Face 2 Face With David Peck

Listen today to the interview with one of my favourite people in the field of social justice, innovation and change. Hear what he has to say about perseverance, measuring the little things and structural violence and why he believes money can be dangerous.BiographyVeteran civil society organization executive director skilled in CSO capacity building. Retired Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Ontario. Currently active in international development and global justice issues.Instructor: Post Graduate Certificate Program, International Project Management Humber College: Member Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Certified Member AAETS in Acute Traumatic Stress Management. Traumatology Institute trained Compassion Fatigue Educator and Treatment Specialist.Livingworks Institute Certified SafeTALK Trainer by Wallis Balog and graduate of Certificate in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Suicide early intervention, safety plan and referrals.Guest lecturer in i

Justin will change the way you think about design. He’s a Lego advocate and always appreciated the simple building block like nature of the toy. He has a relational edge when it comes to design and believes that spacecan inspire. Listen in to why he thinks that design is an exercise in compromise, how good design transcends and why we all need to feel like we’re a little more at home in the world.BiographyJustin Rahim is the Principal Designer and Owner of Black Label Urban Design, he specializes in Residential & Commercial Design, as well as Retail and Product branding.He is in constant pursuit of new ways of articulating spaces, structures and forms combining luxury design with day-to-day liveability. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mark talks to day about shame versus guilt, mental health issues and how we are all wired for relationships. Listen in to hear his thoughts on desperate and difficult issues of our time. Mark tells us why we need to listen more, how we should reflect on despair and why we all need to look beyond ourselves.Biography Mark is our Executive Director. He has been a marriage and family therapist since 1988 and came to Shalem in 2004. He has worked in child welfare (Northumberland Children’s Aid Society) and in children’s mental health (Kinark Child and Family Services). Until 2004, he served for almost 15 years as the Coordinator of what was then called Children’s Case Coordination Services for Northumberland County, an advocacy position which that involved him directly in the child welfare, children’s mental health, health, adult mental health, youth justice, developmental, medically complex, and education systems. Throughout that period he maintained a private practice in marriage and family therapy. From 2004-20

Gwyneth talks about giving back, being hooked on volunteerism, why her right and left-brains are intimately linked, and why numbers are the key to the universe.BiographyGwyneth is a partner in Cody and James and worked for several years providing management and financial consulting to a variety of corporate clients before acquiring TCP Accounting in 2009.A strong believer in giving back to the community, Gwyneth volunteers her time with many local charitable organizations including the Peterborough Community Futures Development Corporation, Women’s Business Network, and Peterborough Theatre Guild.She writes for Cottage Country Connections.Check out one of her entries on charitable donations here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Listen in today to a friend and one of my former professors talk about some interesting things. We talk sex, gender, and pornography. Jean has plenty to say about how we use labels and often don’t understand them, respect for other people, and what we need to do with hypocrisy.BiographyJean Saindon, Ph.D., is a retired professor of philosophy and science at York University in Toronto. His areas of research and interest include (in philosophy) argumentation, critical thinking, applied ethics, and epistemology; (in science) the history and philosophy of science, most recently evolution and genetics, the social and ethical implications of science, and the interrelationship of science and religion; (in sociology and philosophy) sexuality and gender.He is currently exploring the application of neuroscience and cognitive science for student learning and the implications of these for the theories and teaching of critical thinking.In addition to his academic work, Jean was Director of Training and Development for a m

Listen in today as I chat to one of my new heroes from India. Smita tells us why she works in the world of human trafficking, how young women are so resilient, why the issue is not always related to poverty and how she thinks things are getting better.BiographySmita grew up in a Christian home where she was inspired to help others. She knew at a young age that she would pursue a degree in clinical psychology. Once she graduated, she worked as a counsellor for a drug and rehabilitation clinic. Then continuing to follow her heart, she made the transition into an international justice organization that rescued young girls who were sold into the sex trade in Kolkata.As she participated in this work, helping to rescue over 171 girls, Smita noticed that many times they were rescuing the same girls and realized the need to good aftercare to prevent re-trafficking. She set out to start a holistic aftercare home that was dramatically different than the existing institutions that were like “processing warehouses” for r

Today’s interview was a real thrill for me. I was able to spend some time with the former Prime Minister of Bhutan – Jigme Thinley while he was in town for a Humber College IDI and SoChange Symposium recently called: Beyond GDP. Listen is as he talks about Gross National Happiness, “enlightened selfishness”, creating living conditions that matter, how to control our greed and about universal aspirations and the ultimate good.BiographyJigmi Y. Thinley was the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Bhutan and founding President of the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa party. He has served as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs, and twice as Prime Minister when the post was held on an annual rotational basis by the Cabinet Ministers. He is a strong advocate of the philosophy of Gross National Happiness, is the chair or on the leadership of numerous boards and international organizations and has been conferred, among many awards, the Druk Wangyel Medal, which is the highest civilian d

