The Good Health Cafe

Today’s guest is Ms. Leonore Okwara. Leonore has spent over a decade coordinating community based research projects and building trust between communities and researchers. Today in the cafe we discuss how she got started in research, how she builds trust in communities and some of the challenges of doing this type of work. Tune in for an interesting conversation. About Leonore Leonore Okwara, MPH...

Today’s guest is Ms. Pam Moore. Pam is a sickle cell disease advocate who lives in Maryland. Today in the cafe we discussed what it is like to live with Sickle Cell Disease, the transition from pediatric to adult care and how her pregnancy motivated her to start a YouTube channel. Tune in for an interesting conversation. About Pam: Pam is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and has been an advocate fo...

Today’s guest is Ms. Karla Mans Giroux. Karla is a holistic cancer coach and cancer thriver based in Chicago, Illinois. Today in the cafe we discussed her cancer journey, the integrative medicine approach which stabilized her metastatic breast cancer, the radical remission methods she teaches her coaching clients and her plans to celebrate her 100th birthday! Tune in for an interesting conversatio...

Today in the cafe we speak with award-winning journalist Kimberly Seals Allers about Irth, the app she created to help Black and brown women and birthing people have a more safe and empowered pregnancy and parenting experience by allowing them to see how other parents of color experienced care at a doctor or hospital. She shares with us her motivation for creating Irth, a little about what the dat...

Our guest today is Ms. LaTonya Bynum!  LaTonya is a public health consultant and CEO of U.R.A. Resource Center, LLC, a public health consulting firm based in Conway, Arkansas. Today in the cafe we discussed what she learned from having multiple visits to the ER, her experience “translating” for her grandmother at the hospital and why she believes in the term work-life integration instead of work-l...

A new podcast episode is up! Our guest today is Ms. Kate Skinner!  Kate is a wellness and movement specialist based in Nova Scotia, Canada. Today in the cafe we discuss the role of self awareness in our wellness, how she came to terms with her diagnosis of Celiac disease, how to be consistent and tips on how to heal the pain in our bodies. Tune in for an interesting and fun conversation. Like what...

May 5 is International Day of the Midwife! To commemorate the occasion Ontario based midwife Shani Robertson came by the cafe to discuss midwifery, dispel some myths and explain what the practice of midwifery entails in the 21st century. Tune in for an exciting episode filled with lots of laughter. About Shani Robertson Shani Robertson is Black Barbadian-born Registered Midwife and public health c...

In this episode I speak with Kristy Dickinson about her journey from getting diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome to creating the Chronically Simple health record. We discuss the importance of cultivating trust between patients and doctors and how to advocate for yourself while still asking for help from others. Kristy Dickinson is a mother, an entrepreneur, a rare disease patient, and Chronicall...

Ruth Pelletier, founder of Seniors Action Quebec stopped by the cafe to talk about seniors, their needs, and their challenges. In this episode, Ruth shares some helpful resources for seniors and how we can help support them. Outline of the Episode [4:40] some of the challenges [7:30] technology is a lifeline [11:10] CLSCs can help make life-quality assessments to determine the support the seniors...

Caring for someone with dementia can be challenging. On today's episode Teepa Snow shares with us some tips for caregivers of people living with dementia. Teepa explains the difference between Alzheimer's and Dementia, gives some tips for negotiating with our loved one and also explains why caregivers need to remember to take care of themselves as well. Teepa Snow is one of the world’s lea...

Join Nikita Boston-Fisher and Thierry Lindor as they talk about how the pandemic has affected communities of color in Montreal and how people of color can advocate for themselves and their loved ones. Thierry Lindor is a father of three, an activist-entrepreneur, and founder of the platform, The Colors of COVID. They collect data on racialized and marginalized communities’ experiences with the pan...

In today’s episode I chat with Matt Hughsam. Matt shares his experience with mental health and what he thinks youth need to thrive. Matt entered justice work as an undergraduate student fighting Canadian government cuts to refugee healthcare coverage. He currently lives in New York City and works with citiesRISE, an organization committed to transforming mental health globally through local innova...

