Season 3
Transforming our Brains into Kinder, Cozier Places to Live - The Sarah Peyton Story
March 10, 2022
In this episode, your host Karla Stephens-Tolstoy will take you along for her first resonance training & relational neuroscience session with Sarah Peyton, a neuroscience educator and author.
An inspiring story of resilience, positivity and fighting the odds. This is Brea Griffiths Story
Jan. 3, 2022
This is an inspiring story of resilience, positivity and fighting the odds. This is Brea’s Story.
Ashleigh Banfield
April 12, 2021
For the past 30 years, Ashleigh Banfield has been consistently one of the most acclaimed anchors in television news, and one of television’s top crime journalists. In her most recent role, Ashleigh hosted Primetime Justice w…
Letters on Sex Trafficking
April 20, 2020
Human trafficking is a hard conversation to have, as most of us would like to think we have nothing in common with people who sell other people or those that exploit humans in any way. But, the reality is that this is a thri…
David Bernstein: Homeless youth to Harvard University.
Nov. 27, 2018
Dr. David Bernstein is a well respected, highly educated professional who has held appointments at Yale University School of Medicine, where he completed his doctoral internship, and Harvard University Medical School, where …
Michael Alig: From Club Kids to Convict & Back – Part 2
Oct. 23, 2018
This is the second part of a two part series featuring the charismatic founder of The Club Kids, Michael Alig. The Club Kids were a group of young, flamboyant New York City underground dance club personalities in the late 1…
Michael Alig: From Club Kids to Convict & Back – Part 1
Oct. 23, 2018
Michael Alig is a complex character. He’s the charismatic founder of the Club Kids, a group of young, flamboyant New York City underground dance club personalities in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They wore outrageous cos…
Devin Price: Recovery – Relapse - Recovery
Sept. 28, 2018
We first met Devin Price in Episodes 45 and 46 of the Stand Up Speak Up Podcast, when he took us through his road to addiction, becoming a drug dealer and pimp and his eventual arrest. After serving three years in prison, he…
Burst the Bubble: Police Corruption
Aug. 30, 2018
Kelly Donovan is a whistleblower. Her story begins working for a major bank, marrying a police officer, then deciding to become a police officer. After only a few years, Kelly began to learn about internal inconsistencies, a…
Trust Me When I Say There Is No (Hero) In Heroin Part 2
Aug. 22, 2018
In the first part of this two part podcast series interviewing Frank, an addict who has abused drugs from the age of 12, he told us the origins of his addiction and how sniffing glue as a child turned into full on heroin add…
Trust Me When I Say There Is No (Hero) In Heroin
June 28, 2018
Franky Frank runs the My Cold Turkey Detox website where he shares the story and updates about his struggle overcoming drug abuse, primarily heroin and crack. His sister filmed his struggle as he detoxed cold turkey at her p…
Life is Easy, Living is Hard
June 12, 2018
Erica has endured a lifetime of trauma marked by a difficult upbringing, abusive relationships, an addiction to phone sex, attempted suicide, and a number of diagnosed mental health issues. Recently, we heard of a website ca…
Rehab #9: The Rob Rawlings Story
May 30, 2018
Rob Rawlings is working hard to break the cycle of drug addiction in his family. Despite his father’s abrasive nature and drug use, Rob continued to seek approval as his son. At the age of 14, Rob himself was introduced to d…
The Pain of Perfection
May 17, 2018
Recently we’ve featured addiction stories of people who had clear trauma growing up that contributed to the path they took in life. However, these things can happen to anyone. Danielle McCarron is a recovery advocate, worki…
Nowhere to Turn
May 5, 2018
Today’s guest has 5 kids from 4 different fathers and was abused as a child. Rose is an artist with designs in the Stand Up Speak Up. Growing up, she faced physical, mental, and sexual abuse. She had nowhere to turn and was…
Scientology Scars
April 18, 2018
There’s no shortage of content out there on the subject of Scientology. When we decided to tackle it, we knew the episode would have to focus on people, and the lasting effect Scientology has on its members once they leave.…
2 Generations of Pain & Addiction: The Linda Price Story
April 12, 2018
