ISSUE TWENTY-TWO SPRING/SUMMER 2026
DARE TO BE YOURSELF
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
ART OF LIVING
SOCIETY
HOLISTIC HEALTH
Like a wellness break for your interior, we preserve the existing structure and renew doors, fronts, and hardware to create a harmonious, light-filled, and lasting space — with complete simplicity.
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
16 — 19
INSPIRATION
22 — 25
WORLD
26 — 31
SOCIETY
32 — 41
HOLISTIC HEALTH
48 — 55
WELL-BEING AT WORK
58 — 61
CULTURE
62 — 63
À TABLE
68 — 77
Guillaume Lemoine
President
Emilie Lefebvre-Morasse
Vice-President of Marketing and Sales, Editor-in-Chief
Arianne Filion
Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Caroline Croteau
Senior Brand & Content Director
Frédéric Cloutier
Artistic Director
Sarah-Maude Dalcourt
Production & Brand Director
Rosalie Nadeau
Production & Brand Project Manager
Marie-Michelle De Lachevrotière
Designing an Urban Sanctuary in 5 Steps
Charting Your Course: Interview with Sarahmée
Mapping the Spark, by Franck Laboue, Voyageurs du Monde
When Comfort Undermines Community
The Patience of Paper, by Anne Genest
5 Tips for Decluttering (and Feeling Revitalized), by Ariane Martel Labrecque
Enjoying the Sun While Protecting Your Skin, with Dr. Sophie Vadeboncoeur
Emotions: When the Body Reacts, by Dr. Geneviève Beaulieu-Pelletier
Room to Maneuver: A New Perspective on Nomadic Work, by Elisabeth Massicolli
Five Balancing Acts, by Nicolas Gendron
Recipe: Sea Bream Ceviche with Passion Fruit, by Raphael Podlasiewicz
Hosting Without the Pressure, by Caroline Huard, a.k.a. Loounie
Pleasure and Health on Our Plates: Interview with Catherine St-Laurent and Anne-Julie Tessier
Mathieu Trudeau Graphic Designer
Carine Dumez
Editor
Catherine Gaudet
Linguistic Revisor and Translator
Martine Fontaine
Sales Advisor
Noémy Campbell
Sales Coordinator
Gaëlle Meslin et Pierrette Brousseau
Linguistic Revisors
SLRR Translation Firm
Translation
Design & Layout Director Cover page credit
Photo: Pierre-Nice Lessard
Printing Imprimerie Solisco Inc.
Advertising sales Christine Mailloux magazine@stromspa.com
To become Arianne Filion a contributor afilion@stromspa.com
Editor Strøm Nordic Spa 1001, boul. de la Forêt Nuns’ Island, Quebec H3E 1X9
Legal deposit — ISSN 2369-5897 Library and Archives Canada and Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. The opinions expressed in the articles of Strøm Magazine are solely those of the authors. Availabilities, editions, and prices mentioned in the magazine are subject to change without notice. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, is prohibited without the permission of Strøm Nordic Spa. All rights reserved. Publication Mail Agreement No. 42293512
Strøm Magazine is printed in Quebec on 100%-recycled Sustana EnviroSatin™ paper.
Since the beginning, Strøm Magazine has had the immense privilege of collaborating with experts from all walks of life to write the articles that compose it. With great generosity, they offer us their knowledge and share their perspective—some from season to season, others more occasionally. It is with great pride that we invite you to discover them here.
GENEVIÈVE BEAULIEU-PELLETIER
Geneviève is a psychologist, a speaker, and the author of the book Trucs de psy : Guide pratique pour s’aider soi-même. She is also a columnist and guest expert in the media.
ANNE GENEST A writer and trail runner, Anne loves hiking trails and the smell of leaves and paper. Anne writes her novels by hand in a notebook. This is her second time writing for the magazine.
ARIANE MARTEL LABRECQUE
Ariane is the founder of Allo printemps. She helps people take back control of their living spaces and vanquish mess with decluttering and organization.
NICOLAS GENDRON A cultural journalist for publications such as Ciné-Bulles magazine, Nicolas has been writing for Strøm Magazine since 2015. He is also an actor, director, playwright, and artistic director.
CAROLINE HUARD Better known as Loounie, Caroline is a vegan culinary content creator and entrepreneur. As a former healthcare professional, she works to make cooking more accessible.
ELISABETH MASSICOLLI
Elisabeth is a journalist, author, and editor who lives in Torino, Italy. For over ten years now, she has been working in the world of women’s magazines, using her curiosity to explore topics that inspire her.
FRANCK LABOUE A native of Brittany, Franck's curiosity knows no bounds. He eventually settled in Quebec as Director of Business Development at Voyageurs du Monde. He has been writing for the magazine for seven years.
DR. SOPHIE VADEBONCOEUR
After earning a degree in dermatology in 2015, Dr. Vadeboncoeur completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric dermatology at Harvard in 2016. As a practicing dermatologist at HumaDerme, she always puts the patient at the heart of her practice.
Over the past several years, and even more so since the pandemic, the wellness industry has experienced exponential growth. Expectations are evolving, and everything is moving at an unprecedented pace. In this context, I like to think of our development as a search for balance: the ability to adapt to markets while remaining deeply aligned with who we are.
For more than 15 years, Strøm has been built around a simple idea: creating environments and services that shape lifestyles and offering people spaces to pause, slow down, and reconnect. This vision has remained our anchor, even as the world around us continues to transform.
Today, we see that needs are taking many different forms. They are fragmenting and evolving alongside different stages of life. This reality is evident both here and elsewhere as new models emerge at the intersection of wellness, hospitality, and contemporary living.
It is within this context that STROM Group was founded, bringing together all the wellness brands operated by our teams, including AW Ū, which has just recently opened its doors. With this new brand, we wanted to explore a complementary approach to Strøm—one that is more urban, more flexible, and designed to meet different needs, while remaining fully aligned with our mission to enhance the well-being of our community. This is not about multiplying concepts, but structuring an offering capable of meeting people where they are, when they want it.
As we continue our expansion across Canada and internationally, this aspiration remains central: to grow through innovation while staying true to our values of ingenuity, competence, integrity, and well-being.
It is within this balance that we will continue to move forward!
Guillaume Lemoine President, STROM Group
Rediscovering, or perhaps finally revealing, who we truly are beyond roles and expectations begins with a return to ourselves.
This journey can take many forms and is now weaving its way through countless aspects of our lives, extending even to the rituals we choose. These choices are never neutral; they are deeply tied to identity. For some, this may mean pushing physical limits; for others, a moment of slowness, a book opened in the sun; and sometimes, a shared meal that stretches late into the night.
These actions may seem simple, yet they speak volumes. They reveal a way of being in the world, a need, a facet of our identity that had previously gone unnoticed.
SELF-CARE IS NEVER ACCIDENTAL
The wellness industry is experiencing rapid growth, driven by an expanding range of approaches, from experiential to performance-based to medical, now joined by questions surrounding the role that artificial intelligence will play in how these practices fit into our lives.
Yet self-care is not about accumulating practices. It is about choosing what truly serves us—not according to trends or standards, but in alignment with our most intimate nature, one that evolves over time.
What this issue brings to light is the possibility of being oneself, at one's own pace and within one’s relationships. With Sarahmée, we encounter a voice that asserts itself with clarity and courage, remaining true despite external expectations. In his mapping of the spark, Franck Laboue invites us to pay attention to what deeply animates us, to those subtle impulses that guide our choices and ask to be heard. In Anne Genest’s piece, handwritten correspondence reveals another sense of time, where reflecting on words becomes a meditative act. Throughout these pages, we also explore listening to the body, welcoming emotions, and rethinking our relationship with others in a society where loneliness is increasingly present.
Ultimately, returning to oneself is not an act of selfishness, but a way of growing as a person and cultivating a healthier relationship with others. Perhaps now more than ever, it is a path toward a more balanced and humane collective life.
Happy reading!
