Selene Vakharia

Well North Columnist Selene Vakharia is a holistic nutritionist, freelance writer and whole foods cook who loves showing people how easy, fun and delicious being healthy can be. Selene is a Whitehorse-based contributor who also writes freelance stories on a variety of subjects.

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Every January we’re Pivoting

Pivot Festival brings laughs sunshine, & much-needed break from the winter blues. 14th year of bringing the unexpected to Whitehorse.

Enjoy Dawson City films from the cozy comfort of your couch

Ever since Available Light Film Festival launched 19 years ago, it has brought to its audiences stories of different ways of life and different perspectives. This year, four films from Dawson City will be featured for online streaming across Canada.

Everything is broken, what a great time to be alive

At She/Ze, Vicki Saunders will take attendees on a journey of shifting our mindset with her mantra: “everything’s broken, what a great time to be alive” When all around you it seems that the world is breaking and that there is nothing any of us can do, Vicki Saunders invites you to realize the power …

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Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Maureen Johnstone is a leadership coach and the founder of Raventree Coaching. She’ll be leading a workshop at the upcoming She/Ze Leads the World Women’s Leadership Summit that will have participants embracing their awkwardness and vulnerability to become better leaders–in their own lives and for those around them. Awkwardness and vulnerability can seem to many …

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Great things happen when women rise

The research is in. When women lead the way, companies, organizations, and communities all benefit. Study after study has concluded that having more female leaders in top positions is correlated with increased profitability and performance. When it comes to public office, there is evidence that having women in elected seats impacts the whole community–women and …

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Creating a safer community through relationship-building

Building trust between a community and police is essential to addressing the extraordinarily high numbers of sexualized assaults and violence in the Yukon. Without this relationship, women at risk and women who have experienced violence are less likely to reach out to the police for support or to report crimes. When a breakdown of trust …

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Teaching teens about healthy relationships

Would you believe conversations around consent don’t need to be awkward? Shelby Maunder does and she’s sharing the message with youth. Maunder is the executive director of Bringing Youth Towards Equality (BYTE), a for-youth-by-youth organization that’s leading conversations around healthy relationships and consent. Understanding that discomfort and a lack of tools can keep us from having …

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Sparking conversations of consent

Wondering who the friendly people are at every festival handing out condoms, making cool buttons and sometimes dressing up like superheroes? If you’ve been to a big event or festival in Yukon, you’ve probably seen the Consent Crew. Made up of four coordinating members and a team of enthusiastic volunteers, the Consent Crew uses conversations …

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Self-care as a daily practice

Living in today’s world can mean being bombarded by awful news about sexualized assault, microaggressions and violence in many forms. All this negative news can be frustrating, overwhelming and downright exhausting. If you’re starting to feel burnt out, you are not alone. This year, the annual Sexualized Assault Prevention Month campaign is spotlighting the need for …

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Ditch your fear of public speaking

Whether you’re interested in being a leader or looking to grow your business, speaking in public is a surefire way to establish expertise and credibility in your field. Unfortunately for many, the thought of public speaking is enough to cause them to shrink back and turn down opportunities that come their way. Public speaking seems to …

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Herbal passions

When Beverley Gray started her business, over 20 years ago, it began with filling a need for her own family.

Ten days to celebrate Pivot Festival’s 10th year

The Pivot Festival runs Jan. 24 to Feb. 3 with local and national acts Since Nakai Theatre launched the Pivot Festival in 2008, there have been some big names and unforgettable performances that have graced stages and pop-up theatre settings in Whitehorse. The festival has boasted bringing unconventional and award-winning shows from across Canada and …

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Stephanie Dixon

Local Female Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Business Advice

Wondering how to get your business from side hustle to full time? Struggling with balancing kids, hobbies and relationships, while building your brand? Looking for inspiration and motivation to get you through the inevitable blocks and challenges that comes with being an entrepreneur? Women face unique challenges when launching into the world of business. For …

