Ep 42 – “Volunteer Grandparents and Childcare In Seniors’ Homes - Why We Need Intergenerational Connections”

Ep 44 Keeping the Happy in the Holidays - Negotiating the Chaos & Staying True to You with Damali Peterman

I am glad you are here everybody. Today we are going to talk about negotiation. Why are we talking about negotiation on Love Sweet Love, which focuses on our connectedness and social health? Well, because negotiations don’t just happen at work … they also happen in our everyday lives, within many of our relationships: such as with our partners, our bosses, our kids and our neighbours, and how we manage these negotiations for what we want and need can very much affect our relationships. Also, we are approaching the holiday season and some of us end up spending more time than we normally do with lots of family, lots of people with differing opinions, various dynamics going on with personalities that sometimes clash, and with people who are sometimes over-tired and stressed. We need strategies for how we can get through these upcoming holiday times and remain sane while doing so. What will help us keep the peace but also allow us to be our full selves? Is that even possible? Are there things we can do to increase the chances of getting what we want and maintaining the relationships we have? To talk with me about this today, is an international expert on conflict resolution who has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer, negotiator and mediator. She is also the founder of two companies, an award-winning author, and her expertise makes her a sought-after authority across industries, across the globe. Damali Peterman is here with us today. Damali is the author of the award-winning and bestselling book Negotiating While Black: Be Who You Are to Get What You Want. It is available in over 72 countries, and has won some prestigious honours such as being included in the Forbes Top 10 Negotiation books, and in 2024 it was listed as one of Essence’s top 15 summer reads. Damali’s book has been celebrated for its insights on overcoming bias, embracing authenticity, and excelling in negotiations, cementing its place as a transformative resource for professionals and leaders worldwide. https://damalipeterman.com/ https://damalipeterman.com/be-who-you-are-to-get-what-you-want/

Ep 43 Making Communities Ready for Recovery (All of Us) with Founder and Author, Mark Lefebvre

Today my guest is passionate about many of the same things I am. His specific quest is to help make communities places of recovery, or “recovery-ready” to support folks who have been in treatment for addiction and are returning to their communities, but also, for all the members of a community, because you will see that what he is advocating for, and helping communities do, is to create cohesive, responsive, caring, collaborative places for all of us to get what we need to thrive. Mark Lefebvre is someone who is definitely working for the greater good. He knows what he needed when he came through his recovery programs and he wants others to have those resources and supports, available. Mark is in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and he is the author of the book, "Healing a Village:A Practical Guide to Building Recovery Ready Communities". Mark has served on several boards, such as the Seacoast Youth Services, and Step-U Parents, is an advisor at the Pinetree Institute, and he is the co-founder of the Safe Harbour Recovery Centre. He is also a speaker, a music lover and a longtime radio DJ, and a podcaster and podcast producer. You will love this episode with Mark, whether you are a parent, someone who is interested in how we can work together to improve our neighbourhoods and communities, or if you know someone who is in recovery. Mark is a wealth of information and a gem of a person and storyteller.  Mark and I talk about his book, how he came to write it and why, and who it is written for. We talk about what he defines as a “recovery ready community”, and how a community can work toward this. We talk about prevention and what parents and families can do to help better support their kids, how he has dealt with NIMBYism, what folks get wrong about addiction, how to avoid the troubling issues of silos in community work, the importance for all of us to find what we love to do and gives us joy, and to try and do that as much as we can, and so much more. You will love this conversation with Mark. Link for the podcast: It Takes A Village Podcast Series Link for a signed copy of my book: Signed Book Order Site

Ep 42 – “Volunteer Grandparents and Childcare In Seniors’ Homes - Why We Need Intergenerational Connections”

