In this episode of Hear Me Out with Belinda, Belinda Waites sits down with Dr. Nikki Umscheid of Eyes 360 for a practical and eye-opening conversation about vision, eye health, kids’ eye exams, cataracts, astigmatism, dry eyes, contact lenses, and the future of hearing and vision technology. 

They discuss the differences among opticians, optometrists, and ophthalmologists, why regular eye exams matter even when nothing feels wrong, and what parents need to know about early intervention for children. They also explore how eye exams can catch health issues early, the reality of dry eyes in Alberta, and the overlap between hearing and vision care in a smaller community. 

If you have ever wondered when kids should get their first eye exam, what astigmatism actually is, or how eye health connects to overall health, this episode is packed with helpful information in a clear, relatable way. 

In this episode, you’ll hear about: 

● The difference between an optician, optometrist, and ophthalmologist 

● Why Dr. Nikki chose optometry 

● Small-town care versus corporate care 

● How hearing and eye care both build long-term relationships 

● What cataracts are and how lens options work 

● The future of AI, hearing aids, and sound-amplifying glasses 

● Astigmatism explained simply 

● Why sunglasses and safety glasses matter 

● How diabetes, medications, and overall health affect the eyes 

● Why kids should get eye exams starting as early as 6 to 9 months 

● What Alberta Health covers for eye care 

If you found this helpful, be sure to like, comment, and subscribe. And share this episode with someone who has kids, wears glasses, or has been putting off an eye exam. 

#EyeHealth #EyeExam #Astigmatism #KidsEyeExams #VisionCare #HearingHealth #BelindaWaites #Okotoks #AlbertaHealth #Eyes360 

Host: Belinda Waites

Instagram: @belindawaites Belinda Waites - Hear Right Canada – Okotoks: where better hearing starts with listening. 

🌐 hearrightcanada.ca 

Guest: Dr. Nikki Umscheid Eyes 360 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyes_360/ Website: https://www.eyes360.ca/drnikkiumscheid 

03:05 Optician vs Optometrist vs Ophthalmologist 

06:03 Why Small Town Care Feels Different 

10:14 How Hearing and Vision Care Build Relationships 

11:09 Cataracts and Lens Options Explained 

15:08 AI Glasses and the Future of Hearing Technology 1

6:22 Astigmatism Explained Simply 

19:19 Eye Protection and Preventative Care 

25:13 Dry Eyes in Alberta 27:07 Why Kids Need Eye Exams Early 

Friendship changes as we grow — and this episode of The Ritual Pantry gets honest about what that really looks like. 

Stephanie and Heather unpack the many layers of friendship, from work friends and childhood friends to the people who feel like family, the ones we drift from, and the ones who show up when life gets hard.

This conversation explores how friendships evolve through different seasons of life, how adult relationships shift from quantity to quality, and why vulnerability, boundaries, loneliness, and connection all play a role in who stays close. 

The episode also touches on parenting, social comparison, self-isolation, emotional support, and the reminder that meaningful relationships
need care, intention, and time.

There’s a lot of heart in this one — including stories about long-distance friendships, work family, childhood transitions, love letters, and the life lesson that work should never come at the expense of the people you love.

In This Episode
How friendship changes through different stages of life
The difference between work friends, school friends, and deeper friendships
Why some friendships pick up right where they left off
Quality vs quantity in adult relationships
How comparison and judgment affect connection
What happens when shame leads to self-isolation
The truth about “toxic” friendships and overused labels
Why validation and busyness can make rest feel uncomfortable
Love letters, slower connection, and life before instant communication
A powerful reminder to call someone you love


03:13 Why friendship is layered
06:18 Different levels of friendship
11:09 Quality vs quantity in friendships
21:56 Self-isolation and asking for help
27:07 Boundaries toxic friendships and emotional drain
36:41 Validation busyness and free time
40:24 Love letters and slower connection
42:15 Work less and prioritize loved ones

Call to Action
If this episode resonated with you, let us know in the comments:
What kind of friendship matters most to you in this season of life?
And if someone came to mind while watching, send this episode to them.

