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The Recovery Sessions

The Recovery Sessions explores the challenges of Canadians as they deal with collateral damage from the pandemic: anxiety, weight gain and other health effects. We chose three volunteers and paired each with a health professional for coaching sessions on moving forward.

3 Canadians, each paired with a health professional for coaching sessions on moving forward

Jeff Goodes Posted: May 31, 2022 3:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 27, 2022

Listen to this new series of coaching sessions for people who are facing pandemic-related challenges. (Ben Shannon/CBC)

We are all recovering from the pandemic. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally.

The Recovery Sessions is a series of compelling conversations between three experts and three Canadians, each dealing with a different pandemic-related issue: weight gain, anxiety and parenting during the pandemic. They are seeking empathy and guidance to help them get back on track.

Kealy and AnnMarie

Kealey Pringle, left, has been challenging herself to create more connections with her friends and neighbours in order to overcome her COVID-19 anxiety. (Submitted by Kealey Pringle)

Meet Kealey Pringle on Vancouver Island. Shehas anxiety about lifting restrictions, though she craves company. She's teamed up with social worker AnnMarie Churchill in Newfoundland. Through virtual coaching, Kealey is learning to take baby steps. The key: realizing her desire for companionship is greater than her fears.

White Coat Black Art29:36The Recovery Sessions 1 - Kealey and AnnMarie

BONUS PODCAST: Listen to the one-on-one coaching sessions between Kealey Pringle and AnnMarie Churchill, a social worker in St. Johns. She's helping Kealey take baby steps towards overcoming her COVID fears and rekindling her in-person social life.

White Coat Black Art21:41The Recovery Sessions 2 - Kealey's cookies

BONUS PODCAST: Kealey Pringle and AnnMarie Churchill conclude their coaching sessions with a sweet-tasting win over Kealey's pandemic anxiety.

Maryam and Kwadwo

Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng (Submitted by Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng)

For Maryam Mahdavi, a first-year psychology and music student at McGill, COVID crushed her social life. That began a sedentary lifestyle with too many trips to the fridge driven by loneliness and boredom. She's paired with Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, an Ottawa ICU physician and healthy living advocate. Kwadwo challenged Maryam to walk to and from campus. Just doing that made her feel better about herself. It also helped change her sleep and eating habits. But her ultimate goal was to get past her loneliness brought on by pandemic isolation and start meeting fellow students on campus.

White Coat Black Art23:48The Recovery Sessions 3 - Maryam meets Kwadwo

For university student Maryam Mahdavi, COVID crushed her social life and began a sedentary lifestyle with too many trips to the fridge driven by loneliness and boredom. Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, an Ottawa ICU physician and healthy living advocate helps her take the first steps to getting back on track.

White Coat Black Art23:05Recovery Sessions: Kwadwo and Maryam part two

BONUS PODCAST: Maryam Mahdavi finds the courage to make one huge breakthrough thanks to coaching from Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng.

Maria and Hillary

Maria Glavine holds her 10-month-old daughter, Clare. (Maria Glavine)

Ottawa new mom, Maria Glavine is looking for support as she tries to get past the pandemic. Her 9-month-old daughter Clare is too young to be vaccinated and has one functioning kidney. Hillary McBride, a clinical psychologist and host of Other People's Problem is also a newmom. She coaches Maria through her first steps to reconnect to the world.

White Coat Black Art32:16Recovery Sessions 5: New moms Hillary and Maria

BONUS PODCAST: Maria Glavine's 9-month-old daughter Clare is too young to be vaccinated and has one functioning kidney. Hillary McBride, a clinical psychologist and host of Other People's Problems, is coaching Maria through her first steps back into the world.

White Coat Black Art35:18The Recovery Sessions 6 - Maria and Hillary

BONUS PODCAST: Through the coaching of psychologist Hillary McBride, Maria Glavine taps into a powerful emotion to give her the strength to take her daughter on a fun adventure.