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Kiki Keskinen founded WitchSchool dot ca in 2016, the only witch school in North America, and that timing was not a coincidence, because it was the same year she watched the far right organize itself faster than anyone on the left saw coming, and the women she had circled with for two decades looked at her and said, quite plainly, it's up to you now, so she built a school that is a lot closer to a feminist MBA than anything involving double double toil and trouble, covering ancient history and anthropology, intuition building through tarot, astrology and sacred circle dance, a full Crone mentorship in the final semester, and a real education in who gets to hold power and why.In this episode Candace and Kiki get into why witches are suddenly everywhere, sixty billion views on TikTok and counting, why it was almost always women who got accused of witchcraft historically and what that history actually looked like, how many distinct types of witches and witchcraft exist under that one loaded word, the difference between looking witchy and actually practising, and how decolonization and land based spirituality shape what Kiki teaches on unceded territory. Kiki also explains what a bee witch is, and shares a line Candace has not stopped thinking about since, that we are all actually connected, we are only unpracticed at it.Candace went into this conversation curious and amused. She came out of it wondering if she has been hiding in the broom closet all along Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've ever thought about leaving your bank but talked yourself out of it because it seemed too complicated, this episode is for you. Lisa Colangelo started as a teller at Canada Trust, worked her way up to executive level inside the banking system, and then walked away from all of it to lead a credit union. She knows exactly how banks work and she chose something different.Lisa is the CEO of YNCU, Your Neighbourhood Credit Union, one of Ontario's fastest growing credit unions, and in this conversation she makes the case that credit unions offer everything a bank does and then some. Including something most Canadians do not know: in Ontario, your deposits are protected up to $250,000 through a provincial credit union, compared to $100,000 through the federal CDIC protection that covers the big banks.We talk about what it actually means to be member-owned versus shareholder-driven, why switching is easier than you think, what the big banks are not telling you, and what Lisa tells her closest friends when they ask whether they should make the move.We also talk about money and women, including the trillion dollar wealth transfer that is already underway and why Lisa thinks women need to be in the room for every financial conversation that affects them.This one is worth your time and probably worth a call to your bank afterwards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justine Williamson and Greg Vardy are the Cape Breton comedy duo behind Tracy and Martina, two best friends whose sketches, podcast, and books have made them one of the most recognized acts on the East Coast. Their first feature film, Tracy and Martina Goin Out West, is a mockumentary that follows the pair on a real trip to Alberta, where they were booked to open for the band Slowcoaster and nearly did not make it home.On this episode, Justine and Greg talk about building these characters over more than ten years, what actually happened on that Alberta trip versus what was shaped in the edit, and why East Coast humour keeps finding audiences who have never set foot in Cape Breton. We also get into a real academic paper on Cape Bretoners who move west for work and never quite let go of home, and what it says about their own story.Tracy and Martina Goin Out West won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2026 Calgary Underground Film Festival and streams on Crave starting September 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lusiana Lukman is the Executive Founding Director of the Classical Music Conservatory in Toronto. She has been teaching piano in Canada since 1991 and founded her school on Roncesvalles in 1997.In February 2026, Lusiana went public in the Toronto Star with her account of being sexually abused by Boris Berlin, a legendary piano instructor at the Royal Conservatory of Music, during lessons when she was fifteen years old. Berlin taught at the RCM for over seventy years, wrote the beginner piano books still used in classrooms today, and received the Order of Canada. He died in 2001.In this episode, Lusiana talks about reporting the abuse at seventeen, the forty years of silence that followed, what finally moved her to speak publicly, the school she built as a direct response to what happened to her, and what she needs people who are moved by her story to do.Trigger warning: this episode contains frank discussion of child sexual abuse and institutional cover-up.Sign Lusiana's petition demanding an independent third party investigation into sexual abuse at the Royal Conservatory of Music: change.org/p/demand-the-rcm-toronto-conduct-an-independent-investigation-into-sexual-abuseLearn more about Dear Lara, Lara St. John's documentary on sexual abuse in elite music conservatories worldwide: dearlara.film/scheduleThe Classical Music Conservatory, Toronto: cmccanada.comContact Lusiana directly: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bobbi French is a Newfoundland-born author and former psychiatrist whose novels The Good Women of Safe Harbour and The Brink of Something Beautiful centre on women's friendships, women's survival, and the kind of female solidarity that doesn't make the news but keeps people alive. She joined What She Said to talk about her newest book, her white-hot fury at gender-based violence, why she left psychiatry to write fiction, and what it means to put ordinary women at the centre of a story and call it literature. This conversation goes well beyond books.LINKS Listen to more episodes:https://www.soundoff.network/show/what-she-said/episodes/  This episode's guest: https://bobbifrench.com/  Find this episode's book/work: https://www.indigo.ca/search?q=bobbi%20french  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatshesaidtalk/  Follow us on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@candace_said  Girl Trips: https://girltrips.ca/roper-on-the-river/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people think the ReStore is for contractors picking up spare lumber. Sara Cooper is here to tell you it is a full department store where your ten dollar lamp helps a family buy a home. Sara is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Ottawa, and this conversation goes well beyond thrifting. We talk about the circular economy, reuse culture, and why affordable homeownership is an upstream solution to a housing crisis that is pushing ordinary Canadians to the edge. Including a woman and her young son who were living in an uninsulated trailer on her sister's property before Habitat stepped in.I do not have the cover art yet as I'm waiting for her headshot but will drop it in here ASAP Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emma Davis didn't grow up wealthy. She married a guy whose startup got acquired, and suddenly found herself on the wrong side of her own values. So she did something nobody does: she mailed a personal cheque for one million dollars to the Receiver General of Canada, marked it as a gift, and waited. Nobody called. Emma is a member of Patriotic Millionaires