DNTO from CBC Radio (Highlights)

Whether it's online, watching the news or even chatting with your friends and family, it's so easy to be overwhelmed by stories that make you feel anxious or stressed. But Now or Never would like to remind you of all the good being put out into the world.

Virtual dance parties. Outdoor art galleries popping up in people's windows. Facebook 'caremongering' groups. All across Canada, people are finding creative ways to come together and support each other through these unprecedented times.

Across Canada and around the world, people's lives have been transformed by the coronavirus pandemic.

With more and more Canadians self-isolating at home, Ify and Trevor are seeking out advice from people who are learning lessons about what it means to be isolated.

Like a father who has cut himself off from the outside world, in order to keep his family - and compromised immune system - safe.

A couple whose home deep in the Yukon wilds is providing them with peace and refuge.

And a man who has dedicated his life to delivering supplies to his fellow Chinese-Canadians - all without seeing them face-to-face.

Over the past four seasons of Now or Never, we've joined hundreds of people facing big moments in their lives.

Like a young man who, after years in prison, was fighting to leave gang life behind.

A former musician who is beating addiction with mixed martial arts.

And a drag queen who finally met her figure skating idol.

But what happened next? And where are they now? Take a listen to find out!

It is easy to celebrate people who finish first, those who master things early.

But where are the prizes for taking your time?

There are so many things to overcome before you are ready to face a new challenge: whether it's fear, shame, or simply laziness.

On this Now or Never, we're celebrating late bloomers and getting things done with people who know it's better late than never.

To celebrate Leap Day, Now or Never is jumping in with Canadians who are taking a deep breath, bracing themselves and taking a big leap into the unknown.

From a guy who quit his 9-to-5 job to chase a dream everyone said was nuts, to a Day Star First Nation teenager about to make his modelling debut on a Parisian runway.

Plus, host Trevor Dineen finally gets the tattoo he's been talking about for 15 years, and guest host Nadia Kidwai reveals how she got over her fear of trying new things.

Sex is everywhere.

You can't make it through a movie without a sex scene, sex education curriculum has become a big issue for politicians, and the #MeToo movement has started important conversations around consent.

But do we talk about sex enough? For many, it remains a taboo topic only addressed behind closed doors.

On this Now or Never, we are eavesdropping on the honest, vulnerable, and awkward conversations people are having about sex.

A young father sits down to have "the talk" with his teenage son.
A couple explains how polyamory makes their marriage work.
And a mom embraces her child's sexual identity after receiving a note that said, simply: "I'm bisexual."

Texting and emailing have become second nature to many of us. They're quick, efficient, and easy to send and forget.

But are they as personal as sitting down with a pen and paper and writing someone a message by hand? We don't think so.

That's why on this Now or Never, Ify and Trevor are showing you just how powerful a handwritten letter can be.

You'll meet a grade five class who wrote letters to a residential school survivor — and are reading them to him for the very first time.

And a mother who decided to write a "pre-dementia love letter" to her kids so they will never forget how much she loves them.

Plus, a woman who has been saving every single piece of her children's letters, notes and artwork for 20 years... and needs help throwing some of them away.

Over the course of your life, chances are good that you will be put in a position to care for someone. At any point in time one in four Canadians are providing care to someone in their life.

Maybe it's a responsibility that you take on by choice, or something you find yourself doing unexpectedly... needing to figure out how to care for someone as you go along.

And it's not easy. There are moments of doubt, fear and complete exhaustion. But there's also times of joy, laughter, and the deep meaningful connection that comes with being such a crucial part of someone's life.

On this Now or Never, we are celebrating the caregivers.

It can sometimes feel like society wants to place everyone into a neatly defined box, whether it's "mother" or "Christian" or "Sikh" or "Nigerian" — but are people so easily summed up by a single word?

In reality, our personal identities are much more complicated. And it's often in the hyphens between identities that our true selves lie.

On this Now or Never, meet people who are trying to find where they belong in between the identities that define them.

Meet a group of 'recovering Christians', finding faith and family with other LGBTQ people in Halifax.

We pull up a chair at the dinner table where a mixed race family is committed to learning a new language.

A Muslim lawyer fights for her job and her faith in the wake of the ban on religious symbols in Quebec.

A Vancouver chef finds the answers to his identity in making Chinese dumplings.

On this Now or Never we're going behind the scenes at Winnipeg's Maples Collegiate.

Students there are juggling life, family and schoolwork — all while trying to put on their high school musical.

This ambitious production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast has taken over the lives of more than 90 students in the cast and crew. Can they pull it off?

Hosts Ify Chiwetelu and Trevor Dineen are there as the countdown to curtain begins.

We all fail. There's no escaping it. But how you handle failure - and what you learn from it - can make all the difference. So this week on Now or Never, Ify Chiwetelu and guest-host Andrew Phung explore lessons in trying and failing.

