Small Conversations for a Better World Podcast

When was the last time you thought about the food you eat  - beyond "what's for dinner?" In this our final episode of Season 3,  we have a HUGE conversation about food systems and food security with Dr. Tammara Soma, Assistant Professor in the School of Resource Management at Simon Fraser University.  We dig deep into food systems, food waste, food security and a circular economy. Dr. Soma takes things way beyond a simple food supply chain to help us understand the vast complexities of our food systems, and how food security is really an issue of social justice. 

About Dr. Tammara Soma
Dr. Tammara Soma holds a Ph.D. in Planning (2018) from the University of Toronto and is the Research Director and Co-Founder of the Food Systems Lab. She is an Assistant Professor at the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University where she conducts research on issues pertaining to food system planning, community-based research, waste management and the circular economy. 

Prior to SFU, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto, and the Food Equity Coordinator at New College (University of Toronto). Her dissertation investigated the factors that influence urban household food consumption and food wasting practices in Indonesia, and the ways in which food systems consideration can improve urban planning decision-making. She has published her work in the journals International Planning Studies, Local Environment, Built Environment, Indonesia, Journal of Agriculture, Food System and Community Development. She is a co-editor with C. Reynolds, J. Lazell, and C. Spring of the Routledge Handbook of Food Waste. 

Beyond academic publications, she has also written for the Huffington Post, Policy Options, Alternatives Journal, and is frequently interviewed by media such as the BBC, Global News, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, CBC, TVO The Agenda and more. She is a 2014 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Doctoral Scholar, a Joseph Armand Bombardier SSHRC CGS Doctoral Fellow, an International Development Research Centre Doctoral Award recipient, and a SSHRC Top 5 Storyteller finalist.

Dr. Soma’s research projects are funded by the SSHRC New Frontiers, SSHRC Trans-Atlantic Platform, SSHRC Insight, and Weston Foundation Seeding Food Innovation Grant. She co-led a tri-country team (U.S, Mexico and Canada) on a Commission for Environmental Cooperation project to develop toolkits for youth engagement in food loss and food waste reduction.

Dr. Soma was selected as a committee member of the US National Academies of Science “A Systems Approach to Reducing Consumer Food Waste” and contributed to the publication of the consensus study A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level.

The Food Systems Lab

FoodWasteStudies.com

The Routledge Handbook of Food Waste
Edited By Christian Reynolds, Tammara Soma, Charlotte Spring, Jordon Lazell

Find Dr. Soma on Social Media!
@TammaraSoma 

Do you love to play outside? How much do you know about the skilled volunteers who jump into action to help when things go south for us in the wilderness? Part outdoor adventurers, part community-minded volunteers, Search and Rescue members offer an extra layer of safety for anyone exploring the outdoors in beautiful BC.  Join us for a conversation with Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue Search Manager Dave Steers about how search and rescue groups are managed and funded, how teams are trained,  how call-outs work and what life is like for a SAR volunteer.  Listen in for the inside scoop! 

About Dave Steers
Dave Steers has been an avid outdoor enthusiast for his entire life. While living in Pemberton BC,  and working in the ski industry, Dave was a founding member of Pemberton Search and Rescue, and served there as Search Manager for more than 20 years. When he retired, Dave and his wife moved to Sechelt, BC where he now serves with Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue.  (And yeah, in case you were wondering, Dave is Susannah's brother.)

Important Links:

BC Search & Rescue Association (BCSARA)

Emergency Management BC (EMBC)

BC AdventureSmart on Instagram

BC AdventureSmart Trip Plan App

The Search and Rescue Series: North Shore Rescue (Knowledge Network)

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Find Susannah Steers at www.movingspirit.ca and on social media @themovingspirit.

Find Gillian McCormick at https://physiogillian.com/ and on social media @physiogillian

A conversation about the readiness of British Columbia NICU's to employ a model of  care imported from Columbia called Kangaroo Care with the project coordinator and an Independent Consultant working for Perinatal Services. 

