Through The Fire

On the new episode, Don is joined by singer-songwriter Jessica Mitchell. They discuss the ups and downs of working in the music industry, mental health and more. Please scroll down to see some of our suggested resources as some of the content in this episode may be hard for some to hear.

Jessica Mitchell is, at heart, a storyteller – an open book, inspired by the raw honesty and storytelling nature of the genre. Mitchell’s much anticipated debut album Heart of Glass, was released in 2018. The record embodies powerful and soulful melodies and lyrical brilliance, while showcasing Mitchell’s vocal talent in the purest of forms – and the result is utterly and heartbreakingly beautiful.

She has spent the last decade travelling between Toronto and Nashville, focusing on writing new music, collaborating with top-notch songwriters and crafting her richly unique sound. Mitchell continues to make her mark as a renowned singer-songwriter. She wrote “The Chase” off Celine Dion’s album, Courage, which debuted #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Mitchell’s acclaimed single “Workin’ on Whiskey” was recently cut by country music artist Trisha Yearwood and was released on her latest album Every Girl in August 2019.

Mitchell’s “Workin’ on Whiskey” was the top added song to radio at the time of its release. Mitchell has opened for Kiefer Sutherland, Royal Wood, Ron Sexsmith, Terri Clark, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Reid, Willie Nelson and Matt Mays. She sites honouring Neil Young with a Tribute at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala at Massey Hall as a career highlight.

Mitchell believes that pain and loss are oftentimes at the heart of every relatable piece of music. As she puts it, “You’ll never see the light until it’s completely dark, and it got dark for a while.” After losing her mother to a long battle with cancer, Mitchell had her own epiphany about what kind of artist she wanted to become. Her hope is that by sharing grief, and other personal experiences through her music, she will forge genuine bonds with her audience. When listening to Mitchell’s music, she makes it very easy for you to latch on to her genuine, powerful lyrics – while making just anyone realize they are not alone.

Follow Jessica on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessicamitchell 

Follow Jessica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicamitchellmusic/

Find out more about Jessica on her website: http://jessicamitchellmusic.com/

Find Jessica on YouTube

Some mental health resources:

Talk Suicide – https://talksuicide.ca/

Canadian Suicide Crisis Support – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html

Canadian Mental Health Association – https://cmha.ca

Mood Disorders Society of Canada – https://mdsc.ca

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – https://www.camh.ca 

Mental health and substance use support for people in Canada and Canadians abroad. Always free and virtual, 24/7:

https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA

https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA/service/talk

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast:

https://donamero.ca/through-the-fire-podcast/

https://www.instagram.com/throughthefirepod/

https://www.tiktok.com/@throughthefirepod

https://www.instagram.com/donamero/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thedonamero

https://twitter.com/donaldamero

Listen to Don Amero's music: https://donamero.lnk.tt/ATLEM

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To begin 2023, host Don Amero sits down with his executive producer Sarah Burke to discuss the intention behind the Through the Fire Podcast while reflecting on the first ten episodes. Both Don and Sarah discuss some of their past "fires" and how they have learned from those experiences. Sarah Burke is a Canadian broadcaster, podcast host, producer, and storyteller based in Toronto. She is currently the evening host for Indie88 (CIND-FM) in Toronto, the Women in Media Podcast, and formerly SiriusXM. She’s also co-hosting and chase-producer for the Jann Arden radio show and podcast.

Find out more about Sarah and her work:https://www.sarahburke.ca/

Listen to Sarah's Women in Media Podcast: http://womeninmedia.ca/

Follow Sarah on Instagram @Burketalks

Follow Sarah on Twitter @Burketalks

Find Sarah on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Burketalks

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast: https://donamero.ca/through-the-fire-podcast/

https://www.instagram.com/throughthefirepod/

https://www.tiktok.com/@throughthefirepod

https://www.instagram.com/donamero/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thedonamero

https://twitter.com/donaldamero

Listen to Don Amero's music: https://donamero.lnk.tt/ATLEM

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With a natural talent for telling stories through music, rising Canadian country artist Jade Turner continues to share and support the Indigenous culture that inspires her. Recognized for her original songwriting and stunning music videos, she has also been very open about her experiences as a member of Misipawistik Cree Nation and her mental health journey. Disclaimer: in this episode, there is a discussion about suicide and the content may not be suitable for all audiences.

