TELUS Talks with Tamara Taggart TELUS

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.

Helen Knott’s mother and grandmother passed away within six months of each other. In addition to losing two matriarchs in her life, Helen had to step into the shoes of her loved ones and fulfill new family responsibilities. Her new memoir, Becoming a Matriarch, is an exploration of grief, love and legacy. She discusses the journey of becoming a matriarch, learning to process loss in a healing way and honouring the wisdom of those who came before her.

Men are facing a mental health crisis and Dr. John Ogrodniczuk says many of his patients felt they couldn’t seek help because of narrow ideas of what it means to be a "real man." As a professor of psychiatry and founder of HeadsUpGuys, John is working to make mental health resources more accessible to men across Canada. He wants men to know that asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

For many living with chronic pain, the goal has often been to find an elusive "cure". But what if our understanding of pain itself needs rethinking? In 2008, Simon Paradis fell off a scaffold, causing severe injuries to his brain and spinal cord. Despite making a strong recovery, he lives with chronic pain every day. As a team, he and his wife, Kara Stanley, explored a variety of pain management tactics, including mindfulness and movement. They discuss their research journey and their new book The Pain Project: A Couple's Story of Confronting Chronic Pain.