#FriendshipPodcast #AdultFriendships #WomenSupportingWomen #ConnectionMatters
#HealingConversations #TheRitualPantry #PodcastForWomen #MentalWellnessPodcast#OkotoksPodcast #CanadianPodcast

Hosted By:

Stephanie Stefan — Instagram: @spaghettitreechef 

Website: spaghettitreechef.com

Heather Wurz — Instagram: @heather.wurz

The Ritual Pantry — Instagram: @theritualpantry

📩 Send in your Pantry Confessions: [email protected]
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theRitualPantry

If you’ve ever felt stuck, misaligned, disconnected from your work, or unsure whether success still means what you thought it did, this episode of The Karas Wright Show is for you. 

Karas Wright sits down with ShayneWyler, founder of ServantDevelopment, for a deep conversation about purpose, servant leadership, business clarity, and what happens when your life or work no longer fits who you really are.

Shayne shares how his journey from professional actor to purpose-driven leader reshaped the way he sees work, family, business, and service. Together, Karas and Shayne unpack the shift from traditional leadership to servanthood, why so many people feel disengaged in their careers, and how clarity around your purpose can transform the way you build your business, lead your team, and define success.

This episode is a powerful conversation for leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone who knows they are meant for something more but is trying to figure out what that actually looks like.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why purpose is the foundation of meaningful leadership
• The difference between leadership and servanthood
• How power dynamics break trust and connection in teams
• Why misalignment feels so exhausting
• What it means to be needed, wanted, and uncompromised
• Why distractions often look like opportunities
• How businesses can hire and build culture around purpose
• Why younger generations are redefining success
• The connection between clarity, fulfillment, and contribution
• How to lead and build even when life feels messy

00:57 Shayne Wyler’s acting career and transition 

04:35 Discovering purpose through helping others 

07:14 The bag of needs and serving others well 

11:09 Why servanthood changes leadership 

20:53 Purpose-driven culture and team alignment

35:35 Success, happiness, and building through the mess

Watch, comment, and share if this conversation speaks to where you are in your own business, leadership, or personal journey.

#PurposeDrivenLeadership #ServantLeadership

#BusinessClarity #LeadershipDevelopment #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessGrowth #PurposeDrivenBusiness #KarasWrightShow #LeadershipPodcast#CanadaBusiness

Host: Karas Wright — Business & Leadership Coach (Wright Step Coaching)

Website: www.wrightstepcoaching.com/ 

Instagram: @wrightstepcoaching

The Wright Step Ecosystem

A proprietary framework that moves business owners from scattered to structured thorough four distinct movements: Stabilize, Discern, Align, Execute.

Apply to Join the Ecosystem

Guest Contact:

Shayne Wyler –Founder of Servant Development 

Contact [email protected]

Website - www.servant.tools

Grief touches every life, but most of us are never taught how to talk about it, understand it, or move through it. In this episode of HearMeOutwithBelinda, Belinda sits down with ShannonHurst, grief literacy speaker and author of MyLove/HateRelationshipWithDeath, for a powerful conversation about grief, loss, change, resilience, and why grief is about so much more than death.

Shannon shares her personal story of deep loss, including the death of her brother, the loss of family, and how those experiences shaped the way she now teaches grief literacy and pressure literacy. Together, Belinda and Shannon explore how grief can show up in the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, children leaving home, loss of identity, workplace stress, and life transitions that change us forever.

This episode is a grounded, compassionate reminder that grief cannot be fixed — but it can be named, understood, and integrated. If you’ve been carrying sadness, fear, anger, stress, or the quiet ache of change, this conversation will make you feel less alone.

