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Rockin' Rhonda: Peter and Dave, they're on the mics. Alright, join the ride. It's gonna feel just right.

Peter McCully: Welcome back to the Pulse Community Podcast. We are here to bring you more stories where the focus is on the people and events of mid-Vancouver Island. I'm Peter McCully.

Dave Graham: And I'm Dave Graham. Well, Peter, the calendar says it's November, and nature is acting accordingly. With the leaves having mostly fallen, the days are getting shorter. Now we're being reminded of how many days remain before Christmas.

Peter McCully: Dave, you're thinking already of Christmas?

Dave Graham: I'm not thinking about it by choice, Peter. Certain stores have been reminding us of the coming of Christmas for what—a month already? And here I am going to follow suit, although I want to take the opportunity to remind people that they might want to consider doing some shopping sooner than later in order to support the 17th Annual Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive, which is already underway. All this is such a special event, has an immediate and substantial impact on the lives of many of our fellow community members.

Peter McCully: Absolutely. All donations benefit the SOS Caring for Community at Christmas program, providing gifts and food for families in need of help. We'll be speaking with Tigh-Na-Mara General Manager Jim Hykaway and SOS Communications Manager Lissa Alexander about this outstanding program and its impact.

Lissa Alexander: One parent I spoke with was caring for her niece and nephew over the holidays in addition to her own child, and so I'll just read you what she told us: "My niece and nephew are used to getting used gifts. Their clothing is all hand-me-downs, but because of the SOS Christmas program, they got something new, something that made them feel special." So this program provides not just gifts, but a little bit of hope. And Tigh-Na-Mara staff generously donates dozens of bikes to the program. One mum told us that her son used that bike all year long. He used it to get to school and some other social opportunities that he wouldn't have had because of that bike.

Dave Graham: We have a remarkable guest joining us today—Chelah Horsdal, best known for her award-winning role as Helen Smith in The Man in the High Castle. Chelah has appeared in a wide range of roles, including Hell on Wheels and Star Trek: Discovery. She's also a producer, writer, and a passionate advocate for women in the industry.

Chelah Horsdal: I was fortunate to be invited to the Star Trek Las Vegas Convention last year, 2024, which is the biggest Star Trek convention that happens once a year down there. It was fascinating and wonderful, and the people I met were so generous and kind and open and welcoming. As a newbie to the whole Star Trek universe, I was really naïve about that world. I had no idea, quite frankly, of how many people were so deeply connected to it and how many lives it had impacted. I've been on television for a really long time. I've never experienced anything like the recognition that has come with joining the Star Trek universe.

Peter McCully: Future guests to the podcast will include Laura Palmer, host of the award-winning Island Crime podcast. Laura recently launched Season 8 of Island Crime.

Dave Graham: Vancouver Islander Zachary Stevenson, who is well known in this area for his work on The Buddy Holly Story and the Hank Williams tribute among others, is bringing his musical Christmas show to the Port Theatre.

Peter McCully: Nanaimo musician Vince Warry drops by to chat about his new EP, Like a Runaway Train.

Dave Graham: Also, we'll be hearing an update from Cheryl Dill on how the Parksville Beach Festival continues to benefit the region long after the actual event is over, and we'll talk with Charlene Smith about the work of the Parksville Qualicum Community Foundation.

Peter McCully: Darryl McKay of Campbell River, whom we interviewed from Ukraine in Episode 2 this season, has sent us a message on our Speak to Us line.

Darrell McKay: Hello, Peter and Dave. Thank you for all the support. Thank you for the podcast, and thank you to all your listeners for donating to the cause. My book on Ukraine is now published. It's on Amazon.ca. It's called My Time with Heroes, and if anybody's interested, just go to Amazon and you can order it—you can get a Kindle version or a softcover. I am looking forward to feedback. I've had some awesome feedback on it. Thank you. I'm heading to Ukraine tomorrow, so maybe there'll be another chapter. Thank you very much.

