What happens when you're known for one thing - good or bad - and now you're trying to be something else? Stories of people trying to change the way the world sees them. Recovering addict Shane Sturby-Highfield shares the challenges of trying to make amends and regain the trust of people he's hurt. Writer Rhea Rollman has many articles she's published, but all under a different name. Now that she's come out publicly as a trans woman, she's changing that one email at a time. Yassine Nouah is...

All over the country, the prices we’re paying for food are giving people sticker shock, and changing behaviours. Statistics Canada tells us food prices have gone up 22 per cent in the past four years. Food Banks Canada says 40 per cent of us are feeling financially worse off than we were last year.  So as we enter into a season of celebration and food we want to know: how are you putting food on the table right now? When Julianna Romanyk realized some of her friends were struggling with...

40 000 Afghan refugees have settled in Canada since the Taliban's swift and dramatic return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.Today on Now or Never, five newcomers share the realities of starting over in a new country, and what they're dreaming about next. Afghan teenager Razia Arifi grew up in a family that always encouraged education, and to get out of Afghanistan the first chance she got. So when the Taliban returned in 2021, 16-year-old Razia found herself on a plane to Canada, without her...

Three months after a wildfire burned 32,500 hectares of Jasper National Park, locals in the municipality are finding a way to rebuild their lives next to the charred remains of what they've lost. As this fire season comes to an end and the tourist town prepares for winter, Now or Never meets Jasperites as they navigate grief and new beginnings together.  Joe Urie, a Métis tour guide and longtime local, brings Ify Chiwetelu and Trevor Dineen up to Old Fort Point, for a mountain top view...

Have you ever seen someone do something so bold, with so much confidence, and think to yourself….where did they get the nerve? On this episode, we find out. You’ve probably seen the viral video of the guy in BC who came face-to-face with a black bear in his garage. Alex Gold tells us how he managed to keep his cool with one angry mama bear. When we last talked to Ben Pobjoy, he was in the middle of trying to break a Guinness World Record for most marathons run in a year. And to make it even...

When something's been lost or taken from you, how far would you go to get it back? Mohammed Aljadba’s seven year old daughter lost a year of her childhood in Gaza when the war began last October. They managed to escape to Canada after a grueling journey, and he’s now trying to give her and her cousins — who escaped with them — the childhood they deserve.  After a lifetime of focusing on others and believing she wasn’t quite smart enough, 56-year-old Colleen Sharpe is finally chasing the...

Breakups can look a lot of different ways: slow dissolves, out-of-nowhere blow-outs, mutual partings-of-ways. The truth is, they all hurt. Today you'll meet people in the thick of it, and the surprising ways they're getting through. When Litia Fleming broke up with Richard Kemick after 10 years together, it came as a shock to Richard. But two weeks later, they got an even bigger jolt: Litia was pregnant. Find out how these exes are juggling new parenthood, dating, and the joys and challenges...

We know that people love their pets - the pet industry is worth billions of dollars in this country. But on this week's show, Ify and Trevor join Canadians who are truly going beyond for the animals in their lives and asking, "How far is too far?" When she was growing up, Ify's parents disliked pets, but today they've fallen for Kiki the cat. Ify asks her mom Vicky Chiwetelu how this unexpected love story came to be. After Kendal Crawford and Shaun Stephens-Whale, of Squamish BC, adopted...

As many as 12 per cent of all workers in Canada are on the clock after midnight. And that can have an impact on your health, your relationships, and your home life. Today we hear from some of the people who work while the rest of the country sleeps, including long-haul truckers, health-care aids and DJs. Trucker Leah Gorham regularly goes on long-haul treks with her boyfriend Roland Bereczki, where they trade off shifts so they can be on the move 24 hours a day. They tell us how they...

We all feel stuck sometimes - in habits, relationships, or just general middle-age malaise. So how do you get "unstuck?" On this episode, hear from people in the thick of it - and what they're doing to get their lives back on track. Emily Baadsvik is stuck between an idealism of what she thinks she should have accomplished by age 41, and the realities of her life today. She tells Ify why she feels like she's slowly unravelling, 10 years after she was on the Canadian Olympic bobsled team,...

