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Co-Created

Co-Created

Written by: Snack Labs
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Co-Created is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of digital storytelling. Hosted by Kristy Wolfe, each episode features conversations with storytellers and facilitators who craft powerful digital stories, diving into how these stories are created, who shares them, and why they matter. Whether you're fascinated by storytelling or love discovering new perspectives, this podcast offers a deep dive into the art of meaningful narrative.

Co-Created is presented by Common Language DST, a leader in digital storytelling facilitation training for health and wellness changemakers. Supported by the team at Snack Labs, this podcast is a collaborative effort that promotes ethical storytelling and empowers audiences to engage with personal stories in a deeper way.

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Sound Design: Donovan Morgan

Music: Doldrums by Ellen Braun

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

© 2025 Leading Through Stories Hygiene & Healthy Living Social Sciences
Episodes
  • What Changes When We Treat Stories Like Data with Dr. Katharine Smart

    What Changes When We Treat Stories Like Data with Dr. Katharine Smart
    May 20 2026
    Digital storytelling can move a room to honesty in minutes, creating space for real talk about burnout, shame, and the human side of medicine. This episode we connect with Dr. Katharine Smart and reflect on how short films can help clinicians and families feel seen as whole people and how stories can fuel better care and stronger advocacy.We talk through what it looks like when digital stories show up at conferences like the Canadian Conference on Physician Health, why the multimedia format holds attention in a distracted world, and how vulnerability can feel safer when the “work” is done before anyone steps on stage. We also dig into the clinician’s role as a receiver of stories and how deep listening changes care, especially in pediatrics, mental health, and complex family consults. If you’ve ever wondered how to share 18 years of context in one appointment, you’ll hear why a short digital story can reveal the whole person beyond the chart.Episode Key MessagesWhat a digital story is and why the format worksUsing physician and family stories to open mental health conversations at conferences like the Canadian Conference on Physician HealthWhy vulnerability lands fasterShame in medical culture and how storytelling can soften itShifting from acute care to deep listening and longer consultsUsing digital stories to support complex care and transitions to adult careAccessibility and ethics, underrepresented voices, consent, and story ownershipWorkshop story circles as community buildingA citizen digital story campaign to drive healthcare accountability and reformOther Links MentionedRead this episode's blog postWatch the CMA panelLearn more about Digital Storytelling & Healthcare Provider WellnessListen to Spark Conversations - a podcast by Children's Healthcare CanadaWill we see you at the Children's Healthcare Canada conference in Calgary?Check out Health Signals with Dr. Alika LafontaineThe Outrage Cure by Dr. Alika LafontaineOther Episodes MentionedEp 23 with Dr. Daisy Dulay Ep 48 with Dr. Will Bynum of the Shame LabAbout Our GuestDr. Katharine Smart is a pediatrician, national medical leader, and unapologetic advocate for children who believes healthcare systems don’t change unless we’re willing to challenge them. Based in Canada’s north and the Okanagan, she works at the intersection of clinical care, policy, and community partnership to improve outcomes for children and families in rural and remote regions.She is the past president of the Canadian Medical Association and, in 2021, became only the 10th woman to lead the organization in its 155-year history. Named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women, Dr. Smart is widely recognized for her leadership on health equity, primary care, and combating medical misinformation.A sought-after keynote speaker, media commentator, and podcast host, Dr. Smart brings evidence, urgency, and candour to conversations about the future of healthcare — and why getting it right for children is the only way forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    27 mins
  • Through Her Lens: Cameras For Girls with Amina Mohamed

    Through Her Lens: Cameras For Girls with Amina Mohamed
    May 6 2026

    On this episode of Co-Created we're joined by Amina Mohamed, the Founder and Executive Director of Cameras For Girls, to talk about what happens when a founder story becomes a digital story and why that format can reveal the “three-dimensional” truth you can’t always reach in a talk, a webinar, or a standard nonprofit promo.

    Amina takes us from her family’s refugee journey from Uganda to Canada, through years in film and television, and back to Uganda where she meets young women facing limits on education and opportunity. From that turning point, Cameras For Girls grows into a practical pathway into media careers, combining photography training, ethical storytelling, business skills, and the gift of a camera with the real goal: helping young women enter male-dominated media spaces and land fair paid jobs in places like Uganda and Tanzania.