Canada, a non-partisan organization of wealthy Canadians lobbying loudly for the government to tax them more. We talk about the mythology of tax flight, why philanthropy can never replace policy, and what happens to a democracy when wealth becomes political power Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sports betting is everywhere, and it’s changing more than just how we watch the game. In this episode, I sit down with filmmaker Deborah Wainwright, director of the documentary Swipe. Bet. Repeat., to talk about the rapid rise of app-based sports betting, how it’s reshaping fan behaviour, and why athletes are increasingly becoming the face of wins, losses, and even threats.We dig into how betting apps have blurred the line between fandom and gambling, why prop bets have shifted the psychology of watching sports, and what happens when money turns players into investments. We also talk about why Deb chose to centre women bettors in the film, what she learned about community and risk, and why the idea that “the house always wins” still holds true.If you’ve ever placed a bet, thought about placing one, or wondered how this all got so big so fast, this conversation will change how you watch your next game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the brain you have today is not the brain you are stuck with? In this episode, I sit down with Tara Bonner, Chief Neuroeducation Officer at the Arrowsmith Program, to talk about neuroplasticity and the brain’s capacity to change throughout our lives. We unpack why confidence follows competence, not encouragement, how attention has become increasingly fragile in modern life, and the difference between chronic distraction and true ADHD. We also talk about learning disabilities, cognitive profiles, and why focusing less on labels and more on how the brain functions can change outcomes for both children and adults. If you are curious about how your brain works, how to strengthen it, and how to protect your thinking in an AI-driven world, this conversation is well worth your attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI is everywhere right now, but I’m far less interested in the hype and far more interested in what it’s doing to how we connect with each other.In this episode, I sit down with Joanne Morrison, a Canadian author and entrepreneur with deep experience in customer service and outsourcing, to talk about where AI actually stands today and where it’s being wildly oversold.We talk about why so many chatbots are still terrible, where companies are getting AI wrong in customer service and marketing, and why trust and human connection are being eroded in the process. We also get into jobs, which roles are most at risk in the near term, which ones will always need humans, and why panic about mass unemployment may be misplaced.Most importantly, we talk about connection. What happens when communication is increasingly filtered through machines, why women may feel this shift more acutely, and why real, in-person human connection might end up being one of the most valuable things we can offer in an AI-driven world.If AI has left you feeling uneasy, frustrated, or simply disconnected, this conversation will make you feel less alone and far more grounded in reality Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting laid off is brutal. Getting laid off twice in one year can make you question everything, including yourself.In this episode, I sit down with Tanya Hayles, award-winning event planner, digital strategist, founder of Black Moms Connection, and creator of the Perfecting the Pivot workshop. Tanya shares what it’s really like to navigate forced career pivots in a tough economy, including the grief that comes first, the money realities nobody wants to talk about, and how to keep moving when the job market keeps ghosting you.We also dig into personal branding without the cringe. Tanya explains why your name is your most important brand, why you should own your domain, how to save your work “receipts,” and how to ask for help in a way your network can actually respond to.Plus, Tanya’s honest take on AI: the opportunities, the risks, and what women need to hold onto as work changes fast.If you’re pivoting, considering a pivot, or quietly panicking that you might have to, this one will make you feel less alone and a lot more ready. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candace Sampson and Nam Kiwanuka discuss the systemic issues in women's health care, highlighting the dismissal and mistreatment of women's health concerns. Nam's podcast, "Mistreated," explores how women's health has been ignored, underfunded, and under-researched. They discuss medical gaslighting, racial and gender biases in healthcare, and the impact of conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroids on women's lives. Nam shares personal experiences and those of other women, emphasizing the need for policy changes and better research. They also touch on the broader economic impact of these health issues on society. Nam's podcast (Mis)Treated can be found here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canadian small-business owners are taking hit after hit, but few have explained the chaos as clearly as Encircled founder Kristi Soomer. The Toronto-based slow-fashion designer breaks down how a U.S. tariff rule called yarn-forward turned a $125 pair of pants into a $204 headache overnight. We talk about the American trade mess, Shopify’s failings, fast fashion fatigue, and what it takes to keep a values-driven Canadian brand alive when the system feels stacked against you. please let me know if there's any issues, or if you have questions. Thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us grab our morning coffee without a second thought, but behind that daily ritual are women whose stories rarely make it into the conversation. Today I’m joined by Roxanne Joyal, founder and CEO of Andback Coffee, whose entire career has been about lifting women up and creating real change in the communities where our coffee is grown. Roxanne’s path runs from Stanford and Oxford to working with the Supreme Court of Canada and spending more than 30 years building social enterprises that empower women across East Africa, Latin America, and beyond. We talk about what’s really happening in the coffee industry, why supporting women growers matters, how conscious consumer choices add up, and the lessons Roxanne has learned from building companies with values at the centre. If you’ve ever wondered what’s in your cup, who grew it, or how your everyday habits can support women around the world, this conversation will stay with you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m back. After seven months away, I wanted to start with a short, honest episode about why What She Said hit pause, what pulled me off the hamster wheel, and why I’ve decided to return in a completely different way. This isn’t a tell-all or a dramatic reinvention. It’s simply the truth about burnout, clarity, and the realisation that connection matters more than constant output. I talk about walking away, almost selling the show, building Girl Trips, and why I’m shifting to a seasonal format that gives all of us more space to breathe. I also share a few thoughts on why online life has stopped feeling like real connection for so many of us, and why bringing conversations back to something human matters now more than ever. If you’ve ever needed to step back, reset, or rethink what you’re doing, this one’s for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices