TELUS Talks with Tamara Taggart

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Each week, TELUS Talks with Tamara Taggart will bring exclusive conversations with experts and influencers making a difference for Canadians right now. From health and wellness, to community, to social responsibility, we’ll share stories, bust myths, provide simple and practical tips, and deliver information of value to Canadians.

TELUS


    • May 20, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 32m AVG DURATION
    • 252 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from TELUS Talks with Tamara Taggart

    Manage your emotions before they manage you: Ethan Kross

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 32:03


    Feeling overwhelmed, stuck in your head, or ruled by your emotions? Ethan Kross wants you to know there is a way forward. As a psychologist and best-selling author, Ethan shares his practical tips for managing your emotions before they manage you. He dives into science-backed tools to help you calm your mind, reframe your thoughts, and reshape your environment for greater clarity and control.

    What a dying tree teaches us about grief: Tessa McWatt

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 31:10


    What can a dead tree teach us about grief? Tessa McWatt shares how the natural world—especially the metaphor of the “snag,” a standing dead tree—helped her navigate the slow loss of her mother to dementia. As her mother's memory faded, the forest became a guide for Tessa, showing that death is not an end, but part of a continuous, connected cycle.

    Turn setbacks into momentum: Jesse Lipscombe

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 27:22


    What if the key to getting unstuck isn't doing more—but doing differently? Jesse Lipscombe was on track for the Olympics when a mini-stroke changed everything. He shares how that life-altering moment sparked a shift from chasing goals to embracing doing creating a blueprint for moving forward with curiosity, clarity and confidence.

    Weaving culture and couture: Christian Allaire

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 29:20


    What does it take to turn big dreams into reality — and stay true to who you are along the way? Vogue fashion journalist and author Christian Allaire shares his journey from growing up on a reserve in Canada to becoming one of the most exciting voices in fashion today. We talk about the power of Indigenous representation in style, and how determination, creativity, and cultural pride fueled his rise. Whether you dream of breaking into fashion or chasing any big goal, Christian's story will leave you inspired to dream bigger.

    You can heal your relationship with money: Jessica Moorhouse

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2025 26:35


    What if the reason you're stuck financially has nothing to do with money? We sit down with financial educator and author Jessica Moorhouse to explore the emotional and psychological roots of our relationship to money. Based on her new book Everything but Money, we unpack how shame, trauma, family history, and systemic inequality shape our financial lives—and why traditional advice like “just budget better” often falls short.

    Psychology can explain why you're overwhelmed: Steven Heine

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 28:15


    Why does life today feel so overwhelming? Steven Heine wants to answer this question by helping you better understand your own brain. As a social and cultural psychologist, Steven explains why so many of us feel anxious, disconnected and unsure of our purpose. We discuss how our brains are wired to crave meaning, why freedom often brings anxiety, and how we can rebuild a sense of purpose when life feels chaotic.

    How harm reduction can fight the opioid crisis: Garth Mullins

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2025 42:45


    There's a side of the opioid crisis most people never hear—the view from inside. Garth Mullins is a podcaster and author who has experienced addiction, incarceration and loss, and he wants to shift the focus to saving lives. We explore why harm reduction is essential, how the war on drugs has failed communities, and what a health-based, compassionate response could look like.

    How ocean plastics are affecting your health: Holly Hogan

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2025 34:09


    Microplastics are found on every corner of the planet – even in our own bodies. Holly Hogan has seen the far-reaching impacts of ocean plastics first hand. She is a seabird biologist with over 30 years of experience and the author of Message in a Bottle: Ocean Dispatches in the Age of Plastic. Holly shares powerful stories about the devastating effects of plastic on marine life, how microplastics are impacting human health and how we can reduce plastic in our everyday lives.

    True healing for men and their communities: Christopher Merasty

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2025 29:09


    Christopher Merasty believes that true healing for men could transform entire communities. In 2020, he founded Men Of The North with the goal of providing accessible, culturally-grounded mental health resources for men. We discuss how his programs are changing lives in his community, the urgent funding needs for men's mental health resources and why men's healing is essential for safer, healthier communities.