When Linda Price graduated high school, her dream of the perfect life was with a home, a baby, and a husband. These all eventually came to fruition, but not in the way she had imagined. An unfulfilling childhood led to…
I Spent $1 Million on Drugs - The Devin Price Story Part 2
March 27, 2018
Devin Price blames nobody but himself for the direction his life took. As a kid, Devin thought his childhood was fairly normal. His dad ran off and his mother became addicted to drugs, but Devin’s grandparents did their best…
I Spent $1 Million on Drugs - The Devin Price Story Part 1
March 20, 2018
Devin Price blames nobody but himself for the direction his life took. As a kid, Devin thought his childhood was fairly normal. His dad ran off and his mother became addicted to drugs, but Devin’s grandparents did their best…
Out of the Gutter: Howard Heathcote’s Story - Part 2
March 13, 2018
Howard Heathcote grew up in a house of addicts. Out of 2 parents and 9 children, only one, an older sister of Howard’s, miraculously avoided drugs and alcohol completely. Aside from that miraculous exception, fate was all bu…
Out of the Gutter: Howard Heatcote's Story - Part 1
March 7, 2018
Howard Heathcote grew up in a house of addicts. Out of 2 parents and 9 children, only one, an older sister of Howard’s, miraculously avoided drugs and alcohol completely. Aside from that miraculous exception, fate was all bu…
Burst the Bubble on Uncovering the Link Between Leadership and Mental Illness
Feb. 27, 2018
It takes a special person to be a leader. One thing historians have questioned for years is the apparent mental instability of both great and terrible leaders alike. Do the qualities that mark those with mood disorders als…
Burst the Bubble: Somalian Pirates
Feb. 20, 2018
Jay Bahadur is an investigator for an international agency. He’s a Canadian, born in Toronto, Ontario, who went on to be a journalist and author, becoming well-known for his reporting on Somalian pirates. He got an inside l…
Burst the Bubble of Kratom: Part Three: More Amazing Stories
Feb. 14, 2018
Since the release of our first episode about Kratom, we’ve had a flood of comments from users telling us how much Kratom has changed their lives. It’s nothing short of shocking and amazing to hear how so many people were lif…
Burst the Bubble of Kratom: Part Two: Real Life Stories
Feb. 7, 2018
Perhaps the most fascinating and stunning part of our journey learning about Kratom is the real-life stories from its users. It is after hearing these stories that we really understand the effect this plant can have on lives…
Burst the Bubble of Kratom: Part One: Kratom Saved Me
Feb. 5, 2018
Canada is experiencing record numbers of deaths from opioid overdoses. In 2017, there were an estimated 4000 drug overdose deaths in the country. A substance that may be able to put a dent in that number is worth looking int…
An Activist Filmmaker's Story
Jan. 23, 2018
When Chris Bergoch writes a movie, he doesn’t shy away from social advocacy topics that can be seen as controversial. At Stand Up Speak Up, we try to raise awareness around important social issues, so when Karla discovered t…
A Former Mongol Motorcycle Club Member's Story
Jan. 17, 2018
Why does someone get involved in the criminal world? What makes someone interested in joining a motorcycle gang known for brutal activity? We tell the story of one man who was let down by the Quebec foster care system growin…
Burst the Bubble Female Serial Killers
Jan. 9, 2018
Statistically, men commit far more acts of physical violence than women, and that also applies to serial killers. There are far fewer female serial killers than males, but the number is big enough not to be ignored - and may…
The Stand Up Speak Up Story: Special Edition with Founders Karla and Zach
Dec. 26, 2017
If you’ve listened to Stand Up Speak Up before, then you’ve heard the voice of host Karla Stephens-Tolstoy. Usually, she’s helping tell the story of others, but you might not have known that Karla herself has led a pretty in…
Burst the Bubble of Organized Crime
Dec. 12, 2017
It’s estimated that illegal trade accounts for one-fifth of the global GDP. In his 2009 book McMafia, Misha Glenny outlined the growth of organized crime around the world, from drugs and sex trades to internet frauds and mon…
A Navy SEAL Team Six Story
Nov. 28, 2017
Most of us have enjoyed a good action movie, but the difference between a movie and Don Mann’s life, although it may sound like something from a movie, is that his life is completely real. No written storyline. No special ef…