It's always bugged Toronto journalist Adrian Ma that there is *another* Adrian Ma out there, a journalist and podcast host who is more famous, more accomplished, and “approximately 20% better looking" than him. So this summer, Adrian reached out to his doppelganger, and flew down to Washington, D.C. to meet him in person. The surreal moment when Adrian Ma meets Adrian Ma. Plus, Trevor talks to an old-school matchmaker with some unusual methods of scouting for singles. And what happens when...

At 15, Bee Bertrand's life was changed when he went to a Bif Naked concert. Finally, he was able to see "weirdos" just like him: queer people living loudly and proudly. And for decades, her music got him through the highs and lows of life. But after a late-night DM, Bee went from Bif's fan to one of her best friends.

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. When Carl Clarke struggled to find love after his divorce, a friend suggested he try an app for an AI companion. Now Clarke says he is in a committed relationship with Saia and says she’s helping him improve his life and expand his world.

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories! Richard Kemick is looking to dip his toe into the dating world again. There’s just one problem. His living situation is a little…..complicated. And tough to sum up in the six minutes he has to make a good first impression during speed-dating.

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. A year and a half ago, Trevor’s dad, Dave Dineen, underwent a laryngectomy to battle throat cancer. The surgery took away his vocal cords and forced him to find a new way to speak. He’s never spoken about how hard the recovery has been...until now.

All summer long we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories, and this one is fun! What happens when you put CBC Radio hosts Paul Haavardsrud, Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe and Piya Chattopadhyay on the hot seat? Ify and Trevor ask nosy questions to find out how much personal information they're willing to reveal...on air.

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. This is one that was part of our "Lost and Found" episode. When Chuck the parrot escaped, the Porte family didn't know if they would ever see their pet again. But days later and six kilometers away, Trevor Van Huit noticed a yellow bird land in his backyard. And then it started talking...

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories. Here is one from our "Around The World" episode. Lima Al-Azzeh may live in Canada, but her heart is in Gaza. This intensely personal interview shines a light on the lasting imprint of family, home, and when being 'on the run' is baked into your DNA.

All summer long we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories, and this one takes us to Los Angeles for an international whistling competition - yes that's a thing! Ben Shannon first entered he and Sumire, his 9-year-old daughter, in the competition as a joke, then it got serious. Find out what happened when this father-daughter duo were faced with tough-talking whistling coaches and a case of stage fright.

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories! For more than 100 nights this year, Donna Kane has slept outside under the stars in an old wrought iron bed. She tells us why sleeping outdoors in the vastness of nature - with mice scurrying across the duvet and coyotes howling in the distance - helps "to take yourself a little less seriously."

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories! After years of online dating and wading through bad pick up lines, unwelcome messages and horrible photos, Alicia Bunyan-Sampson decided to try something new. If you match with her, be prepared to answer around 30 questions. "There is this unspoken but loud expectation for women to make ourselves small. To lower our standards. To never be ‘too much’. I’m giving myself permission to take up space in the world, to dare...

All summer long, we're sharing some of our favourite Now or Never stories! After being partially paralyzed in a car accident in 2020, Brianna Seewald was determined to walk down the aisle on her wedding day. Wearing a glittering white dress, leg braces and a pair of white sneakers, Seewald made her way to the altar to join her now-husband Ryan Borkowsky. It was a moment built on years of determination and persistence.

Strap yourself in for some heart-pounding, stomach-churning stories on this episode, to hear what it's like when you face your fears head on. You would think that being strapped to a horse running 65 km/h would be the biggest adrenaline rush, but for Ciera Pruitt — who is dreaming of becoming a jockey just like her dad — there is no bigger thrill than sitting in the gate…waiting for it to open. And then…it's off to the races.  Ever since Amanda Fata white-knuckled her way through a bumpy...

In communities across the country, people are gathering to mark Pride. To celebrate, to march, and - in the face of an increase in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment - to fight for the right to safety, acceptance and belonging. Last week, 36-year-old Esmail experienced their first Pride parade ever. Having fled Yemen - where homosexuality is punishable by death - they recently arrived in Winnipeg and are finally experiencing moments of being accepted for who they truly are. In a narrow vote,...