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Big Ideas
Exploring the perspectives, research, lived experiences, and hopeful aspirations of alumni and the
university community. Together, we discuss trending and emerging topics and showcase MRU’s
leadership in addressing local challenges.
Listen to the Big Ideas Podcast
With your host and fellow alum, Déjà Leonard
Déjà is an MRU journalism alum and serves on the program’s advisory board. She currently works in content marketing at a tech company and is a columnist for The Globe and Mail, writing about careers, business and the future of work. When she’s not behind the podcast mic, you’ll find her cooking a new recipe or outside getting active.
Season 1: Wellness in the 21st Century
This season we’re digging deep into wellness in the 21st Century. From aging to technology to our finances, how do the complexities of modern life impact our well-being - for better or for worse?
New episodes each month
Happiness
Episode 1
Have our expectations for happiness changed across generations? Has being “happy” become an elusive state we think we’ll reach only after we accomplish the “next big thing”?
The health of healthcare
Episode 2
Like many other nurses in Canada, alumn Kent Soltys sees firsthand the troubles that impact the world of healthcare. How can we contribute to a sustainable healthcare system for all
Two-eyed seeing
Episode 3
Wellness practice in Western paradigms is often rooted in privilege and individualism. How can we create healthier communities by balancing Western and Indigenous approaches?
Aging well
Episode 4
Discover how aging becomes a journey of growth and connection. MRU alumni Joan Gregory and Jocelyn Rempel explore ageism, intergenerational ties, and evolving narratives on aging.
Wellness in the digital age
Episode 5
Join MRU professor Elaine Ori as she unpacks wellness advice in the digital age, exploring social media’s impact on health trends, fitness perceptions, and what drives trust online.
A QriTical Conversation
Episode 6
Explore belonging, visibility, and advocacy with MRU’s QriTical Research Hub. Hear how they empower Alberta’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Alberta's challenging sociopolitical climate.
Financial Wellness
Episode 7
Alyssa Davies, founder of Mixed Up Money, shares how to untangle the emotional ties to our finances and create a plan that works for us individually. Tune in for a refreshing take on managing money without the guilt or anxiety.
The Root of It All
Episode 8
MRU alum Kimberly Gray and Kalyn Edworthy join the Big Ideas Podcast to talk about their award-winning documentary, The Root of it All. They dive into the importance of soil health, the power of food, and how it brings people together to create healing, connection, and change.
Podcast series: Democracy in Action
This 3-part podcast focuses on democracy and civic engagement and topics including: changing voter demographics, polarization and, ultimately, how we move forward.
MRU Alumni Are Defining Calgary’s future
With a more diverse population than ever, there is a shared sense that Calgary is no longer (if it ever truly was) a one-horse town
The pursuit of vibrancy
MRU alum Damon Harmon and Board of Governors member David Routledge on opportunities in Calgary's downtown.
BIG IDEAS: ROADMAP TO SOCIAL INNOVATION
For the winter installment of Big Ideas, The Office of Alumni Relations brought together a group of Mount Royal alumni and community members who are using social innovation to solve wicked problems at home and around the world, and equipped future leaders to do the same.
Our alumni panellists gathered at the RGO Treehouse at CSpace, and hosted a community conversation sharing how principles of social innovation might inform solutions to public healthcare challenges, influence public policy and provide a new framework for defining true prosperity.
The key takeaway? Keep talking, keep digging into issues and keep asking uncomfortable questions.
FROM DIVISION TO DIALOGUE
On May 10, Sally Haney, Broadcasting & Journalism Chair brought together alumni to think big about division and dialogue.
Together they discussed how we can learn to listen deeply, build empathy for ourselves and others, and find ways of moving forward to a more inclusive, equitable future.
In a world full of disagreement and division, our collective future depends on our ability to embrace different perspectives and lived experiences.
Watch nowTHE FUTURE OF CITIES
2021 brought the first ever installment of Big Ideas, where 2021 Public Relations grad Julia Kaiser brought alumni together to think big about the future of cities.
Featuring a newly elected municipal councillor, tech start-up founder, tenant-focused commercial real estate expert, and a community builder who spear-headed the East Village, our panelists discussed our collective way-forward. They had ideas to share and also wanted to hear yours.
Enjoy the first-ever Big Ideas conversation —recorded live from the Ideas Lounge.
Watch nowThe views expressed by the host and speakers reflect their personal experiences and perspectives, and are not representative of Mount Royal University or the Office of Alumni Relations.
Have questions about Big Ideas? Contact alumni@mtroyal.ca