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Peter McCully: The Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive for the SOS is underway. Marilyn has guests in the Green Room to tell us all about the 17th Annual Fundraiser.

Marilyn: In the Green Room are Tigh-Na-Mara General Manager Jim Hykaway and SOS Communications Manager Lissa Alexander to talk about the 17th Annual Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive. All donations will benefit the SOS Caring for Community at Christmas program, providing gifts for local children and youth, as well as grocery store gift cards for low-income families and individuals.

Dave Graham: Welcome to the podcast. First off, just to be here, I always just feel excited, especially around this time of the year with the gingerbread just about ready to go up—at least at the time of this recording, that was the case. Jim, let's begin with you, if I may, and talk about the big day for this fundraiser—the community breakfast, the buffet. What's on the menu? Is Santa gonna be there? I don't know. Where would you like to start?

Jim Hykaway: Thanks, Dave. Yeah, the big day is Wednesday, November 26th. We use all of our Cedars Restaurant Lounge as well as our ballroom, and we served around 1,200 breakfasts last year. We're hoping for more this year. The doors open at 6:30 in the morning and go till 10 in the morning, and it's a full buffet breakfast—scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, coffee, tea, juice—and it's welcome to anyone who brings a new, unwrapped toy or gift card or cash donation. Of course, the goal is to put a smile on every child's face on Christmas morning. A lot of families are struggling this year, so my hope is that the community will come out in full support again, as they have for the past 16 years. Last year, we raised over 2,700 toys and about $30,000 in cash and gift cards.

Dave Graham: Since my days in radio, I've been less involved with this, but it always amazed me. I was always so impressed by how this event evolved from year to year, became just more efficient and smoother for everyone participating. I guess that goes to say that if there may be a lineup for a little while, you'll be through if you're at all in a rush. There are some other options we can get into first. For those unable to attend on that big day, how else might they help?

Jim Hykaway: We do have an alternate plan, so if you can't make the big day or simply prefer to come on a quieter day, we do offer our traditional breakfast in our Cedars Restaurant midweek for the two weeks leading up to the toy drive breakfast for the same donation of a new, unwrapped toy or gift card or cash donation. This will start on Wednesday, November 12th this year and run through Tuesday, November 25th, from 7:30 in the morning when the restaurant opens till 11:30, and that's midweek only. Last year, we served about 1,200 more breakfasts during that two-week period leading up. It's also a great opportunity for larger groups or companies to bring their team when they might not be able to find seating together on the big day.

Dave Graham: On that big day, for those suffering a time crunch in the morning as so many of us do, you have an option—the drive-through?

Jim Hykaway: Yeah, we have an option for that too. So we do offer a drive-through, again from 7:30 in the morning until 10 on the big day, in our parking lot. If you don't have time to come inside, you can still drive up, drop off your toy donation in exchange for a coffee and a pastry to go.

Dave Graham: Something else that I'm not sure gets perhaps enough exposure is the level of staff participation, much of it on their time off.

Jim Hykaway: First of all, it's a very special event. It's become a huge part of our culture. I can honestly say this is one of our team's favourite events of the whole year. It's about community, it's about the spirit of giving. It marks the start of the Christmas season for us. So we turn our Pines gift shop into a giant gingerbread house, and it's incredibly heartwarming to see how the community rallies around such an important cause every year. We get to see a lot of the same people come year after year, and we have a lot of fun, but it is a lot of work to organise. I'm proud that our team members volunteer their time for this event. We have helpers out in the parking lot with parking. We have people running the drive-through, and then, of course, serving the food, making all the food, cleaning up after it. They also donate a portion of their pay all year long to help with our own Bikes for Tykes program. So there are a lot of ways that our team members can contribute.

Dave Graham: We mentioned the gingerbread. Can you talk a little bit about what's involved? Your predecessor, Paul Drummond, had talked about it in terms of its scale being among the largest. Any further details?

