Podcast: What's Your Story?

Not many people are lucky enough to receive a grand gesture on a regular basis, but for Shane Bassen, he wouldn’t let a day go by without cherishing his wife Sandy. That’s why he’s been going out every snowfall and special occasion before sunrise, creating giant love notes to her on a hill visible from a major highway in South Calgary for decades. Follow host Tammie Samuel as she answers questions many have wondered about the community “SAN D” heart phenomenon for years, and even gets the chance to witness one being made. 
Episode 5 of What’s Your Story? is hosted and produced by Tammie Samuel, and was made in collaboration with the Community Podcast Initiative. You can learn more about the CPI at https://thepodcaststudio.ca/.

Sometimes history surrounds you, even if it no longer exists. Old architectural buildings hold clues to the past, telling the stories of those who came before us. In Calgary, buildings that no longer stand, and those that still do, provide a sense of how the city came to be.
Frank Finley is exploring the history of these lost buildings. With a love of architecture, Frank is on a mission to share the city of Calgary’s vibrant past as he delves into the old buildings that once stood. He shares the story of two lost buildings and those who dwelled in them. With his research, Frank looks to conserve these stories in a book he is currently writing.
This episode is hosted and produced by Ethan Seaborn, and was made in collaboration with the Community Podcast Initiative. You can learn more about the CPI at https://thepodcaststudio.ca/.
 
 

Every family has trauma. For generations, parents unknowingly passed their trauma down to their children. But with increasing mental health resources, trauma can be identified and healing can begin.
Crystal Allon knew she had trauma after growing up with parents who survived the residential school system. However, she never understood how the trauma affected her behaviour as a parent. But in her 50s she had a wakeup call – her son told her he was going to go no contact unless she healed and corrected her toxic behaviours.
By breaking down her past, Crystal is changing her future. In a healing journey of therapy, cultural connection, and —  surprisingly — TikTok, Crystal’s life is changing, her family is healing, and the intergenerational trauma is breaking.
This episode is hosted and produced by Julie Patton, and was made in collaboration with the Community Podcast Initiative. You can learn more about the CPI at https://thepodcaststudio.ca/.

Hockey is the pride of Canada. The sport that unifies us all. And it’s a sport that draws people in from all over the country.
Lyndsey Janes, for instance, didn’t start playing hockey until she was 10. Even then, she only played recreationally at first. It wasn’t until she took a leap of faith and tried out for a competitive boys’ team that her hockey journey really began. A journey that took her far from home, and resulted in a National Championship at Mount Royal University, and a career that has the potential to live on after university.
This episode is hosted and produced by Zach Payne, and was made in collaboration with the Community Podcast Initiative. You can learn more about the CPI at https://thepodcaststudio.ca/.

Shared conversations into the effects of job burnout, neurodivergence, art and how the determined decision to thread together separate passions can lead to a brighter future.
Through Sophie Sammes, and her father Steve, we navigate the destinations travelled to, both personally and via air travel.
This episode is hosted and produced by El Reid, and was made in collaboration with the Community Podcast Initiative. You can learn more about the CPI at https://thepodcaststudio.ca/.

Many people fear death, and the reason why is simple — we don’t talk about it. While many of us avoid the topic of death, Janet Arnold’s experiences of loss meant dying was a reality she couldn’t avoid. She’s made it her life’s work to study and teach about death, dying, grief, and loss. Similar to Janet, Sonya Jakubec spends her time understanding grief in her work as a mental health nurse and researcher. But neither Sonya nor Janet suggests that engaging in conversations of grief, loss, or death makes our lives more depressing. Instead, engaging with these inevitable realities of life is normal and can even help us live life more fully. 
 
Episode nine of What’s Your Story? is hosted and produced by Emma Boyne.
 
This series is powered by Shaw and produced as part of the Community Podcast Initiative at MRU Journalism.

Music is all about storytelling. And metal musician and lead singer of Molten Black, Sebby Trombetta, tells a story that Calgary isn’t just for country music. Sebby hopes to create metal music and performances that are slightly less aggressive than you might typically expect. By making music that’s less ‘in your face,’ Sebby wants to bring new fans of the genre to their music. For Sebby, metal is a dream he will pursue forever – a passion he will continue to work at in pursuit of making music his full-time career. 
 
The tenth and final episode of What’s Your Story? is hosted and produced by Peehu Rana and Cullen Chan. 
 
This series is powered by Shaw and produced as part of the Community Podcast Initiative at MRU Journalism.

Relationships, no matter the kind, are constantly changing, and Gary Chapman’s Five Love Language Model breaks down how people give and express love. With their growing marriage, Marie McFarlane and Chirine Bassil have faced some challenges being an interracial couple. But they remain dedicated to supporting each other while raising their kids and living fulfilling personal and professional lives.
 
Episode seven of What’s Your Story? is hosted and produced by Jasmine Krawchuk.
 
This series is powered by Shaw and produced as part of the Community Podcast Initiative at MRU Journalism.

Many of us engage in masking — disguising one’s natural behaviours to conform to perceived social norms. But for folks with autism, masking is an ongoing process to manage their interactions. Constantly manipulating your body language and responses is an exhausting and stressful way to live. For Jordan Roy, masking is a means to conform to people’s expectations of who he is so he can fit in. But living outside of yourself has considerable challenges. And this reality of living an experience most people don’t understand is particularly challenging in modern dating. 
 
Episode eight of What’s Your Story? is hosted and produced by Megan Creig.
 
This series is powered by Shaw and produced as part of the Community Podcast Initiative at MRU Journalism.

A note: this episode focuses on pregnancy loss.
 
About 20 per cent of pregnancies in Canada end in miscarriage – a loss characterized by silent grief and hidden guilt due to the stigma around sharing such an experience. Chances are, many people in your life have experienced a miscarriage or multiple infant losses that you know nothing about. 
 
Alicia Toenjes was excited to find out she was pregnant, despite being earlier than she and her husband had planned until she learned the pregnancy was ectopic. To address experiences like these, Danyelle Kaluski and Aditi Loveridge founded the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Centre out of their personal experiences of infant loss. And this is where Steven Pears found connection and comfort after losing his daughter to SIDS. Parents and advocates hope to destigmatize the grief that comes with infant loss and connect folks with the care and support they need instead of folks grieving in silence. 
 
Episode five of What’s Your Story? is hosted and produced by Erica John. 
 
This series is powered by Shaw and produced as part of the Community Podcast Initiative at MRU Journalism.