The Other Side

What happens when the woman who spent years telling her partner that having kids was a 'dealbreaker' suddenly finds herself in her mid-30s wanting the exact thing she'd been against her entire life? Meet Brittany Gordon, a holistic nutritionist, founder of Healing Ginger , sister, daughter, friend, and now mom to two-year old Lillian.  This week our conversation is focused around th...

This week sisters Angie and Amanda Cambareri, owners of Vincent Boutique in Ottawa, Ontario, join Nadine for a candid chat about closet staples, owning a clothing store, and how they protect their tight bond while also ensuring they make the necessary decisions to continue growing their business. Growing up in a close-knit Italian family, they both share how their early creativity and love of shop...

Calling all music lovers! This week Nadine welcomes Erin Benjamin - mom, golfer, former touring singer-songwriter, and now President & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association - for a wide-ranging conversation about music, identity, and community.  Having loved music all of her life, but not really able to carry a tune, Nadine wanted to take some time to listen to (and maybe live vicariously...

They're backkkkkkkk <3 The last Wednesday of the month means mom and sis join Nadine for another funny, candid chat that starts with favourite breakfasts and spirals into bigger life questions.  Bucket lists. When Nadine admits her dream trip to South Africa has stayed a “someday” fantasy since she was 16, the three unpack why that may be so, which leads to a conversation about the meaning...

In a candid conversation, Donna - an artist, musician, and mom - shares what she’s loving lately in music (Louis Tomlinson, thanks to her nine-year-old daughter) before diving into the story behind her decision to choose to become a single mother at 40.   Donna first walked into a fertility clinic at 38 when it occurred to her that time was slipping by and waiting for the right partner was no long...

In this week's episode Nadine chats with Ottawa portrait, brand, and commercial photographer Amanda Thirkill about road-trip music, growing up in Sudbury with summers on Manitoulin Island, and how her dad's film-camera candids sparked her love of photography and shaped how she positions herself behind the lens.  Having previously worked with Amanda, Nadine was most curious to talk about...

On this episode Nadine welcomes Ottawa-based astrologer, Sarah Goldsmith, to the pod to explore astrology as a tool for mindfulness, storytelling, and personal growth rather than certainty.  They chat about Sarah's background, how she became interested in astrology and how her approach blends modern and Hellenistic astrology, psychological theory, cycle awareness, and her own personal philoso...

Mom and sis are back, and this week we asked mom how she managed to stay in love with the same person for over 50 years - our dad <3 Though she says there's no magic formula, she tells us of the importance of trust, mutual respect, being in-tune with one another, and having a deep love that supersedes those days when you don't like each other very much.  As mom reflects on the reality...

This week we talk with Lori Brooks, a dear friend of Nadine's who graciously came onto the pod to talk about what it means to live through repeated loss on the road to becoming a mom.  Lori always knew she wanted kids, and after experiencing a long period of trying to conceive, she miscarried the first time just 6 weeks into her pregnancy. Two more miscarriages later, Lori takes us through ea...

Erin is back! If you haven't listened to Erin's first TOS podcast, TOS of a Cancer Diagnosis, go have a listen to episode #2 and prepare to fall in love with her. She's incredibly special, and smart, and interesting, and here to tell us how's she doing and to talk all things Tarot. The first 15 minutes-ish of this episode I check in and get an update on all things Erin, which s...

How does it feel to reach the age of retirement when you’ve spent your career strongly identifying with your profession? What happens when our value becomes untangled from what we ‘do’ to who we actually are? How do folks navigate that shift and what things arise when we find ourselves on the other side of our career? These are the questions that were floating around my mind when I asked my dear f...

Mom & sis are back for a light-hearted discussion about our own personal fitness stories, sharing how different forms of movement like running, Pilates, and dance classes impact our lives.  In a world where everything feels quite heavy, and at a time when the most awful humans are getting a lot of attention, we felt a need to remind ourselves of the good people around us and the importance of...

This week's lively discussion is brought to you by Chantal Sarkisian, an Armenian-Canadian influencer better known as Chantsy online!  Listen in as Nadine and Chantal delve into the behind-the-scenes of what it means to be a social media influencer. Their conversation starts from the beginning, with Chantal's early experience as a blogger, then discusses her transition to Instagram and T...

