Dare to be us! Podcast

Why do men feel they have to carry everything alone?

From providing for their families to protecting their loved ones, men are often expected to remain strong, responsible, and emotionally controlled. But who supports them when they're struggling?

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, Ruth welcomes Colin Ferguson for an honest conversation about masculinity, men's mental health, gender roles, relationships, and the expectations we inherit from society.

Raised by a single mother, Colin shares his views on responsibility, commitment, traditional masculinity, and the challenges of communicating emotions in relationships.

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Is masculinity toxic, or are we looking at generations of wounded men who were never taught how to express their emotions?

What happens when boys are taught that strength means silence, vulnerability is weakness, and anger is the only emotion they're allowed to express?

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, I sit down with Bradley Daye for an honest and thought provoking conversation about men's mental health, patriarchy, emotional repression, generational trauma, cultural identity, and healing.

We question how the systems surrounding us from family traditions and schools to capitalism and...

What if becoming yourself isn't about choosing one identity—but finally giving yourself permission to embrace all of them?

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, Ruth sits down with Mi’kmaq scientist, artist, author, model and advocate Raven Elwell Stephens for a deeply personal conversation about identity, culture, purpose and finding your voice.

Raven shares her unconventional journey from aviation to biology, her experience growing up in foster care and reconnecting with her Indigenous community, and how art became another way to preserve and share cultural knowledge.

We explore her book Pain...

What happens when you’re doing everything you were told to do — working, hustling, trying to build a life —and it still isn’t enough?

In this episode of Dare To Be Us, I sit down with actor, filmmaker, writer, and director Taylor Olson for a conversation that goes far beyond film.

We talk about the reality many people are facing after COVID: Nova Scotia’s housing crisis, invisible homelessness, the rising cost of basic necessities, and what happens when people are working two or even three jobs and still struggling to survive.

Taylor sha...

What happens when we stop judging people and start understanding their stories?

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, filmmaker Eric Orson joins me for a conversation about invisible homelessness, mental health, neurodivergence, community, and why our definition of success may be contributing to the loneliness so many people experience today.

Inspired by real life experiences volunteering in Halifax's encampments, Eric shares how storytelling can challenge perspectives, build empathy, and inspire meaningful conversations. We also explore the pressures of modern society, the importance of genuine human connection, and how compassion can transform the way...

Enough Is Never Enough | When Love Becomes Addiction with Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards

What if the relationship wasn't the addiction... but the chaos it created?

Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards returns to Dare to Be Us to discuss his newest book, The Venus Fly Trap 2: Enough Is Never Enough, and the deeper lessons hidden beneath the drama.

Together, we explore the difference between love and trauma bonds, why our nervous systems can become addicted to chaos, and how childhood wounds silently shape the relationships we choose. We also dive into accountability, empathy, boundaries, the...

What happens when you leave the place that shaped you—but never fully felt like you belonged there?

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, Ruth sits down with artist, curator, and visual storyteller Nahom Assefa for a conversation that goes far beyond art.

Together, they explore what it means to carry multiple identities, navigate life as an immigrant, and question the stories we've inherited about culture, success, faith, and belonging.

Nahom shares how growing up in Ethiopia, moving to Canada, and working as a curator transformed the way he sees history, cr...

What happens when you stop trying to fit in and start embracing the way your mind naturally works?

This week, Ruth sits down with filmmaker, artist, historian, and fellow neurodivergent Daniel MacNeil to explore creativity, ADHD, dyslexia, burnout, history, spirituality, and the unexpected ways curiosity can shape a life.

From spending over 500 hours reconstructing the original Fortress of Louisbourg in 3D to discovering why his best ideas arrive during long drives through nature, Daniel shares how learning to trust his unique way of thinking transformed his relationship with himself.

Together, they discuss healing...

What happens when trauma becomes identity?

In this deeply vulnerable episode of Dare to Be Us, Ruth and Joe sit down with Dr. Stephen Paul for a raw conversation about healing, masculinity, authenticity, relationships, survival personas, and the stories we build around ourselves.