00:00 Introduction

00:20 Shannon’s story behind the book 

03:07 Loss, anger and early grief 

08:18 Why grief is bigger than death 

14:02 What grief should really look like 

21:16 A healthier way to live with grief

29:27 Why language matters in grief and pressure

#GriefLiteracy #GriefSupport #ShannonHurst #BelindaWaites #HearMeOutWithBelinda #HealingAfterLoss #Resilience #MentalHealthConversations #LifeTransitions #OkotoksPodcast

Host: Belinda Waites

Belinda Waites - Hear Right Canada – Okotoks: where better hearing starts with listening.

Instagram: @belindawaites

🌐 hearrightcanada.ca

Guest: Shannon Hurst — Grief Literacy Speaker and Author

Book: My Love/Hate Relationship With Death

Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/My-Love-Hate-Relationship-Death/dp/B0G6G4LXG2

LinkedIn: shannon-hurst-0b89ba1a/

If you’ve ever felt stuck between personal growth, anxiety, healing, and building a business, this episode of The Karas Wright Show is going to hit home. Karas Wright sits down with Ranchelle Van Bryce for a powerful conversation on mindset coaching, entrepreneurship, self-awareness, trauma, responsibility, and what it really takes to move forward when your thoughts are working against you.

In this episode, Ranchelle shares her evolution from mindset coach to consultant and opens up about the turning point that changed everything in her life and business. Together, Karas and Ranchelle unpack why mindset work can only take you so far, how anxiety and panic attacks don’t have to stop you from building the life you want, and why healing is often less about “fixing

yourself” and more about recognizing what story you’ve been carrying.

This conversation is honest, layered, and deeply human. It explores identity, trauma, intuition, self-awareness, responsibility, and how entrepreneurs can stop outsourcing their power and start trusting themselves again.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

Why mindset coaching alone may not create lasting change

The difference between healing and endlessly trying to fix yourself How anxiety and panic attacks can show up during growth

Why you can still accomplish your dreams while feeling fear The role of self-awareness in leadership and entrepreneurship Responsibility, accountability, and personal agency

Why trauma does not define your identity

Human design, intuition, and authority-based entrepreneurship Practical tools for interrupting overthinking and emotional spirals

How to move forward even when your thoughts are working against you

01:23 Ranchelle’s journey from coaching to consulting 

03:18 Why mindset coaching started to feel incomplete 

05:29 The turning point that changed everything

07:49 What actually shifted after surrender 

10:03 Why you don’t need to fix yourself first 

19:02 What to do when your thoughts spiral

23:16 Anxiety, panic attacks, and moving forward anyway

If this episode resonated with you, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe. Share it with someone who’s navigating growth, healing, leadership, or big decisions in business.

#KarasWrightShow #RanchelleVanBryce #MindsetCoaching #BusinessGrowth #EntrepreneurMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #AnxietyAndSuccess #TraumaHealing #WomenInBusiness #AlbertaPodcast

Host: Karas Wright — Business & Leadership Coach (Wright Step Coaching)
Website: www.wrightstepcoaching.com/
Instagram: @wrightstepcoaching

The Wright Step Ecosystem

A proprietary framework that moves business owners from scattered to structured thorough four distinct movements: Stabilize, Discern, Align, Execute.

Apply to Join the Ecosystem

Guest : Ranchelle Van Bryce

Learn more about Ranchelle and her work: 

Website : www.ranchellevanbryce.com/

Instagram : @ranchelle

In this episode of InTheSpotlight, Meagan Fettes sits down with Lisa Graham, founder of YYC Wax, to explore her journey from engineering into the world of beeswax, creativity, and conscious business building.

This conversation dives into what success really feels like, how to protect your time and energy as an entrepreneur, and why slowing down might be the most powerful move you can make.

From “hell yes or no” decision-making to the surprising science of bees and honey, this episode blends business, mindset, and creativity in a way that will leave you thinking differently about how you build your life and work.

Call to Action:

If this episode resonated with you, make sure to:

• Like and subscribe for more conversations like this
• Share this with someone who needs a reminder to slow down
• Drop a comment: What’s a “hell yes” in your life right now?

