The WGD People Who Inspire Podcast: Recent Episodes
Autumn Rock
The Women and Gender Diverse People Who Inspire Podcast was started as a forum by which we can speak, educate, inspire and encourage eachother. It's all about highlighting the diverse and truly inspirational folks who are striving for equity and inclusion in the world. We are having so much fun celebrating our richly unique contributions to the wold! So grateful to our listeners and guests! You make this show incredible!
Evan sees the world through a lens shaped by strong community values. Humility, hard work and connection are a part of these values with a focus on preserving and protecting family, culture, water and land. He finds himself deeply invested in Vancouver Island as his home and his future -- with roots firmly planted in Royston and Cumberland.
Evan’s multitude of life experiences have brought him to this important moment of great uncertainty and change. He views this time as an opportunity to imagine a better, healthier and safer future for all families and communities. Evan is ready to be the voice of Mid Island-Pacific Rim -- to secure the foundational industries of forestry, fishing and tourism for generations, while fostering new opportunities that are accessible to all.
He’s dedicated to the service of others. From his years spent as a registered nurse, focusing on addiction and mental health to project management and entrepreneurship, and more than a decade in politics, Evan’s leadership in these roles are consistently guided by compassion, respect and community inclusion.
Evan has always understood the power that exists within the collective. From his years working in the health sector, his desire is strong to facilitate a community that takes care of one another. Evan has an immense respect for Indigenous traditions and teachings and is an ally in the journey of reconciliation. It’s time to bring in a generation of bold leaders who understand how to listen, engage, and stand up for communities.
Lauren brings with her over a decade of business, marketing, and. communication experience and holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree as her foundation. Empowering Indigenous people to share their stories, culture, and knowledge with the world is a passion for Lauren in this field of work. Lauren lives is a member of the Métis Nation of British Columbia. She spends her free time rescuing small animals, connecting to the forest through trail running, and learning about her culture. Lauren speaks about the policies and colonialist practices that continue to oppress The Indigenous People's and the sort of changes that must be made to truly achieve reconciliation.
Rosalind Humphreys is a trans individual and a long standing member of LGBTG2SI+ community who has been involved in activism for a large part of her adult life, including advocacy for marginalized people, women and trans advocacy. She is a founding member of the Pride Society in her community and speaks to us about the challenges that can arise as we try to create change in our communities. Her kind heart translates through ever word as we have the privilege of hearing her story as she truly inspires us to think from perspectives that may be different form our own.
Liz Wootton’s company, Human Nature Development helps with values-based leadership, personal effectiveness, employee recruitment, engagement and performance. She draws from experience in business leadership and management, combined with unique perspectives from martial arts, sports, music and theatre. Her techniques for creating a more equitable work environment through education, communication and inner growth should be heard by leaders near and far.
Steve Ell, is an advocate and a mentor for people in recovery for over a decade, tells his story of growing up an adopted, Black Indigenous Person of Colour in Alberta. In a day where divineness is on the rise and false news travels seven times faster than the truth on social media, Steve tells his story and experience of racism in Canada and its impacts. His story of recovery shows his innate resilience and is a keen example of what it means to rise above. He reminds us that it's not enough to simply not be racist, we must be anti-racist to actually advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion
The description of Marci Warhaft's book The Good Stripper: A Memoir of Lies, Loss and Lapdances says it best: It wasn’t the life Marci Warhaft envisioned for herself. A good student who had been accepted into a prestigious theatre school, a doting mother with two young sons, and there she was taking it all off in front of paying customers to "Bootylicious" by Destiny’s Child. The Good Stripper is an eye-popping journey: Warhaft reveals the punishing circumstances and self-destructive behaviors that shaped her early adulthood, including a bank-robbing stepfather, the loss of her beloved brother, eating disorders, and sexual misadventures with a manipulative husband.
She describes, in honest, raw, and intimate detail, her struggles to recognize what was happening to her, and her sometimes misguided fight to regain control of her destiny. Above all, it is the story of how one woman, after years of living a double life, packing school lunches by day and giving lapdances by night, finally became the inspirational leader she was.