The Human Challenge

With Palestinian parents, Noora Sharrab had to fight long and hard to push past their traditional “Walk By The Walls” mentality to embrace her Palestinian identity. Questioning her experiences crossing into Palestine at a young age and challenging what she learned in her early education, she was called to pursue the truth of her people’s history throughout university. While completing her Master’s...

Despite what his parents told him, at the age of four, Seth Compton knew he was not a girl. But it wasn’t until the age of 43 that Seth made the biggest decision of his life — to transition from female to male. In this episode, Seth shares the personal, social, professional, and medical factors that shaped his decision, and also the people that inspired him — including mainstream media personaliti...

As we mark National Indigenous Languages Day on Turtle Island, Shirley Horn shares her residential school story, growing up in not one, but two residential schools. She would return years later to Shingwauk Hall after it became a university to pursue her education, become first chancellor, and then Chief of The Missanabie to help return land back to her community. In this touching episode, Shirley...

“I just never felt safe,” says Jessica Compton, after running away from a young life of kidnapping, abuse, and sexual assault. Deciding it was best she take care of herself, she lived on her own at the age of 16, working and paying her bills. During this time, drugs and alcohol numbed the pain, but lead to arson, assaults, and eventually, incarceration. “The cell saved me,” she says. “I saved myse...

Since childhood, Sara developed maladaptive behaviours growing up in a tiny shack with no electricity and an abusive father who sold her to the sex trade at the age of three. In and out of foster care for much of her life, it was finding herself in prison where Sara finally decided it was time to seek support and services for her mental health. Initially denied, she fought for access to services,...

Cheri Chafin Norris was 16 years old when she became addicted to methamphetamine — and her father’s drug dealer. She wrote to God through her journals for 20 years, recently digging through them to put together her new book, ​ The Purpose of Abundance ​, re-discovering her own connection to God, the miracles that were always in front of her, and religion's reflection in modern society. S...

In this episode, I talk about headlining Transform The Night and how it all came to be with opening act, DJ Seith, and speaker, Karen Bird, Founder of Nakehndan. Transform The Night was a benefit concert held on Sunday, September 28th, 2025. With a contribution from Northern Credit Union, we were able to contribute $3,000 CAD to our community spotlight partner, Nakehndan, supporting Indigenous sur...

On Sunday, September 28th, award-winning artist, Vanessa Ferlaino, headlined Transform The Night. With a contribution from Northern Credit Union, we were able to contribute $3,000 CAD to our community spotlight partner, Nakehndan, supporting Indigenous survivors of abuse across Northern Ontario. 00:00 - Headliner Speaker: Vanessa Ferlaino 26:21 - Community Spotlight Speaker: Karen Bird, Founder of...

Injustice comes in many forms in Hebron, the largest city in The West Bank, and the epicentre of The Arab-Israeli Conflict. Jehad has not forgotten the survival mechanisms, the suffocating permits, or the violence that fuel his social justice work in Canada, where he has led some of Ontario’s largest organizations and supported various minoritized communities since his arrival in 1988. But Hebron...

In 2012, Karen Bird’s life took a turn; her teenage daughter disclosed she had been sexually abused. "Mother Of A Survivor" shows the eleven-year healing journey of a mother and her family, leading to the creation of Nakehndan, a non-profit weaving Indigenous and modern healing modalities for sexual abuse survivors to heal as a family unit. Filmed at the beautiful Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig (SKG),...

In this episode of The Human Challenge, host  ⁨@vanessaferlaino⁩  reflects on her conversation with Bayan Khatib, co-founder of The Syrian Canadian Foundation. Vanessa shares insights into the art of storytelling, creating safe spaces for discussing traumatic experiences, and the importance of empathy in narrative. In this behind-the-scenes episode, discover how storytelling can build a...

Join Vanessa Ferlaino on "The Human Challenge" as she sits down with Bayan Khatib, co-founder of The Syrian Canadian Foundation . Bayan recounts her journey from Aleppo, Syria to Canada, highlighting her pivotal role in activism and the fight for a free Syria. From translating a powerful memoir of human rights violations to leading community efforts, Bayan's story is one of resilience and hope. Tu...

We made it! There's so much to celebrate in this 50th milestone episode of The Human Challenge! Join host, Vanessa Ferlaino, who confirms our recent announcement that we are officially on Rogers TV! Vanessa also shares insights from her new book, recaps the launch party, and tells us some new things we can expect from the podcast, including community spotlights, new themes, and solo episodes! Vane...

