In this episode of Keep Talking, host Sam Madore sits down with Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons, a longtime supporter of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia and member of the Community Grants Committee, for a thoughtful and inspiring conversation about purpose, giving back, and staying grounded. Fiona shares how her personal experiences, cultural identity, and professional journey have shaped her deep commitment to community and mental wellness. She reflects on her role in helping guide grant funding across the province, the impact of grassroots initiatives, and why supporting others is both a responsibility and a privilege. Together, they explore the importance of authenticity, finding meaning in the work we do, and the lessons that come from navigating both challenging and hopeful moments. Fiona also offers simple but powerful reminders — to breathe, to trust yourself, and to recognize that even in difficult times, there is always hope. We also continue the conversation with the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia’s President and CEO, Starr Cunningham, reflecting on the impact of community grants and the people behind them.
New episodes of Keep Talking are available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
This episode was recorded and edited by Tiny Rhino Studios and produced by Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.
Music: “I Must Believe” by T. Thomason
Support & Resources
This episode may include discussion of mental health or suicide. If this brings up difficult feelings, help is available.
- Canada Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988 (24/7)
- Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team (NS): 1-888-429-8167
- Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 or text 686868
If you’re in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
About Keep Talking
Keep Talking is a podcast by the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, which funds community-based mental health and addictions programs across the province. The Foundation does not provide direct services.
Learn more or support our work: mentalhealthns.ca
About Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons
Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons is owīhtamakīw (meaning “one who advises” in the Woodland Cree language) with Kirkpatrick Parsons Consulting and is a passionate champion of reconciliation in Canada. A member of Lac La Ronge First Nation, Treaty 6 Territory, where she was born, she is equally proud of both her Woodland Cree roots on her mother’s side and Scottish ancestry on her father’s. She has lived in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia), the traditional, unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq since 1999.
Fiona is dedicated to inspiring and empowering Canadians to walk the path of reconciliation together, with authenticity and kindness, to help create a better country where all have the same opportunities to thrive, now and for all generations to come.
Prior to returning to her own consultancy in 2024, Fiona was instrumental in spearheading and advancing reconciliation efforts at the largest professional services firm in Canada, resulting in the organization publishing the first reconciliation action plan in corporate Canada (June 2020). She provided strategic guidance to leadership on reconciliation, worked with clients on Indigenous-related engagements, and co-authored a publication on the inextricable link between climate action and reconciliation. Prior to that portion of her career, Fiona dedicated more than 30 years in the communications and marketing field, in the public, private, and media sectors.
She has appeared as a guest on several podcasts and in media interviews (broadcast, print and online), has been a featured keynote speaker, panelist, and moderator at conferences and in boardrooms across the country.
Volunteer roles: She was the first woman to chair the North American Indigenous Games (NAIG 2023 in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, the largest multi-sport and cultural gathering in Atlantic Canada’s history, since contact). Fiona is on the board of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB), as well as the 2025 Canada Games and The Prosperity Project’s Board. She has also chaired the renowned Halifax Comedy Festival; was president, International Association of Business Communicators-Maritime Chapter; and has held director positions on several non-profit boards in both Halifax and Calgary. She currently volunteers her time with the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia (Community Grants Selection Committee) and mentors Indigenous youth, young professionals, and new Canadians.Seana Jewer is the Community Engagement Lead for Roots of Hope with Nova Scotia Health Mental Health and Addictions — a national initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada that helps communities build their capacity to support people who are thinking about or grieving from suicide.