There's nothing scary about wanting to re-air one of our favourite Now or Never episodes of this past year so if you are letting fear hold you back, here are a few people that are scared out-of-their-minds about something, but still trying to do it anyway

The last time Mike Bahuaud ran a half-marathon, he went into cardiac arrest and collapsed at the finish line, where his heart stopped beating for nearly five minutes. One year later, he's determined to run the exact same marathon, to finish what nearly ended him. 

It was a regular Friday afternoon in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland when Shem Evans was randomly attacked and beaten by seven teenagers while picking up his kids from school. After the attack, fear rocked his family and the community. But when his wife Bailey Rempel didn’t see enough change, she took a leap and ran for city council to try to make things safer for everyone. 

Lynn Sainté has a deep fear of throwing a party where no one shows up. But she also really wants to relive her church choir days, so she's booked a venue, hired some musicians, and sent out the invitations. When Ify checks in, she's only sold three tickets with a week to go. So will anyone show up? Ify joins her friend Lynn on the night of the event, to find out if all the nerves and stress are worth it.

After a traumatic swimming lesson as a child, Aaliyah Hall then discovered two of her family members died from drowning. She's been terrified of the water ever since. But now, she’s part of a group of Black women in Hamilton who are learning how to float without fear.

“Everything that mattered to me in my life, was stripped.” In a matter of months Judi Rees learned of the sexual abuse her children experienced, became dangerously ill, and ended her 30-year marriage. After living through a season of terrifying events, Judi shares what she’s learned from the other side.

It can feel easier than ever to point out what's wrong, but making things better....now that's a challenge. So this week we are cracking open the Now or Never vault to share an episode about people who stopped complaining and decided to do something about it.

Retired social worker Paul Jenkinson is out to fix loneliness with two folding chairs and a homemade sign. He gave up the lease on his home in Nova Scotia to jump in his car and pop up in parking lots, parks and sidewalks across Canada with a simple offer: to listen to strangers, about anything. Trevor tags along.

Wikipedia is the internet’s encyclopedia - but its entries are incomplete, with only one in every five entries featuring a woman. That’s where Toronto journalist Takara Small comes in: trying to fix the world’s most-read encyclopedia, one entry at a time.

Krista Nugent has been single for five years. She's gone on dates and has had her fair share of conversations on the apps, but hasn't had much luck finding something that lasts. Refusing to leave her dating life up to chance, the Victoria-based realtor is doing what she knows works for getting houses sold - marketing herself.

Ruth Hasman operates on stuffed toys for a living. The Vancouver-based teddy bear doctor has patched up hundreds upon hundreds of stuffed toys from across the country over the past three decades. At 82 years old, repairing people’s beloved furry keepsakes still brings her joy, and she hopes to carry on her legacy and pass on her skills to a new generation of tinkerers.

When Melissa Porter decided to collect used clothing donations for a family whose house burned down in Sudbury, she and her husband Drew never expected that simple fix would take over their house, and their lives. How a clothes drive grew into a non-profit organization with a team of nearly 100 volunteers from around the world.

It's hard to afford things these days with the cost of just about everything going up and up. So today we're revisiting a previous episode of Now or Never that won't make you feel so alone when you look at your bank account.

It's time to go on adventures and have a summer full of discovery so we can come back full of stories for you in September.

We'd never leave you without a plan to keep you inspired and entertained while we recharge.

Watch for our favourite episodes that deserve a second listen (or a share!) coming to your podcast feed every Thursday between now and September 10th.

When was the last time you surprised yourself? Pushed past a personal best? Achieved something you didn’t think possible? 

We’re celebrating that hustle today on Now or Never by introducing you to people challenging themselves to go beyond their limits. 

After a devastating loss, a group of Winnipeg women form the “Try New Things Club” to honour their loved ones by embracing life one new challenge at a time. A bittersweet story of the power of friendship to overcome grief. 

At 20 years old Connor Shaw is learning to live on his own in an off-grid Saskatchewan cabin without running water or electricity, that’s a 15 minute drive away from the nearest town. But is it a good idea?

A few years ago Toronto’s Elizabeth Arbour couldn’t walk down the street or take her kids upstairs to bed because of debilitating chronic pain. Now she’s attempting to hike up steep peaks. Find out what changed. 

Everytime Zack Mykula hits the stage with his band Pup, the drummer is filled with anxiety, even after 15 years. So what’s he doing to make sure he doesn’t black out on stage as he’s about to leave on an international tour?

When Yukoner Casey Kemble was diagnosed with stage four esophageal cancer, the doctors gave him a year and a half to live. Now he’s celebrating surprising the doctors and making it past that “best before date” with an “I should be dead” birthday party.

Our dads teach us all kinds of things, whether they intended to or not. So on this Father's Day weekend, we're sharing stories of all the hilarious, heartfelt and heartbreaking lessons your dad passed down to you, that continue to show up in your life today.

Trevor heads to a Winnipeg brewpub for "Beers & Braids," an event where dads get a crash-course on how to style their daughters' hair. Amongst all the mannequin heads and synthetic hair, these dads get real about the lessons from their own dads that stuck with them the most.

Jada Yee is a tall, suit-wearing businessman with a wife and four kids. But when he puts on a rainbow wig and sparkly gown, he transforms into drag queen, Chyna B. Deadly. It began as a way to stand up for his kids, but it’s turned into something much bigger for him and his community.

For decades, Richard Bales would share stories of his late father's beloved motorcycle with his children and grandchildren, until a chance connection finally brought the bike back home…to his dining room. 

As a kid, Tara Weir and her dad Brad bonded over long bike rides. When she moved away from home as an adult, those moments together were harder to come by. But Tara and Brad recently reunited to take on their biggest ride yet, to a place north of the Arctic Circle, that means a lot to them.

