Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 129
Date: July 16, 2024

Participants: John Webster, Elise Seifert, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Bronwyn Schweigerdt

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: A Martina Navratilova resonates with us: “The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.” We learn so much on the way, and when we don’t win.

[0:08:16] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] We welcome back Bronwyn Schweigerdt, a psychotherapist who helps people reconnect to their anger and heal their relationship with themselves. We often don’t recognize that we have supressed anger – disassociate anger. She helps people to stop letting anger stagnate in their bodies, but to channel it out. Validation is a kind of mirroring. We are blind to ourselves. We need someone to mirror us and say, “You know John, you actually have a good reason for being angry and I don’t blame you one bit.” When you validate, suddenly a person can think, “Oh, it’s okay to feel this.” We can also start to do that for ourselves. We can start to be that mirror for ourselves. When we have a healthy relationship with ourselves, we are attuned to ourselves, we validate our own feelings, we prioritize our feelings and know they are significant and there for a reason. We learn to channel out feelings out in healthy ways, with boundaries and assertiveness. When we do all that, we don’t get depressed. We are true to ourselves.

[0:28:17] Running Popup / Adventures of the Starving Artist: Popup - John likes the expression that running makes him love the feeling of living. On a recent run he realized that he’s living when he’s running. Artist – In one of Cameron’s live performances during a busy stretch, a traffic light was perfectly in synch with a shift in the tempo of the band’s song.

Guest Information: Bronwyn Schweigerdt is an evocative psychotherapist with a master's degree in counseling and nutrition. She helps people reconnect to their anger and heal their relationship with themselves. Her goal is to elicit feelings people are ashamed to have. She knows that even though feelings are invisible, they don’t evaporate, but store away in our bodies until processed. According to Bronwyn, these feelings haunt us and cause mental illness until we express them into words with someone who can hear and validate them. She hosts a podcast called Angry At The Right Things, sharing information as a marriage and family therapist.

Bronwyn’s podcast link: Angry At The Right Things

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
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Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 128
Date: July 9, 2024

Participants: John Webster and Sheila Webster
Guest: Chris Pelletier

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: We are introducing a new show format, moving from 6 segments every episode to 3 segments: 1. What’s on Your Mind; 2. Interview; and a new third segment that will rotate between (a) Move That Body or (b) Running Popup & Starving Artist, or (c) Flipside of the Coin. We hope it keeps things fresh.

[0:08.01] Expanding Minds Interview: [Social Wellness] We interview Chris Pelletier about the Mark Preece Family House in Hamilton, which provides a calm in the storm when people travel from another city to be with loved ones in hospital in Hamilton. Mark was an ICU physician at Hamilton Health Sciences, who passed away from cancer. He received care in Pittsburgh during the last 6 months of his treatment. His family stayed at a hospital family house. They realized there was nothing similar in Hamilton where they lived. They decided to get working on the project, which was named after Mark. Guests stay at a low cost, with access to free parking, a kitchen and laundry facilities. Community members provide support, including by making dinner for guests. Guests have other people to talk to, who are experiencing similar things. Many guests say, “You guys saved my life. It was so nice and warm and comforting and homelike.” People can go to the website – markpreecehouse.ca – to make a donation and find other ways to help.

[0:26:20] Move That Body: A great way to start each day: 5-5-5-30. As soon as you get out of bed, do 5 push ups, 5 squats, 5 lunges and a 30-second plank. It gets you energized and kicks our system into gear.

Guest Information: Chris Pelletier discovered his love of communications while in High School, while working at a student newspaper. His love continued as he ran the student newspaper at Nipissing University before entering the Broadcast Journalism program at Canadore College. For more than 25 years, Chris has been involved in the field of marketing and communications in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors and indigenous organizations. Chris, his wife Cindy, and their dog Charlie moved to Winnipeg in 2016 where he worked and completed a BA at University of Manitoba. He served as the Communications Officer with the First Nations Family Advocate Office. Upon returning to Ontario in 2022, Chris took on the role as Communications and Development Specialist at The Mark Preece Family House. He’s helping to improve their visibility in the community through social media and other means.

Website: Mark Preece Family House

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura, Julie and Riley

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 127
Date: July 2, 2024

Participants: John Webster, Elise Seifert, Cameron Earnshaw, Sheila Webster and Stephen Seifert
Guest:

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: Many people talk about spoiling themselves as self-care – eating sweets or pampering with a spa day, etc. We see self-care differently. We talk about an article that resonates with us.

