The Pulse

Dave Graham & Peter McCully

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LISTEN UP! Whether you're a longtime local or just discovering our corner of paradise On Vancouver Island in Parksville Qualicum Beach, Nanoose, Arrowsmith Coombs or Lighthouse Country - tune in to the Pulse. The Pulse Community Podcast tells the stories of the people and places that make our coastal communities unique. SIGN UP! Subscribe now to catch every episode!

3d ago

Tears for Fears Drummer Jamie Wollam & Cancer Warrior Carly Carey creates Carly’s House

"Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Jamie Wollam grew up tapping along to Kiss and AC/DC records in Southern California, never imagining he'd spend sixteen years behind the kit for Tears for Fears - or that he'd find sobriety and a recording studio on Salt Spring Island. And Carly Carey, a Nanaimo realtor who has faced cancer three times, is turning her own hardest years into Carly's House, a free place to stay for islanders travelling for treatment. This Episode Features: (22:00) Jamie Wollam, the drummer for Tears for Fears since 2010, joins the podcast. Raised in Southern California, Jamie got hooked on drums at a Kiss concert at age 10 and went on to tour and record with David Crosby, Jackson Browne, and Tom Morello, even playing on two posthumous Michael Jackson tracks. He talks candidly about the phone call that brought him into Tears for Fears, the hardest songs to play live, and the move to Salt Spring Island that gave him sobriety and a second act - including his home recording studio, the Monster House. Contains the song Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears. jamiewollamdrums.com (08:05) Carly Carey, a Nanaimo-based realtor, business leader, wife, and mother, has fought cancer three times. Drawing on her own experience travelling for treatment, she and her husband Morgan are turning a rental property into Carly's House, a free place for cancer patients who must come to Nanaimo for chemotherapy and radiation. Carly walks through the renovation, the partnership with the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation, and why dignity and community support are at the heart of the project. Episode Quotes: “I literally was driving up to Beverly Hills one day to do a recording session, and my phone rang... he goes, 'You want to be in Tears for Fears?'” - Jamie Wollam “Even at 18, I just had this sense of clarity around how privileged we were to have the means to drive to Victoria.” - Carly Carey We've had the pleasure of sitting down with musicians from across Vancouver Island and beyond - explore more stories and interviews on our Vancouver Island Musicians page. Voice message The PULSE and be part of the podcast! You'll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.ca. Click here to learn how to Support the show. Episode Sponsors: Ian Lindsay & Associates, Thrifty Foods Parksville, Tablet Pharmacy & Parksville Beach Festival. Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! “Like, Share & Listen!” (Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Tears for Fears) SOCAN 5068600 #TearsForFears #JamieWollam #SaltSpringIsland #CarlysHouse #CarlyCarey #VancouverIsland #PULSECommunityPodcast #VancouverIslandPodcast #VancouverIslandNews #NanaimoNews Support the show

52 min
3d ago

Nanoose Firefighters Watch Backdraft - And They Have Feelings

"Send us a text about this episode!" What happens when you screen a Hollywood firefighting blockbuster for actual firefighters? You get the most entertaining and most brutally honest episode of Too Old or Movie Gold yet. Hosts Olin VanderLeen and David Purcell of the Comox Valley invited a special all-firefighter panel to weigh in on Ron Howard’s 1991 action classic, Backdraft: volunteer firefighter Michael, and sibling duo Caitlin and Trevor Holme of the Nanoose Bay Fire Department who come from a three-generation firefighting family, just like the brothers in the film. The verdict? The fire scenes are genuinely extraordinary. The firefighting? A glorious dumpster fire of Hollywood exaggeration. The panel hilariously dissected everything from heroes running into burning buildings without masks or hoses, to cowboy-style solo antics that would end careers today. As Michael put it, it was “almost a movie of how to not do anything correct.” But it’s not all laughs at Hollywood’s expense. The group digs into what the film does beautifully - Donald Sutherland’s scene-stealing performance, fascinating behind-the-scenes production details (including a fireproof camera operator who literally walked through real flames), and how the movie treats fire itself as a living, breathing character. Backdraft earned $152 million on a $40 million budget and holds a 72% Rotten Tomatoes critic score. But does it still hold up in 2026? Two Gen Xers who loved it, two Gen Z firefighter siblings watching it fresh, and a crew of people who actually fight fires for a living all weigh in. “You go in as a team. You’ve got a partner. You do not leave your partner. You go in with them, you come out with them.” - David Purcell “I thought it was very Hollywood, but you know, I was able to sit through it fairly well, so that says something, I guess.” - Caitlin, Gen Z firefighter You can also voice message Too Old or Movie Gold and be a part of the podcast! You’ll find all episodes of The Too Old or Movie Gold Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.ca Click here to learn how to Support the show. Sponsor for this episode is Fireside Books. Check out The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart and YouTube podcasts, as well as ThePULSECommunity.ca https://thepulsecommunity.ca/ Sign up for our weekly newsletter of the latest podcasts and contests! “Share, Like & Listen!” #TooOldOrPureGold #Backdraft1991 #MoviePodcast #FirefighterLife #GenXvsGenZ #RonHoward #KurtRussell #ThePulsePodcast #ThePulseCommunity #VancouverIsland Support the show

