It can be hard to appreciate the lessons you’re learning while you’re in the middle of challenging times - that's why it is so important to look back.

Today Now or Never is reconnecting with some impactful guests. People who were in the middle of big changes during these two very intense years of a global pandemic.

From dealing with grief and illness, to finding meaningful work and ways to love your body - hear from people on the other side of life-changing moments.

Sometimes we lose touch with those big dreams we had as a kid.

But not today! On this episode, we're channelling our inner kid, and cheering on grownups determined to make a childhood dream come to life.

A CBC producer climbs into a giant hog costume to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a mascot.

We head back to the classroom with a 32-year-old man taking his first steps towards learning how to read.

And we ask kids for their wildest childhood dreams....and help one of them make that wish come true.

It can take a village to make someone feel their best. As we wrap up our 'Get Well' series, meet people tapping into the power of community.

From a group of neighbours who banded together to create a winter wonderland on a frozen prairie river, to an online fan club bonding over a very specific kind of Harlequin romance novel, meet Canadians finding strength in the collective.

On a regular day, joy can be hard to find. Throw in a global pandemic, social injustice, and a country divided by protests, and "finding your joy" can seem downright impossible.

So what do you do when joy seems like a distant memory?

You fight for it.

Today on Now or Never, meet people who are digging deep through grief, loss, illness and uncertainty to find their joy.

A funeral director has just the instrument to cut through the darkness of dealing with death.

An activist for Indigenous rights shares the secret to finding joy and purpose in tragic moments.

And Calling All Joys! People named Joy tell us about the burden and the gift in being named after happiness, including some perspective from 103-year-old Joy Saunders of Lunenberg, Nova Scotia.

The pandemic has required a lot of separation and distance from others. There's been fewer hugs, handshakes, kisses and cuddles.

Touch can have a big impact on your physical and mental well-being: research has linked a lack of touch to weakened immune systems, anxiety, and loneliness.

That's why - for the third part of our 'Get Well' series - we're focusing on people who know the true power of touch.

In part two of our 'Get Well' series, Canadians share how surprising moments of spirituality can lead to a better quality of life: from smudging to singing, forest-bathing to daily affirmations of gratitude.

One third of our lives are spent at work. So why not try to make your workplace better?

In Part 1 of our 'Get Well' series, we shine a light on Canadians who've figured out that elusive work-life balance, and are making work 'work' for them.

Four-day work weeks, five-hour work days, complete financial transparency, and not being afraid to cancel a meeting to go snowshoeing with your kids. It's all part of Alderhill Planning's decolonized workplace. Founders Elaine Alec (Syilx-Secwepemc) and Jessie Hemphill (Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw and Métis) share the secrets to their success.

At 2% Jazz Coffee in Victoria, the drinks are hot and the wages are livable. Owner Sam Jones shares why the pandemic motivated him to make big changes, and barista Hoèlune Hernandez shares what this change has meant for her.

And Now or Never listeners weigh in with surprising tips on how to make working-from-home more joyful.

Your internal voice can be cruel sometimes, convincing you that you aren't good enough. Today we're turning down the volume on our inner saboteurs, and learning the different roads to confidence people are taking.

At any given moment, thousands of 'never or never' moments are unfolding across the country, and today we shine a light on five of them.

First-time dad Jesse Thistle wonders if he can break the cycle of generations of men in his family who haven't been there for their children.

Miali Dimitruk hears the voice of her grandfather for the first time since she was 12.

Clary Chambers attempts to learn how to be a farmer....from her downtown condo.

Viv Ketchum connects with a stranger who responded to her 'postcards for reconciliation'' project.

And Kimberley Chiasson wheels back onto campus at Carleton University for the first time since the pandemic began.

A new year usually begins with a sense of possibility. The chance to change - or maybe even correct past mistakes. And right now, we could all use an extra dose of that.

On this Now or Never, stories of second chances: whether it's finding love again or returning to a career later in life.