Resilient People: Recent Episodes
Janet Fanaki
RESILIENT PEOPLE is an original podcast hosted by me, Janet Fanaki. I share my conversations with regular - but what I like to call EXTRAordinary - people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. When my husband was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, I started to wonder how other people deal with major challenges? Where do they harness their strength? What do they attribute their positive mindset to? My guests are very inspiring and relatable men and women who have taken their negatives and made them into a purpose to help others. Join me on RESILIENT PEOPLE as I introduce you to the people you wish you always knew, and now do.
Jennifer Powell is a Mom and entrepreneur who lives in Toronto. She approached me to share her story about her dear friend Tracy who passed away at only 43 years old.
The two were close for years, building a solid foundation of friendship and female support. They even spoke about their wish to spend their retirement years drinking gin on the porch together.
My talk with Jennifer not only revolved around her love for Tracy, but also how she honoured her legacy and became determined to live a full life.
How did she start? She and her husband sold their house and took their children on a trip around the world. Crazy but also super inspiring!
Topics included in this episode include:
- friend loss
- female friendships
- grief
- how to help a griever
- how to talk about grief
- finding purpose
To learn more about Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE, go to www.resilientpeople.ca
Jennifer Powell can be found at linkedin.com/in/askjennp
Theme song for RESILIENT PEOPLE is 'Day Ones' by Kyler Slater.
Follow Janet Fanaki on social media channels: Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
For this episode of RESILIENT PEOPLE, I'm taking you on a walk. It's a Sunday in late July and I'm looking forward to a day of doing nothing.
When was the last time you can say that you did that too? Maybe laying on a lounge chair til you fall asleep with the sun warming your face. Or taking a long leisurely walk through a neighbourhood, grabbing a drink and browsing around local shops.
How do you spend your time doing nothing?
Turns out that its scientifically proven that relaxing promotes a clearer mind for dealing with adversity. Call it preparing for the unknown.
But it can be difficult to find long stretches of time to unwind. Particularly when you're caring for someone who health complications or working in a stressful job.
With that said, it's still important to regularly find even smaller amounts of time to rest and, if possible, do literally nothing. This episode is a short one but hopefully it will give you some motivation to find that kind of time.
Topics included:
- the joy of doing nothing
- self care
- caregiving
- stress management
- spousal loss
- parental loss
- child loss
- building resilience
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE, go to www.resilientpeople.ca
Theme song is Day Ones by Kyler Slater.
Follow Janet Fanaki on social media: Instagram and LinkedIn
Thirty years ago, Beverley Burke lost her husband Kevin. She is the mom to a dear friend of mine, but as a fellow widow, she's also become my coach and a close friend. We spoke about her memories of being a young widow, advice for grievers to get back to living their lives and gushed over our mutual admiration for one another. Just the kind of relationship that every widow or widower needs.
In this episode, I share my friendship and the inspiration that Beverley Burke has brought to my life. Every widow or widower should know someone like her who has not only experienced the passing of a spouse but who has also continued to build a happy and fulfilling life on their own. We all need to know inspiring people like her who can help us to move forward.
Topics included in this episode include:
- spousal loss
- grief
- setting healthy boundaries
- single life
To learn more about Janet and RESILIENT PEOPLE, go to www.resilientpeople.ca
Beverley Burke is not on social media but if you'd like to share your thoughts with her, please email Janet at info@resilientpeople.ca
Theme song is Day Ones by Kyler Slater.
Follow Janet Fanaki on her social media channels: Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
Music can be one of the most healing things when you're going through a challenge.
It is effective for managing stress and helping us to let go.
Bruce Springsteen once said, "The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with".
I can personally say that my music has been helping me face the world over and over again.
This episode of RESILIENT PEOPLE covers the important place that music has had in my life. From singing to going to concerts, there's a renewing energy that comes from it.
And I believe that any music can help to build our resilience, especially when we are faced with challenges. From the many grief experiences that I've had with the loss of my parents, husband and daughter, music has always offered the hug that I so desperately needed.
This episode covers:
- spousal loss
- child loss
- parental loss
- grief support
- music as therapy and motivator
- building resilience
- common traits of resilient people
- a quote from Bruce Springsteen
- my night at the Boyz II Men concert
- my theme song, Day Ones, by Kyler Slater
- RESILIENT tshirts
To learn more visit RESILIENT PEOPLE
Buy a RESILIENT t-shirt
On social media, Instagram and LinkedIn
This episode is changing the nature of the podcast a bit. After suffering a devastating loss this past fall, with the death of my 25 year old daughter Isobel, I began to rethink what’s important to me and how I view a resilient mindset. I feel like learning to really embrace the in between moments in life is key to rebuilding ourselves.
So I’ll be dedicating this season to sharing takeaways that worked for me and hopefully give you some useful food for thought. RESILIENT PEOPLE is a podcast and digital space created by Janet Fanaki. She is a public speaker, patient and care partner engagement consultant and podcaster.
Having grieved the care and passing of her husband Adam to glioblastoma, her mom and dad to declining health and most recently the sudden death of her 25 year old daughter, Janet has embraced living life in the “in-between moments”.
To learn more about her visit www.resilientpeople.ca and
Instagram @janetfanakiofficial
Tara MacIntosh had just discovered that she was pregnant with twins when, only hours later, her husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer.
It was during the pandemic and a very stressful time to be a patient or caregiver receiving any medical intervention.
As her belly grew, Tara supported Gregor for all of his needs and was learning on the fly how to be a caregiver. She quickly learned the toughness that it takes to care for a loved one as well as the comfort that was missing for many who are in this role.
Gregor passed away in December 2021. To give herself something positive to focus on she created Gregor's Gift to help the caregivers in her community of London, Ontario. The charity has provided them with comfort kits while at St. Joseph's Hospice and Dr. Bob Kemp Hospice as well as respite treatments like facials.
We spoke about:
- her husband's Esophageal cancer journey
- the challenges of caregiving
- the importance of caring for caregivers
- building resilience and finding purpose
- the purpose she found in creating Gregor's Gift
- her passions including writing
- finding gratitude during tough times
- positive choices to start and end the day (bookending)
Nathan and Dana Schmidt of the Mountain Seed Foundation are my guests on this episode of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast.
Mountain Seed Foundation helps build resilience in children and families impacted by war with some of their biggest work being done in Ukraine.