Emilie Lefebvre-Morasse and the editorial team
In our fast-paced lives dominated by hectic schedules and constant demands, an idea is gaining traction: the desire to slow down and make space for well-being, not by leaving the city, but rather by experiencing it in a different way. In that spirit, AW Ū, Strøm’s new sister brand, seeks to reimagine how we relate to urban relaxation by infusing a nomadic spirit into the mosaic of present moments.
As the newest addition to the STROM Group family, AW Ū carries on the same mission of contributing to community well-being and balance by addressing a growing need for freedom and flexibility. Here, the focus turns to a new generation of city dwellers who are more curious and mobile, seeking experiences that are both meaningful and tailored to their reality. AW Ū is for people who want to take care of themselves without barriers, in vibrant, open, and welcoming spaces.
In a fast-paced, performance-driven world, this concept is particularly relevant. It fits naturally into the burgeoning movement of social soft wellness: an accessible, non-prescriptive approach where well-being is not a goal to be achieved, but rather a state to be cultivated daily, in both self-care and our relationships with others.
This idea is taking the form of modern sanctuaries where everyone is free to move in an immersive and spontaneous experience, at their own pace. Here, flexibility is the mantra: you can walk in without an appointment, stay as long as you’d like, and leave whenever you wish.
INSPIRATION FROM ELSEWHERE
In the DNA of these urban sanctuaries are tropical landscapes and natural rhythms nourished by a freer and more intuitive approach to life—a philosophy influenced by cultures where well-being is experienced daily, in simplicity, slowness, and presence.
The name of the brand has a deep meaning: “Awu” is inspired by a powerful volcano of the same name perched on the island of Sangir in Indonesia and renowned for its altitude and imposing presence. In certain eras, it was even home to a crater lake. This lake, filled by heavy rains, bore witness to the presence of water at the summit and embodied the idea of not only physical, but spiritual elevation. Like the pools suspended on the roofs of our sanctuaries, the water mirrors the sky and provides renewed freshness at the summit.
The AW Ū brand embodies that freshness: reconnecting with what moves us, rekindling a taste for what does us good, creating spaces for connection, and merging elevation and water to offer an inspiring sensory experience.
The AW Ū experience unfolds across several spaces, all warm and bright, which complement each other. From the rooftop terrace to the indoor facilities, each space encourages connections, well-being, and exploration, supported by offerings inspired by rituals from around the world as well as new emerging trends.
Access to the sanctuary includes a thermal cycle and a movement studio, where a variety of group classes open to everyone provide grounding and energy. Massages and beauty treatments are also available, which are designed to gently reconnect you with your body and restore lightness, energy, and radiance.
Meanwhile, depending on your impulse and how you feel, our café-restaurant invites you to enjoy healthy, colourful dishes or to take over the integrated nomadic space, whether for a break between lessons, a moment to read, work, or create, or an impromptu get-together over coffee… Any reason is a good one to step inside and stay a while. Our boutique provides another opportunity to wander. There, you’ll find art collections and inspired pieces which have been carefully selected to allow the experience to travel with you.
Our events give life to our spaces, encouraging new encounters, exchanges, and discovery. It all adds up to an intuitive and vibrant journey where connection and balance come together in harmony.
Open since April, our first AW Ū locations welcome you to Quartier DIX30® (in Brossard) and Quebec City. Two destinations with one shared goal: to allow everyone to satisfy their desire for exploration, all while feeling right at home.
Immerse yourself in the AW Ū universe and enjoy an unlimited day pass to our sanctuary for the price of a 2-hour visit by using promo code PREMIEREVISITE, valid from June 1 to July 31, 2026, online at awu.com.
AW Ū was conceived as a space to be lived in. It embodies the concept of the third space: an intermediate place that’s neither domestic nor professional, a place where people come to enjoy themselves, and where they can hang out and meet other people, forge connections, and build a sense of community in a calming environment. AW Ū is a space that welcomes both an active and a passive presence for both socializing and introspection.
The concept of the third space implies a transparent approach. It’s not about rigidly planning out the experience, but creating a framework that’s flexible enough for everyone to make the space their own based on their needs at any given moment. It is in this spirit that the design and layout of the sanctuaries were conceived, to allow for a variety of experiences that can be renewed with each passing visit.
(1) DESIGN INSPIRATIONS: BETWEEN NOSTALGIA AND EXPLORATION
Drawing influence from the tropical modernism of the 1960s and 1970s, AW Ū ’s design builds on mid-century and Mediterranean minimalism, reinterpreting them with a retro-chic touch steeped in nostalgia. The lines are simple and the style is relaxed, which allows for a natural connection between materials, light, and space. AW Ū exudes a resolutely summery atmosphere and was conceived as a vibrant and welcoming place. On the rooftop terraces, a colourful palette contrasts with the urban environment, creating a genuine sense of freedom and escape and evoking the free-spirited, sunny vibe felt in the seaside resorts of Costa Rica and Mexico.
(2) WARM MATERIALS
From the moment you enter, the tone is set by the materials selected. The surfaces—matte, glossy, or textured, and sometimes deliberately irregular—create a soothing and reassuring sensory experience. Ceramics, wood, lime wash, concrete, and warm-toned stucco blend with natural fibres (rattan, linen, and cotton), inviting a sense of both travel and serenity. These organic materials are reinforced by controlled imperfection, contributing to the warm and relaxed atmosphere. Abundant vegetation completes the ensemble, accentuating the natural feel of the space. Little by little, the space becomes simpler and more comfortable; you soon feel at ease here, without ever feeling like you’re entering a place where specific postures or behaviours are imposed.
(3) LIGHT AND COLOUR AS STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
In our sanctuaries, light pours in. It flows naturally throughout the facility thanks to large windows overlooking the city that structure the spaces and reveal their function as the light changes throughout the day. The accent lighting, where coloured metal takes centre stage, contributes to the visual signature and completes the atmosphere that naturally emanates from the spaces. Like a true chameleon, light accompanies the spaces without ever dictating to them.
A natural extension of the lighting design, colour becomes a defining element of the experience. The spaces are adorned with a warm and vibrant palette consisting of earthy and natural tones such as terracotta, brown, yellow, and green. Neutral colours (beige and warm white) provide brightness and balance the overall scheme, while pastel accents highlight the textiles and accessories. These colourful touches take on a special role in the café-restaurant, where they shine brightly and stimulate the appetite.
(4) MODULATING RATHER THAN PARTITIONING
At AW Ū, light is not just a matter of openings; it is also achieved through the use of materials. Wooden panels etched with patterns and light-filtering surfaces modulate the spaces, setting the stage for a signature element: the breeze block. First appearing in the mid-20th century, this perforated brick—initially used in hot climates to promote natural ventilation—has established itself as both a functional and expressive architectural element.
Handcrafted in Spain, the breeze block used at AW Ū is individually molded with subtle variations to give it a unique character. The pattern of straight lines and triangular shapes evokes a table around which friends gather, conveying this idea of community and togetherness, almost becoming a symbol. These bricks, grouped together to form an openwork surface, blend naturally with the other raw materials; they add texture, depth, and a subtle nod to the modernist and vernacular architecture of the 1970s.
(5) FLEXIBILITY AND USER-FRIENDLINESS
AW Ū was designed to accommodate a variety of moments and meet a wide range of needs that change throughout the day. You can make a quick stop, or you can hang out, grab a bite to eat, work, move around, rest, or simply take a break. This versatility is supported by a diverse range of modular furniture, designed to naturally adapt to your rhythm and desires.
The simple, clean forms emphasize curves and organic lines, fostering immediate comfort and a welcoming atmosphere. Lounge chairs, modular sofas, benches, and armchairs— elongated, low, or standard—coexist in apparent diversity, sometimes deliberately contrasting, but always coherent. The choice of materials (wood, natural fibres, rope, and metal) bolsters this sense of warmth and simplicity.
AW Ū embodies human presence; it is a living and lived-in space, accentuated by conversations, movement, and music. The architecture complements this vitality without ever imposing it, allowing everyone to find their own place. AW Ū is nature blending into the city, summer sneaking into winter; it is a familiar yet different retreat, where people enter, return, and feel at peace, time and time again.
It is often said that a space tells its story through its volumes and light. It also tells its story through the materials that define it. At Venilux Québec, a company founded in 2019 by Anthony Ingui and Elio Muro, we craft surfaces that transform the atmosphere of a space.
