Welcome Back to Heart Stormings!

On today's episode, we get to hear the story of Carol Youngson, a retired nurse who spent over two decades working in operating rooms and then went on to serve as an investigator for the Manitoba Department of Justice for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. 

We sat down a few weeks ago to discuss "Take Your Baby and Run",  Carol's first-hand account of the shocking ineptitude and misogynistic behaviour that led to the death of twelve children, primarily infants, under the care of Dr. Jonah Odim at Winnipeg's largest hospital in 1994.

Carol was the nurse in charge of the cardiac unit and in her book she details the dysfunctional hospital hierarchy that allowed this tragedy to unfold, leading to the longest running inquiry in Canadian history.

Sadly, the themes of this book are just as relevant today during our current health crisis.

I am truly honoured and grateful that Carol was willing to share her story on this podcast and l hope she can finally find peace now that she is on this path toward healing from this tragedy. 

Here is a link for more information and to get your own copy of her book

Thanks for listening! We hope you'll join us again next time.

Better yet, we would love for you to join in on the conversation!

Please feel free to ask questions, send us podcast ideas or sign up to share your own story on our website: https://www.heartstormings.com

And connect with us on our social media pages:

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Hi Everyone.  Welcome back to Heart Stormings. 

This week's gonna be a little bit different, because I don't have an interview to share with you.   Unfortunately, I've had technical difficulties. I had the stresses of work, stresses of dealing with a senior parent, stresses of dealing with, unfortunately, a pet that's not doing so well, so I'm making sure that she's happy and comfortable and quite frankly, I'm exhausted. 

The downside of running a podcast and doing it all yourself from A to Z, including the edits after the fact, it's time consuming.  It's a lot of work.  It's a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work.   It's a second job.   But, the upside of running your own podcast is, I don't answer to anyone but myself.  Which is a good thing. 

I don't know why I put so much pressure on myself to commit to a once a week.  It doesn't have to be once a week, but I decided it's gonna be once a week and I've been beating myself up 'cause I couldn't get the latest episode out in time.    But you know what, it's okay.   Life happens. 

I'm going to set a standard for myself.  I'm not gonna put so much pressure on myself. I'm going to take a bit of a break and the next podcast won't come out until September.

The world won't come to an end, I'm sure, 

I wanna thank everyone who has supported the podcast so far, everyone who shared, liked reposted, posted, everyone who's gone on the hosting platforms and rated the five stars.....Thank you very much 

and I especially wanna thank the generous women who have shared their stories on the podcast!   It's already making a difference.   I'm already receiving messages from other women who've heard your stories and can so relate to what you're saying, and you've given them ideas and how they can either go out and do the same thing for themselves or give themselves a break and say, you know what? I'm not alone in this.  Other people are going through the same thing, and I need to be kinder to myself. 

That was the whole goal of this podcast, and I'm so grateful that more than the one person that I wanted to make a difference in their lives....more than one, has had a difference made.  And so I'm so grateful and I'm so happy. 

But, I don't wanna burn out.   I wanna give myself time, I wanna make sure I still enjoy this process and there's so many amazing women who have graciously and generously signed up to share their stories that are coming up. There's a whole bunch more to come, 

But I'm gonna take the long weekend.  I hope you guys take the long weekend and take a break and have a great rest of your summer.   

xo Cheryl

Thanks for listening! We hope you'll join us again next time.

Better yet, we would love for you to join in on the conversation!

Please feel free to ask questions, send us podcast ideas or sign up to share your own story on our website: https://www.heartstormings.com

And connect with us on our social media pages:

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Threads App: #61385040

Welcome Back to Heart Stormings!

On today's episode, I will be having a conversation with Susan Moore, graduate of the Royal Roads University, lifelong social change advocate and all around amazing human being!

Susan will share with us her story of how and why she has dedicated her career to supporting marginalized groups in housing and health care.  Susan also graciously shares her story of what it was like to come out to her parents and her community after she had discovered her true sexual identity in early adulthood.  Although Canada has made some progress in supporting LGBTQ rights, back in the 1990's it was not an easy road to navigate and Susan shares her story with humour and grace.

My sincere apologies for the sound quality of Susan't audio and the occasional straining in our voices in this podcast as we had to deal with severe smoke and wifi connection issues due the wildfires in British Columbia.   However, I think you'll agree that Susan's messages are too important not to share.

Thanks for listening! We hope you'll join us again next time.

Better yet, we would love for you to join in on the conversation!

Please feel free to ask questions, send us podcast ideas or sign up to share your own story on our website: https://www.heartstormings.com

And connect with us on our social media pages:

Instagram Link
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Threads App: #61385040

Tan’si!

Thank you for joining us!

On today’s episode, I will be having a conversation with Lindsay Poll, proud daughter of the Métis Nation, flight attendant, wife, mother of 5 and all around amazing human being!

In the spirit of reconciliation, I  acknowledge that I live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Stoney Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

I’m embarrassed and ashamed to admit that I am one of the very naive Canadians who didn’t fully understand the atrocities that have happened and are still happening to the Indigenous people of Canada.  However, now that I know better, I can and very much want to do better and I am very grateful that Lindsay is here tell us about her story and to help me learn more….

Lindsay will share a bit of history and her learnings growing up in the Métis community, how she has navigated generational pain, becoming an adoptive parent to 5 children born with fetal alcohol syndrome disorders (FASD) and the stigma of living outside of stereotypical gender roles as her husband has chosen to become the stay at home parent while Lindsay continues to work full time.  Lindsay will also share with us her struggles with helping her 16 year old child transition into a man while also dealing with FASD.   

