Existential Relish

Ed Lawrence is THE Gardening expert. He was the Chief Horticulturalist for six consecutive Governors General and has been a regular on CBC's Ontario Today show for the last 40 years. Whether you are a beginner gardener or you are well versed in the ways of plants, Ed is a joy to listen to and learn from.

In this episode Ed's got plenty to say about growing food, the importance of getting kids' hands in the dirt and how it always starts with the soil.

Stay safe, and get into the garden!

The activity level of humans is generally at an all time low as people work from home, spend countless hours on devices and endure waves of lockdowns. Sitting is stressful on the back, hips, neck and shoulders. The lack of movement is being linked to a decline in mental health and an increase in injury.

Dr. Waj Hoda is back on the show with preventative solutions and insights towards a pain free existence.

Smut, trash, beach read. All terms used to describe the romance novel. This genre often gets a bad rap despite it being a massive industry. C-A speaks to romance author Victoria Denault about writing sex scenes, an unexpected review from comedian Paul Scheer and #Bridgerton fever. As people dream of adventures while shut in, locked down and cut off from finding their needle in the haystack—their partner, lover, soulmate—the romance genre is on fire. Actually, it always was.

Check out Victoria's collection at http://www.victoriadenault.com/

Dog loves you. Dog wants to teach you about love and presence and patience and forgiveness and gentleness and benevolence. Dog wants to cherish you, wants you to be a certain way and is always there to teach you. Dogs are meditation masters.

Master dog trainer, mindfulness teacher, meditation instructor and soon-to-be author, Jesse Sternberg provides a ton of insight on becoming the peaceful alpha your dog needs and respects; how to tune into your dog's world; have a deeper connection; more ease, more joy and more fun…all by being a better communicator.

A treat to listen to if you have a dog, and even if you don't.

Jesse's online course for pets and their humans can be found at peacefulalpha.com

Just in time for winter, second waves and lockdowns, C-A learns how to make chicken soup, also known as "Jewish Penicillin", with help from her mother.

Bones or meat? Gloves or no gloves? Turnips or parsnips?

Together, but in different cities, mother and daughter get all of these questions answered and more.

Check out the Show Notes for the full recipe.

C-A is ready to forget about what's happening in the world and wonders if it's possible for a mentalist to do a show over Zoom. Mysterion the Mindreader, who is one of few to fool Pen and Teller, proves that yes, it is possible!

Mysterion blows her mind with a few tricks and they also talk about the mindreading biz during the pandemic.

"It's about fun. If I can take you out of that skeptical, headspace and put you into a headspace of wonder, then my job has been successful." - Mysterion

Get in touch with Mysterion to book him for your next private or corporate event - in person or via Zoom:

Instagram: @drmysterion

Website: thesentimentalists.com

Ticktock: drmysterion

C-A speaks to Kathy Hay, President and CEO of Kids Help Phone, Canada's only 24/7, national support service that offers professional counselling, information and referrals, and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people in both English and French.

C-A is a volunteer crisis responder with Kids Help Phone. She talks to Kathy about her experience on the texting platform, the spikes in demand and about the organization's commitment to anti-racism from recruitment policies to training to active rescues for black and indigenous youth.

In this episode, C-A talks to Sandy Carlton, owner of Arcadian Daylilies, an urban farmer in midtown Toronto in his backyard garden, where he grows about 300 different varieties of daylilies and other plants that perform well in a northern climate. Sandy offers up a wealth of garden wisdom like what chicken fat has to do with daylillies, how to get 400 blooms over the course of a season from one plant and the number one secret to growing healthy plants.

Six entrepreneurs from the St. Clair West neighbourhood in midtown Toronto talk candidly about running their businesses over the past nine weeks since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, how they are innovating and what people can do to ensure this community, and communities like St. Clair West, thrive in the new COVID economy.

Very special thanks to Playful Minds, COCOALATTE, The Rushton, Philosophy Fitness, EcoExistence, and KOKO + CO

C-A talks to her childhood friend, Dr. Daniel Labow, Chief of the Surgical Oncology Division and Vice Chair of Outpatient Services for the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City about the tough decisions he's had to make as a doctor, husband and father during COVID-19.

They also discuss his toughest day on the job and the good that's come out of the chaos while working on the front lines in the epicentre of the US's COVID-19 outbreak.