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Tiny Conversations

Tiny Conversations

By b Wrauley

A Podcast featuring small discussions on big ideas.
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Tiny ConversationsMar 31, 2020
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02:52
Season 4 Trailer
Mar 31, 202002:52
33. Creating Hope with Michelle Polak

33. Creating Hope with Michelle Polak

On this episode of Tiny Conversations theatre performer Michelle Polak discusses creating connection and hope with her latest peace “Leaving Still”.

Michelle is a multiple award winning interdisciplinary actor, creator, teacher and mother. She has performed nationally and internationally, and is also the first woman in Canada to receive the Patrick Crean Award.

Michelle is using her art to create positive change, inspire others and create hope in the world. Host Brian Cauley invited Michelle to be on this show after seeing a performance of “Leaving Still” at Nuit Blanche. The play starts with Michelle offering to make someone a sandwich. It ends up with people squished inside a freight elevator that is intentionally reminiscent of the trains that took Jewish people to Auschwitz. On the walls were pieces of brown kraft paper with words written on them. Things like: “from nothing to something” “addiction” “home” and more.

Listen to the episode as host Brian Cauley asks Michelle about:

  • How she created this piece.
  • How she is moving past her demons and to a place of “survivor”
  • The emotional toll it took to perform this piece and create the hope she describes.

If you’re in New Brunswick you can see Michelle perform as The Snow Queen in “The Snow Queen” at Theatre New Brunswick.

What is the most moving piece of theatre you’ve seen? Did it change your life? Comment below, send Brian an email, or tweet @briancauley.

Below you can listen to the full conversation between Brian and Michelle, where they parenthood, what Michelle’s dad thought about a first reading of the play (he tore it down) and her thoughts on Donald Trump and how the US Election is similar to 1940s Germany and the Holocaust.

http://briancauley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Episode_33-FULL_INTERVIEW-Michelle-Polak-Creating-Hope.mp3

Our theme music is provided by Broke for Free.

The post 33. Creating Hope with Michelle Polak appeared first on Tiny Conversations.

Nov 11, 201610:57
32. Science Vs Others with Wendy Zukerman

32. Science Vs Others with Wendy Zukerman

On this episode of Tiny Conversations Wendy Zukerman, Host of Science Vs, discusses pitting facts against popular opinion.

Wendy is the host of the very popular podcast, Science Vs. Each episode tackles an issue like Gun Control, Fracking, Attachment Parenting and the G-Spot only using science.

Wendy says the goal of the show is to pit science against something she calls “The Opinionated Mob”. In this episode host Brian Cauley asks Wendy:

  • Why science is so important to her
  • Some of the difficulties of hosting a show that often will contradict many people’s opinions
  • What she hopes for the future

You can get all episodes of Science Vs here and you can reach Wendy on Twitter @WendyZuk. If you live in or near Toronto, you can watch Wendy do a live episode of Science Vs at the Hot Docs Podcast Festival on Saturday November 19 in Toronto.

What do you think about the current state of science in North America? Has science changed your opinion on a popular topic? Comment below, send Brian an email, or tweet @briancauley.

Below you can listen to the full conversation between Brian and Wendy, where they talk about the opinionated mob, the various kinds of guests of Science Vs and Wendy’s thoughts on the Patriarchy.

http://briancauley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Episode_32-FULL_INTERVIEW-Science-Vs-Others-Wendy-Zukerman.mp3

Our theme music is provided by Broke for Free.

The post 32. Science Vs Others with Wendy Zukerman appeared first on Tiny Conversations.

Oct 25, 201612:58
31. Shaun Doyle on The Treatment of Women in Baseball Journalism

31. Shaun Doyle on The Treatment of Women in Baseball Journalism

On this episode of Tiny Conversations Shaun Doyle of Jays From the Couch discusses the treatment of women in Professional Baseball journalism.

Shaun recently wrote an article entitled “Women and Baseball: It’s (Past) Time for MLB Coverage to Embrace Women…” – where he discusses both the lack of gender diversity in baseball and the mistreatment of women in the profession.

In this episode, host Brian Cauley discusses with Shaun why he wrote this article, some of the things he’s seen as a baseball journalist, and the personal struggle he faced while writing on this topic. Shaun discusses the inequalities he observes and how he feels when women are judged differently than him. Shaun also discusses the difference between speaking for someone else and speaking-up with someone. In this episode Shaun gets personal and examines how he felt as a man writing about women in baseball and why he couldn’t ignore the dissatisfaction inside him.

What do you think about the current state of women in baseball? What about in other professional sports? You can reach Shaun on Twitter at @JaysFromCouch, comment below, send Brian an email, or tweet @briancauley.

Below you can listen to our full conversation, where Shaun delves deeper into many of the topics discussed in this episode:

http://briancauley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Episode_31-FULL_INTERVIEW-Women_in_Baseball_Shaun_Doyle.mp3

Our theme music is provided by Broke for Free.

Watch the #MoreThanMean video featuring sports reporters Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro.

The post 31. Shaun Doyle on The Treatment of Women in Baseball Journalism appeared first on Tiny Conversations.

Oct 14, 201611:58
30. Moving Past Failure with Kye Fox
Sep 13, 201611:23
29. Doing Purposeful Work with Ainsley Monro

29. Doing Purposeful Work with Ainsley Monro

On this episode of Tiny Conversations I talk to Ainsley Monro about doing purposeful work and some of the barriers to that work.

Since she was four-years-old Ainsley has been trying to lead grassroots movements to affect change. Starting with a kindergarten trash pick-up Ainsley has moved on to work with organizations like Katimavik and The Otesha Project. Now Ainsley dreams of building community spaces and hosting YouTube channels that get young Canadians involved in politics.

