Libsyn Directory

Cyber Security Do's & Dont's With Kathy Macdonald

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Release Date: 03/11/2026

A Face Frozen In Time: Carrie’s Story Of Medical Injury

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Episode Summary In this emotional and deeply personal episode of the Activate & Illuminate podcast, host Melanie Wakelin sits down with Alberta advocate Carrie Sakamoto to discuss her life-changing health journey following her 2021 COVID-19 vaccinations. Carrie shares how her symptoms escalated rapidly after her second dose, leading to severe neurological complications, facial paralysis, chronic pain, vertigo, and a permanent condition called synkinesis. What began as trust in authority and public health messaging turned into years of medical advocacy, navigating Canada’s Vaccine Injury...

Suicide Awareness: Just Stay For Another Day With Sachia Tasz

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

In this deeply raw and powerful episode, Sachia Tasz shares the story behind her movement “Just Stay For Another Day”, born from the tragic loss of her partner to suicide. What began as a vulnerable TikTok post during one of the darkest periods of her life has grown into a global community offering connection, hope, and honesty around mental health and grief. Sachia opens up about navigating layered trauma, isolation during COVID, and the reality of healing, while emphasizing the importance of small daily choices, community, and accessible mental health support. Key Takeaways • Healing...

Small Town, Big Data: The Hidden Cost Of AI Infrastructure In Canada

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Small Town, Big Data: The Hidden Cost of AI Infrastructure in Canada Episode Summary In this eye-opening episode, host Melanie Wakelin sits down with Bek McIntosh to unpack the rapidly emerging reality of hyperscale data centers in small Canadian communities. What begins as a local issue in Olds, Alberta quickly expands into a much larger conversation about AI infrastructure, environmental impact, human health, and the future of society. Bek shares her firsthand experience navigating a proposed multi-billion dollar data center and gas plant development just meters from her home, breaking down...

What If This Could Save The Bees... And Maybe Us Too

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Join us in this fascinating episode as Brent Knudsen, a visionary leader with a background in quantum physics, sacred geometry, and financial technology, shares his journey into frequency healing and its remarkable applications for humans, animals, and the planet. Discover how innovative geometric forms and magnetic resonance are transforming bee health, food safety, and holistic well-being After building one of Canada’s largest payment processing systems, Brent shifted into researching how frequency-based environments affect cellular health. That journey led to the creation of 4RBs, a...

Still Listening: New Insights From The Telepathy Tapes Families With Caroline Coleman

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Episode Summary In this deeply thought-provoking episode, Melanie Wakelin sits down with Caroline Coleman, one of the original mothers featured in The Telepathy Tapes. Caroline shares her journey raising her non-verbal autistic son, Kyle, and the intuitive realization that their connection would extend beyond traditional communication. What unfolds is a powerful exploration of telepathy, intuition, and the unseen ways humans connect. From discovering Kyle’s extraordinary musical abilities to developing a deep, non-verbal communication system rooted in presence and awareness, this...

The Telepathy Tapes: The Mom's Perspective

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Episode Summary In this powerful and perspective-shifting episode, we sit down with Laura Hirsch, author and advocate, to explore her son Trevor’s extraordinary journey with autism. Diagnosed before age three and minimally speaking into adulthood, Trevor’s world changed through Spelling 2 Communicate—unlocking his ability to express thoughts, emotions, and insights that had been hidden for decades. What followed goes far beyond communication. From music and memory to telepathic connection and consciousness, Laura shares how Trevor’s abilities have challenged everything she thought she...

The Future of Healthcare: How to Take Control of Your Health in 2026

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Episode Summary In this episode, we sit down with Alan Brough, co-owner of ReVitalife Wellness and Executive Director of the Canada Health Alliance, to explore the current state of healthcare, personal responsibility, and the deeper systems shaping our well-being. From his early life in Africa to his work in Canada’s health space, Alan shares a powerful perspective on empathy, the breakdown of modern healthcare, and why so many people are feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, and hopeless. This conversation dives into the importance of questioning narratives, exploring alternative approaches to...

Against the Tide: Ted Murray’s Journey Home

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Summary: In this episode, Melanie Wakelin interviews her uncle, Ted Murray, who shares the incredible story of a two-and-a-half-year adventure that began as a post-university trip and turned into an unforgettable journey across Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and ultimately a daring sail across the Pacific Ocean. Ted reflects on traveling without a rigid plan, learning celestial navigation with no prior experience, surviving storms and dangerous close calls, and discovering both self-reliance and spiritual clarity along the way. More than just a story about adventure, this...

Steve Jamieson: CEO of PXCH

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

In this episode, Melanie Wakelin sits down with Steve Jamieson, CEO of Pitch (PXCH), to explore how online communication is evolving and why traditional webinar technology has barely changed in decades. Steve shares how his company is transforming the webinar experience from a passive screen-share into a fully interactive environment where users can engage with websites live, sign contracts, purchase products, book meetings, and even hear presentations translated in real time into their preferred language. He also dives into the role of AI, including AI twins and talking avatars, and explains...

Cyber Security Do's & Dont's With Kathy Macdonald

Activate & Illuminate with Melanie Wakelin

Episode Summary In this episode, Melanie Wakelin speaks with Kathy Macdonald, a former Calgary Police Service officer with 25 years of experience in fraud prevention and cybersecurity education. Kathy explains how cybercrime has evolved from traditional scams into sophisticated online manipulation using social engineering, AI technology, and identity theft. She shares practical advice for protecting children, seniors, and businesses from online scams, sextortion, data breaches, and digital exploitation. The conversation also explores how cybercrime connects to larger issues like human...

More Episodes

Episode Summary

In this episode, Melanie Wakelin speaks with Kathy Macdonald, a former Calgary Police Service officer with 25 years of experience in fraud prevention and cybersecurity education.

Kathy explains how cybercrime has evolved from traditional scams into sophisticated online manipulation using social engineering, AI technology, and identity theft. She shares practical advice for protecting children, seniors, and businesses from online scams, sextortion, data breaches, and digital exploitation.

The conversation also explores how cybercrime connects to larger issues like human trafficking, and why awareness and prevention are more important than ever in the digital age.

Key Takeaways

• Cybercrime relies heavily on social engineering, manipulating emotions like fear, urgency, and trust.
• AI deepfakes and image manipulation are increasingly being used to exploit and blackmail young people.
• Password reuse and data breaches make individuals vulnerable to credential stuffing attacks.
• Apps can expose personal data through tracking, microphone access, and contact permissions.
• Online exploitation, including sextortion and revenge porn, is a growing threat for teens and adults.
• Parents should actively monitor online activity and talk openly with children about digital safety.
• Seniors are frequent targets of scams and benefit from bank alerts and stronger account protections.
• Cybercrime is often connected to organized crime and human trafficking networks.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Kathy Macdonald
02:30 How cybercrime evolved from traditional fraud
08:50 Online risks facing children and teens
17:30 App tracking and personal data exposure
20:00 Password security and data breaches
26:40 Sextortion and online exploitation
30:40 How scammers manipulate emotions
43:20 What parents should do if a child is targeted
52:00 AI risks and the future of cybersecurity
59:15 Cybercrime and human trafficking