    Our bodies don't always need to be fixed: Kate Gies

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2025 35:23


    Born without an outer right ear, Kate Gies spent the better part of her childhood being told she needed to be fixed. She underwent 14 reconstructive surgeries in the attempt to achieve a “normal” appearance for a non-medical issue. Kate joins us to question the foundation of what we deem acceptable for our bodies, share her experience in the medical system and discuss her new memoir – It Must Be Beautiful to Be Finished.

    How tech is changing lung cancer detection: Dr. Stephen Lam

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2025 28:05


    Lung cancer is on the rise, even among those who have never smoked. Dr. Stephen Lam is a respirologist with the BC Cancer Research Centre, and has dedicated his career to lung cancer research and early detection. Stephen dives into the role of AI in predicting lung cancer risk and practical strategies to safeguard your lungs.

    How history shapes our view of women's bodies: Sarah Thornton

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2025 30:40


    Why are women's bodies, particularly breasts, both a source of empowerment and controversy? They are commodified, censored and debated. Sociologist and author Sarah Thornton joins us to explore how women's bodies shape entire industries—from healthcare to fashion. Sarah also dives into her new book Tits Up: What Sex Workers, Milk Bankers, Plastic Surgeons, Bra Designers, and Witches Tell Us about Breasts.

    What really happens during menopause: Dr. Lori Brotto

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2025 32:44


    Dr. Lori Brotto, renowned women's sexual health expert and UBC professor, joins us to break down the changes menopause brings—and how to navigate them with confidence. From explaining a shifting libido to managing discomfort, Lori shares insights packed with practical advice you won't want to miss.

    Simple habits to reduce dementia risk: Dr. Saskia Sivananthan

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2025 34:20


    Did you know women are almost twice as likely as men to develop dementia? Dr. Saskia Sivananthan, neuroscientist and CEO of the Brainwell Institute, dives into the science of brain health. She breaks down why dementia rates are higher in women and, most importantly, what we can do to lower our risk.

    How a craving became a delicious Canadian product: Lilian Umurungi-Jung

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2025 29:23


    What if your biggest craving led to a successful business idea? When Lilian Umurungi-Jung was pregnant, she found it difficult to find nourishing food products and decided to make her own snacks at home. As the owner and founder of Mumgry, Lilian's business makes nut butters that are delicious, nutritious and have simple ingredients. She shares how her Rwandan food traditions shaped the flavors of Mumgry and how she built a purpose-driven, Canadian brand from the ground up.

    Break free from diet culture: Shana Spence

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2025 28:44


    Are you tired of the endless cycle of dieting, guilt and food rules? Shana Spence is a registered dietitian nutritionist and she dives into how to heal your relationship with food to reclaim the joy of eating. Shana breaks down why diet culture is so pervasive, how it harms our mental and physical health, and what we can do to unlearn restrictive food rules.

    How ‘momfluencers' are shaping motherhood: Sara Petersen

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2025 35:30


    Social media can distort the reality of life in many different ways – motherhood is no exception. Sara Petersen is an author and culture writer with a love/hate relationship with ‘momfluencers', where the private work of mothering is turned into a public performance. The message is simple but fraught: we're all just a couple of clicks away from a better, more beautiful experience of motherhood. We discuss how momfluencer culture impacts women psychologically as consumers, as performers of their stories and as mothers.

    Canadians deserve more internet choice: Zainul Mawji

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2025 42:29


    More competition among internet providers means more innovation and choice for Canadians. Zainul Mawji joins us to explain how TELUS is standing up for Canadians' right to choose their Internet provider. As the Executive Vice-president of TELUS and President of TELUS Consumer Solutions, Zainul unpacks the federal government's recent appeal asking the CRTC to exclude TELUS from offering home Internet services to consumers in Ontario and Quebec and how this could impact Canadians.

    Reclaiming the untold stories of Canada: Tanya Talaga

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2025 31:56


    For the first couple of weeks of January, we're revisiting some of our most popular episodes from 2024. Take another listen to our conversation with Tanya Talaga. For Tanya, memory is not just about the past. It's a tool for survival and resistance. Remembering and honouring ancestors through stories ensures that their spirits and wisdom continue to guide future generations. Tanya reflects on how reclaiming Indigenous family histories opens the door to understanding the real, often untold, history of Canada.