Venilux Québec, which has carved out an enviable niche in the interior design landscape, is now recognized for its textured walls, custom finishes, and—above all—its expertise in the art of Venetian plaster: an ancestral craft that it reinterprets with a distinctly contemporary sensibility.
EUROPEAN TRADITION WITH A MODERN TOUCH
Working with Venetian plaster is about creating a dialogue between past and present. This technique, which traces its origins to the Italian Renaissance, was born in Venice, where artisans sought to combine beauty, durability, and luminosity. Even today, its richness lies in the way the material captures light, creating a mineral and silky effect that can’t be replicated in any other way.
At Venilux, this heritage is evident in both the material and the craftsmanship. By sourcing materials throughout Europe from small, family-run businesses that have preserved classic artisanal traditions, our team is able to bring the material to life, crafting it with precision and timeless expertise.
WHEN ART BECOMES CRAFT
Working with plaster is a craft that balances technique and sensitivity. Each layer must be applied with precision down to the millimetre, but also with an ability to listen to the material: its thickness, its drying time, the way it reacts to light or the pressure of the trowel. It is work that demands as much skill as it does intuition, where the artisan’s hand must constantly adapt to the nuances of the material.
Thanks to our deeply artisanal approach, every wall has its own personality. The texture, the movement, the depth, and even the way the light reflects off each surface varies from one project to the next. This element of uniqueness—this inability to reproduce the exact same finish—is what gives the final result, as well as the expertise required to achieve it, a distinct artistic touch.
The uniqueness of its creations, made possible by the versatility of the products, allows Venilux to tailor each design to the desired effect, which is why personalized support is at the heart of its process. Whether you are looking for an accent wall, an entire room, a shower, a floor, a concrete effect, or a trowel-applied metallic finish, anything is possible! Venilux also offers a wide range of options—colours, textures, techniques—and works directly with designers, architects, and clients. Samples, tests, adjustments... Every project is built through dialogue. Venilux has a simple conviction: there is always a solution.
Our company works on both residential and commercial projects. It contributed to several spaces within the vast Royalmount project in Montreal, where its textured finishes helped create the site’s immersive atmosphere.
Its work can also be seen in the two AW Ū sanctuaries, in Quebec City and Brossard, where the surfaces it designed helped create environments that are inviting and highly sensory.
Venilux not only stands out for its technical expertise, but also for its deep conviction that materials have the power to influence how we experience a space. A texture can be soothing, and a finish can transform light and bring a room to life. At Venilux Québec, we don’t just enhance surfaces; we create atmospheres.
Scan the QR code to check out Venilux’s Instagram page and all their projects.
SARAHMÉE
Hello, Sarahmée. You’re a rap artist and a host, but most of all, you’re someone who is comfortable in their own skin. This issue of the magazine explores reconnecting with who we truly are. Right off the bat, what does this idea mean to you?
“A lot of things. My ability to be true to myself is something people often point out to me, because of my music, my attitude, or the image I project. But it’s still something I'm working on, and that’s important to me, both as an artist and as a woman. Our parents guide us toward certain values, and later in life, our own values emerge. I try to sort through all of that to define who I am and what I truly want to represent.”
You began your music career in 2009. Over time, you found success, and with it, the pressure to make a name for yourself and defne your place in a rap scene that is still male-dominated. What differences do you see between the Sarahmée of today and who you were back then?
“I can see how far I’ve come. There are ways of perceiving me or treating me that I would have let slide back then, but that won’t stand today. For example, when people assume that I don’t know anything about the technical side of things. Are they going to assume that I don’t know how to hold my mic or adjust my earbuds, or are they going to acknowledge that I’ve mastered those things?
“I worked my way up gradually in rap, first in Quebec City, then in Montreal. I’ve worked with people who are still very active today, people I grew up with, each in our own field. In the industry, I think I’ve earned respect, in the sense that I’ve earned my place.
“Nothing in life is guaranteed, but the path I’ve chosen has brought me tons of opportunities. It’s opened doors for me in music, TV, radio, acting… Those are things I’ve always wanted to do, and now, they’re part of my journey.”
Now a fixture in Quebec’s rap and media landscape, Sarahmée has carved out a prominent place for herself through hard work and resilience. Blessed with an uncommon creative force, she uses her voice to champion causes that move her, paving the way for others who find resonance in her words. We had a conversation with this committed woman who embodies self-affirmation and self-acceptance.
Have you ever felt pressured by those around you to conform to current trends? In rap, for example, have you been told “you have to go for this sound, you have to have that image?”
“Not directly from those around me. I follow what other artists are creating very closely. I see what fellow artists are doing and what’s successful here, in Europe, and in the United States. That can create a certain pressure. But if you always rely on what others are doing to inform your own choices, you’ll never get anywhere. You’ll always end up just becoming a pale imitation of another artist. That said, my music is definitely infused with various influences. When I started making Afro music in 2014–2015, I found my sound. I was happy to be able to release tracks that are catchy and that you can dance to. I felt like I’d found my balance, and that’s when success actually started to arise.”
On stage, you seem to have a natural ease that fully inhabits your body, especially when you’re dancing. Have you always enjoyed performing in this way?
“I guess you could say I’m a dancer. I don’t consider myself one, but I do know how to dance, and I want to do it more. When I first started out, whenever I would step onto a stage, I would become very shy. Then, I began dancing alongside other dancers, and that gave me confidence. When I’m on stage, it’s as if I’m stepping outside my body, as if I’m not the everyday Sarahmée. In daily life, I’m pretty solitary, I stay in my own little world, I’m reserved, but when I dance, it feels like anything is possible, and that’s where I have the most fun.”
Your songwriting is part of your identity. Your lyrics speak of strength, but on the latest album, there’s a lot of vulnerability. How did you embrace that side of yourself that’s a bit more transparent, open, and vulnerable?
“I embrace it now more than I did before. Working with my therapist, spending time with people who are very aware of their vulnerabilities—all of that opened my eyes. Actually, it’s something I’ve always found beautiful and envied in others. To me, showing vulnerability is a strength. So, there you go. I’m working on it.”
Do you feel like you’re a role model to the younger generation?
“I think people sometimes assign me that role. I go to schools and I see young people who view me as an inspiration or a source of motivation. I don’t feel like a role model, but I think I need to be responsible with what I say, because I know that many teenagers and kids are listening and watching what I do. That said, I make sure that that doesn’t stop me from doing what I love. I don’t censor myself, but it’s a fine line.”
You say you’re a modest person. How is that compatible with having a career in the media and in the public eye? How do you balance those two sides of yourself?
“It’s a contradiction. I don’t know if I’m doing myself any favours, but that’s just how I am. I think my modesty will always be there, although it’s eased over the years, and with my work as well. I don’t think we always need to pour out our lives. I see people opening up about their families. For me, I think of my family, of my mother who follows everything I do; I’m aware of the consequences of being too transparent. There are things I want to keep to myself, and that’s perfectly fine.”
How do you slow down and reconnect with yourself?
Do you have your own rituals?
“I work out. I try to exercise every day or every other day. It’s good for me. I go to the gym, I do Pilates, a little yoga. I need to move, to feel my body’s limits. Right away, I feel grounded. And eating well, too. So, I eat well, I exercise, and I sleep well.”
Is that your defnition of balance?
“Yes, plus having a job I love, and a loving circle of friends, family, and colleagues around me. In my music, I frequently work with my friends. I think it’s the beautiful harmony we all have—each in their own space—that allows me to feel balanced. Knowing that I’m comfortable with the people around me, in my work, in my body, that I’m healthy… All these things have become non-negotiables for me.
When it comes to relationships, nothing is ever set in stone; we evolve, and we don’t all do so at the same pace. We get to know the people around us, and I think communication is key. We don’t have to agree on everything all the time. But that doesn’t mean the end of the relationship. I think when you care deeply about the people around you, whether they’re friends or colleagues, there’s always a solution that can be found. But sometimes, they end, and everyone has to go their separate ways. People leave, people stay, and new people arrive. I try to go with the flow as it comes. That becomes a different kind of balance.”