And how do you follow in your father's footsteps when your dad is the Chief? For Hayden Mercredi, lessons from his dad meant leaving school to attend high-level political meetings when he was just a kid. Trevor Mercredi, Grand Chief of Treaty 8, and his son Hayden share the lessons they're learning, and why Trevor first had mixed feelings about Hayden's political ambitions. 

What happens when you lean into your curiosity, notice the little joys, and get playful? Today on Now or Never, Ify Chiwetlu and Trevor Dineen find out why intentional whimsy might just be necessary. 

After feeling stuck, Toronto’s Chara Ho decided she didn’t want life passing her by. She’s now on a mission to find her spark again, by challenging herself to do something new every day. Ify Chiwetelu joins her on her latest adventure.

He was rescued from a pile of parts, became a Nanaimo neighbourhood celebrity, survived a mysterious disappearance, and even found love. Meet Gunner, the mannequin draped across Brian and Terry Neevay’s fence, who proves small acts of joy can have a big impact. 

“To have whimsy you need safety and silliness,” said Eddie Ayoub, artistic director of Art City, a non-profit community centre run by artists in Winnipeg’s West Broadway neighbourhood. Imagine a place full of paint, fabric,and art supplies where everyone is welcome to come and create. Today they’re preparing for their annual parade that injects whimsy into a community that needs it.

When a mysterious orange line of paint showed up in his Toronto neighbourhood one day, Pete Morey and his 7-year-old daughter set off on an adventure to follow the line, and try to solve the mystery of who's behind it.

Amid growing geopolitical uncertainty, escalating wars and threats to Canadian sovereignty, the Canadian government is committing to the biggest boost in military spending since WWII. So who’s signing up to join the armed forces today? On this episode of Now or Never, meet Canadians who are answering the call.

Would you volunteer five days a year to learn how to shoot a gun, drive a truck and fly a drone? That's the plan for a proposed new volunteer civil force of 300,000 Canadians, who would help out in national emergencies from climate disasters to potential invasions. So would you sign up for this? Ify hits the streets of Toronto to find out.

At age 53, Sebastien Chagnon decided to get his high school credentials, hit the gym, and begin the long application process to join the Canadian Armed Forces. He’s dreamed of joining the military since he was a teen, and he’s not doing it alone. His 17-year-old son, Jeffrey, is also applying, which is bringing up a range of mixed emotions for Sebastien.

Lauralee Mills joined the military after 9/11, serving in Afghanistan and driving huge supply trucks that were always a target. But from the minute she started basic training she was fighting a secret battle against sexual assault and harassment by some of her fellow soldiers. After decades of silence, Lauralee is finally speaking out about her experience of military sexual misconduct. 

The Canadian Armed Forces is seeing a surge in enrollments, marking its highest recruitment intake in more than three decades. Who is choosing to sign up for the military, and why now? We ask 18-year-old navy hopeful Charlie Yu, Edmonton dad Brij Rathi, and Claudia Gaspar, a young woman in Nova Scotia making a big career switch.

26-year-old Zach Dunn spends all his free time tracking down World War II veterans and recording their stories, before their stories get lost forever. He tells us what he's learned from the experiences of these military vets, many of whom are sharing their war time stories for the first time.

What happens after you learn something so shocking, so unbelievable, about a person you thought you knew?

On this episode, four people knocked sideways by a revelation that changed how they see themselves, and the world around them.

Brian Petersen spent most of his life believing he was white, an only child, and had been put up for adoption by a mom who didn’t want him. Then one day Brian got a letter in the mail that blew up everything. He tells us what it’s been like meeting siblings he never knew existed, discovering he’s Metis, and grappling with the complicated legacy of the Sixties Scoop. 

Sheila Munro found her passion for painting — and for life — when her old life fell apart following her discovery of her husband’s gambling addiction. Now, she’s using art to help others find joy in their own dark times.

A few days after Jenn Chen’s father suddenly died, she found letters tucked away in a box at the back of his closet. They were love letters, written to her father by men. It led Jenn to a series of discoveries that are changing her perception of the traditionalist, often distant man she feels she barely got to know. 

Stephanie Deline was diagnosed with ADHD and autism at 45 years old. After decades of feeling misunderstood and unsupported, the diagnosis has opened up a whole new world for her.

We're uncovering hidden talents, finding out what it really takes to excel, and exploring what happens when your ability doesn't match up with your dreams, on this encore presentation of Now or Never.

When Rick Ammazzini sees a locked safe without a key, he doesn’t see an impenetrable door, he sees an opportunity to test his skills as an amateur safe cracker. For Rick, it's not about discovering potential riches inside, it's about unlocking a portal to a specific time in history.

When Julin Cheung joined the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, he was their youngest member at just 17-years-old. Now, Julin shares his thoughts on being labelled a prodigy, and what it really takes to be talented. 

Tanya Ryan is a talented singer-songwriter from Alberta who's won country music ‘Rising Star’ awards and performed at Calgary Stampede. But after 12 years of trying to make it in the music industry, Tanya is hanging up her guitar for good. She tells us about coming to terms with the fact that talent isn’t always enough.

Don Vickers of Sydney Mines, NS says he has a horrible memory, but he still managed to break a world record in the competitive world of memory sports.

And Paul Anthony’s "Talent Time!" is a long-running live show in Vancouver with a very broad definition of what it means to be talented. A seniors' vaudeville troupe, a kids' Kung Fu class, a rabbit agility club – all have a stage here. Paul tells Ify why he doesn’t want to put the notion of ‘talent,’ or his show, in a box. 

This episode originally aired in December 2024.