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The Pulse

The Pulse

By: Dave Graham & Peter McCully
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LISTEN UP! Whether you're a longtime local or just discovering our corner of paradise On Vancouver Island in Parksville Qualicum Beach, Nanoose, Arrowsmith Coombs or Lighthouse Country - tune in to the Pulse. The Pulse Community Podcast tells the stories of the people and places that make our coastal communities unique. SIGN UP! Subscribe now to catch every episode!


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Episodes
  • Kyle McKearney's To The River Tour & 99-year-old Eva Hilborn's Wonderful World of Books

    Kyle McKearney's To The River Tour & 99-year-old Eva Hilborn's Wonderful World of Books
    May 26 2026
    "Send us a text about this episode!"Why You Should Listen to This Episode: Kyle McKearney stopped chasing what the industry told him to be, went home, made the record he wanted to make, and had it mixed by the same engineer behind Chris Stapleton and Beyonce. Eva Hilborn decided at 95 that she wasn't done yet - and built a literacy charity from scratch that now puts free books in the hands of 500 children every month. Two guests who took their own road, and made something remarkable.This Episode Features:(25:23) Kyle McKearney, Metis singer-songwriter and frontman of The Outliers, is bringing his To The River Tour to Vancouver Island this summer - including Sunfest at Laketown Ranch, Rock the Range in Qualicum Beach, and the Parksville Museum Concert Series. Raised in Fort St. John and now based in Alberta, Kyle grew up in a musical family - his dad spent eight years chasing Nashville with the East Coast Riders, and his grandparents played dances and weddings across western Canada. Kyle co-produced his most recent album with Russell Broom, had it mixed by Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Willie Nelson, Beyonce) and had five songs featured in the season 18 finale of Heartland. His band, The Outliers - which includes his wife Sarah on vocals and guitar - plays country, Americana, and bluegrass with a soul and swagger all their own. Contains the song “Wedding Day”. https://www.imkylemckearney.com/(06:16) Eva Hilborn, retired early childhood educator and founder of the Wonderful World of Books, started her charity at age 95, inspired by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Now 99, Eva is still involved in the program that delivers free, personalized books to 500 children across School District 69 every month - from birth to age four. What began with 25 books delivered by neighbours in Bowser has grown into a volunteer-powered organization with 50 to 70 dedicated volunteers, multiple grants and sponsors, and a partnership with the Qualicum Beach library. Kathy Van Herwaarden serves as vice president. Eva's secret to a long and active life? Keep busy. Keep a job. Do something positive. https://thewonderfulworldofbooks.com/Episode Quotes:“It just has its own thing - it's a group of highly skilled, highly talented musicians who have a lot of swagger and soul and could essentially play any genre of music.” - Kyle McKearney“Children who have 80 or more books in their home progress greater. The children, they're happy to get a book each month.” - Eva HilbornVoice message The PULSE and be part of the podcast!You'll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.caClick here to learn how to Support the showEpisode Sponsors: Tablet Pharmacy, Society of Organized Services (SOSD69) & Ian Lindsay & AssociatesCheck out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube, as well as SkookumKids.comSign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests!“Like, Share & Listen!”(Wedding Day - McKearney)#KyleMcKearney #ToTheRiverTour #VancouverIsland #VancouverIslandMusic #WonderfulWorldOfBooks #EvaHilborn #Literacy #SunFest #ThePULSEPodcast #VancouverIslandPodcast #ParksvilleNews #VancouverIslandNewsSupport the show
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    47 mins
  • Carys Cragg - How I Came to Meet the Man Who Murdered My Father

    Carys Cragg - How I Came to Meet the Man Who Murdered My Father
    May 26 2026

    "Send us a text about this episode!"

    Why You Should Listen to This Episode

    What does it take to face the person who shattered your world? Carys Cragg was 11 years old when her father was murdered. Decades later, she chose to correspond with - and ultimately meet - the man responsible. Her story is not about forgiveness on demand. It is about what happens when you decide to walk toward your greatest fear, and what you find on the other side.

    In this episode:

    Carys Cragg joins Cindy Thompson on A Resilience Project to share the extraordinary journey behind her book Dead Reckoning: How I Came to Meet the Man Who Murdered My Father - a Globe & Mail Best 100 Book of 2017, finalist for the Hubert Evans BC Book Prize, and finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award.