Jim Hykaway: Paul's background was with Pan Pacific, and he got this idea from the Pan Pacific. They do a similar thing, but certainly on the Island, I think this is the biggest sort of gingerbread house that we do. Again, we take our Pines gift shop and we transform it. Every year, we try to add a little bit, so that's a lot of fun. We'll be doing that right after Remembrance Day. We'll start up on the 12th, so when you come in for those pre-breakfasts, the lobby and the foyer and the restaurant will smell like gingerbread. It'll be wonderful.

Dave Graham: That alone, I think, would be a daunting task to organise and execute. Are there other challenges that you face in getting this organised and as successful as it is every year?

Jim Hykaway: We're happy to get ready for it and to make the food, and of course, it's the community that comes out and supports it, but we also get a tremendous amount of support from the local media who help us get the word out. This includes PQB News, the local Island Radio stations, the Upside on CHEK News, and now the Pulse podcast. We also have great corporate partners. The local Canadian Tire gives us great pricing for our Bikes for Tykes program. RBC brings some volunteers on the day. They also have a community grant that we usually get. This year, Thrifty Foods Parksville has also come on board as a satellite drop-off location for toys. We couldn't do it without all that amazing support.

Dave Graham: Over to Lissa for a little bit. Let's start maybe with some numbers. For example, last year, can you tell us how many people you helped through this program?

Lissa Alexander: Typically, our Christmas program numbers were fairly consistent for many years, so they were hovering around 1,000 gifts and 1,000 grocery gift cards, but for the last few years, it's been steadily increasing. So last year, we provided 1,302 grocery gift cards to individuals and families, and 1,171 children and youth received gifts through the program.

Dave Graham: With affordability issues being what they are these days, what are the trends that you're seeing? What is it like at the SOS these days compared to the past?

Lissa Alexander: Residents are struggling to make ends meet, for sure. I think, as many people know, if people are struggling in our area, they come to SOS for assistance. We have seen the need increase, and particularly around Christmas time. I think it's just a lot of pressure for people to provide those special gifts and holiday snacks and meals. So I think it's very daunting for parents, particularly around Christmas time. And we are also seeing a lot of parents and families with two working parents still coming in asking for help because it's that difficult out there with food and the housing costs.

Dave Graham: There are a lot of pressures on people at this time of the year, and it can be difficult just to get through it all. That's compounded if there are financial issues, compounded further if you find you actually have to go out and ask for help. The SOS—this is what you do to help ease the situation and help people manage and cope through this. Do you have any stories or any story that you could relate to an experience you had in helping a family through this?

Lissa Alexander: The Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive generously provides many gifts, gift cards, and financial donations to our program. And every year, we hear stories of gratitude from the families and individuals—just what a difference the program made to them and how it made their Christmas brighter. One parent I spoke with was caring for her niece and nephew over the holidays in addition to her own child, and so I'll just read you what she told us: "My niece and nephew are used to getting used gifts. Their clothing is all hand-me-downs, but because of the SOS Christmas program, they got something new, something that made them feel special." So this program provides not just gifts, but a little bit of hope. And Tigh-Na-Mara staff, as Jim mentioned, generously donates dozens of bikes to the program. One mum told us that her son used that bike all year long. He used it to get to school and some other social opportunities that he wouldn't have had because of that bike.

Dave Graham: Is it solely a case of families coming to you when they find themselves in need, or is there a proactive element on behalf of the SOS?

Lissa Alexander: Yes. Many individuals and families find it difficult to ask for help. We do try and make sure we are getting the word out as best we can. I think the message we're trying to get out there is that everybody struggles. Sometimes it can be difficult for anybody. This year has been extremely difficult financially for a lot of people. At SOS, you are welcomed with kindness and compassion. Our volunteers are amazing. It's a really joyful experience, actually, coming to SOS during the Christmas time. It's hard to ask, but once you get there, it's a really nice experience. And people learn about our Christmas program word of mouth by coming into SOS, attending our programs, or if they had come to receive assistance. We try and share our materials as far and wide as we can in the area through local media, social media, everywhere we can think of. And then we ask everyone to just help us spread the word so that we can reach those individuals and families who need our help.

