WeConnect

Well this will be the last broadcast for Season 4 of our We Connect series, but of course we will return for Season 5 in October. No better way we felt to end things off then by inviting our amazing partners from the Candle Lake Fun Run for Mental Health. We are so excited to have Joely and Brent Loehndorf as our guests on the broadcast. We are going to talk about their story and the "why" behind the Candle Lake Fun Run. To date they have raised over $110,000.00 with proceeds, going directly back to mental health initiatives across Saskatchewan and community enhancement geared towards mental health up at Candle Lake. This was raised in the first two fun runs! How awesome is this!!

Now the Candle Lake Fun Run Inc. is a newly formed not-for-profit organization that is excited to bring a 5 and 10 km Fun Run to the Resort Village of Candle Lake. The board is a group of volunteers who are committed to reducing the stigma of mental illness. Many of them have witnessed first-hand the pain and suffering of family and friends with depression, anxiety, as well as su***de. The goal of the Candle Lake Fun Run is to raise funds for programs and projects in Saskatchewan that focus on mental health as well as give back to the Candle Lake community.

The third annual Fun Run will be on September 14, 2024 and they expect it to be an annual event that grows in years to come. They are extremely pleased to have partnered with the Candle Lake Golf Resort as the scenic location of the Fun Run. Not only will the event bring runners from all over the province, it will be promoted locally as a family event with activities for children, live music, food trucks, and a beverage area. They are projecting over 550 participants this year as they have sold out in the past two years by April. Well done!

Join us on Thursday to learn more about the amazing people behind this event and how you can be a part of the 3rd annual Fun Run!

We are very excited to have Kristin Smith back on our We Connect broadcast as she is one of our founding partners at Love My Mind. As well we welcome Brenda Ottenbreit to the broadcast as these two ladies are making a difference when it comes to keeping our children safe in IPV relationships and issues dealing with this dire situation in the legal system.

Kristin Smith is the owner of Perspective Designs Counselling here in Saskatoon. Her counselling practice was created as a container for others to discover or rediscover their hearts, minds and souls. Although suffering isn't ever easy, it is however a building block to develop the confidence to overcome adversity. Her personal journey includes her own story of overcoming adversity, primarily overcoming intimate partner violence and a decade long legal custody battle that followed. Although she cannot change my circumstances, she is an advocate for legislation changes around IPV and custody, as well as an overall advocate for any changes that need to be made in any of our systems. Kristin is definitely a truth seeker and truth teller.

Brenda Ottenbreit is a certified municipal administrator as well as a victim survivor and now passionate advocate. She uses her voice and experiences to create change so that our children can live in a safer Canada.

This is a very delicate conversation, but also a topic that needs some light shed onto it! We will be discussing IPV and the long term impacts and how to move through it as well as mental health in our current society and why it is so hard and what we can do to alleviate some of the discomfort.

Join us! Here is your opportunity to ask your questions!

We are so pleased to have Clint and Heidi join us this Thursday, which will be a great conversation about a program in our community that warrants new attention! The Rosewater Connection is a mental health initiative that serves BGC Saskatoon (formerly Boys & Girls Club Saskatoon)

Why Mental Health Matters...

BGC Saskatoon understands that to live our core values and work towards our vision and mission, we need to provide a safe and supportive environment where people can access opportunities for their physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, and social wellbeing. These opportunities help to build resilience and improved mental health & wellbeing.

The Significance of Rosewater...

Rosewater is proven to help balance the mind, heart, and emotions. This balance, without intervention, is often difficult to maintain for most people. Research shows that successful intervention is professional mental health support.

Now just recently Heidi was appointed the new CEO be the Board of Directors of BGC Saskatoon. During her 25 years with BGC Saskatoon, Heidi has served the organization in a variety of roles, participated in strategic planning and helped guide the organization through the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic. She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our organization and we are proud of what she has accomplished. Under Heidi’s leadership we know that BGC Saskatoon will continue expanding and serving the needs of our children and youth.

Clint is the founder and owner of The Shift Counseling and is a registered Psychotherapist & Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Clint believes that we all want and need to shift within our thought processes, belief systems, perspectives, and habits, at different times in our lives. "It's hard to shift on your own, it is really hard work, and you don't have to be alone during your shift. When people shift, they move towards the best versions of themselves.