Before the interview, Ruth investigated Dr. Stephen Paul’s public image, business claims, and online persona not to expose him, but to understand the tension between performance and truth in modern self-help culture.

Together, they explore:

In this powerful and deeply vulnerable episode of Dare to Be Us, we sit down with Keonte, singer, speaker, author, and community leader, to explore what it truly means to turn pain into purpose.

Growing up in North Preston, Keonte shares how music, community, and lived experience shaped his identity… but also opens up about one of the darkest moments of his life when, at just 12 years old, he began planning to take his life.

What followed was a life changing realization: nobody was coming to save him.

From that moment, Keonte began a...

In this episode of Dare To Be Us, we welcome Shawn Leonard for an open and thoughtful conversation on spirituality, lived experience, and the mysteries many people carry privately.

Shawn shares parts of his personal journey, how spirit first began speaking in his life, and how those experiences evolved into a path of service, teaching, and responsibility. We discuss the Seven Grandfather Teachings, medicine, spirit animals, and the importance of humility and discernment.

The conversation also explores larger questions around consciousness, dreams, intuition, divinity, and how to remain grounded while navigating experiences that don’t al...

Have you ever felt like you’re doing everything to heal… and still feel stuck?

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, Ruth sits down with Joe for a real, honest conversation about something many people experience, but rarely talk about:

Why healing alone doesn’t fully work.

We explore the gap between awareness and transformation, the role of the nervous system, and why so many people feel like they’re “doing the work” but not seeing real change.

This episode is for you if:

In this episode, I sit down with Denika, author of Broken Secrets, a deeply personal and powerful memoir about surviving childhood sexual abuse, breaking decades of silence, and reclaiming power after trauma.

This is not an easy conversation… but it is an important one.

Denika shares her journey through grooming, manipulation, and the long lasting impact of trauma, while navigating life as a mother, building a life for her children, and silently carrying the weight of what happened behind closed doors.

We talk about:

A grounded conversation about trauma, healing, and what it means to truly hold space.

In this episode, our guest shares her journey from skepticism to spiritual work, moving from not believing in spirit at all to experiencing moments of synchronicity that shifted everything. We talk about how life’s challenges opened the door to deeper listening, and how healing often goes beyond the mind.

She also reflects on her family story, growing up with a mother who survived residential schools and struggled with addiction, and a father who served in the RCMP, and how love, tr...

In this episode, we sit down with Adrian former Naval Officer specializing in diving and explosives, now renovator, theology student, and devoted admirer of the cosmos.

What begins with humor and playful identity quickly deepens into a raw conversation about life inside military structure, the impact it leaves on mental health, and what happens when the uniform comes off. Together, we explore how discipline shapes the body and mind, how silence becomes survival, and how rebuilding homes, belief systems, and self-trust becomes a form of healing.

Joined by co-host Joe, a longtime friend who knows...

What starts as small changes in the body slowly turns into something impossible to ignore. In this episode of Dare to Be Us, we sit down for an honest conversation about what it’s like when your body begins to fail you and no one has answers. From pushing through symptoms as an athlete, to being dismissed by doctors, to finally reaching a breaking point that led to a diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis, this episode unfolds in real time. We talk about what it feels like to doubt your own body, the frustration of not being believed, and the st...

In this deeply moving episode of Dare to Be Us, Lisa Dawn shares her extraordinary journey through neurodivergence, loss, medical trauma, and spiritual awakening.

From growing up with undiagnosed ADHD in Canada to surviving a devastating car accident that left her mother in a coma, Lisa reflects on the moment that first introduced her to spiritual medium Shawn Leonard, a turning point that changed her understanding of life, death, and intuition.

Lisa opens up about the deep bond she shared with her mother and her dogs, the grief that followed their passing, and how repeated...

In this episode, Kelly opens her heart and her history, from surviving a painful marriage and raising her children alone, to walking through the deepest challenges of addiction, mental health, and grief within her family. Through it all, she found her path as a medium, a healer, and a woman guided by spirit.

