RESILIENT PEOPLE is a podcast hosted by me, Janet Fanaki. I share conversations with regular everyday people who are admired for their resilience and are helping others to be resilient too. Following the passing of many loved ones in a short amount of time, including my husband, parents and 25 year old daughter Isobel, season 5 of the podcast is focused on sharing stories from those who have moved forward in their grief. It's an opportunity to share advice about getting back to living again after suffering from loss. Grief is complicated, hard and sometimes seemingly never ending, so I'm using this platform to bring inspiration, a new mindset and motivation to those who feel stuck in not being able to let go. Now more than ever I've embraced the idea that life is too short for some and that its vital to run with the good moments when they present themselves in between the tough ones. Living in the in between moments is one of the ways how I'm building resilience.

Thirty years ago, Beverley Burke lost her husband Kevin. She is the mom to a dear friend of mine, but as a fellow widow, she's also become my coach and a close friend. We spoke about her memories of being a young widow, advice for grievers to get back to living their lives and gushed over our mutual admiration for one another. Just the kind of relationship that every widow or widower needs.

Bruce Springsteen once said, "The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with". I can personally say that my music has been helping me face the world over and over again. This episode of RESILIENT PEOPLE covers the important place that music has had in my life. From singing to going to concerts, there's a renewing energy that comes from it. And I believe that any music can help to build our resilience, especially when we are faced with challenges. From the many grief experiences that I've had with the loss of my parents, husband and daughter, music has always offered the hug that I so desperately needed.  

This episode is changing the nature of the podcast a bit. After suffering a devastating loss this past fall, I began to rethink what’s important to me and how I view a resilient mindset. I feel like learning to really embrace the in between moments in life is key to rebuilding ourselves. So I’ll be dedicating this season to sharing takeaways that worked for me and hopefully give you some useful food for thought.

To learn more about Gregor's Gift visit www.gregorsgift.com Learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE and Janet Fanaki, booking for speaking engagements and to order a RESILIENT t-shirt at ResilientPeople.ca Follow on Instagram @janetfanakiofficial and LinkedIn @janetfanaki

Kelli Gastis is a wife, mother, former dancer and can now add author to her list of achievements. Her book, Fabulous In Flats, is about the journey that Multiple Sclerosis has taken her on and how she has maintained a resilient mindset through her body's changes. We spoke about her mother, a busy professional, being a big influence on her. Her strong mindset is what Kelli also wants to demonstrate - despite the setbacks that MS can deliver. She doesn't want to let her condition get in the way of living a fulfilling life. Kelli also shares how she builds her resilience on a daily basis.

Raymond Chhun is a registered nurse in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He's worked in clinic as well as an instructor, and is currently applying for his PhD to research building resilience in nursing. His mother grew up in rural Cambodia and met his father in Thailand. At a young age she was taken from home during the country's civil war essentially having the life she knew before taken away from her. When he was just 13 years old, Raymond had sadly already lost both of his parents. His own life changed forever. Through his teen years he struggled in school and his social circle. Thanks to proactive mentors who helped guide him and build his resilience, he went on to a prosperous career in nursing and continues to give back to his community. Crediting this as being a way to help others and keep a resilient mindset. I spoke with Raymond from his home in Winnipeg and mine in Toronto.

The RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast is produced and hosted by Resilience Explorer Janet Fanaki. She interviews regular people from around the world who are admired for their resilience. They have lived through a major life challenge, found a purpose from it and now help others to be resilient too. This episode Janet speaks with Wellness Coach Sharon Summerfield. www.resilientpeople.ca X: @resilientpeopl Instagram: @resilientpeopleca www.nourishedexecutive.ca Past episodes, media interviews, speaking opportunities and to purchase a RESILIENT t-shirt are at www.resilientpeople.ca

Tara Pyfrom grew up in the beautiful Bahamas. She comes from a long line of family members who lived there for generations. Residents there are used to hurricanes. In 2019 Tara's beloved island experienced the wrath of Hurricane Dorian, the biggest cyclone to hit the Bahamas. Tara, her wife and daughter watched as their home filled with water, making its way all the way up to the attic. Once the storm passed and they were forced to evacuate, they needed to find a place to live and eventually found their way to Canada. We spoke about living through the scariest moments of the hurricane, the moments of problem-solving, the benefits of therapy and seeking all different types of it, the purpose she found from this challenge and where she draws her resilience.

Welcome to Season 4 of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast. It's hard to believe that we're so many episodes in! For this episode, host Janet Fanaki reflects on some of the learnings from past guests, the purpose that her guests have found from the challenges they faced and how a bigger purpose can be created through adversity. Janet mentions in this episode, "a major challenge will most definitely change you, but it doesn’t need to define who you are for the rest of your life."

This episode is a response to a Twitter post that I recently made that garnered a bit of attention. I was remarking on how I was including a friend, who recently lost her husband, in my plans. Inviting her to play tennis, hang out and go out for dinner. So many people replied with their own stories of living with grief and the alienation they encountered while others wrote about the ways in which they had included a griever in their vacations, dinners and making plans together. The grievers had remarked on the typical "outreach" comments that they would hear as a way for others to feel as though they were helping. These are touched-on as well as examples of how they also felt acknowledged, loved and seen which allowed them to make steps to move forward from their loss. This episode is with Janet Fanaki, a widow for over three years and the host of the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast.

Shaun O'Gorman is an author, motivational speaker, father, and a former police officer in Queensland, Australia Growing up in a police family, Shaun knew from a very young age what he aspired to be when he got older. But he wasn't aware of how much this profession would change him. Witnessing horrific events and drama of day to day life, he struggled for a long time with PTSD, attempted suicide and eventually left the police force. It took a lot of personal development to get to his best self. Leaving aggression and alcoholism in the past. Now Shaun found a purpose in speaking to audiences, police academies, military, first responders, athletes and schools about his struggles and his goal is to help people to cope with life’s hardships and build resilience.

