26 episodes

In a world that can feel pretty scary, it’s easy to get stuck. This is a show that celebrates what it takes to try. To take the risk. To have the talk. To rock the speedo. Because making even the tiniest change takes courage, and hosts Ify and Trevor are here to remind you that you’re not alone when you do. New episodes every Thursday.

Now or Never CBC STORIES

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.6 • 119 Ratings

In a world that can feel pretty scary, it’s easy to get stuck. This is a show that celebrates what it takes to try. To take the risk. To have the talk. To rock the speedo. Because making even the tiniest change takes courage, and hosts Ify and Trevor are here to remind you that you’re not alone when you do. New episodes every Thursday.

    I'm a Palestinian living in Canada, and I can't take the silence

    I'm a Palestinian living in Canada, and I can't take the silence

    All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. Here is one from our "Around The World" episode.

    Lima Al-Azzeh may live in Canada, but her heart is in Gaza. This intensely personal interview shines a light on the lasting imprint of family, home, and when being 'on the run' is baked into your DNA.

    • 13 min
    Dad and daughter pucker up for international whistling competition and epic adventure

    Dad and daughter pucker up for international whistling competition and epic adventure

    All summer long we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories, and this one takes us to Los Angeles for an international whistling competition - yes that's a thing!

    Ben Shannon first entered he and Sumire, his 9-year-old daughter, in the competition as a joke, then it got serious.

    Find out what happened when this father-daughter duo were faced with tough-talking whistling coaches and a case of stage fright.

    • 9 min
    Why is this woman sleeping in a field on a bullet-ridden bed?

    Why is this woman sleeping in a field on a bullet-ridden bed?

    All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories!

    For more than 100 nights this year, Donna Kane has slept outside under the stars in an old wrought iron bed. She tells us why sleeping outdoors in the vastness of nature - with mice scurrying across the duvet and coyotes howling in the distance - helps "to take yourself a little less seriously."

    • 7 min
    So you want to date me? Fill out this form first.

    So you want to date me? Fill out this form first.

    All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories!

    After years of online dating and wading through bad pick up lines, unwelcome messages and horrible photos, Alicia Bunyan-Sampson decided to try something new. If you match with her, be prepared to answer around 30 questions.

    "There is this unspoken but loud expectation for women to make ourselves small. To lower our standards. To never be ‘too much’. I’m giving myself permission to take up space in the world, to dare to know what I want and to tell everyone."

    • 11 min
    'I will walk at my wedding': Three years after a devastating accident, this woman walked down the aisle

    'I will walk at my wedding': Three years after a devastating accident, this woman walked down the aisle

    All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories!

    After being partially paralyzed in a car accident in 2020, Brianna Seewald was determined to walk down the aisle on her wedding day.

    Wearing a glittering white dress, leg braces and a pair of white sneakers, Seewald made her way to the altar to join her now-husband Ryan Borkowsky. It was a moment built on years of determination and persistence.

    • 10 min
    What a rush! From diving off cliffs to talking to strangers, stories to get your heart pounding

    What a rush! From diving off cliffs to talking to strangers, stories to get your heart pounding

    Strap yourself in for some heart-pounding, stomach-churning stories on this episode, to hear what it's like when you face your fears head on.

    You would think that being strapped to a horse running 65 km/h would be the biggest adrenaline rush, but for Ciera Pruitt — who is dreaming of becoming a jockey just like her dad — there is no bigger thrill than sitting in the gate…waiting for it to open. And then…it's off to the races. 

    Ever since Amanda Fata white-knuckled her way through a bumpy flight five years ago, she's been terrified to get on a plane again. She brings us along for the exposure therapy that's been helping her get through it.

    Twelve weeks ago, ultra-endurance athlete Savannah Holmes was hit by a truck while on her morning training ride and fractured her skull and spine. As she begins her long recovery, she’s found strength in the lessons she’s learned from years of pushing herself to the limit. 

    When you have social anxiety, meeting up with people at a coffee shop could be just as nerve-wracking as leaping from impossible heights. Meet some of the members of the Social Anxiety and Shyness Support Group in Toronto, as they do the thing that scares them most: talk to strangers.

    When your kid takes up a death-defying sport like diving, how the heck do you not freak out? Kat Trivers and her daughter Molly Carlson offer some hard-earned wisdom on trusting your kid, living with fear, and how to get your kid to “the edge of the cliff.” 

    • 50 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
119 Ratings

119 Ratings

Cwh56 ,

Fun and Always Relevant!

I look forward to every episode. I appreciate how open and honest the hosts are. Keep up the great work!

Prachi in Mtl ,

Heartwarming and positive vibes

Heartwarming. A go-to when I want a reminder of the many ways in which people are good to each other and challenge themselves to be better. And great hosts with a warm, fun dynamic.

Amanda Putz ,

Best thing on public radio

I moved back to Canada in 2021 & heard these two incredibly warm hosts with real, unforced chemistry. Then came the stories. Every single episode has at least one cry, a laugh, nods of new knowledge, and many smiles. In the year since I first heard it I managed to doggedly work my way into helping produce the show occasionally, but the passion for the program came first!

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