2D AGO

Inside ISANS with CEO Paula Knight: How Nova Scotia Welcomes, Trains, And Retains Newcomers

What makes someone plant roots instead of moving on? We sit with Paula Knight, CEO of ISANS, to unpack the real work of turning arrivals into neighbours—and why belonging is the quiet infrastructure that powers Nova Scotia’s future. From first intake to first job, from a child’s first hockey game to a nurse’s first licensed shift, Paula shows how practical supports and human connection move people from surviving to thriving. We dive into the ISANS model: language training that meets learners where they are, employment programs that push past generic job boards, and credential recognition efforts that get doctors, engineers, and tradespeople working closer to their skills. Paula shares corporate lessons she carried into the non‑profit world—clear scorecards, honest metrics, and a “rhythm of the business” that keeps services responsive. We also get candid about barriers: uneven licensing, youth navigating language and curriculum gaps, and the cost of losing talent when the path is unclear. Community is the multiplier. With 80% of staff being immigrants themselves, ISANS pairs expertise with lived experience, making guidance feel like a hand on your shoulder. We talk women’s entrepreneurship, onsite childcare, and the subtle but powerful impact of simple moments—learning to skate, cheering at a hockey game, or finding a friend after a snowstorm. The data matters too: strong retention, 70% working in their field or a related field, and thousands supported across languages and programs. In a province with an aging population and a housing crunch, this isn’t charity—it’s strategy. We close by reframing the narrative. Whether we say immigrant, newcomer, or simply Canadian, the goal is the same: help people belong so they stay, contribute, and lead. If you care about workforce gaps, economic growth, healthcare capacity, or vibrant communities, this conversation will give you stories, stats, and practical ideas you can use tomorrow. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review telling us one way you welcome new neighbours. Send a text Support the show Find The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

1h 3m

FEB 10

Quentrel Provo's Mission To Stop The Violence Needs More Support Than Ever

A single march in the rain changed everything. After losing his cousin to a senseless act of violence, Quentrel Provo turned grief into a mission: Stop the Violence, Spread the Love. We sit down with Q to unpack how a community showed up, how forgiveness sharpened his purpose, and why June 10 is now Stop the Violence Day—wear red, do one kind act, and make compassion visible. We go deeper than slogans. Q explains how youth mentorship became the centre of gravity for the movement, why “one caring adult” can redirect a life, and how he tailored his talks from elementary classrooms to correctional facilities. He shares the unseen costs too: threats, burnout, and the hard boundary work required to protect your peace while serving others. Along the way, we revisit milestone moments—from speaking across North America to meeting Barack and Michelle Obama—and the quiet, consistent wins that matter most. Then we zoom out. We challenge performative community policing and top‑down policy that ignores lived experience. Q lays out a clear blueprint for trust: listen first, co‑design with neighbourhoods, and build feedback loops that lead to action. We tackle media‑driven trauma, bias and street checks, de‑escalation training, and the line between self‑defence and excessive force. We also contrast punitive prison models with rehabilitation that actually lowers harm through education, mental health care, and reentry support. This conversation is part origin story, part field guide. If you’ve wondered how to move from outrage to impact, start small: a door held open, a question asked, a promise kept. If you’re ready to go bigger, mentor a student, support a local program, or host a kindness drive on June 10. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope today, and leave a review with the one act of kindness you’ll do this week. Send a text Support the show Find The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

1h 13m

FEB 3

The Mental Intelligence Behind Football with Coach Micah Brown

We sit down with Coach Micah Brown — former pro quarterback, founder of BATLX, and a leader in Atlantic Canada’s football development scene. Micah breaks down the mental intelligence behind football and why the best coaching is about way more than schemes and stats. We talk leadership under pressure, building confident athletes, mentorship and representation, and the real responsibility coaches carry as community leaders. The conversation goes deep on self-care and mental health, what it takes to stay locked in when life gets loud, and how Micah’s mission is helping develop both better players — and better people — here at home. Send a text Support the show Find The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

