Podcast

Dr. Macdonald has been practicing as a family physician for over 30 years. She has been on staff at the University of Toronto Health and Counselling Center for over 20 years.

Through her exposure and experience she came to appreciate the limitations within the health care system. This awareness led her to become a mindfulness teacher to help people improve their lives through awareness of our attitudes, thoughts, beliefs, emotions and relationships.

Dr. Macdonald’s meditation experience began almost 2 decades ago with Dr. Treyvaud at the Mindfulness Centre in Oakville, when she took the introductory Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. Since then she gone on to study with some of the top thought leaders and teachers across various disciplines. Leaders such as Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli, Zindel Segal, Dr. Jean Kristeller, Jack Kornfield and Daniel Siegel, Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer to name a few.

At the Mindfulness Centre in Oakville Ontario, she leads most of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs currently.
I must add that she is one of the most authentically kind people I’ve ever met!

My dear friend Sandra and I explore human potential and the power of the mind and thought. A strong advocate and promoter of health and wellness, Sandra has dedicated the last 15 years to researching advancements in biomechanics, physical fitness, diet, and emotional health. Sandra address’s the body as a whole. Understanding the mind/body relationship, cellular-memory, and the effects of stress on the human body to help connect to Mind, Body, Spirit.

Jana Webb is the founder and CEO of Joga, an athletic style of yoga that has revolutionized how people including elite athletes strengthen their minds and bodies – elite Athletes from the NHL, NBA, NFL, MBL, MLS, and Olympians. She is a speaker, influencer, a media personality and starred in the reality TV show Real Housewives of Toronto. In 2016 she was hit head-on in her car by a cement truck and suffered a brain injury and broke her back in 3 places. Jana shares her journey of healing (without drugs or painkillers) through Joga, meditation, breathwork, visualization, and a strong will. Her story is absolutely inspirational. We discuss tips on how to survive and even thrive in quarantine.

Francesca Bonta joins the podcast to share wisdom and perspective on how to find health, balance and peace during these difficult times. Yoga has been part of Francesca’s life for almost 40 years. She is the proud owner of Karma Lifestyle Yoga & Holistic Health. Francesca is well known for Chakra Balancing Healing Modality. She conducted a remote healing on myself, an incredible experience that I share in this episode! She is a true expert in her field with over 15,000 teaching hours of experience.

Mariya Garnet’s mission is ‘To Be in Service To Life’ and she truly accomplishes this mission. She has helped 1000’s of people by combining plant medicines and sound in all of their manifestations to bring health and inner peace into human experience. Her spiritual journey began at a sacred lake in Siberia and then continued to India, Brazil and eventually Peru where she began her shamanic apprenticeship and later founded Canto Luz in 2008, an off the grid rainforest retreat. Her story is fascinating and I truly enjoyed this conversation.