Together we are truly making difference and in this epispode we will tell to why, so please tune in and see what Rosewater Connection is planning!

Welcome to Episode 70 of our We Connect with the Community Series. We are now fully into Spring mode, which means let's enjoy the outdoors and everything our city has to offer! With that said how excited are we to have Steph Clovechok as our guest! Let's talk about community, connection and partnerships!

Steph, hailing from the Canadian Rockies and now the dynamic CEO of Discover Saskatoon, is not just a proponent but a visionary for using tourism as a strategic lever for economic prosperity and growth. Recognizing tourism as a pivotal export industry, vital to the economic fabric of communities, provinces, and nations, she channeled in her expertise from guiding tours across the Rockies to Alaska into spearheading transformative tourism initiatives. Since relocating to Saskatoon in 2017, after a fruitful tenure with Alberta's tourism landscape, she’s synergized with the Saskatoon Tribal Council, intertwining Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous inclusivity. Serving on multiple organizational boards, Steph's leadership is underscored by authenticity, innovative strategies, and a steadfast commitment to harnessing tourism as a linchpin for sustainable economic advancement.

Join us as we will be speaking about health and well-being being reliant on connection – and she is in the business of connection! As well bridging understanding through experiences in tourism – much of their work with The Tribal Council and development of Indigenous tourism is to start with the truth first so that reconciliation might be possible one day...

Welcome to another We Connect broadcast where we have inspirational and open conversations with members of our community as it relates to mental health. This week we are very happy to welcome Anna Maton as our guest to talk about her new service for people dealing with loss of a loved one. This was inspired by the loss of her brother to su***de and the affects this had on her own mental health...

Anna was born and raised on an acreage outside of Prud’homme SK
with 13 adopted siblings and 2 biological - lots of pets and a large garden. She graduated gr. 12 Aberdeen School and following school took on various jobs in the food and beverage industry. She was also an event planner at the Boffins Club, and worked for Heart and Stroke for 2 years (jump rope for heart coordinator and community engagement coordinator for the north of SK.

She is married and has 4 children total in a blended family, which provides for a very busy household 3 boys and 1 girl (3 teenagers lol) Business wise this is where it gets very interesting as Anna is the Founder of the Phoenix Home & Estate Organizing, Co-Owner Wiebe Windows & More Ltd.
Volunteer of Fundraising for the Mending Little Hearts Fund of SK
Volunteer and supporter of TLC @ Home and Glass Heart Project Founder alongside friend Aileen in support of Love My Mind. UNREAL!!!

You will not want to miss this conversation and we are going to be talking about all of it; including life after Covid, resources and support that helped her and the importance of talking and meeting people where they are at...

PLEASE SHARE...With loved ones that are living in similar circumstances

Welcome to another We Connect broadcast where this week we are very excited to have Kerrie Gavin on the broadcast. She is a long time friend of Darren's and just a breathe of fresh air as she is a wonderful human being. However, she has also fought through a lot of darkness in her life from abusive relationships, to thoughts of su***de, to loss of a loved one to fighting her own battle against cancer...

This conversation will reach the depths and desparation of many circumstances in ones life that you may or may not overcome. Kerrie did beat the odds and did overcome so much and truly defied the odds to still be with us today. We are so grateful that she now is willing to share her stroy with all of us. Please share and join us for a listen and any questions that you may have.

Looking forward to this We Connect episode as we head into the Easter Long Weekend as we have an up and comer in the tech and business world joining Darren for a conversation.

What does it look like when we are able to step back and take a serious look at our own mental health?

Well let's listen to what Jacob has to say about his very own mental health journey. He is a 4th-year student at Edwards as he is enrolled in a full course load, while working full-time with Vendasta in Saskatoon... and he runs his own business. What we didn't know is that Jacob is 130+ days sober!

We are going to discuss his journey and the growth that followed allowing him to mature to become the person he is today. Along the way what was the impact he had on people in his life and how did he find comfort in the uncomfortable....

Today he wants to share his experience, make life experience a little easier and it begins with just helping one person find a healthier path...Please join us!

Hey everyone, unfortunately Heidi and Clint are unable to join us this Thursday and we will be rescheduling our talk about the Rosewater Connection to another day and time!

