In this heartfelt episode, we hear from Chip Skowron, MD/PhD and former CEO of Prison Entrepreneurship Program, who takes us through the double life he lived since childhood and how he found peace with himself following the four years he spent in prison for insider trading. Emerging with a renewed sense of purpose, Chip shares how Vanessa's new book served as a poignant reminder of the power of community and healing that he experienced while in prison.

In this episode of The Human Challenge, Elspeth Hay, author of "Feed Us With Trees" and host of the Local Food Report on Cape Cod's NPR station, joins us. We explore the fascinating world of acorns and their potential as a superfood, delving into the historical and ecological significance of nut trees.

It's been 10 years since Emily O'Brien found herself in prison. "A lot of people think in prison that you have nothing," she says, "but if you reframe it as a place where you have everything, you can kind of create anything you want." Following that mindset, Emily created the idea for Comeback Snacks, Popcorn so good, it’s criminal, while incarcerated.

Quan Huynh spent 22 years of his life behind bars for murder. In the midst of a life sentence, he found his freedom from within and wishes to share that freedom with others. Quan wrote his book, “Sparrow In The Razor Wire” after being pushed by 4X NYT-bestselling author, Tucker Max. He shares how his childhood, his father, his mother, and other experiences shaped his lived perspectives of the world.

25 years after finding herself divorced, a single mom of three kids with a truck, 26 cents, and a grade education, Dr. Paulette Steeves, Cree Métis author of "The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere", walked across the stage receiving her PhD with honours. Her book, "The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere", offers extensive research debunking the narrative that Indigenous people came from Asia narrative, bringing truth to Indigenous history and identity.

From drug dealer to case manager, Robert Gil Jr. showcases his journey through incarceration, including personal revelations, post-release anxieties, and his continued support for returning citizens as a case manager at Prison Entrepreneurship Program.

"Refugee is a title, given to someone who is a displaced person, but it does not change the right to [their] data", says Mathew Lubari, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Community Creativity for Development (CC4D). Mathew joined the show from Rhino Refugee Camp in Uganda. In 2016, he fled his home country with a zip lock of repair tools, and in 2021 learned repairing protects the environment by reducing carbon emissions and landfill.

Moroccan-Yemeni artist, AŸA, is back with new music, new live tracks on vinyl, and new stories! This music is deeply personal to AŸA, as she navigates grief from the loss of a dear friend of hers and the ongoing horrors the world is witnessing in Palestine, where she has family and friends. She shares how music has helped her through this journey and how she believes music is the way to capture time and stories in history.

You might know Matt Edwards as your jack-of-all-trades actor/producer/writer and Doug Jones from one of your favourite franchises like Hocus Pocus, Hellboy 1 & 2, Star Trek, and Fantastic Four, but this budding Hollywood friendship will warm your hearts as they come together in their next project, Pretty Boys, a comedy short film about a washed up Hollywood Star, his estranged son, and the disastrous road trip that just might bring them back together.

"Solidarity is power," says activist, Judith Cabrera, Co-Director of Borderline Crisis Center, a shelter for migrant women and kids on the border of US/Mexico. In this conversation, Judith walks us through the history of migrant policy in the USA since 2016; the increasing discriminate and racist policies faced by migrants seeking asylum, which is their right under international law; and the role technology plays in this discrimination. Sensitive Content Matter

At the age of 15, Jason was incarcerated for a 1st degree felony (Aggravated Robbery) and given a 12-year sentence at a maximum security prison in Texas. Jason talks about his upbringing, trauma, and poverty as a contributing factor to mass incarceration of children -- and how all of this led to the launch of FreeWorld, equipping 26 million formerly incarcerated people across the nation with the tools, education, and the jobs they need in order to live positive, productive lives.

Lama Cynthia Jurs' commitment to healing Mother Earth began in the 1990s in the Himalayas, visiting a a 106 year-old Tibetan Buddhist in the Himalayas where she was told to bury Earth Treasure Vases. Since then, Cynthia has buried almost 100 vases across the world, including Libya, Congo, Australia, New Mexico, and more! The journey is meticulously documented in her new book, "Summoned by Earth", released in March 2024.

It took 6 years for lawyer Petra Molnar to write "The Walls Have Eyes", a book showcasing the use of technology in immigration and migrant affairs. She invites us to ask ourselves questions around the use of technology, who gets a seat at the table in deciding what technology to use and how, and how we can co-create technologies with people on the move.

Leah Rampy, award-winning author of "Earth & Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos", talks about the story of separation and "otherness" we have a society have been living in a predominant Western culture. "Earth & Soul: Reconnecting Amid Climate Chaos" was awarded 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards & 2024 National Indie Excellence Awards.

There are two main narratives we are told about welcoming immigrants into our countries: that they harm society by taking jobs or that it is our "moral responsibility" to support immigrants. Zeke Hernandez, Professor at Wharton School of Business and author of "The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers" shares more about a third narrative, the data behind it, and his own personal story about immigrating into the USA.

Vanessa speaks with producer, author, activist, Frank Barat; Yara Jamal, co-founder of Free Palestine Halifax; and Paula Sahyoun, founder of the Palestine Impact Collective to learn about how we can move toward collective liberation.

Julia shares about her upbringing from Northern Ontario, her journey to the Australian Olympics, and how she approached her "athlete retirement" as an opportunity to reinvent herself -- which led to Shoelace Learning. Julia is particularly passionate about inclusive learning in schools for educators and students; she shares Shoelace's JEDI content review process to maintain their commitment to DEI in education.

Moontime Connections, along with their partner True North Aid, collects and distributes period products for women in remote communities across Canada. Nicole also talks about their new research, completed in partnership with the Department of Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan, a first-of-its-kind study offers vital and much-needed insights into menstrual-related needs in remote northern communities as well as the experiences of Indigenous menstruators.

Poppy Mason-Watts, Chief Growth and Impact Officer of WaterBear shares all about WaterBear's impact in diversity, film, media, and technology from both their content and business operations; their first time at Sundance. She also gets personal, divulging the challenges of being a woman in tech, media, and impact; the project that inspired her to swim the English channel to bring awareness to refugees; and some of her other favourite female protagonists.

Getting ready for International Women's Month, Kristyn Carriere, CEO of Seven Summit Snacks, shares the 4-year journey of the company, their NEW FLAVOURS; what it's like to start a business with your sister and partner; and navigating starting a business, while starting a family.

"When you can live in the outer world,” says Grammy-nominated artist, Valerie June, “but also marry that with the inner world, than you're a new space, a new world." Touching on her new book, "Light Beams: A Workbook For Being Your Badass Self,” she shares how we can harness both softness and hardness in our light, the light of the spirit that we embody, and the lightness to just being a human, and standing and speaking in your truth, in your power.

Vanessa says Osprey's "The Story is in Our Bone" reads like a documentary. Weaving in her own experiences & explorations, historical context, and cultural learnings, Osprey offers readers an opportunity to reflect on our own healing within the realms of worldviews, the limitations of current dominant culture, and through the interconnectivity of many social injustices. Ultimately, she invites us inward for the sake of collective healing and the purpose to remake our world."