Burst the Bubble on Murder and Trauma Clean Up
Nov. 14, 2017
Prepare for some raw true crime discussion, as we enter part 2 of our chat with Christian Cadieux of Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaners. What’s just another day at work for Christian, could very well be traumatizing for most of u…
An Unwanted Entities Story: The Halloween Edition
Oct. 30, 2017
When tragedy strikes, Christian Cadieux and his team at Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaners are called in to handle the cleanup. With crews across Canada, there’s nothing they haven’t seen, and nothing they’re afraid of. Some cont…
Burst the Bubble on Finding and Convicting Serial Killers
Oct. 13, 2017
We trust law enforcement to do the absolute best job keeping communities safe, conducting investigations, and bringing criminals to justice. But, what about when they don’t live up to their duty? As we saw with the Shelley D…
Maryalice Ashbrook: Hollywood Kids to Hollywood Hell
Aug. 16, 2017
Maryalice Ashbrook was born into a family that seemingly had it all. Her grandfather was president of a huge company that listed a movie studio among its subsidiaries. Her mother counted Joan Crawford and Jane Russell among …
Overcoming MacLaren Hall
May 2, 2017
As a child, Michael James knew that life with his parents was not what it was supposed to be. Their drinking was taking its toll on his childhood and it led Michael to approach the police to take him away to a more stable en…
A Turning Life Around Story
April 18, 2017
Patricia Rodenbaugh was turned over to the L.A. foster care system at the tender age of 12. By her later teen years, she had given birth to two children and married just to escape the system. While Patricia had a rough start…
Burst the Bubble on Harm Reduction
April 4, 2017
Reporter Drew Penner tracks down four very different but important perspectives on the evolving harm reduction movement. This episode will take you from east coast of the United States to London, Ontario, to Vancouver's down…
Foster Kid to Happy Husband
March 29, 2017
While researching for our episodes on the foster care system, we came across Scott Inman and felt he deserved an episode all to himself. Scott's story begins as so many others forced into the foster system - his father passe…
The Disappearance of Delaine Story: Part Two
March 13, 2017
Reporter Drew Penner travels with Anita, the mother of a 16-year-old native girl named Delaine who went missing one year ago. We retrace her last known steps, in an effort to get a better understanding of the issue of missin…
The Disappearance of Delaine Story: Part One
March 4, 2017
This is the first episode in a series about missing and murdered native women in Canada. We head to Kenora, Ontario to tell the story of Delaine Copenace, a 16-year-old aboriginal girl who went missing one year ago and was f…
The House of Mayhem Story
Feb. 20, 2017
There is a disproportionate number of homeless LGBTQ teens on the street, but most people don't talk about it. House of Mayhem is talking about it. House of Mayhem is a new tv series about LGBTQ youth in the foster system. I…
Burst The Bubble with Serial Killer Poetry
Feb. 3, 2017
We talk a lot about mental health and fighting your inner demons. But what happens when those demons take over? It's a sad conversation, but one that we need to have. That's why this episode takes a look at serial killers. B…
A Foster Care Survivor
Jan. 25, 2017
Jenny Maher has been through a lot. Growing up with a mentally ill mother, she was in and out of the foster system. Jenny experienced some bad things in her childhood, but she managed to overcome them. Today, she is an inspi…
A John's Story
Jan. 7, 2017
Who pays for sex? Why do they pay for sex? Often, without even knowing it, Johns are supporting sex trafficking operations. In this human trafficking awareness series, we examine prostitution from John's point of view. Host …
A Pimp's Story
Dec. 30, 2016
Part of our human trafficking series, this episode delves into the mind of a pimp. How does he think? How does he control the victims of sex trafficking? Listen for some answers. Understanding modern-day slavery is the first…
Human Trafficking: A Victim's Story
Dec. 29, 2016
Human trafficking is a hard conversation to have, but it needs to be spoken about. This episode is part of our human trafficking series, a series designed to spread awareness about the prevalence of modern-day slavery. We lo…