Narrative Shift

In the season finale of Narrative Shift, Natasha sits down with the “Pond Squad” — Mimi Dejene, Aden Abebe, Amber Clarke, and Darion Trotman — four Black creatives who first connected at the Black Futures Retreat. They reflect on retreat as rest, regeneration, and creative fuel, and share what it means to find belonging, freedom, and community in their work. Gathering with intention proves that re...

In this episode of  Narrative Shift , Natasha connects with longtime friend and Principal of Measured Architecture, Clint Cuddington, and his design partner Jon Reed to talk about the early stages of Elevate House—and where it's headed. They reflect on what it means to design with care, honour a site’s history, and co-create with trust. This conversation blends vulnerability with artistic pro...

Rest as resistance. Music as medicine. In this episode of Narrative Shift, award-winning musician Khari Wendell McClelland and multiple Juno-nominated soul vocalist Dawn Pemberton join host Natasha Tony to support her in envisioning Elevate House—a retreat where creativity, belonging, and music have the power to inspire collective healing. Show Notes https://www.elevate-inclusion.com/s2-e4-khari-m...

How do we build community through care, creativity, and shared responsibility? Elmer Dixon reflects on his life before, during, and after co-founding the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party. Drawing from his memoir Die Standing , Elmer and Natasha discuss growing up in politically aware households, launching survival programs that addressed urgent community needs, and the profound connectio...

Natasha Tony speaks with Coach and Impact Strategist Jodie Tonita about moving from uncertainty to vision. Together, they explore the leap behind Elevate House and how a deep connection with nature, self, and community can shape the future. If you’ve ever stood on the edge of your dreams, ready to take the leap, this conversation is for you. Show Notes https://www.elevate-inclusion.com/s2-e2-takin...

In its second season, Narrative Shift , hosted by Natasha Tony, chronicles the creation of Elevate House , a retreat space Natasha is building on Salt Spring Island. Kicking off with a conversation between Natasha and her daughter, Kaisha Brown, this season explores the unexpected journey of acquiring the property, its layered history as a former YWCA camp and communal living space, and...

After a long period as a lawyer, Floyd Kane actualized his true calling to become the writer and producer he'd always wanted to be. In this episode, Floyd, creator of the acclaimed Diggstown series, describes how he overcame the roadblocks that have typically frustrated the careers of Black creatives and the factors and people that helped propel him forward. All too aware of the many people whose...

Get ready to be inspired by Ella Cooper, award-winning filmmaker, photographer, community builder, and founder of ground-breaking Black Women Film! Canada. In this beautiful conversation with Natasha, Ella reflects on her own journey to filmmaking, the vision behind her photography, why she founded Black Women Film! and how the organization is changing lives. She also shares her creative and heali...

A trip to the UK in the early 1990s profoundly affected Prem Gill’s understanding of the power of storytelling and how it can shape and change identity. Since then, through her past work creating and launching Telus’ Storyhive Program and as CEO of Creative BC, she’s championed the development of pathways for many filmmakers from diverse communities to tell their own stories and build their career...

Ten years ago, Indigenous activist Palexelsiya (Lorelei) Williams felt a deep calling to create a dance to honour Canada’s missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirited people. That one-off dance sparked a partnership between Palexelsiya’s dance troupe Butterflies in Spirit and Julia Taffe’s Aeriosa Dance Society. This collaboration continues to heal and inspire — they describe th...

Natasha’s conversation with legendary Assistant Director Donald L. Sparks is a masterclass on how to be an inclusive leader. Don is a filmmaker who understands the value of respect, building trust, excellent communication and collaboration, and the importance of power sharing. Don, who has the perfect left and right brain mix to be a consummate AD, also shares the importance of pursuing every new...

From an early age, Emmy-nominated Lillian E. Benson has been an acute observer of people and her surroundings. She brings that quality, and many others, to her remarkable work as an acclaimed film editor. Lillian was the first African-American female editor selected for membership in the American Cinema Editors. Her life’s mission has been to contribute to the world through telling authentic stori...