Abram today talks about the moral and wise application of knowledge, learning to be quiet, why technology is only going to take us so far, “crops of merit” and how humility is essential to good development.BiographyDr. Abram Bicksler is the Director of the ECHO Asia Impact Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand. For over 30 years, ECHO has been helping thousands of development workers and organizations around the world to better access vital information and other resources needed to improve food production and security for small farmers and gardeners. Since 2009, the ECHO Asia Impact Center has been equipping and training development workers and organizations in Asia to extend relevant information, techniques, seeds, and information to improve the lives of the poor in Asia. Formerly an Instructor for the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute (ISDSI) in Chiang Mai, Abram spent the past 4 years teaching and facilitating American undergraduate students to learn about sustainable development in the trop

Photo By: Tina RowdenToday’s conversation covered a lot of ground. Listen in as Atom speaks about his approach to understanding the human condition, remorse and reconciliation, national self-determination and the stories he tells.BiographyWith fifteen features and related projects, Egoyan has won numerous prizes at international film festivals including the Grand Prix and International Critics Awards from the Cannes Film Festival, two Academy Award® nominations, and numerous other honours.  His films have won twenty-five Genies – including three Best Film Awards – and a prize for Best International Film Adaptation from The Frankfurt Book Fair.  Egoyan’s films have been presented in numerous retrospectives across the world, including a complete career overview at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, followed by similar events at the Filmoteca Espagnol in Madrid, the Museum of The Moving Image in New York and the Royal CINEMATEK in Brussels.His body of work – which includes theatre, music, and art installations – delv

Wendy talks about shame, guilt, principled pluralism and the walking wounded. She considers how many of us have been socialized to feel disgust for the other and touch on how secrets breed toxicity and ultimately cover up truth and justice.BiographyWendy Gritter, M.Div, D.Min cand. is the author of, “Generous Spaciousness: Responding to Gay Christians in the Church.” She has served as executive director of New Direction Ministries since 2002 and is committed to cultivating generous spaces in Christian community where LGBTQ+ people can explore and grow in faith in Christ.Wendy is married 20 years, a proud mom to three teens and three puppies, enjoys playing strategic board games, and talking films with other movie buffs. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Steve discusses his passion for clean water, prioritization, volunteerism and mentorship. He reminds us that even Ghandi used the media well to further his cause and speaks about the power of one.Check out The Cherry Trees Band initiative and their website and find out more about what Steve’s up to on their Facebook page.And for more info check out this piece in the Globe and Mail and a recent 24 News Article.BiographyStephen J. Mallory “Steve” is CEO of Directors Global Insurance Brokers Ltd., a professional services firm which supplies commercial insurance brokerage and risk management advice to some of Canada’s top performing organizations. D&O insurance and Enterprise-wide risk services are two focuses of Directors Global. In December 2012, Steve was appointed to the Board of Directors of VIA Rail Canada by the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport.He currently Chairs the Governance, Risk and Strategy Committee, sits on the Pension Investment Committee, and leads board risk oversight. Previous

Michelle talks to day about her approach to solving social issues in her community. She speaks about celebrating difference, facilitating community and how we really need to learn how to say hello more often.Biography Michelle lives in Oakville with her husband Jeff. She has 4 adult children and one teenager. Michelle attended Humber College for the Community Worker program and had great placement and early career opportunities with Parkdale Legal Services, St Christopher House, LAMP Community Health Centre, Flemingdon Park Red Cross and ESL program, Community Living & Christian Horizons. She has been privileged to have been mentored by many community leaders who shared their knowledge of the importance of facilitating community. These experiences have led her to take on the challenge of being the Executive Director of Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre where she has been involved for 15 years. Michelle is passionate about the importance of nurturing neighbourhoods to be the best they can be by encouraging sup

Brett talks about empowerment, innovation and money. He asks how we can bring the villagers struggling for survival all over the developing world, inside our evolving ‘global village’?BiographyBrett Hudson Matthews is dedicated to lighting the path out of poverty for the poorest billion rural citizens of our planet. In 2012, following a fellowship at the McLuhan Program for Culture and Technology (University of Toronto), Brett launched My Oral Village, Inc. At Mathwood Consulting Company, a consulting firm he founded, Brett has conducted many evaluations of village finance projects, working in 15 of the world’s poorest countries since 2000. He was Gates Advisor at MicroSave India during 2008-09, where he advised over a dozen MFIs in 12 Indian states.My Oral Village that is re-inventing the ways in which illiterate and innumerate people manage their finances, so they can escape from the perils of saving at home and get on the path to steady asset accumulation. We are also re-inventing the ways ‘oral’ people cr

Martin speaks passionately about tacit knowledge, mentorship, the Master/Disciple relationship, the relief found in realizing that we don’t have to “prove” everything and why the thought of Michael Polanyi matters.BiographyMartin is a Jesuit priest and a Professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. He teaches introduction to world religions (“Lose Your Faith 101″) and various topics in Catholic Theology in the Department of Religious Studies and Theology.He was born in 1952, Allegany, New York, which makes him a “mountain boy.” Allegany county and Cattaraugus county are the two northernmost counties of Appalachia, according to the federal government.He has written Personal Catholicism, published by The Catholic University of America Press, 2000. Michael Polanyi: Scientist and Philosopher, by Oxford University Press, 2005 and Judging Religion Justly: A Catholic Introduction to Religious Studies, published with Cognella University Readers, 2011. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

