Xing The Gap, with Rick Miller

In this animal-focused episode, Rick's two guests are Jonathan Balcombe and Jo-Anne McArthur. Jonathan is a world-renowned biologist, ethologist, and author of popular science books on the inner lives of animals, including Pleasurable Kingdom, Second Nature, and What a Fish Knows - a New York Times best-seller. Jo-Anne is an award-winning photojournalist, speaker, and founder of WeAnimalsMedia. She’s visited over sixty countries to document our complex relationship with animals.
As a pack, they talk about
Ethology
Animal photojournalism
“Try and try again”
How you protect what you love
Animal sentience
Animal playfulness
Things getting better AND worse
Cultural influence on meat-eating
The effects of vegetarianism
Leading by example
The ick-factor of lab-grown meat
Factory farms as conflict zones
Ad-gag laws
And trivia for plant-eaters
... You do make friends with salad.
XingTheGap.com
BoomTheShow.com
RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
fb: @xingthegap
ig: @rickmilleractor
tw/x: @rickmilleractor
jonathanbalcombe.com
fb: JonathanBalcombeAuthor
tw/x: @jonathanpb1959
weanimalsmedia.org
Youtube: weanimalsmedia
fb: WeAnimals
ig: @WeAnimals
tw/x: @WeAnimals

It’s back-to-school time, as Rick's two guests are Linda Schuyler and Sara Waisglass. Linda is a Canadian television producer best known for co-creating the award-winning Degrassi franchise, which spans five series over 4 decades. She’s a member of the order of Canada and Order of Ontario, and has recently written a memoir entitled The Mother of All Degrassi. Sara is a Canadian actress who co-starred as Frankie Hollingsworth in Degrassi: The Next Generation, as Robyn in the film Mary Goes Round, and most recently as Maxine in the Netflix drama Ginny & Georgia.
In our study group, they cover:
The multi-generational impact of Degrassi
Age-appropriate casting
The space between the sensational and the trivial
Learning from mistakes and failure
Fearing the future
Living in the present
Acceptance and tolerance in young people today
Teachers that change your life
Latch-key kids
Helicopter parents
Voicing both sides of the story
And a quiz … show!
XingTheGap.com
BoomTheShow.com
RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
fb: @xingthegap
tw, ig: @rickmilleractor
ig: @sarawais, @motherofallDegrassi
tw: @swaisglass, @mother_degrassi
fb: @MotherDegrassi
TikTok: @sara.wais, @motherofalldegrassi
Sara on imdb
Linda on imdb
Linda's book at:
ecwpress
amazon
Degrassi:
ig: @degrassinextgeneration
ig: @degrassi_junior_high

Rick shares the mic with two of Canada’s most accomplished writer/performers, Sugith Varughese and Anusree Roy. Sugith, born in India and raised in Canada, is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and actor, who was one of the original writers of the classic Muppet TV Show Fraggle Rock. More recently, he's played recurring characters in Kim's Convenience on CBC, and Transplant on CTV and NBC. Anusree is a renowned Indo-Canadian actor and writer of plays, television, film and opera, who has worked on major TV shows on CTV/NBC/CBC/Global TV/Netflix/and Paramount+.  She also teaches Playwriting at the University of Toronto, Mississauga.
As a trio, they discuss:
Auditioning for your own movie
DEIB: Diversity, Equity Inclusion, & Belonging
Progress or Performance?
Breaking in as a brown person
Inclusion in Theatre and Television
Artificial vs Earned sensibility
Elevating minority communities
High stakes failure
Autonomy and Authorship
Fraggle Rock as an Allegory for how to live together
Species Inter-dependency
The future of theatre
And an improvised story
XingTheGap.com
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RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
fb: @xingthegap
tw, ig: @rickmilleractor
tw: @SugithVarughese
ig: @SugithVarughese
Threads: @SugithVarughese
BlueSky: @sugithvarughese.bsky.social
fb: @SugithVarughese
tw: @i_write_allday
ig: @writeranusreeroy
www.anusreeroy.com
www.kaliroyinc.com 

Rick hosts a conversation with two extraordinary Canadian film makers, Atom Egoyan and Graham Foy. Atom is a Canadian icon, behind classic films such as Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter, Chloe, and more recently The Captive, Guest of Honour, and his upcoming film Seven Veils. Atom’s been nominated for every prestigous film prize out there, including the Palme D’Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion in Venice, and the Academy Awards in Hollywood. And today, he’s joined by Graham Foy, an up-and-coming young Canadian filmmaker, whose recent debut feature The Maiden has been earning him kudos and award nominations around the world.
Together, they dig into…
Remembering our teenage years
Shooting film vs. shooting digital
“Graininess” in film and theatre
Suspension of disbelief
Low and hi-tech magic
The evolution of music videos
Film scoring vs. music licensing
Musical Motifs in film
The challenges of directing opera
Focusing audiences on now, not next
Commitment in live performance
The importance of connection
XingTheGap.com
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RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
fb: @xingthegap
tw, ig: @rickmilleractor
Atom's website: egofilmarts.com
The Maiden trailer

photo of Atom Egoyan by: Tina Rowden

Rick shares the mic with two of the world’s top neuroscientists, who also happen to be related. Dr. Robert Sekuler is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, and a world-renowned researcher in the fields of perception and memory. His daughter, Dr. Allison Sekuler, teaches at the University of Toronto and McMaster University, and is Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at Rotman Research Institute, the President and Chief Scientist at CABHI and the Baycrest Academy for Research and Education at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. Oh, and she’s a professional drummer, too. 
As a trio, they riff on…
Blind spots: physical, cognitive and metaphorical 
Getting the gist of things
Epistemic humility
Indigenous knowing, being and doing
Mindfulness
Knowing what distracts you
Real and imagined time pressure
Learning new languages
Human vs. Artifical intelligence
Drumming: the mother of all ageing interventions
and a game show…
XingTheGap.com
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RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
fb: @xingthegap
tw, ig: @rickmilleractor
tw: @asek47
tw: @robsek
in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsekuler/
in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-sekuler-b4299a4/