    We need to talk about periods: Dr. Jen Gunter

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2025 38:16


    For the first couple of weeks of January, we're revisiting some of our most popular episodes from 2024. Take another listen to our conversation with Dr. Jen Gunter. She has made it her mission to change how we think about menstrual health as a key component of overall wellness. So much of what we know about menstruation is a myth or simply false. As a renowned gynecologist and author, Jen also dives into the history of why so many people are afraid to talk about their periods.

    Find your money strategy for 2025: Mark Ting

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2024 34:34


    Money is more than dollars and cents—it's about strategy. Mark Ting is a life-long entrepreneur who understands that financial planning can be complicated. When it comes to personal finance, Mark says we all need to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. He shares his own tried-and-true personal finance strategies, how to deal with inflation costs and how beginners can grow their investment portfolio.

    Saving lives with food allergy immunotherapy: Dr. Edmond Chan

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2024 37:52


    Can we train our immune systems to overcome food allergies? Dr. Edmond Chan is the Head of the Division of Allergy in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia and is leading an immunotherapy program to help children overcome their food allergies. We discuss how immunology is reshaping lives and offering hope to many people with life-threatening food allergies.

    Building community for Black women in hockey: R. Renee Hess

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 33:08


    For R. Renee Hess, a chance encounter with Pittsburgh Penguins fans led to a lifelong passion for hockey. She has become a passionate advocate for Black women in hockey through education, representation and community building. Renee discusses her new book Blackness is a Gift I Can Give Her: On Race, Community and Black Women in Hockey and how she's making hockey a safe space for Black women and girls.

    How to have healthy conversations: Aftab Erfan

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2024 33:35


    Quit the seemingly endless cycle of online outrage and unproductive arguments. Aftab Erfan is the executive director of the SFU Centre for Dialogue and she is passionate about constructive conflict resolution and helping people build their communication skills. We discuss the art of constructive dialogue and how we can build space for healthy conversations in our own lives.

    How I learned to live with anxiety: David A. Robertson

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2024 34:29


    On the outside, David A. Robertson has a loving family, a successful career as an author, and a platform to promote Indigenous perspectives, cultures and concerns. On the inside, he lives with “little monsters”: chronic, debilitating health anxiety and panic attacks accompanied, at times, by depression. David shares his mental health journey and his brand new book All the Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety. This episode contains a discussion of potentially distressing topics, such as suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting 9-8-8.

    Reflecting on Indigenous Veterans Day: Clarence Wolfleg Sr.

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2024 23:44


    First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Canada have a long tradition of military service. The challenges they faced often extended to their post-service life, as many Indigenous war veterans didn't receive equal treatment compared to other veterans in Canada. Clarence Wolfleg Sr. is a deeply respected veteran and Elder from the Siksika Nation and he joins us to discuss his decades of work building financial and community support for Indigenous veterans.

    The intersection of medicine and inclusivity: Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2024 30:58


    Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa dreamed of becoming a doctor her entire life. But as a psychiatry resident, Chika quickly learned that medical school and a medical career are not immune to systemic discrimination. She discusses her journey through medical school and residency, advocating for change and her new memoir: Unlike the Rest: A Doctor's Story.

    The path to gender equality: Elizabeth Renzetti

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2024 36:52


    Why are women still fighting for equality in 2024? Elizabeth Renzetti is an award-winning journalist who has spent decades reporting on women's rights in Canada. She shares her candid insights on what needs to change, the barriers women still face and why the fight is far from over. We also dive into Elizabeth's new book What She Said: Conversations About Equality.

    canada gender equality elizabeth renzetti
    The power of getting outside: Frank Wolf

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2024 28:36


    What does it take to live a life of constant adventure and exploration? Frank Wolf is one of Canada's most prolific adventurers, trekking thousands of kilometres across the world's wilderness every year. As a writer and filmmaker, Frank is also passionate about the power of storytelling to foster connection between people. He joins us to discuss his unconventional lifestyle, exciting expeditions and his new book Two Springs, One Summer: A Year Inside the Life of a Chronic Adventurer.

    The healing power of brotherly love: Manni and Reuben Coe

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2024 33:40


    When Reuben Coe sent his brother Manni a desperate text message during the peak of the pandemic, it sparked an extraordinary journey of rescue and recovery. After a year of living alone in care, Reuben was isolated and deeply depressed. Manni knew his brother needed help and the family came together to heal. Hear the inspiring story of one family's fight to save their loved one with Down syndrome, or "up syndrome" as Reuben prefers.

