Voices In Recovery Podcast

This week's guest, Kenna Burima stops by and shares her incredible journey into advocacy and activism using her art and creative energy. I won't try and tell you that we have a linear conversation because neither of us are linear thinkers. I think she is a bundle of love and positive, healing energy. After sitting and chatting with Kenna, I also recognize someone who has survived and is trying to turn that pain into love for herself and others. There's something about humans trying to change the world and create space for everyone's liberation. There's nothing perfect about us humans and that is our gift if we can remember as we engage with others. Thank you Kenna, we appreciate you!

This week, Karla Marx stops by and shares her beautiful journey. She has been involved in activism for about ten years and is a beautiful, talented performer. An hour with Karla could never do them justice, as you will find out when you listen. I appreciate your work in our community and your continued pursuit of equality for all humans. We are incredibly lucky to have you out here standing up for yourself and others. Recognizing that we can never be perfect, but being willing to grow and change is what we really need.

This week's guest, Abir, stops by and shares her incredible journey through this life. She shares her family's journey from the Middle East in the 90's when Islamophobia and xenophobia was really hitting its stride across the west and even the east. We talk about the Canadian dream and the emptiness felt when folks realized they traded one form of militant idealism to another. Canada is something else and we examine some of the niceties presented before arrival to the stolen lands where we now reside and live. Thank you for your openness and vulnerability Abir, we could have talked all afternoon! Sending you and your family love.

This week, Jon stops by and shares about his life. We talk about many parts of his life and look at the current situation of our fellow suffering humans across the planet. That is how we met in fact, gathering to support folks, who are demonized in the western media. This of course allows us to explore and condemn the history of racism, the Crown and the Canadian government have created and perpetuated within the very system they call humanitarian. We discuss the Canadian government's complicity in national apartheid to this day! We appreciate you dude, all the love!

This week's guest and one of our favorite humans ever, Taylor Dumais stops by and shares about their incredible journey. She is the president of Sacred Turtle Women's Healing Centre https://www.facebook.com/share/NWeY4YPqUvQVB3xD/ and is a part of the great, growing movement across Turtle Island returning us to the guidance of grandmothers. Thank you for sharing your light with us, we appreciate you so much.

This week, Darcy and I sit together and talk about turning 50 and the continued, escalating genocide against Palestinians and so many others in our world, as I write this. We share about grief, loss, change, aging, police violence, racism and our provincial government, and the general feeling that everyone is on simmer and soon there'll be some kind of catastrophic event. We as usual, just run wild on some topics and in that process we move through different stages of our lives... Thank you all for your support 

This week's guest, Mike, comes to us from a SMART Recovery perspective and i found it refreshing. Chatting with him about recovery, evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, etc gave my brain an incredible boost of really nice chemicals as I learned quite a lot - just enough to know that I really know nothing. I hope it does the same for all of you. Mike explains some of the finer points of SMART Recovery and how he's found it working daily in his life. Thank you sir! I'll get reading!

This week our friend, Wesam from Justice for Palestinians Calgary stops by with a UofC student to share about continued police brutality, violence, and ongoing bullying. We talk about May 9th, 2024 when the Calgary police escalated and attacked unarmed students and protestors at the University of Calgary. We talked about how Edmonton police doubled down on the violence and brutality May 11th at the University of Alberta. Wesam and friend, share the details as to what happened then and what has been happening behind the scenes as a result of police targeting their protests, gatherings and fund raisers. The violence was again furthered by the Calgary police on Sunday, September 15th, 2024 at Tomkins Park when they attempted to interrupt a peaceful protest. Police deployed 4 horses, twenty bike officers, and a solid 20-40 mixed law enforcement officers as back up. There were barely fifty protestors on scene when the police escalated to violence as a show of force to strike fear in anyone contemplating future action against the state. Even though our conversation was very open and we share a lot of vulnerability. We fully understand that the police watch, listen and follow us on line and in person at times so we are incredibly vulnerable to them. We share our anger, fear, and confusion at times. If you don't think "your police" would do certain things to keep people silent, criminalize poverty/unhoused, and weild the constant threat of your loss of liberty/finances all the while they convince you they're acting in your best interest...think again. We recognize that many activists through the years in Calgary have faced and been subjected to this type and worse violence, suppression, and surveillance.

This week, our friend, Peter, returns and shares about the last few very tumultuous years in recovery - since covid. He shared about how deeply his connections have shifted and adjusted through medical distress, emotional upheaval, and incredible learning. I appreciate being able to sit down and talk about the sometimes debilitating road to happy destiny. Talking about recovery is one thing, living it is another. Thank you Peter

This week, Aline stops by and shares their incredible journey through early trauma, continued trauma, into addiction, and today where she's living a life in recovery. Her openness and vulnerability are a sign of her courage moving forward through recovery. She tries to utilize her journey to inspire and encourage others. Thank you Aline, we appreciate you.