Stories Within Us
A bi-monthly podcast hosted by Canadian American writer and educator Lisa Bush. Episodes feature conversations with writers, poets, educators, activists, artists, and researchers whose work is questioning, disrupting, or altogether transforming how we view ourselves and each other. Stories Within Us explores how our lived experiences - and the process of sharing those stories - has the power to connect, heal, disrupt, challenge and change.
Episodes
53 episodes
How to be a lifelong artist with Micheline Maylor
Poet, acquisitions editor, and award winning professor, Micheline Maylor examines the craft of being a lifelong artist. Micheline discusses the importance of paying attention to what we are feeling, cross pollination of ideas, and breaking patt...
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Season 7
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Episode 6
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53:56
Changing the world with better stories with Natalie Meisner
When Natalie Meisner started her career in theatre, she was cast for roles that didn't represent the women she knew or the women she wanted to become. So Natalie started writing her own plays. In today's episode, poet, playwright, and professor...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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56:27
Parenting in the age of AI with Leslie Salgado
In the second episode of our two-part series, journalist, photographer, and AI researcher Leslie Salgado guides me step by step through AI ethics, ChatGPT, and parenting in the age of AI. Leslie explains, "Their world is going to be heavily inf...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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34:39
Healthy expression of emotions with Leslie Salgado
In the first episode of our two-part series, journalist, photographer, and AI researcher Leslie Salgado and I dive deep into the world of emotions. Leslie shares the importance of releasing our emotions and trusting what our emotions tell us. L...
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Season 7
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Episode 3
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31:27
The art of living wild with Heidi Barr
Author Heidi Barr shares how to live with intention and the importance of ceremony, rewilding spirituality, and contemplating the wild silence. Heidi explains, "Being in relationship with the outdoor world is the foundation of my writing." ...
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52:07
Writing and healing with with Wakefield Brewster
Calgary's Poet Laureate, Wakefield Brewster, explains the intersection of art and healing. Wakefield and I discuss unlearning, why communication is essential, and how art has the potential to soften the blow of heavy messages. Wakefield sp...
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Season 7
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Episode 1
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41:39
This year's takeaways: relationships, rest, and being illogical
In this solo episode, I look back at the year and share my thoughts on parenting (one might think I have it figured out by now, however, that's not the case), rest, and embracing the illogical.Today's episode is full of resources for tho...
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Season 6
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Episode 6
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32:44
Education as a human right with Dr. Wing Kar Li
Neuroscientist and public school advocate Dr. Wing Kar Li examines the current state of Alberta's public education and explains what we should be paying attention to right now. Wing discusses how current policy is moving Alberta public educatio...
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Season 6
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Episode 5
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55:16
Comprehensive school health with Dr. Angela Grace
The health of our kids in schools is vital, and currently in Alberta, devastatingly precarious. This is such a timely conversation with Dr. Angela Grace on the importance of comprehensive school health.Dr. Angela Grace discusses how body...
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52:58
ADHD in women and girls with Shannon Smith
In the second episode of our two-part series, photographer Shannon Smith and I dive into our lives with ADHD. We discuss how ADHD presents as parents, as creatives, as women. How we, as neurodivergent folks, tend to mask and the repercussions o...
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Season 6
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Episode 3
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46:47
Breaking toxic parenting cycles with Shannon Smith
Artist Shannon Smith and I discuss how parenting patterns run deep and stopping toxic cycles is sometimes like looking off a cliff into the abyss. How certain environments can cause us, and our kids, to mask. How Shannon and I both are unlearni...
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Season 6
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Episode 2
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56:44
Nurturing our Gender Diverse Kids with Anna Murphy
Political-minded powerhouse for 2SLGBTQIA+ and women’s issues Anna Murphy shares how parents & educators can create spaces our gender diverse kids need. She speaks to what needs to be done for gender diverse kids in Alberta's schools, commu...
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Season 6
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Episode 1
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57:04
Healing and Music with D'orjay
Country music artist, healer, and author D’orjay speaks to us about healing, music, and her book, SHIT MY SHAMAN SAYS. D'orjay shares her healing journey and how it led to her work as a Shaman and Pranic Healer. Dorjay explains that a sha...
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Season 5
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Episode 11
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48:22
Motherhood Tax with Dr. Maki Motapanyane
Dr. Maki Motapanyane explores the ongoing, unceasing tension that exists for women navigating motherhood and careers. I found this conversation refreshingly validating; Maki doesn't downplay the challenges mothers in the twenty-first century fa...
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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47:41
Radical Self-care with Dr. Bri Wiens
I speak with activist-scholar Dr. Bri Wiens on radical self-care and communal self-care. Bri and I discuss the invisible labour that women are currently expected to do in the academy and in other places of work. Bri shares her resea...
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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45:22
Treating Stories With Care with Tomi Ajele
Today's episode is with Calgary writer, journalist and truth teller Tomi Ajele. Tomi shares with us the importance of slow journalism, creating your own blueprint and treating stories with care. Tomi speaks to the intent behind the...
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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36:19
The Importance of Empathy, Conversation, and Action with Nagwan Al-Guneid
Sustainability Leader, mother, and activist Nagwan Al-Guneid explains explains how the climate crisis is not gender equal or gender neutral. Nagwan discusses her vision for the future of energy and the importance of empathy, conversations, and ...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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37:30
Getting Unstuck with Miche Priest
Recovering hustle culture disciple Miche Priest walks us through the process of getting unstuck. She provides three steps we can take to finding solutions: widening the lens (not hyper focusing on two binaries), getting missing data, addressing...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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46:07
Have the audacity to dream
Why we need to dream—and dream big—especially during challenging times. I share my thoughts on why we must dream our own dreams and not what society expects us to dream. I tell a story involving a spreadsheet (because spreadsheets are ...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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21:56
Modern Sexism and Anger
"Modern Sexism simply denies that sexism exists. This is the most insidious form because it doesn't argue that men and women should be treated differently, but rather claims men and women are already treated the same." - Dr. Kristin Ne...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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23:25
Finding the helpers amongst the chaos with Crystal Reynolds
This conversation with designer, observer, and fellow creative Crystal Reynolds was sparked from a recent post where Crystal wrote, "...I’m on the lookout to find the helpers amongst the chaos." I was intrigued.In this episode, Crystal a...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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39:53
Home, Identity, and Nationalism with Mifrah Abid
Activist and Advocate of Racial Equity, Mifrah Abid explains the meaning of home. Mifrah challenges my beliefs on home and identity—and if there is one thing I love, it's a conversation that expands my thinking! We discuss our though...
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38:29
Unapologetically Taking Up Space with Shahzia Noorally
Today, I speak with proud introvert and gentle disrupter, Shahzia Noorally. Shahzia shares her story of showing up authentically in her career and unapologetically taking up space. Shahzia is the host of the Colour Gap Podcast, which I listen t...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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40:31
Advice to Our Younger Selves with Kate Cordell
This episode with educator, mother and one of my favourite people in the world, Kate Cordell. In this episode Kate and I reflect back on our 20's when we first met each other and give our younger selves advice. This is a conversation about forg...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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57:31
Asking Your Partner for Help Part II
In this two-part series, I take on my first ever solo podcast to discuss a few practices for moms looking to lighten their workload. These are five simple practices that you can use year-round but are especially helpful over the holidays. To th...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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38:15
