Ah, the joys of hosting your family for the holidays: passing down traditions, feeding big groups with many dietary needs and getting everyone to leave at a decent hour. With Thanksgiving around the corner, former editor-in-chief Maureen Halushak sits down with editors Erica Lenti and Chantal Braganza to talk family functions in this special bonus episode of Group Chat.

Then, Fall 2026 guest editor and host of CTV’s The Good Stuff Mary Berg joins Maureen to dig into Thanksgiving dinners, pleasing a crowd at your next dinner party and her Friendsgiving feast favourites.

Group Chat is new biweekly podcast that gets up close and personal with the editors of Chatelaine—and some very special guests.

Each episode, hosted by editor-in-chief Maureen Halushak, will explore one of the many topics, big and small, that matter to Canadian women—from menopause to weight bias to reality tv.

You can watch the podcast on Chatelaine’s YouTube channel or listen wherever you find your podcasts.

Thank you to our official furniture partner IKEA Canada.

Featuring:

• Maureen Halushak @maureenhalushak
• Mary Berg @mary_berg3
• Erica Lenti @ericalenti
• Chantal Braganza @cbraganz

Production:

• Maureen Halushak: Producer
• Erica Lenti: Producer
• Ryan Carter: Director / Editor
• Corey Misquita: Director of Photography / Motion Graphic Designer / Camera Operator
• Masnoon Zarif: Camera Operator / Gaffer

Furniture partner: IKEA Canada

In the season finale of Group Chat, we’re talking Sliding Doors moments: last-minute or split-second, unexpected decisions that led us to where we are in our professional and personal lives (inspired, of course, by the 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow classic Sliding Doors). Host Maureen Halushak chats about her unlikely foray into journalism alongside creative director Sun Ngo and executive editor Erica Lenti.

Then, Summer 2026 guest editor Meredith Shaw joins Maureen to share her own Sliding Doors moment: being scouted as a model in line for a Sarah McLachlan concert. Plus, Meredith shares the inspiration behind her all-Canadian summer lookbook for Chatelaine.

Editor’s note: This is our last episode of Group Chat Season 1! We’ll be back after a summer hiatus. Until then, binge all of Season 1 on YouTube.

Group Chat is new biweekly podcast that gets up close and personal with the editors of Chatelaine—and some very special guests.

Each episode, hosted by editor-in-chief Maureen Halushak, will explore one of the many topics, big and small, that matter to Canadian women—from menopause to weight bias to reality tv.

You can watch the podcast on Chatelaine’s YouTube channel or listen wherever you find your podcasts.

Thank you to our official furniture partner IKEA Canada.

Featuring:

• Maureen Halushak @maureenhalushak
• Meredith Shaw @meredithshaw
• Erica Lenti @ericalenti
• Sun Ngo @sunngo.studio

Production:

• Maureen Halushak: Producer
• Erica Lenti: Producer
• Ryan Carter: Director / Editor
• Corey Misquita: Director of Photography / Motion Graphic Designer / Camera Operator
• Masnoon Zarif: Camera Operator / Gaffer

Furniture partner: IKEA Canada

There’s endless advice—from every corner of the internet, your friends and gym buddies—about how to work out in midlife: change your routine, get your strength training in during perimenopause, get your heart rate up, walk more, run more, do more. But how do you stay motivated to exercise at all? Personal trainer and menopause fitness expert Samantha Montpetit-Huynh (better known as Sam Core Trainer) joins Maureen Halushak in the Group Chat this week to talk about fitness in your 40s, changing how you view exercise (it’s not all about weight loss!) and the secret to staying consistent.

Plus, FASHION senior fashion, beauty and wellness editor Julia McEwan and Today’s Parent editor-in-chief Vanessa Grant enter the chat to talk about their favourite ways to work out, and how that’s changed over the years.

Group Chat is new biweekly podcast that gets up close and personal with the editors of Chatelaine—and some very special guests.

Each episode, hosted by editor-in-chief Maureen Halushak, will explore one of the many topics, big and small, that matter to Canadian women—from menopause to weight bias to reality tv.

You can watch the podcast on Chatelaine’s YouTube channel or listen wherever you find your podcasts.

Thank you to our official furniture partner IKEA Canada.

Featuring:

• Maureen Halushak @maureenhalushak
• Samantha Montpetit @samcoretrainer
• Julia McEwan @juliapjmcewan
• Vanessa Grant

Production:

• Maureen Halushak: Producer
• Erica Lenti: Producer
• Ryan Carter: Director / Editor
• Natasha Zoccoli: Editor / Camera Operator
• Corey Misquita: Director of Photography / Motion Graphic Designer / Camera Operator
• Masnoon Zarif: Camera Operator / Gaffer

Furniture partner: IKEA Canada