With that being said we thought that this would be a perfect opportunity for Darren to have a conversation with you. So much has gone on in the past 5 years since we founded Love My Mind. So many stories and journeys have been shared and so many have stepped up to make our community a better place. Yet so many continue to struggle with their own mental health and those of loved ones.

So with all the bad we felt it is neccessary to talk about the good and talk about our professional partners that your can connect with in times of need. Let's talk about the wonderful businesses, projects, initiatives and platforms we are working on and that are now available!

Join Darren as he talks about his journey along side Love My Mind. Just need to mention this will be a very real conversation and that there may be some triggering effects. Please SHARE and join Darren as we discuss it all. Be well!

Hope everyone is well as we head into Spring! We are very excited for this We Connect episode as it has been a long time coming. These two guys worked with Darren back in The Patricia Hotel days and then went on to lead very successful careers in the Ag sector. So let's talk about our farmers, ag business and the community. Farming in Saskatchewan has been going on for generations and is an intrical part of our economy and self sustainability as a province. Lately, we have often wondered how they get through the tough times as always relying on Mother Nature and these economic trends can be so stressful. Join Darren as he welcomes Jeff Hoiness & Jim Kelley who are not only good friends, but are the right people to be having this conversation with...

Jeff left home at 16 to pursue Hockey and Play for the Saskatoon Contacts and attended and graduated from ABCI. After graduation pursued his hockey attending the camp of the Humboldt Broncos and landing in Nipawin with the Hawks. After that dream came to an end attended the U of S and obtained a degree in Agriculture and eventually made his way back to the family farm, and have been there ever since

Jim grew up on a family farm in Weyburn and completed high school in 1984. He also played sports while growing up and left Weyburn in 1989 and moved to Saskatoon. In 1991 I married his wife Deanna and they raised 2 children together Marisa and Mason. In his career he has been in the farm machinery industry starting off as a technician, then sales, to sales manager and eventually a partner in a 7 store John Deere dealership. He currently owns a real estate company serving clients in agriculture in Saskatchewan and also to leadership and sales development in the U.S periodically.

They both have had quite the journey and want to share their story in hopes of helping others that are dealing with their own struggles. Having to deal with and overcome overcome loss, stress, overthinking and family mental health issues as well as mental health symptoms including shame and fear. So please share this with loved ones, friends and your farming community and let's come together for what will be a much needed conversation.

Please share and hope to see you this coming Thursday at 7pm right here!

Well Hello March! Let's get through this last gift from Mother Nature and then on our way to spring! With that we are very excited to have these amazing ladies on the We Connect broadcast as we will be discussing;

✨What it’s like to be a caregiver of a child whom is struggling with mental health.

✨What unique challenges present caring for someone with MH vs physical health – ie: the shame, stigma & misinformation surrounding mental illness.

✨How to take care of oneself (self-care) in order to prevent caregiver burnout/compassion fatigue

The organization is TeensTalk YXE and it was founded in October 2022 by Taryn & Pam Hutchings – a mother and daughter duo from Warman, SK. Taryn suffered an extreme mental health crisis beginning in August of 2022 which left her admitted 12 times to the in-patient psychiatric unit, totaling more than 90 hospitalized days.

During this crisis, Taryn and Pam noticed a gap in services in Saskatoon – where were the support groups for youth struggling with mental health? Why wasn’t there more education and accessible information? Together, they decided to create the community they desired to belong to and TeensTalk YXE was created.

Caregiver Raelene Perlitz is not just a business owner; she is a dedicated mother, an accomplished entrepreneur, and a compassionate individual who thrives on making a positive impact in the lives of others. As the proud owner of Laserology Skin Clinic in Warman, SK, Raelene has become a driving force in the field of medical aesthetics.

Founder & Executive Director Pam Hutchings is a proud mama of two beautiful teens and two fur animals. Pam has a bachelor of social work and is looking forward to returning to school in May to complete her master’s degree. She also works part-time at Evolve Counselling & Wellness as a counsellor. Pam’s daughter, Taryn, went through a severe mental health crisis in 2022 which was the catalyst behind Taryn & Pam founding TeensTalk YXE. Through a lived experience, they recognized the gap in community supports in Saskatoon that were providing programming for youth and caregivers impacted by mental health – so they created the community they wished to be a part of.