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Bend the Rules of Exercise

While Whitehorse’s newest yoga studio True North Massage and Yoga just opened, it’s already setting itself apart from the other offerings in town. The yoga studio, located at 407 Black Street, opened mid-January. Since opening, its owners Sheila MacLean and Stephanie Padfield have set their sights on community partnerships and a hybrid approach to the …

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Staying Eczema-free this Winter

For sufferers of eczema, the winter can be an especially uncomfortable time. The dry, overheated indoors and the harsh, cold outdoors can aggravate symptoms. Eczema, which is also called atopic dermatitis, is a condition that causes dry, thickened, itchy patches on the skin. Research points to it originating in the immune system. In those with …

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Natural Energy Boosts

It’s that time of year again. With the constant darkness and the cold, many of us are feeling – and looking – a little tired. Personally, I blame the fact that I’m pretty sure outside the hours of 10 to three it is straight-up midnight all the time. If you’re feeling a little rundown, you …

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Exercise May Eliminate the Harmful Effects of Overeating

As the season of overindulgence is upon us, binging and overeating becomes an almost daily occurrence. From cookies and treats at the office to endless dinners and potlucks, for the next month we will all likely be filling our bellies beyond their normal capacity. People who for 11 months of the year may eat well …

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Foods for a Healthy Pregnancy

Being an adult is challenging. Eating well three times a day, every day, for an entire life is one of those things. Doing so while you are also responsible for feeding another being that is growing inside of you at an alarming rate – that’s a whole other level of challenging. If you happen to …

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Boost Your Bone Health

For most of our Canadian lives, we are told that lasting bone strength is a glass or two of milk away. This is reflected heavily in the Canada’s Food Guide, which acts as a foundation piece for nutrition and wellness in doctors’ offices, classrooms and even many kitchen tables. Commercials and other ads push hard …

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Your Guide to Vitamin D

Facebook friends are filling my feed with photos of stunning sunrises that they are seeing on their way to work. Everyone marvels at them, yet all I can focus on is how we are about to be plunged into months of darkness. It’s that time of year. If you’re looking to get a head start …

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Two Chefs, a Dinner and a Whole Lot of Beer

If you love beer and food, you’ll love this spin on the traditional Winemaker’s Dinner: Hops ‘n’ Grub.   Seated at a long table with a hundred of your Whitehorse neighbours, you will dive taste buds-first into dishes created to pair with select brews. Four chefs are working together to create the meal: Troy King …

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Eating for Endurance

What you eat and drink before a long run impacts your performance and your ability to recover, post race. If you’re looking to beat a previous time, or just finish, it’s important to focus on the fuel you are giving your body. Your body’s energy source I sometimes hear runners talk about the different macronutrients …

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Whitehorse: The Edible City

At the downtown community garden in Whitehorse, a beekeeper tends to the newly built beehive in the fading evening light. Nearby, a gardener waters his small plot of potatoes, beans, and lettuce – a zucchini plant takes up a quarter of his raised bed box. Vegetables grow in plots on the other side of the …

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Don’t Toss Those Tops

Backyard farmers and local food fans in the Yukon will undoubtedly be treated with an endless supply of nutrient-rich root vegetables. This season, when you buy or harvest your bunches, don’t toss the leafy greens that top them. The greens on beets, carrots and even turnips are full of vitamins, minerals, and flavour – just …

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Yukon Astronomical Society wants to make Whitehorse the Science-Centre of the North

Stargazing has long been part of the human psyche. For thousands of years, we – and our ancestors before us – have turned our eyes upward and wondered. With myths and legends, we have explained the sky’s magic with demons, heroes, gods and goddesses. Ancient Greek astronomers observed the heavens and began to explain the …

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Your Fibre-less Diet is Making You Allergic to Everything. Here’s Why.

