The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Summer Speedos | History Field Notes: Endurance

Partner with work of CareImpact and Neighbourly! https://careimpact.ca/donate [https://careimpact.ca/donate] DESCRIPTION Summer Speedos is Neighbourly’s short in-between-season series while Shannon takes a break from regular interviews. Hosted by producer Johan Heinrichs, these episodes mix outdoor field notes and story-driven reflections that help us notice the ordinary ways care, faith, courage, and community show up around us. In this Story Field Note, Johan takes us into the frozen world of Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, a journey that did not unfold the way anyone expected. What happens when the plan changes, the way forward disappears, and the only thing left to do is keep going? This episode reflects on endurance as more than survival. It is about courage, community, and the steady kind of care that helps people hold on when life becomes uncertain. OTHER LINKS Join The CareImpact Podcast Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/] Reach out to us! https://neighbourlypodcast.ca [https://neighbourly.ca] Email: podcast@careimpact.ca [podcast@careimpact.ca] About the CarePortal: careimpact.ca/careportal [http://careimpact.ca/careportal] DONATE! Help connect and equip more churches across Canada to effectively journey well in community with the most vulnerable: careimpact.ca/donate [http://careimpact.ca/donate]

Summer Speedos | Field Notes: Empty Chair

Partner with work of CareImpact and Neighbourly! https://careimpact.ca/donate [https://careimpact.ca/donate] DESCRIPTION Summer Speedos is Neighbourly’s short in-between-season series while Shannon takes a break from regular interviews. Hosted by producer Johan Heinrichs, these episodes mix outdoor field notes and story-driven reflections that help us notice the ordinary ways care, faith, courage, and community show up around us. In this first field note, Johan reflects on an empty chair he notices while walking through the neighbourhood. It may mean nothing, but it also raises a gentle question: who used to be part of our rhythm, and now seems to have quietly disappeared? This episode is an invitation to notice the people who have gone quiet, stepped back, or faded from view, not with suspicion, but with care. Sometimes a simple check-in can remind someone that their absence was noticed and their presence still matters. ONE SMALL STEP Think of one person who has been less present lately, then send a simple, no-pressure message to let them know they are noticed and not forgotten. OTHER LINKS Join The CareImpact Podcast Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/] Reach out to us! https://neighbourlypodcast.ca [https://neighbourly.ca] Email: podcast@careimpact.ca [podcast@careimpact.ca] About the CarePortal: careimpact.ca/careportal [http://careimpact.ca/careportal] DONATE! Help connect and equip more churches across Canada to effectively journey well in community with the most vulnerable: careimpact.ca/donate [http://careimpact.ca/donate]

Curious Instead of Furious | With Alicia Freeman

Partner with work of CareImpact and Neighbourly! https://careimpact.ca/donate [https://careimpact.ca/donate] CURIOUS INSTEAD OF FURIOUS: CREATING SAFETY IN OVERWHELMING MOMENTS What does it look like to care for someone well when their emotions feel bigger than the moment? In this episode of Neighbourly, Shannon sits down with Alicia Freeman, a CareImpact trainer whose journey through foster care, adoption, and trauma-informed learning has shaped the way she understands safety, presence, and compassion. Alicia shares why trauma care is not only for foster and adoptive families, but for everyone, everywhere, especially those who want to care well in their homes, churches, and communities. Together, Shannon and Alicia talk about what it means to stay curious instead of furious, how to respond when someone is overwhelmed, and why sometimes the most loving thing we can offer is not a solution, but our steady presence. In this conversation, Alicia reflects on a recent training at a pregnancy resource centre, where a moment of disagreement became a deeper opportunity for listening, humility, and shared learning. She also offers practical ways to help children, youth, and adults feel safer when they are dysregulated or overwhelmed. This episode is a gentle reminder that care does not have to be perfect to be powerful. It just has to be present. IN THIS EPISODE * Why trauma-informed care matters beyond foster and adoptive families * How curiosity helps us move from defensiveness to empathy * What it means to create emotional safety in a room * Why the urge to fix can get in the way of true care * Practical ways to support someone who is overwhelmed * How churches can care well without rushing people toward easy answers * Why presence, patience, and dignity matter in the messy middle A SMALL STEP THIS WEEK Think of one person in your life who may be carrying more than you can see. Before offering advice, try starting with curiosity. Ask a gentle question. Listen a little longer. Resist the urge to fix it too quickly. Sometimes the most neighbourly thing we can offer is simply to stay present. TIME STAMPS 04:17 Starting foster care and adoption journey 07:41 Training at the Pregnancy Resource Center 10:57 Navigating overwhelming emotions workshop 14:25 Staying confident and calm during discussions 17:27 Helping people find their personal why 23:13 Importance of Curiosity and Empathy 27:16 The power of just being present 29:43 Role of Church in Trauma Care GUEST LINKS careimpact.ca/alicia [https://careimpact.ca/alicia] OTHER LINKS Join The CareImpact Podcast Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/] Reach out to us! https://neighbourlypodcast.ca [https://neighbourly.ca] Email: podcast@careimpact.ca [podcast@careimpact.ca] About the CarePortal: careimpact.ca/careportal [http://careimpact.ca/careportal] DONATE! Help connect and equip more churches across Canada to effectively journey well in community with the most vulnerable: careimpact.ca/donate [http://careimpact.ca/donate]

