Sometimes your body starts sending signals long before anyone can explain them.

Dizziness. Disorientation. A sense that something is deeply wrong, even when tests come back “normal.”

In this episode of Blind Spots, Charles Young shares what it was like to live inside that uncertainty, and how listening to his instincts ultimately saved his life.

Host Gayle MacDonald sits down with Charles Young to explore his experience of living with a rare, benign brain tumor that went undiagnosed for years. What began as unexplained vertigo and nausea eventually escalated into psychosis, hospitalization, and emergency brain surgery.

Charles reflects on navigating the healthcare system, losing his career overnight, and facing the emotional aftermath of survival. This is not a story about easy answers. It is a grounded conversation about self-advocacy, recovery, and how perspective can shift after trauma.

What You’ll Hear or Learn

• What it feels like when your symptoms are real, but answers are slow to come
• How psychosis showed up and what awareness looked like from the inside
• The moment Charles chose to actively participate in his recovery
• Letting go of negative self-talk during illness and healing
• Grieving the loss of a career while building a different kind of life
• Why connection matters more than isolation during long-term illness
• How sharing your story can help others feel less alone

About Charles

Charles Young is a former educator and senior leader in learning and development with

the Government of Alberta. Raised on a family farm in rural Alberta, he built a career

rooted in service, teaching at NorQuest College and Grant MacEwan College before

moving into provincial leadership roles supporting staff development across multiple

ministries.

Charles’s life changed dramatically when he was diagnosed with a rare colloid brain

cyst that caused severe neurological and psychological symptoms. After a high‑risk

seven‑hour brain surgery at the University of Alberta Hospital, he began a long recovery

journey marked by resilience, determination, and what he calls his “great reset.”

Now nearly two years post‑surgery, Charles embraces a healthier lifestyle, prioritizes

mental well‑being, and openly shares his story to help others facing medical or mental

health challenges. He is an active member of global colloid cyst support groups, offering

hope and encouragement to people navigating similar diagnoses.

Known by friends for his newfound gentleness, perspective, and gratitude, Charles

advocates for connection, self‑advocacy, and the importance of strong health benefits

and early life planning. Though legally disabled and unable to return to work, he

describes his life today as meaningful, connected, and better than before.

Connect With Charles Young

• LinkedIn

Listen with curiosity. Reflect on where you may need to trust your instincts more deeply. And if this conversation resonates, consider sharing it with someone who may be navigating illness or recovery quietly.

What if the key to better leadership, emotional regulation, and resilience isn’t willpower but understanding how your brain actually works?

In this episode of Blind Spots, host Gayle MacDonald sits down with Dr. Lisa Riegel to explore how self-awareness, brain biology, and perception shape the way we think, feel, and behave, often without us realizing it. Using a powerful “brain as a corporation” analogy, Dr. Riegel explains why so many of our reactions happen below conscious awareness, and how learning to lead your own brain can change everything from stress and anxiety to leadership effectiveness and personal fulfillment.

This conversation bridges neuroscience, leadership, mental health, and everyday life, offering practical insight into why we react the way we do, how past experiences quietly influence the present, and what it really means to take control as the CEO of your own mind.

In this conversation, they discuss:

• Why most of our thoughts and reactions happen unconsciously
• The difference between reality and perception and how filters shape behavior
• How stress hijacks the brain and shuts down critical thinking
• Why self-awareness is the foundation of emotional regulation and resilience
• How understanding brain biology reduces shame and increases self-compassion
• What it means to lead yourself before leading others
• Practical ways to retrain the brain for calmer, healthier responses
• Why intention, not perfection, is the key to lasting change

This episode is a must-listen foranyone who wants to better understand their own patterns and learn how to work with their brain instead of fighting it.

About Lisa:

Dr. Lisa Riegel is deeply passionate about organizational reform across education, government, and the nonprofit sectors. She consults with organizations to strengthen human capital management, improve collaboration, and bring strategic plans to life. While many organizations have a strategy on paper, her work ensures those plans are implemented and monitored with genuine commitment rather than compliance.

In the education sector, Lisa is recognized for her expertise in social and emotional learning, differentiation, and student engagement. She is a strong advocate for partnerships among schools, families, businesses, and communities. Her consulting includes facilitating strategic planning for diverse stakeholder groups, supporting data visualization, and developing effective communication strategies.

Lisa is also the author of NeuroWell, a book that helps educators understand how academic and social behavior emerge from the interaction between biology and context. The book provides practical step-by-step guidance for creating a NeuroWell culture in schools.