You know those moments when you realize something awful? Your whole body goes cold as the dread sets in. Your eyes go wide and the panic rises from the pit of your stomach. Maybe it’s when you remember a moment from last night. Maybe it’s when you discover you just hit reply all. Maybe – …

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No rest for the Wickets

Don your best Victorian era dress for the Yukon Historical & Museums Association’s (YHMA) third annual Charity Croquet Tournament.

For the Love of Northern Art

Every year for 10 days, northern artists and art lovers gather in Inuvik, a small town of 3,400 in the NWT, to celebrate culture and creativity.   Entering its 28th year, the Great Northern Arts Festival features almost 60 artists from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Running from July 15 to 24, the activities …

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Love The Skin You’re In

Being the body’s largest organ, problems inevitably show up on our skin. It’s a complicated organ influenced by diet, stress, lifestyle and environmental factors. People of all ages suffer from dry skin, eczema, acne and a host of other troubles. Certain minerals, nutrients and foods are the key to banishing problems and getting skin you …

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Soothing Your Stomach Naturally

Feeling like a gassy, nauseous, not-quite-your-awesome-self mess? It happens to all of us at one point or another. Perhaps you overate – indulged in some food or the other – or caught a bug that’s making your life miserable. Keep your kitchen, tea cupboard and garden stocked with these tasty solutions to life’s annoying gastrointestinal …

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5 Must-See Pieces at Nuit Blanche

Back for a third year, the annual Whitehorse Nuit Blanche all-night arts festival brings together national and local artists for an unforgettable solstice weekend. Fancy yourself a night owl? Get ready for 12 hours of engaging and artsy fun as you wander downtown to see exhibits take over Whitehorse. You’d rather go to bed early …

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Boost Your Workout the Tasty Way

With the season of marathons and relays upon us, your training plans may be kicking into high gear. And heading into competition – whether personal or with others – you may also be looking for an edge.  Enter science. The science behind athletic performance has highlighted the benefit of nitric oxide to improve glucose uptake, …

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New Artistic Director used to couch surf at The Guild Hall

One of Brian Fidler’s first memories of the Yukon is sleeping on the couch at The Guild Hall. He had just arrived in town and – without a car – would hitchhike to rehearsals of El Crocodor, his first Yukon theatre experience. From those early years, Fidler spent a lot of time at The Guild. …

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Victoria Day Activity Guide

May two-four, the unofficial Canadian start of summer, is finally here. The question is how are you going to spend it? We have put together a list of things to do both in and around town this weekend – get ready to jump right into summer. Get sweet discounts with tour operators and local businesses …

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Win the battle against cold and flu season

You’ve probably heard the sniffles and hacking and seen the dark circles beneath tired eyes. You’ve probably heard the murmurings around you in the café at the meeting table, really anywhere there are people. There is something wicked working its way through Whitehorse. It comes in the dark of night and knocks you out for …

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The Anti Stress Diet

Stress, and your body’s response to it, is inevitable. When it happens in small, infrequent amounts, it can even be a helpful and necessary function of your brain and body. You are hardwired to respond to dangerous situations – like seeing a bear – in a way that prepares you physically and mentally for a …

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The Healthy Side of Chocolate

While turning chocolate into a core food group is not the healthiest of ideas, eating it in moderation – and in its pure cacao form – can be a good thing.

The Must-See Guide to the Pivot Theatre Festival

By La Compagnie L’Immédiat/Camille Boitel Jan. 27-29, 8 p.m., Yukon Arts Centre Co-presented with the Yukon Arts Centre, this European classic comes all the way from Paris, France. Perhaps more exciting than the distance travelled, or the point of origin, is that its Yukon debut will also be its North American premiere. Yukon audiences will be …

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Healthy resolutions you can keep

Some of the most common resolutions made in the New Year are about health. Almost 70 per cent of consumers surveyed by Nielsen in 2015 had made resolutions focused on staying fit, healthy, and svelte. Of course, the most commonly broken and failed resolutions are also those about health. Perhaps this is not surprising. How …

