TURN it up!

In this episode of Wellbeing Wednesday with Gurjeet, she unpacks why people are drawn to AI for mental health support, then digs into the risks that show up when a chatbot sounds confident but cannot meet real clinical and ethical standards. Gurjeet connects bias, misinformation, AI psychosis, and agentic misalignment to one hard question: what should never be automated when someone is vulnerable.

• Why AI feels appealing for mental health support when care is expensive and hard to access 
• The upside of AI for reducing burnout through automation and summaries 
• Job loss, health system strain, and broader community impacts as AI adoption grows 
• Misinformation and the real-world harm of overpromising services and outcomes 
• Privacy risks when sensitive documents or therapy details get uploaded into AI tools 
• Decline in critical thinking with heavy reliance on AI outputs 
• Bias in language models and why “equitable care” is hard to guarantee 
• Studies showing stigma toward substance use and severe mental illness descriptions 
• AI psychosis and echo-chamber validation that can amplify harmful thinking 
• aAgentic misalignment, including sabotage, fraud assistance, and refusal to comply 
• Safer, limited roles for AI like triage and intake support with strong safeguards

Tune in weekly with Gurjeet on Wellbeing Wednesdays at 6 PM on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Ravia sits down with Dr. Conner Singh Vanderbeek to unpack what ethnomusicology reveals about culture, power, and the stories people force onto music. We dig into Canadian arts funding, censorship, and diasporic cultural memory. This conversation looks at Dr. Vanderbeek's research and ask who defines “authenticity” and who pays the cost when multiculturalism needs a feel-good headline. Here's what we get into in detail:

• Ethnomusicology as fieldwork-driven cultural analysis of music 
• Why “music is a universal language” can erase meaning and history 
• Diversity policy in Canadian arts and how it commodifies racial identity 
• Grant logic that pressures Punjabi Canadian artists to “serve” a community 
• Curatorial flattening of nuance through tokenizing descriptions of work 
• Sidhu Moose Wala and Chani Nattan as case studies in censorship and respectability 
• “Song and dance diversity” and the limits of palatable multiculturalism 
• Sikh kirtan traditions, Gurmat Sangeet, and debates over authenticity and access 
• Cultural memory across the Sikh diaspora including regional histories 
• Practical realities of making a living in the arts including grant writing and admin labour 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

We sit down with Akanksha Bhatnagar from the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce to talk about what local businesses need and how city decisions shape everyday life. We also get real about representation, leadership pressure, and how to keep showing up when imposter syndrome gets loud. 

• How the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce connects business needs to government action 
• Why the four-year City of Edmonton budget renewal matters right now 
• What an alternate city budget could unlock for downtown and neighbourhood growth 
• Beautification, cleanliness, transit access, and the push for a stronger 24-7 economy 
• Why downtown tax base and downtown living affect taxes across the whole city 
• Navigating leadership as a South Asian woman and challenging biased labels like “emotional” 
• Practical leadership advice for young women: work harder and show up 
• Choosing a career path that brings joy even when it breaks expectations 
• Handling imposter syndrome with honesty, support, and self-trust 
• Using the Venn diagram method to rebalance work, friends, family, and personal goals 

Give us a follow us across socials @theuniversalradio. Tune in 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day at 97.9 FM in the Edmonton area or livestream www.theuniversalradio.com

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Ravia sits down with Edmonton designer Suvi Sharma to trace how her nani’s (maternal grandmother's) underpaid embroidery work for luxury houses shapes her brand Silver's Wind's mission today. We talk identity, confidence, and what it looks like to build a modern fashion brand that gives credit, names makers, and pushes back on cultural erasure. 

• Suvi’s nani as the core inspiration and a window into artisan labour behind luxury fashion 
• Moving from India to Canada and holding onto Indian-ness in public style 
• Family mindset as the source of confidence and creative risk-taking 
• Leaving corporate marketing and starting SilversWind as a jewellery brand 
• The pivot into clothing that blends Indian silhouettes with everyday wear 
• Why “boho chic” can hide copying and a colonial lens in fashion 
• Launch results, global buyers, and the demand for culturally aware design 
• Cultural appreciation versus appropriation and how credit changes everything 
• Supply chain choices, knowing makers by name, and what accountability looks like 

Give us a follow @TheUniversalRadio across socials. Tune in from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day at 97.9 FM in the Edmonton area, or live stream us at www.theuniversalradio.com. 

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Ravia talks with UK fashion designer Jasmine Kaur about building an ethical brand (House of Tuhi) rooted in Sikh Punjabi identity, and how curiosity helps her find a creative voice in spaces that rarely reflect her community. We dig into sustainability, culture washing, and what it means to wear your story proudly while imagining a future-forward Punjab. 

