The Other Side – Details, episodes & analysis

Meet Kirsten Duke, a 39-year-old mother of three, who carried four babies and helped create two separate, but forever linked, families. The Other Side of Surrogacy - aka, the one that made Nadine cry. 

In this episode Kirsten generously shares her remarkable journey as a surrogate mother. Starting from the beginning (seeing a TikTok video with two hopeful fathers from Spain) she then walks us through the medical screenings, the legal and logistical processes, the experience of carrying a baby that isn't your own, and that moment of joy she experienced when she finally handed over a healthy baby girl to two fathers she had come to love as family.  

Kirsten's story is a testament to kindness, sacrifice and the importance of humanity and community. 

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Mom and sis are back! And this week the three of us dive into the joys and complexities of friendship. We talk about making new friends, losing old ones, and the natural ebb and flow of those lifelong friendships, including the pain of drifting apart as well as the beauty of reconnecting. Told from the perspective of women in their 40s, 50s and 70s, we explore how true friendships shape our lives, provide us with a safety net, and stand the test of time. 

Mom, sis and I are often found chatting on a three-way FaceTime call about anything and nothing at the same time. One day I asked if I could record our chats and, much like all of my off-the-wall ideas, they were game. I like to think of this as a 'borrow my family' series. Listen in, we tend to forget anyone is listening and that's when the juicy stuff comes out. 

x

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If you've ever wondered how folks figure out what to do with their lives, have a listen. Regardless if you're an entrepreneur or not, this conversation highlights how there are a million different paths to take you where you're meant to go. Sometimes it's as simple as being in the right place at the right time; Mandie and Nadine like to call that kismet. 

Mandie Vossenberg, the owner/operator of Collective Movement, joins Nadine on today's podcast to talk about her unlikely path to entrepreneurship, and how her first year(ish) has been. Much the same way all of Nadine and Mandie's conversations go, they flow from one topic to the next, hoping to share the realities of small biz life and how it feels to realize you have to be the adult in the room. As Mandie so succinctly puts it, to realize that "No one is coming to save you." 

If you're interested in knowing how it really feels to run a small business, this is for you. If you simply want a warm hug on a cold day, this is also for you. 

So maybe put the kettle on, settle in, and enjoy x

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Meet Tesia, a registered psychotherapist, who landed in a hospital bed with a broken back after the hammock she was relaxing in at a spa suddenly broke and sent her crashing to the ground. In this chat, Tesia recounts her harrowing experience from that day and walks us through the immense challenges of her recovery, including her personal and professional growth, setbacks, and shifting relationships. 

With honesty and a sense of humour that helped her through this traumatic experience, we are gifted with a story that is a testament to the power of perseverance and support. 

From being told she may never regain the ability to walk, to running a marathon 6 years later, Tesia shares how a serious injury can crack your entire world wide open.    

Tesia Bryski is the founder and co-director of Shine Mental Health Collective. 

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Chronic pain is something that's hard to imagine unless you've experienced it yourself. That's why I wanted to hear Lisa's story. Lisa is a physiotherapist who specializes in women's and pelvic floor health, and in this episode she shares her personal journey through an excruciating experience with chronic back pain.

Listen in as Lisa explains how chronic pain affected every aspect of her life - her job, her sleep, her relationships and her mental and physical health. Vulnerable and direct, Lisa holds nothing back as she walks us through her last couple of years, and shares how this has impacted her own practice now that she finds herself on the other side. 

Lisa is the co-owner of Bloom Integrative Health and is a co-host of the podcast Cliterally Obsessed. 

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In this episode of the Other Side Pod, Nadine talks to Henry Assad, the CEO of Happy Goat Coffee Company. Henry shares his experiences from starting in the coffee business in 2008 to purchasing and expanding Happy Goat. He delves into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges faced during the Ottawa Freedom Convoy, and how with the critical support from friends and family he managed to still be standing on the other side of a global pandemic. Despite the setbacks, Henry remains optimistic and continues to grow Happy Goat Coffee, recently expanding into the GTA and exploring new product lines. Henry’s story is one of resilience, community support, and a relentless drive to build something meaningful.

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I'm often found on FaceTime with mom and sis just ... shooting the shit. When I had this idea to record us they were all in, so here's our first go.

Throughout these 50 minutes we discuss numerous topics, from family dynamics, careers, access to birth control in the 70s, to how I got my abysmal sense of time from Lorraine (the matriarch). We jump from topic to topic because, that's us. Some months we'll delve further into something, but for the first episode together we kept it light(ish). 

I hope you enjoy because they'll be back the last Wednesday of each month (unless I fire them, which is a probability). 

nh x

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"I think there is something really beautiful I can make of these broken pieces...to give someone else some perspective...to leave the best parts of me behind.”

Part 2 of a 2-part conversation with Erin McHarge.

Take this podcast on your next walk. Trust me. Though it’s about cancer, incurable cancer at that, it’s one you will easily fall in love with because Erin is simply that kind of human. At 27, Erin was dealt a brutal blow - a stage 4B endometrial cancer diagnosis. This was less than a year ago, and now, freshly 28, she kindly pulls the curtain back on her life and offers us a rare insight into her world. 

We talk about everything, from the mundane to the profound, including diagnosis, the challenges of being taken seriously as a young woman with severe symptoms, her decision to continue pursuing her PhD, and how it feels having her new wife, the incomparable Sam!, also be her primary caregiver. Oh! And we cannot forget the honorable mention of Drew Carey and The Price is Right :P

Erin is a PhD student, a new wife, a Tarot Card aficionado, and simply one of the warmest, smartest, kindest human beings on planet earth. 

For more, check out Erin's substack x

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“I am not in the business of being miserable anymore.”

Take this podcast on your next walk. Trust me. Though it’s about cancer, incurable cancer at that, it’s one you will easily fall in love with because Erin is simply that kind of human. At 27, Erin was dealt a brutal blow - a stage 4B endometrial cancer diagnosis. This was less than a year ago, and now, freshly 28, she kindly pulls the curtain back on her life and offers us a rare insight into her world. We talk about everything, from the mundane to the profound, including diagnosis, the challenges of being taken seriously as a young woman with severe symptoms, her decision to continue pursuing her PhD, and how it feels having her new wife, the incomparable Sam!, also be her primary caregiver. Oh! And we cannot forget the honorable mention of Drew Carey and The Price is Right :P

Erin is a PhD student, a new wife, a Tarot Card aficionado, and simply one of the warmest, smartest, kindest human beings on planet earth. 

This is part 1 of 2. Tune in next Wednesday for more. 

In the meantime, check out Erin's substack.  x

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Listen in as Nadine and Mandie chat all things dead parents on the first episode of The Other Side Pod. Through candid and deeply personal dialogue, they share stories about their grief, unexpected signs from their loved ones, and the odd comfort found in dark humour. From the logistical aftermath of a parent's death to the emotional nuances of navigating life without them, this episode offers a raw yet relatable look at grief, filled with both laughter and tears.

Mandie Vossenberg is the owner/operator of the Collective Movement studio in Ottawa, Ontario. She's funny, honest, bighearted, and vegan - but don't hold that last part against her :P x

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