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The Perfect Party Playlist

Whether you’re throwing a small dinner party, holiday event or New Year’s eve rager, your playlist can make or break the event. You’ve spent the time and energy on the perfect decorations, food, and outfit – don’t underestimate your playlist. Music sets the tone for a party, creates an ambiance, and can be the deciding …

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Holiday Gift Guide

As we enter the holiday season where advertising, social media, and storefronts are shouting at us about all the things there are to buy, one might wonder whether all this shopping will lead to anyone’s happiness. Researchers out of Cornell University had a similar thought. Thomas Gilovich and  Amit Kumar published their research in the …

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Tea Time

Named one the hottest food trends of 2015 by Canada’s Hospitality Business Magazine, Canadians are drinking almost 10 billion cups of tea each year. Second only to water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world, and with good reason. With endless combinations of healthful herbs, spices, and fruits, there is a tea to …

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Putting an End to Picky Eating

If you have a picky eater at home, you are not alone. For many parents, dinner time can be a battle. Between changing tastes and an unwillingness to eat different foods and different textures, getting your kids to eat a healthy, balanced diet can be a challenge. Fortunately, a recent study offers help that could …

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Boost Your Health with Flax

If you’re not eating flax every day, it’s time to start. While it may not seem like the sexiest superfood in its tiny boring brown package, its many nutritional superpowers will soon have you thinking otherwise. High in fibre, omega-3’s, and lignans, just two to four tablespoons of ground flax a day can offer huge …

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Building a Better Life Through Gratitude

Feeling dissatisfied with life? It turns out that the quickest way to make it better is to be grateful. Beyond being polite, researchers are finding that regularly saying thanks can improve optimism, life satisfaction, and overall well being. In one study, researchers Emmons and McCullough(University of California 2003) randomly assigned participants one of three tasks …

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Five Steps to a Healthier Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has long been my favourite holiday. Surrounded by friends, family, and food, without the stress that bigger holidays like Christmas bring, what’s not to love? Traditionally a celebration of the season’s harvest, Thanksgiving is a holiday of abundance. While that abundance is something to be grateful for, it can also lead to food hangovers …

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Unjunk your junk food…

Whether it’s to get you to your next meal, for the kids to fuel up between their many activities or just for a tasty treat, snacks are central to our daily eating. With the growing number of snacks and treats that can be bought at the grocery and health food store, it’s definitely more convenient …

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Chewing the Fat

Dietary fat. Few issues in the world of healthy eating spark as much debate. While some stay away from it, others put tablespoons of butter in coffee. Over the past few decades, we, as a culture, have been on and off with fat more times than most of us were with our high school sweethearts. …

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Love Your Liver

We usually think of our liver in relation to alcohol, but in reality its relationship to our health is much more complex. The liver is a living organ that processes and filters almost everything that goes into our bodies. Every day we are bombarded with toxins that have the potential to damage our body. These …

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Five Spectacles To Be Seen At Whitehorse Nuit Blanche

From dance to live painting to a spider web takeover of a local park, the second annual Whitehorse Nuit Blanche (WNB) has an exhibit and activity for everybody. With a focus on participatory performances, the all-night art crawl transforms the audience into creators as it takes over downtown Whitehorse. Here are five more WNB art …

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With Love To Canada, From India

While many artists who find their way to Whitehorse are from nearby communities, Hemant Puri is making a special trip from the far reaches of the globe. The Indian artist will take flights, stopovers, connections, and jet lag in stride to make it in time for a 12-hour non-stop performance, “Bollywood Night,” for Whitehorse Nuit …

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Local Artists To Take Over Trolley

The second annual Whitehorse Nuit Blanche is set to transform the downtown core into an all-night art playground. Inviting the audience to become the artist, this art crawl will bring installations, performances, and other participatory exhibits to life for 12 consecutive hours during the solstice. With eight commissioned artists, a free breakfast, and numerous indie …

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