RESILIENT PEOPLE

Dr. Caitlin Kirby is an environmental science educator and researcher. She successfully completed her doctorate degree in October 2019. Normally 3 years long, there are many struggles in completing a PhD. Stress, funding, work life balance and in Dr. Kirby’s case - rejection. “Rejection from what?” you may be wondering. For Caitlin she did something unique when challenging her doctoral dissertatio...

My friend Maggie highly recommended that I somehow find Mr. Elly Gotz for RESILIENT PEOPLE. Her daughter attended one of his infamous school presentations on his experiences while living during the Holocaust. My son also heard Elly speak at his school. Until the pandemic started in 2020, Elly Gotz was doing over 100 speaking engagements a year - and at the time he was 92 YO!  Not only is he a publ...

I’m doing something different for this episode. Instead of bringing you a conversation that I’ve had with someone, I’m going to talk about a topic that I’ve been thinking about for some time and anyone who is facing grief will be able to relate to it.  We’re a few days away from the biggest and most romantic day of the year - if you’re in a couple. Valentine’s Day. If you’re not in a relationship,...

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Jim Swan , an esteemed cardiologist from Toronto. He is one of the most highly-regarded physicians in Canada and a real trailblazer in the field of cardiology.  In 2019, Jim lost his twin brother George to Glioblastoma (also known as GBM), the most aggressive form of brain cancer. They were 70 years old. As fate would have it, only one year later, Jim would be dia...

Elizabeth Verwey had a major shift in her life when she was 56. Her husband whom she had known since she was 17 and married when she was 19 had decided that he wanted out of their seemingly happy marriage. She found herself as a single mom and faced her fear of being alone. I met Elizabeth, pre-pandemic, in her apartment in Toronto where she shared her story with me. Even as a successful and award...

Sixty-year old Lee Silverstein has lived with three different cancers in his lifetime including kidney, colon and liver. He created the We Have Cancer podcast to provide information, inspiration and hope. As Lee sees it, cancer affects everyone. I spoke with him and his wife Linda from their home in Florida. In between the laughs, we talked about his resilience, the valuable life lessons he's lear...

In this episode, I speak with educational consultant, Jane Kristoffy, in Toronto. Jane is a teacher, guidance counsellor and operates a consulting business to help students, parents and educators everywhere.  Her goal is to help elementary, high school, university and college students to reach their personal and education goals. She can help you if you’re struggling in certain subjects and need ex...

Matthew Pullan is 18 years old and lives in Bury, near Manchester, in the UK. He’s preparing for university, continuing to study, spends time with friends where possible during the pandemic, and blogs about running and exercise.  The blog was called Matthew's Running Journey until a recent name change to reflect a big change in his life. A terminal brain cancer diagnosis. Matthew and I spoke about...

Morgan Frey is a young woman from Toronto who grew up like most kids. Going to camp, dance and skating lessons - she was also drawn to the theatre and decided to pursue a career as a writer - even mounting her own show in the prestigious Toronto Fringe Festival.  Morgan is also a triple amputee but she hasn’t let that stand in the way of going after her dreams. I sat down with Morgan, pre-pandemic...

In a group of friends, it’s not often when some start to date each other. It might be even less likely that they get married. But when it does happen, it’s one of the most beautiful things to witness. This is what happened between my friends Jason Fiorotto and Tory Butler. I had just had my second baby in 2002 when I got a call from him letting me know that they were engaged. Married life and a be...

In this episode, I speak with Terrence Rodriguez who faced struggles, isolation and loneliness through his journey as a transgender man. Terrence’s story of resilience stems from his desire for community. By recognizing the struggle that many LGBTQ youth go through, he launched a social hub and advocacy group in Toronto called, REXpride. It is a safe space for them to gather, make friends, be amon...

I never imagined in my worst nightmares that at 47, my husband would be diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and that I would lose him by 51.  My name is Janet Fanaki and during my husband Adam's surgery and treatments, I spent a lot of time people-watching in the waiting room. How were they getting through the day? How do they find strength?  I started interviewing people who I admired for their...