The Big Ideas Podcast

MRU Alumni, Kimberly Gray and Kalyn Edworthy are the creators behind the award winning short documentary, The Root of it All; a film that explores our relationship with food, community and the earth.

Kimberly and Kalyn reflect on their journey bringing this project to life and unpack the hidden stories behind our meals. From the importance of soil health to the role of food in healing and belonging, they heard firsthand experiences from farmers, Indigenous knowledge keepers, and newcomers finding home through the land.

In this episode, I sit down with MRU alum, Alyssa Davies: founder of the personal finance blog, Mixed Up Money, author of two books; the 100 Day Financial Goal Journal and Financial First Aid, and co-host of the Money Feels podcast.

She joined me for a very honest conversation about our complicated relationship with money and how we can untangle the emotional connections to our finances so we can make our money make sense.

Whether it’s in the classroom, or in our community, feeling like you belong can have a huge impact on your everyday life and wellness. And for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, feeling that sense of belonging and having those safe spaces can be really challenging.

And here at MRU, one of those spaces is the QriTical Hub. The hub, or known as just “QriTical”, was founded by MRU faculty members, Corinne Mason and Celeste Pang, and serves as a connector and intellectual hub for Queer and Trans faculty, students, and the broader community at Mount Royal University.

In this episode, I met up virtually with Corinne, and Celeste, and MRU alum, Eva Legare to talk more about QriTical and why having spaces like this are so important when it comes to belonging and wellness.

In this episode we unpack how social media captivates us, and the double-edged sword of connection and commercialization in online wellness spaces. Guest, Elaine Ori, shares fascinating insights from her research, including how marketing tactics tap into our emotions and how sensationalized claims—like the infamous “red wine is equal to exercise” headline—can mislead us.

In this episode, Deja speaks with MRU alum, Joan Gregory and Director of MRU's Centre for Health and Innovation in Aging, Jocelyn Rempel, about aging, ageism, and intergenerational connections. They share their perceptions of aging and reflect on the evolving narratives around age, purpose, and the interconnectedness across generations. This inspiring conversation reframes aging as a journey of growth, purpose, and connection.

After experiencing a grave misdiagnosis that cost her years of her life, Samaria took control of her own health and became a strong healthcare advocate for others.

Today, Samaria pours her energy and education into improving access to culturally appropriate services for Indigenous people, and blending the best of Western and Indigenous modalities in wellness.

Like many other nurses in Canada, Kent is seeing first hand the troubles that are impacting the world of healthcare. According to the Canadian Nursing Association, between 37-57 percent of graduate nurses will leave the profession in their second year of practice. Kent joined me remotely from his home in Campbell River to talk about some of the factors leading to this extraordinary attrition rate, and what he’s working on to try and solve it.

In this episode, I met up virtually with MRU professor, Allison Dubé and MRU student, Daniela Torres to discuss the topic of “Happiness”. Have our expectations for happiness changed across generations? Has being “happy” become an elusive state we think we’ll reach only after we accomplish the “next big thing”? When social media makes it seem like everyone is doing life “better”, how can we possibly feel a sense of fulfillment with reality?

Discover new ways to connect, communicate and engage in the democratic process in a meaningful way.

In a system designed to divide and pit us against one another, how do we engage in healthy conversations about politics?