The Waiting Room Revolution

By Hsien Seow and Samantha WinemakerMedicine Health & Fitness

The Waiting Room Revolution episodes

October 06 S13: Episode 139: Linda Levine: ALS, caregiving and intimacy
In this episode, grief and life coach Linda Levine shares how her husband David’s ALS diagnosis reshaped (but didn’t erase) their love story. Linda and Hsien chat about protecting caregiver identity, asking for help, navigating grief in a death‑denying society, and reclaiming intimacy and joy even as illness progresses. Linda shares how ALS may change a body, it doesn’t have to take two lives. Learn more about Linda on her website: https://www.surpriseenterprise.com/about
Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
51 min
September 29 S13: Episode 138: Mary Ellen Macdonald- Grief at work, death literacy and person-centered care
In this episode, Hsien talks with Dr. Mary Ellen Macdonald, a social scientist and palliative care researcher working in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hsien and Mary Ellen discuss the importance of grief literacy, death literacy, and person-centered care in palliative medicine. We also chat about grief at work, and how timing played an important role in community expressions of grief in Nova Scotia. Read more about Mary Ellens work here: https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/department-sites/medicine/divisions/palliative-medicine/our-people/faculty/maryellen-macdonald.html

Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
50 min
September 22 S13: Episode 137: Dr. Dan Dorevitch- Pediatrics and communication skills
In this episode of Waiting Room Revolution, Hsien talks with Dr. Dan Dorevitch, a pediatric palliative care physician in Australia. Hsien and Dan discuss the nuances of pediatric palliative care and how communication strategies apply across the entire age spectrum in healthcare.
Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
54 min
June 23 S12: Episode 136: Bill and Anna Harder
A longtime palliative care navigator, Bill Harder returns not as a professional, but as a husband alongside his wife Anna, who is living with stage 4 breast cancer. Together, they share how they’ve navigated a delayed diagnosis, chose quality of life over aggressive treatment, and use dark humour, honesty, and deep love to “walk two roads”. They talk about death binders, funeral pre-planning, and the village that holds them, showing what it looks like to grieve as you go and still embrace joy. The episode closes with a powerful AI-generated love song Bill created for Anna, “Live Till She Dies,” a musical legacy of their life on the land and their commitment to living fully to the end.
Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

1 hr 2 min
June 16 S12: Episode 135: Kira Goodman and Dave Lysecki
In this episode, Hsien and Sammy talk with RN and project director Kira Goodman and pediatric palliative care physician Dr. Dave Lysecki about what makes pediatric palliative care unique, why it’s not “too sad,” and how early, family-centered support can transform the journey for children with serious illness. They also explore the creation of Canada’s Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance and its efforts to build a unified, equitable approach to care across the country. Learn more about the Alliance here: https://www.pediatricpalliativecare.ca/
Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
56 min
June 09 S12: Episode 134: Sunny Brouse
In this episode, Hsien and Sammy chat with Sunny Brouse. Sunny was diagnosed with ALS over a decade ago and leads a global community of young women with ALS. We talk about her long, disorienting road to diagnosis, what clinicians miss when they focus on function over quality of life and how dark humor, planning ahead and honest talk can protect hope. Learn more about Sunny's journey here: https://sunnystrong.com/
Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
1 hr 8 min
June 02 S12: Episode 133: Barbara MacLean
In this episode, Hsien and Sammy sit down with Barbara MacLean, Executive Director of Family Caregivers of British Columbia and a leading voice for caregivers in Canada. Barbara shares her powerful origin story from supporting children with disabilities in grade six to becoming a national change agent for family and friend caregivers. We also chat all things caregivers, including visibility and distress and ways to combat both. To learn more about Barbara's work visit: https://www.familycaregiversbc.ca
Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
55 min
May 26 S12: Episode 132: Ella Tan
In this episode, Hsien chats with Ella Tan, an Employment and Family Support Worker and Caregiver Advocate. They chat about the hidden realities of paid care providers in Canada including immigration hurdles, debt, family separation, and the blurred boundaries of working in employers’ homes. Ella shares how community networks, settlement supports, and policy change can transform not only caregivers’ lives but the quality and dignity of care for everyone. Check out Ella's podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3FjXuS9QV9zxyEI4lhHYHT

Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
44 min
May 19 S12: Episode 131: Myles Sergeant
In this episode, Hsien and Sammy chat with Dr. Myles Sargeant, family physician and planetary health expert. We chat about how healthcare can reduce its environmental footprint with delivering better care, heat islands and why home based palliative care is one of the greenest things we can do. Learn more about Myles work here: https://greenhealthcare.ca/

Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/

Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
54 min
May 12 S12: Episode 130: Pierre and Sherrie Marchand
In this episode Pierre and Sherrie Marchand share how a rare, terminal uveal melanoma upended their retirement and reshaped their lives. They reflect on vision loss, caregiving, family impact, and how The Waiting Room Revolution helped them find clarity, voice, and a way to balance hope with planning ahead.

Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
1 hr 1 min

About The Waiting Room Revolution

From the publisher's feed

This podcast can help anyone dealing with serious illness. Over the years, we have cared for and interviewed thousands of patients and families who tell us they felt overwhelmed and ‘in the dark’ during their illness journey. Yet we sometimes heard stories where individuals felt prepared, in control and ‘in the know.’ What was the difference between these experiences? The answer is the 7 keys. Join your hosts Dr. Samantha Winemaker, palliative care doctor, and Dr. Hsien Seow, health care researcher, as they share real-life stories to explain the 7 keys to being hopeful and prepared when facing serious illness.