Long before becoming an actor, comedian, husband and father, Andrew Phung was just a guy in a Calgary nightclub failing hard at impressing a girl. Andrew sits down with his wife Tamara to relive all the fumbles from the night they first met.

CHICKEEEEN! Millions of people have watched the viral clip of Eve Dubois confidently shimmying as she delivered the answer that cost her family $10,000 on Family Feud. We join her in her home in Lorette, Manitoba to find out what life is like after a viral fail.

For years Steve MacLean struggled to get a grip on his substance abuse and his self worth. Two and a half years into recovery, he shares what it finally took to succeed.

And find out what happens when Andrew and Ify challenge each other to redo a previous fail, sending Andrew back to high school and Ify into the deep end of a pool.

From climate change, to politics, to navigating identity, gender and sexuality — the youth of today are making their voices heard.

So if you're writing off teenagers as a bunch of kids who are constantly on their phones, you'd be making a big mistake.

On this Now or Never: hear from the teenagers of today. They'll show you that the world of tomorrow is in good hands.

Meet a 15-year-old who is cracking jokes and using stand-up comedy to celebrate his identity as a gay, transgender teen.

Hear from a group of Surrey, B.C., students who are dedicated to sharing the experiences of being young and black in 2020.

Hit the streets with the Singh sisters, who are on a mission to feed Winnipeg's homeless.

Drop in on a mental health day at a Saskatoon high school, as teenagers there grapple with a recent suicide.

Grade 12 student Isaac Campeau explores how video games became an escape from, but also a reminder of, his family's struggles with poverty.

Millions of youth around the world are skipping school on Fridays to fight for action on climate change. Hear from a group of Toronto teens at a recent climate march.

And what does it take to be the best 14-year-old basketball player on the continent? Elijah Fisher and his parents talk about finding balance while becoming a sports superstar.

The holidays can be festive and fun, but let’s be honest, they're also stressful. Whether it’s struggling to find the right gift, dealing with bickering relatives, or just trying to conjure up some of that Christmas spirit...it can be overwhelming.

That’s why this week on Now or Never, Ify and Trevor are throwing on their Santa hats and spreading some holiday magic with the first ever Now or Never Holiday Helpline.

After a very tough year, where one of them battled breast cancer and the other lost their job, Leanne and Wayne Doppler are having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. Little do they know a “Now or Never” surprise is about to change all that.

Meet Steven Hardy, who has spent so many years scrambling to find presents on Christmas Eve, that he started a support group for all the last-minute shoppers out there.

After deciding that her family was going “present-less” for Christmas, Wanda Laurin received some push-back from relatives and in-laws. Not wanting to feel like a holiday Scrooge, she reaches out to the “Holiday Helpline” for advice, and just like Santa on Christmas morning...it delivers.

Zameer Karim and Emily Goldsmith grew up with very different versions of a holiday dinner. In four days, they’ll be celebrating their first Christmas together as a couple AND finding out what it takes to blend traditions as their families meet for the very first time.

When Wendy Onslow lost her husband three months ago, she knew the holidays were going to be hard. She's struggling to go Christmas shopping, so Ify and Trevor help her find the perfect gift for her daughter.

It’s the season of giving and Brooke Eagle wants help showing her 9-year-old son what a little act of kindness will do, especially to a complete stranger.

Competition is all around us — from neighbours trying to out do each other's Christmas decorations, to job candidates jockeying for the same position and siblings fighting for their parents' attention.

The drive to compete can be thrilling. But does competitive spirit come with a cost?

On this Now or Never, we're going head-to-head with people who are doing whatever it takes to be number one.

A 15-year-old Alberta cowgirl who is determined to not get bucked off as she battles to make rodeo history.

A Newfoundland mom makes a rallying cry to other parents to just stop with over-the-top birthday parties.

And a community in Nova Scotia so desperate to attract family doctors, it is pulling out all the stops to make sure their town comes out on top.

The holidays are almost here, which means you might soon be awkwardly interacting with multiple generations of your family under one roof. So what's the key to bridging the generation gap?

On this Now or Never, meet people going outside their comfort zone to try and connect with people much older — or younger — than themselves.

A Toronto comedian asks her dad, the king of dad jokes, to perform stand-up with her — and has an eye-opening moment with him on stage.

A millennial finds a creative way to bridge the generation gap in her workplace.

And a grunge-loving musician creates an unexpected musical mash-up with his grandpa, the unofficial polka king of southern Manitoba.

As the holidays approach, it can be hard not to get swept up in the festive spirit and have a drink.

People turn to alcohol for so many reasons: to celebrate, to unwind, to mark big occasions.

But people can also drink because of peer pressure, because of loneliness, or to cover up feelings they don't want to feel.

