TELUS Talks with Tamara Taggart TELUS

After bringing home two Olympic medals, Stephanie Labbé wants to make it easier for athletes to speak about their mental health. There were many ups and downs on Stephanie’s journey to the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. We discuss how she learned to manage mental health challenges, the future of Canadian women’s soccer, and her brand new documentary Shut Out.

What started as a casual effort to increase disability awareness turned into a social media following of almost 100,000. Ashley Harris Whaley launched her ‘Disability Reframed’ Instagram account in 2020, and as her following grew, she also published her first children’s book, I Am, You Are, to help children and adults have meaningful discussions about disability and ableism. Ashley discusses her grassroots activism, the importance of representation and her experience parenting with a disability.

Anyone who has ever read to or with a child—parent, family member, teacher or friend—knows books leave lasting impressions. Tasha Spillett is a New York Times bestselling author with a passion for writing for children. For Tasha, books have the power to instill empathy, affirm, teach, transport and inspire action. She discusses her journey to becoming an author and her newest book Beautiful You, Beautiful Me.

Race, Black masculinity, hip-hop culture, and education have an intricate relationship with one another. Matthew R. Morris is an educator and author who has dedicated much of his work to exploring racism in Canada’s school system. We discuss how we can make the classroom a more inclusive space, a phenomenon Matthew calls the Fresh Prince syndrome, and Matthew’s new book: Black Boys Like Me: Confrontations with Race, Identity, and Belonging.

Could a simple swab replace painful biopsies and transform uterine cancer screening? Dr. Aline Talhouk is a leading researcher developing new screening methods for endometrial cancer. Aline's non-invasive approach could offer millions of at-risk women an easy way to get screened. She discusses how her work aims to catch this little-known but common cancer much earlier and why endometrial cancer often flies under the radar.

Schizophrenia is one of the most misunderstood mental disorders. With plenty of misinformation and stigma, it’s important to have a grasp of schizophrenia and its impacts on people’s lives. Dr. Diane McIntosh joins us to explain the difference between schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, explore the spectrum of symptoms and treatment approaches, and advocate for empathy and support for individuals living with schizophrenia and their loved ones.