Nathan is a former Marine who completed three tours in the Iraq war. He and Dana met there when she went as part of the Foreign Service.
Both are very open about the effects that war has on individuals and their families. Nathan spoke about openly about his post-traumatic stress disorder and his transparency on needing to talk about it with others and get help.
Dana honestly spoke about the challenges it presented to their marriage and the tools - as well as people - that helped them.
Mountain Seed Foundation offers children impacted by war the opportunity to learn climbing to help overcome their fears while also offering the mothers of these children therapy in various forms and the opportunity to build a peer-to-peer community.
Learning to climb helped Nathan to battle the demons he lived with after Iraq and he instinctively knew that it could do the same for others impacted by war.
We spoke about:
- helping those suffering from PTSD
- finding love in unlikely places
- the Russian invasion on Ukraine
- mental health awareness
- the value of professional therapy
- finding simple joys in life
- mountain climbing for building a resilient mindset
To learn more about Mountain Seed Foundation, visit this link.
If you consider yourself to be resilient, or know someone who you admire for their resilience, please share your story with me. Go to the RESILIENT PEOPLE contact page
For more information on Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE, go to www.resilientpeople.ca
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The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is produced and hosted by Janet Fanaki. It features conversations with regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have experienced a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
To learn more about Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE:
- www.resilientpeople.ca
- X @resilientpeopl
- Instagram @resilientpeopleca
To learn more about Kelli Gastis please visit: www.kelligastis.com
New episodes of RESILIENT PEOPLE are uploaded every two weeks. Past episodes, media interviews, speaking opportunities and to purchase a RESILIENT t-shirt are at www.resilientpeople.ca
RESILIENT PEOPLE profiles regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have experienced a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
To learn more about Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca
References:
RESILIENT PEOPLE
To contact Raymond Chhun, visit him on Instagram @_raymond_5328
American Psychological Association
Instagram @resilientpeopleca
Twitter @resilientpeopl
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is produced and hosted by Janet Fanaki. It features conversations with regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have experienced a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
To learn more about Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE:
- www.resilientpeople.ca
- X @resilientpeopl
- Instagram @resilientpeopleca
To learn more about Sharon Summerfield and the Nourished Executive visit www.nourishedexecutive.ca
New episodes of RESILIENT PEOPLE are uploaded every two weeks. Past episodes, media interviews, speaking opportunities and to purchase a RESILIENT t-shirt are at www.resilientpeople.ca
I want to thank Tara Pyfrom for speaking with me, sharing her story of surviving Hurricane Dorian and the purpose she found in writing for self care and to create a book about her experience.
This episode covers:
- surviving Hurricane Dorian and the next steps to rebuilding
- the benefits of therapy
- the power of community
- problem solving in tough times
- building resilience
- writing for therapy and purpose
To learn more about her, visit www.tarapyfrom.com or her Instagram page.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is hosted by Janet Fanaki. It's my conversations with regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have experienced a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
To hear more RESILIENT PEOPLE episodes, learn more about Janet Fanaki, order a RESILIENT tshirt and book her for a speaking engagement visit www.resilientpeople.ca
Find Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE on:
Apple podcasts
Spotify
If you or someone you know is admired for their resilience, please send an email with more information to: info@resilientpeople.ca
RESILIENT PEOPLE is produced and created by Janet Fanaki. It's conversations with regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have experienced a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
This episode covers:
- the importance of finding purpose
- building resilience
- some of the purposeful roles that guests have created for themselves because of their lived challenge
- an introduction to the first guest of the season, Tara Pyfrom, who survived Hurricane Dorian
To hear more RESILIENT PEOPLE episodes and learn more about Janet Fanaki, order a RESILIENT tshirt and book speaking opportunities visit www.resilientpeople.ca
Find Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE on:
Apple podcasts
Spotify
If you or someone you know is admired for their resilience, I'd love to hear from you. Please send an email to: info@resilientpeople.ca
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is hosted by Janet Fanaki. This show profiles regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have lived through a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
This particular episode is narrated by Janet and focuses on the ways which we can help support a griever. It is in response to a post that Janet posted to Twitter where she comments on including her friend in plans after she suffered the loss of her husband.
This episode covers:
- Comments from contributors, as grievers and also ones who have been a support to someone who has faced loss.
- Sharing tangible ways to help someone living with grief.
- Avoiding the typical one liners like, "I didn't know what to say" or "Let me know if you need anything".
If you are widowed and have a story to share on how someone helped you move forward in your grief, please share your comments on the RESILIENT PEOPLE contact page at www.resilientpeople.ca/contact
For more information on the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast, go to www.resilientpeople.ca
If you or someone you know is admired for their resilience, I'd love to hear from you. Please send me an email to info@resilientpeople.ca
Find Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE on:
Apple podcasts
Spotify
RESILIENT PEOPLE is hosted by Janet Fanaki and features conversations with EXTRAordinary people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major life challenge, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
The aim is to show that your negative experience does not define your future. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning, to build a positive and resilient mindset.
In this episode, Janet speaks with motivational speaker and former police officer Shaun O'Gorman from Queensland, Australia.
Topics covered include:
- PTSD and policing
- anger management
- personal development and self-awareness
- building resilience
To learn more about Shaun O'Gorman, visit The Strong Life Project.
To learn more about the resilience of regular people from around the world, visit RESILIENT PEOPLE.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is created and hosted by Janet Fanaki.
Purchase a RESILIENT t-shirt and support programs and services that help brain tumour patients across Canada. The Adam Fanaki Brain Fund has been providing funding to the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, St. Michael's Hospital and Sick Kids. Over $260,000 has been raised to date.
Buy yours at www.resilientpeople.ca
Follow the show and Janet on Instagram and Twitter.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is hosted by Janet Fanaki and features conversations with EXTRAordinary people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major challenge, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
The aim is to show that your negative experience does not define your future. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning, to build a positive and resilient mindset.
The guest on this episode is Dawn Custode. She was an Accountant who loved to sail, play games, get together with friends and travel as much as possible.
She passed away from colon cancer on May 26, 2019.
Dawn and I spoke about her purpose, her message to others to not waste time, focusing on what matters in life, her travels and what she would regret as her life was ending.
Dawn Custode posted on Facebook and you can find her page at: https://www.facebook.com/dawn.custode?mibextid=LQQJ4d
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message and send it to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other merchandise at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
RESILIENT PEOPLE is hosted by Janet Fanaki and features conversations with EXTRAordinary people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major challenge, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
The aim is to show that your negative experience does not need to define you. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning, to build a positive and resilient mindset.
