Walking Alongside: Perspectives

We've all heard that word. Been called it. Maybe used it - to describe someone or possibly ourselves. Why do we so often find ourselves in situations where maybe we feel like we've had one pulled over on us? Maybe it's just me. There are definitely charlatans, hucksters and snake oil salespeople out there but not everyone is as susceptible, but there are also people out there just doing what they can, hoping it will lead to a change, a break, or make a difference. That's what I tackle in this episode, the up and downsides of being a sucker. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

The last little while there seem to have been all these little hints or clues that I needed to be a little more connected - in my mind and body, more mindful, more present, more able to respond rather than react. And let's be clear, it's still a work in progress, but this most recent experience really cemented for me that there is great benefit in trying to be a little more aware, a little more mindful day to day, because you just never know when you're going to have call upon that ability to be still and in the present. If you are not someone who likes to or is "good at" mindfulness, don't quit trying. There are so many great books out there that can help you find a way and a place to start that is not overwhelming and really approachable. Like finding the right mattress or that perfect pair of boots, sometimes you just need to try a bunch out before you find the one that really fits you. Here is a link to some books that might "fit the bill": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14096 (I have no affiliation to Goodreads, buy the books wherever you like to get your books!!!!) Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

I was thinking about this for a long time, when I realized that maybe it's not so much an either/or as a both/and, which was confirmed for me in this conversation with my good friend Trina Mansour. We talk about how life changes, or how perhaps, we need to change, to keep up with or fully embrace life. It's a great reminder that we can be whoever and whatever we choose to be - and that at the end of the day, it's a choice. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

It's amazing how doing something everyday, multiple times a day can give you moments of clarity or inspiration. Luna and I spend a lot of time walking. In the neighbourhood, in the ravine, and I'm always amazed at her zeal at sniffing the same fence, patch of grass or bush. Every. Single. Time. So it dawned on me that there might be some lessons there - and here are a couple that came to mind the last few times I was out my little houndly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

So I clearly don't know what season I am working on - but it doesn't matter, new year, new season and I'm calling it 5 and I'm excited to kick it off with a conversation that ties in mental health, because that's always important to talk about, with things that we do that help us to feel better, unwind, relax or in some way stay sane. Michelle Beeson joins me again to talk about her "habit" and how it has helped her through good times and bad and we have a great time talking about passions and staying well and pushing boundaries - all the good stuff. Hope you enjoy and hope maybe you pick up a craft, activity or hobby that helps to fulfill all those things for you by the end of the episode. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Well - here we are. Another Holiday Season upon us, another year almost ready for the archives, and what have we learned? Hope that you all have an amazingly restful break (if that's in the cards for you) and that you all find what you need to fill your cup and to fortify you so that you can fill the cups of others. Thanks for listening, and as always, if you have a story that you would like to tell, or a thought, idea or jumping off point for a conversation, I'm open to any and all!!! Conversations are best when they involve more than one person:) Here are the links to the videos on YouTube of the three videos that inspired this episode. Enjoy as a walk down memory lane or for the first time - you will be amazed at the faces and voices that you see and hear! BandAid - https://youtu.be/bjQzJAKxTrE Northern Lights - https://youtu.be/o6OqvHNcuTk USA for Africa - https://youtu.be/9AjkUyX0rVw Happy Holidays everyone! Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

