Eric Gaudet has spent the last decade as Bashaw's local friendly pharmacist, getting to know families and individuals in this small town and becoming an indispensable part of the community as a primary care provider. In a rural community without a hospital and with family doctors in extremely short supply across Alberta, the role of a licensed prescribing pharmacist is super important. But that's not what makes Eric's story fascinating. It's not even the fact that Eric has recently been accepted into an elite national pilot program to explore innovative models of primary care delivery in Canada - although that is also really cool! No, the real reason that I wanted to share Eric's story is that his approach to patient care is so wholistic, open minded, empathetic and down to Earth. Every one of us have experienced issues with our health where we need help finding the right course of treatment or even just answers to what is going on and what our options are. Eric definitely has a way of leaving people feeling heard and seen, and rather than treating a symptom, he is deeply interested in addressing the full picture of health and what is going on for that person in their day to day life such as mental health, financial situation or relationship stress. In this episode we discuss all of the above and Eric shares some of the things he's learned along the way and what he loves about his work.

Lorne Gushue is a member of the worship committee at Yellowknife United Church, an affirming church located in a large public building in downtown Yellowknife. In the aftermath of wildfires that threatened homes, health and livelihoods, the needs of the local community have been top of mind for Lorne and the rest of the leadership team of their church. A church that is currently without a full time minister. And yet, as you'll hear through Lorne's incredible story, there are some amazing things happening at Yellowknife United Church! Through partnerships with schools, businesses and local health and social services, they are offering programs to support people experiencing homelessness, finding creative ways to share and rent their church space, and hosting diverse and inclusive events in their auditorium, like last week's meditative ecumenical labyrinth walk! Lorne's passion and compassion for his community is so apparent, and it was an honour to hear him share the recent story of evacuating from and returning to that community.

It feels like we're all facing one kind of storm or another right now, whether it's the strain of increased living costs, interest rates and inflation, or the lack of affordable housing, or the pain of feeling isolated, lonely and disconnected. Debt, food insecurity and homelessness are on the rise and the number of Canadians who feel optimistic about the future is dropping. Humans are suffering. So I wanted to talk with someone this week who brings compassion to human suffering and specializes in supporting people who are struggling. The kind of support that helps people not just improve their immediate situation but the kind of support that targets their suffering at a deeper level.

Daniel McMillan is a clinical psychologist in Calgary and founder of the Assured Psychology clinic where he specializes in adult and couples therapy. He is also the author of a brand new children's book called "Badger and Turtle - Face the Storm", a beautifully illustrated story about common relationship and connection patterns that Dan regularly uses in therapy sessions. In this podcast we explore the challenging reality that as humans we all fundamentally need connection and yet we've all been hurt and have developed defence mechanisms that often hold us back from being vulnerable and get in the way of meaningful and healthy connection. Dan shares some great stuff about his approach to exploring these delicate issues with individuals and couples, and some of the tools he uses such as Emotionally Focused Therapy.

To check out Dan's new book visit http://danmcmillanbooks.com/ and to learn more about Assured Psychology, check out https://assuredpsychology.com/