Resilient and Resourced Podcast

Have you ever heard a story that you can’t forget? For me, it was about 3 years at a local gym when I first heard Bill tell his story. And I have remembered it ever since. Bill has a complex medical history that has meant over a hundred hospital visits starting at the age of 17 months. Can you imagine being enrolled into your kindergarten class and then, along with your dad, training your soon-to-be teachers, ways to support your medical needs? Bill has faced living with a compromised immune system which has led him to develop characteristics like adaptability, ...

    When his sister was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, David struggled to face the difficult emotions of losing the one person in his life who had known him the longest.  After many end-of-life conversations with his sister, David committed to engage in yearly endurance activities in her memory. Those activities have now included over 50 triathlons, more than 50 runs longer than marathon distance, several 24-hour runs and an 85-mile run in Mexico during the summer.  It also included a solo, six-week, 5,000-mile cross-country bike ride from California to Florida to New York. The cycling adventure was a ...

How to Have the Best Bad Day Have you ever run into someone you hadn’t seen for over a decade?  On this episode of the Resilient and Resourced Podcast, that’s exactly what happens. Noramy was a student at a school where I was a Guidance Counsellor for 15 years. During our conversation, Noramy talks about the winding and completely unexpected path she has taken since her high school graduation and does it with incredible self-awareness and courage.     Following her high school graduation, Noramy studied education in pursuit of her dream to become a teacher. Then, as it often ...

Writing a Life   Erica remembers resenting how often she was told that she was resilient, especially when what she really wanted was a little help. I think we can all relate to that through these many pandemic months when the word “resilient” is tired and losing its shine. As a fellow writer and lover of words, I love how Erica sees writing as an everyday resource for her and others. Her view of stories and their power to connect us to ourselves and each other is a fresh take that I’ve been thinking about ever since our conversation. With ...

Resilience is Always in Style   Monika’s courage and calm acceptance when facing life’s challenges is refreshing! She knows that we aren’t meant to travel the journey of life alone so she also enlists the support of others when she needs it. And, in fact, she cites family, friends and her colleagues as having been valuable resources for hope when she’s faced loss, overwhelm and illness. During a particularly dark time, Monika set out an intention to bring joy into the lives of others and continues to keep this promise even during these uncertain pandemic times.     Monika exudes ...

A Deep Well of Perspective   Micaela is a thoughtful mother of an active toddler who has discovered the power of maintaining a deep well of perspective. With eloquence, she speaks to filling your well with foundational habits over mindset, investing in positive connections and taking even the tiniest step forward with self-awareness.     Micaela was only nineteen when her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer and this was only one of “big events'' in her life that helped her learn how to face difficult times that would follow. Along with the perspective she gained before leaving home, she ...

Grief and Other Things the Body Knows Jennie’s relationship with resilience has been marked by a strong sense of knowing that giving up simply wasn’t an option. Unravelling the impact of this survival mindset has been a lifelong journey punctuated by deep and significant losses. The ensuing grief and anger led Jennie to explore the wisdom of the body, ways of working with difficult emotions and a passion for helping others do the same.     Jennie is no stranger to grief but she’d be the first to say that it doesn’t define her. After the loss of her college ...

Get Real! Lisa is an energetic empath and self-described “open book” who places great value on her connection with others. She’s a strong proponent of being real with those around her so that she can get support when she needs it and give support to others when they need it. With creativity and an optimism that still honours difficult emotions, Lisa has found methods of staying hopeful and resilient through this pandemic year.   Lisa is grateful for her parents who inspired her to develop a strong work ethic and a confidence to rely on her own ability. The self-reliance ...

Running a Good Race Dr. Barbara Ward has been working in the field of social work for 30 years and is currently the Mental Health Lead for the Waterloo Region District School Board, a Clinical Supervisor and is also a valued workshop presenter in the areas of Resilience and Self-Care. A lifelong runner, Barb draws on the lessons she’s learned from her running practice, through recovering from injuries as well as positive psychology and mindfulness. Join us for this inspirational conversation about how leaning into everything can help us build up our stores of resilience for times when it is ...