 Join us today as Annie talks candidly about “why she’s not special”, her fight with a rare form of Cancer, about “we” versus “me”, why she’s so positive and why her life and philosophy has changed so radically over the past few years.BiographyANNE PARKER is a Canadian living in Toronto, Ontario.She was born in 1951 and lost her mother and her sister to cancer. Having survived both breast (1980) and ovarian (1988) cancer, in 1994 Annie and other family members were among a small group of North American families tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.After waiting almost two years, she learned that she does carry the deadly mutation. After surviving a further bout of cancer in 2005, Anne is today a 63-year-old, healthy woman living with a ticking time bomb: the BRCA1 gene mutation.Anne is now a cancer awareness and genetic testing advocate. The story of her life was the inspiration behind the film, Decoding Annie Parker (2013) starring Helen Hunt and Aaron Paul. Anne’s determination to give hope to othe

In this fun and engaging chat Brady speaks about love, thoughtful speech as action, why he doesn’t believe in the good old days and why we have to be the authors of ourselves.BiographyDr. Brayton Polka is Professor Emeritus of Humanities at York University in Toronto. He is the author of several books and numerous smaller studies in which he focuses on the issue of interpretation. He shows that the hermeneutical relationship between text and reader is based on the golden rule of interpretation: that text and reader each bear the responsibility of interpreting the other as they want to be interpreted by the other. Interpretation is, consequently, the covenantal relationship par excellence.Professor Polka argues, then, that the values that underlie, that “upbuild” or edify, all hermeneutical effort–e.g., love, freedom, justice, and the dignity of all human beings–are at once biblical and modern. He argues, additionally, that it is only on the basis of understanding that our modern values are biblical from the b

Join us for a lively chat about leadership, community wellbeing and why we should care, why democracy matters and why we need to leave the planet in a better place than how we found it.BiographyDavid Miller is President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund – Canada, Canada’s foremost conservation organization. The WWF creates solutions to the most serious conservation challenges facing our planet, helping people and nature thrive.David Miller was Mayor of Toronto from 2003 to 2010 and Chair of the influential C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group from 2008 – 2010. Under his leadership, Toronto became widely admired internationally for its environmental leadership, economic strength and social integration. He is a leading advocate for the creation of sustainable urban economies, and a strong and forceful champion for the next generation of jobs through sustainability.Mr. Miller has held a variety of public and private positions and university affiliations. He is currently an adjunct Professor at York University and a

Dennis talks in today’s interview about the social determinants of health, the working poor, poverty in Canada, influence, corporate power, income inequality and the power of unions and how they’re all connected.BiographyDennis Raphael is Professor of Health Policy and Management at York University, as well as the author of over 250 publications that speak to topics in public policy, poverty, and social determinants of health. Raphael’s extensive list of publications includes Poverty in Canada (2011) and Health Promotion and Quality of Life in Canada (2010).He is the editor of Tackling Health Inequalities: Lessons from International Experiences (2012) and Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives (2009) and co-editor of Staying Alive: Critical Perspectives on Health, Illness, and Health Care (2010).He is co-author of Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts, a primer for the Canadian Public, which has been downloaded over 300,000 times.Get a free copy of Social Determinants of Health: The

Tom talks about why ghosts haunt places not people and about magic, ufology and superstition and why as a sleight of hand magician he’s still believes in the notion of mystery.BiographyTom Ogden has never seen a ghost. But as a professional magician for the past forty years, his interest in ghosts, hauntings, and all things paranormal was a given.Tom’s tours have taken him to more than a hundred countries and all seven continents. He has opened for such acts as Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, and the Osmonds, and he has performed for such celebrities as Johnny Depp, Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander and even President Ronald Reagan. Tom’s television work has included appearances on NBC’s The World’s Greatest Magic and FOX’s The Great Magic of Las Vegas, as well as numerous commercials. He has twice been voted “Parlour Magician of the Year” at the famed Magic Castle in Hollywood.Mr. Ogden’s first published works included ten years of monthly columns for the magic magazines Genii, M.U.M., and The Magic Manuscript, as w

Listen in today as Ron and I discuss Gross National Happiness, full cost accounting, political will, social change and integrated ways of looking at progress.BiographyDr. Colman is founder and executive director of GPI Atlantic, a non-profit research group that, over 15 years, constructed a comprehensive index of wellbeing and sustainable development in Nova Scotia, Canada, called the Genuine Progress Index.Ron received his Ph.D from Columbia University, taught political science in universities for two decades, worked as a researcher and speech-writer at the United Nations, and has authored numerous studies on measures of population health, social wellbeing, economic security, natural resource health, and environmental quality. From 2001-2005 he served as editor-in-chief of the national magazine, Reality Check: The Canadian Review of Wellbeing.Ron worked with the Royal Government of Bhutan for more than a decade on its holistic measures of progress, on bringing its integrated Gross National Happiness (GNH) de