Life Without Us

“I think that going in with something imperfect and running with it is what made the following five years possible, and the following five years had so many great things.” — Karim RizkallahLike most founders, Valery and Karim didn’t know what they didn’t know. In the last episode of Season 2 of Life Without Us, they celebrate the five year anniversary of kickstarting the Clarens Commons community through a look back on their experience as founders. In this episode:* Valery and Karim’s r...

“In 20 years, we’re going to be much more conscious about the importance of social connection to our health and wellbeing.” — Pete BombaciHow much human connection do we need? Pete Bombaci is the Founder and Executive Director of the GenWell Project. He joins Valery to talk about why connection guidelines similar to those that exist for food could be one key to happier, healthier lives.In this episode:* Why people come together in a crisis — like in the early days of the pandemic, or during t...

"We need community now more than ever” — Luc LalondeLuisa Ji is a multi-disciplinary creative, designer, and strategist. Luc Lalande is the Innovator-in-Residence at the Rideau-Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre. They join Valery to unpack the topic of ‘Community Futures’ from unique, but complementary perspectives. In this episode:* The barriers to community-building innovation found in many existing institutions * Why local, low barrier opportunities to engage in innovation and ...

"The things that our members and participants share with us, we consider all of those things to be really sacred. So we're not going to share people's teachings and knowledge, cultural knowledge, with just anyone.” — Indi MadarAs the Communications and Community Engagement Lead with Brown Girl Outdoor World (BGOW), Indi Madar knows first hand the barriers to outdoor adventure that many of the women of colour in the BGOW community experience. She joins Valery to talk about what ‘intentional’ n...

"I wish people would start talking about their friendships with their friends" — Tanya CothranTanya Cothran is a friendship animator and writer of the newsletter, Platonic Romance. She joins Valery to talk about how to navigate the impact of major life changes on friendship, like one friend becoming a parent or another one moving, and what models of conscious friendship can look like.In this episode:* The (literal) moves that led Tanya to centring friendships in her life.* The positive and to...

"This didn’t feel like much of a community when we moved in. And now everybody says ‘Ah, this is such a great place to live!’" — Steve FickSteve Fick has lived at Terra Firma, one of the Ottawa-region’s only cohousing communities, for more than 25 years, and is one of its founders. From shared meals, to shared tools, to neighbourhood-wide street parties and art tours, his insights from a lifetime of centring community are the inspiration we all need to seek more “us” in our lives! In this epi...

"It's not possible in this day and age with the challenges we're facing to say ‘No,’ and try to keep neighbourhoods preserved in amber." — Craig RuttanPublic policy leader and co-home owner Craig Ruttan returns to the podcast to talk about how reality is stacking up against the vision for his cohousing community that he shared with Valery a year and a half ago. On the doorstep of the October 24, 2022 province-wide municipal elections, they also talk about the path to the missing middle and th...

A year after the conclusion of season one of the Life Without Us podcast, Valery introduces “Time” as the theme of season two while sharing a tribute to her greatest community- and connection-building influence: her mom, Sandy. In this episode:* Why so much time passed between seasons one and two of Life Without Us* What loss can teach us about the importance of having more “us” in our lives* Guests and topics to look forward to as season two episodes are released each Tuesday this fal...

Inspired by the stories of the Life Without Us podcast’s season one guests, host Valery mics up with a surprise special guest to reflect on what we loved, learned, and are looking forward to as we wrap up the show’s inaugural season. Episode available at lifewithoutuspod.com In this episode:* Which stories of community and connection inspired the most reflection* Which guests most nudged us towards change . . . and what might that change look like?* Moments of discomfort on w...

“I think part of the heartbreak is that we actually think friendships are going to last forever . . . You just think: why wouldn’t we be in each other’s lives forever?” — Hima BataviaHima Batavia is a writer, artist, and cultural designer based in T’karonto. Her practice focuses on rewriting and weaving narratives for our collective liberation, and exploring aesthetics of care and well-being, across conceptions of time / space through collaborative processes and performance-based works.Inspir...