• The origin of Jasmine label and why Sikh Punjabi stories feel diluted in mainstream fashion 
• What it feels like to study fashion as a Sikh Punjabi woman and carry the weight of representation 
• The lack of accessible Sikh fashion literature and how art archives help rebuild context 
• Spirituality and fashion as more than surface level aesthetics 
• Sustainability as a value system, not a marketing trend 
• Culture washing, greenwashing, and the line between collaboration and appropriation 
• “Lahore de Rahi” and using futurism to imagine Punjab beyond fear and stagnation 
• Producing locally with organic, sustainably sourced fabrics and hands-on printing 

Give us a follow us across socials @theuniversalradio. Tune in 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day at 97.9 FM in the Edmonton area or livestream www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

The TURN Team interviews Raf Saperra at K Days in Edmonton and talk about living between cultures while staying grounded in Punjabi roots. We dig into what fuels a creative renaissance, how he handles criticism, and why real fans matter more than inflated numbers.

• Growing up in South London with mixed friend groups shaping identity and sound
• Advice for kids of immigrants on exploring other cultures while learning their own roots
• Why Renaissance is a sonic rebirth built on risk and integrity 
• Filtering feedback by answering to the artist within and building confidence through craft 
• Mental health resets through prayer, meditation, and stepping away after touring 
• What it means to headline K-Days and play an Edmonton debut 
• Rapid-fire favourites plus a hot take on vanity metrics versus ticket sales 

Give us a follow @theuniversalradio. Tune in from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day at 97.9 FM, or live stream us at www.theuniversalradio.com 

IG: @theuniversalradio

The Edmonton Heritage Festival returns to Hawrelak Park with fresh upgrades, new groups, and the same unmatched feeling of a city coming together. We talk with Rob from the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association and Scott Murray from presenting sponsor Robertson College about access, activations, and how to plan a full day that goes beyond the food. Here's what they get into:

• What “success” looks like for a presenting partner through real community connection 
• Why returning to Hawrelak Park feels like a homecoming for Edmontonians 
• What stays the same on site and what changes with access this year 
• How ETS park and ride helps you get to the grounds 
• Robertson College’s on-site space to relax, charge your phone, and reset 
• Why the festival’s real value is learning through conversation with volunteers and performers 
• How to plan the quintessential first-time visit by spending a full day exploring pavilions 
• Why rain does not stop the festival and can even mean lighter crowds 
• Supporting the Edmonton Food Bank with cash or non-perishable donations 

Remember to check out the Heritage Festival from August 1st till 3rd at the Hawrelak Park right here in Edmonton. For more about the festival visit: www.heritagefest.ca

Tune in to The Universal Radio Network daily on 97.9 FM or through our live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Sogand talk with Manni Uppal about losing her 11-year-old son, then choosing to turn grief into growth by carrying his legacy forward. We unpack what healing actually looks like day to day, from therapy and faith to neuroplasticity, signs, and the words we repeat to ourselves. 

• Choosing purpose and legacy while still having dark moments 
• Post-traumatic growth and identity after loss 
• Showing real emotions online and why healing is not linear 
• Seeking professional help and being open about therapy 
• Grief as waves and how patience changes the process 
• signs, synchronicities, and training the mind to notice meaning 
• Neuroplasticity, the reticular activating system, and attention 
• Affirmations, self-talk, music, and the emotional charge of words 
• Cultural expectations around grief and refusing to lose yourself 
• Community support, building an online platform, and empowering women 

Tune in to Wellbeing Wednesdays with Sogand on The Universal Radio Network, 97.9 FM in Edmonton, or globally at www.theuniversalradio.com.

IG: @theuniversalradio

Sapreet talks with the Minister of Education and Childcare for Alberta, Demetrios Nicolaides about the province’s new education spending and what it’s meant to change inside real classrooms. We dig into student growth, classroom complexity, rural access to specialists, and how parents and educators can track whether the new supports actually work:

• Budget 2026 investments tied to class size and classroom complexity 
• Enrolment growth of roughly 90,000 students in four years and what that pressure looks like in schools 
• How complexity teams are staffed and how they support teachers day to day 
• Examples of one-on-one intervention for behaviour and learning needs 
• Saskatchewan as a reference point and plans for surveys and data collection 
• Extra barriers for rural and remote schools and funding to cover travel and accommodation for specialists 
• Different support models for K to 6 versus grades 7 to 12 and why flexibility matters 
• How parents can find out if their school gets a team and where to share feedback 

Tune in to The Universal Radio Network daily on 97.9 FM or through our live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Ravia sits down with Dr. Kate Bykowski to get clear on what nurse practitioners do in Alberta and why Nurse Practioner (NP) led primary care could ease the pressure created by family doctor shortages. We also dig into midlife women’s health, the messy reality of internet and AI medical advice, and what better access to perimenopause and menopause care could look like. 

•  What nurse practitioners can diagnose, prescribe, and manage in Alberta 
•  How primary care works as a first entry point and why continuity matters 
•  The funding and compensation barriers that limit NP-led clinic capacity 
•  Why patients are arriving with TikTok claims and ChatGPT lab summaries 
•  Midlife women as an overlooked group in women’s health research 
•  “I don’t feel like myself” as a common perimenopause concern 
•  The value of longer appointments and three-month follow-ups 
•  How the Cycles to Cessation clinic model aims to expand access 
•  Why demographic-specific research, including for South Asian women, is still missing 
•  What changed after early 2000s hormone therapy headlines and why individualized counselling matters 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio