Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 36
Date: October 4, 2022

Participants: John Webster, Elise Webster, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Imran Kamal (Expanding Minds)

Start times and Segment Segments:

[0:00:44] What’s On Your Mind: It’s the first installment of our Elise travel series. Guest host Elise Seifert talks about experiences in South Korea. It was her first travel after uni days. She taught English as a second language. It turns to a discussion of kids in Canada and the importance of play as a learning experience.

[0:11:56] Expanding Minds Interview: [Physical and Mental Wellness] It’s Part 2 of our interview of Imran Kamal. He told us Part 1 he told us how he recognized an addiction and ultimately reached out for help. This time he talks about coping mechanisms and how he found a way to move forward. Recovering from addiction as a lifelong process. It’s not a linear, straightforward journey. At the start of the process, Imran was not ready to fully commit or surrender to changing my life. During the time he was trying to figure it out, he continued to be in a lot of pain. He continued to be unwell. He continued to hate himself and wanted to die. It was a real struggle. He practices recovery as a member of a 12-step fellowship. His recovery efforts are much broader than that. For example, he volunteers weekly at a men’s rehab centre. That keeps him grounded, by reminding him where he came from and where he can go if he stops practicing his recovery. He has also sponsored and mentored hundreds of men and youth, which also keeps him grounded. Imran tells his story with the goal of lessening the stigma around addiction and mental health overall.

[0:26:47] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron caught some acts and performed at an open mic. He was asked to accompany a performer who reads poetry set to music, which is provided on an improvised basis. He was inspired by a poetry course from school, and the concept of prosody. He explains what that is and how it worked at open mic.

[0:32:17] Move That Body: Sheila and John talk about good and healthy food that we came across by accident: frozen bananas, croutons and crackers.

[0:37:54] Running Popup: John ran the TCS London Marathon (U.K.) on October 2, 2022. It was an amazing experience and one that he’ll remember fondly.

[0:41:39] Flipside of the Coin: Sheila read a book called Highway of Tears by Jessica McDiarmid. It’s about a stretch of highway in British Columbia where many women were kidnapped and killed, primarily indigenous women. We wonder why we didn’t learn about it earlier. It bothers us that we didn’t know anything about this, which has been happening since the 1970s.

Guest Information: Imran Kamal is a lawyer working for the Province of Ontario, specializing in Indigenous rights. He started his career in 2013, practicing in family law with a focus on custody and access issues. He soon transitioned to the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Hamilton. Imran is a Certified Specialist in Indigenous Legal Issues and the only child protection lawyer in Ontario with this designation. In 2021, Imran was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Imran’s passion is to work front line and grassroots. In 2017, he established Hamilton Lawyers Feed the Hungry, which gathers volunteers from the legal community to financially support and prepare and serve meals for 80 to 100 children and youth. Since 2016, Imran has also been a weekly volunteer at a Men’s Live-in Addiction Treatment Centre, providing support and resources for men overcoming alcohol and drug addiction. Additionally, Imran is Board Member of Mission Services of Hamilton and the AIDS Network.

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