From Here Forward shares stories and ideas about amazing things UBC and its alumni are doing around the world. It covers people and places, truths, science, art, and accomplishments with the view that sharing better inspires better. Join hosts Carol Eugene Park and Jeevan Sangha, both UBC grads, in exploring solutions for the negative stuff out there — focussing on the good for a change, from here forward.
Dark personalities: How to spot them and take back your power
Just in time for Halloween, Carol and Jeevan sit down with Dr. Leanne ten Brinke (PhD’12), associate professor of psychology at UBC Okanagan, director of the Truth and Trust Lab, and author of Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life.
Leanne breaks down what actually makes a dark personality, from psychopathy to the “dark tetrad” of Machiavellianism, narcissism, and sadism. She explains why these traits exist on a continuum that all of us sit somewhere along, and how her research has, surprisingly, made her more optimistic about human nature. She also busts common myths about spotting liars and explains why a charming villain is so hard to resist.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Leanne ten Brinke UBC Profile (https://psych.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/leanne-ten-brinke/)
Learn more about the Truth & Trust Lab at UBC (https://www.truthandtrustlab.com/)
Are you a Psychopath? (https://psychopathyis.org/)
Contact Carol (https://bsky.app/profile/caroleugenepark.bsky.social)
Contact Jeevan (https://x.com/jeevanksangha)
From Here Forward (https://magazine.alumni.ubc.ca/podcasts/here-forward)
Podium Podcast Company (https://www.podiumpodcastco.com/)
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:55) - Meet Leanne ten Brinke
(05:25) - Understanding psychopathy and its traits
(08:44) - The dark tetrad
(10:04) - Studying trust, deception, and dark personalities
(14:14) - Finding dark traits in ourselves
(19:06) - A surprisingly optimistic view of human nature
(21:43) - Myths about spotting narcissists and detecting lies
(24:08) - Self-deception and believing our own lies
(25:15) - Why we’re drawn to villains and dark personalities
(28:01) - Managing dark personalities in everyday life
(33:16) - Finding optimism in a dark subject
(34:33) - Favourite villains and pop-culture dark personalities
(35:47) - Conclusion
24 Sept 2026
Meet a UBC alum bringing a Canadian classic to the stage
UBC creative writing professor and award-winning playwright Anosh Irani (BFA’02, MFA’04) joins From Here Forward to talk about adapting Rohinton Mistry's Giller Prize-winning novel A Fine Balance for Toronto's Crow's Theatre. Anosh shares what "truthfulness" over faithfulness means in adaptation, how opening-night previews reshape a script, and how his UBC MFA years shaped his career as a novelist and playwright.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
A Fine Balance Tickets (https://www.crowstheatre.com/shows-events/a-fine-balance?date=2026-10-14)
Learn more about Anosh Irani (https://creativewriting.ubc.ca/profile/anosh-irani/)
UBC School of Creative Writing (https://creativewriting.ubc.ca/)
Contact Carol (https://bsky.app/profile/caroleugenepark.bsky.social)
Contact Jeevan (https://x.com/jeevanksangha)
From Here Forward (https://magazine.alumni.ubc.ca/podcasts/here-forward)
Podium Podcast Company (https://www.podiumpodcastco.com/)
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:48) - Meet Anosh Irani
(03:59) - Discovering A Fine Balance
(06:08) - Bringing A Fine Balance to the stage
(07:36) - Rediscovering the characters through adaptation
(08:33) - Faithfulness, truth, and the art of adaptation
(11:41) - The collaborative process of playwriting
(14:18) - How UBC shaped Anosh as a writer
(16:16) - Finding his way from poetry to novels and plays
(17:46) - Vulnerability, courage, and inhabiting other characters
(19:09) - Building resilience as a writer
(22:44) - Writer’s block, patience, and discipline
(24:08) - Growing up with storytelling
(28:28) - Conclusion
18 Aug 2026
The Man in Motion on grit, grief, and going the distance
Four decades after the Man in Motion World Tour, Rick Hansen (BPE'86, LLD'87) joins Carol and Jeevan to talk about the journey that changed his life. Recently voted UBC's most famous alum, Rick opens up about the chaos of day one on tour, the grind of wheeling an ultramarathon a day for more than two years across 34 countries, and an illness that nearly ended things in Greece.
He also reminisces about his friendship with Terry Fox, and traces how a rejection letter from UBC's Phys Ed program became the turning point of his life. The conversation closes on Rick's ongoing relationship with UBC and his current passions, work he calls part of a lifelong, unfinished journey.
Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Carol (https://bsky.app/profile/caroleugenepark.bsky.social)
Contact Jeevan (https://x.com/jeevanksangha)
From Here Forward (https://magazine.alumni.ubc.ca/podcasts/here-forward)
Podium Podcast Company (https://www.podiumpodcastco.com/)
Rick Hansen Foundation (https://www.rickhansen.com/)
Answering the question: Who is UBC's most famous alum? (https://magazine.alumni.ubc.ca/2026/most-famous-alum/answering-question-who-ubcs-most-famous-alum)
(00:00) - Introduction
(01:33) - How Rick’s friends would describe him
(02:10) - Being voted UBC’s most famous alum
(04:09) - How UBC shaped Rick Hansen
(10:51) - The start of the Man in Motion Tour
(13:49) - Dreaming big, self-doubt, and adventure
(17:27) - Remembering Terry Fox
(22:40) - Disability, purpose, and the origins of Man in Motion
(25:43) - Training and eating for the world tour
(29:00) - Health and wellness today
(31:36) - From Man in Motion to the Rick Hansen Foundation
(35:13) - A lifelong passion for salmon and conservation
(39:53) - UBC, accessibility, and spinal cord research
(43:54) - Reflections on Rick Hansen’s impact
(47:45) - Conclusion
Who has been a guest on From Here Forward
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Matthew Roddis
Joanne Proft
Dr Jiaying Zhao
Jade Radke
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 59 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
85
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
82
Contact From Here Forward
Guest appearances
Books guests
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