YXE Underground

Welcome to Season Six of YXE Underground. Thank you so much for your continued support and I am thrilled to be back sharing stories of people who are making a difference in Saskatoon but are flying under the radar. 

This season's first episode focuses on the Animal Safekeeping Program. It is a partnership between New Hope Dog Rescue and the Saskatchewan SPCA and is helping people and animals who are leaving a domestic abuse or interpersonal violence situation. 

I was fortunate to speak with Sandra Archibald and Laura Zmud to learn more about the Animal Safekeeping Program.

Sandra is the Executive Director of New Hope Dog Rescue and Laura is the Family Ties Coordinator with the Saskatchewan SPCA. They found time in their busy schedule to meet with me at the SPCA office in Saskatoon to share more about the program and its importance in our community. 

I learned so much from speaking with Sandra and Laura and have so much respect for the work they are doing to help people who are experience interpersonal violence and their pets. I know you are going to learn a great deal as well. 

I want to mention that I am doing two podcast merchandise fundraisers for the Animal Safekeeping Program. The first are dog and cat bandanas that are yellow and have a black YXE Underground logo on them. They cost 10 dollars and your pet will look so good wearing them! The second fundraiser is a new round of YXE Underground t-shirts! The shirts are 3/4 length baseball tees that are blue and white with a blue YXE Underground logo. They sell for 25 dollars. All of the money from the sale of bandanas and shirt will go to the Animal Safekeeping Program. You can reach out to me on social media or send an email to [email protected] if you would like some new merchandise and to help people and animals in need. 

Thank you so much for listening to this season's debut episode and thanks again to Sandra and Laura for their generosity and kindness. 

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Hello and welcome to a special summer bonus episode of YXE Underground. My name is Eric Anderson and I hope you are having a wonderful summer so far. 

I spent the first two weeks of July on a trip to Scandinavia with my Dad and had a really great time there. We spent time in Norway, specifically Oslo and a city called Narvik within the Arctic Circle, which was pretty crazy to experience as the sun just doesn't really go down at all. We would go to bed around 1 am and it was like 7pm here in Saskatoon, so that was pretty neat to see. 

The reason for our trip was to learn more about my Grandpa Anderson's experiences as a member of the Norwegian Resistance in WWII and we really learned a lot. I posted a little bit about it on the YXE Underground social media channels but I did some audio recording during our trip and fingers crossed I'm going to be doing a radio documentary for CBC Radio about our time in Norway and my Grandpa's experiences.

I am also excited to be back in Saskatoon and to be talking about the Saskatoon Fringe Festival! It's one of my favourite times of the year here in the city. There's great live theatre to take in, there's wonderful local vendors to check out, the buskers are great and if you have kids well there's so much to do!

The Saskatoon Fringe Festival is put on by Saskatoon's 25th Street Theatre. It starts on August 3rd and goes to August 12th. There's so much going on in the festival, including a return to Broadway Avenue on August 5th and 6th, that I felt it warranted a summer bonus episode with one of my favourite people in the world, Anita Smith. 

Anita is the Artistic and Executive Director for 25th Street Theatre and is basically thinking about the Fringe Festival 365 days a year. When I met up with her last week and asked if she was getting any sleep as the festival was getting closer, she told me she was actually dreaming of the Fringe Festival. That's how much Anita Smith cares about putting on a fantastic Fringe Festival for us here in Saskatoon!

Now, before we get to our conversation, I quickly want to mention that Season 6 of YXE Underground will drop on September 14th and I am so excited for this upcoming season! I am going to try some new things this season with more episodes and more online promotion that I am eager for you to hear and see and I have some great new merchandise not only for people but for our four-legged friends as well! I'll share more details as we get closer to September but thank you so much for all of your support and spreading the word on all things YXE Underground.

Have a wonderful time at the Fringe Festival and best of luck to Anita as she attempts to see all 18 plays during the festival! 

I started by asking Anita how she was feeling a few days before the festival kicks off. 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Educating people of all ages and cultures is what drives Elaine Sutherland. 

For nearly 25 years, she taught in schools, mostly as a kindergarten teacher, and helped her peers incorporate Indigenous history and teachings education into their classrooms. Today, you can find Elaine at the Office of the Treaty Commissioner where she is the Director of Treaty Education. 

The history of the Office of the Treaty Commissioner is interesting.

It was created in 1989 by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and the Government of Canada to guide both parties through their differing views on Treaties. For those unfamiliar with Treaties, in Saskatchewan they are the formal agreements between the Crown and First Nations with their expectations and obligations.