This episode features tips and advice for single people to find joy on Valentine's Day. Typically focused on romance, ideas are finally starting to change around it.
We now hear more about spending the day with our galentines and palentines thanks to companies like Walmart, Edible Arrangements and Jack Astors, celebrating with family and friends and even our pets.
And there's also nothing wrong with practicing self care and locking the world out to be alone.
This episode will share some terrific insights from other single people as well as from host Janet Fanaki who has been a widow for three years and learned ways to really enjoy Valentine's Day.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message and send it to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other merchandise at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
Rae Ann Gruver is a mom, wife, former NICU nurse and the founder of The Max Gruver Foundation.
Learn more about their work in creating awareness, education, policy and laws to prevent hazing across the United States. Attention to drugs, alcohol, and bullying are part of the education and awareness measures, as they are often used in hazing events.
Follow The Max Gruver Foundation on:
RESILIENT PEOPLE is a podcast created by Janet Fanaki. Each episodes introduces listeners to regular people from around the world who are inspired for their resilience. They have experienced a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
Learn more at www.resilientpeople.ca
Follow on:
In this episode of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast, I interview Toronto psychiatrist and sleep expert, Dr. Cara Ooi.
To learn more about her, please visit www.decodeinsomnia.com and on Instagram.
RESILIENT PEOPLE features conversations with regular people admired for their resilience. They have lived through a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
Created and hosted by Janet Fanaki.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca
Follow Janet Fanaki, creator and host of RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram and Twitter.
Order a newly redesigned RESILIENT t-shirt from the website. All proceeds support The Adam Fanaki Brain Fund which provides financial aid to charities that help brain tumour patients and their caregivers. Learn more at www.theadamfanakibrainfund.com
Contact Janet either by going to the contact page on the website or email info@resilientpeople.ca
In this episode I interview celebrated parenting and now midlife author, Ann Douglas.
Her new book, "Navigating the messy middle: A fiercely honest and wildly encouraging guide for midlife women" is out now.
Follow Ann Douglas on social media including Twitter and Instagram.
RESILIENT PEOPLE features conversations with regular people admired for their resilience. They have lived through a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
Created and hosted by Janet Fanaki.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca
Follow Janet Fanaki, creator and host of RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram and Twitter.
Contact Janet either by going to the contact page on the website or email info@resilientpeople.ca
The focus of this short episode of RESILIENT PEOPLE is on my takeaways from the book by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "Keep Sharp: Build A Better Brain At Any Age".
This episode offers Janet Fanaki's own personal views of the book's recommendations and building a positive mindset.
Topics include:
- building resilience
- the importance of movement, sleep, hydration and finding purpose to having a positive mindset
- self awareness
The book is available at all bookstores and online sellers.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca
Follow Janet Fanaki, creator and host of RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram and Twitter.
Contact Janet either by going to the contact page on the website or email info@resilientpeople.ca
Katie Clark is a travel blogger living in Paris. Learn more about Katie Clark on Instagram at: @theadventuresofnursekatie
RESILIENT PEOPLE features conversations with host Janet Fanaki and guests from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome major challenges, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
Season 3 of the podcast features conversations with midlife women.
If you are midlife woman with a story of resilience to tell, or know someone who does, please go to the RESILIENT PEOPLE website and fill out the form on the Contact page. Click here.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order RESILIENT merchandise at www.resilientpeople.ca.
Learn about our family's fundraiser The Adam Fanaki Brain Fund at www.theadamfanakibrainfund.com
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
For this episode of RESILIENT PEOPLE, I was joined by Toronto divorce and family lawyer Leanne Townsend.
Learn more about her at: www.leannetownsend.ca
RESILIENT PEOPLE features conversations with host Janet Fanaki and guests from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome major challenges, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
Season 3 of the podcast features conversations with midlife women.
If you are midlife woman with a story of resilience to tell, or know someone who does, please go to the RESILIENT PEOPLE website and fill out the form on the Contact page. Click here.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order RESILIENT merchandise at www.resilientpeople.ca.
Learn about our family's fundraiser The Adam Fanaki Brain Fund at www.theadamfanakibrainfund.com
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
In this episode of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast, Janet Fanaki introduces listeners to Audrey Guth, a Toronto entrepreneur and founder of the non-profit organization Nanny Angel Network.
Audrey is a mother, grandmother, two-time cancer survivor and creator of multiple businesses. Her point-of-view to inspire women to make a pivot in midlife is very inspiring.
Janet and Audrey spoke about:
- the moment when it seemed right to leave her business and start a not-for-profit agency
- advice that she shares to help midlife women who are seeking a change
- the importance of having an external focus in your life - a purpose that takes attention away from yourself and helps others
- what she credits her resilience to
To learn more about Nanny Angel Network, please visit www.nannyangelnetwork.com
If you are a midlife woman with an inspiring story to tell, or know someone who does, please send me a note on the contact page of the RESILIENT PEOPLE website at www.resilientpeople.ca
On the website you can also find:
- archived episodes from the podcast
- background information about Janet Fanaki including media and speaking engagements
- order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other merchandise
- get more information on The Adam Fanaki Brain Fund
RESILIENT PEOPLE is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram & Twitter
Looking forward to having you along and sharing these stories of resilience.
Sincerely,
Janet Fanaki
In this trailer for Season 3 of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast, Janet Fanaki explains the exciting new direction that she's taking listeners in.
For the first two seasons, we met regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. Men and women who have experienced major life challenges, but found a purpose from these events and are inspiring others to be resilient too.
As a midlife, single mom I have now found myself looking to other midlife women for guidance and inspiration.
So this new season of RESILIENT PEOPLE will be exploring the stories of women who have encountered various challenges and found that this latest chapter is one of the best and most rewarding in their lives.
The aim is to show that our lives are always evolving and can be changing for the better. Even in the midlife years. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning, and build a positive and resilient mindset.
If you are a midlife woman with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message and send it to: info@resilientpeople.ca
Go to www.resilientpeople.ca for:
- archived episodes from the podcast
- background information about Janet Fanaki including media and speaking engagements
- order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other merchandise
RESILIENT PEOPLE is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram & Twitter
Looking forward to having you along and sharing these stories of resilience.
