Democide: When Governments Become the Threat
The Deadly Consequences of Unchecked Power A friend of mine in Hawaii recently introduced me to a word I had never heard before. The word is Democide. I consider myself a reasonably informed person. I've spent much of my life working in communications, asking questions, researching issues and trying to understand the world around me. But this word stopped me in my tracks. I had heard of genocide. I knew about war crimes and crimes against humanity. In recent years, I have bec
Oct 236 min read
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking of Children
When we hear the words child sex trafficking, many of us probably imagine a frightening scene: a child kidnapped by a stranger, taken far from home and held somewhere against their will. That can happen, but what if the danger doesn't always look like that? Trafficking can involve recruiting, harbouring, or otherwise obtaining a child for exploitation, and it doesn’t require crossing a border or even travelling. What if a person exploiting a child isn't a stranger? What if th
Oct 157 min read
Family Secrets: When Buried Treasures Come to Light
Reflections by Mikael Wagner Almost every family has a story nobody talks about. Sometimes we know there is a secret because everyone suddenly becomes quiet when a certain name is mentioned. Sometimes an old photograph appears, and nobody seems willing to explain who the person standing in the corner might be. Often, there is a relative we have heard about but never met. Other times, we don't discover the secret until years later, when the people who could have explained it
Sep 248 min read
Learning to Live with Loss
"Grief Has No Timeline" Grief is not something we finish. It's something we slowly learn to carry. There are some phone calls we never forget and some goodbyes we were not prepared to say. And some people whose absence changes the way the world feels forever. The loss of a friend, a special family member, partner, spouse, parent, colleague, or someone we deeply care about can be one of life's most difficult experiences. No matter how much we understand intellectually that de
Sep 77 min read
Trust & Betrayal: The Hardest Lesson We Learn About People
Trust is one of the most valuable gifts we can give another person. Unlike money or possessions, trust can't be bought. It's earned over time through honesty, consistency, respect, and shared experiences. It's built conversation by conversation, promise by promise, until one day we find ourselves believing that someone will protect our confidence, honour their word, and stand beside us when life becomes difficult. That is why betrayal hurts so deeply. Whether it comes from a
Aug 135 min read
Is America Destroying Itself?
Over the past several years, I have found myself asking a question that once seemed unthinkable: Is America destroying itself? Sometimes I imagine America standing at a crossroad. One path is loud. Filled with endless headlines, social media feeds, breaking news alerts, political slogans, outrage, and voices all competing to be heard. The other path is quieter. It asks us to slow down, to think critically, to listen, and to question ourselves as much as we question others. Th
Jul 144 min read
No One Gets to Define Your Worth
Reflections by Mikael Wagner I recently watched the story of Sarah Rector, an 11-year-old Black girl born in 1902 in Oklahoma, to Creek Nation's parents. She was entitled to a land allotment under federal treaties. Her life changed forever when oil was discovered on land many believed had little value. As I watched her struggle against greed, racism, and people determined to take what was rightfully hers, I felt tears running down my face. It wasn't simply because of what hap
Jun 284 min read
