The Pulse

Dave Graham & Peter McCully

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!

  1. قبل يومين

    Chris Buck - Boots & Boats Festival & the Seaside Cruizers Show and Shine

    "Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Chris Buck has written 500+ songs in Nashville, earned a gold record, and just cracked the top 40 as an independent artist - all while staying unmistakably Canadian. Jim Moroz and the Seaside Cruisers have built a Father's Day tradition that draws 20,000 visitors, 500 classic cars, and gives back to local charities every year.  This Episode Features: (19:31) Chris Buck, BC-CCMA Award-winning country artist, spent seven years writing in Nashville - two songs a day, five days a week - and came back to Canada as an independent artist with a nineties-inspired album. He talks about his sobriety journey, collaborating with Gord Bamford and bringing Boots and Boats - a waterfront Singer-Songwriter Festival with 21 artists over three days - to Nanoose Bay for the very first time. This interview contains the song: One Step, Two Step. www.chrisbuckband.com (06:29) Jim Moroz, President of the Seaside Cruisers Car Club, the volunteer force behind one of Vancouver Island's most beloved annual traditions. The 33rd Father's Day Show and Shine rolls into downtown Qualicum Beach with up to 500 classic vehicles, a poker run, a Saturday night street dance, and a three-day weekend that draws between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors. Last year the club donated $30,900 to local charities. www.seasidecruizers.com  Episode Quotes:  "At the end of the day, if you can pay your bills and do what you love, you've won." — Chris Buck  "For me, it's just seeing the joy in people's faces when they look at these cars. That makes you feel good." — Jim Moroz  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 Episode Sponsors: Tablet Pharmacy, Fireside Books, Ian Lindsay & Associates & SOSD69 — Fore Our Families 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!" One, Two Step — Chris Buck SOCAN 5068600 Support the show

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  2. Dr. Kirk Austin - Buoyancy: Building Resilient Kids

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    Dr. Kirk Austin - Buoyancy: Building Resilient Kids

    "Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode If you are a parent, grandparent, caregiver, or teacher — or anyone who cares about the emotional wellbeing of a child — this episode is essential listening. Dr. Kirk Austin brings years of experience working with complex trauma in children and youth to a conversation that is as practical as it is profound. His framework for resilience isn't abstract theory; it's a set of real, learnable skills that help children understand what's happening inside them when life gets hard. In this episode: Dr. Kirk Austin joins Cindy Thompson on A Resilience Project to share the ideas at the heart of his book, Buoyancy: Building Resilient Kids. With deep experience in complex trauma, Dr. Austin explains why emotional literacy — the ability to understand and name what we're feeling — is one of the most powerful tools we can give young people. At the centre of the conversation is the BREATHE acronym: seven key elements that Dr. Austin calls the building blocks of human buoyancy. Far from a simple checklist, these elements form a framework for helping children navigate stress, build coping strategies, and develop the kind of inner resilience that serves them for life. Dr. Austin also speaks to the role adults play in that process — how parents and caregivers model resilience in their own lives, and why the connection between a child and a trusted adult is itself one of the most powerful protective factors available to any young person. The PULSE Community Podcasts can be found at: ThePulseCommunity.ca Cindy Thompson's website: cindythompsoncounselling.ca Learn more about Dr. Kirk Austin: amazon.ca — Buoyancy: Building Resilient Kids You'll find all episodes 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 on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube Podcasts. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! https://bit.ly/PulseNewsletterSignup "Like, Share & Listen!" #DrKirkAustin #ResilienceProject #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleQualicum #ThePulseCommunityPodcast #CindyThompson #buoyancy #resilientkids #parksvillenews #vancouverislandnews Support the show

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  3. Aaron Cully Drake On Writing Your Book Using AI & Singer Songwriter Roy Forbes

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    Aaron Cully Drake On Writing Your Book Using AI & Singer Songwriter Roy Forbes

