Courage Stories: Recent Episodes
Louis Martyres
Welcome to Courage Stories. A podcast series where ATB team members share their stories on being courageous while embracing who they are and how they are allies for others. With your hosts Louis Martyres and Rachel Wade.
Rob Bennett is the Head of Customer Experience at ATB and the Executive Sponsor of the LGBTA Network. In this podcast Rob shares the story of his family's journey towards courageously being themselves and true allies for each other. He also talks about why it is important, particularly for parents and leaders, to embrace love over judgement.
The goal of Courage Stories is to share lived experiences so we can begin to build empathy and a meaningful dialogue around how we can courageously be ourselves and true allies for each other. Some of these stories may be difficult to listen to.
This episode is the second part of our conversation with Heather Ruhl. If you have not listened to Part 1, stop here and listen to the previous episode. In this episode she openly recounts her experiences with mental illness, suicidality and her path towards wellness. Please note that if you are struggling with issues related to mental illness and suicide, you may want to take a moment to decide if these two episodes are something you're prepared to listen to right now. If not, you may choose to wait until you're in a more comfortable place to listen or ask a trusted friend or family member to listen to her story with you.
There are many supports available for those who have mental illness or are struggling with their own mental wellness. Heather mentions Momentum Walk In Counselling in Edmonton. You can also reviewATB’s Mental Health Resources Guide and the Canadian Mental Health Association for more resources including the Centre for Suicide Prevention and a 24 hour Mental Health Helpline. All these resources are completely confidential and are provided either at no cost or can be reimbursed through your benefit plan.
During Mental Health Awareness month we hope these episodes spark a meaningful dialogue so that we can begin to end the stigma around mental illness and start a conversation around healing, belonging and wellness.
The goal of Courage Stories is to share lived experiences so we can begin to build empathy and a meaningful dialogue around how we can courageously be ourselves and true allies for each other. Some of these stories may be difficult to listen to.
Over the next two episodes we speak with Heather Ruhl about mental illness. In this episode she openly recounts her experiences with mental illness and suicidality. Please note that if you are struggling with issues related to mental illness and suicide, you may want to take a moment to decide if these episodes are something you're prepared to listen to right now. If not, you may choose to wait until you're in a more comfortable place to listen or ask a trusted friend or family member to listen to her story with you.
There are many supports available for those who have mental illness or are struggling with their own mental wellness. Heather mentions Momentum Walk In Counselling in Edmonton. You can also reviewATB’s Mental Health Resources Guide and the Canadian Mental Health Association for more resources including the Centre for Suicide Prevention and a 24 hour Mental Health Helpline. All these resources are completely confidential and are provided either at no cost or can be reimbursed through your benefit plan.
During Mental Health Awareness month we hope these episodes spark a meaningful dialogue so that we can begin to end the stigma around mental illness and start a conversation around healing, belonging and wellness.
Saad is a Senior Manager of Agency Strategies in RFS. In this episode we delve into some of the challenges people of colour face in the workplace. We discuss how a lack of representation can stop people from dreaming and about the steps allies can take to be more inclusive, reduce bias and raise people up.
Rachel Ashauer was a student in our ATB 101 program and worked in Communications. She is also a skilled costume maker and cosplayer. In this podcast we talk about how Rachel got into cosplay and what it meant to find a community where she truly belonged. Despite a little judgement from her family she found the courage to keep at it and to create her own space.
You might recognize Tosha from our ATB #11 launch video. In the video Tosha portayed an Indigenous woman who felt she couldn't be her true self. She would eventually find acceptance through the kind actions of an ATB team member. It was a touching moment but one that isn't far from the truth. In this podcast Tosha shares her experience with discrimination and her journey towards a sense of belonging through traditional dancing.
The goal of Courage Stories is to share lived experiences so we can build empathy and begin a meaningful dialogue around how we can courageously be ourselves and true allies for each other. Some of these stories may be difficult to listen to. This week we continue our discussion with Steve Tsuida. Steve is a survivor of sexual assault. In this episode he recounts how he found the courage to deal with his past. We also talk to Nikki Bernier-Singh from the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) about the supports available to survivors and how we can create safer workplaces.
Please note: If you are struggling with issues related to the topic of sexual assault, you may want to take a moment to decide if this episode is something you're prepared to listen to right now. As noted above there is a great debrief with an expert included that explores topics such as how to be an ally for someone disclosing a sexual assault experience to you or how to seek help - including myth busters - if you yourself have experienced sexual assault. Regardless you may choose to wait until you're in a comfortable place to listen to Steve's story or ask a trusted friend or family member to listen to his story with you.
Resources: There are many supports available for survivors and allies. You can contact Homewood Health (homeweb.ca), SACE (sace.ca) and the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (https://aasas.ca/about-us/). All these resources are completely confidential and free.
We hope this podcast begins a meaningful discussion so that we can begin to end the stigma and start a conversation around healing, belonging and positive mental health.
Those who know Steve Tsuida, and many of us do, know him as one of the most creative people at ATB. He is perfectly suited for his role as a Videographer. In this episode, Steve gives us a glimpse into what it's like to live with ADHD and high functioning Asperger Syndrome. In this podcast Rachel mentions a video on neurodiversity. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/EQMq51Rk1bM
Scott is an External Disabilities & Inclusion Specialist and the Chair of ATB's Abilities Network. He is also a former Paralympian and silver medalist. You may recognize Scott from the ATB 11 teaser video released earlier this year. Dan and Scott have been friends long before they joined ATB. Their connection is a living example of true allyship. In this podcast we talk about their connection, ATB #11 and what it's like to live with a visual impairment.
Ange speaks about her life growing up in Africa, coming out to her mother on a long car ride from Fort Mac to Edmonton and her experience finding her chosen family.