Send us a text

What if the person you needed most wasn’t a guru or a hack, but a community that refused to give up on you?

Chad "Grizzly Bear" Bunker shares an unfiltered journey from teenage depression and addiction to relapse, recovery, and the hard-won wisdom that only comes from falling and getting back up. The story is jagged and human: a suicide attempt at nineteen, court dates and probation, detox in Dartmouth, and a recovery house that didn’t feel like progress until it did. Then an indigenous mentor named Emmett opens a door to ceremony, service, and a new way of being that reshapes everything.

The path isn’t straight. Seven sober years, unaddressed ADHD, and grief crack open old patterns. Steroids promise control and deliver chaos. Strongman training becomes both salvation and trap: PRs, medals, and the kind of recognition that rewrites identity, plus a deep sense of Indigenous pride with Mi’kmaq support and a sponsor who believes. Nova Scotia’s and Atlantic Canada’s podiums prove that grit can build a life—but shortcuts always collect their debt. When losses pile up, the crash hits hard, and the mirror is full of a version of self that can lift anything except sorrow.

What changes this time isn’t hype. It’s daily choices. Ten months off steroids. Meetings instead of the liquor store next door. Therapy and prayer. Boundaries and gratitude with bite. We talk about actionable tools: how ceremony and smudge can calm the nervous system; why sharing your feelings early beats crisis management; how community sponsorship and peer support outlast motivation; and why mindset is a practice, not a slogan. This is a story about learning to carry your past without letting it steer, and about turning strength from numbers on a bar to the quiet discipline of showing up today.

If this resonates with you, subscribe and share it with someone who needs proof that change is messy and possible. Subscribe for more honest, grounded conversations, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s the one daily practice that keeps you steady?

We'd like to thank our sponsor...

The Big Bears Podcast is sponsored by ADDvocacy ADHD & Executive Function Coaching and Training

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Send us a text

A smudge to clear the air, then straight into the truth: Chad’s boyhood was loud with conflict and even louder with silence. He grew up between homes and expectations, carrying the weight of abuse he didn’t have words for until he finally told his mother. What follows isn’t a tidy redemption arc—it’s a lived map of detours, from city streets and school suspensions to the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children, where staff and community offered real care, structure, and the first sense of belonging.

We walk through the flashpoints: a violent confrontation with a stepfather, the pull of group homes that felt safer than home, and the slow work of therapy. Mentors step in: a therapist who sticks, a social worker who advocates, foster parents who push and protect. Out west, the story widens—mountain trails, cross-country skiing, and the Duke of Edinburgh award. Volunteer hours turn into dignity. Music, sport, and ceremony stitch together a calmer centre. Along the way, Chad finds identity in motion: black community gatherings, Mi’kmaq teachings on family, drums he builds with his hands, and a practice of collecting feathers and prayers that keeps him grounded when old storms rise.

This conversation is about more than survival; it’s about choosing what gets to speak for you. We talk ADHD, the institutional habits that both shielded and shaped him, and the moment he realized he didn’t have to let anger narrate his life. The takeaway is practical and human: mentorship matters, structure heals, community saves, and ritual sustains. You’ll hear the messy parts, the funny parts—apple wars and yard boxing—and the quiet parts where gratitude finally has room to breathe.

If this story moved you or gave you a new lens on resilience, share it with a friend, hit follow, and leave a review so others can find it. Tell us what helped you turn pain into purpose—we’re listening.

Support the show

Send us a text

A freezing February night, a band with a name you can’t forget, and a conversation between two big guys changed our direction in life. That’s how Big Bears Podcast began—an origin story rooted in a chance meeting, ADHD, sobriety, Indigenous teachings, and a stubborn belief that community is stronger than shame.