Dave Graham: How are you doing for meeting the need? And what does success look like for you in this season?

Lissa Alexander: Every year, we don't really know how many people we're gonna have coming to register for the program, but just judging from what we've seen so far this year, we're pretty sure it's going to be a higher need than last year. This event is so heartwarming, and we get so many donations from it. I think success is just helping residents experience a brighter Christmas and just knowing everyone that comes to this event—that's what they have in mind. They want to just make Christmas brighter for someone else, and they know that when they come to this event, all those gifts are gonna be in our toy shop. We are going to give all those gifts away. They are making all those smiles happen. That's what's so great about this event.

Dave Graham: We can't let you go without touching on some specific things that might spark people in shopping for others this season. What's the hardest group to shop for, and what do you recommend?

Lissa Alexander: It's the teens and tweens. We're usually always low on gifts for teens and tweens, so we're anticipating that again. They can sometimes be hard to shop for. We have updated the list on our website—the gift ideas for teens and tweens. I can mention just a few for you right now: hoodies for girls and boys, nail care, gift cards, pyjamas, slippers, robes, bath and body care, gift baskets, sports equipment, Bluetooth headphones, and just gift cards. They love gift cards. Those always go really long way. And then every year it's different. So we may become low on things in the toy shop like Lego or books or stocking stuffers. So we do keep our social media pages updated on that so that people can find out what we're low on if they're just going out for a shop. We also share other inspiring and uplifting stories on our social media.

Peter McCully: Dave, we need to book our breakfast reservation to go in and enjoy breakfast and, of course, drop off something for the kids.

Dave Graham: Please, Peter. This year, no matter what I say, you have to stop me from having a third helping of bacon. For anyone still looking for help in what to buy, the SOS has information on their website. For listeners unfamiliar with the SOS—the Society of Organized Services—it's an organization that funds itself by donations and a thrift store, and they offer a wide range of programs and services that assist community members from babies to seniors.

Peter McCully: The day for the toy drive breakfast is November 26th. They'll start accepting donations at 6:30 that Wednesday morning, and the drive-through will be open at 7:30.

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Dave Graham: So Peter, any chance you have any Halloween candy left?

Peter McCully: Gee, Dave, why are you asking?

Dave Graham: I want to present you with an opportunity. It's an opportunity to rid yourself of that temptation, to get that sugary poison out of your house and into mine. I'm thinking of—well, I'm thinking of you and your wellbeing, the blood sugar, all that, you know. Hey, I rake leaves for chocolate, by the way. Just want to put that out there. Our next guest has had an incredible career in television and film, her work spanning multiple genres and some truly iconic series. Here's Marilyn.

Marilyn: In the Green Room is Chelah Horsdal, best known for her award-winning role as Helen Smith in The Man in the High Castle. Chelah has appeared in a wide range of roles, from Hell on Wheels to Star Trek: Discovery. She's also a producer, writer, and a passionate advocate for women in the industry.

Peter McCully: Thanks for beaming into the Green Room today, Chelah. We're glad the Federation President has a few minutes for us.

Chelah Horsdal: Thank you for having me.

Peter McCully: We'll talk about your role in Star Trek: Discovery and lots of others, but first I wanted to ask you about your life growing up. You're a British Columbia girl. Your dad is folk singer Valdy. When I asked Siri to look you up on the interweb, she found lots of references in interviews to the fact that you were born and raised with, quote unquote, "hippies." Did that lifestyle influence you then or now?

Chelah Horsdal: Yes. My mother now at times will claim we weren't hippies. We lived on a commune. I didn't try actual chocolate until I was about seven years old, so far as I remember. And I remember discovering chocolate—real chocolate—for the first time, only to find that I had been lied to and told that carob was chocolate for many years prior to that. If that's not indicative of a hippie lifestyle, I don't know what is.

