On today’s episode, we’re joined by Elia Lauzon from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, whose work and experiences reflect the power of community and intergenerational leadership.

In our conversation, Elia speaks with Alyssa Carpenter from the Canadian Women’s Foundation about growing up in a remote northern community and how youth leadership opportunities helped expand her sense of what was possible for her future.

We’ll also hear how the women and community leaders who came before her helped create pathways for the next generation, and why building stronger communities requires showing up for one another, sharing knowledge, and creating opportunities collectively.

Creating Pathways for the Next Generation With Elia Lauzon

Libby Ward [https://libbyward.com/] is a writer, speaker, and advocate redefining the motherhood narrative. Through her social media platforms, Libby is known to connect and empower women with honesty, humor, and her relatable voice. She has been featured on the BBC, Good Morning America, and is a member of Reese Witherspoon’s inaugural Hello Sunshine Collective [https://hello-sunshine.com/]. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two children.

Getting Honest About Motherhood, Mental Load, and Society's Messaging with Libby Ward

Jenna Barnable is an award-winning, Disabled changemaker from Newfoundland and Labrador, now based in Nova Scotia. As a disability inclusion advocate and anti-ableism educator, she calls for Disabled, chronically ill and neurodivergent women, girls and gender-diverse people to be protected, respected and empowered. She’s passionate about advancing disability and gender justice by amplifying authentic Disabled representation in leadership and media.

A compelling storyteller with an approachable East Coast touch, Jenna aims for every conversation, podcast interview, digital content series and learning session to empower Disabled self-advocates and supportive community allies. She creates critical anti-ableist, feminist content from her podcast and social media series, to speaking events and free community educational resources. Her work spotlights how interlinked systems of oppression (like colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, racism and ableism) directly harm Disabled women, girls and gender-diverse people.

Jenna’s combined Disabled lived experience, feminism and expertise in business, communications and DEI offers a unique perspective often sought by Canadian organizations, post-secondary institutes, governments and media. She mentors Disabled youth and peers, particularly in rural and remote places where disability and gender justice support is crucial for change.

Shifting the Story on Disability with Jenna Barnable

With ancestral roots in post-colonial Punjab and Kashmir, Somia Sadiq is a leading Planner who has developed a pioneering practice in engagement, conflict transformation, and negotiating space for those whose voices are often unheard or ignored. Rooted in the work of impact assessment, Somia founded Narratives, an award-winning planning and design firm that emphasizes human-centric, trauma-informed story work, lived experience, and creating space for celebration of ancestral identity. Somia is also the founder of Kahanee and Ravayat, a non-profit organization that amplifies storytelling and dialogue for peacebuilding.

Somia began her professional planning career undertaking impact assessment with a focus on resource, energy, and infrastructure projects. Her Doctorate focuses on understanding the role of Identity, Othering, and Trauma in conflict transformation. She is a writer and a keynote speaker, offering insights on trauma-informed leadership, and fostering resilience in a rapidly changing environment. Recognized for her contributions to the Planning practice in Canada and internationally, Somia was recently inducted into the Canadian Institute of Planners' esteemed College of Fellows, the highest honour for a planner in Canada. Gajarah, her debut novel, is a powerful testament to the power of storytelling in fostering resilience rooted in identity and ancestral strength.

Rethinking Truths and Meaningful Conflict Transformations With Somia Sadiq

Today, we're joined by mental health leader, storyteller, and executive director of Unsinkable, Hailey Hechtman. Hailey is a passionate advocate for person-centered, lived experience-driven programming.

With over a decade of leadership in the nonprofit sector, Hailey has dedicated her career to building more connected, compassionate systems of care. She founded the Yukon Distress & Support Line in 2014, led interagency disability inclusion efforts across Northern Canada, and championed inclusive employment initiatives rooted in dignity and accessibility.

As the Executive Director of Unsinkable, a national mental health storytelling organization founded by Olympian Silken Laumann, Hailey leads the evolution of a unified, scalable storytelling model that centers lived experience as a driver of connection, insight, and change. Through guided storytelling, amplification, and community engagement, Unsinkable supports individuals and organizations to engage with mental health in more human, relational ways. Hailey began her journey with Unsinkable as a storyteller, sharing her own experience before stepping into leadership.

She is committed to elevating underrepresented voices, nurturing sector collaboration, and creating safe, stigma-free spaces for reflection and healing. Hailey’s work is grounded in the belief that when stories are heard with intention, transformation becomes possible, for individuals, communities, and systems alike.