11 numbered treaties were negotiated after confederation and between 1871 and 1921. They cover the territories from present day Ontario to Alberta as well as parts of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. In Saskatchewan, there are six treaties: Treaty 2, treaty 4, treaty 6, treaty 8 and treaty 10. Saskatoon is in treaty 6 territory. 

The Office of the Treaty Commissioner’s vision in our province is to promote respect and understanding of Treaties, and to support Treaty parties in maintaining and enhancing the Treaty relationship through dialogue, neutral support, assistance with resolving disputes, and commitment to the Treaty principles.

I would strongly recommend spending some time on the OTC’s website as there some great online resources available and it’s just interesting learning about this organization.

Learning is a theme in this episode as it’s something Elaine Sutherland firmly believes we should all be doing no matter where we are in our lives. 

For the past two years, she has been teaching the importance of treaties to people in our city, our province and across Canada. She left a highly respected teaching career to take on this role and it has not always been easy. 

However, you will hear why this work…why sharing the stories of treaties with businesses, organizations and especially teachers, as well as strategies to help on their learning journey, is so meaningful to Elaine. 

You will also hear in this episode how Elaine’s new two day education session called the Treaty Learning Journey is connecting with participants here in Saskatoon and throughout Saskatchewan.

Thank you so much to Elaine for sharing her story on the podcast and to the Office of the Treaty Commissioner for its cooperation and support. 

You can listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Goodpods or the the YXE Underground website. 

Follow YXE Underground on social media! Simply search 'YXE Underground' on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Don't forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear. 

This is the Season 5 finale of YXE Underground and I can’t thank all of you enough for supporting my podcast. Whether you’re listening to or sharing the podcast, or maybe you’re telling a friend to check it out, or you’re buying podcast swag that support local organizations…thank you so very much! 

I had no idea this podcast would go on for five years and it really is a privilege sharing these stories with you. Thank you for the opportunity to do so. I can’t wait for Season 6 to launch in September and you might hear a summer bonus episode or two between now and the fall. 

If you have any recommendations when it comes to people or organizations that should be featured on the podcast, I would love to hear them. Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or fill out a nomination form on the website. You can also drop me a line on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I know there are so many people in Saskatoon making a difference in our community who are flying under the radar so let’s get them on the podcast and share their stories. 

I hope you have  a safe and wonderful summer and be on the lookout for a few bonus episodes in July and August before Season 6 begins in September. 

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

It’s a Thursday night and four people are sparring under the careful watch of Haven Seto.

For years, Haven has worked with athletes of all ages to help them develop their boxing, kickboxing and wushu skills. Wushu is also known as kung-fu, and it’s played an important role in Haven’s life.

I am so excited to introduce you to Haven Seto.

He is the epitome of a community leader. He loves helping others, he is passionate about making his community a better place, and he understands the importance of hard work and kindness.

For the past 15 years, Haven has worked at the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association here in Saskatoon. This organization provides programs and services to help newcomers and Indigenous find success in their communities and has been doing this work since 1964.

Haven oversees all of the employment programs and as you will hear in our conversation, he takes so much pride in helping newcomers and Indigenous people find meaningful employment in Saskatoon.

He also owns and operates the Chinese Martial Arts Academy where he is one of several coaches working with athletes of all ages. Mentorship and helping others are key aspects in Haven’s life and he’s able to do both in his role not only at the gym but at the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association.

It was a true pleasure spending time with Haven to not only learn about the many roles he plays in our community but about why all of his work means so much to him. Haven's personal story is compelling and I think one that you will connect with. 

Listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcast, Spotify, Goodpods or wherever you find your favourite podcasts. You can also listen to episodes on the YXE Underground website.

Find YXE Underground on social media. Search YXE Underground on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for episode updates and photos from each episode. Don't forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear!

Thank you for continuing to support a local, independent podcast.

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

It has been just over a year since Ukrainians began arriving in Saskatoon, fleeing from war with Russia, and arriving with very little to start their new lives in our community. 

There have been many stories chronicling the efforts of people and organizations to help Ukrainians not only arrive safely but to set them up for success in Saskatoon and all are worth celebrating. 

For this episode, I wanted to highlight the efforts of people you may not know but their work is helping Ukrainian newcomers find safety and security in Saskatoon.

You are going to meet four amazing people in this episode. We will visit Travis Homenuk and Shauna Tilbury at the Saskatoon Public School Division’s Newcomer Student Centre. 