    Women who do too much: Tamu Thomas

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2024 27:57


    Is your endless to-do list keeping you from just enjoying life? Tamu Thomas wants women to reclaim a more balanced approach to work and life and let others feel good about pitching in. She shares her own journey with burnout and the social factors that make women more susceptible to overdoing it.

    Decolonizing the classroom: Carolyn Roberts

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2024 26:47


    Carolyn Roberts is challenging the colonial foundations of Canada's education system. As an Indigenous academic and educator, Carolyn has firsthand experience in the classroom. We explore the impacts of colonialism on curriculum, offer practical strategies for creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments, and discuss Carolyn's new book Re-Storying Education: Decolonizing Your Practice Using a Critical Lens.

    Reclaiming the untold stories of Canada: Tanya Talaga

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2024 31:57


    For Tanya Talaga, memory is not just about the past. It's a tool for survival and resistance. Remembering and honouring ancestors through stories ensures that their spirits and wisdom continue to guide future generations. Tanya reflects on how reclaiming Indigenous family histories opens the door to understanding the real, often untold, history of Canada.

    Finding hope in Indigenous-led conservation: Valérie Courtois

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2024 31:37


    Valérie Courtois is building a social movement for environmental conservation. For more than 10 years, she has been the executive director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative and has been an advocate for Indigenous-led conservation. We discuss Valérie's career, the importance of Canada's boreal forests, and the role of conservation in truth and reconciliation.

    Supporting survivors of gender-based violence: Angela Marie MacDougall

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 28:56


    Coercive control—subtle, persistent abuse that manipulates and dominates victims—is being recognized as a serious form of abuse in Canada. Angela Marie MacDougall is the executive director of Battered Women's Support Services and is helping women escape violent relationships. She joins us to share her thoughts on coercive control and how we can better support survivors of gender-based violence.

    Revisiting favourites: Finding your own state of calm with Dr. Ellen Choi

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2024 36:16


    Back to school can be a stressful time for the whole family. We're taking another look at our episode with Dr. Ellen Choi, an expert on mindfulness. Dr. Choi felt like she had been moving through her life on autopilot. Through mindfulness and meditation, and removing the burden of perfection, she was able to connect with herself and learn how to live with intention and purpose. She joins us to discuss how everyone can develop their own personal practice.

    How to raise compassionate sons: Ruth Whippman

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2024 32:57


    With young men in the grip of a loneliness epidemic, Ruth Whippman asks: How do we raise our sons to have a healthy sense of self? As an essayist, culture critic and mother of three boys, Ruth discusses the impossibly contradictory pressures boys now face and how parents can nurture empathy, positivity and compassion in their sons.

    The internet of animals: Martin Wikelski

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2024 32:52


    What do animals know that we don't? Martin Wikelski has spent his professional career trying to answer this question. He's the director of the Department of Migration at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and also pioneered ICARUS, a system for continuously tracking thousands of animals from space. Martin discusses his work in animal tracking, how animals can help us with our response to climate change, and his new book The Internet of Animals: Discovering the Collective Intelligence of Life on Earth.

    How to break free from narcissists: Bren Worthington

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2024 25:20


    Have you ever felt constantly confused in a relationship, with someone treating you hot and cold or blaming you for things that weren't your fault? For Bren Worthington, becoming a mother helped her recognize the narcissists in her own life. We explore how to identify narcissistic behaviours and cope with the aftermath of abuse.

    Canadians underestimate their skin cancer risk: Kathleen Barnard and Dr. Alison Weppler

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2024 32:23


    For many years, melanoma was considered a death sentence. But in the last decade, huge strides have been made in skin cancer treatments. We sit down with the Save Your Skin Foundation to discuss the role of patient advocacy in improving cancer patients' lives. Founder Kathleen Barnard is a melanoma patient and awareness advocate, and Dr. Alison Weppler is an oncologist specializing in skin cancers. We discuss the life-changing impacts of immunotherapy, skin cancer prevention and their work raising skin cancer awareness across Canada.

    How society's rules have shaped women's health: Cat Bohannon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2024 32:49


    Where would human evolution be without the female body? Despite the invaluable ability to create life, Cat Bohannon says the female body has been historically overlooked in medical research. As an author and researcher, she wants to close the gaps in our understanding of the female body by taking a trip through time. We unpack medical bias, sexism and Cat's book Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.