Contact Lisa: lisariegel@epinstitute.net | www.lisariegel.com

Books & Resources:

NeuroWell — by Dr. Lisa Riegel

Aspirations to Operations — by Dr. Lisa Riegel

The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk

EP Institute

When the Body Says No — Gabor Maté

Gail McDonald sits down with Lisa Purcell to explore a career journey shaped by curiosity, courage, and a willingness to move forward without having everything figured out.

From leaving Canada at 23 with a suitcase and a backpack, to working as a nanny and English teacher in Spain, joining the United Nations Development Programme in Geneva, navigating international banking in London, and eventually returning to Canada to raise a family and build a career in education and public service, Lisa’s story challenges the idea that careers must follow a straight line.

Together, Gail and Lisa unpack the fears that stop people from making changes, the pressure to “pick one path,” and the freedom that comes from reframing uncertainty as possibility. They explore how values and priorities shift over time, how work-life balance looks different in each life stage, and why it’s never too late to return to school or change direction.

This Conversation Covers:

• Trusting curiosity when you don’t have a clear plan
• Leaving without burning bridges
• The hidden pressure to settle into one identity or career
• Why fear often shows up right before growth
• Reframing nonlinear paths as strength, not failure
• Navigating career change across different life stages
• Balancing ambition, family, and personal values

Lisa’s story is a powerful reminder that meaningful careers are often built through exploration, not certainty — and that sometimes the most important step is simply being willing to begin.

Books & Resources Referenced

• 17 Lies That Are Holding You Back & the Truth That Will Set You Free — Steve Chandler

In this special year-end episode of Blind Spots, host Gail McDonald offers an unscripted, reflective conversation about gratitude, boundaries, and easing the pressure we place on ourselves during the holidays.

Recorded just days before Christmas, this episode isn’t about doing more — it’s about letting go. Gail reflects on the power of gratitude, the gift of time, and why perfection is often the biggest source of holiday stress. From family traditions and emotional triggers to intentions (instead of resolutions) and the freedom that comes from releasing control, this episode invites listeners to pause, breathe, and choose what truly matters.

Gail also shares personal stories, practical mindset shifts, and gentle reminders that joy doesn’t require perfection — only presence. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, reflective, or simply in need of permission to slow down, this episode offers a grounding close to the year and a compassionate bridge into what comes next.

As Blind Spots looks ahead to the new year, Gail invites you to be part of the conversation. If there’s a topic you’d love to hear explored in 2026 — a blind spot you’re curious about, a challenge you’re navigating, or a question you’d like unpacked — send an email and share your ideas. Your input helps shape the conversations to come.

Gail McDonald sits down with Dr. Joel Rothaizer, MCC, ABPP. He’s a Board Certified Psychologist, a Master Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation, and a long-time executive coach. Together we explore the surprising overlap between coaching and psychology — and why coaches can safely borrow powerful techniques without crossing ethical lines. With more than 30 years of experience supporting leaders and organizations, Dr. Rothaizer shares practical, grounded insights that help coaches deepen their impact while staying firmly within scope.

In this rich conversation, Gail and Dr. Rothaizer unpack the origins of the “coaching vs. therapy” divide, the false dichotomies that still influence the profession, and why the real foundation of both practices is the same: creating a safe, trusting environment where clients can be vulnerable, reflective, and open to change. They also explore developmental psychology, the Enneagram, emotional regulation, and how coaches can confidently navigate situations that may require referral.

This Conversation Covers:

• The false historical divide between coaching and therapy — and why it still misleads coaches
• How to create a strong “holding environment” that clients may describe as therapeutic
• The four capabilities every great executive coach needs:

1. A coaching model
2. Understanding of organizational culture
3. A framework for individual differences
4. A developmental model :

• Why clients struggle to take logical next steps — and how psychology explains those barriers• A clear, coach-appropriate explanation of the Enneagram and its use in understanding motivation
• When a client’s pattern points to a forward-focused coaching approach vs. a therapy referral
• How to recognize your own “window of tolerance” during sessions and why it matters
• The ethical red flags coaches must not ignore — and how to handle referral conversations with care
• Why mentor coaches are essential for self-reflection, ethics, and growth

This episode is a practical, eye-opening guide to the deeper layers of human behavior that shape coaching outcomes — and a reminder that powerful coaching doesn’t require stepping into therapy, only understanding people more fully.

Dr. Joel Rothaizer, MCC, ABPP

Clear Impact Leadership

Book: Clear Impact: Building Your Leadership Capacity

Books & Resources Referenced:

• Awareness to Action Enneagram Podcast
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
• "Window of Tolerance” framework

Gail McDonald takes listeners inside one of her favourite personal-development books of all time: 17 Lies That Are Holding You Back and the Truth That Will Set You Free by Steve Chandler. In this reflective solo episode, Gail explores two powerful lies many of us repeat without realizing the impact they have on our confidence, our relationships, our habits, and our future: “That’s just the way I am” and “I’m too old for that.”

