Culture is Healing

#45 - Why Every Persons Gifts Matter in Times of Change with Aaron Pete

In this episode of Culture Is Healing, George Harris Jr. sits down with Aaron Pete.   They discuss why empowering young people matters now more than ever.   Aaron also shares reflections on leadership, sacrifice, and the changing political landscape in Canada, reminding listeners that every person’s unique gifts are needed in times of change.   This conversation offers grounded insights on how reconnecting to culture and community can help us live with greater purpose and meaning.   To learn more about our work at CheckingIn: https://checkingin.co/

#44 - What Indigenous Fashion Week Reveals About Identity and Expression with Aleen Sparrow

In this episode of Culture Is Healing, George Harris Jr. speaks with Musqueam weaver Aleen Sparrow about how culture can be lived as a daily practice of healing, connection, and identity.   Aleen reflects on learning to weave at the kitchen table with her mother and aunties, and how those moments shaped her understanding of weaving as both art and relationship.   Together, they explore how practices like weaving and canoe pulling build resilience, community, and intention in everyday life, alongside Aleen’s experience walking in Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week as a powerful expression of identity and cultural pride.   This conversation offers a grounded reminder that healing can start with small, meaningful actions—how you show up, who you gather with, and the energy you bring into what you create.

#43 - Applying Traditional Knowledge to Modern Mental Health Challenges with Stan Matthew

This week on Culture Is Healing, George Harris Jr sits down with Stan Matthew to share stories shaped by decades of healing, lived experience, and cultural teachings.   Stan is a nuučaan̓uł leader and healing practitioner from the David family of ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ First Nation, with over 35 years of experience supporting individuals, families, and communities through healing.   Centered on applying traditional knowledge to modern mental health challenges, Stan speaks to how ceremony, prayer, and storytelling supported his journey through trauma and addiction—and how those same practices continue to guide others today.   You will walk away with a more personal understanding of how culture can support your everyday life.

#42 - The Medicine Wheel, Yoga, and Everyday Healing with Malina Dawn

We’re back for a new season of Culture is Healing—and we’re starting it off with a powerful conversation with Malina Dawn. In this episode, George and Malina explore what it looks like to live your healing, not just talk about it. Drawing on teachings from the Medicine Wheel and Malina’s relationship to yoga and movement, they reflect on how culture can guide us through different seasons of life—and how practices like ceremony, breath, and connection to land can support emotional balance in a real, everyday way. This conversation is a reminder that healing isn’t something separate from our lives—it’s something we return to, again and again, through the ways we choose to move, connect, and show up.

Stepping Into Leadership for the Next Generation with Tanille Johnston

For our final episode of Season 4 George sits down with Tanille Johnston. Tanille is the first Indigenous person to ever have their name represented on a federal political party's leadership ballot in Canadian history.  This episode explores the role of ceremony, the teachings of elders, and the responsibility of embracing our individual gifts—not just for personal growth, but for the wellbeing of the community and future generations.  Tanille also shares her journey into political leadership, reminding us that representation, advocacy, and cultural pride are powerful acts of healing in action.