    "Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Author Aaron Cully Drake has a provocative and practical take on AI in the writing process — not as a ghostwriter, but as a structural editor that never lets a contradiction slide. And Roy Forbes, Member of the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame  and CKUA Radio host, has been writing songs since Grade school and performing across Canada for more than five decades.  This Episode Features:  (07:23) Aaron Cully Drake is a BB-based author, former newspaper reporter and editor whose debut novel was longlisted for the Leacock Medal for Humour Writing. His new novel, When the World Was Twice as Big, is now available. Aaron joins the podcast to talk about using AI as a writing partner - not to write the story, but to critique structure, catch contradictions, and push you past the blocks that keep you stuck. "AI is not going to replace writers," he says. "But I think eventually AI will replace writers who don't use AI."  (30:30) Roy Forbes picked up a guitar at 14, and never looked back. Known in his early years as Bim, he spent more than five decades writing, recording, and performing across Canada, earning a place in the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame and a UBC honorary doctorate. He has been the host of Roy's Record Room on CKUA Radio for more than 20 years. Roy talks about opening for Santana as a young artist, writing songs after losing his sight, and the old $7 Stella guitar he used to make his album Edge of Blue — an album he describes as feeling like his first, even though it was his 14th. He'll be at Char's Landing in Port Alberni in May. This interview contains the song: More Than a Little Bit Blue. Episode Quotes:  "AI is not going to replace writers. But I think eventually AI will replace writers who don't use AI." - Aaron Cully Drake  "I hope people can come in, maybe laugh and cry, laugh some more, maybe cry a little — forget their lives for a couple of hours, and become part of what's happening." - Roy Forbes LISTEN: 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, Thrifty Foods Parksville, Fireside Books & SOS for Our Families (SOSD69) Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Support the show

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  4. Alicia Nicholsen - The Resilient Mommy: Writing Through Grief and Into Healing

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    Alicia Nicholsen - The Resilient Mommy: Writing Through Grief and Into Healing

    "Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode  If you’ve experienced loss in motherhood — or love someone who has — this episode is for you. Alicia Nicholsen speaks with the kind of honesty that only comes from having lived through the unimaginable. Her story of losing a child to miscarriage and a second child at 23 weeks is one of profound grief. But it’s also one of extraordinary purpose — and the quiet, determined resilience that grows when you decide to turn your pain into something that helps others.  In this episode:  Alicia Nicholsen joins Cindy Thompson on A Resilience Project to share the deeply personal story behind The Resilient Mommy Blog — and how writing became a conduit for healing and a bridge for resilience as a mother.  Having experienced the loss of a child to miscarriage and a second child at 23 weeks, Alicia knows grief in a way few can fully understand. In this conversation, she opens up about how those losses shaped her, and how the act of writing — of putting words to experiences that often go unspoken — helped her begin to heal. What started as a personal space became something far larger: a community and a resource for women navigating some of motherhood’s most devastating moments.  Alicia is the author of The Resilient Mommy Blog, a space dedicated to the resilience of being a mommy. Since welcoming her daughter in 2020, she describes herself as being on an entirely new journey — one where grief and joy exist side by side, and where she continues to invite other mothers along the way. The PULSE Community Podcasts can be found at: ThePulseCommunity.ca  Cindy Thompson’s website: cindythompsoncounselling.ca  Learn more about Alicia Nicholsen: theresilientmommy.com You’ll find all episodes 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 on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! https://bit.ly/PulseNewsletterSignup “Like, Share & Listen!” #AliciaNicholsen #ResilienceProject #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleQualicum #ThePulseCommunityPodcast #CindyThompson #miscarriage #mommylife #writing #healingjourney #mommyblogger #theresilientlife #grief #motherhoodloss #resilientmommy #parksvillenews #vancouverislandnews Support the show

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  5. Richard Brodeur Opening NEW Gallery in Parksville & 54–40’s Brad Merritt on Porto & Rock The Range

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    Richard Brodeur Opening NEW Gallery in Parksville & 54–40’s Brad Merritt on Porto & Rock The Range