Sincerely,
Janet Fanaki
In this episode of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast, you will meet Grief Coach Sherrie Dunlevy.
The creator of the Graduating Grief Academy, Sherrie helps those who have faced loss to find joy again.
An innovative group program, her goal is to cycle you through the stages of grief where you come out of the other end with a sense of gratitude, healing and hope.
We spoke about:
- different forms of grief
- how others can support grievers
- infant, parental and pet loss
- self-care
For more information on Sherry Dunlevy and the Graduating Grief Academy, click here.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is hosted by Janet Fanaki and features conversations with EXTRAordinary people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major challenge, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
The aim of this podcast and the stories on the website is to show that your negative experience does not need to define you. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning and purpose. And to build a positive and resilient mindset.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or send a message to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
PROMOTIONAL PARTNER:
Leanne Townsend - www.leannetownsend.ca
For this episode of REVELATIONS on the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast, I talk about friends and friendships.
In my 53 years of being on this earth, I've come to learn that not everyone has their own set of friends outside of their marital or partner relationship.
I make an argument in this episode on the importance of having your own friends - especially the kind who have known you for a very long time.
Life can change on you at the drop of a hat - in case be through divorce, separation, catastrophe and like in my case where a partner passes away.
When these terrible things happen in our lives, we want our really close friends to offer support and pull us out. To help us be resilient.
So I talk for a few minutes here about this.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is hosted by Janet Fanaki and features conversations with EXTRAordinary people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major challenge, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
The aim is to show that your negative experience does not need to define you. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning. And build a positive and resilient mindset.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message and send it to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other merchandise at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
Meet Caitlin Starr. When we spoke for the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast, she was a high school student in Toronto. Now she’s studying at university in Montreal.
Caitlin is a competitive dancer and skier, intelligent and a vivacious young woman who also happens to be living with Type 1 Diabetes.
But she is adamant on not being known foremost for her condition. As she says, she is not the label but so much more.
We spoke about her role models and how she feels about being one to those who don’t have T1D as well as those who do.
This was one of my favourite conversations that was originally done for Youtube. I resurrected it from the archives and reworked it for the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast.
For more information on Caitlin Starr, you can find her on Instagram.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is hosted by Janet Fanaki and features conversations with EXTRAordinary people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major challenge, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
The aim is to show that your negative experience does not need to define you. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning. And build a positive and resilient mindset.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message and send it to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other merchandise at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
PROMOTIONAL PARTNER:
Leanne Townsend - www.leannetownsend.ca
In this episode of REVELATIONS on RESILIENT PEOPLE, Janet Fanaki wants listeners to think about leaving a legacy of kindness. With many of us worried about the current state of the world, kindness matters more than ever.
Janet references a recent event that was held in memory of her husband who passed away from brain cancer in 2020. She talks about what he is most remembered for in the legal and business communities in Canada and around the world. A skilled and well-respected competition law lawyer, Adam Fanaki is most remembered for his kindness.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is hosted by Janet Fanaki and features conversations with EXTRAordinary people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major challenge, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
The aim is to show that your negative experience does not need to define you. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning. And build a positive and resilient mindset.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message and send it to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other merchandise at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram & Twitter
PROMOTIONAL PARTNER:
Leanne Townsend - www.leannetownsend.ca
In this episode of RESILIENT PEOPLE, I welcome caregiving expert Donna Thomson.
Through years of being a family caregiver to turning to advocacy work and research in the area, Donna shares a wealth of knowledge and personal experience.
We spoke about:
- her essentials for being a better caregiver
- how to avoid failure within the healthcare system
- ways that she maintains her positive mindset and resilience
- avoiding caregiver burnout
- finding a community that you can really laugh with
- learning to say no but also the power in saying yes
LINKS:
www.donnathomson.com
Facebook: @thecaregiverslivingroom
Twitter: @thomsod
McMaster University - Caregiving Essentials
RESILIENT PEOPLE is hosted by Janet Fanaki and features conversations with EXTRAordinary people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major challenge, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
The aim is to show that your negative experience does not need to define you. It can also be a platform to help you find new meaning. And build a positive and resilient mindset.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message and send it to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other merchandise at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
FOLLOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
PROMOTIONAL PARTNER:
Leanne Townsend - www.leannetownsend.ca
It may seem unconventional to get advice about keeping a positive attitude from a widow. But that's exactly what listeners will hear in this episode.
I was joined by my friend and longtime contributor to RESILIENT PEOPLE, Susan Mintz, to talk about widow life and how we can all learn to have a positive mindset.
Susan lost her husband Jeffrey to AIDS in 1994. Following his passing, she published a book titled Committed To Love, became an outspoken advocate for HIV and AIDS causes, a public speaker and spirited senior.
As the host of RESILIENT PEOPLE, I started interviewing folks who are admired for their resilience after my husband's brain cancer diagnosis. In 2020, he passed away at only being 51 years old.
In this episode, Susan and I talk about: the importance of having a sense of humour, learning to live on one's own, making lemonade out of lemons, and unapologetically treating yourself - especially on the tough days.
Learn more about Susan Mintz at: www.susanmintz.com
RESILIENT PEOPLE features conversations with host Janet Fanaki and guests from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They've overcome major challenges, created a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt as well as other items at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
PARTNERS:
Leanne Townsend - www.leannetownsend.ca
Agnes Chen lives in Calgary, is an energetic mom of four, a registered nurse and the creator of Starlings Community.
She grew up in the shadow of traumatic parental addiction. As an adult, Agnes recognized the role that an entire community plays in helping children living with traumatic stress to heal.
In so many of my conversations with my guests, community comes up as a major factor in a person’s ability to be resilient in the face of adversity.
It was the case with my last guest, Chris DT Gordon as well as so many others like Melissa Sheldrick, Jason Fiorotto, Elizabeth Verwey and Matthew Pullan.
But what Agnes is telling us is the role that community plays in proactively - and not just reactively - helping someone to build their resilience.
Our words and actions matter in helping to build up others.
Learn more about Starlings Community at: www.Starlings.ca
RESILIENT PEOPLE features conversations with host Janet Fanaki and guests from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They've overcome major challenges, created a purpose from it and now help others be resilient too.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message to: info@resilientpeople.ca. Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
PARTNERS:
Leanne Townsend - www.leannetownsend.ca
Chris DT Gordon is a special education teacher, runner, husband, father and a survivor of flesh-eating bacteria.