Caregiver Leanne LaRochelle is a proud mom of 4 and works in the Group Benefits space assisting employers take care of the health & wellness of their employees. In her downtime, she loves to spend time with family and travel. She also loves being by the ocean, as it heals her soul. These past couple years we have been navigating a mental health crisis with her daughter. It is so unbelievably hard seeing your child suffer, and not be able to take their pain away. Let’s continue to grow this community of support so parents and children in the thick of it feel a little less alone.

This is a can't miss episode as here is your chance to become informed, educated and ask those very importnat questions!

Hope everyone is enjoying this recent gift from Mother Nature! Once you have dug your self out make sure to join Darren this Thursday for another We Connect broadcast. This week we are excited to have as our guest our good friend Elan Ballantyne. She had it all growing up; phenominal athlete in many sports, popular, smart and driven...this however also came with its challenges.

Elan’s early life growing up in Saskatoon was consumed by sports and music. Growing up in a jazz family and playing all sports, she excelled and narrowed down her sports to basketball and golf. After receiving
many awards, she went to the University of Winnipeg on a basketball scholarship and in her second year, she also played on the Canadian Junior National team. She received a degree in sports psychology and then went to the University of Calgary and received a degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in neuro motor psychology.

After completing those degrees, Elan returned to Saskatoon and turned professional in golf and joined the CPGA…after two years she moved to the Cayman Island for 3 years to continue working on her golf game and teaching. She then moved to Arizona and worked at a Private Country Club as an Asst Pro and as Direct of Sport and Fitness. Elan has training from the PGA of America, the LPGA and the USGTF where she is a Master Golf Instructor. She also holds many affiliations as a Personal Trainer and
Resistant Flexibility Training. After 18 years, she moved back to Saskatoon and has continued being a Golf Professional and teaches at Greenbryre CC. Elan has also recently completed her Level 2 training as a Thai Massage Practitioner and works at Sirius health.

This will be an episode for everyone to watch and listen as we go back in time to the 80's / 90's to discuss what is was like to be a female athlete, the dialogue, the coaching and the pressure to perform. Then we will discuss how has it all changed for the better and for the worse...Don't miss this one!

Happy Family Day Weekend everyone! Join us this Thursday for another We Connect broadcast, where we are very excited to have good friend and mental health advocate Jami Young as our guest. We will be discussing her upcoming event series "Unravelled" as well as these very relatives topics;

- The importance of creating an active community of support
- The blessing & curse of being a neurodivergent individual; the challenges of being a Highly Sensitive Person
- How addiction and mental health challenges have impacted my family in significant ways

Jami Young is a writer, speaker, coach, and consultant with a passion for guiding entrepreneurs, executives, and change-makers to boldly step into their desires, embrace their authenticity, and fiercely redefine success on their own terms. She is the creator of Rise by Design, Free to Be Seen, and The Feminine LeaderShift – innovative training programs for emerging and expanding women leaders.

Jami is an award-winning community builder and her work on leadership, business, and personal development has been featured across a variety of media outlets, including the Huffington Post, CTV, CBC, and Global. She is recognized as one of CBC’s Future 40, is a two-time YWCA Women of Distinction finalist, and a recipient of the Athena Young Professional Leadership Award. For her volunteer and non-profit leadership efforts, Jami has been celebrated with an AFP Honored Supporter Award. In 2018, she was named the national recipient of the BPW Canada Leadership Award in recognition of her commitment to women’s leadership and empowerment initiatives.

Jami currently resides in Saskatoon with her husband Troy and their children Ty and Jorja. They humbly refer to themselves as Team Spectacular.

A little more about the upcoming Unravelled event🎉

Unravelled is a six-part intimate and interactive speaker/workshop series featuring inspirational women leaders in our community who have agreed to share their lived experiences in safe & intentional communal space on a variety of topics:

February 28 - Courage, Commitment & Community: Jess Tetu✨
March 9 - Money, Meaning & Mothering: Christie Sondergaard✨
April 13 - Purpose, Power & Privilege: Paula Collins✨
May 11 - Grief, Grace & Growth: Silvia Martini✨
June 8 - S*x, Success & Shadows: Celeste Lemieux✨
June 22 - Truth, Trauma & Transformation: Dawn Deguire✨

Please share this with the amazing women in your bubble as this is a cannot miss conversation! See you Thursday!