At first blush, it might sound like this is going to be just a negative bashing of, well, pretty much anything you can think of - but it's not. Yes it's about stupid people, or perhaps more precisely the stupid things they do, but it's not an exhaustive listing of the stupid things that people do, because a) that would be fodder for a whole podcast, let alone just an episode and b) there is a bright side. Joining me on this exhilarating romp down "stupid is as stupid does" lane, is Curtis Christopher, Argyll resident, dad, business guy, social committee member and all round great person. We discuss a few very specific examples of stupidity and then consider what might be the road to redemption. It's a funny, authentic look at something that there is too much of in this world, but, that if we all put our minds and hearts to it, might be in all our power to remedy - to some extent. Once again - there is no explicit material, but that odd "curse" word is uttered, so best to keep younger, impressionable ears covered or otherwise occupied:) Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Who among us hasn't caved and bought that cute T-shirt while on vacation, or dashed into the store because something caught our eye in the window display? We can probably all remember the "back to school shopping" trip that we did as kids, and may do now with our own kids, but have you ever thought about what happens to those clothes after the shine has worn off, or knees get worn out? Well, you are about to find out the good, the bad and the ugly in the thrifting and textile recycling world from Sarah Janzen of Blenderz Garment Recyclers. Join us for a fascinating conversation about what we can do to help her and her team revolutionize what happens to our textiles when we all start to look at things a little differently. Check it out here: https://www.blenderzgarmentrecyclers.com/ Come visit Blenderz here: 5609 Gateway Boulevard, Edmonton, AB Contact them here: hello@blenderzgarmentrecyclers.com Follow them on social here:@blenderzgarmentrecyclers on IG Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

So before you think I did Iron Man, I need to stop you there. This story started with a conversation I had with a fellow Aryllian who was training for another endurance race and it lead me to have a chat with a friend of mine who did Iron Man - professionally - I didn't even know that was a thing til I met him. So this episode takes an up close and personal look at what it takes mentally and physically to take on this sort of...ahem...challenge and the surprising conclusion that we came to. Hope you are able to listen and appreciate being an armchair athlete for this one:) Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Finally a guest! I'm so excited to share this conversation that I had with my friend and former colleague Trina Mansour!!! We talked about beginnings, starting over, parents, the challenges that kids are having and how we can "help" them navigate them and had a blast just chatting about stuff like only 2 kids from the '80's can. Trina has just the most amazing insights and ways of looking at the world that I'm sure you will find her as hilarious and on point as I do. I had my perspectives on a lot of things shifted as a result of this conversation - and that's the whole point! Enjoy:) P.S. I didn't click the "explicit material" button, but she is a little salty - so FYI if there are little ears in the vicinity. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

All over the map - that's where I feel I am at the moment. Podcast schedule all over the map, focus all over the map, and no real sense of direction. So when we were recently in Jasper looking at all the map markers and contemplating the size of our country and the challenges of getting from point A to point B - well, the episode was born. Reflections on where we are on a map, what they represent in terms of scale and their relative accuracy...plus it's a marker for getting out the next episode which I am super excited about and I need to light a fire under my editing butt by "manifesting it" - wow that looks as corny as it sounds. But here's hoping it works! In the meantime enjoy the ramblings that are...all over the map! If you have comments, as always, I'd love to read them. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Have you ever thought about the things that you don't understand. I find myself saying that a LOT. I'm not sure why...maybe because I'm always thinking about something, usually a problem or a challenge that I'm hopeful there is a solution to, especially as it pertains to work, but invariably, part of the problem ends up being something I don't understand. Often, why something is the way it is, when it could be so much better with so little effort if only someone would make one small change or do something differently. So this episode is all about just some of the things I don't understand, and believe me the list is long. Some are small, trivial things, others of them fairly significant and requiring of solutions that someone who is way smarter or more competent than I am is going to have to be responsible for. If you have things that you don't understand, it would be fun to hear about them! Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

It's funny what can trigger a bout of nostalgia...smells, sounds, songs, conversations. It doesn't matter how you end up there, but sometimes it seems like there is a whole lot of stuff that seemed easier, better, more fun, less stressful, less...now. A couple of things recently sparked a whole slough of nostalgic thoughts and so here is how that recent journey looked for me. What things make you nostalgic? Or do you prefer (perhaps wisely) to stay rooted firmly in the here and now? Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Despite having just been party to dismantling a magpie nest for the third time, I still feel like an animal lover. There are just some birds that don't make good neighbours. If you've ever been in the presence of a family of magpies, you'll know they don't fit that bill! But as an animal lover, there are some basic practices that need to be followed to make sure that your love affair doesn't have a negative impact on others - in any way. It's our responsibility to make sure that we consider the environment, the other people, the neighbourhood when we are doing what we do as pet parents. In this episode, a bit of a look into what differentiates a responsible pet owner from one that might need to do a bit of soul searching. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

