TELUS Talks with Tamara Taggart

Few writers can boast a publishing schedule like Dene storyteller Richard Van Camp, who published twenty six books in as many years, including novels, children’s literature, and graphic fiction. But Richard has a not-so-secret method for developing stories: he listens. He spoke with Tamara about how the people in his family and community are bursting with stories he couldn’t wait to tell, and how he treats each one they share with him as a gift.

For LGBTQ2+ individuals facing persecution and state-sponsored violence around the world, Rainbow Railroad can provide a pathway to a better life. They partner with local and international organizations to relocate and support queer people whose lives are in danger. Managing Director WInnie Luk spoke to Tamara about the role of the media in bringing attention to the cause, the challenges connecting globally during the pandemic, and how we all can help.

You might know author Eden Robinson from the feature film adaptation of her novel Monkey Beach, or from the binge-worthy CBC series based on her Trickster trilogy. But the Eden that Tamara spoke to was someone painfully and hilariously honest about the messy inner world of a writer. From using writing to weather the pandemic to taking comfort in the storytelling traditions of her Haisla and Heiltsuk family, Eden makes the case for following your muse.

When Dr. Daniel Kalla isn’t leading the emergency department at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital, he pens best-selling thrillers that take us behind the curtain of global medicine. His new novel, Lost Immunity, arrives at just the right time, capturing the trials and tribulations of a public health officer tasked with defeating a terrifying new pandemic. Sound familiar? Dr. Kalla speaks with Tamara about how he uses fiction to exorcise our medical anxieties and fears.

We’re over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re all missing our friends. Journalist and author Kayleen Schaefer has written two books about the power of female friendship, and she joins Tamara to talk about how women can support each other at home and in the workplace, the role sexism plays in keeping women apart, and how we can all nurture profound (but not perfect) relationships with the people who matter most.

Some days it feels impossible to fit everything into 24 hours, but award-winning novelist, journalist and mother Karma Brown believes most of us can find one hour that’s just for us. She joins Tamara to discuss her latest book, The 4% Fix, her path to becoming an author and how simple things, like setting your alarm a little earlier, can get you closer to achieving your goals.

It’s our second Mother’s Day in a pandemic and moms are struggling more than ever to balance parenting and work responsibilities. Two TELUS leaders have taken the initiative to create the Mama Bear program, a community that uplifts, empowers, and celebrates the challenges and capabilities of working mothers. Kate Evans and Angelica Victoria are using the virtual tools we’ve all been using for over a year to create an inclusive, positive space for mothers to share, without judgement or sugar coating.

A lot has happened since Tamara last spoke to Dr. Michael Osterholm, infectious disease expert, in July of 2020. Since then, he’s become part of President Biden’s transition team, advising him and his cabinet on the pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. He joins us again to discuss the variants cropping up across the globe, the vaccination efforts in the US and Canada, and the challenges we all face in preparing for life after the pandemic.

Jen Bennett from Google joins Tamara in a special Earth Day episode to discuss how leading industries around the globe are digging into new environmental goals, why this is linked to addressing social inequality, and how there’s never been more opportunities for business owners, and really, all of us, to make intentional, sustainable choices about the future of our planet.

Sarah Wilson, author of “This One Wild and Precious Life: A Hopeful Path Forward in a Fractured World”, spent the past year watching as wildfires, the #MeToo movement, and a global pandemic rocked her home country of Australia. She saw the need for a new path forward, and joins Tamara to discuss the urgency of climate change, finding strength and human connection in rage, and the science behind how hiking in nature calms anxiety.