To listen to the full interview hosted by Evelyne Charuest, follow our podcast Centré sur l’équilibre
“To me, showing vulnerability is a strength.”
By Franck Laboue, Director of Business Development, Voyageurs du Monde
There’s always a spark. An image that lingers a little longer than the others do. A phrase overheard by chance. A scent, a light, a season. A trivial detail that opens a door.
I think I started travelling long before I ever set out to do so. In my childhood bedroom, there was a world map pinned to the wall facing me. It was neither accurate nor up-to-date. But the words… the words were enough. That map was my most precious possession. My talisman, a true invisible gateway to endless possibilities. It stands alone as a relic of the old world. Stamped “ Transport Beaugier, ” it was a legacy from my grandfather’s trucking company and the world during the Cold War. An endless succession of thumbtacks was pressed into it, year after year, to keep fuelling my dreams. The names alone transported me. The words took me on a journey. Place names had become a passion of mine. Cities, capitals, seas, remote mountains… Everything had an exotic, unfamiliar flavour. With my index finger, I traced imaginary paths. It was good to keep some shadows, though, some unknowns to explore, places to wander mentally, without easy answers.
I can still see myself caressing those exotic names: the former Soviet republics that have since vanished, the countries evaporated from history. In my mind, I would set off, following the courses of rivers, memorizing names as mysterious as they were alluring, like Ouagadougou, Balikpapan, and Antananarivo, passing through Borneo or Novosibirsk. Names on the other side of the world from my native Brittany (though Plounéour-Ménez must
surely have seemed odd to some), names that were sometimes elegant, that left me perplexed and took me on a journey. I read that map as if it were the greatest story ever written.
I travelled without moving. Books did the rest. Comic books, most of all. Tintin disembarking at Port Said in Cigars of the Pharaoh… In Bougainville, the chiaroscuro lines of Corto Maltese let the jungle and the silence nibble away at the sailor’s silhouette, as if the drawing itself were hesitating between dream and departure. Those impossible, untouchable islands, like Bougainville or the Solomons. Names with the scent of adventure, of the sea, of escape. I didn’t know exactly where they were, and it didn’t matter. What mattered was the elsewhere. The idea that there were places where life could be lived differently, according to other rules, other rhythms. I didn’t call them sparks yet. They were dreams.
Over time, images were no longer enough. My journey began to unfold through the senses, and through the movies, first and foremost. The lighting of film noir, the kind that gave me a taste for 1930s hotels, the hushed bars of New York or Paris, and cities with a slightly faded charm. There were also the rain-soaked neon lights, the slowness of movement, a stranger’s face lost in the crowd, and that way of filming silence, waiting, bodies drifting through an unfamiliar city… Hong Kong, Tokyo… That’s how they appeared to me, long before I had ever visited them: through Sofia Coppola, Wong Kar-Wai, stories of gangsters, night, and solitude. I didn’t want a real city. I wanted an atmosphere. Later, Bangkok would transform into the alley from the beginning of the film The Beach. Asia imposed itself there, without explanation, without justification. It would bring me that taste for light, bold adventure—that of a heist in the Petronas Towers—as a logical, almost inevitable consequence.
Then, the music. The notes from Indiana Jones. The deeper, more secret ones from the Well of Souls and the Ark of the Covenant, laden with dust, the sacred, and thrills. That immediate promise of mystery, forgotten temples, crumpled maps, and dusty roads. Those notes still haunt me; they point to enigmas, to places where anything could happen. In Petra, they lay in wait for me, buried somewhere, echoing at the end of the Siq, straight into my cortex. The sounds of Deep Forest made me fantasize about Eastern lands with everblurred contours, while Herbie Hancock’s pygmy instruments, followed by a few sweet notes from Jorge Ben Jor, opened other doors—warmer, slower—toward a diffuse elsewhere.
The sounds took over. As a teenager, long before I ever set out, I would play a CD of tropical storm sounds on repeat. The rain pounded, the rumblings rolled through the room, and I would disappear. It wasn’t a backdrop; it was a passage, a raw immersion into an ecosystem that fascinated me even before I knew it. Much later, in the Amazon, it wasn’t the landscape that struck me first; it was the squawking of the birds, the constant rustling of the jungle, the ants underfoot. The journey then became part of my body. The noise, the discomfort, the constant attention. You’re no longer really observing; you’re becoming a participant. The world would no longer be something to be looked at, but something to be felt.
There are always guides, mentors, figures who open doors without knowing it. There was my teacher at Jules Ferry School. Every summer, he would go to Burkina Faso to teach other children. When he returned, he didn’t just show us photos; he shared his watercolours and blurry images of an unknown world with us. He had us write letters and gave us pen pals. The journey became a relationship. The world ceased to be abstract. Years later, I found myself in Ouagadougou, almost by chance. But in truth, I had already been there as a child.
For their part, writers leave words for us, like breadcrumbs scattered in our hearts. From books, we draw the sap and all the wicks that ignite sparks within them. With Aziyadé , I dreamed of Istanbul before Istanbul, the minarets already standing tall in the mist of my closed eyelids. Reading is a little like chasing after a sentence you read years earlier, pursuing it through the streets of time, panting, your heart pounding as if on an endless road. There was Julien Gracq’s imagining of Farghestan in The Shore of Syrtes , where the sea had been silent for centuries, a land of mirages where one was always watching the horizon. Travelling to see if the words were true, with Henry de Monfreid and his Secrets of the Red Sea … Ah, those pages that smelled of dried fish and the sweat of dhow boats, those lines hastily scribbled under a sun that burns the eyes.
There was the job. The steward. The layovers. The pilots who told stories of their lives back home, their wild adventures in Chad, and their dreams of faraway places. A single conversation was enough to open up a whole new world. It was them, the guides of the sky, between sips of black coffee, who spoke of dilapidated runways where you had to land without a map. I soaked up their stories like slow-burning, flammable fuel. Each story rekindled a small ember within me, cracked open the horizon. And the women. A Taiwanese woman, one day. A way of inhabiting the world, a culture, a smile. Taipei was born this way. Not from a map, but from an encounter, from that fleeting touch that tips an entire continent onto a single outstretched hand.
Over time, I realized that these sparks were never isolated. They formed an intimate constellation. They spoke of what I was seeking, and what I was ready to leave behind. A faded Air France poster in the window of a travel agency. A dogeared photo on my grandparents’ wall. An old Géo magazine forgotten on a coffee table. The image of Rimbaud in Djibouti, frozen in his photographs, already elsewhere. One day, without ceremony, the journey came to exist. It hasn’t been booked yet, but it has become inevitable.
“I know that I won't go right away, but I also know that I will.”
There are also sparks that lead nowhere, or rather, to nowhere yet. The ones that remain suspended, like unspoken promises. They demand nothing. They wait. Bougainville Island, for example. It still lives somewhere inside me, nourished by Corto, by old maps, by a very personal idea of adventure. Perhaps the actual journey would be too precise. Perhaps certain destinations must remain inner territories. There is Nevada, too, my grandfather’s America. The cowboys of my childhood, whom I almost thought were imaginary. And then one day, I met them. Realizing that what seemed to belong to folklore still existed. There, too, the spark took decades to take shape. It was in no hurry. Not everything needs to be accomplished. Travelling isn’t about going everywhere. It’s about remaining in a state of departure.
And then, one winter evening. A conversation. A woman tells me about Georgia. She doesn’t force anything; she simply tells her story. The words flow: landscapes with jagged peaks, roads winding between
vineyards and clouds, meals where warm bread and cheese melt under your fingers, where the khachapuri smells of embers and life. She has stars in her eyes; not those theatrical stars, but small, genuine glimmers. Without warning, I recognize the call, that discreet shiver. The spark has emerged. Gently. Irrevocably. It settled there, in the hollow of our exchanged glances, on the edge of a knowing silence. I know that I won’t go right away, but I also know that I will. It’s a promise whispered in the cold of a winter evening.
Journeys always begin this way. Long before departure. In words. Images. Sounds. Scents. Encounters. Travelling with Voyageurs du Monde may very well mean accepting this: not forcing movement, letting ideas slowly germinate, and setting out not to check off a destination, but to finally answer what has been calling to us for so long.
And that call is never really about geography. It’s about us.
Scan the QR code to learn more about Voyageurs du Monde.
Loneliness has emerged as a major social issue today. Far from being a mere temporary state or an individual choice, it stretches across a wide range of realities and affects people of all ages, sometimes in unexpected ways. Public health institutions now recognize loneliness as a major risk factor for physical and mental health, given how profound and lasting its effects can be. According to the World Health Organization, one in six people worldwide report being affected by loneliness, a condition that is associated with an increased risk of premature death, comparable to other well-documented risk factors.
Yet this loneliness does not always show itself in dramatic ways. It often creeps in quietly, alongside broader shifts in our lifestyles: the rise of individualism, the advent of remote work, moving away from urban centres, the proliferation of diverse family structures, and the desire to conserve energy by minimizing friction and discomfort. Loneliness often coexists with full, active, and independent lives. It is not necessarily visible, nor is it always immediately felt as such.
It is this complexity that deserves to be explored. Not to pit loneliness against community, but to understand what, in the way we live today, is weakening our connections, even when we still have a profound desire for those connections.
Remote work is the most striking example. In Canada, the proportion of people working primarily from home rose from about 7% in 2016 to over 20% in 2023, and since then, it has remained at a level well above that of pre-pandemic times. The benefits are well-documented: better work-life balance, reduced commute times, and greater autonomy in the organization of daily life.
But these gains come with a major drawback: high-intensity remote work reduces informal social interactions and can heighten feelings of isolation, especially when these practices become longterm. Spontaneous conversations, shared physical presence, and exchanges born from proximity to one another are gradually disappearing, eroding a sense of belonging in the process.
But remote work is just one example among many. There have also been transformations in all spheres of life: increased residential mobility, moving away from urban centres, dependence on cars, the fragmentation of family models, and the individualization of life paths. People move further away to buy a home, distance themselves from their social networks out of necessity, and live in neighbourhoods where opportunities for spontaneous encounters are becoming rarer.
Little by little, the bonds once nourished by sharing the same spaces are becoming harder to maintain. Community isn’t disappearing, but it’s no longer emerging naturally from our daily activities.
It would be a mistake to assume that all of these changes result in a uniform experience of loneliness. People’s experiences vary widely. Some people live alone without feeling isolated, while others are surrounded by people yet still feel disconnected. Loneliness is not always linked to a lack of relationships, but to a gap between the quality of the connections we desire and those that actually exist—a distinction that has become central to research on the subject. Loneliness can exist within stable, functional lives, without leaving much room to be acknowledged or expressed.
“PROTECT
More recently, we have observed another equally formative trend: the rise of discourse around personal boundaries. In a world marked by mental fatigue, collective anxiety, and information overload, learning to say no, preserving yourself, and protecting your inner peace has not only become legitimized, but valued.
This increased focus on individual boundaries has allowed many to regain a balance that had previously been disrupted. However, several recent analyses highlight that by minimizing relational discomfort, we simultaneously reduce the depth of our connections.
By definition, community cannot be entirely comfortable. It involves different rhythms, diverging expectations, and conversations we’d rather avoid. In a culture that equates well-being with comfort, these frictions tend to be perceived as nuisances to be eliminated, rather than as a normal part of living together.
Yet maintaining meaningful relationships requires people to be present and consistent, and sometimes forces them to make an effort that goes against the flow of the moment. Going out to dinner with a friend after a long day, when your first instinct would be to go home to rest. Calling a loved one knowing that certain words might hurt or upset us. Organizing a family gathering despite the logistics, noise, and fatigue that come with it. Reaching out to colleagues we don’t know as well.
These gestures require more than just time. They require availability, an openness to discomfort, and an acceptance of the fact that a connection may not always be smooth or fulfilling in the moment.
Fortunately, research in social psychology shows that it is precisely these meaningful relationships—the ones that require an investment—that are most strongly associated with enduring well-being, emotional resilience, and a sense of purpose. Herein lies the paradox: the most demanding connections are also the most nourishing ones.
Sources
Diener, Ed & Seligman, Martin. (2002). “Very happy people.” Psychological Science , 13(1), 81–84.https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00415
Holt-Lunstad, Julianne, Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). “Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review.” Perspectives on Psychological Science , 10(2), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2025). Social connections and loneliness in OECD countries. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/6df2d6a0-en
Paquet Rapold, Stéphanie. (2023). Décrire l’isolement social des télétravailleurs . Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
Statistics Canada. (2024). Télétravail, emploi du temps et bien-être
World Health Organization. (2025). Social connection and loneliness
WELL-BEING AS A RELATIONAL PRACTICE
These findings invite us to rethink well-being beyond our immediate needs and desires. Major public health institutions now recognize that social connection is a key determinant of health, just like sleep or physical activity.
From this perspective, community is neither an abstract ideal nor a tight-knit network. It is built through repeated, sometimes imperfect, presence in our relationships, which require vulnerability and openness. It does not deny that a need for solitude or boundaries exists, but it reminds us that well-being is also nourished by a certain commitment to others.
THREE APPROACHES TO MAINTAINING CONNECTION
(1) CHOOSE PRESENCE, EVEN WHEN IT IS NOT OPTIMAL
In our daily lives, structured around efficiency and energy management, presence often becomes conditional; we see each other when we are well-rested, available, and fully open. Revaluing connection means sometimes agreeing to participate in it differently, such as arriving tired, less available, or with little more to offer than simple presence. These tiny moments (a coffee shared despite being tired, an impromptu walk, a call made without a specific reason in mind) are often the most meaningful, since they draw on our vulnerability and our ability to come as we are.
(2) LEARN TO SEE DISCOMFORT AS A TEMPORARY STATE, NOT A WARNING SIGN
In a culture that equates well-being with smoothness, the slightest tension can be interpreted as a sign that one should withdraw. Yet discomfort, as long as it is not recurring, is not always an indicator of toxicity; it is often a reflection of a genuine encounter between two human beings. Learning to remain present in these moments of discomfort (delicate conversations, silences, misunderstandings) allows bonds to deepen.
(3) CREATE FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS
Community is not born solely from intention, but from repetition, by frequenting the same places, maintaining regular meet-ups, and signing up for activities where one meets familiar faces, even without any natural affinity. It is these anchors, sometimes modest, that transform one-off encounters into meaningful relationships that do us good, regardless of their depth.
By Anne Genest, author
In an age of instant messages and expected replies, writing by hand may seem anachronistic. Yet for those who choose this practice today, it’s not a simple matter of nostalgia, but a deliberate adjustment to the pace of life. Handwritten correspondence opens up another way of connecting—one that’s slower, more attentive, and more lasting.
It took some courage from me—a sense of awkwardness, even—to ask her the question. As if suggesting a pen pal relationship wasn’t something that’s done anymore. My friend had just moved to Norway. I hesitated, then asked her if she’d like to start this communication.
What followed surprised me. A newfound excitement, an immediate intimacy. Packages travelling miles, small objects slipped into envelopes. You have to walk to the post office, drop off the letter, then wait. I try to imagine the landscapes that surround her, the light, the distances travelled.
Starting a pen pal relationship today begins with an address. Just one. Accepting the initial awkwardness, choosing a different rhythm, writing not to be seen, but to reach out to someone.
Marie-Josée Gonthier, a facilitator, coordinator, and cultural mediator, speaks of this gesture as a gentle boldness: “I dared to suggest a handwritten correspondence to her, and she accepted enthusiastically. Since then, my joy has come from discovering what she took the time to confide to me on paper.”
Addressing the other person, not the stream: corresponding in this way is not about producing content, but sustaining a relationship. We choose each sentence carefully, accepting that not everything will be said. The goal of the letter is not efficiency, but accuracy.
We’ve never communicated as much as we do now.
Quick messages, notifications, expected replies… The messages come one after another—often useful, sometimes exhausting. Without rejecting digital technology altogether, many people feel a vague sense of fatigue linked to this constant availability.