[0:09:42] Expanding Minds Interview: [Physical Wellness] We interview Martin Pytela, who gives science lessons about important aspects of nutrition. He explains macronutrients (which give us energy we need day-to-day) and micronutrients (which protect us from damage done when macronutrients burn in the energy creating process). Martin talks about metabolic typing, where autonomic dominant and oxidizer dominant people process energy in different ways. There are differences in endocrine dominance. You could be dominated by thyroid, adrenal or pituitary. Each has a different preference when it comes to food. He explains how antioxidants work. We talk about different types of toxins and the need to eliminate them, including how moving that body (one of our podcast themes) helps the process. He asks us to consider three processes: appropriation (what you put in), absorption (what you keep); and elimination (what you get rid of). If any one of these three is impacted, you have deficits.

[0:30:34] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron got busy when he thought he was about to have down-time to chill out.

[0:35:38] Move That Body: We’re back to gym etiquette -Part 3

[0:42:15] Running Popup: John likes Michael A. Singer’s sailing analogy from his book The Untethered Soul, when it comes to balance. It’s about avoiding the extremes.

[0:44:43] Flipside of the Coin: Elise and Stephen took lessons from teaching children in Korea (and for Stephen in the U.S. as well). It helps them when teaching students in Canada.

Guest Information: Martin Pytela is a highly regarded functional medicine expert and Metabolic Typing coach with a passion for restoring vitality to individuals and the planet. He has extensive experience, alongside a commitment to holistic health and wellness. Martin is a Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor who offers his Health Coach services based on Metabolic Typing. This is a method that helps determine which foods and supplements will be most appropriate for different people.

Life Enthusiast Website: life-enthusiast.com

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura and Julie

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 126
Date: June 25, 2024

Participants: Elise Seifert, Julie Wilson, John Webster, Cameron Earnshaw, Sheila Webster and Stephen Seifert
Guest: Andrea Lee

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:35] What’s On Your Mind: Following up on the Episode 94 chat, Elise and Julie continue with a list of acts of kindness. It includes things like giving up your seat to an elderly, disabled or pregnant person, let someone jump the line at the grocery store, help someone who is lost and more.

[0:10:12] Expanding Minds Interview: [Physical Wellness] We chat with Andrea Lee about food prep.⁠ Nutrition is a very important part of physical wellness. It’s well worth it to take time to do food prep to enhance your chances of eating well. Andrea talks about mass prep and meal kits. If we go to the grocery store and plan ahead, we can make a meal in less time it takes to get food delivered. It’s much healthier than take-out. Andrea sees it as a relationship. You want to have a healthy relationship with food, which requires flexibility – give and take. There will be ups and downs. You don’t need to be perfect all the time. You continue to work to fix that relationship.

[0:31:20] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron saw a rehearsal at the National Arts Centre. The musicians performed amazingly and he was blown away by the talent and passion of Ray Chen on violin.

[0:35:25] Move That Body: Sheila found an article about avoiding common gym injuries. We talk about some – avoiding blister and calluses, muscle strains and lower back pain.

[0:41:19] Running Popup: John is grateful for two words, which keep him from giving up when things aren’t going his way –“Starting Now”.

[0:43:07] Flipside of the Coin: Stephen’s family has a love for food. It’s a big part of family life and get togethers.

Guest Information: Andrea Lee has been certified with the Canadian Professional Trainers Network since 1996 and she is also a CPTN practical assessor. She has a background in post rehabilitation and holistic nutrition. She began her career in Toronto, working with top industry professionals. She currently resides in Cambridge and for the past 15 years, she's been running her own personal training studio. She’s won the Cambridge Readers’ Choice Award for Best personal trainer and overall service several years in a row. It doesn’t matter if you’re a youth athlete, adult athlete or general fitness enthusiast, Andrea creates her personal training programs based on her client’s needs.

Link to website to connect with her: Andrea Lee Fitness

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura and Julie

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 125
Date: June 18, 2024

Participants: Elise Seifert, Sheila Webster, John Webster and Cameron Earnshaw
Guest: Bronwyn Schweigerdt

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: We heard about some of Elise’s university castle experiences on Episode 122. Sheila said it scratched the surface. She dives into the back story.

[0:11:27] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] We interview Bronwyn Schweigerdt, whose life experiences led her to a path as a therapist. She recognized a need to express anger that she was holding, and to have it validated by someone else. Dissociated anger makes us sick, both mentally and physically. What’s sharable is bearable. Our feelings are not tolerable in isolation. That’s when they hurt us. That’s where they stagnate inside our bodies and make us sick. If you feel it and you share it with someone else, it does release. Anger is like a light on our emotional dashboard, like a light in a car that says, “check the engine”. Something needs attention. I can master the anger instead of letting the anger master me. We do that by validating it for ourselves, then expressing it in a healthy way using boundaries, assertiveness or an accountability of sorts. Bronwyn hosts a podcast called Angry At The Right Things, sharing information as a marriage and family therapist.