All important topics and there is so much more to learn.  

Thank you Lindsay for sharing your story and I hope to have you back to help us learn more

Thanks for listening! We hope you'll join us again next time.

Better yet, we would love for you to join in on the conversation!

Please feel free to ask questions, send us podcast ideas or sign up to share your own story on our website: https://www.heartstormings.com

And connect with us on our social media pages:

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Threads App: #61385040

On today's episode we get to hear from Candace Neskar, successful marketing expert, Mother of 3 beautiful daughters and Glamma to 2 very handsome grandsons.

Candace and I met under very unusual circumstances when I decided to try out a new dating service "It's Just Lunch" many years ago, after my own divorce.  Candace was the consultant that arranged all of my dates and although I eventually decided that dating through a matchmaking service wasn't for me, she and I got along so well that we've kept in touch over the years.  

Throughout the podcast, you'll get to hear all about how Candace raised her 3 daughters on her own when she moved across Canada after a divorce for a new job opportunity that unfortunately fell apart shortly after her move, how she finally met the man of her dreams who swept her off her feet and created a life for her and her daughters that Candace could never have imagined, only to be blindsided by a cancer diagnosis and eventual passing of her new husband at a very young age.   

If you stick around until the end, Candace and I will get very candid about dating life in our 50's, the double standard for women dating younger men and navigating being a caregiver for our senior parents.

Although it has been a tough road, Candace remains a bright and positive light who is still optimistic about love.  

We hope Candace’s story will resonate with and/or help someone who may be seeking others who they can relate to when it comes to single parenting, becoming a widow at a young age and finding the strength to continue on with life after loss.   If you need to talk to someone, please feel free to reach out via our website and we will be happy to listen or provide you with suggestions for local resources and community members who can help.   Please know that you are not alone and there is no right or wrong way to grieve any loss.  We're not here to judge, we're only here to support.  

Thanks for listening! We hope you'll join us again next time.

Better yet, we would love for you to join in on the conversation!

Please feel free to ask questions, send us podcast ideas or sign up to share your own story on our website: https://www.heartstormings.com

And connect with us on our social media pages:

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Threads App: #61385040

Thank you so much for joining us!

On today's episode, we will be hearing from Kirsten Mah, wife, mother, teacher and all around amazing human being, who recently decided to go all in on her dream of becoming a published author.

Kirsten will share with us what it was like to transition from a stay-at-home mom of 3, to getting back into the workforce as a teacher and now taking the leap to writing her own novels:  "Resistance" and "Redemption".

We will also discuss our concerns regarding the gap in knowledge and experience women of younger generations are experiencing in the corporate and political world with Gen X women choosing to step away from the senior-level roles they've spent decades working to achieve, so that they can go after their dreams. 

This is a good one!  You don't want to miss it!

If you're interested in reading Kirsten's novels, you can purchase "Resistance" here and pre-purchase "Redemption" which will be coming out in September here.  You can also find more about Kirsten on her website and Facebook and Instagram pages.

Thanks for listening! We hope you'll join us again next time.

Better yet, we would love for you to join in on the conversation!

Please feel free to ask questions, send us podcast ideas or sign up to share your own story on our website: https://www.heartstormings.com

And connect with us on our social media pages:

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Threads App: #61385040

Welcome Back to Heart Stormings!

On today's episode, we get to hear from Debbie Mastel, successful owner of a female led HR consulting business, foster parent and all around amazing human being.

Debbie will share with us what it was like starting a new business during a recession, some of the pitfalls of trusting the wrong people, why a having a support system and backup plan is so important and how and why she got started in foster parenting. 

Debbie is one busy lady and we are so fortunate that she has taken the time to share her story.   You can also find out more about her recruiting firm on her website:   https://www.debbiemastel.com

Thanks for listening! We hope you'll join us again next time.

Better yet, we would love for you to join in on the conversation!

Please feel free to ask questions, send us podcast ideas or sign up to share your own story on our website: https://www.heartstormings.com

And connect with us on our social media pages:

Instagram Link
Facebook Link
Threads App: #61385040

On this very first episode of the Heart Stormings podcast, I will be having a conversation with Dionna Hickox (Instagram Link), successful content creator for travel, wellness and menopause, dog momager to Kevin the Berner (Instagram Link), wife, mother, grandmother and all around amazing human being!

Dionna will tell us how she got started in content creation, her journey through wellness, exercise and now perimenopause, what it's like to live a nomadic lifestyle both in a custom built van and via Airbnb and how her Bernese Mountain Dog Kevin's social media presence (@itskevintheberner) started and has really taken off - he has over 250k followers collectively on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and now Threads. 

Stick around to the end of the podcast for Dionna's update on her next once in a lifetime adventure with her husband Justin!  You can also check out Dionna's travel adventures on their YouTube channel

During this episode, Dionna talks about how much she loves Bow Wow Buddies for her dogs.  This podcast has no affiliation with Bow Wow Buddies, but if you'd like to give them a try, you can click on this link and get 10% off of your order by using code KEVIN

Thanks for listening! We hope you'll join us again next time.

Better yet, we would love for you to join in on the conversation!

Please feel free to ask questions, send us podcast ideas or sign up to share your own story on our website: https://www.heartstormings.com

And connect with us on our social media pages:

Instagram Link
Facebook Link
Threads App: #61385040