Learn more about Jade Turner:

Follow Jade on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_Jade_Turner

Follow Jade on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jade.turner.music/

Find Jade on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmGj4UVXnvUogXUu_UQgStQ

Jade also recommends the following books:

The Mountain is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery, Brianna Wiest

When You're Ready, This is How You Heal, Brianna Wiest

Rise Sister Rise, Rebecca Campbell 

Some mental health resources:

Talk Suicide – https://talksuicide.ca/

Canadian Suicide Crisis Support – https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html

Canadian Mental Health Association – https://cmha.ca

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – https://www.camh.ca 

A new three-digit telephone number available to Canadians in need of mental health and suicide prevention will be in place by November 2023, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission recently announced.

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Host Don Amero sits down with multi-instrumentalist R&B singer-songwriter, Sebastian Gaskin. He is based in Winnipeg, Canada, and grew up in Tataskweyak Cree Nation, or Split Lake as it’s better known. Sebastian writes and self-produces music that is anything but formulaic, thanks to eclectic musical tastes in R&B, Hip Hop, Metal,and Punk. The Winnipeg Free Press says: “...think Post Malone mixed with Frank Ocean, all swag and smooth vocals, hits of hip-hop and rap, rounded out with emotive thoughtful lyrics.” Gaskin is the recipient of the 2021 Western Canadian Music Award for R&B Artist of the Year, the 2021 Kevin Walters Songwriting Award, and was also chosen to attend the 2021 Allan Slaight Juno Masterclass. He was also recently included in TikTok's Indigenous creator accelerator program.

Find out more about Sebastian: https://www.sebastiangaskin.com/

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast: https://donamero.ca/through-the-fire-podcast/

https://www.instagram.com/throughthefirepod/

https://www.tiktok.com/@throughthefirepod

https://www.instagram.com/donamero/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thedonamero

https://twitter.com/donaldamero

Listen to Don Amero's music: https://donamero.lnk.tt/ATLEM

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Don Amero sits down for an in-depth conversation with third-generation singer-songwriter, Kelly Prescott. While there are many laughs and memories of when they first met, Kelly recounts a scary time for her family and reflects on a past relationship that was difficult to navigate. She finds gratitude through it all!

As a third-generation singer-songwriter and bona fide country music blueblood, Prescott’s career choice has always been obvious. But the speed at which the wildly charismatic performer has realized her goals has been extraordinary.

Find out more about Kelly: https://www.kellyprescottmusic.com/

Follow along with Kelly on Instagram (especially for CP Holiday Train content) @KellyPrescottMusic

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast: https://donamero.ca/through-the-fire-podcast/

https://www.instagram.com/throughthefirepod/

https://www.tiktok.com/@throughthefirepod

https://www.instagram.com/donamero/

https://www.tiktok.com/@thedonamero

https://twitter.com/donaldamero

Listen to Don Amero's music: https://donamero.lnk.tt/ATLEM

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Don Amero sits down with Mark Chipman, Executive Chairman & Governor of Truth North Sports & Entertainment (Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club) and his daughter Sarah Howe, a med-school student who currently sits as Chair of the Board of the North Point Douglas Women's Centre in Winnipeg Manitoba.

Mark also serves as the Governor of the Winnipeg Jets on the NHL’s Board of Governors.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Mark attended St. Paul’s High School and later, the University of North Dakota where he played varsity football while earning an Honors B.A. in Economics and a Juris Doctorate in Law. 

Mark entered the business of professional hockey in 1996 and led the team that developed Canada Life Centre and ultimately the acquisition and relocation of the NHL Atlanta Thrashers. The club was re-named the Winnipeg Jets by Mark at the 2011 NHL entry draft. In December of 2016, Mark was named to the Executive Committee of the NHL’s Board of Governors.

Mark has been the recipient of the AHL's James C. Hendy and Thomas Ebright awards as well as the Order of Manitoba and the University of North Dakota’s Sioux Award.

