Hi Everyone, we are so thrilled to welcome you to our new adventure, a Mother-Daughter Podcast!
A note from Jenny:
Spark seems like a poignant title for this podcast, partly because it ties in so well with the Girl on Fire Empowerment program I wrote when Sophia was eight years old. It also seems to fit with our lives today, as we move through a grief journey after losing my sister in the mass shooting here in NS, in April, 2020.
I’ve never been at a loss for work ideas and life dreams, but since the massacre, I’ve felt really lost. I just couldn't seem to find anything to look forward to. So this project and the process of working with Sophia, has sparked a light in me that I wasn’t sure I’d ever rekindle. Little did I know when I called her Sophia, which means wisdom in Greek, that it would also include Tech Genius one day, which she is for this podcast.
My hope is that these real conversations about intergenerational messiness and post traumatic growth, help to light a SPARK inside of everyone, especially in the aftermath (kind of) of a global pandemic.
A note from Sophia:
Spark to me is lighting the path to my future. It is the beginning. I look forward to sharing the knowledge I have acquired over the years of my life while also being a student on this journey. If you don't already know me, I'm a 15 year old singer/songwriter, mental health advocate, public speaker, dancer and now…a podcaster.
Since mom’s a leader in yoga and mindfulness, in every podcast, she’ll be sharing self care practices. We’ll chat about the issues that we’re facing, sometimes with a super interesting guest or an expert in the field we’re discussing. And at the end we’ll do a short Q&A, so send us questions or comments to spark@girlonfire.ca. Our overall vision is to provide you with SPARKs of insight to help light your way forward.
By bringing our struggles, our silliness and our honesty to this platform, we’ll all grow a little stronger, embrace our true selves and rise in our lives.
Whether you're a Girl on Fire or a Woman of Light, we hope this podcast inspires you to speak your truth, use your voice to affect positive change and heal the intergenerational connections in your life.
Welcome to the journey everyone!
Jenny K and Sophia Rae
Moving from loneliness to connection
In this episode, Sophia and I discuss the epidemic of loneliness, which millions are suffering from around the world.We open with the surprising detrimental effects that loneliness has on our mental and physical health, like how it rewires our brains and increases inflammation markers. What’s tricky about loneliness, however, is that we often can’t just…
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Repair and Recovery: The key to lasting relationships
This stellar conversation is the fourth and final episode (for now) with our champion guest speaker, Sophia’s Dad, and my hubby, Blair Abbass. We begin with updates on our lives since we chose to postpone our pod to give our chat with Cindy Thompson from A Resilience Project Podcast its full moment in the sun.…
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Let’s talk about our red flags…ft Blair Abbass
In this third episode of our four part mini series on relationships with therapist, mindfulness teacher and educator, Blair Abbass, we discuss everything from dysfunctional relationships and red flags to healthy connections and green flags. We each share three red flags that arouse a sense of caution in us, such as addiction, criticism and lack…
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Foster Healthy Relationships with the Law of Attraction
In this touching and informative family conversation, we discuss the popular phrase ‘law of attraction’ with regards to attracting partnerships. I start off by reminding us that our intimate relationships are the most important choice we’ll ever make, so it’s worth our time and reflection. Our guest, Blair Abbass (my husband and Sophia’s father), shares…
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Summer 2023 Wrap up- Camp highlights, Epiphanies, Meeting the Prime Minister….
Join us for our Summer 2023 Wrap up and Reflection! The practice of ‘recapitulation’ is a meaningful way of closing any experience, or season. Reflecting on the last season helps us to deepen our insight and savour the goodness we’ve enjoyed. This is what Sophia and I discuss in this episode, as we share:1. A peak experience2.…
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Mini series: Let’s chat about intimate relationships- an introduction
In this episode with our repeat guest, the one and only Blair Abbass, we share a surprisingly serious and deep conversation about intimate relationships. After 22 years of being together, we continue to refine and define our partnership, and we share the details of our winning formula. As a witness to our relationship, and a…
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Unveiling the Truth about Self Harm
In this moving and emotional episode, Sophia and I have a very real conversation about the prevalence of self-harm (TW). We want to be clear that we discuss this topic in it’s broadest sense, not by what is presented in the DSM-5, which describes self-harm as: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), is defined as the deliberate, self-inflicted…
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Musicians, Meaghan Smith and Jason Mingo, on success in the industry and in parenting.
In this exciting SPARK episode, we chat with the one of a kind duo, singer/songwriter Meaghan Smith and her producer husBAND, Jason Mingo. It’s fascinating to hear about them starting out, living and working in LA with the likes of renowned producer Greg Kurstin (who also worked with Pink and Tegan), and how Jason found…
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How to Think Big and Pursue Your Deepest Dreams
In this moving and frankly, inspiring conversation, this mother-daughter duo discusses the challenges and rewards involved in pursuing your own passions, even and especially when they lie outside of the cultural norm. This topic arose from Sophia’s first big keynote speech that she did for the Mental Health Symposium in NB a few weeks ago…
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Three Generations- A Mothers Day Special
In this very special Mother’s Day episode, we chat with Emily Kierstead, my (Jenny’s) mother, Sophia’s grandmother and a woman who’s lost three of her four children. The three generations discuss Mom’s early years when she bravely left NB to attend theological college in Toronto, which women didn’t commonly do back then, and how that…
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