BIO: Sarah Coutts - Independent Consultant, Kangaroo Care Project

Sarah is a lactation consultant, neonatal nurse and the mother of 4 kids. She has a passion for Kangaroo Care (continuous skin-to-skin contact) with preterm infants and their parents while in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She believes Kangaroo Care can lead to improved outcomes and better experiences for parents of preterm infants. Kangaroo Care helps maintain parents as the primary caregivers and ensures they can be with their baby during their stay in the NICU – promoting zero separation is essential.

Her most recent position at Perinatal Services BC in the Kangaroo Care research and implementation project team has been a highlight for her and hopefully leads to supporting BC NICUs to fully embrace Kangaroo Care as a model of care.

Sarah is hoping to continue to promote and research Kangaroo Care locally and internationally and reduce separation between mothers and their infants after birth and while in the hospital.

Alix Woldring - Project Coordinator, Clinical Systems and Quality Improvement, Perinatal Services BC

I currently coordinate the Kangaroo Care program at Perinatal Services BC. In 2016, I completed my Masters in International Development from the University of Sydney in Australia and found myself working in the agriculture and natural resources sector on projects related to sustainability and climate change adaptation in the Asia Pacific region. My background in sociology meant that while surrounded by environmental scientists, agriculture specialists and engineers, I was always curious about the social, cultural and political conditions that contributed to the disparities that were being addressed by these projects.

Once I started at Perinatal Services BC, the Kangaroo Care program immediately caught my attention.  There was a simple, low cost, low tech intervention, started in Colombia, that was hugely backed by evidence for both mother and infant. More than that, the Kangaroo Care project was about not only about the context of care in the NICU, it’s also about the context of people's lives. Involving families in the care of the infant as part of the care team involves a fundamental shift in the role of families, how they are seen by healthcare providers and how families see their own role. Maximising parental presence and participation in the NICU requires looking at the conditions that shape people's lives and the barriers and challenges they face to being in the NICU.

Discover Alix and Sarah;
Coutts, S., Woldring, A., Pederson, A. et al. What is stopping us? An implementation science study of kangaroo care in British Columbia’s neonatal intensive care units. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 21, 52 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-020-03488-5

http://www.perinatalservicesbc.ca/health-professionals/professional-resources/kangaroo-care

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Find Susannah Steers at www.movingspirit.ca and on social media @themovingspirit.

Find Gillian McCormick at https://physiogillian.com/ and on social media @physiogillian

Concussion is a confusing, somewhat misunderstood diagnosis that impacts many individuals every day. We have an in-depth conversation about Concussion, to discuss what it is, what happens to individuals who have one and what kinds of things help to cure concussion. One intervention that can really make a difference for those who suffer concussion is Vision Therapy, and the growing field of Behavioural Optometry.  We discuss how athletes who play sports with high risk of concussion can be assessed by a Behavioural Optometrist to see how well their visual systems and movement systems are coordinated, before an injury happens. This may indicate concussion suseptibility and may help to decrease the impact of a concussion on this individual.

BIO: Dr. Meuller is an Optometrist in Vision Development and Rehabilitation. She is the founder of NeuroVision Clinic, which uses neuro-optometric assessment, optometric vision therapy, and NeuroDevelopmental Movement. She is a Fellow with the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and Board Certified in Rehabilitative Optometric Vision Therapy. She is a Clinical Associate with the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, Neuro Optometric Rehab Association, and a member of Vision Therapy Canada. Dr. Mueller completed her Doctor of Optometry with Honours from the University of Waterloo in 2001. In 1997 she graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an Honours Bachelor of Science, double major in Physiology and Psychology, with Distinction. Throughout her university career she was involved in vision research.

Discover Dr. Mueller online:
Neurovisiontherapy.com

Facebook: NeuroVision Therapy
Instagram: @neurovisiontherapy

Discover more about Concussions and Screening Concussions here:
cattonline.com

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Find Susannah Steers at www.movingspirit.ca and on social media @themovingspirit.