Storytelling as a Tool for Connection With Hailey Hechtman

Today, we’re revisiting a powerful episode from our Signal for Help podcast, a special series we produced with award-winning women journalists, Media Girlfriends.

In this episode, we hear from Bernadette, a survivor of long-term intimate partner violence who now works as a court advocate supporting women leaving abusive relationships. Through her story, she reflects on the lasting impact of emotional, verbal, and physical abuse, and how those experiences shaped both her journey and her work today.

This conversation also explores something many of us don’t often think about, the role we play as responders. Bernadette shares why language matters, how minimizing or dismissive reactions can cause harm, and what it truly looks like to support someone with empathy and care.

As we mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, we invite you to listen with intention, reflect on how we show up for others, and continue learning how to support survivors in meaningful ways.

Please listen, subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and share it with others. If you appreciate this content, if you want to get in on the efforts to build a gender equal Canada, please donate at ⁠canadianwomen.org⁠ [https://canadianwomen.org/] and consider becoming a monthly donor.

Facebook: Canadian Women’s Foundation [https://www.facebook.com/CanadianWomensFoundation/]

LinkedIn: The Canadian Women’s Foundation [https://ca.linkedin.com/organization-guest/company/the-canadian-women%27s-foundation?challengeId=AQFx5LuRTB7VagAAAXYuZQPL2267ksLSAxMh__RqsN2be8i2uhjH7ghWQHBa7g70zJO9Wh-tAzglk0HnAXyx0UhMEXlvjF8LcA&submissionId=55ea61be-6c8d-4d16-e9b5-507053530f53]

Instagram: @canadianwomensfoundation [https://www.instagram.com/canadianwomensfoundation/]

TikTok: @cdnwomenfdn [https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnwomenfdn?lang=en]

From the archives: Call it abuse

Selam Debs is a Black Ethiopian woman, an antiracism educator, an anti-oppression coach, a social justice advocate, a student in dismantling anti-Black racism, an accomplice in dismantling anti-Indigenous racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, and an advocate for 2SLGBTQ+ & disability rights through an intersectional lens.

She is the creator of the Antiracism Course and has facilitated workshops and trainings for organizations all across Canada. Selam is a yoga and meditation instructor, a restorative yoga teacher trainer, a holistic life coach, and a reiki master. First and foremost, Selam is a mother of a 20-year-old son. She is also a singer, songwriter, poet, and practitioner of self-acceptance, self-love, and radical compassion.

Selam’s antiracism work is rooted in the understanding that we must acknowledge and identify the insidiousness of racism before we can dismantle harmful beliefs and systems. The process of undoing, unlearning, and re-educating is necessary to embark on and support the healing journey for equity-denied communities.

Learning, Unlearning, Rest, and Reclamation With Selam Debs

Today, we're joined by Olivia Ho, founder of The Give and Grow and one of four winners of the 2026 Feminist Creator Prize [https://canadianwomen.org/blog/the-2026-feminist-creator-prize-winners-announced-2/].

Olivia's bio:

I am the founder of The Give and Grow and a lifelong advocate for women and girls in sport. For more than 15 years, I have worked with youth through sports camps, after school programs, coaching, and community initiatives, always driven by the belief that sport can build confidence and transform lives. Before launching The Give and Grow, I spent five years at MLSE LaunchPad, where I designed sport programs for girls ages 6 to 18 and saw firsthand the power of safe, empowering spaces for young women.

I began my career in health care, but during the pandemic I felt called to build something that blended my passion for sport, creativity, and community. That vision became The Give and Grow, a purpose-driven brand that uses sport and plants as tools for personal growth, wellness, and connection. Through our workshops, creative experiences, and youth programs, I aim to inspire the next generation of girls and women to grow with confidence. A portion of every purchase supports our youth initiatives, ensuring our mission remains rooted in giving back and strengthening communities.

Please listen, subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and share it with others. If you appreciate this content, if you want to get in on the efforts to build a gender equal Canada, please donate at ⁠canadianwomen.org⁠ [https://canadianwomen.org/] and consider becoming a monthly donor.

