In this episode, Sophia and I discuss the epidemic of loneliness, which millions are suffering from around the world. We open with the surprising detrimental effects that loneliness has on our mental and physical health, like how it rewires our brains and increases inflammation markers. What's tricky about loneliness, however, is that we often can't just go out and remedy the issue, because it's contingent on our social skills, the nature of our communities and the proximity of loved ones. Complicated right?  What we didn't speak about is how much more prevalent loneliness is in margina ..read more

This stellar conversation is the fourth and final episode (for now) with our champion guest speaker, Sophia's Dad, and my hubby, Blair Abbass. We begin with updates on our lives since we chose to postpone our pod to give our chat with Cindy Thompson from A Resilience Project Podcast its full moment in the sun. It was a difficult one, but a beautifully honest chat on our journey and how we're doing post trauma. If you haven't listened yet, visit:  We also had the honor of speaking with Nancy Regan on The Canadian Love Map, about our mother-daughter relationship and how we make it work. To ..read more

In this third episode of our four part mini series on relationships with therapist, mindfulness teacher and educator, Blair Abbass, we discuss everything from dysfunctional relationships and red flags to healthy connections and green flags. We each share three red flags that arouse a sense of caution in us, such as addiction, criticism and lack of accountability. Given that Blair is my husband and Sophia's dad, we all found this conversation enlightening as we learned something we didn't know about each other.   We invite you to have this conversation with your family members too, which ..read more

In this third episode of our four part mini series on relationships with therapist, mindfulness teacher and educator, Blair Abbass, we discuss everything from dysfunctional relationships and red flags to healthy connections and green flags. We each share three red flags that arouse a sense of caution in us, such as addiction, criticism and lack of accountability. Given that Blair is my husband and Sophia's dad, we all found this conversation enlightening as we learned something we didn't know about each other.   We invite you to have this conversation with your family members too, which ..read more

In this touching and informative family conversation, we discuss the popular phrase 'law of attraction' with regards to attracting partnerships. I start off by reminding us that our intimate relationships are the most important choice we'll ever make, so it's worth our time and reflection. Our guest, Blair Abbass (my husband and Sophia's father), shares about his conditioned attraction to blond haired, blue eyed women because of his catholic upbringing and the loving nurse that cared for him as a child, which he had to dismantle this in order to recognize the soul connection he felt with me. I ..read more

Join us for our Summer 2023 Wrap up and Reflection! The practice of 'recapitulation' is a meaningful way of closing any experience, or season.  Reflecting on the last season helps us to deepen our insight and savour the goodness we've enjoyed.  This is what Sophia and I discuss in this episode, as we share: 1. A peak experience 2. A lesson learned 3. A funny memory.   Neither one of us knew what story we were going to share so it was a fun surprise. Tune in for an insightful, honest and hilarious conversation about our summer highlights! As we walk this journey together, we inv ..read more

In this episode with our repeat guest, the one and only Blair Abbass, we share a surprisingly serious and deep conversation about intimate relationships. After 22 years of being together, we continue to refine and define our partnership, and we share the details of our winning formula. As a witness to our relationship, and a participant within the family unit, Sophia has unique observations and insights that she also contributes, like our relentless willingness to return to love and let the past go. This episode of SPARK is the introduction to a three part series on intimate relationships, bec ..read more

In this moving and emotional episode, Sophia and I have a very real conversation about the prevalence of self-harm (TW). We want to be clear that we discuss this topic in it's broadest sense, not by what is presented in the DSM-5, which describes self-harm as: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), is defined as the deliberate, self-inflicted destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent, which includes behaviors such as cutting, burning, biting and scratching skin. We chose to discuss this topic through the lens of any coping mechanism that causes harm to ourselves, be it physical, mental or ..read more

In this beautiful conversation on the sometimes frightening yet necessary experience of change, we open with our stories of change and how important they were for our personal growth and alignment of our true path. We then reference and unpack the beloved Jewish, Austrian psychiatrist and nazi concentration camp survivor, Dr. Victor Frankl, who once said “Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”  We suggest a three step process for embarking on change and  ..read more

In this podcast episode, Jenny and Sophia chat with beloved educator Colleen Shannon. Colleen is an extraordinary educator who commands a lot from her students and gives a lot in return.  Sophia knows this well because she was taught by Colleen in grade 9.  Colleen shares how yoga changed her perspective on what's possible in the classroom, which spurred her on to do her second Masters in Counselling.  Jenny clearly remembers Colleen's Yoga Teacher Training and Girl on Fire Training, because it was during these experiences that Colleen discovered she was gay.  Colleen speak ..read more