When a small scrape to his hand led to months in the hospital and a near amputation, Chris took stock of the important people and things in his life.
He launched the Scar Bearers podcast and committed to doing something kind for someone everyday. He also developed The Attitude of Gratitude and began preaching the merits of kindness and being grateful to his students, aiming to instill a sense of gratitude in them.
Chris lives in New Ulm, Minnesota.
To learn more about Chris DT Gordon, visit his website www.chrisdtgordon.com
RESILIENT PEOPLE features conversations with host Janet Fanaki and guests from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They've overcome major challenges, created a purpose from it and now help others be resilient too.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message to: info@resilientpeople.ca. Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram www.instagram.com/resilientpeopleca & Twitter www.twitter.com/resilientpeopl
LINKS:
https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/necrotizing-fasciitis-flesh-eating-bacteria
PARTNERS:
Leanne Townsend - www.leannetownsend.ca
Susan Heinrich is excited about being middle aged. She is 54 years old, has done solo trips to India and Paris and wants to inspire other midlife women to embrace their lives with the same sense of adventure. She is known as the Midlife Globetrotter on social media and posts about her travels, food and fashion. She doesn't see age as a obstacle but as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves or just get reaquainted with our passions and interests.
As many midlife women can identify, these have likely taken a back seat to parenting, work and being consumed with other priorities. As she says in a blog post, "With my children needing me less, adventure began calling in a new way; I answered the call with a trip to India, a fun and beautiful way to remember who I was, separate from all of the obligations in my life." Her mission doesn't just focus on travel, but to use this point in our lives to start prioritizing ourselves and embracing all of the adventures that come with being a midlife woman.
If one of your new year's resolutions is to shake up your life, this conversation with Susan may be the nudge you need. Learn more about Susan Heinrich at www.midlifeglobetrotter.com.
RESILIENT PEOPLE features conversations with host Janet Fanaki and guests from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They've overcome major challenges, created a purpose from it and now help others be resilient too.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please record a voice memo or type a message to: info@resilientpeople.ca. Find all interviews from the podcast, information about Janet Fanaki, hiring her for speaking opportunities and order a RESILIENT t-shirt at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Follow RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram (@resilientpeopleca) and Twitter (@resilientpeopl).
David A. Grant lives with a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a teenage driver while cycling.
People who have a TBI face many issues that in some cases are permanent. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, depression, irritability and memory problems to name a few.
Living with difficulties like these can cause the people around them to disappear, leaving the affected person with a sense of despair and loneliness.
When David found himself wanting to connect more often with others who were living with a brain injury, he created an online Facebook group that was accessible 24/7 by users. It is a safe space to share their feelings, a quick check-in and to research information.
Today, this group has over 30,000 members worldwide. David A. Grant took a challenge that he was living with and created a purpose from it to help himself and others in building a community for brain injury survivors. He talks about The Brain Injury Hope Network, how it has benefited him and many others and what he attributes his resilience to.
To learn more about David A. Grant visit www.tbihopeandinspiration.com
For more episodes and conversations with people around the world who are admired for their resilience, information about the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast, host Janet Fanaki, expert advice and to purchase a RESILIENT t-shirt go to www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and everywhere you get your podcasts. Please leave a 5-star rating & review.
If you think that you have a story to tell or know someone who is admired for their resilience, please email Janet at info@resilientpeople.ca
RESOURCES:
www.tbihopeandinspiration.com;
www.tbiguide.com.
PARTNERS:
www.ilovebiko.com use promo code 'RESILIENT' for a 10% discount;
Leanne Townsend www.leannetownsend.com
Theme song:
Sundays by R.LUMS.R
How often have you found yourself sitting in your vehicle and wondering about the safety features around you? The interior trunk release. The rear safety camera? And the switch for your power windows?
Janette Fennell is a vehicle safety advocate in the US. Back in 1995 an alarming thing happened to her and her husband when they were kidnapped in the trunk of their car.
This experience had Janette dedicate the rest of her life to advocating for car safety and create the organization KidsAndCars. She and her army of volunteers have spearheaded many legislations that millions of drivers and passengers can be thankful for. All because of one fateful event in her life, Janette took that negative experience and turned it into a purpose to help others.
Learn more about Janette Fennell at www.kidsandcars.org.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is a show that profiles regular people around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too. If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please drop a line to: info@resilientpeople.ca Find more stories of resilience and learn more about host Janet Fanaki at www.resilientpeople.ca The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple and Spotify.
Follow RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram @resilientpeopleca and Twitter @resilientpeopl.
Tommy Caulfield and James Whittle are two friends from the UK who one day decided to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a row boat. The voyage took them 54 days and as you can imagine, it was grueling. But the pair discovered a lot about themselves in that little vessel. Mainly the importance of pushing through their comfort zones and embracing the rewards that come with it.
Since that trip, Tommy and James have embarked on many different adventures. We spoke about the reason for doing that first trip, how they define resilience and have a few laughs too.
To learn more about The Tempest Two visit www.tempesttwo.com or on socials @thetempesttwo.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is a show that profiles regular people around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does please drop a line to: info@resilientpeople.ca
Hear more inspiring conversations of resilience at www.resilientpeople.ca.
To support the annual Adam Fanaki Brain Fund Online Auction visit www.32auctions.com/adamfanakibrainfund
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Catch up with host Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram and Facebook using @resilientpeopleca and on Twitter @resilientpeopl.
On August 1, 2007 the I35W bridge in Minneapolis suddenly collapsed during the drive-home rush hour. Thirteen people were killed and 145 people injured.
My guest on this episode of RESILIENT PEOPLE, Lindsay Walz, was one of the survivors. Lindsay was a youth worker, primarily helping those who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma. She admitted that this was something that she knew little about at the time, but it became everything to her after that fateful day.
Lindsay and I spoke about her memories from the bridge collapse, her lifelong process of healing, helping others and learning to cross bridges again.
Learn more about her at www.lindsaywalz.com.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is a show that profiles regular people around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others be resilient too. If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does please drop a line to: info@resilientpeople.ca.
Learn more about past episodes, expert articles on resilience, my passion project, The Adam Fanaki Brain Fund, and purchase a RESILIENT t-shirt at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple and Spotify. To follow on socials, go to Instagram and Facebook using @resilientpeopleca and on Twitter @resilientpeopl.