If you were, or are, fortunate enough to have a close relationship with a grandparent or older family friend in your life, you know how lucky you are. There is just something magic in these times – for people of both generations involved. These interactions used to happen more frequently and naturally in our families and in our neighbourhoods. We as a society have been retreating inward, as our homes become more comfortable, more filled with all of the conveniences we need, and many of us are working from home. This is changing the landscape of connection and interactions amongst us. How do we nurture our social health, if we are not connecting as much anymore? And loneliness and isolation? They are rising, especially in the older demographic, and in young people. This episode is about the benefits of intergenerational programs, and intergenerational connection. I have a wonderful mix of some interviews from a non-profit called Volunteer Grandparents and some on-site recordings at a seniors’ Care Centre. And this Centre has something really original: a Child Care Centre for 3 - 5 yr-old's right in the premises. It will blow your mind. So you will hear portions of my interview with Veronica Grossi, and Hope Stenhouse of Volunteer Grandparents, as well as my on-site interview and visit Ava Turner. Veronica Grossi, is the Program Manager at Volunteer Grandparents, and has been with them for 18 years. Her background is in Family and Nutritional Sciences and Gerontology. Hope Stenhouse is the program’s Coordinator, has her bachelor's degree in Health Administration, and she is studying aspects of aging and aging issues such as social isolation and ageism in Gerontology at SFU. Ava Turner, has worked as Executive Director and now CEO at George Derby Care Centre, for several years now and has a background in the Home Health Care Program with Fraser Health. volunteergrandparents.ca georgederby.ca This episode will touch your heart, and I bet it will inspire you to enliven some of the intergenerational connections in your life, or, just create some. You’ll hear reasons why these connections are so valuable to all of us, why we need them more than ever now.

Ep 41: 100 Women, $10,000 & Making a Difference with Guest Tina Shaw

Hello. I am so glad you are joining me, and if it is your first time, welcome! Today I am going to introduce you to Tina Shaw who leads a group “100 Women Who Care Fraser Valley”. This group of women is so inspiring and I am excited to share what they do with you. Basically, the women each bring $100 to a meeting, 4 times a year and then because there are 100 of them, they present a $10,000 cheque to a local charity each of those 4 times. Amazing, right? If you are a long time listener of the show you might remember the episode in which I interviewed Mike and Frank from the “100 Guys That Care South Surrey”. It was Episode 22 and I put a link to that in the notes here. Today, Tina and I talk about how it all started, how she came to lead the group, what kinds of charities they support and how they decide on which ones get the money. We also hear some of the stories of how their funds have made a difference, what these charities do for folks in the community, and how you can support charities in various ways, even if you are not able right now to support financially. You will love Tina’s heartfelt story, her enthusiasm and dedication, and how she leads. Love Sweet Love episode 22 with 100 Guys That Care South Surrey: https://open.spotify.com/episode/05Dy9ON5iw6YQdRy6XDOSM?si=c54dc46905674336 Link to 100 Women Who Care Fraser Valley’s website: https://100womenfraservalley.com/ Link to many of the charities and non-profits in the Surrey area of BC: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/explore/charities/region/BC/city/Surrey/?q=Surrey Link to the Beayoutiful Foundation: https://thebeayoutifulfoundation.com/ Link to the Care for Women Foundation: https://careforwomen.ca/ 100 Guys That Care South Surrey Instagram https://www.instagram.com/100_guys_that_care_s_surrey/?hl=en

Ep 40 “Fragile Neighbourhoods, Fragile Society- Why Neighbourhoods Matter To Our Health & Happiness” with guest Dr. Seth Kaplan

If you find yourself wondering what the heck is going on with the world today, along with our growing feelings of meaninglessness and despair, I think you will find this episode not just interesting and informative, but actually helpful. Today, I am so pleased to say that I am speaking with Dr. Seth Kaplan. Dr. Kaplan is a leading expert on fragile states, a consultant to multilateral organizations such as the World Bank, the US State Department and others. He is a Professional Lecturer at SAIS and Johns Hopkins University and he is the author of the book: “Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code At A Time”. Seth and I talk about how he answers the question that so many people ask him: “Is the US a fragile state?”, the link between our striving for upward mobility and what he calls, “social poverty”, the signs that tell him that a neighbourhood is thriving, what kids need in a neighbourhood, what his “sideways approach” to improving neighbourhoods is, the importance of each of us having a sense of “place”, what he says are 5 “Social Repairers”, and what are some actionable things we can do right now, to help repair our neighbourhoods, and our society. I’d love you to let me know what you think of the episode and the podcast. A review would be so helpful, especially if you loved this content. Here is a link to Seth Kaplan’s book and website: Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time https://sethkaplan.org/ Here are the links to two other LSL episodes that delved into neighbourhoods: Ep 38 Neighboring is a Crockpot, Not a Microwave & Why Knowing Neighbors Matters with David Burton: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Ei6ZiivWUhXAWtYKlyNxy?si=mpXRkS2gTammaWji1SMcGw Ep 2 Gather, Belong, Shine and Lead - Neighbourhood Houses: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7eYL1ARXBcjEm03hY9n0gf?si=arOuFUFyTAmu4VfyPRsw1g