What Connects Us

It's the season finale of the What Connects Us Podcast and we're featuring our new CEO who made HERstory when she signed on with Conexus. We're chatting with Celina Philpot about her journey to becoming our first female CEO. Celina chats about her origin story as a first generation immigrant, the experience she gained in the credit union system, what it meant to her to become Conexus' CEO, what her first few months have been like and what we can expect from her in the future. Celina also talks about why family and community means so much to her and she gives some valuable insight into how we can help support new Canadians as they establish themselves in their new home.

Today's guest on the What Connects Us Podcast is a country music star who is making a big impact in Nashville by reaching number one on the country music charts, performing at the Grand Ole Opry and just finished touring with Lady A. Tenille Arts joins the What Connects Us Podcast to break down the highs and lows that come with establishing yourself in the very competitive country music industry, how musicians make money, how her appearances performing on the Bachelor catapulted her career, the pressures of being in the public eye and the impact it's had on her mental health, and how she is continually defying the odds to gain momentum and solidify herself as one of country music's top new artists.

On a new episode of the What Connects Us Podcast, we're featuring someone who is a fighter in every sense of the word. Not only is Janna Pratt the first Indigenous woman to obtain a black belt in Canada, but she is a survivor of the residential school system, a trailblazer for Indigenous people in Saskatchewan and a resilient mother of a child with complex medial needs. Janna shares her experience navigating forced cultural assimilation, what she remembers about the residential school experience, how she's helped change Saskatchewan law, what it's like to be a mother of a child with complex medical needs, how she navigates the roller coaster of emotions, and the impact her entire experience has had on her and her family. She also talks about the importance of the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital and how it's been a game-changer for her and her daughter.

On a brand new episode of the What Connects Us Podcast, we're welcoming back our first returning and most listened to guests who has another incredibly compelling, heartbreaking and insightful story to share. Back in March 2021, Tahnee Smerchynski joined the podcast to share how her brother's sudden and tragic passing impacted her life and the perspective she gained through her grief journey. If losing one immediate family member wasn't enough, Tahnee has just recently lost her father after he became critically ill while vacationing in Costa Rica. Tahnee is going to share what she learned as she navigated the complex process of racing against time to get her father home to Canada, what travel insurance looked like and how it saved her family thousands of dollars, how her second round with losing an immediate family member impacted her grief journey, and the similarities and differences from losing her brother. Tahnee's impactful self-reflection, wisdom and authenticity really resonated with listeners during her first episode and she's showing up with the same transparent and engaging story telling style. This episode aims to educate others on the complicated process of returning to Canada when becoming ill overseas and to help anyone taking on their second round of grief.

Approximately 45% of farmers across Canada report that they live with high stress and 58% meet the threshold for anxiety. Plus, harvest brings a whole new added level of stress and pressure to farmers all across the province. We're kicking off season seven of the podcast by chatting with an ag producer that is disrupting the industry by spreading awareness about mental health. Lesley Kelly is a female ag producer from Watrous who is on a mission to connect farmers by supporting the agriculture industry by empowering conversations about the importance of mental health. Lesley joins the What Connects Us Podcast to share her story about navigating postpartum depression and other mental health challenges in her family and how it motivated her to co-found the Do More Ag Foundation and her blog High Heels and Canola Fields. She also talks how the passing of her father impacted her and her family farm operation while sharing some incredibly powerful insight passed down from her dad. Link to Lesley's blog: https://highheelsandcanolafields.com/

It's the season finale of season six of the podcast and today's guest has made history by breaking the ice ceiling in an Olympic way.  Alex Clarke grew up playing hockey and it eventually took her across the border to play at an NCAA level. However, the conclusion of her playing career was only the beginning of the impact she would make on the ice. Alex became a hockey official in 2015 and after years of hard work and sacrifices, she made history as the first female linesperson in the Western Hockey League. She didn't stop there though, because only months later she was selected to officiate at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.  Sounds pretty incredible, right? Alex joins us to share both the highs and lows of the journey that includes the thick skin she's had to develop as a female in a highly genderized and intense industry, the sacrifices that come with becoming an official at the highest level and how she balances it as a new mother, what it's like to be thrown into the spotlight as a trailblazer and how COVID-19 impacted her Olympic dream. 

This week's guest on the What Connects Us Podcast is no stranger to Saskatchewan's agricultural eco-system and is known for cultivating his own definition of a "family farm". After a brief stint in pre-med school, Kristjan Hebert recognized he was in the wrong swim lane and made the decision to pivot and re-invest in his roots. Kristjan became an accountant and returned to his family farm to instantly disrupt and evolve the farming operation. Now the managing partner of Hebert Grain Ventures - a 30,000+ acre grain and oilseed operation, Kristjan has embraced what he originally didn't want to be classified as - "just a farmer". Kristjan shares with us the unique grid road he took to leading one of the most progressive family farms in Saskatchewan, how he was able to quickly scale his business, some invaluable perspective he's gained along, what keeps him up at night and how he re-invests back into the province.

Saskatchewan welcomes ~15,000 immigrants into the province every year and today's guest on the What Connects Us Podcast shares how being a second generation immigrant impacted his upbringing and his journey to becoming one of Regina's most beloved barbers. Andy Chung's parents moved to Regina shortly before he was born so Andy grew up in the intersection of cultural and westernized values. Andy joins the podcast to chat about how he balances both traditions while sharing the unique perspective he's drawn from it that he's been able to pass on as a father, barber and small business owner. Plus, Andy tells his story about how dropping out of university allowed him to follow his passion of haircutting and eventually led him to opening his own business - Canvas Hair Studio - that is disrupting a highly genderized industry.

Today's episode features a story of how losing your sight can positively change your point of view. From an early age, Ashley Nemeth navigated a vision impairment that impacted the quality of her eyesight. If that wasn't difficult enough for Ashley, an undiagnosed issue caused her to permanently lose her vision as an early adult. Ashley joins the What Connects Us Podcast to discuss what it was like to overcome the emotional impact of losing her eyesight and embrace her new reality. Ashley chats about the perspective she's gained since losing her vision, how she's been able to adapt throughout her life, the impact her blindness has had on her career and her family, the challenges she faces on a daily basis, how she's been able to regain her independence and she debunks some misconceptions along the way.

Like so many Saskatchewan kids - Brock Weston grew up in a small town playing hockey. This eventually landed him at an NCAA level college in Wisconsin lacing up his skates for the Marian Sabres. However, Brock's biggest battle wasn't taking place in the face-off circle, it was understanding and accepting his sexuality while navigating the impacts of homophobic language in his own team's locker room. Brock joins the What Connects Us Podcast to share how he worked up the courage to come out to his team after he could no longer take the homophobic slurs and rumours of his sexuality. He chats about his journey to self-acceptance, the surprising reaction his team had to his news, the power of representation, and how damaging non-inclusive language can be. Brock also describes the rollercoaster of what it was like to have something he kept secret for so long broadcast internationally when a piece he wrote for OutSports went viral at the beginning of 2020. It's a revealing and vulnerable story of self-discovery and one that kept Brock asking himself "Will hockey keep me?"