Season Five - Episode Five - Empty Arms

01/19/23 • 58 min

1 Listener

Jasmin Herchak and Briana Koop took traumatic and devastating experiences with loss and turned them into something that is helping so many people and families in Saskatoon. I think that deserves to be celebrated.

In 2015, Jasmin and Bri created Empty Arms. It is a nonprofit organization that provides support to individuals and families that experience grief and bereavement due to the loss of a child during pregnancy or up to the age of six. As you will hear in this episode, Jasmin and Bri started Empty Arms because they experienced the loss of a child and quickly noticed the lack of supports for people who experience such a loss.

The work being done by the staff and volunteers Empty Arms is really incredible. They offer tangible supports to individuals and families when they are in the hospital and help create a supportive community in the months and years following a child's death. Jasmine and Bri explain why this work matters to them so much and how it continues to help them in their respective grieving processes.

It was also interesting to learn how Jasmin and Bri have forged a wonderful relationship with the staff at the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital and the team at the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation. It's wonderful to see a big organization like the Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation recognize the great work of a small, nonprofit organization like Empty Arms.

This episode would not have happened without Sara and Dax Irons who you will hear in this episode. Sara sent me an email last year telling me about the death of their son, Everett, in 2018 and how vital a role Empty Arms played in supporting them through such a difficult time. I am grateful to Sara and Dax for sharing their story and introducing me to Jasmin and Bri.

A big thank you to Rob Rongve and his team at Rongve Wealth Management Group of RBC Dominion Securities for supporting this episode of the podcast and for being such wonderful fans of all things YXE Underground. You're the best, Rob!

Thank you for listening to this episode and I hope you find it inspirational. I sure did in producing it. Feel free to make a donation to Empty Arms as I know they would appreciate it.
Cheers...Eric

Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Thank you for listening to this episode and I hope you find it inspirational. I sure did in producing it. Feel free to make a donation to Empty Arms as I know they would appreciate it.
Cheers...Eric

Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Previous Episode

Bonus Episode - Adrianne Vangool

If you ever get a chance to talk with Adrianne Vangool, take it. Jump at the opportunity to talk with her because you will find yourself talking with someone who is wonderfully honest and I think truly wise about the world around her. She comes by her wisdom through hard work, curiosity and reflection and its reflected in her debut book, 'The Journey of Self-Care to We-Care.'

Adrianne is a physiotherapist and owns her own business, Vangool Wellness. She is also a fantastic yoga instructor who incorporates yoga into her physiotherapy practice, and she explains the many benefits of yoga for a person's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health in her book.

She also shares her own personal story in her book. I really admire Adrianne's honesty in sharing some of the struggles she has experienced in her life. I think it shows a great deal of bravery and it's something we talk a lot about in this conversation.

We also talk about Adrianne's creative side as well. As you'll discover in her book, Adrianne loves writing poetry and she writes some beautiful poems that connect with different themes. I think the poems give the reader a better sense of who Adrianne is as a person and why writing this book was so meaningful to her.

Adrianne was kind enough to ask if she could be featured on the podcast to help promote the book. Of course I said because, well, just read the first paragraph of these show notes! We met at Vangool Wellness and sat crosslegged in her yoga studio to talk about the many themes in her debut book. I am very grateful to Adrianne for the opportunity to interview her and I am so excited for her book to launch in January of 2023.
Speaking of book launches, Adrianne is having a book launch on January 22nd at Ivy Yoga House from 1-3pm. The amazing Lisa Grieg is hosting the event and will be asking Adrianne questions about the book. The book launch is free to attend but you do have to register online.
Thank you so much for listening to this special bonus episode of YXE Underground! I hope you enjoy our conversation and be sure to buy Adrianne's book. You will love it!

Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis

Next Episode

Bonus Episode - Dax and Sara Irons

Welcome to a special bonus episode of YXE Underground. This episode is a continuation of last week’s episode where we featured an incredible nonprofit organization called Empty Arms. It is a perinatal support group that provides supports to individuals and families who have experienced the loss of a child during pregnancy or up to the age of six.

Jasmin Herchak and Briana Koop co-founded Empty Arms in 2015 and were the featured guests in last week’s episode. They were amazing to speak with and the feedback I’ve received from listeners highlights their empathy and kindness. I hope you get a chance to listen to their story if you haven’t done so already.

The other voices you heard in last week’s episode belonged to Dax and Sara Irons. They share the story of their son, Everett, who was born on September 22nd , 2018 and passed away at birth. They are grateful for the support Empty Arms provided them during such a difficult time, and in fact it was Sara’s idea to feature Jasmin and Briana on the podcast.

Sara and Dax invited me to their home on a chilly Saturday morning in December to talk about Everett and the supports Empty Arms provided them. It was a really powerful conversation and I can’t thank Sara and Dax enough for their honesty and vulnerability in sharing their story.

I played a few minutes of our conversation in last week’s episode but I want to share with you the entire interview because I just found it so powerful in how it shows the impact Empty Arms has on people like Sara and Dax.

I also wanted to share it because Sara and Dax gave so much of themselves in telling their story. I’ve known Sara for years through Saskatoon’s yoga community but this was the first time I met Dax, and he just shared so much of his heart in our conversation. I am grateful to both of them.

We did the interview in the living room of their home. Dax and I sat on the couch while Sara sat cross-legged on the floor. On the coffee table in front of us were objects that were part of the Empty Arms care package that you’ll hear them discuss throughout the interview.

Again, I am so grateful to Sara and Dax for sharing their story with me on the podcast.

Listen to and follow YXE Underground wherever you find your favourite podcasts including Spotify, Goodpods or the YXE Underground website. Please feel free to leave a 5-star review if you like what you hear.
Cheers...Eric