    Episode Key Messages

    • Amina’s origin story from Uganda to Canada and back again
    • Why Cameras for Girls focuses on fair paid jobs
    • Teaching photography, business skills, and ethical storytelling
    • Rejecting extractive storytelling and top-down development
    • Turning a “why” into a three-minute digital story
    • Editing surprises and choosing images responsibly
    • Using a founder video for donors, funding, and social media
    • Encouraging participants to tell their own stories in their own voice

    Other Links Mentioned

    • Read this episode's blog post
    • Watch Amina's digital story
    • Learn more about Cameras For Girls

    About Our Guest

    Amina Mohamed is the Founder and Executive Director of Cameras For Girls, a Canadian charity she launched in 2018 to address gender inequality in Africa’s male-dominated media industry. Born in Uganda, Amina came to Canada as a refugee after her family was exiled under the regime of Idi Amin. Growing up between cultures, she discovered photography as a powerful way to express herself when words failed. That early experience shaped the vision behind Cameras For Girls: creating opportunities for young women across Africa to find their voice through visual storytelling.Through a year-long training program combining photography, ethical storytelling, and business skills, Cameras For Girls equips young women with the tools, training, and mentorship needed to build sustainable careers in media. Participants receive professional cameras, hands-on instruction, and ongoing career support designed to help them enter and succeed in the workforce. To date, the organization has trained nearly 200 women through in-person programs across East Africa and has reached more than 2,000 additional participants through its Online Learning Hub. Amina is also a leading advocate for ethical storytelling, challenging outdated and colonial narratives often present in international media. Her work emphasizes dignity-centered storytelling that honours the lived experiences of the women and communities whose stories are shared. Her leadership and impact have earned international recognition. Amina has spoken at the Vital Voices Global Leadership Summit, been featured in publications including Vogue, and received the Estée Lauder Beautiful Forces Grant in recognition of her work advancing women’s leadership.Today, Amina continues to expand Cameras For Girls’ programs across Africa while advocating for gender equality, ethical media practices, and new pathways for women to build sustainable careers in storytelling and journalism.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    25 mins
  • Double the Magic: Storytelling for Healing and Impact with Melody Williamson

    Double the Magic: Storytelling for Healing and Impact with Melody Williamson
    Apr 22 2026

    Cameras off. Quiet chat. A stack of slides. Then a short digital story plays and suddenly the room wakes up. That flip from passive listening to real connection is what we’re chasing, and it’s why we keep coming back to digital storytelling as a tool for healing, community building, and change.

    We’re joined by Melody Williamson, a Level 3 digital storytelling facilitator, trainer, and longtime collaborator inside the Common Language Digital Storytelling Collective. Melody shares how digital storytelling keeps expanding as a tool for healing, community, and real-world change. We share what we’re learning from nonprofit projects, research partnerships, facilitator training, and the moments when a story makes people come alive.

    Episode Key Messages

    • Melody’s roots in storytelling, inclusion, and group work
    • How Wellspring uses digital stories with patients, families, staff, volunteers, and caregivers
    • Why nonprofits benefit from a wider library of perspectives
    • Collaborations with researchers, including projects tied to antibiotic resistance
    • Story Slam as a catalyst for community healing and new partnerships
    • Digital storytelling facilitator training as “double the magic” through teaching others
    • Mentorship meetings, story review, entrepreneurship support, and continuing education
    • Bringing digital stories to conferences to spark connection beyond slides
    • AI tools, interpretive meaning, and why story arcs change engagement

    Other Links Mentioned

    • Read this episode's blog post
    • Listen to Melody's original Co-Created episode
    • Get your tickets to the Story Slam
    • Learn more about the Common Language Level 1 Facilitator Training
    • Check out the Common Language Collective

    Other Episodes Mentioned

    • Ep 28 with Wellspring
    • Ep 46 with Gillian Hatto
    • Ep 54 with Becky McCall

    About Our Guest

    Melody Williamson, MSc., B.A., of Melody Williamson Stories, is a Level 3 Common Language Digital Storytelling Facilitator. Like all of us, Melody has been a storyteller all of her life - from reading books on her mother’s lap to a career in professional theatre, to her consulting work in equity and social justice issues.In recent years, she has combined all of her skills and experience into her passion for giving voice to those voices that aren’t typically heard and creating connection between people through digital storytelling. Her word is "Moment-us" and she loves helping people connect with meaningful moments in their lives!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins
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