December 27, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on December 27, 2021
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The problem with “I am a….”

All of us have heard it. Most of us do it. Some don’t understand it (and I’m jealous of you!). What am I talking about? The “I am a” syndrome. When we define ourselves by what we do, rather than who we are. Lately I’ve been trying to understand where this comes from; that is, the sense that we must accomplish something impressive to be “worthy” of love, recognition, or contentment. For most of my life I’ve identified as an athlete; first, a figure skater, and then as a runner. For the majority of my adult life I’ve also identified as a physician. Others also seem to identify me that way. “There’s the runner! There’s the doctor! There’s the doctor-runner!” And, you know what? I actually LIKED that. It made me feel accomplished. It made me feel worthy, it made me feel like a success. Over the past couple of years, and even more so recently, I have begun to see just how problematic that was.

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November 11, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on November 11, 2021
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This Is How It Always Is

This character-driven novel follows the Walsh-Adams family as they navigate the highs and lows of life, raising a family, and doing what is right for their child with gender dysphoria. While the story delves into the charming and unique characters of parents, Penn and Rosie, and all five children, it particularly focuses on the youngest child. Vibrant and sweet, when Claude is asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he wholeheartedly states he would like to be a girl.

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October 31, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on October 31, 2021
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Rachel Cliff

Goal Grief: Recovering from an Intangible loss

It’s funny how as you get older you realize that the strangest lessons can stick with you: when I was in grade 10 my teacher taught us about goal setting, and had us write long- (where you’d like to be in a year or so), medium- (a mid-length goal to check-in on your journey’s progress) and short- (immediate goal, in the next few days or weeks) goals. A critical piece of advice we were given was that if you achieve all your goals, you are setting them too easy, and if you fail to achieve any, then you might be setting them out of reach. At that point I was just starting into distance running and was completely captivated by it.

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October 16, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on October 16, 2021
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The Clockmaker’s Daughter

The Clockmaker’s Daughter is so much more than your typical ghost story. Told by the perspective of multiple characters over several generations it primarily features the stories of two main female protagonists: Albertine “Birdie” Bell, a young woman who tragically loses her life in 19th century England and appears as a ghost throughout the book, and Elodie Winslow a young archivist in 2017 London who starts to uncover the mysterious story behind Birdie’s death.

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October 9, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on October 9, 2021
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Tamara Jewett

My name is Tamara Jewett. I started my athletic career as a middle-distance track runner (1500m to 5km) expecting to compete at an elite level until somewhere around age 26 and then focus on a career in law. Almost a decade of severe athletic injuries, culminating in 18 months unable to run at all, derailed my goals for track. But, at age 31, my athletic career is on a roll again, and I am succeeding at the highest levels of pro long-course triathlon (focused on Ironman 70.3s).

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September 12, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on September 12, 2021
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Kacee Carter

My name is Sam Cruickshank, and I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Miss Kacee Carter on behalf of Winning Within. Kacee is a 14-year-old gymnast from Kelowna who already shows inspiring dedication to her sport. Kacee was a natural and answered the questions with precise and meaningful responses (much better responses than I would have come up with on the spot at her age). Below you will find our delightful discussion!

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September 1, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on September 1, 2021
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The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Rachel Joyce embarks us on an emotional journey when she introduces us to the likeable, yet fallible character Harold Fry. His spontaneous pilgrimage to find Queenie, his dying friend, becomes more of a journey to find himself, and to make sense of his relationship with his wife, and son. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll find yourself relating to Harold’s humanistic qualities. Joyce has an uncanny ability to make us see ourselves through Harold, and don’t be surprised if you find yourself doing your own soul searching when reading this book. Highly recommended read if you are yearning for a great fiction book!

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August 24, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on August 24, 2021
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Rachel Garrett

Hi, my name is Rachel. I’m currently 24 years old, but it started when I was young. “It” is in reference to my perfectionist tendencies. I started to have high expectations for myself in all aspects of my life in high school and was starting to come to think that others held these expectations of me as well. I was a high achieving academic and athlete in my youth, and the external praise I received encouraged me to keep going. I’ve always played at the top level of sport. I played at the highest level club available for soccer in high school. I competed in the USport league for cross country in university. I’ve never received a B in school. I have been a straight A student since elementary school, and that continued into my university degree. I wanted to be the best, always. I never thought that would have been a negative thing.

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August 1, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on August 1, 2021
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A Mind Spread Out on the Ground

"A Mind Spread Out on the Ground", a title derived from the Mohawk translation of depression, is a brilliant collection of essays focused on a variety of topics including anti-indigenous racism, colonialism, mental illness, sexual assault, poverty, indigenous representation, trauma, and so much more. Alicia Elliott shares her lived-experiences and in-depth understanding of crucial subjects while impressing readers with beautiful prose. This book is an indispensable resource for those who are wanting to gain insight and view important new perspectives on some of the most pressing issues that society is facing today.

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July 4, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on July 4, 2021
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Christy Lovig

Given how cathartic it was to write this article, let’s lead it as the therapy session it is. On that note:

Hi. My name is Christy, and I’m a 40-something-year-old marathon runner, lawyer, businessperson and mother of wolves, with a general aversion to moderation. Also, I travel through my days with my constant companion, Disordered Eating. (We’ll call said companion “ED”, for ease of reference.) What is Disordered Eating, you wonder? It’s a term used for a wide range of unhealthy eating behaviours and worries about body image, including extreme control and rigid routines surrounding food and exercise. It’s complicated, addictive, and all-consuming, and oddly enough, something I am quite good at.

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July 1, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on July 1, 2021
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Bravey

Refusing to fit into one box, Alexi Pappas is not only an Olympic distance runner, but also an actress, filmmaker, and talented writer as demonstrated in this recent memoir. Pappas recounts both the highs and lows of her life, including her journey to the Olympics, losing her mother to suicide at a young age, her struggles with post-Olympic depression and body image, as well as her search for strong female role models.

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June 1, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on June 1, 2021
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Educated

Not technically fiction, this book is an autobiography written by Tara Westover – an American Author who has a Ph.D. in history from Cambridge. Tara was born in Idaho to a survivalist who opposed public education; she spent her childhood working for her parent’s junkyard and largely educating herself, first setting foot in a classroom at the age of 17.

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June 1, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on June 1, 2021
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Hannah Bennison

My love for running comes from deep within myself. Running for me is an indescribable sensation that, to this day, I believe to be my true gift and calling. In the middle of a race or a hard tempo I used to physically get the chills. It felt like an external force ran over and through me, lifting me out of myself and transporting me to a different dimension. To this day, when I get the feeling of absolute serenity in the middle of a run, I take a moment to thank whatever force gave me the capacity to use my body in a way that makes me feel so deeply and utterly connected to myself.

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January 7, 2021
Published by winningwithinca on January 7, 2021
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Delilah Topic

My name is Delilah Topic, and I am the founder of www.winningwithin.ca

I reside in beautiful Kelowna British Columbia, where I practice as a Medical Oncologist and as a professor at UBCO medical school. I have also been an athlete for most of my life! I was a competitive figure skater from the age of 6 to 17, after which I took a break from competitive athletics for a few years. I got into running when I entered university at the University of Toronto. The majority of my running career has been in my 30s (I am now 41) when I joined the Master’s Track and Field team for Canada. I have been fortunate to compete all over the world in international competitions, winning several national and World Masters Games medals.

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