TURN it up!

We talk with registered psychologist Komal Kumar about how to choose a therapist when counselling is new and confusing. We break down credentials, confidentiality, and fit so you can walk into a first appointment with more clarity and less fear. 

• Differences between therapist, counsellor, registered psychologist, and psychiatrist 
• Why regulation matters for ethics, accountability, and complaints 
• What provisional psychologists are and why supervised practice can help 
• When to start therapy, including preventative mental health care 
• Common fears about stigma, weakness, and cultural privacy 
• How confidentiality works and the narrow exceptions 
• What to expect in a first session, including consent and goal setting 
• How to know therapy is working, and when it is not a good fit 
• Why the therapeutic alliance matters more than a perfect script 

Learn more about Komal Kumar by following her on Instagram @komalpsych

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

IG: @theuniversalradio

We unpack the rise of Bakra parties and why this newer pre-wedding event is showing up across Punjabi weddings in Canada and other diaspora communities. We explore how food, sports, social media, and changing gender norms turn one night into a cultural signal about what modern tradition can look like. 

• What a Bakra party is and when it happens in the wedding week 
• Possible origins including goat references, blue-collar yard culture, and men’s hangout rituals 
• How ladies-only sangeets shift toward family and co-ed events 
• Modern Bakra party formats including themes, jersey nights, games, and groom roasts 
• The wedding industry influence through packages, vendors, and curated aesthetics 
• Diaspora identity in Canada across BC, Alberta, and Ontario shaping new traditions 
• Social media, FOMO, and why “Instagram worthy” matters to millennials and Gen Z 
• Concerns about rowdiness, roasting boundaries, tradition dilution, and copying Western bachelor culture 
• Why intention and respect make the difference when adding new events 

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 dig into how movies and TV shape what people believe about mental illness, from fear-based villain stories to glossy “tortured genius” myths. We also highlight what healthier representation looks like when shows normalize therapy, medication, recovery, and real human complexity. 

• Villainization tropes that use diagnosis as a motive for evil 
• Split as an example of DID being linked to danger 
• Cultivation theory and how repeated images reshape “reality” 
• Stats on violence portrayals and why they stick in the audience mind 
• Lack of racial diversity in mental illness representation on screen 
• Eomanticization of mental illness through the “tortured genius” lens 
• A Beautiful Mind and the harmful willpower-over-medication message 
• Community stigma around psychiatric medication and seeking help 
• Strong portrayals of depression, addiction, PTSD, grief and therapy 
• Adolescence as a complicated and nuanced middle ground 
• What good representation needs: recovery, diversity, normalized care 

Tune in weekly to Wellbeing Wednesday with Gurjeet Gill on The Universal Radio Network, 97.9 FM in Edmonton, or globally at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

We trace Blitzkrieg’s journey from a Punjabi household in Mississauga to UK breakthroughs and two decades of work shaping South Asian Canadian hip hop. We also get real about surviving cancer and a motorcycle crash, then turning that urgency into music, live performance, and a culture-first business. 

• Growing up in Toronto between Punjabi media at home and hip hop outside 
• Discovering representation through Apache Indian and starting to rap early 
• Getting played by Punjabi MC and landing opportunities across the UK scene 
• Choosing education and marketing work to build stability alongside music 
• Being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and letting go of fame chasing 
• Surviving a serious motorcycle crash and refusing to sit on unreleased ideas 
• Thinking about legacy and supporting the next generation of South Asian Canadian artists 
• Building Broken Rickshaw to bring South Asian inspiration into the liquor market 
• Favourite collaborations and the mindset behind experimenting across genres 
• Creating unplugged live Punjabi hip hop with a band plus rock and jazz roots 

Learn more about Blitzkrieg by following him on Instagram @blitzmusic1

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 talk with Alberta Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi about why the proposed referendum is effectively a vote to start leaving Canada, even if it’s framed as “process.” We break down the legal roadblocks, the economic risk, and what a stronger Alberta inside Canada could look like if leaders focus on getting results instead of feeding anger. 

• Why a “process” vote still triggers an Alberta separation path 
• How the Supreme Court guidance and the Clarity Act shape any referendum 
• Why referendum uncertainty can drive away investment and stall major projects 
• The Brexit comparison and what a decade of fallout can look like 
• How political incentives can put national unity at risk 
• Alternatives to separatism for people frustrated with Ottawa 
• A practical vision for pipelines, power grid rebuilding, and economic diversification 
• Why the social and family stress of separation politics matters 


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

IG: @theuniversalradio

We chase a too perfect story about Jugni’s origins and end up face to face with how misinformation spreads through oral history, newspapers, and diaspora retellings. We also map what Jugni becomes across Punjabi folk music, spirituality, film, and migration, and why she still feels like the sharpest voice in the room. 