We will find out why Linda Rudachyk is working so hard to find affordable housing for Ukrainian families and we start the podcast with a trip to the Saskatoon Open Door Society to meet Lyudmyla Pastushenko. 

I want to thank all of my guests for sharing their stories and passion for helping others.

You can listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Goodpods, or the YXE Underground website. 

Follow YXE Underground on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and don't forget to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear. 

Thank you for supporting a local, independent podcast and I hope you enjoy this episode!

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

You can’t help but be in awe when you walk into Child Life Zone at the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital. 

First of all, it’s really big. There’s plenty of space for kids to simply play which is a concept Dominique Rust touches on several times in our conversation. There are large windows that encompass the room and allow plenty of sunlight in, the ceiling is high and the space has one of the coolest music rooms I’ve ever seen. There’s even a beautiful kitchen and dining space for families to use. 

The Child Life Zone is part of a North American organization called Teammates for Kids. There are Child Life Zones in various cities across the United States but Saskatoon is the only city in Canada that has a Child Life Zone.

What is the purpose of the Child Life Zone? It offers support and education for young patients and families to help reduce stress and anxiety that go along with hospital stays, tests and procedures. It also offers kids a break from the hospital setting, which I think is something we can all empathize with. In this space are certified child life specialists, like Dominique Rust, along with recreation therapists and a music therapist. 

The Child Life Zone would not exist without a host of community partnerships and sponsors, which Kristina Konchak facilitates in her role with the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. 

It was a real pleasure receiving a tour of the Child Life Zone from Dominique and Kristina. Dominique is the Manager of the Child Life Zone and she manages a team of recreation and child life therapists, as well as a music therapist.

Kristina is the Hospital and Community Engagement Director for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation.

What I love about our conversation is that as Dominique and Kristina are describing the many amenities in the space, they share the impact they have on children and their families. I hope you enjoy the tour!

Listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Goodpods or wherever you find your favourite podcasts. You can also listen on the YXE Underground website. 

A big thank for all of your support these past five years! YXE Underground recently passed the 50,000 download mark and I am so grateful for each and every one of you for getting behind this local, independent podcast. I truly appreciate it!

Here's to the next 50,000 downloads!

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Andrew Baenziger is in his dream job.

As the Adaptive Technologist for SaskAbilities, he is helping people overcome barriers they are facing due to disability or injury through his passion for technology and empathy to help others in need.

Andrew invited us to his workshop to show us how he uses technology, and perhaps a piece or two from his aquarium, to make a difference in lives of people here in Saskatoon.

It was wonderful spending time in his workspace at SaskAbilities for this episode.

The main space, which is a classroom inside an old school, has a few desks which are covered with different devices and creations made by Andrew that are designed to help people in a variety of ways. He calls it his showroom and it’s where most of our conversation takes place…

But his favourite space to spend time is definitely his workshop. It’s attached to the showroom and it’s where Andrew loves to fix things.

As an Adaptive Technologist, Andrew works with people who need help overcoming barriers in their lives. Often times, these barriers revolve around communication. Andrew shares some great examples in our conversation of how he has worked with clients to come up with creative and cost-efficient solutions to barriers they are facing due to disability or injury.

I think one of Andrew’s many strengths is how he combines his passion for technology with a genuine interest in helping people. You will hear a wonderful quote in the second part of our conversation from Andrew where he puts his job into a greater perspective that I think will stick with you.

You will also hear my friend and YXE Underground photographer Rona Andreas ask a few questions to Andrew. Rona is an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Sherbrooke Community Centre, which is where I work, and I wanted to make sure she had a chance to ask Andrew some questions because she would view his work through such a unique lens.

Let me tell you…Rona asks some good questions.

You can listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Apple Podcast, Spotify, Goodpods or the website: yxeunderground.com. Feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear.

Don’t forget to follow YXE Underground on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks so much for listening and I hope you enjoy Andrew’s story.

Cheers…Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. This episode is a continuation of last week’s episode where we featured an incredible nonprofit organization called Empty Arms. It is a perinatal support group that provides supports to individuals and families who have experienced the loss of a child during pregnancy or up to the age of six.

Jasmin Herchak and Briana Koop co-founded Empty Arms in 2015 and were the featured guests in last week’s episode. They were amazing to speak with and the feedback I’ve received from listeners highlights their empathy and kindness. I hope you get a chance to listen to their story if you haven’t done so already.

The other voices you heard in last week’s episode belonged to Dax and Sara Irons. They share the story of their son, Everett, who was born on September 22nd , 2018 and passed away at birth. They are grateful for the support Empty Arms provided them during such a difficult time, and in fact it was Sara’s idea to feature Jasmin and Briana on the podcast.