Christie VanHorne is based in upstate New York. She is a public health consultant and the founder of How To Talk to Your Doctor. Today Christie and I discussed tips on how to talk to your doctor, advocacy and her upcoming course on health disparities. She even shares a crazy experience she had when visiting a doctor. To register for Christie’s course on The History of Health Disparities and Curren...

Julie Piette is a wife, mom, advocate and special education technician from Montreal. Julie is amazingly determined and today she shares with us how she handled her scleroderma diagnosis, how she advocates for herself and children and a few examples of how, to use her words, she has luck in her unluck. 

TJ Peyten is a Georgia native with a mission to raise awareness about Male Factor Infertility. TJ currently works as a public health educator, focused on improving the training and competence of the federal public health workforce. TJ's infertility journey started in 2013, when, after five years of marriage, it was discovered that her husband was the factor in their inability to conceive. Frus...

Kimberly Yhap RN., R.H.N., FCPI is a registered nurse and holistic nutritionist who is training to become a fertility care practitioner. She is on a mission to, as she puts it, spill the beans on the menstrual cycle. In this episode we discuss her story, the benefits of charting the menstrual cycle, how to do it and some of the signals our body is giving us if we pay attention.  To access the Mens...

Psychotherapist Vennassa Roper-Cunningham, MA, LPC came by the cafe to explain collective trauma. She tells us what is and also shares the importance of self care. having an attitude of gratitude and gives us tips on how to deal with fear and anxiety. To get in touch with Vennassa:  Instagram: simplythriving.ca  Email: simplythriving.ca@gmail.com Elpizo Counselling Services: https://www.elpizocoun...

Dr. Scott Perryman is the CEO of the Whole Health Weight Loss Institute in Napa, California. Dr. Perryman is a board certified surgeon, and his speciality is weight loss. He is a full active member of the American Society of Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery. In 2018 he was recognized by his colleagues as one of the Bay Area’s Top Doctors. He empowers his patients with emotional and psychological...

Khalilah Bruzual, is the Founder of The OvercomR and her mandate is to show others how to love and care for themselves and overcome life obstacles while respecting the people and community around them. She is a Fibromyalgia fighter, mental health advocate, mentor, coach and motivational speaker who lives in Toronto, Canada. In this episode Khalilah shares her health story, how she manages her vari...

Ruth Baah-Gyebi, MSc., RRT, RP, psychotherapist and CEO of Elpizo Counselling Services in Toronto, Canada came by the cafe to discuss the topic of mental health broadly, what the therapy experience is like, the impact COVID is having on our mental health and she gives us tips on how to support someone we think is struggling. Elpizo Counselling Services: https://www.elpizocounselling.com/   During...

Stuart James, a healthcare Chief Information Officer stops by the cafe to give us his take on the difference between knowledge and information, the benefits of electronic health records and tips on how we can get the most out of our healthcare.

The second half of our conversation with Dr. Oneeka Williams. We continue the conversation, learning more about habits of positivity, a hilarious patient story and erectile dysfunction. To learn more about her work check out the links below which she mentioned in the episode. Key episode transitions: [15:40] funny patient story [27:23] causes of erectile dysfunction and its link with smoking [36:5...

Dr. Oneeka Williams, urologic surgeon, award winning author, positivity catalyst and educator stops by the cafe to discuss men’s health, positivity and habits we should adapt to maintain our health. Dr. William’s website: https://droneekawilliams.com/ Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo website: https://www.drdeedeedynamo.com/ Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drdeedeedynamo Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo I...

Dr. Alvin Thomas Jr. stops by the cafe to share his tips on how we can make the most of our time at the doctor’s office. Now retired, Dr. Thomas is trained as an internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care doctor.

In this episode we chat with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse to learn about her experiences dealing with this pandemic up close and personal. She did not hold back on her thoughts and experiences. A few technical medical terms were used so check out the accompanying glossary for this episode on our website here.