    "Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Richard Brodeur backstopped the Vancouver Canucks to their first Stanley Cup final in 1982 — and spent the next four decades quietly building a second remarkable career as a painter. Now he’s soon opening Gallery 35 in Parksville, bringing eight professional artists with him. Brad Merritt, co-founder and bassist of 54–40, joins us ahead of the band’s only Vancouver Island date this summer — the inaugural Rock the Range festival in Qualicum Beach. Two stories about longevity, passion, and what happens when you refuse to stop. This Episode Features: (06:35) Richard Brodeur spent 17 years between the pipes in the WHA and NHL, backstopping the Vancouver Canucks to their very first Stanley Cup final in the spring of 1982. What most people didn’t know was that he’d been painting the whole time — sketchpad on road trips, canvases set up at home until three or four in the morning after games, all of it kept secret from teammates in what he describes as a very macho era. The connection between goaltending and painting, he explains, is the same: preparation. Knowing where you’re going before the puck drops, or before the brush touches canvas. He speaks candidly about sustaining 13 concussions during his playing career, the depression that followed for 30 years, and how art — quite literally — saved his life. He’s also opening Gallery 35 in Parksville in partnership with his son, featuring eight professional artists and art classes. https://brodeurartist.com/ (25:16) Brad Merritt is the co-founder and bassist of 54–40, one of Canada’s most enduring rock bands. Their new album Porto, was recorded live off the floor at an all-analog studio in Portugal. Brad recalls the story of how Hootie & the Blowfish discovered “I Go Blind” at a Washington DC club in 1989 and eventually it became the third most-played song in the US that year. He confirms he’ll be bringing his golf clubs to Rock the Range, the inaugural festival at Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Course, September 12th. Contains the tune "Running for the Fence". https://www.rocktherangeqb.com  Episode Quotes:  “If it wasn’t for my art, I wouldn’t be here today. That was my refuge — my place where I was happy, where I could find myself again.” - Richard Brodeur “When the Rolling Stones quit, that’s our 20-year warning. We are still doing it. We still like it. We do it as well or better than we ever have.” - Brad Merritt 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: Tablet Pharmacy, Ian Lindsay & Associates, Thrifty Foods Parksville & SOSD69  Check out Sk Support the show

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  6. A Resilience Project: Dr. Doug Walker - Cultivating Resilience In Community

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    A Resilience Project: Dr. Doug Walker - Cultivating Resilience In Community

    "Send us a text about this episode!" Why You Should Listen to This Episode What does it take to rebuild — not just buildings, but lives — after catastrophic disaster? Dr. Doug Walker knows firsthand. In this deeply moving conversation, he shares how surviving Hurricane Katrina in 2005 shaped his understanding of resilience and launched a career devoted to helping communities and children heal. If you’ve ever wondered what it really means to cultivate resilience — not as a fixed trait, but as a daily practice — this episode will stay with you. In this episode: Dr. Doug Walker, Registered Psychologist and Chief Programs Director of Mercy Family Center in St. Louis, opens up about the experience of surviving Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — and how that catastrophic event became the catalyst for one of the most significant mental health initiatives in New Orleans’ history. Dr. Walker is the founder of Project Fleur-de-lis, New Orleans’ largest school-based mental health program, developed specifically for students struggling emotionally and academically in the aftermath of the storm. Central to Dr. Walker’s work is a simple but powerful question: “How’s Your 5?” Drawing from research into five key domains of human wellbeing, this question invites people to honestly assess where they are — and to recognise that resilience isn’t something you either have or you don’t. It’s something we build, together, every day. In this episode of A Resilience Project, host Cindy Thompson and Dr. Walker explore what resilience looks like at both the individual and community level, how trauma can become a catalyst for meaningful change, and why connection — to others, to purpose, to community — is at the heart of human recovery. You’ll find The PULSE Community Podcasts at ThePulseCommunity.ca Cindy Thompson’s website: cindythompsoncounselling.ca Learn more about Dr. Doug Walker: facebook.com/HowsYour5 Episode Sponsor: Tablet Pharmacy - tabletpharmacy.ca You’ll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.ca 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: bit.ly/PulseNewsletterSignup “Like, Share & Listen!”  #DrDougWalker #ResilienceProject #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleQualicum #ThePulseCommunityPodcast #CindyThompson #HowsYour5 #CultivatingResilience #MentalHealt Support the show

