Sass & Small TALK

Send us Fan Mail

Meet Jennifer Dunnett — lifelong Langford resident, mom of four, public servant and someone who decided it was time to put herself out there.

For the first episode of Sass on Location: Babes in Biz, I sat down with Jennifer to talk about the woman behind the work.

Jennifer has lived in Langford for 35 years and has spent more than a decade working in the provincial government, including time at the John Horgan MLA office helping residents access government services and support in their community.

Now she's taking another big step: running for Langford City Council.

But our conversation isn't about a campaign platform. It's about what it takes to put yourself out there.

We talk about motherhood, working full-time while raising a family, finding balance, learning to get more comfortable in your own skin, handling criticism, and the resilience it takes to keep moving forward when life throws difficult things your way.

Jennifer also shares why she wants her daughters to see their mom step outside her comfort zone — and why she hopes they'll grow up knowing they can do the same.

And, of course, we had to finish with a little Spill the Sass. ☕️💗

Coffee or tea?
Morning person or night owl?
What's she saying NO to?
And what era is Jennifer in right now?

Spoiler: she's protecting her peace. ✨

Welcome to Sass on Location — conversations with women in our community about the people behind the work, the stories behind the businesses, and the courage it takes to put yourself out there.

📍 Babes in Biz | Langford, BC
🎙️ Hosted by Deb Balino | Sass & Small Talk

Jennifer Dunnett is a candidate for Langford City Council. This interview is a conversation with a local community member and is not an endorsement of any candidate or political position.

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

What if the things we inherit don't have to be the things we pass on?

In this deeply moving conversation, I sit down with Nicole “Nikky E” Ermineskin, a Nêhiyaw (Cree) Métis single mom, performing artist, entrepreneur, community builder, and youth mentor.

Nikky's story is one of family separation, addiction, racism, intergenerational trauma, ADHD, motherhood, healing—and ultimately, finding her voice.

Raised by her grandparents, Nikky grew up surrounded by love, music, and the arts while also carrying the complicated realities of her family history and the ongoing impacts of systemic racism and residential schools.

Her ADHD diagnosis became a turning point, helping her understand herself and her creativity in a completely different way. She went on to use music, dance, filmmaking, and mentorship to help young people find their own voices and create new possibilities for themselves.

We talk about breaking generational cycles, parenting, identity, culture, forgiveness, creativity, community, and what it means to turn lived experience into something that can help the next generation.

Sometimes healing isn't about forgetting what happened. It's about deciding what happens next.

We chose healing.

Real parents. Real stories. Because it takes a village to raise a child — and a community to raise their parent.

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

What happens after you've fought so hard to become a parent?

WATCH VIDEO EPISODE ON YOUTUBE

In the Season 2 finale of Sass & Small Talk, I reconnect with my childhood friend Giuseppe “Joe” Spoletini for a heartfelt, hilarious, and full-circle conversation about family, identity, creativity, and the unexpected roads that lead us to parenthood.

Giuseppe and I grew up walking to school together, performing in musical theatre, competing in music festivals, and even ballroom dancing together. Years later, we've both carried our love of the arts into adulthood while building the families we worked so hard to have.

Our paths to parenthood looked very different - mine through infertility, loss, and egg donation, and his through adoption with his husband - but we discovered that many of the feelings along the way were surprisingly familiar: uncertainty, fear, sacrifice, hope, and deep gratitude.

We talk about growing up with immigrant parents, pursuing creative passions, redefining success, and what happens when becoming the parent you've dreamed of being is only the beginning.

Because two things can be true: you can be deeply grateful for the family you fought for—and still find parenting incredibly hard.

Real parents. Real stories. Because it takes a village to raise a child — and a community to raise their parent.

Let's Talk :: GIUSEPPE SPOLETINI
IG - https://www.instagram.com/spoletinigiuseppe/
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/giuseppe.spoletini.5

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

What does success look like in this season of motherhood?

WATCH VIDEO EPISODE ON YOUTUBE

Deb sits down with Victoria photographer Nina Sinclair for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, ADHD, burnout, creativity, and the invisible load of modern motherhood.

