On Loss: Our Collective Love Language

Conversations about Bones of Belonging

with Barb Thomas, Labour Educator and Author of Dancing on Live Embers: Challenging Racism in Organizations The final episode of the Soundwaves of Belonging series takes us back to the virtual launch event of Bones of Belonging: Finding Wholeness in a White World [https://annahiddashtgard.com/books/bones-of-belonging/]. Listen to Annahid in conversation with Barb Thomas, Labour Educator and Author of Dancing on Live Embers: Challenging Racism in Organizations.  In this episode, I talk about why anyone in their right mind would write stories about race, why these stories are so necessary and how we can use them to move closer to a future where everyone belongs. Don't miss the close of this conversation series! For more on the stories that inspired this series, pick up your copy of Bones of Belonging [https://www.amazon.ca/Bones-Belonging-Finding-Wholeness-White/dp/1459750624/] today from wherever you get your books.

On Loss: Our Collective Love Language

with Christa Couture, Author and Award-Winning Musician Christa Couture is an award-winning performing and recording artist, filmmaker and broadcaster as well as recent author of the debut memoir How To Lose Everything [https://douglas-mcintyre.com/products/9781771622622]. She is also proudly Indigenous (mixed Cree and Scandinavian), queer, disabled, and a mom. Over the course of her acclaimed career, Christa has become known, unenviably, as an expert in loss: singing, speaking and writing about the childhood cancer that led to the amputation of her left leg and the tragic deaths of her two infant sons.  In this episode, Christa and I talk about the presence of grief in our lives, both individually as well as collectively. We discuss how we can lose ourselves in loss but also how it can open us up to more possibility of grace and gratitude, and how ultimately the way we work through loss can teach us to value life.  For more on the theme of love and loss, read the story “Ocean Intelligence” in my latest book Bones of Belonging [https://www.amazon.ca/Bones-Belonging-Finding-Wholeness-White/dp/1459750624/] — now available for purchase.

On Learning: Swinging the Bat for Justice

With Mark Shapiro, President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays  Mark Shapiro is currently the president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Blue_Jays] . He formerly worked with the Cleveland Indians [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Indians] from 1991 to 2015, beginning in player development and ending as team president.  In this episode Mark and I talk about how connection underpins any form of learning, including and especially about racial and other forms of injustice.  We talk about the need to step into the uncomfortable conversations before they escalate into other forms of violence. Mark discusses his journey grappling with race as a white leader in a white dominant sports context and the steps he has taken beyond checking the box to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. For more on the theme of learning, read the story “Ocean Intelligence” in my latest book Bones of Belonging [https://www.amazon.ca/Bones-Belonging-Finding-Wholeness-White/dp/1459750624/].

On Power: Literacy, Lessons and Leadership

Julie Diamond is an executive coach, leadership consultant, and creator of the Diamond Power Index, a Myers Briggs-type assessment on a leader’s use of power.  She’s worked with organizations around the world from Fortune 500 companies to government agencies, labour unions to NGOs. Her book, Power: A User’s Guide [https://www.amazon.com/Power-Users-Guide-Julie-Diamond/dp/0996660305/ref=sr_1_3?crid=26L14RSQMTA4Z&dchild=1&keywords=power+a+users+guide&qid=1606665831&sprefix=power+a+use%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-3], is a handbook for using power effectively and ethically, no matter what role you’re in. In this episode, Julie and I talk about how power literacy is the next frontier of human development, how it’s unfair that power always gets a bad rap, and what it means to use power WELL.  For more on the theme of power, read the story “Boss Lady” in my latest book Bones of Belonging [https://www.amazon.ca/Bones-Belonging-Finding-Wholeness-White/dp/1459750624/].

On Writing: Disability, Hidden Powers and Untold Stories

with Amanda Leduc, Author and Disability Rights Advocate Amanda Leduc is a disability rights advocate and author of Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space [https://amandaleduc.com/books/disfigured/], which was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award in Non-Fiction.  In this episode we discuss perceptions of disability all the way back to Darwin, and how fairy tales—our basic origin stories—offer fertile ground for re-imagining disability and "disfigured" bodies. We talk about writing for our seven-year-old selves, and how to create belonging even when the world may not be ready for our differences.  For more on the theme of story, read the story “Foreign Object” in my upcoming book Bones of Belonging [https://www.amazon.ca/Bones-Belonging-Finding-Wholeness-White/dp/1459750624/] — now available for purchase.