DNTO from CBC Radio (Highlights)

This year, it's estimated that people around the world will take over one trillion photographs. When you've always got a smartphone camera in hand and an unlimited amount of photos at your fingertips, what gives a photo meaning?

On this episode of Now or Never, we are hearing from professional photographers and regular joes who are capturing real, meaningful moments through pictures.

Each has a story to tell that will nudge you to change the way you capture images.

A prairie photographer takes portraits of babies who've passed away.
A woman carves out a niche using squirrels for muses.
A cancer survivor bypasses wigs for her bald head, using homemade dioramas instead.

Plus, you'll get insight into what makes people "click", and meet some unexpected shutterbugs.

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 awkward, vulnerable, and honest conversations people are having about sex. Because, in the wise words of Salt-N-Pepa:

"It keeps coming up anyhow. Don't decoy, avoid, or make void the topic. Cuz that ain't gonna stop it."

Being stuck in a rut can be comfortable: you know exactly what to expect, and exactly how things are going to turn out.

But life in a rut has a dark side, reinforcing old habits and preventing you from stepping out of your comfort zone.

Just ask Ronnie Hoffman, who changed his life using a few pieces of paper and a box.

Every month for the past five years, Hoffman pulls out a hand-written goal from his box and challenges himself to explore something new - from freestyle rap to learning how to write Hebrew.

Inspired by Ronnie, this Now or Never features the unique ways that Canadians are digging themselves out of their ruts.

A woman desperate to kick her cell phone addiction gets help from a master of mindfulness.

Unsuspecting shoppers are convinced to get out of their grocery store grooves.

A guy who has basically worn the same outfit for 15 years has a style intervention.

And a woman pulls herself out of a romantic dry spell... by challenging herself to go on 50 dates.

From your first day of kindergarten, to losing your virginity and your last day of work before retirement - rites of passage come in many shapes and sizes.

They mark the end of the life you've known and the beginning of something new. Life is peppered with these transitional moments: some of them you look forward to, others you dread. But as you'll find on this episode of Now or Never, they almost always lead to learning.

(This encore episode first aired in May, 2018)

On this Now or Never, meet people pushing against the status quo and charting their own course - even when the world is telling them not to.

A die-hard Blue Bombers fan tells us why he hasn't worn pants in 17 years, even on the most bone-chilling Winnipeg winter days.

A plucky young reporter puts her life savings on the line to start her own newspaper in small-town Ontario, even though everyone tells her it's a bad idea.

A Malaysian immigrant desperate to "fit in" pretends to like the Tragically Hip... until the day she decides she's got her own definition of what makes a Canadian.

And meet Fred Frost, the only man in his quilter's bee.

Go to the gym. Eat better. Buy a new wardrobe. At the dawn of a new year, it can be easy believe that you need to change. But what if the thing you need to do this January is just... be you?

On this Now or Never, meet people who are rejecting resolutions and spending 2019 celebrating themselves, regardless of what the world might think of them.

A pair of self-described "fat babes" go shopping in a size-small society.

A young performer bares all, and invites an audience to ask nosy questions about his body.

After years of hiding it, a retiree finally embraces her attention deficit disorder.

The holidays are 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.

At this time of year, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the endless flyers and non-stop commercials - all of them telling you that you need to spend money on gifts that show just how much you care.

But a truly meaningful gift is so much more than something you got a really good deal on.

On this Now or Never, meet people who are tapping into their hearts to find the perfect gift - and be there for the intense moment when they're finally unwrapped.

Instead of presents, a woman sends deeply personal letters to her loved ones.

A 10-year-old boy collects dozens of prosthetics to send to those who need them.

A grieving mother makes handmade bracelets for others who are mourning loved ones.

An anonymous listener donates a bed to Vivian, a woman haunted by dreams of her past and who craved a good night's sleep.

Ify and Trevor hold their own heartfelt host gift exchange.

Plus, we give the gift of closure to children's entertainer Fred Penner, by solving the mystery of his missing set.

On this Now or Never, stories from a small but mighty community that is fighting to define itself.

North Preston, Nova Scotia is Canada's largest and oldest black community - a place where history runs deep, and where people are fighting passionately for their future.

A man opens up about his criminal past, and how the thought of losing his family - and the future of his town - changed his life.

A woman opens her heart, and her home, by turning her basement into an unofficial drop-in hub for youth in North Preston.

A group of elders work hard to keep the long tradition of making and selling Christmas wreaths alive.

Every day, many Canadians suffer silently with chronic conditions that are invisible to those around them.

How they look on the outside doesn't reflect the pain, anxiety, fear and loneliness that might be going on inside. But still, they push on.

On this Now or Never, meet people who refuse to be defined by their chronic condition.

Lace up your hiking boots with a woman hiking the world's most dangerous and remote trails, even though she lives with a blood clot that could kill her at any moment.

Meet identical twin sisters whose close relationship is put to the test, after one is diagnosed with lupus.

