09 - What can we learn from exploring polarizing conversations? with Louise Adongo
Release Date: 06/21/2023
10 - What makes reconciliation a polarizing topic? with Michelle Brass
Polarizing Conversations
In our final episode of season 1, we have the honour of being joined by Michelle Brass to discuss the guiding question, ‘what makes reconciliation a polarizing topic?” Michelle is a speaker, writer, and health and wellness coach deeply committed to the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples and communities. She’s the creator of the SHAWL Program, a health and wellness program that leads people to become Sustainable Health and Wellness Leaders (SHAWL), and eventually SHAWL Certified Facilitators within their communities. The program addresses the aspects of physical, mental,...
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09 - What can we learn from exploring polarizing conversations? with Louise Adongo
Polarizing Conversations
I’m honoured to have my guest today be Louise Adongo, executive director of Inspiring Communities! Louise has been a friend over the years, sharing resources - books and ideas - and was the first one to believe in this concept of exploring polarizing conversations. I hope you’ll join us for this great conversation about what we can learn about ourselves through exploring polarizing conversations. Louise Adongo is a bold and grounded leader who brings over a decade of experience in systems change, policy and evaluation to Inspiring Communities. She is known for bringing care and...
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08 - How might we create antiracist futures? with Ivan Okello
Polarizing Conversations
Ivan Okello is a first-generation immigrant from Uganda, East Africa currently based in the Siknikt district of the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, a city also known as Moncton, NB. Ivan currently serves as the Project Manager of Antiracism Initiatives at the New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC). He is an educator and storyteller who believes in using education as a medium for bridging social inequities and advancing social change. His goal is to live in a society free of injustice. Ivan’s educational background includes Gender studies, International Development...
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07 - What makes abortion such a polarizing topic? with Katie Davey
Polarizing Conversations
I had the pleasure of discussing one of the polarizing topics I can imagine with someone I have a lot of respect for - Katie Davey. Katie Davey is the Executive Director of the Pond-Deshpande Centre at the University of New Brunswick. She is a public policy entrepreneur working at the intersection of our biggest social and economic challenges. She uses creative and innovative solutions to improve or solve existing policy, program, and system challenges, specifically those challenges that create inequalities and impact the most vulnerable people in our world. Her goal is to redesign our systems...
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06 - How might you be a Muslim Canadian? with Aatif Baskanderi
Polarizing Conversations
Aatif Baskanderi is CEO of The Northpine Foundation, a startup philanthropic foundation supporting ventures to achieve scalable outcomes for underserved and underinvested communities in Canada. Their starting portfolios include refugees, formerly incarcerated persons, climate, carbon, and nature. Northpine deploys around $40M annually through gifts, grants, loans, equity, and hybrid means - and, more importantly, aims to build deep relationships with its portfolio organizations as they pursue their ventures. Aatif is also the Co-Founder of , an award-winning documentary and anti-racism...
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05 - What are the responsibilities of being a Canadian? with Inda Intiar
Polarizing Conversations
Inda Intiar is a first-generation immigrant based in the Siknikt district of the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, in a city colonially known as Moncton, NB. She is a storyteller and facilitator who brings a global perspective from growing up across multiple countries. Inda is a big believer in the power of storytelling for social impact. She’s currently a member of Inspiring Communities’ Atlantic Changemakers Council, a Transformation Storytelling Fellow with Community Foundations Canada, and a Communications and Outreach Coordinator with Students on Ice Foundation. Inda holds a...
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04 - How can disability frame our perception of the right to choose? - with Paul Walsh
Polarizing Conversations
When I was working through the concept of this podcast with Louise Adongo, the executive director of Inspiring Communities, she suggested I consider exploring a theme of right to choose. Right to choose topics are very polarizing: vaccinations, abortion, medical assistance in dying, religious wear, and so many more. Louise had been a stalwart supporter of one of my other projects, Amplify: East - this was a topic exploring the stories of women in their own voices, born out of the frustration that a years ago, no one could seem to find any qualified women to interview. ...
