From the office to the kitchen table - real conversations that
connect the dots between health, finances, relationships, and parenting,
helping you live a better life.
Each week, A Better Life with Jenn Dean explores the challenges and choices
that shape our lives. Through expert interviews, thoughtful listener
questions, and Jenn's experience as a Certified Parenting, Life, Health, and
Nutrition Coach, the show offers practical insights and concrete guidance
for navigating modern family life.
Whether it's finding balance at work, improving communication at home, or
building healthier habits, A Better Life brings honest, down-to-earth
conversations to help you thrive.
This week on A Better Life, Jenn looks at how to get ahead at work without burning yourself out, why we need to talk to kids about mental health before they hit crisis, what ancient strategy can teach us about marriage conflict, and how women can advocate for themselves more effectively in the healthcare system.
Segment 1 — Getting Ahead at Work Without Burning Out
Does being first in and last out actually help your career? Jenn looks at what research says about overtime, visibility, boundaries and how to become more valuable at work without becoming the person everyone piles more work onto.
Segment 2 — Andrea Paquette: Mental Health Before Crisis
Andrea Paquette, founder of the Stigma-Free Mental Health Society, shares her own mental health journey and why she believes we need to give young people the language and tools to understand their mental health long before they reach a crisis point.
Segment 3 — David Hughes: Marriage, Conflict & “Pause Before Pounce”
David Hughes, author of Battlefield of Love, uses ancient strategy to look at modern relationships. Jenn and David talk about why your spouse isn’t the enemy, recognizing different emotional styles, and the simple idea of “pause before pounce.”
Segment 4 — Women’s Health & Speaking Up at the Doctor
A new Blue Cross women’s health study looks at the hidden burden of navigating healthcare. Jenn breaks down the Saskatchewan findings and shares practical ways to prepare for appointments, ask better questions and advocate for yourself without feeling like you have to walk in ready for battle.
25 Sept 2026
Truth and Reconciliation: The Stories We Carry
SEGMENT 1
Cherie DuBois — Owner, Pass the Message Custom Designs & Apparel
Overcoming & Breaking Cycles
Cherie shares her personal story of overcoming trauma and substance use, building a successful business, learning forgiveness and becoming a cycle breaker for the next generation.
SEGMENT 2
Cherie DuBois — Owner, Pass the Message Custom Designs & Apparel
Truth, Reconciliation & Reconnection
As we approach Truth and Reconciliation Day, Cherie talks about Indigenous identity, reconnecting with culture and what reconciliation can look like on a personal level. She challenges us to listen to Indigenous stories, learn and better understand experiences different from our own.
SEGMENT 3
Jenn Dean — Life & Family Coach and Host of A Better Life
Making Friends With the Feelings We Hate
Jenn looks at the emotions most of us would happily avoid—regret, sadness, grief and shame—and why those uncomfortable feelings may actually have something important to tell us. The segment also explores Gabor Maté’s work around trauma, addiction and shame.
SEGMENT 4
Amanda Fisher — Coworker at Rawlco Radio
When Truth and Reconciliation Becomes Personal
Amanda shares what happened when she began asking questions about her own family history and discovered something she hadn’t known before. It’s a personal look at how learning our own stories can change our understanding of Truth and Reconciliation.
18 Sept 2026
Communication, Assertiveness and Advocating
SEGMENT 1: After Kinsley’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, Jennifer suddenly found herself learning how to advocate for her daughter while navigating significant challenges around the support Kinsley needed at school. Their story is about speaking up, continuing to ask questions, and teaching our kids that their needs matter.
SEGMENT 2: Jenn teaches a simple three-question framework for having difficult conversations calmly and clearly:
1. What happened?
2. Why does it matter?
3. What happens next?
Using examples with employees, partners and kids, Jenn shows how to address problems before resentment builds or the conversation comes out sideways.
SEGMENT 3: Lauren explains why couples can have the same arguments again and again — and why that doesn’t automatically mean the relationship is failing. Communication is a learned skill, vulnerability takes practice, and marriage can actually become a powerful place for personal growth.
SEGMENT 4: Lauren walks through the Gottman “Four Horsemen” — criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling — and gives practical ways to respond differently. She also explains how to recognize when you’re too emotionally flooded to keep talking and why taking a deliberate break can make the conversation more productive.
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