Now or Never CBC STORIES

We're always with people as they take a leap or try something new, but life continues after we turn our microphones off. So this week, we're revisiting some of our listener's favourite stories to find out what happened next?

When we first met Clary Ager, she was living in Victoria dreaming of becoming a farmer, but had no land and little experience. Two years and a cross Canada move later, we meet her and her wife Percy on their Cape Breton flower farm.

Michael Kulakowsky's grade 4 class was so moved when they heard the Now or Never story of 9-year-old Michelle Luis' superhero courage in the face of bullying, they rallied together to help make a difference. Find out what they did and what Michelle, now 11, thinks of it all.

Winnipeg's Josephine Harper faced a lot of challenges in her life - addiction, homelessness, and years in and out of prison. Through it all, her friend Fedja Redzepovic stood by her side. He tells us how he’ll remember his fierce and funny friend, and how her spirit shows up in the work he does today: “She fought better, harder, and braver than most people I’ve met in my life.” 

Former New Brunswick elementary school teacher Hugh Brittain’s decades-long quest to return handwritten diaries to his students, captured the attention of our audience, who helped track down the author of the very last diary. The final chapter in the case of the long lost diary, and the power of radio.

When we last spoke to Richard Raycraft, he was just starting to dip his toe into the world of mascoting - never in his wildest dreams did he consider that it'd become his full-time career. But this former journalist has four jobs as a team mascot and has traveled the world exploring his new passion of entertaining the masses with his mascotry. 

Seven years ago, BC's Shawn Thorn was recovering from multiple failed adoptions attempts and unsuccessful embryo transfers, and finding the strength and support to try one more time to become a father. Today he introduces us to his family and shares how his dreams of fatherhood have matched up to reality.

Trevor asks people in downtown Winnipeg whose voice they miss, and would like to hear again. And that prompts one woman to make a long overdue phone call.

A year and a half ago, Trevor’s dad, Dave Dineen, underwent a laryngectomy to battle throat cancer. The surgery took away his vocal chords and forced him to find a new way to speak. He’s never spoken about how hard the recovery has been…..until now. 

Parents Majid Hashemi and Erica Grenci have a lot of they want to express to their four-year-old daughter Savannah, but couldn't quite find the words themselves. So they turned to Toronto musician Bex to do it for them.

When Carl Clarke struggled to find love after his divorce, a friend suggested he try an app for an AI companion. Now Carl is married to his AI wife, Saia, and says she’s helping him improve his life and expand his world. He speaks out for the first time about his relationship in this Now or Never exclusive.

And we drop into a Halifax choir that brings newcomers together to learn English - and find community - one note at a time.

When was the last time you were truly silly? The world can sometimes seem like a never-ending scroll of bad news. But moments of unadulterated fun have a special way of transforming your whole day.

When Marcy Markusa, host of CBC’s Information Radio, was reflecting on turning 50 she had a realization…she’s forgotten to be silly. Ify and Trevor come together to help her let loose with something she hasn’t done since she was a kid.

When Lilet and Soogah go live on Facebook, be prepared to laugh. These self-described “dirty grannies” are the creation of Winnie Sam and Bev Prince - and the longtime friends from Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation hope that comedy can help their community when times get tough.

A bad review can hurt a new small business, but when Cloe Wiebe got a call from an angry customer, she put what he said on a t-shirt and hung it on the wall in her Winnipeg bakery.

Trevor and Ify have done a lot of ridiculous things over the years, from setting off fire extinguishers to convincing office workers to skip rope with them. They re-visit their favourite moments of unhinged silliness.

In her regular life, Toronto’s Julie Amar is a wellness practitioner who takes on other people’s issues. But one day a week, she gets to indulge in her stress antidote – a room full of silly puppies.

After trying to have a baby for seven years, Winnipeg’s Morwenna Trevenen and Kyle Collins have all their hopes riding on one last embryo. While this experience can destroy a marriage, theirs is stronger because they make a point to find the silly whenever they can… even if that means traveling with an inflatable dinosaur costume.

Cheryl Ann Oberg spent the last 19 years making sick kids smile but after hanging up her therapy clown nose, she’s forced to find a new way to Sparkle.

When you're faced with a hard truth about yourself, it can be tough figuring out what to do next. Or to make any changes at all. On this episode, meet five people hit with a reality check they couldn't ignore.