Sara and Dax invited me to their home on a chilly Saturday morning in December to talk about Everett and the supports Empty Arms provided them. It was a really powerful conversation and I can’t thank Sara and Dax enough for their honesty and vulnerability in sharing their story.

I played a few minutes of our conversation in last week’s episode but I want to share with you the entire interview because I just found it so powerful in how it shows the impact Empty Arms has on people like Sara and Dax. 

I also wanted to share it because Sara and Dax gave so much of themselves in telling their story. I’ve known Sara for years through Saskatoon’s yoga community but this was the first time I met Dax, and he just shared so much of his heart in our conversation. I am grateful to both of them.

We did the interview in the living room of their home. Dax and I sat on the couch while Sara sat cross-legged on the floor. On the coffee table in front of us were objects that were part of the Empty Arms care package that you’ll hear them discuss throughout the interview.

Again, I am so grateful to Sara and Dax for sharing their story with me on the podcast.

Listen to and follow YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Spotify, Goodpods or the YXE Underground website. Please feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear.

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Jasmin Herchak and Briana Koop took traumatic and devastating experiences with loss and turned them into something that is helping so many people and families in Saskatoon. I think that deserves to be celebrated.

In 2015, Jasmin and Bri created Empty Arms. It is a nonprofit organization that provides support to individuals and families that experience grief and bereavement due to the loss of a child during pregnancy or up to the age of six. As you will hear in this episode, Jasmin and Bri started Empty Arms because they experienced the loss of a child and quickly noticed the lack of supports for people who experience such a loss. 

The work being done by the staff and volunteers Empty Arms is really incredible. They offer tangible supports to individuals and families when they are in the hospital and help create a supportive community in the months and years following a child's death. Jasmine and Bri explain why this work matters to them so much and how it continues to help them in their respective grieving processes. 

It was also interesting to learn how Jasmin and Bri have forged a wonderful relationship with the staff at the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital and the team at the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation. It's wonderful to see a big organization like the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation recognize the great work of a small, nonprofit organization like Empty Arms.

This episode would not have happened without Sara and Dax Irons who you will hear in this episode. Sara sent me an email last year telling me about the death of their son, Everett, in 2018 and how vital a role Empty Arms played in supporting them through such a difficult time. I am grateful to Sara and Dax for sharing their story and introducing me to Jasmin and Bri. 

A big thank you to Rob Rongve and his team at Rongve Wealth Management Group of RBC Dominion Securities for supporting this episode of the podcast and for being such wonderful fans of all things YXE Underground. You're the best, Rob!
 

Thank you for listening to this episode and I hope you find it inspirational. I sure did in producing it. Feel free to make a donation to Empty Arms as I know they would appreciate it.

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

If you ever get a chance to talk with Adrianne Vangool, take it. Jump at the opportunity to talk with her because you will find yourself talking with someone who is wonderfully honest and I think truly wise about the world around her. She comes by her wisdom through hard work, curiosity and reflection and its reflected in her debut book, 'The Journey of Self-Care to We-Care.'

Adrianne is a physiotherapist and owns her own business, Vangool Wellness. She is also a fantastic yoga instructor who incorporates yoga into her physiotherapy practice, and she explains the many benefits of yoga for a person's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health in her book. 

She also shares her own personal story in her book. I really admire Adrianne's honesty in sharing some of the struggles she has experienced in her life. I think it shows a great deal of bravery and it's something we talk a lot about in this conversation. 

We also talk about Adrianne's creative side as well. As you'll discover in her book, Adrianne loves writing poetry and she writes some beautiful poems that connect with different themes. I think the poems give the reader a better sense of who Adrianne is as a person and why writing this book was so meaningful to her.

Adrianne was kind enough to ask if she could be featured on the podcast to help promote the book. Of course I said because, well, just read the first paragraph of these show notes! We met at Vangool Wellness and sat crosslegged in her yoga studio to talk about the many themes in her debut book. I am very grateful to Adrianne for the opportunity to interview her and I am so excited for her book to launch in January of 2023.

Speaking of book launches, Adrianne is having a book launch on January 22nd at Ivy Yoga House from 1-3pm. The amazing Lisa Grieg is hosting the event and will be asking Adrianne questions about the book. The book launch is free to attend but you do have to register online. 

Thank you so much for listening to this special bonus episode of YXE Underground! I hope you enjoy our conversation and be sure to buy Adrianne's book. You will love it!

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis