Shaping Our World

Hellooo! Jack "The Coach" Armstrong — former NCAA basketball coach and beloved Toronto Raptors analyst on TSN — visits the Shaping Our World podcast to chat about the intersection of parenting and coaching and the value of sport in the lives of young people.

Raising children in the age of digital media can be a daunting task for any parent. With the ever-increasing use of technology and screen time, it is essential for parents to be vigilant about online safety and the potential risks associated with the internet. Mental healthcare professionals, authors and digital technology trend experts Jenny Black and Bob Hutchins stop by the podcast to chat about how technology and digital media affects us, impacts young people, and the ways parents can help children navigate the new digital reality.

Skye Bowen is an educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. She's a passionate leader and an advocate for equity and social justice. Skye and her husband Orlando — who's also been a guest of Shaping Our World — dealt with the trauma of Orlando being assaulted by two police officers in a racial profiling incident. Despite this challenge, she continued to mentor students and empowered them to persevere despite the racism and discrimination many of her own students faced. She joins us on the podcast to talk about how she's shaping the world of young people through both an educational and social justice lens.

Elizabeth Bennett is an award-winning principal with over 35 years of experience as an educator and administrator. She's also an author, and coaches parents on how to have meaningful discussions with their kids to build healthy and helpful relationships. She stopped by the podcast to talk about ways parents can lead their lives with joy and love, and really helps us unpack how to have "courageous conversations" with our teenagers.

Nora Vincent-Braun is the Be There Network representative for Jack.org, a Canadian charity revolutionizing youth mental health. Nora is passionate about creating a more accessible and equitable mental health landscape in Canada. She recently stopped by the podcast to discuss her role at Jack.org along with ways we can help to promote mental health advocacy and improve mental health outcomes among youth in our communities.

Our first-ever roundtable discussion features veteran educators from the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (Brian Marenchin, Greg Peck and Paul Picard) and Muskoka Woods' Director of Schools & Groups, Lucas Durocher, chatting about youth development, the importance of camp and extracurriculars, parenting tips and more!

Ray Johnston is the founder of Bayside Church, Thrive Communications and Thriving Churches International (TCI), which hosts the largest pastors and church staff conferences in the western United States. A master communicator, Ray is well known for his books, The Hope Quotient, and Jesus Called. He has spoken face to face to more than two million people over the past 45 years. Ray stopped by the podcast to talk about challenges and successes in modern parenting while sharing many insights, helpful tips and personal stories. Not to be missed!

We're starting off Season 3 of the Shaping Our World podcast by bringing back one of our earliest and most insightful guests — Tim Elmore. Tim is founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization created to develop emerging leaders. He has written over 35 books and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, USA Today, Psychology Today along with appearing on CNN and Fox & Friends. Tim is back with us again to unpack some new insights on generational differences, leadership development and how to best nurture the young leaders in your life.

Carrie Patterson, Managing Director of MindUP™ | The Goldie Hawn Foundation, has a long, extensive and proven career specializing in non-profit and youth development organizations. She recently stopped by the podcast to discuss how we can help our children develop the knowledge and tools they need to manage stress, regulate emotions, and face the challenges of the 21st century.

Chloe Maxwell first travelled to Africa with her family when she was eight years old and spent the following six summers helping lead Heart for Africa service trips with her family to Eswatini, Malawi and Kenya. Today, Chloe is the Marketing & Communication Specialist at Heart for Africa (Canada), where she shares her love for Heart for Africa with fellow Canadians. Chloe stopped by the podcast to talk about her personal service journey along with tips for parents on how they can help their children find purpose and passion while engaging more with the world around them.