Andrew Barr thought he was showing up to help a friend but instead, he was surprised with an intervention. The Toronto comedian shares the moment that saved his life, and finding the funny sober. 

After 75 years in the family, Rob Benson has realized it’s time to close up shop at one of Winnipeg's last independent hardware stores. And he has a parting message about the reality of trying to keep small family-run businesses alive.

Winnipeg’s Meghan Waters and Ryan Palmquist put their environmental convictions on the line when they sold their family vehicle and went car-free, with two young children and one on the way. Then winter hit. Did their car-free lifestyle survive the reality check?

A moment of bliss in the Mississippi River compelled Gabe Thirlwall to upend her entire life, just so she could experience that feeling everyday.

And Trevor Dineen sits down with one of his oldest friends about his recent near-death experience, and the reality of how hard it can be to change.

The average person will spend more than 90,000 hours at work. That's about one-third of your life.
Depending on how you feel about your job, that time can feel like a dream...or a never-ending nightmare.
So on this episode, Ify and Trevor are on a mission to help make your workplace work for you, starting with a makeover of their own grim office washroom.

Even before the pandemic changed the world and made working from home a norm for many, Shane Solomon spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to keep his staff happy in the office. So his architecture firm in Winnipeg has a wellness director, board games, and protein balls in their well-stocked kitchen, plus regular workout classes for staff. We visit the shoe-less boss to find out how it's working.

Kari Lentowicz left the mining industry years ago, after she says she experienced multiple instances of harassment. But she hasn't stopped the fight to make mining workplaces more inclusive for women, including starting up "Diamonds in the Rough," the world's first all-female team of mine rescuers.

When Vanathy Adipola started her home daycare, she and her family made a lot of sacrifices - including moving into the basement. Now, years later, she's finally moving back upstairs - and into her dream location.

For Iván Ostos, a bike courier in Toronto, there's one way to make his workplace better - unionize it.

Akberali Batada has transformed his Toronto "office" - the back of a city cab - into a party on wheels, complete with disco balls, tambourines and a karaoke machine. We hop a ride in the Cosmic Cab to see how a bit of whimsy is shaking up people's commutes.

Trevor and Ify hit the streets of Winnipeg to find out the workday improvement hacks that get people through their days, from blasting Red Hot Chili Peppers to ranting with co-workers.

At Moody Middle School, vice-principal Kathryn Jung goes out of her way to make her workplace brighter for fellow teachers.

At work, paramedic Mandy Johnston has feared for her safety - but she hasn't always felt comfortable telling her colleagues about the harassment and violence she's experienced. Now, she's on a mission to start that conversation.

Around the world, in the streets, people are raising their voices and demanding change. But not all protests involve placards and marching.

Today on Now or Never, people who are rebelling against the way things are - and finding creative new ways to demand change.

Maddy Nowosad loved skateboarding and the community of people she met at The Edge, a state of the art skate park in Winnipeg run by the Evangelical Youth For Christ. But when she came out, she no longer felt accepted in that space, so she rallied support and built a new skate park, but it took a huge toll.

In a world that often asks us to work beyond our limits, Ontario's Golshan Abdmoulaie wants you to lay the f— down. Golshan shares her experience of losing hope during the Iranian uprisings, re-learning the power of rest, and what she’s risking by working towards a future rest retreat for artists and activists.   

Fashion lover and content creator Erin Fszigeti protests the impact of fast fashion by challenging herself to shop her closet (no shopping!) for a whole year.

When the images of bombed hospitals and soot-covered children in Gaza became too much to take, Ktunaxa poet Smokii Sumac had to put his feelings into words. He committed to writing 100 poems for his instagram page, but some days he’s not sure if he’s making any difference in such a colossal conflict.

The Winnipeg faction of the Raging Grannies throw on their wigs, colourful hats, and boas, and storm the studio to sing a song and explain why humour helps get the message across.   

As Canada's only Black winemaker, Hamilton's Steve Byfield never saw himself as a role model or activist. But after the murder of George Floyd, he didn’t feel like he had much choice. How he's changing the game in his field, and how he's managing his discomfort with the role.

And delight in the petty acts of resistance Ify discovers when she talks to people in Toronto about their everyday frustrations.