In this episode, we dive into the remarkable journey of professional basketball player, Abigail Fogg, who rose from the humble roots of smalltown Sault Ste Marie in Northern Ontario, and made her mark as a 5-year NCAA champion and 8-year international professional basketball player. Discover the challenges she faced, the triumphs she celebrated, and the lessons she learned along the way. We also d...

In this heartfelt episode, we hear from Chip Skowron, MD/PhD and former CEO of Prison Entrepreneurship Program, who takes us through the double life he lived since childhood and how he found peace with himself following the four years he spent in prison for insider trading. Emerging with a renewed sense of purpose, Chip shares how Vanessa's new book served as a poignant reminder of the power of co...

In this episode of The Human Challenge, Elspeth Hay, author of ""Feed Us With Trees" and host of the Local Food Report on Cape Cod's NPR station, joins us. We explore the fascinating world of acorns and their potential as a superfood, delving into the historical and ecological significance of nut trees. Elspeth shares her journey of discovering the interconnectedness of humans and ecosystems, chal...

It's been 10 years since Emily O'Brien found herself in prison. "A lot of people think in prison that you have nothing," she says, "but if you reframe it as a place where you have everything, you can kind of create anything you want." Following that mindset, Emily created the idea for Comeback Snacks , Popcorn so good, it’s criminal , while incarcerated. In this episode of The Human Challenge, Emi...

Quan Huynh has been described as a mighty warrior, a magician, and a mountain of goodness. He spent 22 years of his life behind bars for murder. In the midst of a life sentence, he found his freedom from within and wishes to share that freedom with others. He is the bestselling author of Sparrow in the Razor Wire: Finding Freedom from Within While Serving a Life Sentence and is also the Executive...

25 years after finding herself divorced, a single mom of three kids with a truck, 26 cents, and a grade education, Dr. Paulette Steeves, Cree Métis author of "The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere", walked across the stage receiving her PhD with honours. She had already been told of her legacy that would shed truth on Indigenous history by an Elder at the time of her divorce, but it...

In this episode of "The Human Challenge", an Amazon Music x ACAST Indie Podcast Amplifier, Vanessa sits down with Robert Gil Jr, Re-entry Manager at Prison Entrepreneurship Program in Houston, in this inspiring and vulnerable conversation to breakdown barriers for returning citizens. From drug dealer to case manager, Robert showcases his journey through incarceration, including personal revelation...

"Refugee is a title, given to someone who is a displaced person, but it does not change the right to [their] data", says Mathew Lubari, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Community Creativity for Development (CC4D). Mathew joined the show from Rhino Refugee Camp in Uganda. Mathew's passion for technology repair, and what is know as the "Repair Movement", a movement that increases awareness of re...

Moroccan-Yemeni artist, AŸA, is back on The Human Challenge, an Amazon Music x ACAST "Indie Podcast Amplifier", with new music, new live tracks on vinyl, and new stories! This music is deeply personal to AŸA, as she navigates grief from the loss of a dear friend of hers and the ongoing horrors the world is witnessing in Palestine, where she has family and friends. She shares how music has helped h...

You might know Matt Edwards as your jack-of-all-trades actor/producer/writer and Doug Jones from one of your favourite franchises like Hocus Pocus, Hellboy 1 & 2, Star Trek, and Fantastic Four -- but get to know them in a more human light in this episode of The Human Challenge, an Amazon Music x ACAST Indie Podcast Amplifier 2023. This budding Hollywood friendship will warm your hearts as...

** Please be welcome to note sensitive content is discussed, including sexual violence in relation to corrective punishments experienced by trans peoples. ** "Solidarity is power," says activist, Judith Cabrera, Co-Director of Borderline Crisis Center, a shelter for migrant women and kids on the border of US/Mexico. Borderline Crisis Center started as a call-center for migrants to connect with the...

In our new segment, New Beginnings , supported by The Being Human Foundation , Vanessa speaks to CEO/Founder of FreeWorld, Jason Wang, a tech non-profit that trains and places people with criminal histories into the trucking industry. At the age of 15, Jason was incarcerated for a 1st degree felony (Aggravated Robbery) and given a 12-year sentence at a maximum security prison in Texas. Even though...