Newfoundlanders Share Their Lives

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Tony Fang, the Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Economic and Cultural Transformation and Professor of Economics at Memorial University of Newfoundland

Join us as we dive into Dr. Fang's work, education and more.

Jessie Cahill is an information management professional, archivist, and educator with a passion for history and storytelling.

With experience ranging from post-secondary education to hands-on archival research, she specializes in organizing information and helping others uncover the past.

Jessie is also a Mother Goose facilitator.

Maurice Barry is a pioneer of distance education in Newfoundland and Labrador, whose career spans from multi-grade rural classrooms to shaping provincial learning infrastructure. Born to a Dublin-raised mother and a local principal father, Maurice grew up navigating the unique cultural mashup of moving from a bustling European city to Red Island—a community of fewer than 300 people.

This deep sense of community anchored his entire teaching philosophy: "I don’t teach courses; I teach students." Whether managing a classroom in Southern Harbour or delivering advanced math and physics across the province via groundbreaking audio technology in the late 1980s, Maurice always prioritized human connection over curriculum. As a founding administrator for the Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation (CDLI), his legacy is defined by resilience, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to making high-quality education accessible to every student, no matter how remote.

Hear the story of Bob Flynn, from St. John's to Colorado and back to Lewisporte.

Bob shares about his early career as an engineer turned entrepreneur and sailor.

Thatcher and Trevor are avid climbers who coach others.

They share about their professional lives and all about mountain climbing in Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.

If you ever thought about starting to do climbing, this episode is for you!

Sheldon S. Crocker is a "Resilience Builder" and emotional truth-teller dedicated to helping people reclaim their power.

After defying medical odds and overcoming a lifetime of adversity and systemic dismissal,

Sheldon now uses his lived experience to guide others through his books and his signature "Unleash Your Inner Strength" programs.

An Amazon best-selling author and transformative speaker, Sheldon is proof that your "disability" can be the foundation for an extraordinary life of purpose and clarity.

What happens when your home becomes a battlefield?

For Lina Chu, the answer was to pick up her camera and fight back.

As a Ukrainian with Vietnamese roots, Lina offers a powerful, multicultural perspective on identity and heritage.

After participating in the resistance against the Russian invasion, Lina eventually found her way to the shores of Newfoundland.

For the past 18 months, she has been integrating into the local community, trading the streets of Kyiv for the trails of NL.

Laurabel Mba joins me for a raw and honest conversation about identity and belonging.

We go back to when she was seven years old, moving from Nigeria to Ontario, and what it felt like to suddenly feel "out of place" in a new country.

Laurabel shares how those early experiences of being Black in Canada shaped her worldview and eventually led her to the vital anti-racism work she leads today.

It’s a story about finding your voice when the world tries to tell you where you fit.

From judging at Cannes to being named an NLOWE Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year, Jenny Smith has spent two decades redefining the Canadian advertising landscape.

As the founder of Ray, she proved that you don't need a Toronto zip code to build an internationally recognized agency.

In this episode, the President and ECD shares her journey from "ad veteran" to "boutique agency founder" and what it takes to produce world-class work from the edge of the Atlantic.

While she usually writes about the surprising connections between past and present, today we’re looking inward.

Join us for a personal conversation with Dr. Ainsley Hawthorn on her life, her lens on the world, and what it’s like to be a historian of the forgotten.