1h 13m

JAN 27

Putting It All On The Line With Singer Songwriter Christina Martin

A forgotten shore, a loud crowd, and a quiet life that fuels a very big record—Christina Martin joins us for an unvarnished look at building a career that actually holds together. From quitting university to nannying in Austin, signing a dead-end contract in Germany, and then getting invited last-minute to open for Wilco, her story moves through detours that somehow line up. The band drama that pushed her out of a 70s revival project became the nudge into solo work; the pandemic forced a hard audit of what pays and what matters; and the result is Storm, a sweeping album about gratitude, loss, and the people who stayed. We dig into how Storm came together: strings that lift without clutter, live visuals built into the artwork from day one, and a filmed performance designed to sell future bookings. Christina is generous about the team—producer and partner Dale Murray, drummer power from Brian Murray and Jordy Comstock, and anchor lines from Jason Vautour—showing how collaboration shapes both sound and survival. She also keeps it real about money. Streaming pays pennies, full-band touring is a luxury, and sustainability often looks like a smart part-time remote job plus grants and meticulous admin. That pragmatism extends to tech: AI belongs in the paperwork, not in the lyrics. There’s joy here too. Big Shiny Tunes in Halifax turns 90s nostalgia into a live-wire connection where audiences belt every word. That communal charge feeds the studio work and the small-town rhythm of a quieter life that leaves space to write. Christina’s takeaways land with warmth and steel: protect writing time, document your best shows, build real relationships, and choose a path with heart even when it’s not glamorous. If you care about indie music, creative careers, and how artists make lasting work in a noisy world, this conversation is for you. If you enjoyed this, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—your support helps more listeners find these stories. Send a text Support the show Find The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

1 hr

JAN 20

Tia Upshaw Went From Convicted to CEO. Now She Builds Companies and Empowers Black Women.

We sit with Tia to trace the unvarnished path from teen motherhood and convictions, a string of rejections from employers due to her criminal background check to her $50 start up cleaning company that scaled across Halifax. Tia shares the weight of raising kids while surviving the street, a son shot seven times, and the accountability she refuses to outsource. We talk about why “diversity” often advances without finishing the last fight, how Black women remain last in line for capital and boards, and what changes when you invest your own $200,000 to create Black Women in Excellence. We get into practical, repeatable steps incorporation for protection, pricing with confidence, and building clean books—paired with the mindset shift from operator to CEO. There’s also a clear map for second chances. Tia brings entrepreneurship inside women’s prisons, showing how to turn passion into paid work and how parole can measure self-employment with real KPIs instead of only pay stubs. She draws a firm line between free mentorship and paid coaching, models boundaries that prevent burnout, and explains why the busiest restaurant has a waitlist for a reason. If you’re searching for resilience, small business strategy, or the truth about building generational wealth from a service company, this one delivers both heart and how-to. There is a ton of incredible advice and brutal honesty in this episode and we hope you find Tia's story as powerful as we did. If you enjoyed this episode please follow the show, share with a friend, and let us know if any of the advice in this episode can help you in your journey. Send a text Support the show Find The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

1h 6m

JAN 13

Examining Artificial Intelligence Through Rose Coloured Glasses, Digital Anthropologist Giles Crouch

Ready for a clear-eyed look at AI that doesn’t lean on buzzwords or doom? We’re joined by digital anthropologist Giles Crouch to unpack how these systems really work, what they cost in the physical world, and why culture—not code—ultimately decides which technologies endure. We trace the supply chain from rare earths and chip bottlenecks to the low-frequency hums of data centres built near homes, and we talk about the policy vacuum that leaves Canadians exposed while the EU clamps down and the US lets courts test the boundaries. Giles shares a personal account of a sophisticated hack that cut across social, email, and banking to show why cyber insurance and basic operational hygiene matter for everyone, from carpenters to consultants. We dig into parasocial relationships, AI “hallucinations,” and engagement-optimised design that mirrors our desires back at us. If you’ve ever wondered why LLMs feel insightful yet still make confident mistakes on complex tasks, this is your translation layer—stochastic parrots, not synthetic thinkers. There’s good news, too. We explore cognitive scaffolding—how tools can jumpstart drafts, help ADHD brains beat task paralysis, and still preserve a human voice. We make the case for a return to the humanities alongside data literacy, arguing that print may be primed for a revival as a trusted, memorable record in a world of deepfakes. And we name the economic shift hiding in plain sight: technofeudalism, where subscriptions replace ownership and DRM can erase your purchased library with a policy change. You’ll leave with practical takeaways on digital safety, a fresh lens on AI’s limits and uses, and a bigger story about how culture tames technology. If that resonates, follow Giles at gilescrouch.substack.com, share this with a friend who’s unsure about AI, and subscribe so you never miss a conversation that respects your intelligence. What part challenged your assumptions most? Find Giles: gilescrouch.substack.com and gilescrouch.com Send a text Support the show Find The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