Back in 2019 I spoke with a woman by the name of Dawn Custode. She loved to sail, travel, spend time helping the causes that she held dear and having fun with loved ones. When we spoke she was dying of colon cancer, a disease that she had lived with for two and a half years. She was spending her remaining days imparting her wisdom on life for the living. And she had some terrific advice such as getting regularly screened for colon cancer, keep adding things to the calendar to look forward to, live with no regrets and be mindful of time because tomorrow is not guaranteed. Dawn believed that much of her resilience came from moving often as a child. She felt that it made her an extrovert and someone who was able to land on her feet and move forward. Perhaps this helped her through her cancer diagnosis too. The ability to look at this challenge and find positive ways to move forward from it. It's a great conversation and I'm so grateful that she shared some time with me. Our talk came at a time when my own husband was living with terminal brain cancer called glioblastoma. Dawn and I both agreed that having conversations like this are helpful and connect us with likeminded people. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

A popular topic from the past, I've brought back some new and very fun ways to actually enjoy Valentine's Day as a single person. It's a day that can be tricky and sometimes depressing, but it absolutely does not need to be. I'm sharing insights as a widow for the past 3 years, as well as after collecting feedback from many single people who have found ways to be happy and fulfilled on February 14th. This episode offers tips for spending the day on your own or with others, as well as ways to avoid it altogether. I touch on self care and the importance of community, but also that joy can be found in doing something nice for others. ​It's the idea of finding a purpose that will help to get you through this day and turning the narrative into something positive.

In 2017, Max Gruver began as a freshman at Louisiana State University. He, along with his parents, was full of hope and excitement. From Georgia, his parents heard about his first weeks away at school which included pledging at various fraternities. They never anticipated that on September 17th they would receive a call that would change their lives forever. Max had died at LSU from a hazing event held at Phi Delta Theta house. Since 1959, there has been at least one hazing-related death in Canada, the United States and Mexico. In the year that Max passed away, there were seven hazing-related deaths. In her grief, Rae Ann Gruver new that something needed to change so that no one else would die they way that her son Max did. Her family created The Max Gruver Foundation to abolish hazing on campuses, to educate young people on the risks associated with it and to change laws state by state. Her efforts along with the volunteers who support this initiative are making a big difference. I spoke with Rae Ann about: - the day that they moved Max to LSU - what happened in those first few weeks - how is hazing defined - the days following Max's death - the purpose that she found to honour his memory and becoming a changer - where her resilience comes from

Toronto psychiatrist and sleep expert Dr. Cara Ooi is my latest guest on the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast. Helping teens to sleep better is her main focus, but as our conversation will show, sleep disorders cover every age group. As many of us struggle to get a good night's rest, Dr. Ooi offers simple and effective tools to help us. Without getting the necessary amount of sleep, it impacts everything from our productivity to our relationships. But as she confirms, there are many options. Her approach includes changing the way we use our bed, addressing the light around us and sleep timing. ​Listen and learn how to get the sleep you've been dreaming of.

Canadian author Ann Douglas has been writing books about parenting for years. Popular guides to help pregnant women and new parents prepare for the exciting and very unpredictable life of parenthood. In her latest book, "Navigating the messy middle: A fiercely honest and wildly encouraging guide for midlife women", Ann Douglas is turning her attention and expert research to helping women through the midlife years. As she said in our conversation, "I am fascinated by human growth and development. Being in the middle chapter of life, I started to wonder what is this life stage and how can I enjoy it?" Having interviewed over 100 women during the pandemic, the book is full of their wisdom and strategies to thrive in midlife through heartfelt, funny, sad and inspiring stories. Ann and I spoke about: - the need for women and society to rewrite the narrative - going beyond negative stereotypes of what it means to be a midlife woman - practicing self-compassion - the importance of building a like-minded community of support - learning from different generations on best practices for living our best lives - the joy that can be found in the midlife years

I've been reading the latest book by Dr. Sanjay Gupta titled, "Keep Sharp: Build A Better Brain At Any Age". It's very informative and a science-driven guide to preventing brain decline. But I also found that the advice is beneficial for overall wellness and positive mental health. As I focus a lot of my learning for RESILIENT PEOPLE on building resilience and learning from those who demonstrate a positive mindset, Dr. Gupta offers some terrific and easy to employ tips for maintaining our overall health. In this short episode of the podcast, I offer some of my favourite takeaways.

Bonjour and welcome to RESILIENT PEOPLE. My guest on this episode is Katie Clark - an American in Paris. Katie is 42 years old, from Utah, got married very young, had three children pretty quickly and for the last 16 years has practiced as an emergency room nurse. Like many married couples, she and her husband were going through the motions of life and marriage. Focused on raising children and busy with their careers. As she was approaching her midlife years, Katie felt unhappy with the status quo and looked for ways to make a change. After years of soul searching and discussions with her husband, she filed for divorce earlier this year and months later bought a one-way ticket to Paris. It may not be the part about moving to France that resonates with many, but surely there are many midlife women who question the state of their marriage by the time their children are grown. They wonder, "Is this it?" Katie decided that she wanted more out of life. And so the theme of this episode is all about prioritizing ourselves. To not feel guilty about putting ourselves first, rediscovering who we are and how Katie Clark is doing that in Paris. We spoke about the importance for midlife women to not give up on their dreams, finding joy again, our love of singing, learning to be your own best friend and getting comfortable with being alone and on their own.