#PodcastGrowth #EntrepreneurMindset #SmallBusinessCanada #OkotoksBusiness #CreativeEntrepreneur #Beekeeping #WomenInBusiness #LocalBusinessSupport#BusinessJourney #YYC

Thank you to Main Street Market for sponsoring this episode and supporting local businesses in our community! home to over 250 local makers across Okotoks, Mahogany, and Strathmore.

📍 Visit: www.mainstreetmarket.ca

Host: Meagan Fettes : @meaganfettes

watch full episode Youtube: @puremediapodcast Guest: Lisa Graham Website: https://yycwax.com/

Instagram: @yycwax

If you or someone you love is struggling to hear clearly, especially in noisy places, this episode of HearMeOut with Belinda is packed with insight, hope, and practical tools. Belinda sits down with audiologist Dr. Sandra Vandenhoff to discuss cochlear implants, hearing fatigue, word recognition, auditory rehabilitation, and how adults can train their brains to hear better.

Sandra shares her personal journey with progressive hearing loss, what it was like to receive her first cochlear implant, and how that experience changed the course of her life. Together, Belinda and Sandra break down the difference between hearing aids and cochlear implants, why hearing in noise is so exhausting, and how adults can improve communication, confidence, and connection through auditory training, lip reading, and better strategies.

This is a powerful conversation for anyone navigating hearing loss, supporting a loved one, or wanting to understand better what hearing rehabilitation really looks like.

00:00 Introduction

01:17 Sandra’s cochlear implant story 04:23 Her hearing loss journey

07:37 What HEARa means

09:26 Training your brain to hear better 

16:29 Communication strategies that help

If this episode resonated with you, make sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who could benefit from this conversation. Hearing support is about more than devices — it is about connection, confidence, and quality of life.

#HearMeOutWithBelinda #CochlearImplants #HearingLoss #Audiologist #AuditoryRehabilitation #HearingHealth #HearRightCanada #HearingInNoise #OkotoksPodcast #BelindaWaites

Host: Belinda Waites

Youtube: @belindawaites 

Instagram: @belindawaites

Belinda Waites - Hear Right Canada – Okotoks: where better hearing starts with listening.

🌐 hearrightcanada.ca

Guest: Dr. Sandra Vandenhoff

Title: Audiologist Instagram: @heara.ca Youtube: @HEARa

Website: www.heara.ca

What’s the difference between protecting your energy and avoiding people? In this live episode of The Ritual Pantry, Heather and Steph unpack “boundaries” (and why that word can be a trigger), how pleasing creates resentment, and what it looks like to lead from a heart-centered place—especially when you’re tired, activated, or dealing with family patterns. 

This conversation starts with real-life morning chaos and quickly turns into a deep (and hilarious) unpacking of judgment, compassion, and leadership. Heather and Steph explore how often we default to “you should,” why we try to protect others from lessons we’ve already lived through, and how communication (not invisible rules) is the thing that actually creates healthy relationships. They also break down the difference between pleasing and serving—because one leads to resentment, every time—and what it takes to shift into a mindset where life isn’t happening to you… it’s happening for you. 

Call to Action If this episode hit a nerve (in the best way), drop a comment: When have you used “boundaries” when you were actually just out of capacity? And if you’ve got a Pantry Confession—send it in. Anonymous is welcome. 

 #RitualPantry #BoundariesVsAvoidance #PeoplePleasingRecovery #EmotionalWellness #SelfLeadership #PersonalGrowthJourney #MindsetShift #HealingJourney #OkotoksAlberta #PodcastCanada 

Hosted By:

Stephanie Stefan — Instagram: @spaghettitreechef | Website: spaghettitreechef.com 

Heather Wurz —Instagram : @heather.wurz 

The Ritual Pantry:  Instagram: @theritualpantry

📩 Send in your Pantry Confessions: [email protected]