Find Gillian McCormick at https://physiogillian.com/ and on social media @physiogillian

Homelessness is a pervasive and growing problem in Canada.  It is both a cause and a consequence of many serious problems around a person's health and wellbeing. When homelessness strikes for our youth, those problems can be amplified exponentially, and can have impacts that last a lifetime.  Katie Heggtveit is the Founder and Director of Impact,  Bootcamps for Change, an organization dedicated  to improving  fitness, health, self-efficacy, confidence and employment prospects for youth living in homeless shelters. We talked to her today about  youth homelessness, and the very impressive work she's doing to make a difference. Have a listen and be inspired!

About Katie Heggtveit
Katie Heggtveit is the founder of "Bootcamps for Change" #SweatierForTheBetter, an organization that shows how fitness can break the cycle of poverty through better health and a foundation for sustainable livelihood. She’s run over 15 sold-out fitness events in Toronto, Thunder Bay, and Halifax, sharing her passions as a TEDx speaker and facilitator of entrepreneurship and homelessness workshops for thousands of high-school and post-secondary students. In 2020, she was named to The Future of Good’s Top 21 New Founders to Watch, 30 Nonprofit Founders That Will Impact the World by CauseArtist, a Top 100 Health and Fitness Influencer in Canada by OptiMYz Magazine, Emerging Leader in Ontario by the Government of Canada, and was the recipient of a national $20,000 scholarship for student leaders. She is currently pursuing her Master of Management Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Queen’s University, and will be pursuing her DrPH. Always keen for adventure: traveling to nearly 40 countries at the age of 24 - riding camels, hiking with locals, and jumping out of airplanes!

Katie Heggtveit at TedX:  Failure is for the Privileged

Bootcamps for Change on Social Media
@BootcampsforChange

Katie Heggtveit on Instagram
 katie.heggtveit

Endometriosis is a diagnosis that many women in Canada and globally struggle with. It can take many years to be diagnosed, leads to serious health issues and creates significant economic impacts. Endometriosis is present in 50% of women with infertility and often results in chronic pain. There are many myths and much misinformation about endometriosis. We brought Canadian Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, Jill Mueller, on the podcast for a stark conversation on the truth about endometriosis, a discussion of how to manage the pain of endometriosis successfully and why to make an endometriosis fertility plan early in life.  

BIO:
Jill has been a physiotherapist for almost 20 years, but became interested in the pelvic side of therapy after experiencing her own fertility and pain challenges linked to endometriosis. She wanted to share with clients the evidence-informed techniques that she learned and has used on herself to help her get out of her own monthly pain.

Jill is currently designing an online course for physiotherapists and their role for endometriosis, and hopes to have that completed for next fall through Reframe Rehab and Pelvic Health Solutions.

She currently assists for those companies with their Biopsychosocial Approach to Pain course.

Discover Jill Mueller, PT
WEB: jillmueller.ca           hbpw.ca
Social Media: @jillmuellerpt    @oakvillephysio

Keep an eye out for online endometriosis course for patients, and pelvic physios!

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Find Susannah Steers at www.movingspirit.ca and on social media @themovingspirit.

Find Gillian McCormick at https://physiogillian.com/ and on social media @physiogillian

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We may not always connect the dots, but our social environment has a massive impact on our health and wellbeing. Social Determinants of Health involve a list of things that are proven to directly influence health outcomes. They include sex, gender identity, race, the level of education of your parents and of yourself, where you live, how much money you make, and a host of other factors. We reached out to Kristy Kerr, Executive Director of the BC CDC Foundation for Public Health to ask her about the Social Determinants of Health, and their impact on our health. She talked to us about some of the great initiatives this one-of-a-kind foundation is involved in, in efforts to address these social realities.

About Kristy Kerr
Kristy Kerr is the Executive Director of the BCCDC Foundation, a registered charity,  working in partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control, as well as other stakeholders, in order to improve public health outcomes in BC. She’s responsible for leading strategic direction, organizational development, and the consistent achievement of the mission, vision, and mandate of the BCCDC Foundation. Kristy believes that our best way forward to create a truly healthy society is to increase public health awareness  and investment, and she is leading the Foundation with these goals in mind. Passionate about health promotion, prevention, health equity, and the social determinants of health, Kristy believes we need to shift our focus to upstream actions, that is, addressing root causes of issues and emphasizing positive and holistic health. Upstream thinking will shift our current primary focus on the acute care system toward an investment in stopping problems before they need to be fixed, resulting in a reduction in the burden on our healthcare system, and thereby improving it in the 
process. 