We talk about the moments that shaped her gifts: the visions, the messages, the connection to nature, and the divine guidance that arrives when she meditates, writes, and prepares to support others. Kelly shares the powerful story of a spiritual encounter that affirmed her...

In this powerful episode, Ruth sits down with Lisa Doucette and Elaine for a deeply honest conversation about healing, spirit, and the unseen support that guides us through life’s hardest moments.

We explore Reiki as a pathway of awakening, how ancient teachings connect to the present, and Elaine’s unique experience receiving messages from spirit while navigating the structure and discipline of military life.

The conversation flows into Jesus as a master healer, the insights from Dolores Cannon’s “Jesus and the Essenes,” and the reminder that every challenge carries a lesson and that spirit is...

In this episode, Elaine reveals how grief, spiritual sensitivity, and years of unexplained paranormal activity guided her toward her purpose as a clairvoyant, hypnotherapist, and paranormal investigator.

https://www.youtube.com/@daretobeus

Guest:

Elaine Hale

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Lisa opens the door to her life story — from cross-cultural marriage and immigration struggles to motherhood, trauma, and the moment her soul demanded something more. You’ll hear the truth behind: • Moving to Cuba after a denied visa • Living in traditional gender roles, she never chose • Returning to Canada and rebuilding from zero • Struggling to become pregnant at 40 • Emotional and physical abuse inside the marriage • Children witnessing trauma • Workplace challenges as a single mom • The breakdown that became her spiritual awakening And then… the moment spirit stepped in. The moment she felt held. The moment she knew her life had to change. Her pat...

When life forced her to stop remembering, she started truly listening.

In this episode, Simone shares how her neurological condition, what many might see as a limitation, became the doorway to her spiritual awakening. Losing her memory didn’t end her story; it rewrote it.

We talk about how adversity can open unexpected space for intuition, how surrender can reveal purpose, and what it means to serve others as a clear channel for Spirit.

Simone also opens up about her journey as a Master Teacher with Ann Perry’s Clarity Seekers Circle, her conn...

In this episode, we sit down with Anne as she opens up about her spiritual awakening, one that didn’t begin in adulthood, but in childhood. From hearing and sensing spirits without understanding why, to shutting down her gifts out of fear, Anne shares the journey of rediscovering who she really is.

She takes us through her time in home nursing, where she witnessed powerful transitions between life and death, and how those moments quietly reawakened her intuition. We also talk about motherhood, and the responsibility (and blessing) of helping our children understand death not as something to...

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, we sit down with Leanna Todd, mom, massage therapist, and theatre director in Nova Scotia, to hear her story of resilience, advocacy, and creativity.

Leanna shares the challenges of raising her daughter, Moira, who is autistic, while navigating a health and education system that often falls short. From delays in assessments to gaps in support services, she opens up about what it really takes to care for a child and fight for inclusion.

We also explore how theatre and the arts can create spaces of belonging, and...

When a loved one is dying, who guides you? In this episode of Dare to Be Us, we sit with Shona, a Death Doula who brings light and understanding to one of life’s most misunderstood transitions: death.

Shona shares what it means to hold space for the dying and their families, offering comfort, presence, and compassion when words fall short. Together, we explore grief, love, and the quiet power of acceptance that comes when we stop treating death as a taboo.

Because the end of life deserves the same care, dignity, and grace as it...

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, Mary shares her journey of navigating life while feeling different, from moving across cultures to embracing her ADHD and autism, to discovering how society shapes our experiences. She reflects on finding inner strength, understanding the science behind our minds, and creating a space where being unapologetically yourself is celebrated.

Join us as we explore:

This conversation is for anyone...

For our very first episode of Dare to Be Us, I’m so honored to have Danika join me. It truly means so much that she’s part of the beginning of this journey.

Danika is a mom of six, five of whom are neurodivergent and she opens up about the everyday chaos, the challenges, and the deep love that come with navigating life in her world. From sleepless nights and endless advocacy to the moments of laughter that keep her grounded, Danika shares what it really looks like to grow through the hard stuff.

This...