PERSIST will be taking a summer break to regroup, re-energize, and take care of our mental health!

Please take some time while we're away to complete the PERSIST Summer Survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/persistsummersurvey

We'd love to hear your feedback on the podcast, and also learn more about who are listeners are and their experiences in politics or public life.

We'll return soon! 

- Emile Scheffel & Dale Richardson 

Paul Wilson is an Associate Professor in the Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University. He served as director of policy in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada from 2009 to 2011, with responsibility as acting chief of staff to the prime minister during the 2011 election campaign.

Read Paul's recent paper on  the impact of COVID-19 on parliamentary political staff.

Emile and Dale also discuss #DearIntern and how the responses to it are a great lesson for political staffers. Read about #DearIntern.

Want to share your mental health in politics/public life story? Contact PERSIST and start the conversation.

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
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Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553 

The Peak Daily  is the #1 Business News podcast in Canada. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. 

Wade Grant is a former councillor of the Musqueam Indian Band, former British Columbia advisor to  Assembly of First Nations Chief Shawn Atleo, Indigenous advisor to former BC Premier Christy Clark, and is a former city council candidate in Vancouver. Wade joins Emile and Dale to discuss the recent Kamloops residential school tragedy and the legacy and trauma of residential schools; mental health in Indigenous politics; the barriers to increased Indigenous representation in politics including mental health pressures and unrealistic expectations from Indigenous constituents; his own powerful and emotional story managing panic attacks and mental health; and a lot more. (Conversation with Wade begins at 7:35).

Register to attend "Does Politics Have a Mental Health Problem?" on June 23, where Emile will be a panelist.

Want to share your mental health in politics/public life story? Contact PERSIST and start the conversation.

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
---
Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553

The Peak Daily  is the #1 Business News podcast in Canada. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. 

Tim Powers is a former political staffer and is now the Chairman of Summa Strategies, Managing Director of Abacus Data, and Chair of the Rugby Canada Board of Directors. He is a former trustee of the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health (CAMH). Tim joins Emile and Dale to discuss his experiences with mental health in politics and public life, including depression and his family's history of depression and mental illness; managing the mania, or the highs and lows, of politics; the advice his mother gave him that helps him understand people's struggles with mental health; and more.

Off the top, Emile and Dale address the tragic discovery of a mass grave of 215 children at a Kamloops residential school, and discuss the recent Regina Leader Post column about PERSIST and mental health in politics.

Register to attend "Does Politics Have a Mental Health Problem?" on June 23, where both Emile and Tim Powers will be panelists.

Want to share your mental health in politics/public life story? Contact PERSIST and start the conversation.

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
---
Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553

The Peak Daily  is the #1 Business News podcast in Canada. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. 

Kristin Raworth is a member of the Alberta civil service and was a political staffer in the Ed Stelmach PC Alberta government. Kristin is a survivor of sexual violence and is a fierce advocate for eliminating sexual harassment and sexual violence in the workplace. Kristin joins Emile and Dale to share her journey working in politics and public service; surviving multiple sexual assaults and how it affected her mental health; how every woman working in politics has been the target of sexual harassment or violence and what needs to be done to change that; her advocacy and support for Rona Ambrose's federal legislation that mandates sexual assault training for judges (which FINALLY became law on May 6, 2021!); lessons political staff could learn from the civil service; and a lot more.
NOTE: This episode contains discussion of sexual violence and may be upsetting for some listeners.

Want to share your mental health in politics/public life story? Contact PERSIST and start the conversation.

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
---
Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553

The Peak Daily  is the #1 Business News podcast in Canada. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. 

May 3-8 is Mental Health Week. This episode discusses suicide, and some people might find it upsetting. If you or someone you know is in need of mental health care, please, contact your physician, go to your local ER, or call the suicide prevention hotline (details are below).

"I did get to a point where it was medical leave. I had to take that time off because I don't know what happens after that; the answer was probably body shut-down and that's how much I had worked myself into a state where I really needed rest."