We are very excited to have one of our own Love My Mind peeps and very good friend Tara Boles on our We Connect broadcast. Tara has played a significnat role with Love My Mind for the last 3 years as she is always wanting to make our community a better place. Like most of us she has a story...

Through our journey at some point we will all experience adversity and difficult situations. We then need to make decisions as to the best path help us get through these life expeiences and come through the other side better than ever and life lessons learned.

Loss and grief are so much different as the trauma is real and this will always be a tough memory and affect us in various ways. However why do we need to live with trauma???

Coping with grief and loss is so tough as we will experience so many different emotions, while still not understanding why this happened to us? What I learned after losing my father and brother was to let myself feel the pain, sadness and other emotions. Let yourself cry or express your feelings in other ways.

✨Find ways to express my emotions, which is why I started Love My Mind. Everyone is different so find what will work for you!
✨Be patient. Let yourself heal in your own way and time.
✨Don’t compare your grief to others. Each person has their unique way of grieving.
✨Forgive yourself for all the things you did or didn’t say or do. Forgiving yourself and others can help you heal.
✨Try to keep your life as normal as much as possible.
✨Find ways to distract yourself.
✨Take care of yourself.
✨Avoid Booze and W**d!!
✨Prepare for holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries! That is where it will hit you the hardest!

And most importantly never feel that reachiong out to your support people is a sign of weakness or that you are an inconvenience!

Join Darren and Tara as they have a vulnerable conversation about life and loss and everything in between...

Join us this Thursday for a very educational and information broadcast as we are excited to have Angellah and Jim on We Connect. They have worked in the Mental and Emotional Health Education field over the past 20 years. Ang and Jim's collective journey has led them to their work in;

- Professional support & Private support
- Mental Health Coaching & Mentoring
- Mental Health Education
- Critical Incident Stress Management Training & Interventions
- Peer Support Team development
- Conflict Resolution
- Su***de Prevention & Intervention
- Large and Small Group Lectures and workshops
- Facilitation of difficult group conversations

They operate as Sask Mental Health Training & Supports. Together they train and consult with organizations and groups to develop and deliver Mental Health educational programs as well as developing strategies to sustain effective Peer Support initiatives and improve individual and organization wellness.

Ang and Jim have worked as a Team to navigate a 29-year Fire Service Career, as well as family, health, and life challenges that are part of many people's complex human experience. The Brayshaw's work is always focused on the reality that every human deserves dignity, support, kindness, and the freedom to feel and display all the feelings that may be part of going through a tough time or a Mental Health decline. They step through workshops and lectures with participants the same way they step through life…. thoughtfully, conversationally, and respecting where people are at… knowing Mental Health is always improved when we spend safe and meaningful times together.

They step through workshops and lectures with participants the same way they step through life…. thoughtfully, conversationally, and respecting where people are at… knowing Mental Health is always improved when we spend safe and meaningful times together. This should be a great conversation, so please join us Thursday and ask your questions.

During our weekly broadcasts, Darren and our guests talk about their own journey along with all of the ups and downs that occurred throughout. They are also mental health advocates and are also looking to help and support people who are struggling. This weeks guest Tami forrest is no different as she is a fitness trainer, registered cardiology technologist, wife and mother of three beautiful children. Recently our community experienced more tragedy with the loss of a mom to mentak health issues, more specifically postpartum depression.

What is postpartum depression?

Why is this not talked about more often?

Well we are going to talk about it on our next broadcast as we sit down with Tami to discuss postpartum depression as well as other destructive issues for women and their mental health.

Tami has learned throughout her own personal journey that having mental health struggles aren’t a sign of weakness or failure. Mental health doesn’t choose who it affects, anyone can be affected. She also learned to get to know everyone as an individual and not be judgemental... but supportive. By talking about our struggles and our successes openly we can create an environment where we can conquer mental health together.

Join in on this conversation Feb 1st at 7pm!

We would like to thank Evolve Counseling & Wellness & Westlend Insurance for sponsoring this broadcast!