[0:30:21] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron and his Rockstar Music lessons team were meeting people at the Ottawa Children’s festival, then he took some of the Rockstar group to enjoy go karts.

[0:34:40] Move That Body: Sheila was off travelling twice, and worked more than usual between trips. She missed her gym and workout routine. We talk about getting back into a routine after an absence.

[0:38:31] Running Popup: John was listening to Moby Dick audiobook on a run. A line by Captain Ahab made him think, “the only real owner of anything is its commander”. Does that mean we can become the owners of ourselves by becoming the commanders of ourselves?

[0:41:16] Flipside of the Coin: Sheila loves games – card games, board games and much more. John doesn’t typically volunteer to join, but enjoys them when he does.

Guest Information: Bronwyn Schweigerdt is an evocative psychotherapist with a master's degree in counseling and nutrition. She helps people reconnect to their anger and heal relationship with themselves. Her goal is to elicit feelings people are ashamed to have. She knows that even though feelings are invisible, they don’t evaporate, but store away in our bodies until processed. According to Bronwyn, these feelings haunt us and cause mental illness until we express them into words with someone who can hear and validate them. She hosts a podcast called Angry At The Right Things, sharing information as a marriage and family therapist.

Bronwyn’s podcast link: Angry At The Right Things

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lets.Be.Well.Together

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura and Julie

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 124
Date: June 11 ,2024

Participants: John Webster, Noura Saad, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guests: Fiona and Mike Roth

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: It felt good to think, “I’m content with where I’m at in life”, but we wonder? Is it content and happy, or content versus happy? Can contentment hold us back at times, preventing us from getting out of the comfort zone?

[0:9:08] Expanding Minds Interview: [Social Wellness] We interview Fiona and Mike Roth. Last week we heard about a beautiful young woman, Kaitlyn Roth, who died to the disease of mental illness. They are motivated to honour Katilyn by bringing good out of what happened. They started an organization called Filling in The Gaps (fitg.org). FITG is working and advocating to improve the adult mental health system to fill in cracks in the system. For example, they’re exploring a new model of care for treating people experiencing a mental health crisis in a community clinic, instead of Emergency department. They tell us about some of the challenges to finding help, and about ideas to improve things. They hope sincerely that we can prevent other people from experience what Katilyn and her family went through.

[0:27:29] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron got creative with reharmonization and a Rolling Stones song.

[0:31:50] Move That Body: We often talk about sleep making us feel better physically. We came across articles about the importance of sufficient sleep to heart health. Getting 7 to 9 hours has positive physiological effects.

[0:36:04] Running Popup: Describing energizing morning sensations that are awakening after several nights of not snacking after dinner.

[0:37:23] Flipside of the Coin: It was grueling but rewarding to spend a Spring day setting up the back yard for summer fun.

Guest Information: Fiona Roth has been a social worker for 25 years. She has worked in the children’s mental health field for her entire career. She’s committed to a community where anyone struggling with mental health is met with hope and compassion at every stage of their journey and where no one falls through the cracks.

Mike Roth has been a Registered Kinesiologist for more than 27 years. He has treated and managed multi-disciplinary health care clinics in the community and is currently supporting employees returning to work from occupational and non-occupational injuries.

Mike and Fiona’s daughter, Kaitlyn, faced many barriers to receiving continuity of care before dying to the disease of mental illness. Fiona and Mike are passionate about making sure the difficulties that their family faced in finding services for Kaitlyn do not happen to anyone else.

Filling In the Gaps organization website: fitg.org

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
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Thanks for joining us,
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John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura and Julie

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 123
Date: June 4, 2024

Participants: Elise Seifert, Sheila Webster, John Webster, Cameron Earnshaw and Julie Wilson
Guest: Fiona and Mike Roth

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: Elise tells us about the concept of the Growth Mindset. It’s an important approach in the educational world. It’s about putting your brain in a good learning space. It overcomes a fixed mindset where, for example, someone says, “I can’t do this. It’s too hard.”