1h 6m
3d ago

Katie Bergman - When Justice Just Is

"Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode Katie Bergman is a writer and social justice advocate who has devoted a decade to the non-profit sector, specialising in human trafficking interventions. After experiencing trauma and burnout at the frontlines of humanitarian work, she wrote When Justice Just Is to open a conversation about inner wellbeing and social change. In this episode: Katie Bergman joins Cindy Thompson on A Resilience Project to share the deeply personal story behind When Justice Just Is - her first book and a call to those doing the hard, often invisible work of helping others. Over ten years in the non-profit sector, Katie worked with teams around the world - preventing labour exploitation among migrant workers in rural Cambodia, supporting survivors of human trafficking in the US, and protecting at-risk girls from abuse in Bulgaria. It was extraordinary, purposeful work. It was also work that took a toll. A few years in, Katie began to see how individual, systemic, and societal factors were quietly eroding the wellbeing of people in helping roles - including her own. After her own experience of trauma and burnout at the frontlines, she did what writers do: she wrote about it. When Justice Just Is is a book about self-stewardship for people who give deeply to the world - and a reminder that caring for ourselves is not separate from caring for others. It’s the foundation of it. The PULSE Community Podcasts can be found at: ThePulseCommunity.ca Cindy Thompson’s website: cindythompsoncounselling.ca Learn more about Katie Bergman: whenjusticejustis.com You’ll find all episodes of the PULSE Community Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TikTok, and YouTube, as well as ThePulseCommunity.ca. Episode Sponsor: Tablet Pharmacy Check out Skookum Kid’s Stories with downloadable colouring pages on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! “Like, Share & Listen!” #KatieBergman #ResilienceProject #VancouverIsland #VancouverIslandPodcasts #ParksvilleQualicum #ThePulseCommunityPodcast #CindyThompson #WhenJusticeJustIs #humantrafficking #nonprofit #selfstewardship #parksvillenews #vancouverislandnews Support the show

45 min
Jun 16

Laura Palmer of Island Crime Podcast & Cheryl Dill on BeachFest 2026

"Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Cheryl Dill has spent years helping build one of Vancouver Island's most beloved summer traditions into an internationally recognized event drawing visitors from all over the world. Laura Palmer is nine seasons into a true crime podcast built on patience, rigour, and deep respect for victims and their families. Two very good reasons to be proud of these Vancouver Islanders. This Episode Features: (34:10) Laura Palmer, host of the award-winning podcast Island Crime, has just launched Season 9 - a series called "The Dead File," investigating the unsolved 1959 double murder of Elizabeth and Andrew Kosonic in South Wellington, just south of Nanaimo. Laura was approached by the couple's great-great-granddaughter, who has spent years researching the tragedy on her own. The title comes from a stamp on the actual police folder - "dead file, no further work to be done." Laura talks about the remarkable access she had to coroner's reports, autopsy records, and a psychiatric file, and why the RCMP is still reluctant to release the full investigation file 67 years on. She also updates listeners on Season 1's Lisa Marie Young case and reflects on what separates responsible true crime journalism from exploitation. (9:15) Cheryl Dill, president of the Parksville Beach Festival Society, joins us to talk about the festival that drew nearly 120,000 visitors in 2025 - one of the highest attendance figures since 2015. Cheryl walks us through the new sand sculpting site, this-year's "Beauties and Beasts" theme chosen by sculptors and the public together, and the magic of seeing those works illuminated at night. She talks about the volunteer army of 200-plus people who make it all happen, the international reach of a festival that draws visitors from Japan, Australia, Madagascar, and beyond, and the Blue Rodeo concert that represents the biggest concert undertaking in the festival's history. April Wine headlines the opening weekend concert on July 11th. Tickets and details at parksvillebeachfest.ca. Episode Quotes: "Everybody counts or nobody counts. That certainly seemed true to me in Andrew and Elizabeth's case." - Laura Palmer "When you look at that diversity of visitors and where they come from by evidence of the pins on the map - it's incredible. Greenland. Japan. Australia. New Zealand. Madagascar. They're identifying that they're coming from all over." - Cheryl Dill Voice message The PULSE and be part of the podcast! You'll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.ca Click here to learn how to Support the show Episode Sponsors: Thrifty Foods Parksville, Ian Lindsay & Associates & Beachfest Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! "Like, Share & Listen!" #ParksvilleBeachFest #BeachFest #VancouverIsland #IslandCrime #TrueCrime #PULSECommunityPodcast #VancouverIslandPodcasts #ParksvilleNews #VancouverIslandNews #AprilWine #BlueRodeo #SandSculpting Support the show

