At 75, Melody Harris is just getting started.In this deeply honest and uplifting conversation, Melody—cancer survivor, lifelong learner, devoted caregiver, and proud “child-free by choice” woman—joins hosts Marcia, Lynda, and Rachelle to talk about what it really means to live fully at every stage of life.From growing up on a farm in the 1950s to navigating a 50–year marriage touched by addiction, Melody shares the hard-earned wisdom, humour and grit that shaped her philosophy: “Every day is my birthday.”Together, they explore:Why the small things—coffee, walks, sunsets, clean sheets—matter more than the big milestones.The hardest lesson many women have to learn: what is and isn’t your responsibility.Choosing to be child-free in a generation that expected otherwise.How gratitude, community, and simply showing up can transform despair into hope.Aging with intention, staying curious, and why Melody wears a helmet to go ice skating with toddlers.This episode is a love letter to women in every season of life—especially those feeling stretched thin, unseen, or like it’s “too late” to rewrite their story. Melody reminds us that as long as we’re here, we get to choose how we rise.For more Voices Rising, visit ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://voicesrisingpodcast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/voicesrisingpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/voicesrisingpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VoicesRisingPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@voicesrisingpodcast⁠⁠⁠

Saying no can feel uncomfortable, selfish, or evendangerous—especially for women who’ve been raised to please, accommodate, and keep the peace. In this episode of Voices Rising, Rachelle, Marcia and Lynda unpack why “no” is such a powerful word, and how learning to use it can protect your energy, your time, and your mental health.

They explore how people-pleasing leads to resentment, how toset boundaries at work and at home, and why younger generations (especially Gen Z) are rewriting the rules around careers, relationships, and expectations.

With real-life stories—from saying no to social events, to pushing back on extra work, to choosing solo hotel rooms on girls’ trips—this conversation offers practical language and mindset shifts to help you start saying no without guilt.

If you’ve ever agreed to something and immediately regrettedit, this episode is for you.

For more Voices Rising, visit ⁠ ⁠⁠https://voicesrisingpodcast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode, Rachelle, Lynda, and Marcia sit down with Michelle Gardner—wife, mom of two, CEO, digital creator, and founder of Parent Through Play and Sensory Kids Play, one of Canada’s top 20 YouTube kids’ channels with more than 600,000 subscribers.Michelle shares how she walked away from “Superwoman Syndrome” in corporate life to design a more intentional, values-led version of success rooted in motherhood, connection, and play.

She opens up about the illusion of “doing it all,” the grief and disillusionment she experienced with corporate culture after becoming a mom, and the bold decisions she and her family made to prioritize time with their children.Follow us:⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/voicesrisingpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/voicesrisingpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@VoicesRisingPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@voicesrisingpodcast⁠⁠⁠