In addition to his business and hockey interests, Mark is actively involved in a number of community efforts. He established the True North Youth Foundation in 1996 and founded Gonzaga Middle School in 2016. Mark was named to the Selection Committee of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019 and is the Chairman of the Winnipeg Downtown Community Safety Partnership.

Sarah Howe (maiden name Chipman), was born and raised in Winnipeg. She moved to Toronto in 2014 where she met her husband Jake, and the two of them have since moved back to Winnipeg. 

Sarah completed a bachelor's degree with honours in Kinesiology and was accepted into a Master of Science program at the University of Manitoba. However, she recently decided to pursue her career as a private chef. Sarah started her company, Sarah Howe Creative Ltd., during the pandemic as a way to offer a unique experience while we were all stuck at home. She started out by offering online cooking classes, where ingredients were delivered to each participant's home, and the class was taught on Zoom. Since then, she has grown her business to offer private dinners, catering for parties, custom meal prep, and is working on a cookbook. 

Sarah is also the Chair of the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre, and is involved with many community organizations. She founded Soulfull Meetings, a support group that has grown to partner with the Women’s Health Clinic, providing weekly support to those struggling with eating disorders.If you are struggling with an eating disorder, please visit some resources:

https://edfc.ca/resources-2/

https://nedic.ca/

https://www.camh.ca/en/professionals/treating-conditions-and-disorders/eating-disorders

Find out more about Mark Chipman: https://www.tnse.com/staff/mark-chipman/

Find out more about Sarah Howe: https://www.npdwc.org/our-board.html

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast: https://donamero.ca/through-the-fire-podcast/

Follow the Through the Fire Podcast on Instagram @ThroughTheFirePod

Follow the Through the Fire Podcast on TikTok @ThroughTheFirePod

Follow Don Amero on Instagram @DonAmero

Follow Don Amero on TikTok @TheDonAmero

Follow Don Amero on Twitter @DonaldAmero

Listen to Don Amero's music: https://donamero.lnk.tt/ATLEM

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On this episode of Through the Fire, host Don Amero meets country singer-songwriter Cadence Grace for the first time. Also a member of the freshly re-united Runaway Angel, Cadence tells Don about her surprise battle with Leukemia and how coming through the fire of this diagnosis formed her new outlook on music and life.

The Whitby-born, now Courtice, Ontario resident retraces every setback through blood transfusions, experimental treatments, and finally a Bone Marrow transplant with ease now, hoping her story can inspire others.

Find out more about Cadence: https://www.cadencegrace.com/

Find Leukemia survival / transplant resources here: https://loveandleukemia.ca/

Grab tickets to see Runaway Angel reunite at their upcoming industry showcase HERE.

Follow Cadence on Instagram HERE.

Follow Cadence on Twitter HERE.

Find out more about the Through the Fire Podcast: https://donamero.ca/through-the-fire-podcast/

Watch the Through the Fire Podcast Video Series HERE.

Follow the Through the Fire Podcast on Instagram HERE.

Follow the Through the Fire Podcast on TikTok HERE.

Follow Don Amero on Instagram HERE.

Follow Don Amero on TikTok HERE.

Follow Don Amero on Twitter HERE.

Listen to Don Amero's music: https://donamero.lnk.tt/ATLEM

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Jeremy Dutcher is a performer, composer, activist, and musicologist. His music transcends boundaries: unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day struggles of resistance.

A member of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, Jeremy first did music studies in Halifax before working in the archives at the Canadian Museum of History, painstakingly transcribing Wolastoq songs from 1907 wax cylinders. Jeremy heard ancestral voices singing forgotten songs and stories that had been taken from the Wolastoqiyik generations ago. As he listened to each recording, he felt his own musical impulses stirring from deep within. Long days at the archives turned into long nights at the piano, feeling out melodies and phrases, deep in dialogue with the voices of his ancestors.

These "collaborative" compositions appear on his debut LP Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa. Delicate, sublime vocal melodies ring out atop piano lines that cascade through a vibrant range of emotions. The anguish and joy of the past erupt fervently into the present through Jeremy's bold approach to composition and raw, affective performances enhanced by his outstanding tenor techniques.

Read more about Jermey Dutcher and connect with his social accounts HERE.

