Canadian Grit: North of Ordinary. Episode 1: The Rope, the Pine, and the Torch

Before there was Canada, there was wilderness—untamed, unknown, and unforgettable. In this premiere episode, host Jamie Jackson, PhD (ABD), weaves history, reflection, poetry, and personal truth into a deeply human journey. From childhood wallpaper dreams to the burnout halls of Ontario public schools, this is a story about grit, memory, and why holding the torch of humanity matters.

You'll hear about early explorers like Champlain, the music and literature that shaped a generation, and the invisible systems we’re all swimming in. More than a podcast about Canadian history—it’s a reflection on identity, resilience, educator well-being, and what it means to care in a world that often forgets to.

Featuring voices from Rush, Springsteen, The Tragically Hip, and Colonel John McCrae, this episode is for educators, misfits, seekers, and humans alike.

Got a story? Want to reach out? Send me a message!

Support the show

I am so incredibly grateful that you stopped by. Thanks for listening to the show.

I hope you loved it. If you're interested, check me out on socials

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/canadiangritmedia/
OR: @canadiangritmedia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573998726741

Facebook Discussion and Community Page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573998726741

Remember, my friends: We're in this thing together. It means more than you know. We're just getting started!

If you know of anyone-- or if YOU have an amazing story of grit, or even something to share with the world, why not reach out and let me know?

I'd love to give voice to your stories.

All the very best.

Your good pal,

-Jamie

EMAIL: jamie@canadiangritmedia.ca

What does the idea of Canada mean to you?

Before Canada had a name, there was only wilderness—vast, unknown, and full of risk. A sweeping journey through time and psyche: from uncharted oceans to the inner maps we carry as human beings navigating uncertainty.

Today, we look at the STUFF of a nation… what differentiates Canada from the world? This episode offers some specific examples.

Part history, part myth, part reflection—this episode explores the raw courage it takes to sail into the unknown, whether in the 10th century or today’s hybrid digital world. We reflect on early explorers, the Halifax Explosion, and the enduring legacy of Canadian author Hugh MacLennan, whose words inspired Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip's iconic song Courage.

We unpack identity, regret, resilience, and the universal need to belong—drawing parallels between the age of discovery, our own 21st-century, and the return on investment from developing courage.

We’re just getting started!

Keywords

Adventure, Explore, Escape, Wonder, Nature, Canada, history, canadian, culture, geography, outdoors, Tragically Hip, Rush, band, music, creative, Indigenous, stories, space race, resilience, technology, narrative, economy, progress development, pathways, France, identity, Champlain, exploration, colonialism, indigenous, maps, cartography, humanity, human spirit, technology, critical perspectives, Cartier, Cabot, learning, exploration, maps, Religion, War, France, England, militarism, imperialism, Identity, Place, Explorer, Resilience, Native, Iroquois, Great Lakes, Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, camping, space, ships,

Got a story? Want to reach out? Send me a message!

Support the show

I am so incredibly grateful that you stopped by. Thanks for listening to the show.

I hope you loved it. If you're interested, check me out on socials

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/canadiangritmedia/
OR: @canadiangritmedia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573998726741

Facebook Discussion and Community Page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573998726741

Remember, my friends: We're in this thing together. It means more than you know. We're just getting started!

If you know of anyone-- or if YOU have an amazing story of grit, or even something to share with the world, why not reach out and let me know?

I'd love to give voice to your stories.

All the very best.

Your good pal,

-Jamie

EMAIL: jamie@canadiangritmedia.ca

What if history wasn’t just a series of dates, but a map of the human soul?

In this epic, cinematic journey through time and space, we trace the arc of exploration, ambition, and identity—spanning from Leif Erikson and the Vikings to JFK, the Space Race, the Avro Arrow, and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon.

We hop from Étienne Brûlé to 1987 with Ronald Reagan's anti-tariff, anti-isolationist speech (given on my birthday, June 12, 1987!). Audio from the famous 'Tear Down this Wall Speech' is included, demonstrating how far Republicanism has shifted since the late '80s, and how such history can be used to unify Canada with itself, and with its most important cultural, economic, and social partner in the world.

I directly connect Reagan's 1987 speech and Cold War to today, and Canada's "trade and tariff wars," upheld by many misled citizens on both sides of the border. and all the way back to the traces and roots of our modern and ongoing reckoning with Canada’s evolving story.

We are living at an unbelievable point in human history. This “bridge” episode connects past and present through the powerful currents of continuity and change, progress and peril.

As we sail the whitecaps of time toward the life of Samuel de Champlain in the next episode, we confront the earliest (known) colonial encounters, the scars and sparks of contact, and evolving forces within Dr. Marshal McLuhan's 'global village'.

These historical and human forces directly shape us and our communities.

Important figures like Dr. Gabor Maté are also examined to better understand implications of our modern obsession with perfection and (un)originality, and how the anxieties of Western culture have disconnected us from a deeper, more rooted way of being. We explore how reunification of the bodymind through wonder, story, and personal connection can offer us a path forward. Whether through Adam Shoalts’ wilderness trails, or Soviet rocket launches, we ask: What does it mean to belong to a land, a legacy, and a people still in formation?

This is north of ordinary.

🧭 Topics Covered/Keywords

JFK, Reagan, Iron Curtain, Berlin Wall, Cold War, USSR, Russia, United States, politics, Indigenous, true stories, space race, Gabor Maté, mental health, resilience, colonial, tech, economy, business, development, pathways, New France, culture, identity, Champlain, Canadian, exploration, colonialism, Donnacona, indigenous, maps, cartography, humanity, human spirit, technology, critical perspectives, Cartier, Cabot, Champlain, caree

Got a story? Want to reach out? Send me a message!

Support the show

I am so incredibly grateful that you stopped by. Thanks for listening to the show.

I hope you loved it. If you're interested, check me out on socials

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/canadiangritmedia/
OR: @canadiangritmedia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573998726741

Facebook Discussion and Community Page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573998726741

Remember, my friends: We're in this thing together. It means more than you know. We're just getting started!

If you know of anyone-- or if YOU have an amazing story of grit, or even something to share with the world, why not reach out and let me know?

I'd love to give voice to your stories.

All the very best.

Your good pal,

-Jamie

EMAIL: jamie@canadiangritmedia.ca