In this episode Ainsley and I discuss why this kind of work is so important to her and what barriers she is facing. We explore topics like brainstorming, idea sharing, and creating online identities.

What kind of work are you trying to do, and what barriers are you facing? Comment below, send me an email, or tweet @briancauley.

Ainsley currently works for the David Suzuki Foundation in Toronto. She tweets @SpeakingSpark and posts videos on YouTube under the same name. You can listen to our full conversation here:

http://briancauley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Episode_29-FULL_INTERVIEW-Doing_Purposeful_Work_with_Ainsley_Monro.mp3

Our theme music is provided by Broke for Free.

The post 29. Doing Purposeful Work with Ainsley Monro appeared first on Tiny Conversations.

Aug 30, 201610:53
28. Loving Without Expectation With Steve Ballantyne

28. Loving Without Expectation With Steve Ballantyne

On this episode of Tiny Conversations I talk to Steve Ballantyne about loving without expectation.

On his first visit to the week-long festival, Burning Man, Steve was introduced to the idea of loving without expectation. From that point forward this lesson changed his outlook on relationships. For Steve it’s expectations that create most of the problems we have with our friends, family, and romantic lovers.

In this episode Steve explains how he first learned this lesson, some of his hesitations, and which relationships have changed the most for him.

What do you think about loving without expectation? Comment below, send me an email, or tweet @briancauley.

Steve is the founder of Station Cold Brew, a coffee company in downtown Toronto. He also discusses things like modern masculinity and stepping away from technology at Camp Reset. The conversation in this episode was edited from a much longer one I had with Steve. Listen below to hear more about Steve’s experience at Burning Man and his relationship with the first woman he’s loved who is only a friend.

http://briancauley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Episode-28-FULL_INTERVIEW-Loving_Without_Expecation_With_Steve_Ballantyne.mp3

Our theme music is provided by Broke for Free.

The post 28. Loving Without Expectation With Steve Ballantyne appeared first on Tiny Conversations.

Aug 16, 201613:55
27. The Importance of Creating Daily with Basil Gerard
Feb 23, 201611:24
26. Zahra Ebrahim on Sharing Ideas Freely
Feb 03, 201611:52
25. Responding to Transphobic Messages About Caitlyn Jenner

25. Responding to Transphobic Messages About Caitlyn Jenner

On this episode of Tiny Conversations I talk to Chris Studer, Executive Director of Get Real. Get Real is a non-profit organization who’s goal is to help others, “unlearn LGBTQ discrimination and bullying.”

In June 2015 Get Real was preparing to host a fundraising event during World Pride at Toronto, ON bar El Furniture Warehouse. During that time Caitlyn Jenner came out as transgender in this Vanity Fair article. It was a moment where transgender issues were forced into the public arena. Some responded positively, some negatively, and some made transphobic jokes on Instagram, including someone using the El Furniture Warehouse account. When Buzzfeed published an article outlining the clear discrepancy between Get Real hosting a fundraiser at this bar and the Instagram post from this bar, things came to a grinding halt…

In this episode I talk to Chris about how Get Real chose to respond – not by distancing themselves but by attempting to understand. I asked him why they chose to switch the fundraiser to an education session for the bars’ staff and Management and how that went. I also spoke with him about why LGBTQ issues are so personally important and his own history in an all-boys school.

Click here to learn more about Get Real. Do you have a great story for this podcast? Send me an email or tweet @briancauley.

Our theme music is provided by Broke for Free.

Listen to the full, unedited conversation below:

http://briancauley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Episode-25-Get-Real-Tiny-Conversations-Full.mp3

The post 25. Responding to Transphobic Messages About Caitlyn Jenner appeared first on Tiny Conversations.

Jan 20, 201612:57
24. Building a Tiny Home with The Hobohemians
Dec 16, 201511:39
23. Making Meaningful Connections with Stef Teitelman and Mike Smith
Aug 04, 201509:32
22. Having a Transgender Partner and Parent with Alison and Jonah Brooks
Jun 22, 201514:12
21. Telling Emotional Stories with Alex Blumberg
Jun 08, 201512:49
20. Doing a Good Job with Helen Payne
May 25, 201509:40
19. How to Raise a Feminist with Tallulah Hershorn
May 12, 201514:12
18. Long Distance Relationships with Patrick Maziarski
Oct 13, 201412:22
17. Laurence Fournier Campeau on  Connecting with Strangers through Dance
Oct 03, 201412:11
16. Patricia J Davidson on How Baseball Saved Her Life
Sep 23, 201407:33
15. Lindsay Zier-Vogel of Love Lettering Project on Unexpected Discoveries
Sep 15, 201400:17
14. Emily Delpero on Jealousy and Judgement in Sport
Sep 08, 201404:43
13. Rachel Hill on Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Sep 01, 201411:43
12. Kristyn Wong-Tam on Open Streets Toronto
Aug 18, 201410:34
11.5. Brian Cauley on The Beauty of a Question
Jul 21, 201403:46
11. Natalie Kulesza on Being Addicted to Self-Help
Jul 14, 201411:18
10. Leann Lapp on Guilt Culture in Academia
Jul 07, 201409:29
9. Paul Jarvis on Do What You Love
Jun 30, 201412:07
8. Kathryn Bruni Young on Strength Training in Yoga
Jun 19, 201411:57
7. Angela Misri on Creative Risks
Jun 05, 201412:45
6. Michelle Parise on Loneliness
May 07, 201411:28
5. Marla Brennan on Talking about our Feelings
Apr 18, 201410:50
4. Britt Wray on Backyard Scientists
Apr 12, 201410:53
3. Adam Shedletzky on the Fair Elections Act
Apr 04, 201410:10
2. Siobhan Özege on Steve Paikin
Mar 28, 201411:12
1. Farhang Ghajar on Being Kind
Mar 12, 201411:16