Peter McCully: I understand you spent most of your twenties travelling before committing to acting, so perhaps you could tell us about some of those travels. Where did you go? How did those experiences influence you as an actor?

Chelah Horsdal: I lived in the Cayman Islands when I was 21. Moved down there, really just, I think, wanting to find a little adventure, do something unexpected. No one in my family had gone to the Cayman Islands to live. I had a friend who was working down there who I had worked in restaurants with up here, and he had suggested you'd be able to get a job pretty quick down here. So I spent a year there, and from there travelled to Cuba, I think, three times over the year that I was there. That whetted my appetite for travel because having the experience of going to what some people would call a third-world country, I found it to be incredibly sophisticated and so rich in culture. Many people's needs appeared to be met with much less than we considered necessities, but that sort of skewed the way that I looked at things a little. I began to understand a more modern word—the privilege that we live with, certainly in Canada. And so I then went on to travel to Australia a couple of times. I went to India, Thailand, Cambodia. I would take about six weeks off around Christmas time once I became an actor because that was the only time that I could carve out where I was less likely to be missing out on jobs if I were to travel over the holidays. And then I got a dog, and that was all blown out of the water because I didn't want to leave my dog for six weeks.

Peter McCully: A furry anchor.

Chelah Horsdal: Exactly. A cuddly, furry anchor.

Peter McCully: You came to acting in your late twenties, I understand, and at that time you were an agent for voiceover actors through a Vancouver agency. What was the catalyst for enrolling in actor school?

Chelah Horsdal: I had a dream of being an actor, but didn't think that it was something practical or realistic. Growing up with an artist as a father, you see the struggles that a life in the arts can offer and the lack of stability. And it was also his purview—like, it was his thing. And I guess I didn't want to step on the toes of that real early. So by the time I was 28, I had a few businesses at that point. I'd had an event-planning company, and through the event planning had met Lisa Kirk, who owned an agency called Kirk Talent in Vancouver. I had produced a couple of events that she co-hosted, and then she came to me and pitched this idea of me coming and doing publicity for the agency and developing a voiceover division. Did it for a year, hated it. It's sales, and I'm not a salesperson. I loved the artists. I loved trying to build careers with people, but the act of actually selling them, I found to be very difficult. And I didn't want to let people down, and it felt like I was letting people down by not finding enormous success for them. And the voiceover world, for anyone who doesn't know, is very small. On camera, one person can play, I don't know, four different roles over the course of a year. Off camera, one person can play 40 roles in one year. So it was a very narrow lane of success for people. By the end of that year, I had watched actors in the office both behaving beautifully and terribly and was like, "I don't see any reason why I can't actually do this, because if this guy's doing it..." That sounds terrible, but it's true. There was a strike that year. Everything became very slow at the agency, and I celebrated when I was laid off because I literally walked out of the office, walked across downtown into a theatre school, walked in and very naïvely was like, "I'd like to audition to come and study here." And I've never looked back. It was September of 2001, so it's been 24 years now.

Peter McCully: Lots of folks aren't able to say that they've been working steady for 24 years. It doesn't matter what they do. Growing up as the daughter of a singer, were you drawn to performance at some point, or did you actively resist following in your dad's creative footsteps? Because there is DNA at work there.

Chelah Horsdal: I imagine there is. I avoided it. It felt like it was his area. Were I to do it over again, I might've looked at going into the arts and performance as a way to connect with my dad, because ultimately that's what it has been. It's been a beautiful communication point for us. He understands what it is to be an artist, and now I do too. I would've liked to have leaned into that perhaps a little bit earlier in life. It took me a long time to come around—took me a long time to come around. I think I was 28 by the time I actually admitted that I was an actor.

Peter McCully: Do you play an instrument or sing?

