We sat down with Teon Gibbs, a fast and up-and-coming artist based out of Vancouver to talk tunes and listen to some of his most popular songs.

We sat down with the newly appointed CEO of the KGH Foundation, Allison Ramchuk, and Director of Community Engagement of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Jessica Samuels, to discuss why they came together to support the community and the issues that it’s facing.

“How do we design a future that’s going to impact the issue and move forward while ending the cycle of needing more and more…”

Allison explains that the non-profits came together to better tackle the issues of mental health in our community. They are in conversations with other partners, asking the big questions, and deciding on what steps they can take to provide and foster hope.

50% of Canadians and a slightly higher proportion of British Columbians report having had deteriorating mental health over the last few years, with vulnerable populations being the hardest hit, making their mission all the more important.

They discuss Foundry Kelowna, a wellness centre for people aged 12-24 and their families to receive help and support when they need it. They noted that in the 5 years since it began running, there has been an increase in the number of parents seeking help.

Jessica questions how they can look at things differently and design a continuum of care, as well as a way to approach things differently so they’re not needing more and more resources.

Their ultimate goal with the collaboration is to work together to support the community, and their first step is putting together an action plan to raise $1.7M to provide immediate support, position the organization to have important conversations, and identify the most significant issues.

They hope in one year to be able to support the immediate needs of the community and help those who are struggling.

Listen to the conversation below to learn more about the collaboration and their mission to foster hope to move forward in the community.

Today we welcome local entrepreneur and creator of the flourishing local brand Canadian Frost, Nicole Semeniuk to the show!

Nicole explains that 20 years into her electrical trade ended up needing double shoulder surgery, while around the same time she also had a baby. Since she knit as a hobby, and just had a baby, she decided to open her own business within her home.

“I didn’t even know I was an entrepreneur when I started, I just liked to keep people cozy and that just kind of snowballed into this.”

“One day somebody offered to buy a Santa hat off my head at a Christmas party, and a lightbulb went off - I could have a little side hustle!”

She wants to create the manufacturing ability to have everything done in-house. She has plans for more products soon. Nicole is all about keeping manufacturing Canadian!