Empathetic Witness

My guest in this episode is my very own spouse Alan Pratt, who in 1988 was the co-counsel with R. Roy McMurtry, former Attorney General of Ontario and future Chief Justice of Ontario, as the lawyer for sprint coach Charlie Francis at the Canadian Dubin Inquiry.  As the coach of Ben Johnson, whose world record time of 9.79 seconds in the 100 metre final (the same time of the top two finalists in 2024 in Paris!) and Olympic gold medal were erased due to a positive drug test, Charlie became the Inquiry’s key witness and chose to expose the role that performance enhancing substances played in world elite sports.  He argued to the inquiry that both health and fairness rationales for the steroid band needed to be carefully examined and argued that the elite sports world had become infused with hypocrisy.

Alan describes a man of great intelligence and encyclopedic knowledge and tells how Charlie gave up a lucrative career to coach underprivileged youths, often subsidizing them out of his own pocket before developing that group of athletes into a world leading team, eventually producing the greatest sprinter of the time, Ben Johnson.

Sadly, Charlie passed away in 2010 but his widow Angé has maintained the website charliefrancis.com, where among other things you can purchase his e-books Speed Trap, which details his life story and his reaction to the Seoul positive test, and the Charlie Francis Training System, written before the steroid controversy and demonstrates the depth and breadth of his knowledge of training.

We don't often get the opportunity to talk to a musician about his creative process, I was fortunate enough to interview John Southworth!

Grab yourself some tea and listen to our conversation. 

·    Introduction to music in Toronto, Canada 

·    Niagara

·    Rialto

·    Creating music that does not exist, being authentic and taking risk

Links below are to his music, videos and the short film he mentioned in our chat. 

John Southworth British Canadian musician 

https://jsouthworth.substack.com/

https://www.johnsouthworth.ca/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFUSfmK2OXE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-UtaPOSPo4&list=RDEMqWXpkAa2dt32y1Ot1VbNvA&index=2

Empathetic Witness is recorded on Algonquin unseeded territory land.

Show Notes April 9th, 2024, Empathetic fWitness interview with Dr. Elsa Stamatopoulou Human rights lawyer, Columbia university.

Dr. Elsa Stamatopoulou joined Columbia University in 2011 after a 31-year service at the United Nations with some 22 years dedicated to human rights, in addition to 8 years exclusively devoted to Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Indigenous issues and women’s rights were part of her portfolios and pro volunteer work since 1983. She became the first Chief of the Secretariat of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2003. She taught the first-ever course at Columbia on Indigenous Peoples’ rights (2011), the first course on cultural rights (2016) and is the first Director of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights. She co-founded and was co-chair of Columbia’s University Seminar on Indigenous Studies from its inception in 2014 to 2020.

Edited books: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 50 Years and Beyond (ed. with Y. Danieli and C. Diaz), 1998, Baywood Publishing Co. She oversaw the first edition of the UN publication State of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, New York, 2009. She has edited five volumes on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, the second four published by the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University: Indigenous Peoples and Borders (co-editor with Sheryl Lightfoot), 2024, Duke University Press; Global Indigenous Youth: Through Their Eyes”, (co-editor with D. Angel and V. Carmen-Lopez), 2019; Walking and Learning with Indigenous Peoples : A Contribution to the 5th Anniversary of the International Summer Program on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Policy at Columbia University, 2018 (co-editor. with P. Calla); Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Unreported Struggles

• Introduction, Elsa’s rich background,  Indigenous participation historical overview 

• Anti-racism anticolonialism

• Doctrine of discovery

• Cultural Heritage, Moral high ground

• Three pillars of the declaration of independence

• The word Indigenous  

• UNDRIP international instrument for the recognition of cultural rights and self determination

• American Indian Movement (AIM)

• Truth & Reconciliation

• Accomplishment at the UN  

• Legacy question

• Indigenous Woman of the Americas ( IWA)

• Significance of cultural dress

• Aveda beauty products cultural appropriation

•Chief to Chief negotiations.

• Actions moving forward

• Education, Training changing of hearts and minds

• Awareness of Indigenous issues at the UN Permanent forum

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please like and subscribe.

A Vision of A Global Indigenous Science Institute Think Tank.

Our Conversation covered these topics:

• Educational
• Informational
• Indigenous worldview
• Controversial
• Recommendations for being environmentally conscious
• Recap of my 3rd year
• Kuni Albert’s background
• Tailing ponds
• Government absence of emergency preparedness  
• Government’s priority
• Industry’s blindspot
• Impact benefit agreements
• Indigenous Environment Global Think Tank, A Vision
• Traditional medicines and ceremony
• Developing an Indigenous monitoring handbook

Dr. Manish Plaha MD https://www.drmanishplaha.com/

My guest is Dr. Manish Plaha MD

Show Notes - in February I interviewed Doctor Plaha on my podcast, Empathetic Witness. I reached out to him after I began taking a course he is delivering online, and in one month I have already experienced a profound shift in who I am and discovered a way to see a possibility to have healthy whole relationships. Who should listen to this podcast:

Embodied Consciousness description of the course is taken from Dr. Manish Plaha

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dr.manish.plaha/

He is a UK trained medical doctor and General Practitioner. He designs transformational experiences involving the heart, mind, body connection resulting in shifts in health and mindset energy which leads to the discovery of improvement in well-being. For example recognizing that life has even more to offer than what we've experienced, and the way to discover our true potential and highest quality of life is through an exploration and transformation in the inner landscape. In this podcast we discuss many practical ways to accomplish this.

He designs transformational experiences involving the heart, mind, body connection resulting in shifts in health and mindset energy, leading to the discovery of improvement in well-being. For example, recognizing that life has even more to offer than what we've experienced, and despite achieving our goals, there's a feeling that something profound remains untapped, preventing us from reaching our greatest potential.

