Half Betty

We sat down with Danielle Mika Nagel for a conversation that moved dynamically between both reflection and clarity. A conversation that stayed with us long after it was over and, now, finds its opportunity to be shared with our listeners.

At the heart of this episode is a phrase Danielle often returns to - “effort and ease”. The idea that everything meaningful in life asks something of us, but not everything should feel lik...

Last year, in a packed room at the Hello Sunshine Conference, Krista and I listened to Dr. Rachel Goldman speak.

Afterward, we had a brief chance to meet her and share what we were building with Half Betty - a space for women navigating midlife, or what we often call centre life, and all that comes with it. She listened with a nod and what felt like immediate understanding - a kind of quiet recognition in the exchange. ...

What began as an April Fools’ idea has become something much more meaningful.

Half George returns as a space for men to move into honest, open conversations about midlife alongside the stories we’ve been hearing from our guests on Half Betty.

Co-hosts Chris Rathborne and Kyle Gruen are joined by their first guest, Steve Pratt - writer, entrepreneur, and self-described “weird, kind, creative, enthusiast, experimenter.”

For this episode of Half Betty, Andrea and Krista are joined with Anar Ali an award-winning author, TV creator, and Executive Producer of CBC/NBC Universal’s Allegiance (now on the tail end of Season 3), as she traces her path from Tanzania through small-town Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Toronto. Anar talks through guiding values like freedom over security, kindness as power, collaboration, compassion, and a curiosity that ...

Andrea and Krista welcome not one, but two fantastic new guests to Half Betty -  the duo behind the brilliant and fun The Devil Wears SPF podcast, Carolyn Hawes and Diane Brennan. In this episode, we hear from both women about the experiences that have shaped them, the lessons that landed them here, and their visions for full, vibrant, sun-protected futures.

Carolyn and Diane explore themes of self-worth, agency, and th...

In this episode of the Half Betty Podcast, Suzanne (Zanne) Hollingshead joins Andrea and Krista for an honest and moving conversation about loss, resilience, and finding purpose through life’s hardest seasons. Zanne shares her experience of losing her mother as a child and her sister in midlife, and how navigating these profound losses became a catalyst for transformation.

She talks about how her journey through grief l...

In this episode of the Half Betty Podcast, Julie Kim, a top Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, and producer, joins Andrea and Krista for an engaging and honest conversation. Julie shares her journey in comedy, motherhood, cultural identity, and the unique challenges women face in the entertainment industry. She talks about her evolving comedic style, fueled by real-life experiences (including the highly annoying ones) and...

Welcome to Season Two of the Half Betty Podcast with Founder, Host and Producer Andrea Rathborne as well as Producer and Co-Host Krista Gruen. We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Lucky Sekhon, a board-certified OB-GYN, reproductive endocrinologist, and fertility specialist based in New York. In this episode, Dr. Lucky shares her story from her education at McGill University and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to her pra...

Andrea and Krista welcome Karryn Ransom on this episode of Half Betty. Karryn was a cast member of Degrassi Jr. High and speaks about her time on the series and how it shaped her future as a teacher. The conversation delves into the challenges and rewards of parenting, professional journeys, and the transition to 'empty nesters.' They emphasize the importance of modeling a full life for their children, exploring new passio...

Andrea Rathborne and Krista Gruen join in conversation with Jocelyn Pepe, whose extraordinary journey - from moving through divorce and single motherhood to surviving a life-altering brain injury and ultimately becoming a global keynote speaker and bestselling author - reveals the power of grit, healing, and claiming your own mind. As a dedicated mother of three children, author of her first book, Claim Your Brain, and com...

In this episode of the Half Betty Podcast, Founder and Host Andrea Rathborne and Producer/ Co-host Krista Gruen connect across time zones - from Vancouver to Bali -  with Desiree Dupuis, founder and vision-keeper of Voes & Co, a vegan fashion and design brand rooted in sustainability and soul.

Desiree opens up about the wild, beautiful path of entrepreneurship - from leaving Vancouver to building a life and business...

In this episode of Half Betty, Andrea Rathborne and Krista Gruen strike up a conversation with filmmakers Kate Green and Amber Orchard as they share the story behind their upcoming feature documentary Menopause: Coming In Hot! The film is set to have its World Premiere at the Whistler Film Festival this December, 2025. Directed by and starring Kate Green, the film captures her real-time journey through perimenopause with h...

In this episode of the Half Betty Podcast, Founder, Host, and Producer Andrea Rathborne and Producer and Co-Host Krista Gruen sit down with sisters Jess and Moonie Desvarieux. Once navigating careers in journalism and law, Jess and Moonie have pivoted to include comedy, screenwriting, and directing, letting their authentic voices shine. They discuss their award-winning web series Moonie, their feature script Butch Baby Mam...

This week, Andrea and Krista sit down with Mary Lynn Cloghesy -  mother, author, entrepreneur, and creative force. Her midlife years brought with them profound change: the end of a marriage, a concussion, the dissolution of a company, and the unexpected challenge of starting over in school.

Instead of breaking her, these experiences became catalysts for transformation. Mary Lynn learned to listen to her intuition, care for ...