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Host Don Amero sits down for a conversation with acclaimed family entertainer, singer/songwriter, composer, actor, writer, author, TV host and keynote speaker, Fred Penner. With a career spanning forty-five years, he touches on everything from entertaining children's audiences to dealing with the grief of losing his sister and father at a young age in this intimate conversation.

His diverse repertoire includes a prolific 12 Children’s Albums, countless energetically packed live shows for throngs of eager audiences across North America, composing the music for APTN/YTV’s Tipi Tales, and writing the score and hosting the TV documentary The Simple Way (focused on the relevant, world-wide topic of voluntary simplicity). He has, without a doubt, established himself as a fundamental part of the North American family entertainment scene. A devoted father of four, lessons learned through the challenges and rewards of parenthood are translated into all that he does.

His pre-music experience working with troubled youth set the stage for what was to come; providing an understanding of the trauma of child abuse and the ability of music to heal. Those learnings, along with the untimely passing of his 12- year-old sister with Down’s Syndrome and subsequent passing of his father a year later, sparked a period of deep soul-searching and life-changing decisions. Inspired by his sister’s pure love of music, the man who had planned to become an economist, made a choice to become a performer. Lucky for us, he did.

More than the music, the two-time Juno winner (equivalent of a Grammy) for Best Children’s Album, Fred Penner’s Place (1985) and Sing with Fred (2004) and eight-time nominee’s body of work is about energy and emotional connection. The guy who crawled magically out of that hollow log for 12 seasons and more than 900 episodes in the hit CBC TV show Fred Penner’s Place receives fan mail to this day from some of the 55 million American viewers where the show ran for four years on the Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr.. Always building on a common theme rooted in integrity and a “belief in what I can do” he has created a lasting impact that crosses the generations and continues to grow.

His visibility has allowed him the privilege and joy of using his voice to “bring something of value” as a spokesperson for organizations like UNESCO, World Vision, UNICEF and the National Conference on Down Syndrome. In 2005, Fred journeyed to Zambia, Africa with World Vision to host a program for Child Sponsorship in the Western World.

A humanitarian always conscious of the “delicate balance required to create a positive influence that fosters healthy self-esteem in the life of a child”, his work is infused with a steadfast commitment to communicating with children and families in a clear, non-condescending way. “More than just fun”, this multi-talented artist has the wisdom and humility to know that the importance and the meaning of what he does can reach deeply into the lives of others.

Read more about Fred and follow him on social media HERE.

Some resources for loss and grief:

For bereaved parents: https://tcfcanada.net/articles-2/the-bereaved-parent/

https://www.mygrief.ca/

Find some resources related to alcohol abuse here: https://www.ccsa.ca/ 

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Don Amero welcomes multiple JUNO and CCMA Award-winning entertainer, Dallas Smith to the Through the Fire Podcast. Episode three was taped live at Country Music Week ahead of the 2022 CCMA Awards in Calgary, AB.

Dallas Smith is one of the most celebrated artists in Canadian country music. Amassing 18 Canadian Gold-certified singles, four Canadian Gold-certified albums, and seven Canadian Platinum-certified singles along with more than 500 MILLION collective streams to date and 2 MILLION global album equivalents. Smith is also the first and only Canadian country artist in the Nielsen BDS era to have TWELVE #1 singles, including four consecutive chart-toppers from the same album, and closed out 2019 as the most played artist (domestic/international) at Canadian country radio for the year. Adding to the list of accolades, Smith is the sole Canadian country artist in the Nielsen BDS and Mediabase era to earn TWELVE #1 songs in history and have 23 consecutive singles peak in the Top 10 of the country airplay chart. Smith is the three-time CCMA Award winner for Entertainer of the Year (2019/2020/2021), continuing to set the bar high for Country music in all that he does.

In 2021, Smith launched the Lifted Dallas Smith Charitable Foundation – a non-profit organization committed to ensuring that mental health services are accessible to anyone and everyone in need.  

Here are some other mental health resources:

Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse and Addiction – https://www.ccsa.ca 

Canadian Center for Addiction – https://canadiancentreforaddictions.org

Canadian Mental Health Association – https://cmha.ca

Mood Disorders Society of Canada – https://mdsc.ca

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – https://www.camh.ca 

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