“I like to check in on the people I love, but I sometimes find myself alone in keeping the conversation going, and on the receiving end of curt replies,” observes Marie-Josée Gonthier. For her part, Vanessa Bell, an author, poet, and editor, describes another form of saturation: “I consider digital messages to be work. Even though I’m grateful for them, they take up a tremendous amount of my time.”
Instantaneity is useful because it allows us to maintain connections, organize our daily lives, and stay in touch. Due to its speed, however, it leaves little room for sustained attention, restraint, or anything that takes time to really formulate. Written correspondence today does not signify a return to the past; it’s a matter of a deliberate adjustment of pace, a need for presence and attention.
“Taking the time does wonders for morale,” sums up Marie-Josée Gonthier. As such, paper and ink offer a means of stepping away from urgency to restore a certain depth to connection.
This practice isn’t limited to those who grew up in a world without screens. Handwritten correspondence is finding its place among young people, too. Rebecca Lessard, a CEGEP student, recounts how she began using this type of communication with a friend of hers after discovering modern examples on social media. Soon, they began to really like the change of pace: having to be careful with envelopes, meticulously selecting words, and putting into writing thoughts that are difficult to express via instant messages.
For her, this form of communication helps avoid the frequent misunderstandings of rapid exchanges and allows for clearer expression.
Addressing a single person changes the nature of the connection. The anticipation of the reply, the care taken with the language, and the absence of an immediate reaction transform the relationship.
“Writing to someone involves choosing the paper, deciding how to hold it, sometimes even choosing a scent. These gestures are as meticulously crafted as the words themselves,” explains Vanessa Bell.
The letter seeks neither performance nor quick validation. It leaves room for silences, for pauses, for the unspoken. The wait ceases to be a void and instead becomes a component of the connection. A step aside from the rhythm of exchanges, a way of addressing what really matters to a single person. The letter allows a relationship to unfold without pressure, in a timeframe with room to breathe.
“We choose each sentence carefully, accepting that not everything will be said. The goal of the letter is not efficiency, but accuracy.”
Writing by hand also engages the body. Posture, rhythm, and concentration shift our focus. “Handwriting puts me in a focused and composed state. Seeing what takes shape on the paper is simple and comforting,” says Marie-Josée Gonthier.
Vanessa Bell describes a more intense experience: “This act becomes a kind of trance. My thoughts slow down, come back, and leave traces that I wouldn’t have been able to capture on a keyboard.”
Well-being doesn’t appear as a goal here, but rather a side effect of sustained attention.
Ultimately, the handwritten letter becomes an object. The paper, the ink, the unique handwriting all come together to form a tangible trace. “I treasure these letters. They represent a friendship that has quietly been built through our correspondence,” says Marie-Josée Gonthier.
The initial awkwardness has faded. Corresponding in this way is now a conscious choice. The envelopes continue to travel. We don’t track their journeys, but we imagine them. And in that interval of time, something remains: an attentive presence—one that chooses duration over immediacy.
By Ariane Martel Labrecque, decluttering expert and founder of Allo printemps
In a flurry of excitement, it finally comes alive again—that desire for clarity and renewal that comes with that first afternoon where it’s warm enough to go outside in a T-shirt. A desire to declutter, to get rid of all the excess, and to make space around yourself (and inside yourself—it’s all connected).
Obviously, you always have to seize the urge when it strikes, but you also need to approach it strategically to avoid finding yourself surrounded on all sides by mismatched piles in a damp basement, discouraged and without any clear direction when that initial impulse fades. So, here’s my five-step strategy to structure the process and capitalize on the momentum!
(1) PREPARE YOUR WORK AREA
Before you start, it’s crucial to place the boxes and bags that will hold the items you decide to part with right next to you. These boxes and bags should be labelled with a Sharpie according to their destination: a donation centre, a friend, a thrift store.
You’ll also need a trash bag, a recycling bin, and another large bin for unusable items that need to be taken to the recycling centre. Setting up this sorting system from the start will make the decluttering process much clearer, smoother, and more efficient.
(2) START WITH THE EASY STUFF
The best way to declutter is to do it by type of item, starting with a category that’s easy to define and which can be fully tackled in a few hours (think clothes, books, or toys, for example). Ideally, you should start with an area of the house where you’ll be comfortable camping out for the afternoon with all your boxes and bags and a cup of coffee.
Although it’s tempting, it’s never a good idea to tackle the basement or garage first (those areas are way too catch-all to be tackled first, and they are best saved for last). It’s also best to avoid starting with sentimental items (truly paralyzing) or paperwork (another category that takes a long time to tackle and which can be a real headache).
When you’re first starting out, the goal is to get moving and take the small wins as they come so that you can begin to feel like you’re taking back control and training your decision-making skills without getting too overwhelmed in the first ten minutes.
“When you’re first starting out, the goal is to get moving and take the small wins as they come.”
(3) ASK YOURSELF: “DO I NEED THIS ITEM TO LIVE THE LIFE I WANT?”
Rather than leaving the items you want to keep alone and setting aside the ones you don’t want, it’s best to remove everything. Completely empty the drawer, shelf, or closet, then clean the space thoroughly.
As you stand in front of each item, ask yourself: “Do I need this item to live the life I want?” It’s a great question—one that’s positive and constructive. It provides a chance to reflect on the life we want (something we seldom do enough) and an opportunity to rethink our surroundings based on what truly matters to us.
If the answer to the question is no, then the item can immediately be placed in a box of things to give away or in a pile of items to sell.
If the answer is yes , then you’ll first need to ensure that the space you’ve freed up is truly the best place to store that item and, if so, put it back there.
(4) GIVE EVERY ITEM A HOME
To keep your home tidy (and to avoid wasting time looking for your belongings and having to buy duplicates because they’ve gone missing), it’s essential to define where each item should go after being used.
A good way to keep organization simple is to group all the items in a given category in one place (all the books on a shelf, all the utensils in the same drawer, all the DIY supplies in the same cabinet, etc.).
It’s also a good idea to store items near where they are used. This makes them more accessible, encourages you to use them, and minimizes the hassle of putting them back.
(5) IMMEDIATELY SET ASIDE ITEMS THAT YOU PLAN TO SELL OR GIVE AWAY
After you declutter a small area of the house, the best approach is to immediately sort out the items you want to get rid of. You can give items that are in good condition to friends, items you borrowed can be returned to their respective owners, and items intended to be sold can be listed right away.
Getting rid of this pile of items right away will give the space room to breathe. The mental load will feel lighter, the decisions you’ve made will feel official, and you’ll feel the satisfaction of having seen your task through to the end.
Small successes and pats on the back bring us a sense of pride, confidence, and renewed motivation to move on to the next category of items!
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Less than an hour from Montreal, the Lac Fiddler Resort stands out as an ideal destination to slow down, breathe deeply, and enjoy nature. Nestled in the heart of a largely untouched area, this log cabin resort offers the perfect balance between high-end modern comfort and a rustic atmosphere, for a warm and authentic experience.
Its cabins, spread across a vast private property and spaced far apart, ensure a getaway that combines tranquility and privacy. Each one has its own distinctive character among a variety of models, for a personalized stay. Built from natural wood and featuring spacious living areas with cathedral ceilings and panoramic windows, the cabins boast fully equipped kitchens and outdoor terraces where you can lounge while gazing out at the forest. Depending on the model, additional features may include a three- or four-season veranda, a spa, a sauna, a pool table, or even a private pool.
The Lac Fiddler Resort and its natural surroundings provide the ideal playground in both winter and summer. Whether it’s snowshoeing, skating, hiking, tennis, canoeing, swimming, or simply contemplating nature, the activities change with the seasons, but one thing remains constant: tranquility that fosters renewal. Included with every stay is access to the modern fitness centre, allowing you to keep up with your workout routine.
Whether for a relaxing weekend, a long stay, or a group retreat, the Lac Fiddler Resort offers a serene escape. A place where every moment takes on a special meaning. A vacation destination to discover and rediscover with family or friends, no matter the season.
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"I accept the greatest adventure of being me."
