Now or Never

Now or Never

In a world that can feel pretty scary, it’s easy to get stuck. This is a show that celebrates what it takes to try. To take the risk. To have the talk. To rock the speedo. Because making even the tiniest change takes courage, and hosts Ify and Trevor are here to remind you that you’re not alone when you do. New episodes every Thursday.

  1. 19 JUN

    If you only had weeks left to live, what would you do?

    An extraordinarily joyful, heartfelt and life-affirming episode of Now or Never, as five people nearing the end of their lives invite us into their final wishes. When Susan LaFeuvre was told her cancer was terminal, she knew what she wanted her final wish to be: a private aerial silks performance by her 11-year-old granddaughter Lauren. Casey Kemble and his daughters Serenity and Amy made a family tradition of spotting roadside attractions while driving old beaters from Ontario to the Yukon. Now they’re planning one last trip together, as part of what Casey calls his “beaker list" -- because he doesn’t have time or money for a bucket list. Why this family is leaning into laughter as they make memories together. Ellen Nadarajah is a single mom to three teenagers, cares for her aging parents, and is the social convenor for her lifelong friend group. She also has metastatic breast cancer, weighs less than 60 pounds and wasn’t expected to still be here. So today, we’re making her final wish come true with a photoshoot that puts her in the spotlight, creating a powerful image she hopes will inspire others. Joe and Darlene Sarazin are the round-the-clock caregivers for their 42-year-old daughter, April-Lee, who has complex medical needs. Worried about what will happen to their daughter when they’re no longer around, the parents have spent close to two decades advocating for a new care facility in Saskatchewan for people like April-Lee. Now that they're getting closer to that dream, they're also grappling with letting go of their daughter. Growing up, Bill Denning lived above his family's funeral home, getting a daily reminder of how precious life is. Now, as a fourth-generation funeral director he has a front row seat to people's final wishes, including funeral dance parties and drink orders from beyond-the-grave.

    54 min
  2. 29 MAY

    Double the fun? The ups and downs of being a twin

    Why do we find twins so fascinating? And what's it really like to be one?   Five sets of twins get real about the ups and downs of moving through the world with someone who looks exactly like you.  From dressing alike to developing secret languages, Now or Never producer Jessica Singer and her twin sister Nicole kick the show off by answering all your nosy questions about life as a twin. For first-time parents Kim Miller and Robert Jiang, having toddler twins has been a handful. But Robert’s mom Sufan Lu has jumped in to become a lifeline for Kim and Robert, and a delight to her grandchildren. Find out why all parents of multiples need a nai nai (grandmother) like Sufan in their lives. Identical twins Niko and Marko Martinovic grew up pulling off pranks together, switching spots on unsuspecting friends and family. Today they've turned those pranks into a full-time job, as the creators and stars of the "Even Out Twins" on YouTube. But ten years in, Niko and Marko are starting to question how constantly assuming the same identity has affected their individuality.  Rory and Camilla Turnbull were born identical twin sisters, but now that Rory has come out as trans they’re navigating life as brother and sister for the first time.  Mercedes Sheen vividly remembers the time she fainted dramatically in the dining hall at primary school. But her twin sister, Michaela Sheen, insists it was she who fainted dramatically that day. These sorts of disagreements are what Mercedes calls “disputed memories,” and it's a phenomenon that happens mostly with twins. Mercedes and Michaela reunite to tell us how this unique twin experience (and childhood argument) led Mercedes to do a PhD on it. Twin sisters Chantal and Jeannelle Tousignant aren’t just best friends. At the age of 35, they've decided they'll also be lifelong roommates. How a low point in each of their lives caused them to move back in together, and led to a surprising realization they share the same life dream -- one they only want to achieve together.

    53 min
  3. 15 MAY

    Why is there a pirate ship in that backyard?! (And other summer adventures)

    Your long weekend just got better, because Now or Never’s latest podcast just dropped and we’re taking you on adventures across the country. We start in Winnipeg, where Trevor has been wondering about a huge pirate ship in someone’s backyard for years. Today, he knocks on the door and meets “Captain” Doug Cook and discovers how his dream of a place where his grandchildren could play has helped him deal with loneliness after the death of his wife. Farkhunda Muhtaj had big dreams of kicking her way into soccer history this summer, playing for the Calgary Wild FC as part of Canada’s first women’s pro soccer league. A tendon injury has kept her on the sidelines for now, but Farkhunda is doing everything in her power to get back on the pitch - carrying the dreams of young Afghan soccer players on her shoulders.  The bustling Rawlins Cross intersection in downtown St. John’s, N.L. is notorious for collisions. But when the weather gets warmer, 87-year-old William Pryse-Phillips gives people in the area a reason to stop and smell the roses…literally.  It’s been a tough year for beekeepers in Manitoba, but that isn’t stopping 18-year-old April Steppler from following her dad, Ian’s footsteps, and managing her first hive ever. Trevor visits the apiary to find out what’s hurting the bees and how this father/daughter team is determined to make the best of the season. In a Nova Scotia forest, Nina Newington and Lisa Proulx are putting up tents, turning on camp stoves, and settling in for a summer of trying to protect the forest from logging. Their tools are tiny —endangered lichens almost imperceptible to the naked eye — but their love for the forest is big, and determination is growing by the day. Finally, listeners call in their favourite sounds of summer.