Together they explore what it means to pursue meaningful work while staying deeply connected to family, why asking for help is a strength rather than a weakness, and how letting go of perfection creates more room for presence.

From building a trusted team and relying on her village to protecting her family's privacy while growing a successful business, Nina shares how she's learned to embrace this season with intention, authenticity, and grace.

A thoughtful conversation about redefining success, choosing presence over perfection, and creating a life that's aligned with what matters most.

Real parents. Real stories. Because it takes a village to raise a child — and a community to raise their parent.

Let's Talk :: NINA SINCLAIR, Of Ocean and Earth Photography
IG - https://www.instagram.com/of.ocean.and.earth.photo/ (Main)
       https://www.instagram.com/the.laneway.studio/
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/la.lilly.ann.photo

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

When life doesn't look the way you once planned, how do you decide what matters most? What does success look like when your priorities change?

WATCH VIDEO EPISODE ON YOUTUBE.

Deb sits down with Rowena Brykin to discuss her family's move from Abu Dhabi to Canada, her decision to leave a successful career to become a homemaker, and the realities of raising four boys, including triplets, two of whom are autistic - one profoundly so.

Together they explore caregiving, marriage, identity, and the invisible load many parents carry while creating a life that better supports their family's needs.

A powerful conversation about redefining success, choosing peace, and discovering that sometimes the greatest act of love is simply being present.

Real parents. Real stories. Because it takes a village to raise a child — and a community to raise their parent.

WATCH THIS EPISODE on YOUTUBE HERE

The Guest: ROWENA BRYKIN
IG - @mama_brykin  (Main)
       @mama_uniquorns
TIKTOK - @victoriagood.ca

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

Blending a family is about much more than combining households—it's about building trust, creating stability, and learning to carry life's invisible load together.

Deb sits down with Carly for an honest conversation about what has helped her blended family flourish. From partnership and communication to clearly defined roles and mutual support, they explore how putting the relationship first can create a stronger foundation for the entire family.

A thoughtful conversation about intentional parenting, teamwork, and redefining what family can look like. Added to that, healthy boundaries, faith, letting go of shame, and dancing around in the kitchen, to help ease some of that Invisible load.

Real parents. Real stories. Because it takes a village to raise a child — and a community to raise their parent.

WATCH THIS EPISODE on YOUTUBE HERE

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

What happens after the rainbow baby arrives?

Deb sits down with her friend and egg donor, Jenn, for an honest conversation about infertility, pregnancy loss, parenting after grief, neurodivergence, and the pressure many parents feel to be grateful while still struggling with the realities of everyday parenting.

A powerful conversation about chosen family, resilience, and the invisible load that remains even after long-awaited dreams come true.

Real parents. Real stories. Because it takes a village to raise a child — and a community to raise their parent.

WATCH THIS EPISODE on YOUTUBE HERE

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

🎙️ Welcome to Sass & Small Talk: Reclaiming the Joy of Parenthood Beyond Burnout — Season 3, originally created with support from TELUS StoryHive

"I’ll start Monday."
Ever said that?

Or:
 "Once the kids are older… once things calm down… once I have time."
We’ve all been there.

In Episode 2 of Sass & Small Talk: Reclaiming the Joy of Parenthood Beyond Burnout, I sit down with health coach and mama, Emily Bowman to talk about something a lot of us don’t say out loud:
💥 The shame of being “busy” but still sedentary.
💥 The pressure to bounce back, shrink down, or “get healthy” according to society’s lens.
💥 The grief of losing our old bodies—and the quiet power of learning to love our current ones.

This one’s not about diet hacks or hitting the gym at 5am.
 It’s about releasing pressure, embracing what our bodies have carried us through, and redefining health our way.

Join Deb and Certified Fitness Coach, Emily Bowman of Nevaeh Jade Beauty and Wellness, as they explore personal wellness beyond societal norms. Emily shares her emotional, often isolating, journey from young caregiver to corporate burnout, igniting a passion for fitness and beauty as a wellness advocate in Victoria, BC. Tune in to discover ways of cultivating a healthy mindset, while enjoying Deb’s humorous attempts to master proper squat form as a way to fit movement into her chaotic schedule.