-Simone de Beauvoir
In collaboration with Dr. Sophie Vadeboncoeur, dermatologist at HumaDerme
After a harsh winter, the return of sunny days marks a long-awaited reunion with the sun and the great outdoors. Outdoor patios come alive again, and parks and beaches become popular spots where we love to take it slow. To fully enjoy these moments, however, it’s important to understand how the sun’s rays affect our skin. By adopting a few simple habits to protect ourselves, we can enjoy a wonderful summer without any regrets.
THE SUN: A VALUABLE ALLY… IN MODERATION
We often forget that the sun isn’t just a risk factor; it’s also beneficial to our health. Moderate daily exposure to sunlight helps regulate our internal clock and improve our mood.
Metabolically speaking, the sun—and more specifically, its UVB rays—helps our bodies produce vitamin D, an essential vitamin for bone and immune health, among other benefits. Just fifteen minutes of sun exposure to any area of the skin, such as the backs of the hands, is enough to meet our daily needs. In North America, however, due to the Earth’s tilt and limited sunshine, nearly the entire population is deficient in vitamin D. Doctors recommend taking a daily oral supplement of 1,000 units of vitamin D3 (available over the counter), or 10,000 units once a week (by prescription only).
UVA VS. UVB: UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES TO BETTER PROTECT YOURSELF
While it’s true that exposure to natural light has its benefits, excessive UV radiation can cause lasting damage. UVA rays, with their broader wavelengths, penetrate deeper into the dermis. Prolonged exposure damages collagen, leading to a loss of skin elasticity. These rays are also primarily responsible for photoaging (wrinkles and fine lines) and sunspots.
UVB rays have a medium wavelength. The ozone layer absorbs most but not all of them. Approximately 10 to 15% of these rays reach the Earth’s atmosphere and affect the outer layers of the skin. They cause excessive melanin production, which is responsible for tanning, but also lead to sunburns and the majority of skin cancers.
FAIR SKIN, DARK SKIN… THE SUN AFFECTS EVERYONE Our sensitivity to the sun is determined by our phototype, a skin classification ranging from I to VI.
Phototype I refers to pale, so-called fair skin that does not tan but instead burns and carries an increased risk of UV damage and skin cancer. Phototype VI refers to dark, so-called black skin that never, or very rarely, burns thanks to the natural protection provided by higher melanin production. Although the risk of skin cancer is lower for this population, it is not completely absent. Other issues, such as sunspots, should also be considered.
Appropriate protection is therefore required for all skin types.
TANNING: A FALSE SIGN OF “GOOD HEALTH”
Behind the quest for a “healthy glow,” a beauty standard for many, it is important to understand the underlying cellular mechanics. In reality, tanning is the skin’s defence response to sun exposure. Melanocytes, the cells responsible for pigment production, activate to increase melanin production in response to the stress of UV rays on our DNA. In other words, while we love having that “healthy glow,” the damage is already done. The more these micro-aggressions are repeated at the cellular level, the greater the risk of developing precancerous or cancerous lesions.
Ultimately, the only harmless tan is the one caused by self-tanner, a product that provides pigment without sun exposure. Note, however, that such an artificial tan does not protect you from UV radiation.
IT’S
The harmful effects of UV radiation are cumulative. Over the course of a lifetime, repeated sunburns and UV exposure eventually reach a tipping point, and that’s when the balance shifts and precancerous lesions begin to develop.
If you’ve neglected to protect yourself for many years, it’s never too late to adopt better habits. You won’t be able to reverse the trend, but at the very least, you’ll be able to stabilize and reduce the accumulation of sun damage.
TO TAKE APPROPRIATE MEASURES, CHECK THE INDEX
The UV index measures the intensity of ultraviolet rays and helps estimate the risk of sun exposure to our health. It ranges from 0 to 11+ and takes several factors into account, such as the sun’s elevation (time of day/season), latitude, altitude, the thickness of the ozone layer, and the presence of reflective surfaces (water, sand, snow, etc.).
Higher values indicate an increased risk of immediate and long-term damage to the skin and eyes. When the UV index reaches 3 or higher, it’s critical to take precautions.
The UV index is reported in most weather forecasts broadcast over the radio, on television, in newspapers, and online.
Thinking that a little sunscreen is enough to protect you from the sun is a longstanding myth. Remember that protection from the sun starts with the right precautions:
- Check the UV index and opt for times of day with lower intensity (before 11 a.m. and after 3 p.m., especially in the summer). On cloudy days, caution is still advised, because even though you may feel less heat from the sun’s rays directly on your skin, clouds allow up to 80% of UV rays to pass through them, and the damage is just as real.
- Choose UV-resistant clothing: long sleeves made of dense fabric or labelled UPF, UV 400 sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat rather than a cap, which doesn’t really protect your neck and ears.
- Find shade, but don’t assume you’re completely safe there. Water, sand, and snow reflect UV rays in all directions. A word of warning for skiers: snow and sun make for a dangerous combination! Winter is a critical time when “surprise” sunburns can appear.
Sunscreen complements these simple steps and enhances their effectiveness, but only if you know how to choose the right one and apply it correctly. It is estimated that 80 to 90% of skin cancers could have been prevented with proper sun protection. Unfortunately, less than 40% of the North American population uses sunscreen properly.
As with cosmetics, there is a common misconception that more expensive sunscreens will be more effective. Regardless of the price, all sunscreens contain the same active ingredient, and the price difference from one product to the next relates mostly to packaging and advertising. The effectiveness of the sun protection won’t be better in any significant way simply because you paid more.
Sunscreens were long designed to protect against UVB rays only, but since we’ve learned about the damage caused by UVA rays and the visible spectrum, most sunscreens on the market have now expanded their protection.
There are two main categories:
- Chemical sunscreens, also known as “absorbers,” which contain chemical molecules that absorb UV rays. They generally require about 20 minutes to absorb into the skin before becoming effective.
- Mineral sunscreens, also known as “reflectors,” which contain minerals, such as zinc or titanium dioxide, that form a protective barrier and reflect UV rays before they come into contact with the surface of your skin. These creams leave a white residue, but they’re the safest choice, providing immediate protection as soon as they are applied. These sunscreens are highly recommended for sensitive or allergic skin.
THE IMPORTANCE OF “BROAD SPECTRUM”
Always choose a “broad spectrum” sunscreen for combined UVA/UVB protection. The letters “UVA” and “UVB” will always be clearly indicated on sunscreen labels. Note that when the “UVA” is circled, this indicates that the sunscreen provides coverage for both short- and long-wave UVA rays.
SPF (SUN PROTECTION FACTOR): KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
When the skin is exposed to the sun without protection, it will become red in under ten minutes. The SPF corresponds to the maximum sun exposure time that the skin can withstand without burning compared to unprotected skin. An SPF 30 allows for 30 times longer exposure while blocking 96% of UVB rays. An SPF 60 blocks 98% of UVB rays. Dermatologists recommend using an SPF somewhere between 30 and 60, as the additional benefits beyond that range are minimal. However, it’s important to note that even if the increase in protection seems small, choosing an SPF 60 over an SPF 30 can compensate for insufficient application and also provides better protection for very fair skin types or young children.
By Dr. Geneviève Beaulieu-Pelletier, psychologist
Back pain, butterflies in your stomach, headaches, digestive issues, skin problems, unexplained fatigue… These are just a few of the common symptoms of somatization. It’s a fact that the emotions we feel—as well as those we sometimes repress or push aside—can manifest themselves physically.
Somatization is the physical expression of suffering, stress, or internal conflict. In other words, distress and emotions translate into symptoms or pain in the body.
The body and the emotions are in constant interaction. The brain manages emotions, hormones, the nervous system, and parts of the immune system. When an emotion is intense or repressed, it circulates throughout the body via the nervous system, affecting stress hormones and causing muscle tension, inflammation, etc. The body becomes a messenger of what is being processed emotionally (and what isn’t)!
When we experience difficult emotions, our body goes into alert mode: increased heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, paused digestion, and the release of cortisol and adrenaline. These physiological reactions are very useful in the short term to fight off the difficult situation we’re facing.
When this emotional state becomes chronic, however, the body remains in a tense state and persistent physical symptoms can appear. For example, chronic stress can increase inflammation, prolonged muscle tension can cause real pain, cortisol can affect sleep and digestion, and the immune system can become jeopardized.
