The Stumbling Spirit

Imagine being blamed for your mom’s mental illness. That's what happened to Donna Armstrong, whose first memory was seeing her beloved mother forced into a car by her detached father to be sent away to a psychiatric hospital for weeks at a time. This distressing scene repeated a number of times throughout Donna’s lonely childhood, and laid the fractured foundation of family dysfunction that included emotional neglect, sexual abuse and silence. Donna broke her silence with her gut-wrenching memoir, “Getting Here from There - The First 10 Years.” Donna's raw account is an exploration of her life experiences, trauma, heartache, and her rise to becoming a successful Crown attorney. Now retired, Donna discusses her powerful book and explains what justice means to her.Guest information: armstrong_d@rogers.com

Dogs are often called man’s best friend with some archeological evidence suggesting that domestication goes as far back as thirty-thousand years. Not only is dog ownership widespread, but evidence shows high rates of dog surrenders, abandonments and euthanasia in several countries including Ireland. Helping to save and improve the wellness outcomes of our canine friends is Bobby Wain, chair of Dundalk Dog Rescue, located in County Louth, Ireland. Bobby talks to us about responsible dog ownership, and explains why adoption and fostering are critically important.Guest information: https://www.dundalkdogrescue.ie/

Darryl Tracy is an accomplished physiotherapist, practising for over 35 years. His focus is on rehabilitating patients with neurological injuries and disorders such as stroke, spinal cord damage, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s. Not only does Darryl help others improve their mobility, but he has an intimate understanding of the range of possibilities in bodily movement as an award-winning professional dancer and choreographer. He also teaches anatomy to aspiring dance instructors at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto. Darryl joins us to discuss his eclectic career and talks about the resilience of the human body.Guest information: Alpha Health Services

For mystics the world over, the path to oneness with the Creator is often solitary; fraught with suffering, and blessed with divine ecstasy and revelatory truths. Stephen D’amico is no different. Stephen is a self-described guru who through a series of supernatural events and spiritual self-realizations, has attained a permanent state of enlightenment. He believes that enlightenment is not only achievable for each of us, but that humanity will collectively awaken in this lifetime. In this episode, Stephen discusses his mystical experiences, spiritual books and positive message. Guest information: https://www.stephendamico.com/

Canadian author, Debra Williams, is helping to improve representation in children’s literature with her trailblazing and beautifully illustrated book, Church Hat. Inspired by her family, Church Hat is about a Black boy who admires his mother and her fashion sense, and one day gets caught wearing her colourful “crown” reserved for Sunday service. This is a heart-warming tale of self-expression, identity, diversity, and acceptance, but above all it's about the loving bond between a parent and child. Now being developed into an animated short film, Debra opens up about her inspiration behind this story, and why she believes it's important.Guest information: Visit churchhatthefilm.com or email connect@churchhatthefilm.com. Follow Debra Williams on Instagram @storytoscreen and @mybestlifebooks.

Merel van der Wouden is a Negotiation and Transformation Coach who helps women advocate for better salaries and realize their wildest dreams - be it starting a new business or writing a book. Merel has coached hundreds of women, and through her Transformation Nest workshop, assists them in understanding their self-worth and purpose. Now, as a public speaker and author, her message is reaching a wider audience. Merel explains how she is helping to narrow the pay gap and improve the lives of women.Guest information: https://merelvanderwouden.com/ and @merelvanderwouden on Instagram and LinkedIn.

This is a special retrospective episode of Season 1 of The Stumbling Spirit Podcast. It was hard for me to choose clips for this retrospective because all of my guests had such a profound impact on me with their teachings and stories of resilience. That being said, I have grouped this audio selection into six categories of resilience (which all intersect): Practical, Mindful, Professional, Community, Health and Spiritual. I also share my thoughts on the meaning of resilience.Thank you for listening. I'll be back soon with Season 2.Guest informationEp 01: Darren Weldrick (https://runtomtl.com)Ep 02: Lori Bean (https://www.maliya.ca)Ep 03: Rose Mina Munjee (mindful@roseminamunjee.com)Ep 04: Drew Hume (https://navina.ca and @drewhume on Instagram)Ep 05: Christian Lloyd (@_christianlloyd and @gettingcaptured on Instagram and Twitter)Ep 06: Eric Wood (https://drericwoodnd.com)Ep 07: Connie Lee (connect@connieleetherapy.com)Ep 08: Gregory Philips (https://abstarr.com and ABSTARR Consulting Pty Ltd on LinkedIn)Ep 09: Lucy De Matos (lucy@healthyselfnutrition.ca and @_heal_thy_self__ on Instagram)Ep 10: Marilyn Calleja (marilyncallejaart@gmail.com and @marilyncallejaart on Instagram)Ep 11: Dr. Michele Chaban, MSW, RSW (retired), PhD, chabanmichele@gmail.comEp 12: Mark Peacock (@markpeacock on LinkedIn)Ep 13: Regina Sheung (https://thelabouroflove.ca/)Ep 14: Leah Morrigan (leah@transformyourself.ca and leah@polishedcopyediting.com)Ep 15: Karen Warner (https://www.gaiasden.ca, https://www.spiritofthewaterfalls.ca, +1 705 448 1346)Ep 16: Jonathan Reynolds ( https://www.mindfullifemindfulwork.com/ and https://www.mindfulprofessionalsnetwork.com/)Ep 17: Greg Maxton (https://www.gregmaxton.com/)

Greg Maxton is an author, educator and holistic practitioner who cultivates wellness for themselves and others through Reiki and mantra chanting. Greg is also my first Reiki teacher. In this episode, we discuss the mystical energy of Reiki, the search for wholeness, and the importance of Pride to the 2SLGBTQ+ community.Guest information: https://www.gregmaxton.com/

Jonathan Reynolds is an Executive Leadership Coach and owner of Mindful Life, Mindful Work Inc. Described as a leadership development company, Jonathan’s organization helps corporate executives find ways to improve team performance and workplace culture through mindfulness approaches. But is it possible for companies to become mindful when emphasis is often placed on meeting the bottom line? Should mindfulness be used as a tool to increase performance at all? In this episode, we explore these questions and unpack what it means to be a mindful leader and mindful organization.Guest information: https://www.mindfullifemindfulwork.com/ and https://www.mindfulprofessionalsnetwork.com/.