Chelah Horsdal: I have ambitions. My father bought me a guitar 18 years ago. He asked me what I would like for Christmas. I responded, "I would like to learn how to play guitar." Have him teach me. In classic Valdy fashion, he found a beautiful old guitar and then took it and had it restored and made very nice for me and gifted it to me. And since then, I think I've had two lessons from him in 18 years. It sits on prominent display in my living room, and everyone who visits my home asks if I play. And one day I'll be able to say, "Why, yes, I do."

Peter McCully: I looked you up on IMDb, and I was interested that you've appeared in over 75 commercials. I wasn't familiar with that side of your career. Any commercials that stand out as you think back, and maybe reflections on commercials in general?

Chelah Horsdal: Commercials were the thing that put me through school. I was naturally very good at them, and I don't have any reason why that was the case. Perhaps it was the age that I was—I had aged into that young mum in cleaning supply kind of era. With a dancing background, I was very good at choreography, hitting a mark, finding my light, et cetera. And commercials paid great. I was able to do 75 commercials. That was over the course of about three and a half years, so I was doing a lot of them every year, and it gave me the freedom to commit myself to school and study intensely without having to have any other joe job to support myself at the time. So mostly when I think about commercials, I think about the gratitude I have having landed in that position at the time. It was also a real difficult transition for me to go from what I considered to be a commercial actor to a real actor. Acting is acting. The feeling of being worthy myself of being good enough to do something that wasn't little tiny snippets—I really had to earn that after a couple of years of working in television and studying with some really wonderful and difficult teachers who helped to push me past the barriers that I had put up for myself because of being known as a commercial actor for a few years.

Peter McCully: Hollywood North—Vancouver. The Lower Mainland is well known for the genre of sci-fi, from Stargate SG-1, which you've been in, you've been in Arrow and Andromeda, to Smallville, Star Trek: Discovery, to The Man in the High Castle. What is it about science fiction that appeals to you as an actor, and how do those make-believe worlds allow you to explore real human issues, even though it's not a real world?

Chelah Horsdal: I can't say that I have sought out sci-fi necessarily, and from the perspective of an actor, I don't consider it any different than any other genre in terms of storytelling. The more truthful that you are, the more interesting the story is for an audience, and whether that's taking place on a spaceship or in a living room, the relatable human story is universal. One of the beautiful things that I've learned about sci-fi is that they are able to tell stories in a fantastical way that are very poignant and oftentimes a modern term, and sometimes dismissive term, would be "woke" for a lot of sci-fi because you're creating these worlds where, for instance, the Star Trek universe—race is not an issue in the same way that it is here on planet Earth. Socio-economic ability is not the same as it is here, like monetary stuff, but you're not realizing that when you're watching it. You don't realize that you're seeing people just treated as valuable or like heroes and villains regardless of these certain characteristics that we as humans attach to those archetypes. I deeply appreciate that about sci-fi because it allows us to be able to watch something and create empathy for something that is unfamiliar without realizing that that's what's happening.

Peter McCully: If you go back to some of the original Star Trek shows of the sixties, that's very evident. There was no race issues, there was no monetary issues. Everybody was equal. Have you had the opportunity to attend any comic cons or Star Trek conventions?

Chelah Horsdal: I have. I was fortunate to be invited to the Star Trek Las Vegas Convention last year, 2024, which is the biggest Star Trek convention that happens once a year down there. It was fascinating and wonderful, and the people I met were so generous and kind and open and welcoming as a newbie to the whole Star Trek universe. I was really naïve about that world. I had no idea, quite frankly, of how many people were so deeply connected to it and how many lives it had impacted. I've been on television for a really long time. I've never experienced anything like the recognition that has come with joining the Star Trek universe. Again, in such a kind and welcoming way. There are always gonna be some people who don't like you. I'm sure. I don't read comments, so I wouldn't know if that's the case on this show, but all I have experienced has been joyful and feeling very much a part of a community, which is a big thing for me. I've realized as I get older that seeking out a sense of belonging and a sense of community has been the driving force of so many of the things that I've done in my life. So to land in this one by accident was quite beautiful. I did a convention here, a smaller convention that was a Battlestar Galactica reunion. I had appeared in a couple of episodes of the second version of Battlestar Galactica, and it was my first time, and it was wonderful. I reconnected with some people I haven't seen in a long time. In particular, four of the other actresses on the show ended up coming to my house yesterday for lunch, and we sat here for five and a half hours and had this incredible visit, having known each other for, we figured out, 23, 24 years, because we were all at acting school together and then going on in our lives and doing other things. It's quite remarkable to sit around a table with four other women who I admire so deeply and I'm so inspired by. Being able to share that with them and tell them that it was really very celebratory.