Our conversation covered the following

EU Butterfly Model a Revolutionary approach to Elderly Care – A Slower Gentle Approach

Who will benefit from listening to this podcast

• Baby boomers

• Anyone with an elderly parent or sibling

• People with cognitive decline

• Planning and looking for elderly care for a loved one

Moira Welsh is an investigative journalist with the Toronto Star, Moira has co-authored investigations that have won three National Newspaper Awards and a Michener Award for Public Service Journalism.

She was a finalist for the Justicia Award for Legal Reporting and the Canadian Hillman Prize.

Who should listen to this podcast:

Baby boomers, or if you have relatives searching for a humane elderly care facility. If you have cognitive decline and are searching for a long term care for your future, because this podcast will direct you to what to look for as you're searching, and the questions you need to be asking because of these new philosophy in elder care. Our conversation covered

• The butterfly effect model explained

• Humanity in care

• Medication and lack of a freedom to roam

• Liability issues restricting small appliances like toasters

• Aging in the right place. Longer home care in your own home with support system in place

• Natural Occurring retirement community (NORC) , for example neighborhood with older residence or condo living

• Green household community he model in the United states Trent University

• Blue zone method

• Life Purpose, tap into what was a meaningful residence when they were younger and incorporate that interest into day to day routine.

• Being seen, understanding the mindset of the elders

• Humor

• Pat Armstrong – clothing  

LINKS  

 Book:

https://www.amazon.ca/Happily-Ever-Older-Revolutionary-Approaches/dp/1770415211/ref=monarch_sidesheet

Season 3 Theme: 

Healing is within Us - You Must Find the person inside of you where nothing is impossible, Deepak Chopra

Obscurity to extraordinary, a Denesuline/ Buddhist /Catholic writer and podcast host. Journey in this episode a conversation on the genesis of Empathetic Witness Podcasts with host Angelina Pratt. Interviewed by her husband Alan.  

Our conversation covered:

• Recap of seasons one and two

• Alcohol Anonymous 12 step program

• Len Pierre

• Secondary trauma that overwhelms

• Rupert Ross, former prosecutor in Kenora.

• Viktor Frankel

• Logotheapy humanity  

• How I see who I am as a Buddhist Dene Catholic 

• 3rd season – Quantum Healing  

Who should listen to this episode:

•    Everyone who has experienced any form of Trauma

•    Everyone who is searching for a purposeful life

•    Everyone who lost something of value, be it innocence, language, or culture

Introduction to logotheapy – A method to heal mental. and spiritual human suffering based on individual values.

1. Recognize that a harm was done because of a wrong

2. We don’t lose our humanity because of the harm done to our humanity

3.    Everyone processes trauma at a different speed and helping must start at where the person is mentally, and spiritually

4. Discover our human values

5. Through healing and reconciliation, we find our life’s purpose

Resources – E Viktor Frankl

https://gtfeducation.org/faculty-staff/edward-marshall-md-ph-d/

•    Man’s Search for Meaning

•    Yes, to life In spite of Everything

•    The doctor and The Soul

•    Viktor E Frankl’s logotherapy and Existential Analysis Theory and Practice

•    The Will to Meaning, Victor Frankl

•    The Pursuit of Meaning, Viktor Frankl logotherapy and life,  Joseph B Fabry

It was a pleasure to have a meaningful conversation on topics stemming from our hearts.

Tiokasin is a member of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation of South Dakota. Tiokasin is the founder, host, and executive producer of 24 year old First Voice Radio Syndicate which airs in 270 radio stations in US and Canada. He is a global public speaker.

He is also a master musician and a teacher. Magical ancient and modern sounds Tiokkasin performs worldwide and has been featured at the cathedral of Saint John The Divine, Lincoln Centre Madison Square Garden and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The United Nations as well as many Universities and concert venues. He is a sun dancer in the tradition of the Lakota Nation.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, and share it with your friends you won't want to miss this episode.

https://www.patreon.com/Ghosthorse

Chris Kendall is a Registered Holistic nutritionist, Health Coach and long time skateboarder.  I guarantee you will  hang off his every word because he walks his talk. His story of transformation is inspiring. 

Chris is raw vegan. I decided to review some of the books and videos I had to do a deep dive into raw veganism for this interview and still learned something new speaking to him.  Chris tells the story of how being Vegan helped him recover from a horrible motorbike accident, he and his girlfriend had.  

The first thing I noticed, not sure why I hadn't noticed it before is that most raw vegan people have amazing energy, clear eyes, and flawless skin. But the most important thing to me is that they project  clarity and love for humanity.  Even in my communication with Chris by email and texting,  his enthusiasm and love for humanity comes through in a big way.  I want some of that energy! Humanity needs that energy. The modern American diet, (MAD) Is flawed and not healthy. All we must do is look at the epidemic of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.  Chris is a dynamic high energy being, our conversation covered these topics;

1.    Fasting  

2.   Raw benefits of Raw Food nutrition

3.    Breathing

4.   Yoga

5.   Microbiome 

6.   Global Pandemic/ building immunity using fruit

7.   Vegan lifestyle and family 

8.   Honeybees

9.    Animal trauma motivates vegans to become activist.

10.   Buddha significance 

11.   Calm Mind

12.   Way of the Peaceful Warrior  movie 

13.   Blue zone

14.   Rwanda, community

15. Olive oils 

16. Benefits of whole foods

17.   Sodium high and blood pressure

18.  His accident and recovery 

https://therawadvantage.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/therawadvantage?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therawadvantage?_t=8gUFfxENO5G&_r=1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tra.kendallchris

Raw Advantage recipe books, merch and helpful tools to become raw: https://therawadvantage.com/shop/

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