[0:10:11] Expanding Minds Interview: [Social and Mental Wellness] We interview Fiona and Mike.⁠ It’s beyond tragic to lose a family member to mental health disease. Kaitlyn Roth sought joy in her life, including through student council, choirs, band, sports and more. She was a go-getter, who was amazing at getting people involved to help good causes. Sadly, she lost touch with her joy at times as she struggled with mental health. Today we are joined by Kaitlyn’s parents, Fiona and Mike Roth. They’re motivated to bring good out of the tragic loss of they daughter, who died by suicide in 2022. They tell us about Kaitlyn – who she was – and challenges she faced in seeking help to address the disease she experienced.

[0:29:30] Adventures of the Starving Artist: A cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument played by slapping it with the hands. Cameron used it to accompany a friend at open mic, which led to a gig with a band.

[0:33:04] Move That Body: ChatGPT spit out a great quote - The only bad workout is the one that didn’t happen. We talk about it.

[0:37:11] Running Popup: John heard a fact about bees that has him saying, “thank you bees”, every time he has a spoonful of honey.

[0:38:56] Flipside of the Coin: Getting “sir’d” on a shopping experience, where once again Sheila showed great taste.

Guest Information: Fiona Roth has been a social worker for 25 years. She has worked in the children’s mental health field for her entire career. She’s committed to a community where anyone struggling with mental health is met with hope and compassion at every stage of their journey and where no one falls through the cracks.

Mike Roth has been a Registered Kinesiologist for more than 27 years. He has treated and managed multi-disciplinary health care clinics in the community and is currently supporting employees returning to work from occupational and non-occupational injuries.

Mike and Fiona’s daughter, Kaitlyn, faced many barriers to receiving continuity of care before dying by suicide. Fiona and Mike are passionate about making sure the difficulties that their family faced in finding services for Kaitlyn do not happen to anyone else.

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura and Julie

Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 122
Date: May 28, 2024

Participants: Elise Seifert, Julie Wilson, John Webster, Cameron Earnshaw. Sheila Webster and Stephen Seifert
Guest: Ian Brisbin

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:35] What’s On Your Mind: Elise had a chance to spend her first year of university studying at a castle in England, as part of program run by a Canadian school - Queen’s University. She tells us about her rewarding experience.

[0:07:46] Expanding Minds Interview: [Social Wellness] We interview Ian Brisbin. Last week Ian talked about bike safety. Today we chat about advocating for biking in cities, as a form of active transportation. When planning biking infrastructure, planners ask whether the “indicator species” would be comfortable using it, for example a young mother with a young child. It must feel safe for everyone. Well protected and physically separated bike infrastructure is the gold standard. It’s great to have stretches of infrastructure, but they need to be connected, which is sometimes overlooked. In Ian’s experience, the average driver is much more courteous and careful, and relates much better to people engaging in active transportation than ever before. It’s a sign that we are changing. Cycling and walking and other forms of active transportation are being incorporated into our web of how we get around our cities.

[0:27:08] Adventures of the Starving Artist: The meme-friendly “Trololol” song is actually called “I am very glad as I am finally returning back home”. It’s a challenged to sing. Cameron is looking forward to a performance by a student who wants to learn it.

[0:31:50] Move That Body: Scientists submit that highly processed foods such as soda, chips and candies are not food, but rather drugs designed to deliver addictive substances. Whether or not that’s right, it sure feels good to eat whole and natural foods.

[0:37:47] Running Popup: When John helps others, he often wonders whether it helped him more than the others?

[0:38:40] Flipside of the Coin: Elise and Stephen have amazing news, which has them thinking. What will it be like to be first-time parents?

Guest Information: Ian Brisbin is recognized by his peers since 2020 as one of Canada’s “Best Lawyers” practicing personal law. For over 20 years, he’s served the Hamilton and Halton area, and clients across Ontario. He's represented people from all walks of life on claims arising from motor vehicle collisions or dangerous properties, including passengers, injured cyclists and pedestrians. He also helps people who were denied long-term disability insurance benefits, and does much more. Ian is particularly passionate about Velolaw.ca. Velolaw is Ian’s rapidly expanding practice area through which he expresses his love of cycling, his determination to represent injured cyclists and his joy derived from advocating for active transportation in the public interest. He has a long record of service to his communities, particularly through chairing numerous non-for-profit boards of directors. Ian fancies himself a passionate cyclist for all seasons. He’s competed in many cycling races, an Ironman and six marathons (including two Bostons). He’s currently training for an upcoming Ironman 70.3. Ian lives in Hamilton with his family and Willow the Bernese Mountain Dog.

Ian Brisbin work bio: Ian Brisbin - Martin & Hillyer

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
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Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lets.Be.Well.Together

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura and Julie