Thoughts

Coercive control must be criminalized in Canada to protect women

It started slowly, insidiously, and incrementally. I had taken a job overseas as a communications professional and volunteer working with disenfranchised inner-city yo…

How losing my husband inspired me to be vulnerable

I was at my daughter's dance recital when I got the news that would change our lives: My husband, Harry, had cancer. Harry and I met in Germany when I had just turned …

By Cathy Thorpe

‘It’s not cute anymore’: My journey through the corporate world with a speech impediment

It took two years for my coworkers to get my name right. With a name like Adriana, the mispronunciation wasn’t malicious — it’s just not a common name. And the consistenc…

By Adriana Sgromo

I got an IUD for my 50th birthday: The worst gift ever

No refunds or exchanges — the shocking truth about periods and perimenopause Menopause brings an end to menstruation, but leading up to this “rite of passage,” m…

By Nathaly Houston

After a heart crisis: I still ride on the open road and help other women find their path

Lucie Gauthier on her Harley Davidson motorbike My lungs were full of blood, and I was drowning, gasping for air. I remember the moment that the social worker…

By Lucie Gauthier

Advanced Practice Nurse Zandra Koopman

As an Advanced Practice Nurse, I’m pleading with you to hear this story – it could save your life

Zandra consulting at the UOHI’s Women’s Heart Health Clinic I am frustrated with how familiar this patient story has become: It took four emergency room visi…

By Zandra Koopman

Advanced Practice Nurse Zandra Koopman

Periods were whispered about, I’m speaking out loud

Growing up, I was keenly aware of the silence that surrounded certain topics — periods being one of them. As a young brown girl navigating through life, I constantly grap…

By Leisha Toory

Lianne Laing

Lianne Laing’s heartfelt call to action: Turning family tragedy into a fight for prevention

My dad and I on my 18th birthday June 6, 2002, started with so much promise. There was brilliant sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. Tony, my fiancé, was playing…

By Lianne Laing

Lianne Laing