In this week's episode of The Other Side Pod, Karla Briones hops on to chat about the side of entrepreneurship that isn't so pretty. The burnout. The decisions we make when we lose connection with ourselves. The challenges that immigrant entrepreneurs face. The guilt that can be easily felt when juggling motherhood, and the directions we go when we've lost our purpose and how to com...

It's the first pod of 2026 and what better way to start a new year than a conversation with Florence Maheu; Canadian slalom kayaker, Olympian, and just the loveliest human with a refreshing perspective on life. Recently retired from an 18 year career as a professional athlete, Flo takes us behind the scenes and tells us how she first discovered (and fell in love with) kayaking and walks us th...

Happy New Year's Eve from mom, sis and I!  Join us for this special holiday episode to hear our thoughts and expectations for this coming New Year, as well as anecdotes about past resolutions, generational differences in goal setting, and personal shifts in mindset. Of course we also offer tips on surviving the winter in Newfoundland (and Canada in general!), touching on the importance of con...

On this nostalgic Christmas Eve, sisters Nadine and Danielle, along with their cousin, Amy, share their memorable, often chaotic experiences working at a housewares and gift shop in St. John's, Newfoundland during their high school and university days.   Reflecting on their long hours, challenging customers and youthful first-job antics, these three share insights into the exhaustion and cama...

Mandie Vossenberg is back on the pod to talk about dead parents, but make it festive?! The holidays bring about a lot of feelings, especially if you've lost someone, so Nadine and Mandie wanted to share how they've been feeling in hopes that if you can relate, you won't feel so alone in it.  In this heartfelt episode, they share a candid conversation about dealing with grief during...

We are officially into the Holiday Season so I thought it was a great time to chat with Tesia Bryski and Alyssa Malizia, psychotherapists and the Co-Directors at Shine Mental Health Collective in Ottawa, ON. This time of year can be challenging for many for a multitude of reasons, so in this episode we wanted to share some insights into psychotherapy, access, the impact of the holidays on mental h...

Meet Jess Packman , hair enthusiast and stylist at JetBlack Hair Studio , who also happens to no longer suffer wildly every month since having a hysterectomy! Nadine and Jess, like many people who happen to have uteruses, have had a complicated relationship with them and hopped on the podcast to talk about their decisions to have them removed due to severe endometriosis and adenomyosis. Listen in...

It's the last Wednesday of the month so you know what that means. Mom and sis are back! And this time we're talking body image and aging.  Listen in as the three of us, being women in our 40s, 50s, and 70s, discuss our independent decisions to age naturally in a world constantly promoting fillers, Botox, and surgeries. Each of us discuss our own personal journeys toward self-acceptance,...

Ever been fired? Jen has, twice! And both times that it happened to her she wished she had someone she could relate to, so she's sharing her story in case she can be that someone for you.  In this episode Jen recounts her journey of being terminated from two significant jobs and how those experiences shaped both her, and her career. A human rights investigator and lawyer based in Ottawa, Jen...

Meet Ashley Wittig, brainchild behind Honey's Ice Cream in Toronto, ON and holder of my heart through said ice cream. In this episode, Ashley shares her journey from vegan bakery owner to vegan ice cream maker/Honey's creator, taking us through her creative process (seriously, how does she continually make us drool with those flavour combinations?!) and the challenges she has faced in bo...

Meet Kirsten Duke, a 39-year-old mother of three, who carried four babies and helped create two separate, but forever linked, families. The Other Side of Surrogacy - aka, the one that made Nadine cry.  In this episode Kirsten generously shares her remarkable journey as a surrogate mother. Starting from the beginning (seeing a TikTok video with two hopeful fathers from Spain) she then walks us thro...

Mom and sis are back! And this week the three of us dive into the joys and complexities of friendship. We talk about making new friends, losing old ones, and the natural ebb and flow of those lifelong friendships, including the pain of drifting apart as well as the beauty of reconnecting. Told from the perspective of women in their 40s, 50s and 70s, we explore how true friendships shape our lives,...