Peter McCully: I'm old enough to remember both of those series when they were not in reruns. Is there a genre you haven't explored yet that you're eager to try?

Chelah Horsdal: Documentary.

Peter McCully: You're working on a documentary right through your own company, Phoebe Films, about your dad?

Chelah Horsdal: The short answer is yes. It has been a desire of mine for a really long time to do this. We started shooting footage a decade ago, shortly after my father was invested with the Order of Canada. It occurred to me that he has such a beautiful story and one that has been told in small snippets over the years, but I would love to, as a tribute to him, be able to tell his full story and the impact that he has had on Canadian culture and the impact Canadian culture has had on him. So I started shooting it. We did an interview shot by the incredible John Joffin, who's a cinematographer here who also shot Picard of the Star Trek universe, not for nothing, and we did a couple of hours of interviews that day. What I came away with was the story that I should be telling is a father-daughter story. That feels very scary to me. I am very intimidated by it. It also feels like that requires me to take up more space than I am comfortable with, particularly in conversation with my father when it comes to career stuff. I've always shrunk myself down in a way, which I think is probably relatable to many people, and it's gonna require a lot of courage for me to make the documentary that I am supposed to make. So I still intend to carry on with it. I want very deeply to have this experience with my dad and share our story. So yes, the answer is yes. I will be making that at some point. I just have to figure out how to do it honestly and in a way that is interesting to someone besides the two of us.

Peter McCully: Well, I would say that you're both very interesting. Valdy has travelled this country back and forth. He told me in an interview that he's travelled across the country more than 50 times, coast to coast. There's a lot of people that would really appreciate seeing how you show him in the spotlight. Chelah, what have you been working on recently?

Chelah Horsdal: I took a couple of years off, which was difficult, but also necessary. I really needed to take a break and just focus on mental health and taking care of myself, and that is more difficult to do when you're in front of the camera. I started doing courses through the Sundance Film Institute, some writing courses. As a result, I've completed my first screenplay. That's the objective as a big baby writer, as a beginner. And so I finished a draft of a script, and it turns out that it's good. So I'm continuing to work on that and have been connecting with some producer friends and a wonderful story editor who has offered some great ideas, and now we're just exploring possibilities of how to make this. I had never in my wildest dreams thought that I would write something that would be readable to anyone else, let alone potentially something that we could make into an actual work of film. That has been one of my primary focuses in the last year for sure. I've gone back to work as an actor in the last six months. I've done a few shorts, one of which is quite profound, called Never Use Alone, written and directed by Colin Matthews, who's, I believe, a first-time director—had been a first AD for a very long time. And he wrote this piece as a tribute to a friend of his who had died of a fentanyl overdose. He was a recreational drug user, not someone who was a heavy drug user, and tragically, like many people, got a bad batch and died. So Colin wrote this film based around NORS, the National Overdose Response Service, which is a hotline in Canada that I didn't know existed, which allows people who are using drugs by themselves to call a hotline and have a volunteer on the other end of the line that just stays on with them while they use, and in the case that they do overdose, that person can call in paramedics. My understanding is thousands of lives have been saved as a result of this. The fact that no one knows about it was a big part of Colin's reason for wanting to make a short film. The entire thing is one side of a phone call, so you're just with the volunteer, Ramona, who I play, who's taking calls for ultimately 25 pages of this script. That was a real test for me to see if I could still act, because it was 100% me for 25 pages. And woo, I'll tell you, I don't know that I've ever worked so hard on something in my life. We shot the entire thing in two days, which when you're only shooting one side of a conversation becomes far more doable. However, it was not easy, and I'm very grateful to have been able to tell that particular story. Beyond that, I've done a few movies this summer, and I did a show for Amazon, which was my home for a long time on The Man in the High Castle. I'm fairly certain that'll be coming out next year. I'm sure there'll be announcements at some point soon. I just don't want to get in trouble for announcing anything too soon.

