In this season two finale of 'The Shadows We Cast', Jenn St. John sits down with Zainib Abdullah, MSW, RSW, somatic trauma psychotherapist, founder of Wellnest, and advocate for collective healing and care, for a conversation about trauma, embodiment, and what it means to come home to ourselves.

Born in Iraq and immigrating to Canada as a child, Zainib shares how her own experiences of migration, grief, identity, and intergenerational trauma shaped both her personal healing journey and her professional work. Together, Jenn and Zainib explore the connection between the body, the nervous system, and emotional healing, challenging the idea that recovery happens through insight alone.

Throughout the conversation, they discuss somatic healing, nervous system regulation, ancestral resilience, collective care, spirituality, community, and the wisdom our bodies carry. They also explore why healing isn't always about becoming someone new, but often about reconnecting with parts of ourselves that have been hidden beneath survival.

Whether you're navigating trauma, burnout, grief, chronic stress, or simply feeling disconnected from yourself, this episode offers a compassionate invitation to slow down, listen inward, and consider what helps you feel grounded, connected, and rooted.

Because healing may not be about finding something outside of ourselves. Sometimes it's about remembering what was there all along.

Connect with Zainib:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

If this episode resonates with you, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing it with someone who may benefit from the conversation.

Host/Producer/Writer/Director: Jenn St John

Editor: Andrew Schiller
Website: www.jennstjohn.ca
Follow along:
Instagram: @jenn_stjohn
LinkedIn: Jenn St John

If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who might need to hear it too.

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Kelly Campbell's life changed forever when her best friend Emma was killed in a car accident in 2007. What followed was years of unprocessed grief, trauma, and pushing forward—building a successful career while quietly struggling beneath the surface.

In this episode of The Shadows We Cast, Jenn sits down with leadership and legacy coach Kelly Campbell for an honest conversation about grief, burnout, identity, and the hidden emotional currents that shape our lives.

Kelly shares how the loss of her best friend, followed by the sudden death of another close friend years later, forced her to confront the grief she had spent years avoiding. Together, Jenn and Kelly explore why grief remains such a difficult topic in our society, how loss can impact our mental health long after the initial event, and what it means to find purpose and meaning after life's hardest transitions.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that grief isn't something to fix or rush through—it is something to honour, navigate, and ultimately integrate into our lives.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Grief, trauma, and post-traumatic stress
• Burnout and the hidden cost of always pushing forward
• Identity loss and major life transitions
• The connection between grief and mental health
• Meaning-making and honoring those we've lost
• Supporting others through loss and difficult seasons of life
• Practical ways to create space for healing

About Kelly Campbell

Kelly's journey into mental health advocacy was shaped by profound personal losses. After losing her best friend Emma in a 2007 car accident, and later her good friend Susan in 2024, Kelly discovered her calling in supporting others through life's most challenging transitions.

Following a 16-year career in federal public service, Kelly left government in 2024 to focus on guiding individuals, families, and organizations through personal transformation and lasting change. She currently serves as Senior Manager of Stakeholder and Government Relations for Matthew Perry House while operating her own legacy coaching practice.

As an ICF-Credentialed Leadership and Legacy Coach, Kelly combines executive expertise with deep emotional intelligence, believing that legacy flows through personal, familial, and systemic dimensions—like water carving enduring channels across landscapes. She joined Bereaved Families of Ontario – Ottawa Region first as a volunteer in 2023, then as Board Director in 2025, channeling her experiences into support for others navigating grief.

Connect with Kelly

• LinkedIn: Kelly Campbell
• Website: kellycampbell.ca
• Instagram: @kellycampbell.ca

Host/Producer/Writer/Director: Jenn St John

Editor: Andrew Schiller
Website: www.jennstjohn.ca
Follow along:
Instagram: @jenn_stjohn
LinkedIn: Jenn St John

If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who might need to hear it too.

Subscribe, leave a review, or just send a little love—your support helps these conversations reach the people who need them most.

In this episode of The Shadows We Cast, I sit down with Nikki Glahn, Founder and Executive Director of Barrie Families Unite, a grassroots organization dedicated to ensuring individuals and families have access to essential needs with dignity, compassion, and respect.

What began as a local Facebook group during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into a powerful community-driven movement supporting people experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, illness, trauma, addiction, and other life-altering challenges. Through practical support, community connection, and a commitment to preserving dignity, Barrie Families Unite has become a lifeline for many in the Barrie area.

But this conversation is about more than community services.

It's about the role connection, dignity, and belonging play in our mental wellbeing—and how healing is often supported not only through professional care, but through the communities that surround us.

Together, Nikki and I explore the connection between poverty and mental health, the hidden toll of chronic stress and survival mode, and the ways community care can help restore hope when people feel isolated or overwhelmed. We discuss stigma, systemic gaps, the importance of meeting basic needs, and why belonging is far more than a feeling—it can be a powerful form of healing.

This conversation is a reminder that mental health doesn't exist separately from the conditions people are trying to survive inside of. Safety matters. Stability matters. Dignity matters. And sometimes the most meaningful support comes from knowing you're not alone.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The origins of Barrie Families Unite during the pandemic
• The connection between poverty, chronic stress, and mental health
• Why dignity matters when people are seeking support
• How community care can become a powerful mental health intervention
• The hidden realities of survival mode and financial insecurity
• Reducing stigma around asking for help
• Building sustainable systems of support that strengthen communities
• Why belonging can be a powerful part of healing

About Nikki Glahn

Nikki Glahn is a community-driven leader, creative thinker, and advocate for purpose-led work. Nikki brings clarity, compassion, and strategic vision to projects she leads. She is known for her ability to build meaningful connections, translate big ideas into practical action, and guide teams through growth with integrity and care.

Rooted in a deep belief in equity, sustainability, and community wellbeing, her leadership style is collaborative and people-centred, balancing structure with creativity and accountability with empathy.

Nikki is committed to creating environments where people feel empowered and respected.

She is a proud mom of 2 amazing humans, a wife to one lucky guy and a dog mama to our furry family member. She enjoys travel, camping, curling, skiing, hiking and spending time with people who fill her cup!

Connect with Barrie Families Unite

Website: www.barriefamiliesunite.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barriefamiliesunite/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrie-families-unite-b752872a1/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@teambfu2939

Host/Producer/Writer/Director: Jenn St John

Editor: Andrew Schiller
Website: www.jennstjohn.ca
Follow along:
Instagram: @jenn_stjohn
LinkedIn: Jenn St John

If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who might need to hear it too.

Subscribe, leave a review, or just send a little love—your support helps these conversations reach the people who need them most.