Drawing from Chandler’s insights and her own lived experiences, Gail unpacks how the stories we tell ourselves—about aging, habits, personality, and capability—can quietly shape our identity and limit our growth. She also shares practical examples from her childhood, career, and daily life that illustrate how unconscious narratives form, how they keep us stuck, and how shifting them can lead to lasting change.

This conversation is an invitation to pause, reflect, and consider: Which beliefs are truly yours, and which are old scripts you’ve outgrown?

This Conversation Covers:

• Why “that’s just the way I am” is often a self-protective story—not a truth
• How unconscious childhood programming shapes adult habits
• The difference between aging and feeling “too old,” and why perspective matters
• Real stories of people who started new careers, projects, or education later in life
• Why self-esteem is an inner practice—not something others can “hurt” or control
• The surprising emotional power of organization, habits, and early personality patterns
• How doing something—even small steps—begins to shift long-held narratives

This episode is a reminder that we are not fixed beings—we are always capable of learning, changing, and choosing differently at any age.

Books & Resources Referenced:

• 17 Lies That Are Holding You Back and the Truth That Will Set You Free — Steve Chandler
• 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself — Steve Chandler
• Atomic Habits — James Clear
• Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway — Dr. Susan Jeffers
• Work of Immanuel Kant (referenced in discussion)

Gail McDonald sits down with sisters Daria and Shawna Balas, the powerhouse founders behind SHE-Canada, a coast-to-coast platform built to support, celebrate, and elevate women-led businesses. What began as a simple acronym, Support Her Enterprise, has grown into a national movement giving women greater visibility, confidence, and community in entrepreneurship.

In this heartfelt conversation, Gail, Daria, and Shawna explore the real experiences of women in business: navigating confidence gaps, strengthening self-esteem, finding belonging, and rising together through mutual support. They discuss the challenges women face in accessing funding, building networks, and being taken seriously, and how SHE-Canada is breaking down those barriers through co-op marketing, a national directory, digital magazines, and genuine community-building.

This Conversation Covers:

• The meaning and origin of SHE—Support Her Enterprise
• The difference between confidence and self-esteem, and why both matter
• The “crown straightening” philosophy of women helping women rise
• Challenges female entrepreneurs face in visibility, connection, and financing
• How SHE-Canada’s co-op marketing model reduces costs and expands reach
• The importance of inclusive support for all women, from makers to CEOs
• How technology, community, and mentorship shape modern entrepreneurship
• Why networking remains essential for women in business

This episode is a reminder that women rise higher when they rise together, through authenticity, collaboration, and community.

SHE-Canada:

Founded by Daria Balas and Shawna Balas Website: she-canada.com

Books & Resources Referenced:

• The Tipping Point — Malcolm Gladwell
• Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway — Dr. Susan Jeffers
• Author Charles Darwin

Gail McDonald sits down with Ed Brenegar, leadership thought leader, writer, podcaster, and social catalyst, to explore what leadership really means in a time when old systems are breaking down and new models are emerging.

Ed, author of eight books and writer of The Future of Leadership on Substack, shares why leadership has nothing to do with titles and everything to do with initiative, clarity, and community. Together, they unpack how great organizations are built—not through hierarchy—but through trust, human connection, and the willingness to empower people at every level.

This conversation covers:

• Why most companies run their business but don’t truly lead
• How clarity of values, purpose, and impact transforms organizations
• The hidden leadership already happening in the “lower” levels of every company
• The Five Actions of Gratitude and why they can shift an entire culture
• Why kindness is strategic—and how to embed it into daily work
• How to help teams think clearly, innovate, and speak up
• Why “saying no” is essential for leaders
• The dangers of the Dunning–Kruger effect and how to stay curious
• How to believe in yourself without posturing or ego
• The surprising sleep routine that helped Ed write his most impactful book

Ed’s storytelling, insight, and lived experience offer a refreshing, human approach to leadership, rooted in dignity, community, and genuine impact. If you’re a leader, manager, or anyone who wants to make a difference, this episode will change how you see your role and your capacity.

Ed Brenegar:

edbrenegar.com

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Books Referenced

• Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman
• May Your No Be a Yes by Ed Brenegar
• The Circle of Impact by Ed Brenegar
• Generational Memory: Restoring Community in the Continuity of Time (Ed’s forthcoming book; working title)