Regardless of the reason, how often have you stopped and thought about the role alcohol is playing... for you?

Today on Now or Never, pull up a seat at the bar with people who are in the middle of renegotiating their relationship with alcohol.

Birthdays aren't just about marking the passage of time — they can also be an opportunity to change, to reflect, and to consider what you want from life.

On this Now or Never, we're blowing out candles and slicing up cake with people who are using their birthday to do something big.

Meet Pat Colborne, an 100-year-old woman who celebrated her milestone birthday by lacing up her shoes and going bowling.

Being born on December 25th has meant Lauren Bosc has never been able to celebrate her birthday on the actual day — but she's determined to make this year different.

Kakeka Thundersky has been a permanent ward of Manitoba's child and family services since she was 14. Drop in on her 21st birthday party, which marks the moment she's no longer in care.

Not all birthdays are celebrated with smiles and streamers. For Christa Couture, they can be a yearly reminder of the children she's lost.

Despite how the sappy songs and cheesy movies make it seem, finding love and holding onto it takes work. Today on Now or Never, we're meeting people who are putting in overtime in the name of love.

Trying to find a date in Whitehorse has Lori Fox going pretty far for love - literally driving hundreds of kilometres for a Tinder match.

Kevin Harding is determined to learn Cantonese to better connect with his girlfriend, Alex Tse, and her family. But does he have the courage to call up her grandmother and ask her a question?

After a hard break-up destroyed her confidence, Gabriella Goutam is determined to no longer let her lifelong battle with being plus-size hold her back from looking for love. Now or Never helps her get over her fears with the help of a body confidence advocate.

Armed with roses and a romantic playlist, Trevor and Ify try to create romance for unsuspecting couples in a Winnipeg food court.

And as Eddie Gajdel says, "any good contract should be revisited on a regular basis". Eddie and Djanka Gajdel have had three weddings in their 35 years of marriage, and are planning number four. They walk us through each of their weddings, and the ups and downs of married life, one song at a time.

When you reminisce about your life, it's easy to focus on the moments of joy and happiness. Birthdays. Weddings. Anniversaries. Vacations. But what about those moments of pain, and sadness and heartbreak. What do you do with those?

Do you try to forget about them?
Or can those struggles and those hardships teach us a little more about who we are and how far we've come?

Today on Now or Never, we're jumping in with people finding the courage to commemorate the most painful moments from their past.

Katie Combaluzier's life was turned upside down in one deafening moment, when an avalanche swept her off the side of a mountain. Why she's choosing to mark the one-year anniversary by going back to the mountain - this time, in her wheelchair.

A young girl honours her brother's dying wish - by taking his friendly black mutt and transforming him into a therapy dog.

And a 94-year-old grandmother - who's never recovered from the death of her son, killed in the line of duty almost half a century ago - visits his memorial for the first time.

Do you talk to Siri more than your own family?
Do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling Instagram into the wee hours of the morning?
Then you, my friend, may be in need of a digital detox.
Today on Now or Never, we're encouraging you to find ways to have a healthier relationship with your phone.

Meet a Calgary dad so desperate to reconnect with his 18-year old son, he took him to one of the most remote places in the world for a month - without their cellphones.

And a guy who's vowed to break up with all 650 of his Facebook friends....in person.

Plus, hosts Ify and Trevor are forced to hand over their phones and go on a city-wide scavenger hunt - can they do it without Googling?

Those who run toward disaster to help when everyone else is backing away are often labelled as "brave" or "strong" or "heroes".

But who are the responders who are present for some of life's most dangerous and heartbreaking moments? They're not always who you think. Many responders are people who want to protect the communities they love.

Hear how Ottawa's funeral workers are banding together to get serious about their mental health.

Why one Haisla man is patrolling Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, searching for members of his Nation.

How a small-town B.C. fire department got started with nothing but enthusiasm and a famous fire truck.

And more stories of the unexpected things it takes to be a first responder.

The hunt for affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult in many parts of Canada - and it's a key issue in the upcoming federal election.

Today on Now or Never, meet people resorting to desperate (and creative) measures to get a roof over their heads.

A group of friends who decided that co-owning is their only way to crack the Toronto housing market.
A woman in Tuktoyaktuk fighting to save her home from sliding into the Beaufort Sea.
A university student in Kamloops who converted a delivery truck into his home.
And a Vancouver family who realized the only way they could afford a home...was to leave.

The right song at the right moment can alter your mood, your energy... even your whole life. On this Now or Never, hear the surprising musical moments that change everything.

An 11-year-old girl fights back against bullies after a pep talk from none other than Garth Brooks.

A Halifax woman plans an unforgettable musical gift for her husband to find after her death.

And how a Jay-Z song is inspiring one man to kick his drug addiction and turn his life around.

It's Now or Never, the musical!