Chatter that Matters Tony Chapman

Lung cancer strikes twice at the two people Steph Catudal loves. In this poignant and evocative interview, Steph takes us on an intimate journey through the universal experience of grief and the redemptive power of love. As her husband, Ultramarathoner Tommy 'Rivs' battles a rare and aggressive lung cancer and is put in a medically induced coma for 84 agonizing days, Steph confronts her painful past to find the strength to heal.
When Steph met Rivs, she believed their love had finally freed her from the anger, grief, and alcoholism that haunted her after her father's death from lung cancer when she was 14. But as Rivs fights for every breath, and many in the medical field feel there is little hope, Steph faces the possibility of life alone, raising their three daughters while confronting the haunting memories of her father. 
Steph paints a raw, illuminating, and heart-wrenching portrait of her journey, weaving together a tapestry of love, loss and resilience. An exploration of the intricate connections between grief and love. Tommy Rivs refuses to surrender. His will, combined with Steph rallying a medical team, is why Tommy is still with his family.
I invite Carol Lebert, Director of Support Services, Life and Health Claims, at RBC Life Insurance Company. Carol brings such context by drawing on her experience as a nurse, and she talks about the power of healing through positivity. We also discuss the mental health trauma many in the healthcare sector incur. 
 
To purchase Steph Catudal's book Everything all at Once - https://www.amazon.com/Everything-All-at-Once-Memoir/dp/0063253135/ref=sr_1_2?crid=SAX1JYKCANT8&keywords=everything+all+at+once+%2B+catudal&qid=1685563386&s=books&sprefix=everything+all+at+once+catadul%2Cstripbooks%2C8796&sr=1-2

I first heard Shabana Basij-Rasikh share her moving story on 60 Minutes, and I knew I had to have her on Chatter that Matters. You will soon hear why National Geographic named her their Explorer of the Year. Shabana calls herself an ordinary Afghan woman, but I see her as a hero of immense courage and fortitude and one of the many brave women defying the tyrannical rule of the Taliban.
What we take for granted, Shabana and others risked their lives for. At age 6, defying the Taliban's desire to commoditize women, Shabana disguised herself as a boy to attend secret schools with her sister. They faced constant threats, the risk of acid being thrown at them. Their teachers could be beheaded.
After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Shabana seized the chance to freely study in her home country and then the US. While studying overseas, Shabana co-founded SOLA, an all-girls boarding school in Afghanistan.
In 2021, as the Americans withdrew, violence escalated, and the Taliban quickly seized power. Shabana had hours not weeks to move her school. She burned records and led a dangerous evacuation of 256 girls, families, and faculty to Rwanda, the only country that would accept them. 
Shabana’s story exemplifies the transformative power of education and the resilience of the human spirit.
Shabana’s story will move you, and if you have children in school, the content is not only safe but worth it for you to listen to it together.
Amanda J. Devison, Manager at RBC's Commercial Banking Advisors, joins the show to share her journey of being raised by a single mother with a biracial background and how her context and passion led her to organize the BPW Canada delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women Conference.
 
SOLA - School of Leadership Afghanistan - https://www.sola-afghanistan.org
 

 Wendy Murphy lost the use of her legs in a car accident. What she found was her life’s calling.
Prepare to be inspired by the remarkable story of Wendy Murphy, who transformed personal tragedy into triumph and used positivity for the benefit of society. Powerful lessons for all await.
Wendy takes us on a heartfelt journey through her life, which began as someone who approached life three steps at a time. In 1984, at seventeen, her life changed instantly due to a tragic car accident. Wendy lost her best friend, and she became an incomplete paraplegic.
Wendy had to overcome survivor guilt and deal with the realities of life in a wheelchair, the lack of accessibility and the stigma of being physically challenged.
Determined to make a difference for her community and to demonstrate possibilities, Wendy chose a career in front of the camera. She became a successful model, journalist, and actor.
Wendy wrote a powerful memoir—Wendy Murphy’s Law. Whatever can Go Wrong Can Be Made Right.
Joel Dembe, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, RBC, Paralympian and Motivational Speaker, returns to Chatter that Matters. I asked Joel about his extraordinary athletic career and why his desire to be seen competing was vital as it changed the narrative from disability to ability.   
To buy Wendy Murphy’s book:  https://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Murphys-Law-Whatever-Wrong/dp/1771803460

