Sean Bennett served for more than 25 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and 35 years as a firefighter. For him, the worst of his post traumatic stress disdorder are horrible nightmares - often reliving some of the worst of his calls as a firefighter, which include 23 children.

Sean and his partner Graham Bettes, a police officer for 32 years, run a non-profit program in Niagara called Valhalla Project Niagara. It's a completely free program for veterans and first responders who come together for 5 days at a camp in a safe and serene natural environment where they can share and learn about PTSD, mental health and suicide.

The Vallhala Project is completely free and relies on donations. Learn more on how to support the veterans and first responders who keep us safe at: https://www.valhallaprojectniagara.org/

Imagine both parents dying within a month of each other. The grief is overwhelming. That's what happened to mental health advocate Jennifer McCready in 2024. Jennifer has lived with depression most of her life. This was the biggest challenge she'd faced. For more than a decade Jennifer has empowered women with self-love, self-acceptance, and self-confidence through her Lady Luck photograpy. Now Jennifer is putting her experience into a project that connects people with nature to help with their mental health.

There can be immense pressure to drink during the December Holiday Season. Work, friends and family are having parties and alcohol is synonymous with celebrating. It can be particulary difficult for people who are in early recovery.

Janice Rutgers, Executive Director of Community Addiction Services of Niagara, shares practical, non-judgmental tips on making the holidays healthier for everyone.

Chantel Bellingham was born 3 months early, weighed just over 3 pounds and addicted to methadone and possibly other opiates. She was adopted by a wonderful family but it’s not a surprise that addiction reared it’s ugly head when she was in college.

Chantel is with me today to talk about using substances and how she is using her experience to help others.

She is now a peer support worker at Community Addiction Services of Niagara and will be back on the show in January to talk about the importance peer support and how she is using her experiences and to help people who are battling mental illness and substance use issues.

Community Addiction Services of Niagara

More than 5,000 people have called the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline in 2025. The hotline is run by the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking and is there for people who are being trafficked, including sex and labour, or knows someone who is being exploited. The number to call is 1-833-900-1010 and help is available 24/7.

The Centre's Ashley Franssen-Tingly talks about what it means to be trafficked and how to reach out for help.

https://www.canadianhumantraffickinghotline.ca

https://www.canadiancentretoendhumantrafficking.ca

For more than two decades Ted Mouradian, president of the 2% factor, has helped hundreds of businesses create long-term, sustainable behavioral change using his infallible Law of Cooperative Action.

Ted has written five books and his latest book Yep, Sh!t Happens uses the power of story to take the reader on a journey with Cooper that changes the way Cooper sees the world.

Ian Fee had his first sip of beer when he was still in a stroller. His parents liked to party and as he got older so did he. Ian's memoir Wild Ride to Sobriety: Transformation from Drunken Oblivion to Profound Clarity takes us on the road from the culture of drinking with co-workers and clients, two lost marriages and how he got sober and stays sober.

Buy Ian's book on Amazon

The first "wind phone" was an unconnected telephone booth installed in the back yard by Japan artist Itaru Sasaki in 2010 to help him process the grief of losing his cousin who he had spoken to every day. After the devastating 2011 tsunami, hundreds of people came to his house asking to use the wind phone so he moved it to a public place. The unconnected telephone booth became a space for people to speak with deceased loved ones and has since inspired hundreds of replicas worldwide.

There are many wind phones in Canada and you can find locations at https://www.mywindphone.com.

Joy Friesen describes the impact on grief.

Go to https://hospiceniagara.ca wind phone locations in Niagara.