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Partner with work of CareImpact and Neighbourly! https://careimpact.ca/donate [https://careimpact.ca/donate] DESCRIPTION What happens when the story we tell ourselves about someone keeps us from seeing the person in front of us? In this reflective episode of Neighbourly, Johan and Shannon step back from the regular guest interviews to talk about assumptions, the quick judgments we make, and the stories we build about people before we really know them. Together, they explore how easy it is to reduce someone to one moment, one behaviour, one request, or one struggle, and how neighbourly care invites us to slow down, stay curious, and protect dignity. From parenting moments in public, to CarePortal requests, homelessness, school experiences, and the story of Zacchaeus, this conversation gently reminds us that there is almost always more going on beneath the surface. This episode is not about ignoring harm or pretending everything is fine. It is about learning to ask better questions before our assumptions become labels. This week’s simple step: When you notice yourself forming an assumption about someone, pause and ask, “What might I not know?” TIME STAMPS 01:35 CareCreatives Company 04:37 Struggling with small talk 09:23 Practicing self-awareness and empathy 12:50 Understanding community assumptions and needs 14:25 Understanding homelessness complexities 16:58 Discussing the damage of assumptions 21:05 Biblical examples of looking beyond labels 23:58 Reflecting on Zacchaeus story 28:46 Being a good neighbour OTHER LINKS Join The CareImpact Podcast Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/] Reach out to us! https://neighbourlypodcast.ca [https://neighbourly.ca] Email: podcast@careimpact.ca [podcast@careimpact.ca] About the CarePortal: careimpact.ca/careportal [http://careimpact.ca/careportal] DONATE! Help connect and equip more churches across Canada to effectively journey well in community with the most vulnerable: careimpact.ca/donate [http://careimpact.ca/donate]

Making Generosity Part of Everyday Life | Tammy Kyte

Partner with work of CareImpact and Neighbourly! https://careimpact.ca/donate [https://careimpact.ca/donate] DESCRIPTION What if generosity wasn’t something you reacted to… but something you actually built into your life? In this episode, Shannon sits down with Tammy Kyte, one of the people behind GiveWise, a platform designed to make giving simpler and more consistent. But this conversation goes beyond tools and systems. Tammy shares how her journey from building homes to building a giving platform was shaped by a deeper question, how do we make generosity part of everyday life, especially when life feels busy, unpredictable, and full? Together, they explore the tension many of us feel, wanting to give, but struggling to do it consistently. From the realities of fluctuating income to the challenge of staying organized, this conversation offers a grounded and practical look at what it means to live generously. You’ll also hear how small, consistent acts of giving can shape not just communities, but our own hearts. Because generosity isn’t just about what we give, it’s about who we’re becoming. TIME STAMPS 04:20 Balancing family life and business 07:01 Incorporating generosity into daily life 11:21 Setting aside money for charity 13:50 Managing a charitable fund 18:38 Learning generosity from family 20:30 Family account money transfers 23:33 Making intentional financial decisions GUEST LINKS GiveWise: https://www.givewise.ca/ [https://www.givewise.ca/] OTHER LINKS Join The CareImpact Podcast Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1PgzJWfkq9/] Reach out to us! https://neighbourlypodcast.ca [https://neighbourly.ca] Email: podcast@careimpact.ca [podcast@careimpact.ca] About the CarePortal: careimpact.ca/careportal [http://careimpact.ca/careportal] DONATE! Help connect and equip more churches across Canada to effectively journey well in community with the most vulnerable: careimpact.ca/donate [http://careimpact.ca/donate]