Amazing Places Michele Sealey

Welcome to the final podcast of 2022. We had originally intended this episode to be an upbeat look ahead, talking about the One Word “resolution” you can use that might help in planning and inspiring you, our dear listeners.



It still is, but we’re also going to share true confessions and deep thoughts on a year of podcasting for Michele. Some people make it look easy. For some people, it is easy. Sometimes tech works smoothly. Sometimes tech fails disastrously. Sometimes equipment fails. Sometimes equipment breaks. Some glitches can be edited out. Sometimes no amount of (amateur) editing will take out the distracting noises. Sometimes you don’t realise - until editing - how much wind there is until you find it has drowned out the conversation.



It really helps to have wonderful people in your life, both as guests, and as support people, to assist when stuff happens. Google is a big help in figuring out workarounds.



This final episode of the year has been a case in point. Zoom failed us 3 different times. Tried some workarounds, but couldn’t get it to work. Our lovely guest, Erica Palmer, patiently waited each time, and then kindly agreed to meet in person to record.Great!



We picked our outdoor location, but when we walked over to where the “best” spot was, a group of boys were playing basketball. No problem. We moved to Plan B and the second-best spot, but then Erika pointed out the passing traffic. Our super-awesome mics are also super-sensitive, and tend to pick up all those noises, so we moved to Plan C. We sat down and got set up. Then it started to rain. Ever-flexible, we went and stood in a covered area that seemed to be mostly out of the wind (spoiler alert: listening afterwards proved otherwise). As we were micing up, Erika’s mic clip broke. We improvised a repair, and started recording. We finished recording, and as she picked up the equipment, Michele found that one end of an audio connector had broken off, and the other end was barely hanging on. That is likely why Michele’s audio is so low, and combined with the improvised repair on Erika’s mic not being perfect, we’ve got a great podcast episode, with sub-par audio. On the positive side, it must have been a good, focused conversation, as at the time, we didn’t realise that there was a dog barking loudly at one point! lol However, the wind also blew in at the same time, so that part of our conversation was completely unintelligible and later had to be edited out.



However, as we packed up and were leaving, a rainbow appeared in the sky to the north, and as we watched, a second rainbow appeared! Even when technology and equipment fail us, Mother Nature comes through for us, showing some love.



So with our rose-coloured glasses firmly in place, and despite the technical challenges, we hope you’ll listen as Erika explains the fun of choosing a word to guide you for the coming year. Since she is the one who first inspired Michele to try it, it seemed only fitting that we have her on to talk about it! And she shares how she puts her chosen word into practice each year. It’s a process that can be as fun or serious as you choose. For Erika, she gives a lot of thought into how she will use her One Word, and how she can apply it across most facets of her life. For Michele, it’s a contemplative and reflective process. The One Word idea is to find the word that will give you motivation for 365 days, or, since there are no rules, it can be whatever you need it to be. Let Erika guide you, as she drops some ideas to get started.



As for the One Word for this podcast for the coming year, we still don’t know what it will be. Perhaps it should be perseverance?!  LOL  Stay tuned!



Finally, all our best from the Amazing Places Podcast team for an absolutely amazing year ahead for all of you. Thank you for listening.

According to Wikipedia, Tao is “the natural order of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realise the potential for individual wisdom… Its name…came from Chinese, where it signifies the way, path, route, road, or sometimes more loosely doctrine, principle, or holistic belief’.

Sometimes we choose the path, and sometimes our path is chosen for us. For those with a disability, one’s path can veer drastically from what we had planned.

Listen along as Michele talks to Kevin Munn, Peer Support Coordinator, at the Victoria Disability Resource Centre.

He touches on the Peer Support Groups offered at VDRC, and the LEAD (Lived Experiences Around Disability) programme which is starting soon and looking for volunteers! Kevin also gives shout-outs to local non-profits, the Rainbow Kitchen and the Military Family Resource Centre. 

We also chat about his personal path that led him to the Centre, and how he went from accessing the services, to now working there and helping others. He has forged a path of kindness that we’d all do well to follow.

One year ago this week, on November 15th 2021, Dean Murdock recorded an episode with Michele Sealey, introducing her as the new (temporary) Host of the Amazing Places Podcast. As Dean had decided to run for Mayor of Saanich he wanted to step back, and asked Michele to fill in for the coming year.

Well, it has been quite a year since that day! The main event has, of course, been Dean's successful bid for the Mayoralty.

So on the anniversary of that podcast, they sat down once again to chat. This true passing-of-the-torch episode looks at what has been amazing in his first 10 days as Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock.

For the record, the traditional 1 year anniversary gift is paper, as Dean said. However, that's slightly difficult for an audio format, but as a compromise, have a piece of cake or a slice of pie to celebrate with us!

Thanks for listening!

In this episode we’re having a quick chat with Alix Link, at Mahon Brook in Saanich. Alix is the Manager of Urban Forestry, Natural Areas, and Community Stewardship for the District of Saanich.

We’re here for Saanich’s annual Tree Appreciation Day. The first Saanich Tree Appreciation Day was held in November of 1995. In 2019, the Municipality committed to increasing the number of trees in the District, through a number of different tree planting initiatives. Nowadays, these initiatives also deliver on the strategic goals of urban forest enhancement, climate action, and environmental leadership.

We're here planting to restore and enhance a former Garry Oak Restoration Project (GORP) site. At this year’s event, 40 trees were planted, including: Garry oaks, Big Leaf maples, Trembling aspens, Black Hawthorne, and Serviceberry. Earlier during the week, 45 trees were planted by local school children for Tree Appreciation Week. Also included this year were 100 native shrubs.

The main goals for Tree Appreciation Day are to:


Promote community well-being and engage citizens in the protection and stewardship of our urban forest
Encourage not just physical health, but also mental health and connection with with each other and with the land
To enhance the biodiversity and promote pollinating species within parks
Showcase the valuable work that Saanich Parks staff do every day with regard to stewardship, along with community volunteers who assist in parks stewardship

Thanks to staff and volunteers alike for the work done to enhance our natural spaces, as well as increase/improve our Natural Intelligence.

Our episode this week comes to you from Quadra at Rock in Saanich, at a road safety rally organised by Sustainawave owner and local road safety advocate, Philip Marciniak. This rally was arranged after a vehicle ran a red light and struck a woman crossing in the crosswalk here - the second pedestrian-struck-in-a-crosswalk incident in the past week.

The group gathered was conducting an exercise in civic critical mass, constantly cycling the walk button, escorting pedestrians and cyclists across the street.

Philip is part of a group of road safety advocates that held a rally last year after the death of a 16 year old boy, hit in a marked crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Rd. At that time, the group called on Saanich to make some quick-build improvements at problem locations. After a cyclist was struck and injured at almost the same spot some months later, the Municipality installed some temporary traffic calming infrastructure.

“There is support for improvement on road safety, it just feels like in Saanich it kind of falls short on actual action and budgeting and implementation … We’re hoping to see action now.”

It’s amazing to see what grassroots community groups can accomplish. As Margaret Mead said, “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”

If you find it difficult/distracting to hear parts of this episode, that is unfortunately indicative of just how noisy traffic is in our communities, outside of a vehicle. Thanks for joining us in our roadside experience.

In this episode, we asked local government candidates what is amazing in their respective municipalities.  



For background, we did an open call - some candidates chose to post their amazing nominations, whilst others agreed to come on the podcast. The idea was to have some fun, while encouraging elements of harmony and positivity to the election.  



We thought it would be easy to find time to record, but candidates are in heavy demand, and we couldn't connect with everyone. However, we hope you enjoy what these candidates have to offer, as there are secrets shared here!