55 min
Jun 16

When Cities Stop Waiting - with Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto

"Send us a text about this episode!" What happens when the province can't move fast enough and people in your city need help now? In this episode of Non-Partisan Hacks, hosts Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Marianne Alto, Mayor of the City of Victoria, recorded live at the AVICC convention. Victoria is BC's capital city - a mid-sized municipality shouldering an outsized share of the region's housing pressures, homelessness, and mental health and addiction challenges. Mayor Alto talks candidly about what it looks like when a city decides to stop waiting: building 97 new shelter and transitional housing spaces, creating a first-of-its-kind Community Safety, Wellbeing, and Partnerships department, and funding nonprofit service providers when senior governments can't or won't. She also shares what she's learned about courage, accountability, and adaptability - and why standing in a room full of people yelling at you is sometimes just part of the job. Listen for: • How Victoria exceeded its provincial housing targets - and why Mayor Alto was eager to be picked first • Why Victoria carries more than 80% of the region's social services - and what she's doing about it • The story behind the Dollar Place facility: two public meetings, hundreds of angry residents, and a decision she'd make again • How the city's Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan is funding nonprofits to do what the province hasn't • What she told her council on inauguration day: "Listen, think, and then do good work" • Advice for elected officials deciding whether to run again - including a frank conversation about vitriol in public life Text us about this episode: Send us a text Visit the NonPartisan Hacks website: nonpartisanhacks.com Voice message: https://thepulsecommunity.ca/contact/ You'll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, YouTube Podcasts, TikTok, and PULSECommunity.ca Special Thanks to our Sponsor Ian Lindsay & Associates for supporting ThePulseCommunity.ca. Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, YouTube Podcasts, and SkookumKids.com Sign up for our weekly newsletter at https://bit.ly/PulseNewsletterSignup Click here to learn how to Support the show Like, Share & Listen! #NonPartisanHacks #VancouverIslandPodcasts #LocalGovernment #BCPolitics #MunicipalGovernance #VancouverIsland #VictoriaBC #HousingCrisis #Homelessness #CivicEngagement #PULSECommunity Support the show

52 min
Jun 16

Kaleb Dahlgren - “Crossroads”: Finding Strength in Vulnerability

"Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode If you’ve ever been told you can’t - and refused to accept it - this episode is for you. Kaleb Dahlgren speaks from a place of hard-won strength: as a survivor of the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, a #1 bestselling author, a community builder, and a young man who spent his entire hockey career proving the doubters wrong. His story is one of extraordinary resilience layered upon resilience, told with a vulnerability that makes it genuinely unforgettable. In this episode: Kaleb Dahlgren joins Cindy Thompson on A Resilience Project to share the journey behind his memoir ‘Crossroads’ - and what it truly means to find strength in vulnerability. After losing 16 members of his Broncos family in the tragic 2018 crash, Kaleb navigated grief on a scale most people will never face. Yet his story of beating the odds began long before that April night. Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age four, he was told by hockey coaches and scouts that he would never succeed in the sport. Rather than stepping back, he used that negativity as fuel - working relentlessly to play at the highest level of hockey each year of his young career. Inspired by his own challenges, Kaleb founded Dahlgren’s Diabeauties, a program that uses hockey to raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes and support children living with the disease. In 2018, he received the Canadian Volunteer Award for Emerging Leader of the Prairies. He graduated from York University with a Commerce degree, was named the Most Outstanding Male Graduate for Varsity Athletics, and is now forging his next path as a chiropractic student and keynote speaker. The PULSE Community Podcasts can be found at: ThePulseCommunity.ca Cindy Thompson’s website: cindythompsoncounselling.ca You'll find all episodes of the PULSE Community Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TikTok and YouTube. Episode Sponsor: Tablet Pharmacy Check out Skookum Kid’s Stories with downloadable colouring pages on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! “Like, Share & Listen!” #KalebDahlgren #ResilienceProject #HumboldtBroncos #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleQualicum #ThePulseCommunityPodcast #CindyThompson #VancouverIslandPodcasts #parksvillenews #vancouverislandnews Support the show

