Today I'm chatting with Daniel Brunelle. Daniel and I met in an improv class this past winter semester.

Daniel came into this conversation with an openness that I really appreciated. We talked about what it actually feels like to walk into a room full of strangers and say yes to being seen and how that single act of showing up to an improv class became something much bigger than a fun weekend side-quest.

We got into anxiety and how it doesn't just disappear, and how anxiety is something he has lived with his whole life, but what he's doing to change how it appears in his life and how it can become something you learn to move alongside.

We touched on introversion, the tension of being someone who craves connection but also needs to retreat. Yoga came up too — a practice that has quite quickly shifted his understanding and listening to his body and feelings. We also weave in everyone's favourite word — authenticity, and talk about how it can be difficult to find that online when you're still figuring out who you are offline.

This conversation is about finding the courage it takes to grow in public and find meaningful connection through stepping into the discomfort.

Connect with Daniele Brunelle:
LinkedIn: @djbrunelle
Website: Paridot Bookkeeping

Connect with Darrel-Lynne:
Instagram: @dee_ogsoul
Website: ogsoul.ca

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Improv and Personal Growth

07:51 The Impact of Socializing on Mental Health

13:15 Understanding Anxiety and Its Effects

18:22 The Role of Authenticity in Self-Expression

23:52 The Challenge of Being Authentic Online

Today I’m chatting with Alana Joy Newton. Alana is psychotherapist, former nurse, and a deeply intuitive human with a beautifully grounded presence. This is deep but also playful conversation and Alana opens some personal pages.

We talk about Joy as a living part of her, Gene Keys, divine timing, and the ways grief lives in the body and extends far beyond how most generally understand it. Alana also shares about leading Living With Grief (Sovereign Acres) and what it means to name what’s been carried quietly for years, especially for sensitive humans.

This is a conversation about grief, sensitivity, healing, and returning to love without bypassing the human experience.

Connect with Alana:

@alana_joy_newton

www.alanajoynewton.com

Connect with Darrel-Lynne:

Instagram: @dee_ogsoul

Website: ogsoul.ca

Chapters:

00:00 The Essence of Joy: A Personal Connection

07:37 Transitioning from Nursing to Psychotherapy

13:00 Collective Grief and Personal Stories

18:18 Sensitivity as a Superpower

25:27 Validation and Healing: Acknowledging Our Truths

31:08 The Depths of Connection: Exploring Relationships

37:57 Navigating the Journey: Writing and Publishing Together

43:28 Navigating Grief and Transformation

49:13 Embracing Intuition and Patience

In this episode of Chatting with Humans, I sit down with Jodi Dancause. Business owner, flower artist, soon to be published author and pattern-disrupting force (and light!).

We talk about the unexpected emotional depth of running a flower shop and how Jodi meets people in life’s biggest moments, from celebration to grief, and how “it’s never just flowers.” From there, we move into writing, truth-telling, and what it can look like to break generational patterns in real time.

Jodi shares what brought her into Reclaiming Mental Health (launching March 24, 2026), what it took to say yes, and how the process opened a floodgate: she’s now completing her first full manuscript, Piece by Piece (aiming for May 2026).

This is a conversation about honest reflection, boundaries, healing that ripples both backward and forward through a family line, and the kind of hope that comes from choosing a different path.

Content note: this episode includes discussion of mental health struggles and suicide loss. Please listen with care.

Connect with Jodi Dancause:

Instagram: @jodidancause

Connect with Darrel-Lynne:

Instagram: @dee_ogsoul

Website: ogsoul.ca

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Jody Dancause

03:35 Jody's Journey: From Employee to Owner

04:29 The Emotional Journey of a Florist

08:18 Connecting Through Flowers: More Than Just Arrangements

11:45 The Journey of Writing: From Imposter Syndrome to Authorship

14:40 Sharing Personal Stories: The Impact of Mental Health

17:39 Breaking the Stigma: Conversations Around Mental Health

22:35 Reflections on Family and Mental Health Challenges

23:45 The Burden of Perception

24:45 Diagnosis and Mental Health Struggles

26:27 Childhood Trauma and Its Impact

29:48 Healing Relationships with Family

32:07 Breaking Generational Patterns

35:47 The Power of Authenticity

39:27 Creating Lifelines for the Next Generation

40:33 The Journey of Writing and Sharing Stories

42:43 The Journey of Writing and Self-Discovery

45:13 Ongoing Healing and Personal Growth

48:25 Taking Responsibility and Ownership

51:23 The Power of Storytelling and Connection

54:29 Validation and the Need to be Seen