    Plants have history: Jessica J. Lee

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2024 29:19


    The weeds in your garden have a fascinating personal history. Jessica J. Lee is challenging us to reframe our ideas of the natural world. As an environmental historian, she is an expert in exploring the entangled relationships between people and plants. We discuss Jessica's fascination with the language used to describe plant species, such as "invasive" and "native” and dive into her new book Dispersals: On Plants, Borders, and Belonging.

    The art of thinking for yourself: Robin Reames

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 33:06


    From ancient Greece to modern media, rhetoric has played a massive role in how we perceive reality. Robin Reames is a rhetorician, author and professor at Indiana University and she argues that understanding rhetorical techniques helps us avoid being manipulated by authority figures who don't have our best interests at heart. Robin discusses how we can decode rhetoric and talks about her new book The Ancient Art of Thinking For Yourself: The Power of Rhetoric in Polarized Times.

    Getting to the root of addiction treatment: Dr. Alana Hirsh

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2024 31:17


    What if the key to addiction recovery lies not just in treating symptoms, but addressing long-buried trauma? In this episode, we speak with Dr. Alana Hirsh, a Vancouver physician specializing in trauma-informed addiction treatment. Through moving patient stories and her own experiences, Alana shares how a trauma-informed lens is transforming healthcare for her patients and is a crucial step toward holistic healing.

    Living with a misunderstood disorder: Miranda Newman

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2024 32:44


    When Miranda Newman was growing up, her mother didn't know if Miranda needed ‘a psychologist or an exorcist.' It took years for Miranda to be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder - an explanation for the complicated way she moved through the world. Miranda discusses her experiences navigating the Canadian mental healthcare system, her work breaking the stigma around her diagnosis and her new memoir Rough Magic: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder.

    Fighting forest fires with good fire: Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2024 32:49


    Indigenous peoples have used fire to shape landscapes for millennia, but centuries of colonial fire suppression policies have disrupted these relationships. Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson is a fire research scientist and expert in Indigenous fire stewardship. She is working to restore the relationship between Indigenous communities and fire. We discuss the concept of ‘good fire' and its potential to preserve forest health.

    How to be a stronger leader: Dr. Diane McIntosh

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2024 25:21


    How can we get ourselves in the right headspace to lead? The importance of leaders having leadership skills can't be overstated. Dr. Diane McIntosh joins us to discuss the psychology of a successful leader, how to create a thriving work environment and her new co-authored book, You Belong Here: How to Make People Feel Safe to Be Their Best, Take Bold Risks, and Win.

    How to face fatphobia: Kate Manne

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2024 35:59


    For as long as Kate Manne can remember, she wanted to be smaller. Even as a feminist philosopher, she wasn't exempt from the cultural conditioning that drives so many of us to a negative body image. Kate draws on her research from her new book, Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia, to discuss what fatphobia is, how it works and why it's a vital social justice issue for everyone.

    Dads, it's okay to not be okay: Dr. Benjamin Rosen and Dr. Andrew Howlett

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2024 31:47


    Psychiatrists Dr. Benjamin Rosen and Dr. Andrew Howlett believe the mental health of fathers is a wellness indicator for the whole family. Why then, do so many dads feel shame about caring for their mental health? Benjamin and Andrew discuss this stigma, how the brain is impacted by becoming a dad and why they founded the Fathers' Mental Health Network.

    Why athletes struggle with mental health: Stephanie Labbé

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2024 38:58


    After bringing home two Olympic medals, Stephanie Labbé wants to make it easier for athletes to speak about their mental health. There were many ups and downs on Stephanie's journey to the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. We discuss how she learned to manage mental health challenges, the future of Canadian women's soccer, and her brand new documentary Shut Out.

    Reframing how we think about disability: Ashley Harris Whaley

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2024 37:52


    What started as a casual effort to increase disability awareness turned into a social media following of almost 100,000. Ashley Harris Whaley launched her ‘Disability Reframed' Instagram account in 2020, and as her following grew, she also published her first children's book, I Am, You Are, to help children and adults have meaningful discussions about disability and ableism. Ashley discusses her grassroots activism, the importance of representation and her experience parenting with a disability.

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