The CRAM Podcast ~ Extraordinary Ideas Unleashed

How happy are you? If you’re under the age of 25 and you live in Canada, the U.S., Australia or New Zealand, you are among the unhappiest of generations. That’s according to the latest World Happiness Report.  At an age that’s seen as the launchpad to adulthood and usually associated with hopes and dreams for the future - this is deeply concerning. Why are young people in Canada and a number of we...

How trusting are you of other people these days?   According to the Environics Inst. for Survey Research, current politics is dividing Americans more than any other time since that country’s Civil War over 150 years ago. Here in Canada, our divisions are not quite as dramatic, yet we see what’s happening with our neighbours to the south amidst own dilemmas of immigration, Quebec sovereignty, Alber...

Ahhh, life’s everyday dilemmas… How should I deal with my horrendous sister-in-law?   Do I have to tell my new boyfriend about my past infidelity? Can I cut ties with a friend who helped me through a hard time?   Do any of these questions resonate with you?   They probably do as we all deal with various forms of these issues at various times in our lives.  These moral and ethical dilemmas can weig...

Leonardo da Vinci, Frank Lloyd Wright, Margaret Atwood, even the Dalai Lama – they all had something in common.   Procrastination.  Surprising right?  Because they all had such impressive achievements.   But procrastination is common - maybe so common that we take it for granted.  But there could be a stiff price to pay when you put off studying for that exam, getting your car checked, leaving a p...

So you want to have a baby? It used to be there was only ONE way to achieve this.  One might call it the “old fashioned way.”  And that went on for hundreds of thousands of years!  But with technological advancements, there are many ways to have a baby today.   And one of them is in vitro fertilization.  In Canada, about 15% of couples, or 1 in 6, can experience infertility and many pursue IVF.  ...

Splashdown!  Artemis 2 was a success!  It took humans the farthest they’ve ever been from earth.   The mission also increased deep-space capabilities required for a permanent presence on the moon – and even more exciting – the possibility of sending humans to Mars. A professor who spent his career bringing space research to the public is Paul Delaney.  He’s even  been recognized for his life’s wor...

Living your BEST life.  Does that mean staying single?   Should the well worn phrase “happily ever after” be used for single people and THEIR lives?   You might think so based on the movement by some academics, celebrities, influencers, and the public, who embrace the single life, also known as the “solo or single at heart movement.”  Many say life’s actually BETTER when you’re single compared to...

Can you think of a “gamechanging” drug – a drug that’s had a profound impact on humanity?   How about penicillin discovered in the late 20's marking the beginning of the antibiotic era?  Or insulin, a Canadian discovery that changed the lives of people with diabetes?  Also vaccines, oral contraceptives.. aspirin? And then there’s Ozempic, or more broadly GLP-1's – THE most talked about d...

If you’re a woman in your 30’s or older,  please listen to this interview What I learned was surprising - and disturbing.   It’s about perimenopause – the stage before menopause – that can begin in women as early as their 30’s.  And it’s often misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated according to endocrinologist Jerilynn Prior who has studied this field for decades.   She says there’s a lot of confusi...

It can seem like a mysterious place we once knew – adolescence.   We’ve all been there.  But the angst, drama, the questioning, the ups and downs of that time,  may seem hard to understand now that we’re older.    A lot has been studied and written about the parent/adolescent relationship as well as the influence of peers and friends.   But what about siblings?  They’re usually an integral part of...

It’s not too often I come across research that’s this simple AND effective – according to the evidence. Based on the results of a number of studies, this simple strategy can elevate your mood, make you feel connected, happier… and even give greater meaning to your life.  You can do it almost anywhere and maybe best of all, it doesn’t add any significant time to your day.   The strategy is called “...

You’ve probably come across this word:  gaslighting.     It was Word of the Year in Mirriam Webster’s dictionary in 2022.  Maybe you’ve even experienced it.  Definitions of gaslighting vary but it’s a form of manipulation and can go on for years.   What’s shocking is that it can be the very people whom you trust and love, who are trying to manipulate you.    “You must be crazy to think that” or “y...