Before the pandemic hit, Kyle White weighed over 400 pounds. At 28 years old he was living with high blood pressure, bad eating habits and an inactive lifestyle. He knew that something needed to change. He began by walking and soon that turned into running. Within 18 months he completed his first marathon and lost over 185 pounds. Kyle credits his mindset and the community around him. He takes us back to the moment when it all began, the hardest parts of his journey and how he keeps going.
Learn more about Kyle White at www.fitfrom400.com and on Instagram @kylewhite92.
RESILIENT PEOPLE is a show that profiles regular people around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have overcome a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too. If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does please drop a line to: info@resilientpeople.ca Hear more inspiring conversations of resilience at www.resilientpeople.ca The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple and Spotify.
Catch up with host Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE on Instagram and Facebook using @resilientpeopleca and on Twitter @resilientpeopl.
Welcome to Season 2 of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast. It's great to be back and I'm so happy to have you along with me.
This season, we'll be hearing more from regular people around the world who are admired for their resilience. As we heard from previous guests, the power of purpose will continue to be a central theme in the upcoming season. We've learned some terrific lessons for building resilience and these will continue as we move forward.
All of the episodes will demonstrate that, with the right tools and resources, it is possible to find a purpose from life's challenges.
If you are someone with a story to tell, or know someone who does, please drop a line to: info@resilientpeople.ca. Learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE and host Janet Fanaki at www.resilientpeople.ca.
The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available everywhere you listen including Apple and Spotify. Please rate, review and share this podcast with your community. Follow on Instagram and Facebook @resilientpeopleca and on Twitter @resilientpeopl.
Emily O'Brien made one bad decision that landed her in prison. While spending time with other inmates watching television and making popcorn, Emily also developed a business idea. A gourmet popcorn company called, Comeback Snacks. It not only satisfies cravings but also helps former inmates by giving them a second chance - a comeback.
Emily chatted with Janet Fanaki, the host of RESILIENT PEOPLE about her experience and why this purpose is so important to her.
To learn more visit www.comebacksnacks.com and on socials @comebacksnacks.
For more interviews with EXTRAordinary people admired for their resilience, visit ResilientPeople.ca, on Twitter and Instagram. The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available on all platforms including Apple, Spotify and Stitcher. Go to resilient-people.simplecast.com.
Like any special day in the year, Father’s Day can be happy and terribly sad for many people. Losing one’s dad, husband or father-like figure can make this day very difficult to navigate alone.
Janet Fanaki, host of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and lead content creator for the RESILIENT PEOPLE blog, lost her 51 year old husband Adam to brain cancer in 2020. Married for 21 years and the father to her two children Isobel and Sam, Father’s Day continues to be a tricky one for her to navigate.
“The first year without him was really hard,” she says. “The kids and I have had to learn to manage the special days of the year in new ways.”
Janet offers some techniques that have helped her through other trigger days including Valentine's Day and her birthday (which she shared with Adam) along with advice from those with lived experience.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE, visit www.resilientpeople.ca
Subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast:
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and everywhere else you listen to podcasts.
In this episode of RESILIENT PEOPLE, I had the pleasure of speaking with extreme adventurer Sean Swarner. Sean has scaled the world’s seven tallest summits, hiked to the south and north poles making him a member of the exclusive Explorer’s Grand Slam. He did all of this with only one lung.
A survivor of 2 children cancers, Sean has proven that anything is possible and aims to inspire cancer patients and others to conquer their own mountains. As someone who has spent his entire life overcoming challenges, I was keen to learn what inspires Sean, where he gets his resilience from and what standing on top of the world is like given everything he’s been through.
To learn more about Sean Swarner, visit www.seanswarner.com.
For more interviews with EXTRAordinary people admired for their resilience, visit ResilientPeople.ca or on Twitter or Instagram. The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available on all platforms including Apple, Spotify and Stitcher. Go to resilient-people.simplecast.com.
We're spending a lot, maybe too much, time on our computers and devices. From checking text messages to fooling around on social media and hopping on video conference calls there are many days when it can seem like we're forever staring at a screen.
It's no surprise that it's not great for our mental or physical health.
The acronym S.H.A.D.E.S was developed as a self check-in, to ensure that we pay attention to the things that keep us healthy, focused and resilient: Sleep, Hydration, Air, Diet, Exercise & Stillness.
Janet Fanaki, the host of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and lead content creator for the RESILIENT PEOPLE blog, walks us through it in this 4 minute clip.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE, visit www.resilientpeople.ca
Subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast:
Apple
Spotify
and everywhere else you listen to podcasts.
Marnie Hill wrote the book, Daddy's Blue Eyes, following the death of her son-in-law Matthew Leslie. He left behind a young wife and two daughters.
A professional communications specialist, Marnie was coping with her own grief while also looking for a way to help her granddaughters to understand their dad's passing. By writing this book, her goal is to also offer parents, grandparents, teachers and caregivers a way to gently start a conversation with young people about grief.
To learn more and to order the book, visit www.marniehillcommunications.ca. For more interviews with people admired for their resilience, visit ResilientPeople.ca or on social media. The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is available on all platforms including Apple, Spotify and Stitcher. To find links to all platforms go to https://resilient-people.simplecast.com/
Resilience is the outcome but how do we get there?
My name is Janet Fanaki and I'm the host of RESILIENT PEOPLE.
In a new segment called REVELATIONS, I'll be sharing easy tips and takeaways for you to try. These will drop every two weeks and come from my fantastic conversations with guests on the podcast.
Each episode of REVELATIONS will only be a few minutes and be like a mini workshop in making you more resilient.
I'm looking forward to sharing these ideas with you.
Registered Dietitian Ashley Koff is a leading expert in nutrition and creator of The Better Nutrition Program. She is also an author, public speaker, and consultant who lives in the US. Ashley's goal is to ensure that patients and clients are receiving the best knowledge to manage their health through food, lifestyle and supplements. She loves talking about "gut health" and joined me on RESILIENT PEOPLE to discuss it's relationship to building resilience.
We also spoke about the pandemic and the importance of being kind to ourselves - especially as many of us have "fallen off the wagon"; check-in with our medical practitioners to ensure that we have our mental and physical health the best they can be; ways to pivot to make our health better; and the connection between stress and digestion. Ashley has shared her expertise on shows like "The Doctors" and "The Dr.Oz Show".
