Introducing The Journey Here: a new podcast from SFU Surrey

After many months of working on this project, with the very capable support of Rachel Wong and Isabelle Louie, I am thrilled to announce the launch of The Journey Here, a podcast that brings together the stories of community builders from all walks of life – hosted by yours truly!

Each week, I'll be sitting down with on- and off-campus community leaders to take a deep dive into how their experiences have shaped our community, the issues that matter to them, and the journey that lies ahead.

In our first episode, I had the opportunity to chat with the President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University, Dr. Joy Johnson.

Who is Joy Johnson? What inspired her to pursue a career in nursing? How have her experiences as a nurse at the start of the AIDS epidemic influenced the way she approaches her current role? What are her plans for SFU in the future? Tune in to our inaugural episode to find out the answers to these questions and more!

Given this was the first episode of The Journey Here, I must admit I was a tad nervous sitting down with our esteemed President. But Joy was so engaging, so down to earth, and so interesting that I immediately settled in and felt comfortable; it was like an informal chat between two friends sharing a coffee.

I am so excited to finally share this project with you all, and I hope you'll tune in each week! We have an exciting lineup of guests for our first season, and I hope you enjoy listening to each episode as much as the team enjoyed making them.

Our next guest is Kue K'nyawmupoe, an inspiring and resilient young woman who has a passion for community engagement and helping others. In our second episode, Kue reflects on her experiences growing up in a refugee camp, her journey from Thailand to Canada, and the work that she does to engage her roots, culture, and community.

You can find The Journey Here on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on our website, with new episodes released every Monday.