*NOTE:  This interview was recorded in late Nov. of 2025. Canada is generally regarded as a safe and peaceful country.  But is that changing? For the first time, the head of CSIS Dan Rogers, addressed the public last year with these stats:  1 in 10 terrorism investigations in Canada involves at least one minor under the age of 18. There have been 20 violent extremist attacks in Canada resulting in...

The holidays can be a joyous time for many families.   But  it can also be the saddest time for those who are experiencing estrangement. It’s something many parents don’t talk about.   The pain and the shame that a child is no longer in their lives can be enormous.  But estrangement is common.  One U.S. study found a significant number of families will undergo some type of estrangement.   So how d...

Of course you’d ruin your shoes to save a drowning child!   What a question, right? But if that’s the case, why wouldn’t you donate a few dollars to save the life of a child?  Doesn’t it come down to the same thing?  This is the question that a global movement called Effective Altruism asks. EA does research on where you should donate your money so it has the biggest impact.  The EA approach is to...

It was fast and brazen.   In less than eight minutes, thieves stole jewellery worth over 130 million dollars from the Louvre in Paris.  It was a daytime job while visitors were admiring the very jewellery that would soon be taken.   You may think crimes of art don’t happen very often because we don’t hear about them.  But in fact art and cultural property worth billions of dollars are stolen annua...

Is violent crime actually going up in Canada?   According to Stats Canada, it is.  Violent crime has increased by about 50% in the last decade.   And a new report that compares the rate of police reported violent crime in Canada and the U.S. says the gap between the two countries has narrowed.  It’s the result of decreases in violent crime in the US and increases in Canada over the last 25 years....

What if there was something simple you could do that would improve your physical and mental health, keep you young, and possibly stave off conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's?   It's not a pill, it's not invasive and there's no equipment.   It's dance!  Sounds hard to believe, right? But there’s growing evidence on the benefits of dance across a host of condit...

It’s called "the silent killer" and for good reason. One in three deaths around the world is caused by cardiovascular diseases.   That’s almost 20 million people.  And with aging populations, the problem is increasing.   What happens if you have heart failure in a remote community -  and the nearest hospital is hundreds if kilometres away?   How do we ensure everyone gets good care? Thes...

In what country did young employees work the most number of days from home?  Canada! In one study, Canadian employees who were recent graduates worked an average of 1.9 days per week from home.  The U.K. and U.S. rounded out the top three.  Asian countries had the lowest levels when it came to remote work. Many people say remote work is more convenient, more productive, and less hassle with travel...

What’s your favourite snack? Is it gummy worms?  Maybe a bag of salt and vinegar chips?  Or how about a bowl of your favourite ice cream?  In Canada, we are a nation of snackers.  Surveys show about 80% of us have at least one snack a day.    But our relationship with snack foods is a complicated one.   We often feel guilty when we snack.  And we even refer to junk food as a “guilty pleasure.”   ...

Why should you think like a Roman Emperor? The emperor in question is Marcus Aurelias who was born in the second century.   He ruled for almost 20 years and was a leading Stoic.  Stoicism is a school of philosophy and it’s had a resurgence in popularity around the world.  People are turning to it as a way to approach life and help navigate the various challenges they face.  Cognitive behavioural t...

Note: A warning that the content contains graphic descriptions of the aftermath of the atomic bomb.   This podcast is one of the most deeply affecting interviews I’ve ever done. On Aug. 6, 1945, 13 year old Setsuko Thurlow experienced a horror previously unknown to the world – the detonation of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.   She miraculously survived while tens of thousands of people includ...

They kill more humans – than humans.   I’m talking about mosquitoes.  Surprised? Sure those pests cover us with bites, drive us indoors, and keep us awake all night with an itch that drives us crazy.   But they also pose the much more serious threat as carriers of disease.  Malaria, Yellow Fever and other mosquito-borne diseases kill hundreds of thousands of people every year.  But what if we coul...

Furries are people who dress as talking animals. Are they weird? Harmful? Or just misunderstood? Sociologist—and furry—Courtney Plante has spent years studying this growing subculture. In this episode, he tackles big questions: Is being a furry unhealthy? Who joins these communities? And is that story about kitty litter in classrooms actually true? All your furry questions—answered. GUEST: Courtne...