• A village elder’s Jubilee torch claim and why it felt so believable 
• Tracking the story to a 2005 Punjabi Tribune article and later translations 
• The date problem: Victoria’s Jubilee versus the 1906 timeline 
• Alternative etymologies: jugnu as firefly, roots tied to light, and grammatical debates 
• Jugni as talisman, sacred thread, and metaphor for the soul’s bond with the divine 
• Jugni as a travelling witness in lyrics, satire, and political commentary 
• Jugni in Bollywood as a narrative pivot toward selfhood and resistance 
• Diaspora Jugni in the club, on the IELTS track, and in migration storylines 
• Gendered blame in folk narratives and what that reveals about “culture” 

Thank you for listening, you can hear Ravia every Thursday on 97.9 FM or through our live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

We break down LGBTQIA+ language in plain terms, then connect it to the mental health realities queer South Asian people face in Canada. We talk about respect, heteronormativity, colonial roots of homophobia, family honour pressure, and why culturally relevant mental health services can be hard to find but deeply needed. 

• A journaling prompt for summer obligations and burnout 
• What 2S LGBTQIA+ letters mean in everyday language 
• Why names, pronouns, and identity are about basic respect 
• Heteronormativity and how it shapes stigma and scapegoating 
• Intersectionality and why queer South Asian experiences are unique 
• Family expectations, shame, disowning fears, and isolation risks 
• Racism in Western queer spaces and the feeling of not fitting anywhere 
• Gaps in culturally competent therapy and barriers to seeking support 

Tune in weekly to Wellbeing Wednesday with Gurjeet Gill on The Universal Radio Network, 97.9 FM in Edmonton, or globally at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

We break down why South Asian weddings can feel like pure joy and pure pressure at the same time, from the marriage market to the modern wedding economy. We look at how status, community expectations, and social media push celebrations bigger, pricier, and harder to navigate. 

• Pressure to marry as a social obligation tied to family status 
• Mental health strain from constant questions and expectations 
• Conspicuous consumption and why weddings become public status displays 
• Diaspora “new money” dynamics and the urge to one up 
• Event inflation from blended South Asian and Western traditions 
• Debt, guest-list reciprocity, and weddings as social and economic capital 
• Performance, authenticity, and the upside of supporting local vendors 
• Wedding price markups and the accessibility gap they create 


Thank you for listening, you can hear Ravia every Thursday on 97.9 FM or through our live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

We trace Sikh Heritage Month in Canada through the hard parts and the breakthroughs, from early migration and exclusionary laws to the RCMP turban fight and Sikh political firsts. Then we pivot into South Asian wedding culture and lay down a primer on why marriage can feel like a community project, plus what the “marriage market” does to people under pressure. 

• Spring energy leading to overcommitting and burning out 
• Marathon training nerves and asking listeners for tips 
• Why April is Sikh Heritage Month and how Vaisakhi fits 
• Early Sikh diaspora routes through empire and military service 
• Anti-Asian sentiment and racist immigration laws in British Columbia 
• Disenfranchisement, land restrictions, and the Continuous Journey rule 
• Komagata Maru as a defining Canadian immigration injustice 
• Postwar policy shifts and the 1960s end of racial quotas 
• Gurdwaras as community hubs and the cost of assimilation pressures 
• RCMP uniform change and the Supreme Court affirmation 
• Sikh Canadian political milestones and what representation signals 
• Why South Asian weddings merge families not just partners 
• The “marriage market” and the constant questions at gatherings 
• Biodata culture and how caste, colourism, and status creep in 
• Arranged marriage versus forced marriage with consent as the line 

Thank you for listening, you can hear Ravia every Thursday on 97.9 FM or through our live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

We sit down with two Donovans to preview Edmonton’s festival season and the big collaboration that connects Taste of Edmonton, K-Days, and the Great Outdoor Comedy Festival. We break down what’s free, what costs money, why affordability matters, and how the Eat Play Laugh pass turns one summer weekend into a city-wide plan.

• Free entry and free stage performances at Taste of Edmonton 
• Food tickets model and why ticket pricing stays unchanged since 2018 
• Spotlight on local independent restaurants and community impact 
• Great Outdoor Comedy Festival at Kinsmen Park and the outdoor “bring a chair” vibe 
• How the comedy festival started in Edmonton and grew across Canada 
• Eat Play Laugh bundle details, what’s included, and why festivals choose collaboration 
• Key dates for Taste of Edmonton, K-Days, and Great Outdoor Comedy Festival 
• Limited availability and why the package is expected to sell quickly 
• Culture and performance teasers including South Asian dance groups 

For more information visit eatplaylaugh.ca

IG: @theuniversalradio