We have heard the term. Maybe we've secretly thought about doing it. I'm excited to share my kiddo's perspective on what they view Quiet Quitting to be, and I have to say (with all the objectivity a proud Mama can muster) that they pretty much nailed it. Wherever you stand on the subject, it also speaks to so many other issues that we are contending with right now and the sad reality that so often we don't have (or give ourselves the time) to really stop and think about what it all means, what we can do, and what really matters to us. With some food poisoning induced time on my hands, I was able to spend more time doing a deeper dive into some of the topics on my favourite streaming services. Truly, most should be front and center on our minds when it comes time to vote, or shop or plan a vacation. So whether or not you have toyed with the idea of quiet quitting your job, there might be a few other things you may want to consider doing less or more of. as the case may be, to try to leave this world a little better than we found it. The alternatives aren't great. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Daylight Savings Time - when MST becomes MDT. It's the weekend of the year that I detest the most. Partly because of the hour of sleep lost, partly because of the outdated, misunderstood, and utterly useless reason that we continue to do it. It's 2023. We have opened our eyes up to so many things that need to evolve, to change, to be fixed, to be reimagined and hopefully also that need to end. In this episode I will talk about how I think one of the things that we need to do away with once and for all, is Daylight Savings Time. I'll look at the cons (and there are many) and the pros...(prepare to be underwhelmed). But I'll start off with two little anecdotes of surprise, one with a sort of hilarious twist and the other that speaks to just how much people are struggling, as evidenced by how defensive and closed off to ideas and support they often are. Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead this weekend :( Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Have you ever really wanted to do something, known that it would be sooo good if you did it, but somehow, you just couldn't make it happen? There were likely lots of reasons that went into that, and in this episode I'm talking about one possibility. Capacity. What is it? How much of it do we have? What affects it? And most importantly, how can we try to top it up? The communities we work and live in would undoubtedly be better if we were all filled up to the brim with capacity. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Hope - a popular name at one time, a place in British Columbia and also a way of being? thinking? doing? What exactly is hope? This is what I try to figure out as we head into another year, which, "hopefully" will be better than the last couple:) If you've ever hoped for something, where did that come from, what was it about and how did it turn out? I think that however we define it, hope is clearly something that we all need these days as we endure seemingly one thing after another globally and sometimes right here at home. "Hope" you enjoy this episode! Thanks for tuning in! Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

Here we are at the end of another year - not sure how time manages to go so fast and seemingly faster as the years go by. But with 2023 looming, I thought it was fitting to have a quick look back, and more specifically at the adventures in sledding that marked some fun milestones in our family. But what we know about looking back is that it can skew our perceptions of what was, and potentially negatively impacts what might be. So as we close out 2022, let's learn from our past and embrace the future - because whether we like it or not, it's coming:) Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks

I didn't really think about it until I started to really pay attention as I was out walking Luna the ways people shovel their walks - the style, the timing, or perhaps the lack thereof. If you thought that there wasn't an art to shoveling snow, you would be wrong. Enjoy this episode as I explore the wonderful winterland ways we clear our sidewalks, and how some of us, might be able to do a little bit better. Listen wherever you get your podcasts - you can find Walking Alongside on Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Player FM, Tune-In and of course Spotify, Google Player and Apple Podcasts - where if you can leave a comment or throw me some ideas of topics you'd like to hear about, that would be great. Music is by Asepriawan 20, track is Be Happy courtesy Uppbeat. Pre/post roll music is Single Kiss by Paul Cresey - thanks for letting me use it! Walking Alongside is written, recorded and produced by me - Charissa McKay (aka CharCharBinx) in my awesome basement home office/studio/craft room. Thanks for listening - follow me on Instagram @CharChar_bincks