Mumilaaq Qaqqaq is the Member of Parliament for Nunavut, representing the NDP. Mumilaaq discusses taking a mental health leave in fall 2020 after experiencing "extreme burnout, anxiety, and depression", and the response from her community to that decision; the suicide and housing crises in Nunavut; the pressures and demands of being a Member of Parliament and being the the only representative of Canada's largest electoral district; the freedom she feels in her party to authentically be herself; how different cultural norms contribute to mental health challenges; the work she did in suicide prevention in Nunavut before the 2019 election; and more.   

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

Want to share your mental health in politics/public life story? Contact PERSIST and start the conversation.

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
---
Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553

The Peak Daily  is the #1 Business News podcast in Canada. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. 

"Working hard and saying yes to everything in politics are two different things. I think you can work exceptionally hard and still be comfortable with what you're doing and proud of your work."

Brett Chang was a political staffer for the Ontario PC Party caucus, working in the office of then-leader Tim Hudak. Since leaving politics he has worked for Uber Canada and in the cannabis startup industry, and is now the co-founder of The Peak, a daily business newsletter that provides busy Canadian professionals with the news they need every morning to understand business, tech, and other must-know stories of the day.

In this episode, Brett admits that mental health was one of the reasons he left politics and discusses with Emile and Dale some common experiences in politics that can challenge one's mental health; his own political evolution; mental health lessons learned from working in politics that he is now applying as a startup founder; why he adamantly believes that politics shouldn't be a first job for anyone; and more.

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

Want to share your mental health in politics/public life story? Contact PERSIST and start the conversation.

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
---
Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553

The Peak Daily  is the #1 Business News podcast in Canada. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. 

"I know what it's like to lie in bed and think 'Nobody would notice if I was gone.'"

Christy Clark was the Premier of British Columbia from 2011-2017. Christy joins Emile and Dale to discuss her mental health experiences, including her father's history of depression and alcoholism; that caucus members need to support each other through difficult times to improve mental health; the importance of human resources in political workplaces; the challenges that women face in politics and how those challenges affect one's mental health; and Christy publicly discloses for the first time that she battled a serious eating disorder as a new MLA in the mid-1990s.

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

Want to share your mental health in politics/public life story? Contact PERSIST and start the conversation.

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
---
Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553

The Peak Daily  is the #1 Business News podcast in Canada. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. 

Dr. Ashley Weinberg is an occupational psychologist at the University of Salford (U.K.) and studies the mental health of politicians and political staff. Dr. Weinberg joins Emile and Dale to share what he has learned in over 30 years of studying mental health in politics; why mental health is important for a functioning democracy; the various "stressors" or pressures in politics that lead to poor mental health for elected officials and staff; and more.

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

Want to share your mental health in politics story? Contact PERSIST and start the conversation.

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
---
Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553

The Peak Daily  is the #1 Business News podcast in Canada. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. 

Welcome to PERSIST. Hosted by former political staffers Emile Scheffel and Dale Richardson, PERSIST is dedicated to mental health in politics. Learn more about the PERSIST initiative.

In this introductory episode, Emile and Dale set the stage for the podcast with a chat about the mental health challenges they personally faced while working in politics.

Follow PERSIST for free: SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | STITCHER | YOUTUBE

PERSIST is supported by CheckingIn.co, a Canada-based mental wellness app. Click here to get 50% off the CheckingIn 30-day Reset Program.

PERSIST is produced by 306 Media Productions.

About the hosts: Emile Scheffel was previously the Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and a communications aide in the BC Premier's Office. Dale Richardson was the Director of Digital Operations to Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe, and Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Party.
---
Important Notice: PERSIST is intended to share the personal stories of individuals who have experienced mental health challenges, and the measures they have taken to address those challenges. PERSIST is not a mental health service provider. Neither PERSIST nor the individuals profiled by PERSIST make any claim to providing medical advice, and you should not rely on their advice for your own mental or physical health. What has worked for other individuals may not work for you. If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you should seek medical attention.

If you are in crisis, one of your options is to contact the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, available 24/7/365:

Canada outside Quebec: 1-833-456-4566

Quebec: 1-866-277-3553