    Carys opens up about complex trauma, grief, and the unexpected gifts that can emerge when we are willing to confront what we fear most. Beyond her personal story, Carys brings a professional lens to healing: she is faculty and coordinator in the Child & Youth Care degree program at Douglas College and is completing her Doctor of Education in educational leadership. This episode is dedicated to her father.

    The PULSE Community Podcasts can be found at: https://thepulsecommunity.ca/

    Cindy Thompson's website: https://cindythompsoncounselling.ca

    Learn more about Carys Cragg: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/caryscragg

    You'll find all episodes of the PULSE Community Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, TIK TOK and YouTube.

    Episode Sponsor: Tablet Pharmacy

    Check out Skookum Kid's Stories with downloadbale colouring pages on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube.

    Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests!

    "Like, Share & Listen!"

    #CarysCragg #ResilienceProject #VancouverIsland #ParksvilleQualicum #ThePulseCommunityPodcast #CindyThompson #DeadReckoning #parksvillenews #vancouverislandnews

    Support the show
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    40 mins
  • Singer-Songwriter Sean Thomas & Parksville Museum Curator Sarah Ronald

    Singer-Songwriter Sean Thomas & Parksville Museum Curator Sarah Ronald
    May 19 2026
    "Send us a text about this episode!"Why You Should Listen to This Episode:Sean Thomas was 17 years old when he began producing Debbie Gibson's comeback album - the same year he was learning to drive a car. He then took his talents to Las Vegas as her music director, toured with New Kids on the Block and New Edition, and is now releasing his own music entirely on his own terms. Sarah Ronald turned a heritage village courtyard into a concert venue, dreamed up Parksville's longest hopscotch course, and is building a storytelling festival from scratch - because she believes a museum, like a library, has to keep evolving to stay alive. This Episode Features:(28:06) Sean Thomas is a 24-year-old Vancouver-born singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and voice actor who started playing piano at five, founded a charity that raised over $100,000 for BC Children's Hospital at age 11, and co-produced Debbie Gibson's first album in two decades while finishing his Berklee College of Music degree. He has since worked as a music director, writer, mixer, and producer for Joey McIntyre, New Kids on the Block, and New Edition. His debut single "Better" - written, recorded, produced, and mixed entirely himself - features over 100 stacked vocal layers built in his home studio. Sean is now preparing an independent EP and exploring live performance opportunities later this year. https://www.seanthomas.ca/(06:08) Sarah Ronald is the manager and curator of the Parksville Museum at Craig Heritage Park, overseeing eight heritage buildings, a rich regional archive, and a rapidly expanding calendar of community events. After 18 years as a theatre coordinator for the City of Port Moody, Sarah arrived in Parksville in spring 2024 and has since launched an artisan market, a concert series every Thursday in July, a juried art exhibit exploring repetition, and a multi-week storytelling festival for June featuring theatre, literary artists, spoken word, and workshops. She also drew Parksville's longest hopscotch course - all 300-plus hops of it. https://www.parksvillemuseum.com/Episode Quotes:"When I'm in a writing session or doing a production for something, I'll often just take a backseat or keep asking questions until they bring it out themselves - because when it comes from them and it's an idea they thought of, it's more inspired." - Sean Thomas"A lot of the items in here in some regard were precious to somebody, and you can tell. You can see these stories." - Sarah RonaldLISTEN: We've had the pleasure of sitting down with musicians from across Vancouver Island and beyond - explore more stories and interviews on our Vancouver Island Musicians page.Voice message The PULSE and be part of the podcast!You'll find all episodes of The PULSE Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, TikTok, YouTube, and ThePulseCommunity.caClick here to learn how to Support the showEpisode Sponsors: Ian Lindsay & Associates, Thrifty Foods Parksville & Fireside BooksCheck out Skookum Kid's Stories on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.Sign up for our weekly newsletter of new podcast releases and contests! https://bit.ly/PulseNewsletterSignup"Like, Share & Listen!"#SeanThomas #VancouverIslandMusic #DebbieGibson #ParksvilleMuseum #CraigHeritagePark #VancouverIsland #PULSECommunityPodcast #VancouverIslandPodcast #ParksvilleNews #VancouverIslandNewsSupport the show
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    55 mins
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