Facebook: Canadian Women’s Foundation [https://www.facebook.com/CanadianWomensFoundation/]

LinkedIn: The Canadian Women’s Foundation [https://ca.linkedin.com/organization-guest/company/the-canadian-women%27s-foundation?challengeId=AQFx5LuRTB7VagAAAXYuZQPL2267ksLSAxMh__RqsN2be8i2uhjH7ghWQHBa7g70zJO9Wh-tAzglk0HnAXyx0UhMEXlvjF8LcA&submissionId=55ea61be-6c8d-4d16-e9b5-507053530f53]

Instagram: @canadianwomensfoundation [https://www.instagram.com/canadianwomensfoundation/]

TikTok: @cdnwomenfdn [https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnwomenfdn?lang=en]

Building Confidence Through Sport With Olivia Ho

In this special bonus episode, Mitzie Hunter, President and CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation, is joined by Madame Diana Fox Carney, an economist and climate expert whose work has taken her from Africa to the UK to here in Canada, and whose career has focused on tackling some of the biggest challenges of our time. Diana has spent years working at the intersection of climate action, economic decision-making, and social impact, and brings a perspective that's both global and deeply human. Her work pushes us to think differently about leadership and about how we build systems that truly work for people.

Bonus episode: In conversation with Diana Fox Carney

Farkhunda Muhtaj is an Afghan-Canadian football luminary and social activist who unites the worlds of sport, education and humanitarianism. Farkhunda's instrumental role in the evacuation of over 300 people, including the Afghan Youth Women’s National Football Team and their families in 2021, was profiled in the 2024 Cannes Lions winning documentary, We Are Ayenda.

Farkhunda currently serves as the Captain of the Afghanistan Women’s National Football team and continues to play professionally as part of the Calgary Wild FC of the Northern Super League, which kicked off in April 2025. Her social activism work champions gender equality, anti-racism education, refugee and newcomer support and humanitarian relief through sport and physical wellness initiatives.

Muhtaj is the Calgary Wild’s Community Ambassador and the Co-Founder and Director of the https://muslimchildrensaid.com/scarborough-simbas/Scarborough Simbas [https://muslimchildrensaid.com/scarborough-simbas/], a non-profit organization that uses sport to help ease the settlement journey of refugees and newcomers to Canada. A prolific and sought-after speaker, Farkhunda brings her voice to stages and spaces around the world to speak on Global Active Citizenship, the Transformational Power of Sport and Capacity Building, Leadership in Time of Crisis, Growth Mindset, Women & Refugee Rights, and more.

Off the pitch, Farkhunda is an ambassador for Right To Play, Common Goal, Penny Appeal Canada, and Women for Women International. Muhtaj also serves on the Canadian Child Rights in Sports Advisory Committee, Canada Soccer’s Women’s Development Advisory Committee, and the FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Sport, Physical Activity, Health & Wellness Program Advisory Body.

Named a Top 30 Under 30 Alumni by her alma-mater York University, Farkhunda has been featured in the BBC, CBC, AP News, NPR, Al Jazeera, People Magazine, Elle Magazine and more.

Please listen, subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and share it with others. If you appreciate this content, if you want to get in on the efforts to build a gender equal Canada, please donate at ⁠canadianwomen.org⁠ [https://canadianwomen.org/] and consider becoming a monthly donor.

Facebook: Canadian Women’s Foundation [https://www.facebook.com/CanadianWomensFoundation/]

LinkedIn: The Canadian Women’s Foundation [https://ca.linkedin.com/organization-guest/company/the-canadian-women%27s-foundation?challengeId=AQFx5LuRTB7VagAAAXYuZQPL2267ksLSAxMh__RqsN2be8i2uhjH7ghWQHBa7g70zJO9Wh-tAzglk0HnAXyx0UhMEXlvjF8LcA&submissionId=55ea61be-6c8d-4d16-e9b5-507053530f53]

Instagram: @canadianwomensfoundation [https://www.instagram.com/canadianwomensfoundation/]

TikTok: @cdnwomenfdn [https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnwomenfdn?lang=en]

Impact On and Off the Pitch With Farkhunda Muhtaj

Welcome to Alright, Now What?, a podcast from the Canadian Women’s Foundation.
Every other Wednesday, our experts and partners put an intersectional feminist
lens on one topic or story we’ve all been hearing about ... the issues and
stories that just seem to keep resurfacing and make you wonder, "What's this
about?", "Why is this still happening?", and "How is it possible we haven't
fixed this yet?" We’re going to explore the systemic roots of these things and
the strategies for change that will move us closer to the goal of gender
justice.

Deep Soni

Shows