Prior to joining the BCCDC Foundation, Kristy worked in different research management 
and grant- writing roles within the academic world. She also worked in international  development and global health, spending time in Zambia and Kenya working with local stakeholders on various community-based initiatives. Kristy has a Master’s degree in Public Health with a specialization in Health Promotion, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Biology, and an Associate’s degree in Creative Writing. 

A BCCDC Foundation Call to Action
The BCCDC Foundation needs advocates to spread the message that we all have a role
to play in population health: individual actions can have a population impact. By working together to shift how we see health and how we engage with our healthcare system, we can protect the health of our communities now and for future generations.

Are you interested in hearing more about the work of the BCCDC Foundation? Want to join our battle cry and Activate Health by becoming a health ambassador in your community?

Learn more at www.bccdcfoundation.org and join us on Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram @BccdcFoundation. 

If you’d like to support the BCCDC Foundation’s initiatives to address COVID-19, the
overdose crisis, or other priorities, you can donate online or reach out to donate @bccdcfoundation.org

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Find Susannah Steers at www.movingspirit.ca and on social media @themovingspirit.

Find Gillian McCormick at https://physiogillian.com/ and on social media @physiogillian

Last year on the podcast, we learned that health and security are a lot more closely linked than we ever imagined. The Covid19 pandemic amplified that fact exponentially.  We realized that we had some big questions about systemic racism, misogyny and intolerance in Canadian policing.  We also wanted a better understanding what it might actually mean to defund the police.  

We reached out to  BC RCMP Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan for her take on things, and for a Canadian, and  an historical context. In the aftermath of the Bastarache Report, Jennifer brought us her perspectives on where the RCMP has been, where the organization is now, and where it's headed. Join us for this wide-ranging conversation that explores everything from RCMP training, to police handling of culturally sensitive issues, to intolerance within the force, and what's being done to make things better. 

For PDF copies of the Rainbow Project Initiative and the RCMP Guide to Supporting Transgender, Non-Binary and Two-Spirit Employees, mentioned in this episode, email us at [email protected] and we'll send you the PDFs.

About Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan 
With 32 years in policing, D/Commr. Jennifer Strachan spent 14 of those in a broad range of front-line policing roles in British Columbia. She has also worked in administrative duties at the Provincial and National level, in addition to completing a Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti in 1996. She also served as the desk officer responsible for peacekeeping deployments to the Former Yugoslavia.

Her frontline policing experience started with her first posting in Whistler, BC and then Westshore Detachment. She was commissioned in 2002 to the role of Executive Officer to the Deputy Commissioner of Corporate Management & Comptrollership and since then some of her postings have included: Officer in Charge of the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre; Detective Inspector in Charge of Montreal Drug Section; and, Officer in Charge of Operational Policy and Programs in Contract & Indigenous Policing at National Headquarters. She served as a District Commander, Criminal Operations Officer, and as the Commanding Officer in "O" Division, Ontario, and the Deputy Commissioner responsible for Specialized Policing Services.

D/Commr. Strachan holds an Undergraduate degree from the University of Ottawa as well as a Master's degree from Royal Roads University. She is a graduate of the Canadian Police College Executive Development in Policing program and is an Alumni of the Leadership in Counter Terrorism Association. With a passion for supporting others in realizing their career goals, D/Commr. Strachan is a proud recipient of the 2014 Ontario Women in Law Enforcement - Mentor of the Year award as well as the 2014 International Association of Women Police - Mentor of the Year award. In 2016, she was invested as an Officer of the Order of Merit for Police Forces (O.O.M) by the Governor General of Canada.

She manages competing demands between work and home, thanks to the unwavering support and commitment of her husband and son.

