Show Notes
In this episode, we’re sitting down with Amanda Lindhout – a Canadian journalist whose life story is as gripping as it is inspiring. Amanda has always been driven by a deep curiosity about the world, and that curiosity took her to some of the most volatile places on earth. But in 2008, while working in Somalia, her life changed completely when she was kidnapped and held captive for 460 days. What’s remarkable about Amanda isn’t only what she survived, but how she’s chosen to move forward since then. Instead of letting that experience define her, she’s turned it into a message about empathy, forgiveness, healing, and hope. In this conversation, Amanda opens up about what survival really looked like, how she rebuilt her life piece by piece, and what she’s learned about finding light after unimaginable darkness.
More from The Honest Talk
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Jayna Hefford has spent her career changing the game. Now, as executive vice-president of hockey operations for the PWHL, she’s helping build a future where women’s hockey has the audience, recognition and opportunities it deserves. In this episode, Jayna reflects on the people who shaped her as an athlete, the challenges of building a professional league from the ground up, and the moments that made her realize just how much the game was changing. She also shares the advice that helped her push through doubt, why women’s hockey deserves to be judged on its own merits, and what it means to create something the next generation of girls can grow up believing is possible.
It's easy to put pressure on ourselves to do well at work, show up for our families and still find time for the people and things we love. But life doesn't always go to plan, and sometimes our idea of success has to change along the way. On this episode of The Honest Talk, we're joined by Amy Childs, Vice President, Small Business & Partnerships at RBC. Amy shares how she found her way into financial services, the people who opened doors for her, and why she's learned to be a little less hard on herself as her career and family life have evolved. We talk about motherhood, setting boundaries, paying it forward and figuring out what works for you in the season of life you're in, without feeling like you have to get everything right.
Women running for elected office is an important conversation. But what about the women who wield political power without ever appearing on a ballot? Katie Telford spent nearly a decade at the centre of Canadian politics as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, helping steer the government through election victories, cabinet changes, a global pandemic and economic uncertainty. Now, looking back on those years, she’s reflecting on leadership, public service, growing political polarization and what it means to navigate power as a woman. Jen and Catherine sit down with Telford to talk about life behind the scenes of the highest levels of government, the pressures of political leadership and what a decade in the thick of it taught her.
Trying to have a baby is deeply personal, but when you enter the world of fertility treatment, it can also become a complicated business – one involving enormous amounts of money, medical decisions, hope, and, sometimes, heartbreak. Our guest today knows that world from both sides. Kathryn Blaze Baum is an investigative reporter with the Globe and Mail, and her new book, Infertility: The Story of a Miracle and the Big Business Behind It, began with her own years-long struggle to have another child. What started as a very personal journey led Kathryn to start asking bigger questions about the fertility industry itself, like how it works, what patients are told, what it costs, and what happens when hope collides with a system that isn't as straightforward as it seems.
An economist, mother, policy advocate and now wife of Canada’s Prime Minister, Diana Fox Carney has worn many titles throughout her life. But there’s so much more to her story. In this episode of The Honest Talk podcast, she joins Jen and Catherine for a candid, engaging conversation about growing up in Britain, her time on the hockey rink, the global issues that have shaped her own career, and what it’s like to suddenly find herself firmly in the public eye. We also learn more about her passion for the arts, her talent for running (incredibly fast!), and the books she’s been loving this year!