More with Anna Maria Tremonti

Anna Maria Tremonti has been keeping her past a secret for over 40 years. As one of Canada’s most respected journalists, she has a reputation for being fearless. She’s reported from some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. But there’s one story she’s never made public: when she was 23 years old, she married a man who became physically abusive. This is the first time Anna Maria has told anyone—including family or close friends—the details of what she endured. Working with her therapist, she reveals the intimate details of a past she’s kept to herself for most of her life. If you or someone you know is affected by intimate partner violence, you can find a list of resources at cbc.ca/WTPresources. More episodes are available at: hyperurl.co/welcometoparadise

Malcolm Gladwell is known for turning assumptions on their head, and looking at situations from a different point of view. In this chat recorded before COVID-19, the journalist and podcaster speaks to Anna Maria Tremonti about the importance of changing our minds. The good news is he’s hopeful about our ability to do so. In fact, Gladwell believes closed-minded dogmatists are the real outliers. “Most people are actually open to new interpretations — surprisingly so.” In a season finale that goes down many rabbit holes, Gladwell reveals why he’s rapidly losing interest in print; where he gets his best ideas; why overconfident people may be more dangerous than ignorant ones; and why people reacting with a “huh” is the ultimate compliment.

Margaret Atwood has crafted her fair share of doomsday scenarios. And a lot of those have been inspired by real-life events, from the totalitarian regimes abroad that shaped her world as a child to the suspension of civil liberties at home in Canada, under the War Measures Act. Along the way, she has lost loved ones — including most recently her life partner and fellow writer, Graeme Gibson, who suffered from dementia. But in the face of all that, Margaret Atwood is still standing strong. With a crackling sense of humour and endless curiosity (“it gets me in so much trouble”) the internationally renowned writer seamlessly weaves between realities she’s lived in the last 80 years and possibilities yet to come in this conversation with Anna Maria Tremonti. And while she won’t make official predictions in the face of many possible futures, she will (almost gleefully) read palms. Just wait till you hear what she sees in Anna Maria’s.

It’s pretty easy to spot a Frank Gehry building: all curves and glass and movement. He’ll tell you his designs — from the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles — “speak” to the buildings and environment around them. But to the onlooker, they clearly stand apart. That may be because Gehry views himself as an artist, and his designs as an art. In this conversation with Anna Maria Tremonti, it also becomes clear that Gehry sees his buildings as a way to bring people together — and sees his own role in life as much more than an architect. Plus, we get some key insight into his earliest days.

These are emotional times for Naomi Klein. As an activist, she has fought a lot of big battles. But now she’s waging what may be the fight of her life — against climate change — and many days, the odds seem stacked against her. So what keeps her fighting? Whatever you do, don’t assume it’s because as a mom, she wants to give her kid a better future. And what gives her hope? Turns out she doesn’t really relate to that word. “Our chances aren’t good,” she tells Anna Maria Tremonti. She does, however, see “a pathway out of this crisis.” Listen to their conversation to hear what it’s like to be on the frontlines of the fight for change — and the very emotional place it all started for Naomi Klein.