✨You’re not behind. You’re evolving.

Catch more laughter, squats, Yoga-envy 🧘🏻‍♀️, words of wisdom, and a tear or two… 🎙️NOW STREAMING on a 📺 near you. @Telus OptikTV (search “Storyhive Sass” on Demand), Ch. 9, Stream+ app, ‪@storyhive‬ .

💬 Watch the full season on this YOUTUBE playlist here.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on burnout, motherhood, identity, healing, and everything in between.

Let's Talk :: EMILY BOWMAN
• Instagram - @nevaehjade.beautywellness

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

🎙️ Welcome to Sass & Small Talk: Reclaiming the Joy of Parenthood Beyond Burnout — Season 3, originally created with support from TELUS StoryHive

In this Episode: We talk about the experience of Career Burnout, leading to a bold move of walking away from a successful career in Corporate, and making the pivot to a Family-First Business.

Join Deb and local lifestyle creator and entrepreneur, Natasha Mills of "Momma Mills". Natasha reveals her bold shift from a successful corporate career to building a personal brand from home, striving for family balance while advocating for her community in Victoria, BC. Will this new path bring the joy she seeks, or will it come with its own set of challenges and burnout? Tune in for an inspiring discussion on making a career pivot, finding purpose, and evolving as a recovering high achiever.

💬 Watch the full season on this YOUTUBE playlist here: 

🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes on burnout, motherhood, identity, healing, and everything in between.

Connect with Natasha:
•Instagram
•Natasha's Website
• Natasha's Digital Marketing Course

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF 

Send us Fan Mail

S2 EPISODE 012 :: It's VDay - celebrate the beautiful concept of loving ourselves as women and mamas!

In this episode, there's NO. HOLDING. BACK.
 

Jannine Mackinnon, a community builder and advocate for all women, specializes in Women’s empowerment and female sexuality. She offers a safe space to challenge the social norms that we, as women and mothers, have been conditioned to accept as our reality. 

But it doesn't have to be.

Did you know that women's empowerment goes beyond equal access, breaking gender bias, and feminism? It's all encompassing and it STARTS AT HOME with the decision ultimately being... our own. So let's talk about it!

9:24 - Let's Talk MAMA MARTYRDOM - understanding ourselves as women, resisting the temptation to fall into martyrdom. 

22:55 - Let's Talk FEMINISM  - challenging the "anything you can do, I can do better" approach celebrating where women differ.  

26:13 - Let's Talk HORMONES - did you know we have superpowers that come alive at different points in our cycle?

32:19 - Let's talk RELATIONSHIPS - how the "transactional" approach to relationships, promotes disconnection. 

And the part where your host talks a mile a minute, to offset her flushed cheeks. (you will LOVE this part mamas)

37:50 - Let's talk "ABOUT SEX, baby"- You will soon see (Youtube version), just how your favourite "PRUDE" (yours truly) is literally transformed in one sitting, as we "go there" in the world of self love, and tapping into our own needs.

Give yourselves the ultimate day of self-love, and a much deserved reset. Sit back, and be enlightened by a candid conversation that will blow your mind, open your eyes, and relieve all that pressure (heh, heh).

READ MORE HERE!
WATCH THIS EPI HERE!

LINKS

Let’s Talk :: JANNINE
https://unapologeticmotherhood.com/
IG - @jannine.mackinnon
TikTok - @unapologeticmotherhood
Podcast - @UnapologeticMomsClub / @UnapologeticMomsClub
FB - @unapologeticmotherhood
PIN - @Janninemackinnon

"I NEED MY SASS BACK"  Music Video 

YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music 

IG - @sassandsmalls (Main)
       @sassandsmalltalkpodcast
FB/TIKTOK/WEBSITE

SUBSCRIBE YOUTUBE
Listen HERE
Requests HERE

RATINGS
If you're a parent/caregiver carrying an invisible load & like what you hear? Please share and rate us 5 Stars  

BYE BYE BURNOUT
MY GO-TO for Cortisol-balancing, Gut-healing, Stress Resillience:  "HAPPY" DRINK $10 OFF