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  7. Sun Fest Founder Greg Adams & Dr. Anne Herdman Royal from Oklahoma to Nanaimo

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    Sun Fest Founder Greg Adams & Dr. Anne Herdman Royal from Oklahoma to Nanaimo

    "Send us a text about this episode!" This Episode Features: (30:35) Greg Adams, founder of Lake Town Ranch and Sun Fest joins the podcast The undrafted NHL defenceman who played 545 games across a decade-long pro career talks about growing up in the Cowichan Valley, playing alongside Mark Messier in Edmonton the year after Gretzky was traded, and the Tampa festival in 1999 that made him turn to his wife Judy and say: Why don't we have this at home? That question became Sun Fest - hosting world-class country and rock acts. Greg reveals the next big phase for Lake Town Ranch: an RV park, park model homes, water slides, a splash park, a bistro, and a gym, with the full build targeting fall 2027. He also reflects on the Crofton mill closure and the Lake Town Benevolent Society's milestone of over a million dollars donated to community causes. https://sunfestconcerts.com/ (08:03) Dr. Anne Herdman Royal, pathologist at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, is one of more than 400 American healthcare professionals who have relocated to British Columbia in the past year. On June 1st, 2022, she watched a mass shooting unfold at her Tulsa, Oklahoma hospital, killing four people. She went home that evening, told her husband they had to leave, and applied for a job on Vancouver Island the next day. Anne explains what a pathologist actually does, walks through the two-and-a-half-year immigration process, and describes the ferry crossing to Nanaimo where she and her daughter were practically jumping up and down with excitement. She offers a candid comparison of the Canadian and American healthcare systems — including why access to care in the US is far less universal than most Canadians assume — and talks about the American doctors and nurses now asking her how to make the same move. Nanaimo will be welcoming visitors the weekend of April 24th, 2006 at Tod’s Nanaimo Infusion. Episode Quotes: “I remember asking a security guard who was on stage doing the sound check. He said, 'I don't know, some guy called Prince — but boy is he ever good.'” - Greg Adams “It is the best thing we've ever done as a family. Vancouver Island is incredible — it's got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.” - Dr. Anne Herdman Royal 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 & Society of Organized Services (SOS) Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple, Spotify, Support the show

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  8. So You're Thinking of Voting in an Election

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    So You're Thinking of Voting in an Election

    "Send us a text about this episode!" In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood go full civics class -the fun kind - on what it actually means to be a thoughtful voter. From the difference between local, provincial, and federal elections to party slates, candidate vetting, and whether politicians actually lie, Joel and Sean break down the mechanics of democratic participation with the candour of two people who've sat on both sides of the ballot. Prompted in part by the current BC NDP leadership race, and with a municipal election on the horizon, this is the episode they wish existed before they ran for office themselves. Listen for:  Why 99% of local government across Canada is nonpartisan — and why that matters The real role of party vetting, and what happens when it goes sideways Why voting for promises might actually incentivize politicians to lie What to look for instead: character, resume, trust, and your gut Why voter apathy costs everyone — and why an imperfect vote still beats no vote Sean's challenge to every armchair critic with opinions but no nomination papers Visit the NonPartisan Hacks website: https://nonpartisanhacks.com/ Voice message: 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 and YouTube podcasts, as well as PULSECommunity.ca. Special Thanks to Our Sponsor - Ian Lindsay & Associates. Check out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube Podcasts, as well at SkookumKids.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! Click here to learn how to Support the show "Like, Share & Listen!" #PulseCommunityPodcast,#publicengagement #ThePulseCommunity #SeanWood #JoelGrenz #ParksvilleQualicumBeach #NonPartisanHacks #ParksvilleNews #VancouverIslandNews Support the show

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حول

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!