In this episode, we use money as a catalyst for intergenerational conversation. 
Rick's two guests are Bruce Sellery and Naanak Sodhi. Bruce is a renowned Canadian financial consultant, business journalist, TV host and professional speaker. He’s also the founder of Moolala, which inspires people to get a better handle on their money.
Naanak is a mechanical engineer, screen composer and music producer, who works with Google in Toronto, and who writes music for Bell Media. 
Together, they speak about...
The intersection of tech, culture and business
How young people view money
Aligning Value with Values
The problem of affordability
The disconnect of expectations
The energy of immigrants 
Working smart vs working hard
The wisdom of experience
The capacity for resilience 
Developing your passion
Finding your people
Reconciling self and other
And a game show!
XingTheGap.com
BoomTheShow.com
RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
fb: @xingthegap
tw, ig: @rickmilleractor
moolala.ca, brucesellery.com
tw: @BruceSellery
sodhivine.com
tw: @Sohdivine

In this episode, Rick speaks with Mary Furlong and Zoe Byington of Mary Furlong & Associates. Mary is an entrepreneur, educator, author, and leading authority in the longevity marketplace. For 30 years, she’s guided major corporations, startups and non-for-profits, as they navigate trends in aging and technology. Since this podcast recording, Zoe’s been named the Technology and Digital Equity Project Coordinator at AARP, and is a social gerontologist working closely with Mary to enhance the lives of our aging society.
Together, they tackle…
Bi-coastal living
Intergeneration living
Ageism going both ways
The business opportunies of Baby Boomers
Including young voices in investing
Money as a gift
Technology as a tool
Entrepreneurs and innovation
The importance of stories
Evolving ecosystems
The 5Ls of Leadership
And, as always, a game show!
XingTheGap.com
BoomTheShow.com
RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
tw, ig: @rickmilleractor
maryfurlong.com
LinkedIn: MaryFurlong
LinkedIn: ZoeByington
fb: CEOMaryFurlong
tw: MaryFurlong

In this episode, Rick speaks to writer Ashton Applewhite and Dr. Pooja Viswanathan. Ashton is a Brooklyn-based speaker, activist, and author of several best-selling books, including This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. She’s also also a leading spokesperson for the movement to raise awareness of ageism, and to dismantle it. Pooja is the Toronto-based Co-Founder and CEO of Braze Mobility, a leading developer of smart wheelchair technology in the age-tech space. Oh, and she a PhD in robotics.  Together, they talk about…
Being a generalist
How ageing isn’t icky
Mobility as a human right
How binaries are bad
Failing better
Ageism, ableism and sexism
High stakes intersectionality
Involving community in design
The problem with generational labels
Working grandmothers
And a game show, with Jane Fonda
XingTheGap.com
BoomTheShow.com
RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
tw, ig: @rickmilleractor
thischairrocks.com
oldschool.info
tw, ig: @thischairrocks
fb: ThisChairRocks
brazemobility.com
tw, ig: @brazemobility

It's Season 2 of XingTheGap! In this 1st episode, Rick speaks to Sabaa Quao and Yara Matta. Sabaa is a career entrepreneur, business strategist, and Chief Creative Officer of Cossette. He's also the founder of Wealthie, an investment and financial literacy platform for young people, which is where Yara as a designer. She is a Lebanese-born, Toronto-based interdisciplinary artist and community organizer. Yara moved to Canada in 2015 to attend the University of Toronto and graduated in 2020 with a BA in New Media and Studio.
Together, we tackle…
Financial Literacy for Families
The Magic of Compound Interest
Talking - or NOT Talking - about Money
GenX Entrepreneurship
Building Resilience to Weather Storms
Creativity as an Operating System
Focusing Deeply vs. Multi-Tasking
Getting Stuck
Constant Branding
Finding Reliable Sources of Information
Epistemology, or How do you Know what you Know?
Learning from Each Other
and a Game Show
XingTheGap.com
BoomTheShow.com
RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
tw, ig: @rickmilleractor
tw: @xsabaa
Wealthie.works
ig: wealthie.works
tw: @Wealthyworks

As a bonus to season 1 of Xing The Gap, we're releasing video versions of your favourite episodes. Now you get to see AND hear some of the extraordinary Canadians we spoke to this season, plus live drawings by Rick Miller, and multimedia by Kidoons. To watch Rebecca, Rick and Sian-Pierre, click here. Enjoy!

This is a Mother’s Day episode, and Rick's gift to you is a conversation with Sian-Pierre Regis and his mom Rebecca Danigelis, the team behind the internationally acclaimed documentary film Duty Free. It has now been seen by over a billion people around the world, and has changed the conversation around ageism. Sian-Pierre is an award-winning journalist, cultural critic, and contributor for CNN, HLN, MTV and CBS. Rebecca, when the film was made, was a 75-year-old housekeeping supervisor at a hotel when she was fired - unfairly - and the film follows their amazing intergenerational journey. Together, they talk about
Corporate restructuring
Suffering in silence
Being gaslit by your employer
Confronting ageism
The POJA Bill: Protect Older Job Applicants
Collective action to make change
Living intergenerationally
Bucket Lists
And jumping out of planes
XingTheGap.com
BoomTheShow.com
RickMiller.ca
ig: @xingthegap
tw: @rickmilleractor
dutyfreefilm.com
ig: @rebrexit
ig: @dutyfreefilm
tw: @sianpierre
fb: @dutyfreefilm