In honour of Mother's Day, I'd like to share the inspiring story of Dr. Suzanne Vickberg. Despite divorcing her husband twelve years ago, she still lives with him, their children, and his new wife - not as a 'Jerry Springer' spectacle, but as a testament to the idea that divorce doesn't have to be devastating and that family comes first.
For Dr. Vickberg, her divorce wasn't a failure but an opportunity to find a new way forward. She refused to limit herself to the binary choice of staying or leaving and instead moved into the guest room, which ultimately allowed her family to remain intact.
This is a story of a mother's love and sacrifice for her family and how it can lead to unexpected and beautiful outcomes.
To further explore the theme that with change comes choice, I spoke with Simika Kabir, Director of Commercial Financial Services Strategy for Women in Business, Black Entrepreneurs, and Business Owner Planning. She shared valuable insights on reclaiming your dreams and finding a new path after sudden upheavals. Simika's advice is empowering and uplifting and serves as a reminder that it's never too late to start anew.
 
To purchase Divorce by Design. https://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Design-Staying-Leaving-Options/dp/B0BN4SYNJT
 
 
 

This an extraordinary success story with so much added value if you are involved with Brands, Marketing, Media, an Entrepreneur, and even a Parent or Consumer. 
Joe Gagliese, the co-founder and CEO of a digital and social innovation agency, Viral Nation, is one of the most impressive entrepreneurs I have ever talked with. Joe is innovative, insightful, informative, and inspiring. In seven years, his agency has become a global disruptor in the marketing world. Viral Nation has raised $250 million from three of the most astute tech investors in the world, John Ruffolo from Maverix Private Equity and Todd Boehly and Jeff Wilbur from Elridge Principal.
The timing for this episode couldn’t be better, given the events surrounding Bud Light and its influencer campaign with Dylan Mulvaney and the widespread backlash from anti-transgender voices.
Joe Gagliese discusses how influencer marketing influences how we think, feel, and buy while also talking about his seven-year rocket ride. At 24, when Joe started Viral Nation, he was laughed out of boardrooms for his approach. Today Viral Nation works directly with the world’s biggest brands. Joe talks about Marketing by Numbers and how their proprietary and patented technology allows Viral Nation to shatter the status quo by combining the power of personality, backed with precise data that measures success while mitigating risk.
Joe Gagliese, a Canadian entrepreneur on a global mission to shift marketing from ‘mass to my.’
Don Ludlow, Vice President of Small Business, Business Financial Services Strategy at RBC, joins the show to talk about the importance of innovative entrepreneurs like Joe Gagliese to power our economy in the future. Don talks about why it takes several partners to support this vital sector today and why leading by example matters most.

                                                'My Mom was at home when I left.'
I have two asks. The first is that you stay with this interview as it unfolds. There are so many layers, and out of the ashes rises a remarkable human spirit.
My second is that as you listen, imagine you are my guest, Shelly Edwards Jorgensen. You are the child driving up to your family home after a high school basketball practice, and you see it being consumed by fire.
And at that moment, you know that your mom is dead, inside the home, and not by fire but by the hands of your father. 
This is a human journey no one would ask for or want. Shelly Edwards had a horrific childhood, compounded by her mother being murdered by her father. Shelly's testimony puts her Dad away for seventeen years. He dies there before his sentence is complete.
Shelly finds a way to overcome her childhood trauma, the murder of her mom, and the emotional rollercoaster of testifying against her father. She shares how she finds peace and, within it, her calling.   
In doing so, she even forgives her Father.  
Would you?
A story of tragedy to triumph and pain to perseverance, with powerful insights on how to move forward.
To buy Shelly Edwards Jorgensen's book: https://www.amazon.ca/Beautiful-Ashes-Murder-Betrayal-Womans/dp/B09K4RSQZ1