Dreams, hopes, aspirations, goals. Whichever word fits for you, I’m curious about where our inner fortitude or our self-determination come from to make them reality? What is it within us that gives us the strength, courage and in some cases, the audacity to go after our dreams? I think some of it is a desire to create our own lived experiences rather than sitting back and letting life happening to us. But what is it that helps us turn those dreams we have into reality? Have a listen and I will share a few of my experiences with dreams becoming reality and what those journeys were like. As well, a few tools will be shared as steps you can take in believing in the power of your dreams.

It is always medicine for our heart and mind to come back to the values and ways of being that support each of us in sharing our unique  gifts with the world. This new children’s picture book, You Hold Me Up shares the various ways we can ‘hold each other up.’ While it was written for our youngest citizens, it is a great reminder for all of us of the importance of holding each other up with respect and dignity. In this episode, I share where the idea for the book came from, I read the book and share some of the stories of children’s responses to the book.

A walk in my neighbourhood was the inspiration for this episode focusing on change.

Change is one of the few aspects of life that is guaranteed, but also one that is frequently resisted.

What's your approach to change? Does it depend on circumstances?

Have a listen and take a few moments to reflect on changes currently unfolding in your life and on the horizon.

But One Decision is a reflection by Monique on her own journey of recovery from alcoholism and how it is the ‘spaces in between’ that provide the messages, ideas and insights for us. She will revisit a trip to Fort Smith in the North West Territories of Canada. This trip and the witnessing of a young woman as she is released from jail causes Monique to think about the decisions we make, or don’t make and how they create our lived experiences.

Too Wild for Words is an example of how sometimes we get messages from the most unanticipated sources. This episode was inspired by a text Monique received from her aunt after she had seen one of Monique’s books profiled on a National morning show. In this episode Monique shares how witnessing the love between a grandmother and grandson inspired her best-selling and award winning book, My Heart Fills with Happiness. She will encourage you to explore what fills your heart with happiness and to experience as much of what fills you as possible.

Words are Medicine shares with the listener the importance of the words we share with others and how they can be medicine or not. Monique shares how a stranger said to her ‘I look forward to reading your book one day.’ That day took almost 20 years and in this episode Monique shares the journey of writing her first published novel, which went on to win an national award. She also shares the importance of lifting each other up with grace and dignity.

This is the first episode of the Love Is Medicine Podcast. It is rooted in Monique’s own journey and her journey of recovery. In this episode Monique shares how love is medicine. Not the romantic kind of love, but that is great too, but rather the love of oneself; the love from family and friends; the love for the land, the water and the stars; the love of one’s culture and much more. Really, it’s about the importance of loving one another in the best way possible.