    53 min
  4. 8 MAY

    Firsts and lasts: "Obviously I'm rusty, I haven't had a first date in 15 years"

    First day on the job. The last time your kid holds your hand. Life is full of firsts and lasts, and today you'll hear some memorable ones. At Montrose Elementary School in Winnipeg, the students are celebrating 70 years of school history with the most ambitious spring concert ever, and that has first-time performers — and first-time performing arts teacher, Andrea Brickwood — feeling the pressure. After 15 years and three kids, Arv and his partner ended their relationship. Today he's dipping his toes back into a dating world that's changed dramatically since his last visit. Now he has to figure out the dos and don'ts of first dates all over again. April Hubbard has been a performer for much of her life. As she prepares for her death by MAiD, she’s completing her final artistic creations — performances in which there’s no more holding back.  Looking for a change, Ti-Anna Wang left her law career to do something she's never done before – run Silly Goose Kids, a toy store in Toronto. Join in on the nerves and uncertainty less than 24 hours before opening day. After 31 years in business, Sandy Doyle was more than ready to shut down her diner Blondie's Burgers in Winnipeg. But is she ready to quit her 'Blondie' persona too?  After fleeing Ukraine with only $700 in their pockets, Sofiia Dubyk and her family have purchased their first house in St. John’s, N.L. They’re looking forward to making their house into a home, but their excitement is tempered by the reality that back in Ukraine, war rages on.

    53 min
  5. 1 MAY

    Under the knife: The stories beneath the scars

    More than two million surgeries are performed every year in Canada, and behind every cut, stitch, or scar - there's a story. On this episode we're getting into the ripple effects of going under the knife, for better or for worse. When Gilles Landreville noticed a small cut on his foot, he couldn’t have known that a week later, he’d be waking up in hospital, missing two-thirds of his left leg. But as Gilles adjusts to life in a new body, he’s also finding a new identity: Gilles 2.0, an update that refuses to let his circumstances bring him down—and is determined to help other people navigate tough changes too.  Ashley Hiebert wants to celebrate her 10 year anniversary of donating a kidney to a stranger, by doing it again: this time, she's donating part of her liver to someone she's never met. The only thing standing in her way isn't fear, it's finances. How does performing surgery change you? Hear from second-year medical student Samuel Bonne, pediatric surgeon Dr. Tito Daodu, and thoracic surgeon Dr. Ikennah Browne about the experiences in the OR that changed them. For some reason vasectomies are the butt of many jokes, but for 26-year-old Daniel McIntyre-Ridd, choosing to get one before ever having children was no laughing matter.  Janessa Fitchett has always been good with her hands. She planned to combine welding and art to create big things. But an accident at work changed everything. When Marie and Erik Matchett travelled to India to adopt their daughter Norah, they knew she had a bilateral cleft lip and palate — but they didn’t yet know the extent of the surgeries she’d need or how they’d calm their nervous little girl during hospital visits. That’s when Big Brave Norah came into play, a nickname that’s inspired confidence in more kids than they imagined.

    53 min
  6. 23 APR

    Did this Jeopardy super-fan ever make it on the show? I'll take "Where are they now" for $500, please

    For nine seasons, Ify Chiwetelu and Trevor Dineen have been with Canadians in their most personal now or never moments, when they’re on the brink of something new, striving for a goal or making a change. But what happens after the interview? Today we’re diving in with past guests to find out if they really did what they said they would, and how it all turned out. Sophie Davie was five months pregnant when she told us how nervous (but empowered) she felt having a baby all on her own. Seventeen months later, we knock on her door to meet the daughter she always wanted and see if the dream of single motherhood matches up to the reality of going it alone. In 1970 beauty queen Darlene Williams rode in a 1970 Pink Panther Dodge Challenger convertible as part of her reign. More than 50 years later, Winnipegger Pat Kanuiga had that same car in pieces in his garage, but promised Darlene she would ride in it again. So did it happen? When we last left De Vine Thomas she was months away from graduating high school and dreaming of leaving Peguis First Nation - the reserve where she grew up - to pursue her fashion dreams. Did she fulfill her dreams to move away from her community until she was “a real old lady”? Toronto’s Aaron Brown has dreamed of competing on his favourite gameshow, Jeopardy, for as long as he can remember. He applied 16 times, he hosted trivia as his job, and carried around a clicker to practice his speed. But did all that matter when the show finally called? Two weeks after Corine Mathelier moved to Montreal from Toronto, she explained to her good friend Ify it was because she wasn’t getting what she needed in her community. She wanted closer connections and more meet ups with friends in real life. Today Ify calls Corine up to find out if she got what she was looking for.

    52 min

About

In a world that can feel pretty scary, it’s easy to get stuck. This is a show that celebrates what it takes to try. To take the risk. To have the talk. To rock the speedo. Because making even the tiniest change takes courage, and hosts Ify and Trevor are here to remind you that you’re not alone when you do. New episodes every Thursday.

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