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03 - How Might We Decentralize Our Stories? - with Shreetee Appadu
Polarizing Conversations
Join me for this great conversation with Shreetee Appadu where we explore the question, “How might we decentralize our stories?” I met Shreetee through Inspiring Communities’ Atlantic Changemakers Council. Shreetee is a queer, bisexual, non-binary settler of colour from Mauritius, who moved to kjipuktuk in 2017 for their studies. They did a Bachelor in Environmental studies with a minor in Geography at St. Mary’s University (SMU), and are very passionate about environmental justice, intersectionality and community care. They are a member of the Racialized Student Academic Network...
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02 - How Might Exploring Our Own Legacy Lead Us to Common Ground? - with KJ Conyers-Steede
Polarizing Conversations
KJ and I are both currently fellows with Inspiring Communities, exploring systems and changing systems through different stories. I asked him to join me on the podcast to explore some of the topics from his fellowship article, . Power and control are polarizing topics. In this conversation, we explore how colonialism and identity can be polarizing, difficult conversations and how we can find our way to common ground. KJ suggests engaging with elders, something that I deeply believe in as well. Who is KJ? For over eight years, Kjeld Mizpah (KJ) Conyers-Steede has led or worked...
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01 - How Might Teaching Debate Skills Help Us Navigate Polarizing Conversations? - with Scott Stirrett, CEO and Founder of Venture for Canada
Polarizing Conversations
I met in 2016, and have been impressed with his tenacity, curiosity, drive and kindness since then. Scott is the CEO and Founder of - a national charity focused on accelerating the entrepreneurialism of young Canadians. He is participating in - a 10-month public policy leadership program with a 17-year track that aims to enhance emerging leaders’ understanding of the country and public policy choices for the future. In December 2022, Scott contributed an opinion piece to the Globe and Mail entitled, "". The first paragraph reads as such: ...
info_outlineI’m honoured to have my guest today be Louise Adongo, executive director of Inspiring Communities! Louise has been a friend over the years, sharing resources - books and ideas - and was the first one to believe in this concept of exploring polarizing conversations. I hope you’ll join us for this great conversation about what we can learn about ourselves through exploring polarizing conversations.
Louise Adongo is a bold and grounded leader who brings over a decade of experience in systems change, policy and evaluation to Inspiring Communities. She is known for bringing care and intention to uncovering the roots of tangled problems; and enabling shifts to greater resilience, sustainability and impact.
She believes in carving institutional spaces that are more nimble, transparent and creative. For the last decade she has worked for the Nova Scotia government’s departments of Health, Justice (NSHRC), Labour & Advanced Education, Business (ERDT), Service Nova Scotia & Internal Services and Infrastructure & Housing. There, Louise advanced work on social labs in government, convened Policy Circles to encourage connection & communication among policy professionals on timely topics and initiated interdepartmental collaborations to support wellness and career advancement of Black women. She co-Chaired the African-Canadian Women in the Public Service Network (ACWPS).
Unafraid of challenge or change, Louise has a deep commitment to advancing social justice and anti-racism. She has guided the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre’s reorganization as their interim Board Chair, co-led a Black Women and Leadership Forum and facilitated organizational & strategic planning sessions for a variety of community organizations. She sits on the Board of Directors of the CUA and previously volunteered with the Health Association of African Canadians (HAAC ), the Halifax Local Immigrant Partnership (HLIP ), and as co-founder & Board Secretary for the Freetown Initiative (now Help2Overcome). She was also the co-chair of the 2019 Canadian Evaluation Society National Conference.
Louise is able to seamlessly navigate among the cultures of community, non-profit, business and government to make incredible things happen. She holds graduate degrees in Applied Health Services Research and Plant Biochemistry.
She is a proud mother of a young toddler and is often creatively fired up about a wide range of subjects. To relax, she gardens, reads, explores new places in the Atlantic region and enjoys talks about system change on patios or in living rooms with friends.