We open up about our different paths: early versus late diagnosis, medication alternatives, finding structure through therapy and coaching. We also dive into how sweat lodges, smudging, and daily prayer steadied our restless minds. The Two-Eyed Seeing Approach, a term coined by Albert Marshall from Eskasoni in Nova Scotia, guides us in blending Indigenous knowledge with Western medicine, and shows us that healing doesn’t end with a prescription. You’ll hear how mentors, two eagle feathers, and our first sweat together turned isolation into action, and gifted us the vision and motivation to build something useful for others.

That “something” is The Big Bears Social Enterprise, designed for Indigenous and marginalized young adults to teach them to create their own path in life through innovation, entrepreneurship, and inner wisdom. We sketch out low-barrier-to-entry businesses that include, but are not limited to: Landcaping, pressure washing, window cleaning, car detailing, drone roof inspection, AI-powered businesses, and the creative arts. We also layer in the power of motivational executive function coaching skills, goal-setting, resilience, and a growth mindset. Along the way, we talk about redefining success, why a fist bump can start a career, and how strongman training became therapy that turned anger into PRs and purpose. We also share what’s next: campus partnerships, community workshops, and a growing roster of guests from artists to world-class strength athletes.

If this story hits home—if you’re rebuilding, learning to pray, or ready to make your own job when no one’s hiring—come along. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a push, and message us through our Linktree to tell your story or join our community. Let’s build something that lasts, together.

Support the show

Send us a text

What if your last name didn’t define you, but your habits did? We sit down with a military sergeant turned Canadian Strongman National Champion to unpack how a hard start, a mentor’s belief, and a broken foot led to a new identity built on discipline, coaching, and community. From hoop dreams to heavy yokes, this is a grounded look at what it really takes to climb from “just starting” to pro status without losing your love for the work.

We explore the early years—single-parent home, brothers in trouble, and a decision to break the pattern—then the military years that forged structure, resilience, and a plan. The moment basketball disappeared, the weight room stepped in. A marketplace log and circus dumbbell sparked an obsession, a nine-day leap into competition, and a fast education in technique, recovery, and event strategy. Along the way, a coach’s final mantra—never waste a loss—became the backbone of meet-day focus: treat each event like the winning event, reset quickly, ignore the points, and execute.

You’ll hear how a run from 11th to 5th to 1st at Nationals came from smarter peaking, better nutrition, and removing crippling pressure. We talk recovery as a competitive skill, deferring OSG and Arnold starts to return healthier and hungrier, and setting a clear target for Texas: belong, execute, and let the ranking follow. We dig into weight class realities at 105 kg, why size isn’t destiny, and what athletes can learn from Mitchell Hooper’s blend of conditioning and strength. And we shine a light on the Nova Scotia strength community—mentors like Grant Connors and coaches like Josh Dunbar—proving that inclusive gyms and sharp programming can turn belief into results.

If you’re eyeing your first strongman comp or planning a comeback, this conversation gives you a blueprint: mindset before medals, food as recovery insurance, and a pre-planned response to bad days. Subscribe, share this with a training partner, and leave a review with your next big goal—we’ll cheer you on.

Support the show

Send us a text

Our first-ever guest is the incredible Linda Peters, daughter of Elder Emmet Peters, originally from Lennox Island First Nation, PEI, and residing in Paqtnkek Mi'kmaw Nation, NS. Linda generously shares her family's firsthand story of survival and the intergenerational impacts of the residential school system.

Linda goes deep on:

• The true origin of National Truth and Reconciliation Day and why it's essential for all Canadians/residents of Turtle Island.
• The meaning of "reconciliation" for her family and her Mi'kmaw community in Mi'kma'ki.
• A moving journey of challenge, resilience, and hope that underscores the phrase "Every Child Matters."

This episode is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand the Indigenous experience in Canada and commit to the path of reconciliation. We approach this conversation through the lens of Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk)—honoring the strengths of both Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to create a deeper, more holistic understanding of neurodiversity, culture, and life.

🔔 Subscribe for more episodes that weave together neurodiversity, culture, and community in Nova Scotia and throughout Turtle Island!

Support the show