1h 14m

JAN 5

Andy Fillmore On The Highs And Lows Of His First Year As Mayor Of Halifax

We sit down with newly elected Mayor Andy Fillmore after his first year for a wide-open conversation about what it takes to steer a city that’s growing in every direction: more people, more jobs, more pressure on streets and services. He talks frankly about trading the heat of Parliament for the hands-on grind of City Hall, where a mayor is one vote among many and every policy hits a sidewalk, a bus route, or a household budget. We dig into mobility first. Halifax is in a loop where buses are stuck in traffic and riders default to cars. The mayor lays out a clear case for bus rapid transit—express routes, priority, comfort—and the provincial congestion review now underway on the peninsula. We also tackle the grid: how well-meant restrictions can slow the whole system, why data matters, and how to balance safety with movement. If you’ve felt the drag getting across town, this is the roadmap, warts and all. Housing and budgets keep the stakes high. The city needs roughly 8,000 homes a year and is building about half that, with infrastructure capacity—water, wastewater, stormwater—now a key bottleneck. Add major defence spending set to flow into Halifax, and the urgency doubles. The mayor explains last year’s flat tax rate, this year’s 10.5% pressure from inflation and contracts, and his push to protect core services while partnering with the private sector—think smarter ferry models and transit hubs with amenities—to keep costs down and quality up. We also get into the assessment cap’s market distortions and why revenue reform isn’t about raising more, but raising better. Along the way we talk civic culture: what makes Halifax kind and welcoming, why the waterfront still stuns, and how to grow without losing our feel. You’ll hear candid reflections on early missteps, lessons in council diplomacy, and a clear view of what quality of life should mean here: affordability, safety, things to do, and transit worth choosing. If you care about how Halifax moves, builds, and stays itself, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us: what would you cut or fund to keep the city on track? Send a text Support the show Find The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

53 min

12/09/2025

Afternoon Pint Christmas Special 3 featuring Scrooge, Melatonin and Mercy!

For this years Holiday Special, The Afternoon Pint presents a radio-play reimagining of A Christmas Carol —written in-house and brought to life with the help of the three 48 Hour Film Festival winners known collectively as Shwing Entertainment. Mike turns his crankiness up to 11 for Scrooge while Matt works his improvisational muscle by preforming as all of the ghosts. We then have some addtional stories from the AP content creator team. Laura Flemming, shares the beautifully strange and haunting original Christmas tale about a mysterious abandoned home that has a soul called “The Foggy House.” Don't Over Think It Chip then tells a story about wishing for the impossible —The Toronto Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup. And just when you think it couldn’t get any wilder, we wrap things up with a brand-new original song, “Sex, Drugs, and Christmas Time,” performed by the incredible Christina Martin - This may be our wildest Christmas Special to date. Thank you to all the folks that helped us out with this one, and to our sponsor, Kimia Nejat of Exit Reality, who has supported our show since day 1. Happy Holidays from the Afternoon Pint! and please share this episode. Send a text Support the show Find The Afternoon Pint on Youtube Facebook Instagram & TikTok Buy merch, get out newsletter, or book some of Afternoon Pints Media Talent on our website: www.afternoonpint.ca #afternoonpint #entrepreneur #popculture #authors #actors #politics #money #music #popular #movies #canadalife #madeincanada Your follows likes and subscribes help support Canadian Made Media. Please drop us a line and let us know if you are enjoying the show.

28 min

Afternoon Pint

Inside ISANS with CEO Paula Knight: How Nova Scotia Welcomes, Trains, And Retains Newcomers

Quentrel Provo's Mission To Stop The Violence Needs More Support Than Ever

The Mental Intelligence Behind Football with Coach Micah Brown

Putting It All On The Line With Singer Songwriter Christina Martin

Tia Upshaw Went From Convicted to CEO. Now She Builds Companies and Empowers Black Women.

Examining Artificial Intelligence Through Rose Coloured Glasses, Digital Anthropologist Giles Crouch

Andy Fillmore On The Highs And Lows Of His First Year As Mayor Of Halifax

Afternoon Pint Christmas Special 3 featuring Scrooge, Melatonin and Mercy!

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Afternoon Pint

Episodes

Inside ISANS with CEO Paula Knight: How Nova Scotia Welcomes, Trains, And Retains Newcomers

Quentrel Provo's Mission To Stop The Violence Needs More Support Than Ever

The Mental Intelligence Behind Football with Coach Micah Brown

Putting It All On The Line With Singer Songwriter Christina Martin

Tia Upshaw Went From Convicted to CEO. Now She Builds Companies and Empowers Black Women.

Examining Artificial Intelligence Through Rose Coloured Glasses, Digital Anthropologist Giles Crouch

Andy Fillmore On The Highs And Lows Of His First Year As Mayor Of Halifax

Afternoon Pint Christmas Special 3 featuring Scrooge, Melatonin and Mercy!

Trailer

About

Information

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