42 min
Jun 9

Ethan Askey touring Vancouver Island & the Parksville Car and Bike Show

"Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Ethan Askey has carried a harmonica in his pocket for the better part of 30 years - from campfires on the Alsek River to festival stages in Europe, from Junior Wells' living room in Chicago to the studio in Kimberley where his new album Outside the Lines was born. He is a storyteller who found the blues by digging backwards through his dad's record collection, and every story he tells feels like a song. Ron Thorogood built a life around cars and the community they carry - from drag strips in Calgary to leading the charge to bring one of Vancouver Island's most beloved summer events back to the beach at Parksville Community Park on July 5th. This Episode Features: (28:32) Ethan Askey is a singer, songwriter, and blues harmonica player based in Cranbrook, BC. Known in music circles as Shorty, he spent decades as a sideman and session player before stepping out front with his 2022 debut album Walk When You Wanna Run, which spent over 160 weeks on the Canada Roots and Blues Top 50. He leads Ethan Askey and the Elevators, whose new album Outside the Lines is now out and features contributions from Steve Marriner, Susie Vinnick, and Jimmy Bowskill. Ethan talks about walking a fish through the South Side of Chicago to Junior Wells' door, headlining the Baltic Blues Festival in Germany, and what 30 years of always having a harmonica in your pocket really means. Contains the song "Swing Like That." ethanaskey.com (07:58) Ron Thorogood is one of the key organizers behind the Parksville Car and Bike Show - the revived, rebranded Van Isle Show and Shine returning to Parksville Community Park on July 5th. Ron moved to Vancouver Island from Calgary nine years ago, bringing a lifetime of drag racing history with him, including a 1970 Plymouth Duster 340 that won back-to-back pro titles in 2000 and 2001 and that he owned for 50 years. He talks about reviving a show that once drew a thousand cars to the beach, why there are no judges and no trophies, and why - for him - it has never really been about the cars. https://www.car-show.ca/ Episode Quotes: "It has nothing to do with a car. Really what's behind the car is the people. The whole community of people is what drives me." - Ron Thorogood "Everywhere I go, I've got a harmonica in my pocket. It's a thing." - Ethan Askey We've had the pleasure of sitting down with musicians from across Vancouver Island and beyond - explore more stories and interviews on our Vancouver Island Musicians page. Text us about this episode Voice message The PULSE and be part of the podcast! You'll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.ca Click here to learn how to Support the show Episode Sponsors: Ian Lindsay & Associates, Fireside Books, Thrifty Foods Parksville & Tablet Pharmacy Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! "Like, Share & Listen!" #EthanAskey #OutsideTheLines #BluesHarmonica #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleCarShow #VancouverIslandMusic #ThePULSEPodcast #VancouverIslandPodcast #ParksvilleNews #VancouverIslandNews Support the show

55 min
Jun 9

Santiago Dominguez - Autism: A Personality, Not a Disability

"Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode If you or someone you love has ever felt like an outsider in a world that wasn’t built for the way your mind works, Santiago Dominguez speaks directly to that experience. Diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Santiago opens up about the exhausting daily effort of navigating school, building relationships, and searching for a sense of value in a world that often misunderstood him. His story is one of hard-won resilience - and a powerful reminder that difference is not deficit. In this episode: Santiago Dominguez joins Cindy Thompson on A Resilience Project to share what it truly meant to grow up with high-functioning autism in a world that rarely made space for the way he experienced it. For Santiago, every school day felt like a war - a constant negotiation between who he was and what the world expected him to be. Complex peer relationships and a deep desire to be understood shaped his early years. But through it all, he found his way to something more grounding: a rediscovery of his own value, on his own terms. Now 24, Santiago is a real estate photographer, a history student at Vancouver Island University, a high school tutor, and a youth coordinator at Maranatha Church in Nanaimo, BC. Through his work with teenagers facing similar struggles, he channels his own experience into something purposeful - helping young people see what he had to learn for himself: that autism is a personality, not a disability. The PULSE Community Podcasts can be found at: ThePulseCommunity.ca Cindy Thompson’s website: cindythompsoncounselling.ca You’ll find all episodes of the PULSE Community Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TikTok and YouTube. Episode Sponsor: Tablet Pharmacy Check out Skookum Kid’s Stories with downloadable colouring pages on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! "Like, Share & Listen!" #SantiagoDominguez #ResilienceProject #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleQualicum #ThePulseCommunityPodcast #CindyThompson #autism #highfunctioningautism #parksvillenews #vancouverislandnews Support the show

47 min

LISTEN UP! Whether you're a longtime local or just discovering our corner of paradise On Vancouver Island in Parksville Qualicum Beach, Nanoose, Arrowsmith Coombs or Lighthouse Country - tune in to the Pulse. The Pulse Community Podcast tells the stories of the people and places that make our coastal communities unique. SIGN UP! Subscribe now to catch every episode!

Creator

Dave Graham & Peter McCully
Years Active

2024 - 2026
Episodes

138
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© 2026 The Pulse
Show Website

The Pulse

True Crime

True Crime

Series