And an aspiring sports journalist with a stutter works up the courage to ask his hero a question at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Researchers say we're in the middle of a loneliness epidemic. Luckily, there's an antidote: social interaction and strong relationships. But once you're an adult - finding friends is easier said than done.

On this Now or Never, meet grown-ups who are pushing past the awkwardness and making real connections.

Lonely seniors discover that friendship is only a conference call away.

Two women strike up an unlikely friendship in an unlikely location... at the spa one of them owns.

Plus, we seek out guidance from the friend-making experts: early years students.

Trevor and Ify plan a pop-up party for our You Got This! Facebook Group. Will anybody show up? And if they do, will they make friends?

And more advice on how to say those six difficult words: "Do you want to be friends?"

Now, more than ever, people are having conversations about gender.

And there is a lot to figure out: what society says you can and can't wear; which bathrooms you can use; and just how far you need to go to feel right in your own body.

For many people, those questions don't require much thought. But for the guests on this episode, they're in the middle of challenging their gender identity right now - from a non-binary comedian figuring out how to talk about identity on stage, to a trans teenager's gender reveal party and a class of students studying to become drag queens.

Almost 50 per cent of Canadians say they have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and nearly a third of us just aren't getting enough each night.

When you don't sleep, it affects more than just the people who have to deal with you the next day: it can affect your health, your state of mind, and your ability to do your job.

So on this Now or Never, snuggle up beside people who are trying their best to get some much-needed shut-eye.

A residential school survivor, awoken by nightmares of her past, finds warm comfort in her cats.

How a former addict, 60 days sober from meth, is finally getting a safe night's sleep.

Plus, tired university students share their sneaky "sleep hacks" and a young couple deals with a case of pregnancy-induced snoring.

If you've been needing extra motivation to get back into the swing of things after a period of time away - or a major life change - your friends at Now or Never are telling you that today is that day.

Today's episode is all about getting back on the saddle.
And it comes from a very personal place for co-host Trevor Dineen,who is nervous about coming back to work after a four-month absence.
He shares some surprising advice he got from Now or Never listeners on easing his transition back to work.

Plus, a couch potato gets help going back to the gym - with a little encouragement from Olympic rower Jeremiah Brown.

And we ride shot-gun with a recent divorcee as she gets behind the wheel for the first time in 20 years.

Across Canada, there are millions of people living in small communities. They know that with small town life even the tiniest changes can have huge repercussions.

From tight-knit farming families, to racial tensions and LGBT experiences - on this Now or Never we're hitting the road and visiting small town people at meaningful moments.

A care home in a tiny Saskatchewan hamlet fights to survive.

A B.C. farm family grapples with the future after losing a loving son and dedicated farmer.

A Syrian refugee makes a name for himself by bringing his barbering skills to Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

And more big stories from small towns coast to coast!

For many, September is a time to focus on learning - to hit the books, learn new skills, and soak up some knowledge. On this Now or Never, we break out of the classroom and into the world with people who are learning something new right now.

The friends of a soon-to-be 18-year-old get a crash-course in choreographed dance for her Filipino 'debut'.

Charmian Bland of Vancouver celebrates turning 50 by learning how to skydive and rope climb, just two of the growing list of things she wants to do this year.

Ryan Straschnitzki, one of the survivors of the Humboldt bus crash, has spent the past six months re-learning how to live everyday life. Now, he's learning to get back on the ice as a sledge hockey player.

In order to have a deeper relationship with her future mother-in-law, Erica Caputi of Toronto is learning how to speak Vietnamese. And it's not easy!

Alyssa Gagnon goes to Banff to learn the traditional art of moose hide tanning so she can teach it to the next generation.

We all have things in our lives that are weighing us down - projects we abandoned, conversations we're putting off, home renos we never got around to completing.

Today on Now or Never, meet people who are done with excuses and guilt, and finally finishing what they started.

A Winnipeg dad heads back to the classroom for his high school diploma - 40 years after bullies forced him to drop out of school.

A pair of self-described "man-children" go on an epic quest to pay back an overdue arts grant.

And a family who's never stopped searching for their two-year old daughter, who vanished from an Ontario campground more than 50 year ago.

Do you have a challenge that you don't feel quite up to facing? On this live episode of Now or Never, get the pep talk you need.

Hosts Trevor Dineen and Ify Chiwetelu, along with some very special guests - and team of literal cheerleaders - are here to pep you up. From an aspiring comedian who needs a confidence boost to a lifelong teacher on the cusp of retirement, listen along as people get some help tackling their own Now or Never moments.

For better and for worse, teenagers today are growing up with the world at their fingertips.

They're able to connect with their friends - and their bullies - 24/7 on social media. And they are more vocal and politically active than ever before. Earlier this year, thousands of students across North America staged walk-outs in protest of gun violence.

All this while still dealing with the pressures of figuring out who you are, who you want to be, and what is important to you.

From the pressure of being the best 13-year-old basketball player in the country, to the stress of keeping a secret that you know your family won't accept, hear from teens all across Canada who are ready to speak out about their experiences.