Visit www.ashleykoffrd.com to learn more about her or @ashleykoff.
Listen to all episodes of RESILIENT PEOPLE on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Visit www.resilientpeople.ca to learn about more about my conversations with extraordinary regular people around the world who are admired for their resilience or on Twitter and Instagram.
Melissa Sheldrick is a Toronto mom, wife and patient safety advocate. She came to this role following the sudden death of her son Andrew. He was only 8 years old when an error in the dispensing by a pharmacist had Andrew take a lethal dose of something other than his medication. Heartbroken but determined, Melissa set out to make it her purpose to ensure that this never happened to another person.
In our conversation, we spoke about Andrew and his legacy to protect patient safety around the world.
Visit www.melissasheldrick.ca to keep up with Melissa's journey.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast so you don't miss future episodes.
Casey Palmer is an author, blogger, husband and dad from Toronto. Many of his posts are about parenthood and life with his wife and two young boys. Casey created the hashtag #blackdadworries to raise awareness for the double-standards that exist for the Black community and the things he considers in raising his sons.
As the trial of Officer Derek Chauvin is currently taking place in Minneapolis for the killing of George Floyd, it seemed like a good time to share a conversation I had with Casey in the summer of 2020 when Mr. Floyd died.
We discuss code-switching for people in the Black community, what has changed for Casey from when he was growing up to now and how he hopes his platform will continue the important conversation about race.
To learn more about Casey Palmer visit caseypalmer.com as well as on all social media. You can get more information for all episodes from RESILIENT PEOPLE at ResilientPeople.ca, and find more from Janet Fanaki on Twitter @resilientpeopl, Instagram & Facebook @resilientpeopleca.
So much of resilience is in being prepared for life's unexpected challenges. How does this relate to money?
Doris Belland is a Financial Repair Expert who has witnessed firsthand the power of knowing all about your finances. She was in her 20s when her husband was diagnosed with cancer and then following his death at a young age, she found herself dealing with deep grief but also a large amount of debt.
Doris learned the hard way that she should have known more about their finances and now counsels women on this very topic. She wants people to know that it's never too late to learn and to become comfortable with managing your finances.
To learn more about Doris Belland visit www.yourfinanciallaunchpad.com Doris Belland has also offered listeners a free PDF version of her book, Protect Your Purse and you can get it here.
To learn more about Janet Fanaki and RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast.
The challenges of being a stay-at-home parent are real. There are many rewards but it's a job that is 24/7 and at times very demanding.
For Dale Allen Berg, being a stay-at-home dad to three active young children under the age of 6, is enough to make anyone run away in fear. On top of the regular chores he does at home: cooking, cleaning, driving for last-minute items, appointments, programs - his three children: Liam, and twins Ethan and Madison all have special needs that require a lot of medical and occupational assistance. In addition, Dale is also living with his own serious health issues. He has said that people call his life a rollercoaster, that he’s been flung from the most exciting highs to the scariest of lows. As a former concert producer and executive chef, these high-pressure jobs may have prepared him for his life now. But it’s still a lot to handle. Dale's resilience comes from sharing his daily experiences on a blog and prior to the pandemic he spoke to groups to share his life story and lessons learned.
I spoke with Dale from his home in beautiful Kelowna, British Columbia. To learn more about Dale Allen Berg visit daleallenberg.com, or find him on socials @daleallenberg. To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca.
Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast so you don't miss future episodes and conversations like this one.
Dr. Caitlin Kirby is an environmental science educator and researcher. She successfully completed her doctorate degree in October 2019. Normally 3 years long, there are many struggles in completing a PhD. Stress, funding, work life balance and in Dr. Kirby’s case - rejection.
“Rejection from what?” you may be wondering. For Caitlin she did something unique when challenging her doctoral dissertation that brought the issue of resilience and rejection to light and she hopes that it will help others. I contacted Caitlin after seeing a post she did on Twitter, that was actually originally done on an academic Twitter account, and it got her a whole lot of attention worldwide. Just so you know, her original post read: “Successfully defended my PhD dissertation today! In the spirit of acknowledging and normalizing failure in the process, I defended in a skirt made of rejection letters from the course of my PhD. THANK YOU to everyone involved in my journey.” To learn more about Caitlin’s idea in creating this special skirt, I chatted with her recently over Zoom.
To learn more about Dr. Caitlin Kirby you can find her @kirbycai on Twitter.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a nice review. Thank you.
My friend Maggie highly recommended that I somehow find Mr. Elly Gotz for RESILIENT PEOPLE. Her daughter attended one of his infamous school presentations. My son also heard Elly speak at his school. Until the pandemic started in 2020, Elly Gotz was doing over 100 speaking engagements a year - and at the time he was 92 YO!
Not only is he a public speaker, but also an author, engineer, business owner, pilot, a husband for more than 60 years and he recently added skydiver to his list of accomplishments - and there are many more! Elly’s presentations on living through the Holocaust and his message of giving up hate to find happiness leaves such an impact on all attendees - teachers and students as well as audiences everywhere young and old. I wanted to learn more about how he found resilience to move beyond the Holocaust, his message to others and where he gets this amazing energy to constantly challenge himself.
To learn more about Elly Gotz visit www.ellygotz.com or on socials @ellygotz.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and please leave a kind review.
I’m doing something different for this episode. Instead of bringing you a conversation that I’ve had with someone, I’m going to talk about a topic that I’ve been thinking about for some time and anyone who is facing grief will be able to relate to it.
We’re a few days away from the biggest and most romantic day of the year - if you’re in a couple. Valentine’s Day. If you’re not in a relationship, it’s most likely a “trigger” day for you where you either don’t care about it, want to skip it or are doing some sort of a pivot with it.
This Valentine’s Day will mark one year minus a day that Adam passed away at only 51 years old. So as with all other special occasions during the past year, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, our anniversary and birthday (we shared the same day, same year) I’m doing a bit of a pivot.
I’m here to share some suggestions that will hopefully make the day a little easier for us all.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review. Thank you.
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Jim Swan, an esteemed cardiologist from Toronto. He is one of the most highly-regarded physicians in Canada and a real trailblazer in the field of cardiology.
In 2019, Jim lost his twin brother George to Glioblastoma (also known as GBM), the most aggressive form of brain cancer. They were 70 years old. As fate would have it, only one year later, Jim would be diagnosed with the same deadly disease. Just as Jim made the practice of medicine a mission in his life, he found a new purpose in searching for the root cause of GBM. With a $3M donation, he established a fund at the University of Toronto to research the genetics of GBM in order to prevent others from getting it.
