How do our stories shape both personal wellbeing and system change?
On this bonus episode of The “So, Why?” Podcast, recorded live during a fireside chat co-hosted by Unsinkable and Stepped Care Solutions (SCS), the panel explores how individual stories shape self-understanding and community healing and how narratives inform policy, care design, and population-level change.
Panelists include:
AnnMarie Churchill, President and Lead Executive Officer at SCS
Hailey Hechtman, Executive Director, Unsinkable
Joshua Bell, Unsinkable Champion and mental health advocate
and moderator Afreina Noor, Partnerships Lead, Unsinkable
Stepped Care Solutions is proud to partner with Unsinkable for a conversation that explores the full arc of mental health storytelling—from individual experience to systemic transformation.
Watch the conversation:
You can also watch and listen to this episode on the following channels:
More information for this episode:
Unsinkable website: https://www.weareunsinkable.com/
Resource Kit: (link to download)
Unsinkable @ Work: https://www.weareunsinkable.com/unsinkable-at-work
This episode’s panel:
AnnMarie Churchill, President and Lead Executive Officer, Stepped Care Solutions
AnnMarie brings over 30 years of clinical and systems-level experience across healthcare, research, and community settings. She has led the implementation of Stepped Care 2.0®, including Wellness Together Canada, and specializes in trauma, anxiety, and resilience.
Hailey Hechtman, Executive Director of Unsinkable
Hailey is a mental health and social impact leader using storytelling to drive systemic change and reduce stigma. A 2025 LeadHer Award recipient, she has also received the King Charles III Coronation Medal and was named one of The Peak’s Emerging Leaders for 2024.
Joshua Bell, Unsinkable Champion
Joshua is a mental health advocate and community leader who brings both lived experience and national leadership to his work across organizations and initiatives. In 2025, he was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his contributions to mental health and suicide prevention in Canada.
Afreina Noor, Partnerships Lead at Unsinkable
Afreina designs and facilitates national conversations, such as this one, under Unsinkable’s flagship program Unsinkable @ Work, that use storytelling as a tool for connection, stigma reduction, and systems change. Afreina is the host and moderator of this conversation.
About Unsinkable:
Unsinkable helps Canadians tell their mental health stories and create spaces where these stories become a lifeline for others. Through sharing personal experiences, Unsinkable fosters connection, reduces isolation, and offers hope.
Want to hear more about how the innovative Stepped Care 2.0 model supports communities to reframe, rethink, and redesign the delivery of mental health and substance use health services? Check out previous episodes of The “So, Why?” Podcast on our website, YouTube channel, Spotify or your favourite podcast apps.