In the Season 2 finale of Between the Threads, host Somia Sadiq sits down with show curator and partner Courtney Friesen for a reflective retrospective on the season. Together, they revisit core insights from guests like Mayor Scott Gillingham, Desiree Theriault, Jamil Mahmood, Isha Khan, Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum, and Orit Shimoni, exploring how cities tell stories, navigating complex conflict, staying with discomfort, and holding space for grief and joy simultaneously. Key Takeaways: Season 2 Retrospective: Connecting the threads of urban storytelling, placemaking, and peacebuilding.Unpacking harm reduction and unhoused communities with Jamil Mahmood’s insights.The power of nuance: Holding multiple truths, handling messy narratives, and avoiding quick-fix solutions.Embracing conflict, standing with discomfort, and navigating intergenerational family conversations.Re-imagining public spaces: Land-based memorialization, grief, joy, and non-linear healing.The messiness of human success: Why embracing failures and unfinished journeys creates the best stories.Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction & Season 2 Retrospective 01:45 - Reflecting on Justine Proulx: Childhood Stories, Tattoos & Dandelion Jam 03:45 - Jamil Mahmood’s Impact: Seeing Unhoused Populations as Communities 08:45 - Isha Khan & Navigating Nuance in Museums & Historical Context 14:30 - Donovan Toews & Critiquing the Cities We Love 17:40 - Staying with Discomfort in Conflict & Hard Family Conversations 25:30 - Desiree Theriault & Re-imagining Memorialization Beyond Grief 31:15 - Never Giving Up on a Place: Reclaiming Belonging in Winnipeg 36:00 - Allyship, Carrying Intersectionality & Taking the Stones 43:00 - Soul-to-Soul Connections vs. Emotional Passion (Orit Shimoni & Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum) 49:30 - Rachel Lancaster’s Meandering Path: Embracing the Messy, Unfinished Journey 52:50 - Closing Reflections on Season 2 & Between the Threads About Our Host: Somia Sadiq is a Pakistani Canadian peace negotiator, planner, doctoral researcher, and founder of Kahanee and Narratives. Inducted into the CIP College of Fellows (FCIP), she specializes in trauma-informed story work and conflict transformation. She is also a published author, speaker, and writer of the novel Gajarah. Follow Somia Sadiq: https://instagram.com/somiasadiq | www.somiasadiq.ca About Our Guest: Courtney Friesen is the Director of Partnerships at Kahanee, bringing a background in marketing, event planning, and organizational leadership to strengthen collaborative efforts across sectors. A lifelong story-listener and advocate for justice, she is passionate about creating environments where people feel seen, heard, and supported. Follow Courtney Friesen on Instagram: https://instagram.com/chaoscurlsandcurves Connect With Us: Kahanee: https://www.kahanee.ca | https://instagram.com/kahanee_storiesforpeaceNarratives: https://www.narrativesinc.com | https://instagram.com/narrativesincShow Credits: Host: Somia SadiqGuest: Courtney FriesenProduced by: Kahanee & NarrativesCurator: Courtney FriesenMusic: Lior Soltz - Glistening Ripples Lullaby (Creative Cut - Dreamy)About Between the Threads: Between the Threads is a podcast by Kahanee, a social enterprise dedicated to storytelling, peacebuilding, and systems change. The podcast is produced in partnership with Narratives, a purpose-driven firm offering holistic consulting in planning, impact assessment, capacity building, and design to empower change across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that this work was created on Indigenous lands. We honour the Indigenous peoples who have cared for this land since time immemorial and continue to do so today. #Winnipeg #SeasonFinale #BetweenTheThreads #SomiaSadiq #CourtneyFriesen #Storytelling #Peacebuilding #Placemaking