BC RCMP (English)
GRC en CB (Français)

Find D/Com Jennifer Strachan on Twitter:
@RCMP_GRC_EDIVCO

Find BC RCMP on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
@bcrcmp (English) ; @grcencb (French)

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The Small Conversations for a Better World Podcast is officially one year old!  And on January 1st, 2021, we're launching our third season. We can't wait! With a global pandemic as a backdrop, 2020 was a rollercoaster ride on an epic scale. The interconnectedness of things became even more apparent. Cracks in the foundation were revealed, and we realized it was even more important to talk about the things we see and experience around us that influence, and are influenced by our health. With that in mind, we've curated another fabulous lineup of authorities  who can expand perspectives on our central theme: What is Health?

As we launch Season 3, we thought we'd take a few moments to re-introduce ourselves, and share what we've learned so far, and what we're planning for this year. There is so much to talk about! We're kicking off on New Year's day with an in-depth conversation with BC RCMP Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan, who answered our questions about systemic racism and intolerance in Canadian policing.

That's just the tip of the iceberg! We'll talk about food security with Dr. Tammara Soma; about the social determinants of health with Kristy Kerr,  Director of the BC CDC Foundation for Public Health. We'll talk about fitness and homelessness, and how they link in ways you might not expect. We'll dive deep into endometriosis, concussions, and Kangaroo Care. And we'll get an insiders perspective about Search and Rescue in BC. 

Subscribe to the podcast -  and Season 3, episode 1 will drop into your playlist on New Year's Day.  After that, look for new episodes every Friday for the duration of the season.  Check out the great conversations you may have missed from Seasons 1 & 2.

 Follow us on social media to share your thoughts on the things we're talking about, to ask questions, and to let us know about things you think we need to talk about!

Small Conversations for A Better World Podcast
www.smallconversationspodcast.ca

Small Conversations Socials :
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Gillian McCormick, PT
www.physiogillian.com
Socials: @physiogillian

Susannah Steers 
www.movingspirit.ca 
Socials : @themovingspirit, @susannahsteersnv 

Discover The Embodiment Conference, a 10 day, free, online conference about all things Embodiment. We talk to Mr. Embodiment himself, the charismatic Mark Walsh about what it is and why the people and the planet need this more than ever right now.

Mark's Bio: I’m Mr Embodiment! 😉 I run the Embodiment Conference, wrote the embodiment book, and make the embodiment sandwiches for lunch daily. But you knew that already, so what’s the story? I have loved body-mind arts like yoga, conscious dance, meditation, and martial arts my whole adult life; and also been saddened that these can stay “on the mat” and not really impact the day-to-day lives of people. I did years of aikido before I ever took the principles into a conversation, and found that while I got very still on meditation retreats, afterwards that stillness barely lasted past my first Facebook update. I’ve also spent the last 15 years working with “normal” busy practical people, who just want quick wins and practical tools, and don’t have the time or the energy to take on a whole philosophy. I’ve found what works best in the real world, with business people, soldiers, single mums, aid workers, NHS staff, etc, and I can teach it to you. I’ve realized that while embodiment is great, there needs to be a bridge between formal arts and the realities of our lives. With that in mind I have put this accessible, pragmatic course together to help ordinary people who want to get this stuff without the woo-woo trappings. Experienced practitioners who want more life integration are going to love this too. I filmed it in my own house, and shared the actual things I use daily, as I wanted to show the REAL way to use this work. This felt a bit personal actually, but that’s the point (don’t judge my messy kitchen!).I’m really proud of this one, not because it’s some leading-edge craziness, but just because I’m confident that it will work for people. I’m also happy that it’s an accessible price and format, as the world really needs this stuff. As ever, I’m not for everyone, but if your cup of tea isn’t chai-spiced bullshit, I’m your man.

Find Mark Walsh on the web:
https://theembodimentconference.org/
https://embodiedfacilitator.com/
https://embodiedfacilitator.com/the-embodiment-podcast/
https://www.embodiedyogaprinciples.com/
https://www.theembodimentbook.com/

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Find Susannah Steers at www.movingspirit.ca and on social media @themovingspirit.

Find Gillian McCormick at https://physiogillian.com/ and on social media @physiogillian