Peter McCully: Mm-hmm. Chelah, it's been really interesting chatting with you, but I have more questions, and I know you have more answers, more stories to tell. Would you come back and see us again on the Pulse podcast?

Chelah Horsdal: I'd be happy to. It's been a pleasure to talk to you, and yes, I welcome more.

Dave Graham: You can catch Chelah in the upcoming series adaptation of Elle Kennedy's Off-Campus books at Amazon Prime Video. The official description of the show states that it follows an elite ice hockey team and the women in their lives as they grapple with love, heartbreak, and self-discovery, forging deep friendships and enduring bonds while navigating the complexities that come with transitioning into adulthood.

Peter McCully: Our thanks to Chelah for joining us today. Her passion for storytelling, both on screen and off, is inspiring. That's the kind of content we celebrate here at the Pulse Community Podcast—to inspire.

Dave Graham: Exactly. We want to inspire and inform and connect. Well, we're halfway to coming up with a mission statement here. We were doing a little bit of all that in our last podcast with a World War II veteran talking about Remembrance Day, and we had Darin Brown on with news from Ducks Unlimited.

Peter McCully: Also, last week, our expanded podcast family included a football podcast with Aaron and Jonathan Frazier from the Courtenay-Comox region. They talked NFL and offered a bonus downloadable recipe from Chef Jonathan that was Baltimore-style pit beef sandwiches.

Dave Graham: I downloaded that recipe. Can't wait to try it. New members of the Pulse community include Parksville councilors Joel Grenz and Sean Wood. The most recent episode features Sean Wood's announcement to run for Mayor of Parksville in October 2026.

Peter McCully: Our Skookum Kids story last week featured Peter and Gracie, the Eskimo dog, learning about Remembrance Day. This week, Captain Dave and the crew of the Mellow Submarine make a special delivery to the Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive.

Dave Graham: Our kids' stories now offer colouring pages to go along with each new episode.

Peter McCully: And our Radio Archeology Classic Radio series this week features an original episode of Gunsmoke featuring Sheriff Matt Dillon.

Dave Graham: You'll find these podcasts and more at thepulsecommunity.ca.

Peter McCully: You can go to thepulsecommunity.ca to reach us with a story idea or just to say hello. Otherwise, you can find our podcasts on Amazon, iHeart, Apple, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Dave Graham: So Peter, about that Halloween candy...

Peter McCully: I'm sorry, Dave. It's all gone.

Dave Graham: I'll wash dishes for Tootsie Rolls.

Peter McCully: Oh, we're good. Thanks. How about your windows? You need your windows washed?

Dave Graham: Hey folks, that's our time. Thanks for joining us. Until next time.

Peter McCully: Oh, just so you know, I prefer Cadbury's chocolate, although I will accept Hershey's and Nestlé bars. Ghirardelli is acceptable also, as are Toblerone and Lindt. Come to think of it, oh, Berry Callebaut is a good one. And Mars, of course, love Mars. Oh, I mustn't forget our neighbouring islanders, Denman Island Chocolate. They're environmentally conscious, also organic, and if you buy enough, they'll drop the shipping charges. I just hope that gives you some useful information, Peter. Peter... Y'all... Never mind.

Rockin' Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Here comes Peter, here comes Dave, oh listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missing. Spinning tales in the podcast cave. So to speak. Laughs and insights everywhere. What a treat. Peter and Dave, they're on the mics alright. Join the ride. It's gonna feel just right.