We met at his home in Toronto in the early summer of 2020 with his beloved golden retriever Hennessey by his side. We spoke about his love of hockey and the amazing relationships he has built from it, times with his brother and his resilience to look beyond his own terminal brain cancer to help others also living with a brain tumour.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review. Thank you.
Elizabeth Verwey had a major shift in her life when she was 56. Her husband whom she had known since she was 17 and married when she was 19 had decided that he wanted out of their seemingly happy marriage. She found herself as a single mom and faced her fear of being alone. I met Elizabeth, pre-pandemic, in her apartment in Toronto where she shared her story with me.
Even as a successful and award-winning business mentor to many clients, Elizabeth found herself having a fear of being alone in her mid 50s. She made a list of all of the things that she feared and decided to tackle them one by one. What she discovered was that it was exciting to do things on her own and she learned a lot about herself. She also started a speaker series called Spoken Lives where like minded women gather together to listen to an empowering speaker share their story of adventure, success and what they learned along the way. Now these events have been taken online and they are just as motivating.
To learn more about Elizabeth Verwey visit www.spokenlives.com or @spokenlives on social media.
To learn about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca
Sixty-year old Lee Silverstein has lived with three different cancers in his lifetime including kidney, colon and liver. He created the We Have Cancer podcast to provide information, inspiration and hope.
As Lee sees it, cancer affects everyone. I spoke with him and his wife Linda from their home in Florida. In between the laughs, we talked about his resilience, the valuable life lessons he's learned from his dad and why he started a podcast about cancer and the takeaways from his guests.
To learn more about Lee visit wehavecancershow.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact RESILIENT PEOPLE on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or by email at info@resilientpeople.ca. If you or someone you know is resilient, I want to hear from you.
In this episode, I speak with educational consultant, Jane Kristoffy, in Toronto. Jane is a teacher, guidance counsellor and operates a consulting business to help students, parents and educators everywhere.
Her goal is to help elementary, high school, university and college students to reach their personal and education goals. She can help you if you’re struggling in certain subjects and need extra support, preparing your applications for post-secondary institutions, or getting your resume ready for a job hunt. But Jane says there’s more to think about when getting our kids ready for the real world and it doesn’t just involve getting high marks.
Jane and I spoke about building resilience in children, and how this generation of parents may be getting things wrong. She offers some great tips to gently loosen our grip and how our kids will benefit in the long run.
To learn more about Jane Kristoffy visit www.righttrackeducation.ca or on socials @jane_right_track.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or @resilientpeopleca Subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and please leave a kind review.
Matthew Pullan is 18 years old and lives in Bury, near Manchester, in the UK. He’s preparing for university, continuing to study, spends time with friends where possible during the pandemic, and blogs about running and exercise.
The blog was called Matthew's Running Journey until a recent name change to reflect a big change in his life. A terminal brain cancer diagnosis. Matthew and I spoke about his illness, where his resilience comes from, how his blog inspires others to push themselves forward and his future plans.
To learn more about Matthew visit www.matthewsrunningjourneyblog.wordpress.com or on socials @runningthroughcancer.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review.
Morgan Frey is a young woman from Toronto who grew up like most kids. Going to camp, dance and skating lessons - she was also drawn to the theatre and decided to pursue a career as a writer - even mounting her own show in the prestigious Toronto Fringe Festival.
Morgan is also a triple amputee but she hasn’t let that stand in the way of going after her dreams. I sat down with Morgan, pre-pandemic, to talk about what it was like to grow up with such unique challenges, and how a person’s limits shouldn’t stop them from realizing their abilities. The word that sticks out in my mind with Morgan is the word “try”. You will notice that she has no excuses when it comes to trying anything new. She has lived her life with the resolve that anything is possible if you “just try”. She blogs about her experiences and has written them into storylines to normalize the idea of people living with physical challenges.
To learn more about Morgan Frey visit @1handwonders on social media.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review.
In a group of friends, it’s not often when some start to date each other. It might be even less likely that they get married. But when it does happen, it’s one of the most beautiful things to witness. This is what happened between my friends Jason Fiorotto and Tory Butler. I had just had my second baby in 2002 when I got a call from him letting me know that they were engaged. Married life and a beautiful daughter Kate followed along with summer days at the cottage - their beloved getaway.
Things took a turn for the worse in 2016 when Tory discovered that she had advanced breast cancer. In March 2017, just months after her diagnosis, Tory passed away. Although heartbroken from her passing, Jason was committed to an idea they had hatched together. To start a fundraiser to help others living with breast cancer. It was that purpose that helped him move forward along with those around him.
Jason shared with me how his purpose helped to build his resilience to continue to be a great father to Kate, continue Tory's legacy and bring comfort to other cancer patients.
To learn more visit The Tory Day Fund at www.toryday.org or on socials @torydayfund.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or @resilientpeopleca. Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review.
In this episode, I speak with Terrence Rodriguez who faced struggles, isolation and loneliness through his journey as a transgender man.
Terrence’s story of resilience stems from his desire for community. By recognizing the struggle that many LGBTQ youth go through, he launched a social hub and advocacy group in Toronto called, REXpride. It is a safe space for them to gather, make friends, be among their peers and feel open and confident in their identity. If there’s one thing we can take away from this episode it’s “you’re not alone”. There is always a community out there who understands you and wants to help you. And even in your own journey through hardship, you can take your experience and do something positive with it.
To learn more about REXpride visit www.rexpride.com or on socials @rexpride.
To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review.
I never imagined in my worst nightmares that at 47, my husband would be diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and that I would lose him by 51.
My name is Janet Fanaki and during my husband Adam's surgery and treatments, I spent a lot of time people-watching in the waiting room. How were they getting through the day? How do they find strength?
I started interviewing people who I admired for their resilience and began a blog. Soon I was getting more and more recommendations and strangers started tweeting me their stories.
RESILIENT PEOPLE became a way to prove that you don't need resources or connections to start a movement. Just the passion to make a change. I interview people around the world who faced adversity, bounced back and now help others be resilient too.
Join me as I introduce you to the people you wish you always knew, and now do.
To learn more about me and other resilient people, you can go to the website, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Or, you can email me at info@resilientpeople.ca