

Our guest this week is the wildly talented Stef Bénac — a musician, tarot reader, and all-around energy factory. You might know Stef from her work with Factory Girls, dreamy new project Bring Me Sleep, or her spiritual and creative practice, Bénac Magick.   We dive into Stef’s world of music and meaning — from the influences that shaped her sound to the powerful role of songwriting as deep storyte...

This week we’re joined by Andrew MacLeod, frontman of the Windsor-based rock band Years of Ernest. Growing up in Cape Breton as the youngest of seven, Andrew reflects on the creative influence of his father, award-winning Canadian author Alistair MacLeod, and his equally inspiring mother who helped shape his artistic mind. Now a full-time teacher, Andrew is home for a summer visit and found time t...

Cape Breton’s latest rising star, Taylor Jensen, joins us for a heartfelt conversation about her music, her roots, and the winding path that’s brought her to this moment.   Taylor’s style is the perfect mix of classic country storytelling with a modern pop-country edge—like a sip of sweet tea with just the right amount of spice. Her debut single End the Road earned her a spot on Spotify’s New Musi...

Whether you’re brand new to making things, stuck in a creative rut, or just looking for fresh ideas, this episode is packed with quick, practical tips that have personally worked for us.    We’re sharing our top six ways to spark creativity—covering everything from carving out dedicated time to create, to why simply starting is the most important step, to rethinking what creativity can look like b...

This week’s guest is the incomparable Hughie Batherson—a man who doesn’t just talk about what matters to him, he acts on it. From learning French as an adult to becoming a bilingual performer, Hughie embodies dedication, curiosity, and courage. His first-ever attempt at standup comedy? He won a Juste pour rire (Just for Laughs) competition. Since then, he’s become a sought-after comic and motivati...

In this episode, we’re joined by Noel Morgan, an aspiring musician based in the Annapolis Valley whose soulful, feel-good energy radiates through both his music and his everyday life. Noel has been steadily making waves across Nova Scotia, performing with his 6-piece band Noel Morgan & The Salty Groove, delivering modern blues tunes inspired by the likes of Bahamas, Joel Plaskett, and The Grat...