Hearing loss is about far more than just your ears. In this episode of Hear Me Out with Belinda, Belinda sits down with Femi Coo, Registered Doctor of Audiology, to talk about how hearing connects to brain health, communication, relationships, confidence, and quality of life. They also dive into hearing protection, hearing aid technology, and why personalized care still matters no matter how advanced the tech becomes.
This conversation is both educational and deeply human. Femi shares his journey from Ghana to Canada, how he found audiology, and why helping people hear again can be life-changing. From the sounds people do not realize they are missing to the emotional impact of untreated hearing loss, this episode is full of insight for anyone curious about hearing health or wondering whether it is time to get tested.
Whether you are noticing changes in your own hearing, supporting a loved one, or simply want to better understand the connection between hearing and the brain, this episode is packed with practical takeaways and powerful reminders.
f this episode helped you think differently about hearing health, share it with someone in your life who needs to hear this conversation. And if you have been putting off a hearing test, this might be your sign to book one.

00:00 Welcome and Femi’s Journey 

01:33 What Audiology Really Is 

05:27 Why Hearing Protection Matters 

07:15 The Emotional Impact of Hearing Loss 

13:22 How to Choose the Right Hearing Aid 

18:54 Why Human Care Still Matters 

#HearingLoss #Audiology #HearingHealth #HearingAids #BrainHealth #BelindaWaites #HearMeOutWithBelinda #Okotoks #HearingProtection #FemiCoo

Host: Belinda Waites Watch full episode Youtube: @belindawaites Instagram: @belindawaites Belinda Waites - Hear Right Canada – Okotoks: where better hearing starts with listening. 🌐 hearrightcanada.ca 

Guest: Femi Coo, Registered Doctor of Audiology 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/femi-coo/ 

ADHD in business can feel overwhelming, especially for entrepreneurs, leaders, and high-performing professionals trying to manage focus, time blindness, anxiety, emotional

regulation, and daily structure. In this episode of TheKarasWrightShow, Karas Wright sits down with Alexandra Hindson for a thoughtful conversation about ADHD, mindfulness, nervous system regulation, and how to begin seeing ADHD not only as a challenge, but also as a potential superpower.

Together, they explore the realities many adults face when navigating ADHD in work, relationships, and everyday life. Alexandra shares her experience supporting students,

entrepreneurs, and professionals through a more holistic, mindfulness-based approach that

includes grounding practices, journaling, yoga, structure, and deeper self-awareness. Karas also brings her perspective as a coach and parent, making this a grounded, human conversation about what actually helps when life feels scattered, overstimulating, or hard to manage.

This episode covers the emotional side of ADHD, the impact of overwhelm and indecision, how structure can reduce anxiety, and why practices like movement, mindfulness, planning, journaling, and supportive routines can make such a difference.

00:00 Introduction

01:10 Alexandra’s background and ADHD work 

05:10 ADHD, anxiety, and emotional regulation 

10:58 Yoga, journaling, and rewiring the brain

22:02 ADHD symptoms, structure, and daily support 

33:57 Exercise, planning, and staying consistent

Important Note:

This conversation is based on personal and professional experience and is not intended to replace medical advice.

References made in this episode:

Donna Gamble Eye See Clearly Optical Instagram: @eyeseeclearly

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

https://drjilltaylor.com/

If this episode resonated with you, subscribe to the channel, share it with someone who may need it, and leave a comment with your biggest takeaway.

#ADHD #ADHDInBusiness #EntrepreneurMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #Mindfulness #WomenInBusiness #EmotionalRegulation #ProductivityTips #KarasWrightShow #AlbertaBusiness

Host: Karas Wright — Business & Leadership Coach (Wright Step Coaching) Website: https://www.wrightstepcoaching.com/

Instagram: @wrightstepcoaching

The Clarity Path is a practical leadership and business reset for experienced leaders and business owners whose thinking has become crowded, slower, or heavier under pressure even though performance hasn’t stopped

www.wrightstepcoaching.com/clarity-path

Guest: Alexandra Hindson

Website: https://www.alexandrahindson.com/