Physical symptoms shouldn’t be perceived as a punishment or the enemy; they should be understood as the body sounding its emotional alarm, screaming, “Stop! Something is wrong. Listen to me!”
However, we tend to ignore these messages from our bodies. We continue to cut back on our sleep, downplay the impact of our symptoms, put off seeking medical advice, or treat the symptom solely on a physical level, without ever trying to understand whether stress or what is happening in our lives might be the root cause.
Regulating our emotions also takes energy. We have a limited energy reserve that we can draw upon to function day to day, whether for physical exertion, cognitive tasks, decision-making, or suppressing emotions. This means that when we tap into our energy reserve to regulate our emotions, we have less energy left over to handle other daily demands. Eventually, this leads to burnout.
WHY THIS SYMPTOM?
In the context of somatization, there is no universally accepted classification explaining why one organ is affected rather than another. We therefore need to exercise caution when trying to interpret these patterns.
Symptoms are individual in nature and unique to each person’s body. Still, certain factors may influence where a symptom decides to appear in the body.
- Areas of the body that are already compromised (due to genetic factors, past trauma, or injury, for example) provide a more conducive environment for symptoms to develop.
- Organs with a dense nerve supply, such as our intestines, skin, or heart, have more sensory receptors (to detect pain, pressure, and temperature fluctuations), send more signals to the brain, and are more sensitive to subtle changes in the body. As such, symptoms can potentially be more easily felt.
- Systems that are sensitive to stress, such as our muscles and intestines, are more prone to developing symptoms (think neck or back pain) due to the fact that they react quickly to stress hormones and that this constant activation of mechanisms originally designed for emergencies—not for the long term—leads to hyperreactivity.
In short, symptoms appear where the body is most reactive.
“The body adapts to what the mind cannot contain.”
LISTENING TO YOUR BODY'S SIGNALS
Here are a few tips to help you gradually start paying attention to the warning signs your body is sending you.
LEARN TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNALS
All too often, we overlook the signals our bodies is sending us, as we get stuck in an autopilot mode that prevents us from pausing for a moment to truly feel these signals. Developing a routine of taking breaks, even if only for a few minutes, can help us get out of this automatic mode and find moments where we can take stock of what is happening inside of our bodies. This is where mindfulness techniques can be particularly useful. What am I feeling right now? Tense shoulders, clenched jaw, a sore lower back… The key is to get in touch with our bodies first, before trying to put a name to the specific emotion we’re feeling inside.
PUT WHAT YOU'RE FEELING INTO WORDS
Give a voice to what your body is crying out. I try to make my body speak to me: “my stomach is in knots” or “my throat is tight.” In doing so, I’m able to name the sensation or emotion I’m feeling. There’s no need to find the exact right word. The simple act of paying attention to our feelings and trying to put our emotions into words is already a huge step toward coming to terms with our emotional world. To help with this, you can write down whatever comes to mind, talk with loved ones, or even consult a mental health professional if needed to more effectively translate your feelings into words.
PROGRESSIVE SELF-REFLECTION
- Think about the potential connection between your symptoms and the events in your life. Explore without forcing it. For example, I get a stomach ache before meetings at work. Or I get a headache when I’m worried. When I’m stressed for a long time, my back hurts.
- Ask yourself:
• When does the symptom appear?
• What am I going through right now? What have my stressors been lately? What’s on my mind?
When an emotion is better understood, the body can finally release the tension.
CALM THE BODY
Slow, deep breathing, meditation, relaxation, and yoga are a few examples of techniques that have a direct effect on the nervous system and calm the body. A relaxed body under less tension can aid in recovery and healing.
GET THE BODY MOVING
It's a great idea to incorporate simple physical activities into our daily lives, such as walking, stretching, sports, gentle exercises, spontaneous dancing in the living room, or swimming—basically, anything that is easily accessible and makes us feel good! In addition to releasing tension and helping us feel better in our bodies, movement has a very positive impact on our mood and psychological well-being.
RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES
Since regulating our emotions draws on our energy reserves, it’s important to recharge our batteries. To do this, we can take breaks, read a book, play an instrument, call a friend, listen to music, laugh, sing in the car at the top of our lungs, or do any activity that soothes and nourishes us. A full tank gives us additional resources to cope with the emotional demands of daily life.
The body adapts to what the mind cannot contain. Rather than harshly criticizing it, it’s best to listen to what it’s trying to express so that we can work with it to understand ourselves better and adjust for the future. The body can be a valuable ally for making informed decisions, letting go of energy-draining activities that no longer nourish us, and knowing where to invest our energy so that we can thrive and feel good.
Every year, more than 500 caregivers come to recharge their batteries at one of our locations.
By Elisabeth Massicolli, journalist
In 2018, I left Quebec for Italy, the land of my ancestors, where I have lived ever since. For many years, even though Rome was my home base, I wandered from one country to another, one continent to another for… work. I sought out charming cafés where I could settle in to write, translate, and plan my work as a journalist and author. As long as I had a good Wi-Fi connection, I was, as they say, “in business.”
I identified with the so-called “digital nomads” —those people who migrate from one place to another, laptop in hand, to earn a living while travelling, and who belong to a movement that began to emerge at the turn of the millennium.
For me, embracing the “free” in “freelance” was essential. I marvelled, learned, grew... Those few years of pure freedom nourished me immensely, and I will always be filled with gratitude for having had the chance to experience that chapter of my career.
However, over time, I admit that pace of life wore me down. Even though I still occasionally hop on a train to write in a new setting for the weekend, I’ve slowed down and I’m now a little less adventurous. In fact, I’m writing these words from my new home in Torino, gazing at the mountains while my dog naps at my feet.
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Today, as I scroll through millions of lives that aren’t my own, my algorithm often suggests that I peek into the daily lives of digital nomads. These idyllic images promise a daily routine of diving into turquoise waters between Zoom meetings against a lush backdrop or sipping green smoothies in a luxurious villa rented at a bargain.
While this narrative appeals to many (and I can understand why), it left me feeling a bit out of sync with my own reality. Not because it’s fake, but because it only tells one side of an experience that’s far more nuanced. For me, making a living without a fixed home base also meant dealing with instability, isolation, constant organization, and a very real mental load.
Wanting to better understand this disconnect between the collective imagination and the reality of daily life, I spoke with Claudine Bonneau, a full professor in the Department of Analytics, Operations, and Information Technology at UQAM, who has been exploring this issue in the context of her research.
“Many nomadic workers monetize their status; they create content based on their experiences, seek sponsors, or sell merchandise. That’s why, in some cases, they need to romanticize their profile to project a highly polished and desirable image of what life as a nomadic worker is like. Personally, I call them ‘lifestyle promoters,’” she says.
She explained that today, many professionals prefer to call themselves geographically independent workers, not to reject the nomadic work lifestyle, but to symbolically distance themselves from it. “For them, the whole point is to emphasize that the work can remain central, even when the setting changes. It’s not so much the term itself that’s the issue as the narrow portrayal we associate with it.”
Fortunately, Claudine Bonneau has seen that more and more of these geographically flexible workers are becoming aware of their immense privileges and the impact of their lifestyle on both local communities and the planet. “I’m seeing a growing weariness with the traditional model where people travel the world just to stay among Westerners in co-working spaces disconnected from reality. The current challenge is to break out of this expat bubble by seeking genuine integration with the local population. There’s a desire to find concrete ways to contribute positively to the host communities.”
Nomadic work also comes with its share of challenges, given that immigrating—no matter where or how you do it—brings with it its own set of obstacles and questions that need to be answered. Even though many countries such as Italy, Portugal, Mexico, and Colombia are now looking to attract nomadic workers, the fact remains that transitioning from being a sedentary worker to a nomadic one is a fairly complex process on many levels.
“Along with my colleagues, I developed the concept of ‘metawork,’ which is all that invisible, extra work a nomadic worker has to do just to be able to work. Since this lifestyle usually relies on an individual approach, you’re the only one in charge. This work falls entirely on you, and it can be a burden,” says Claudine Bonneau. You also have to deal with being away from home, being (often) alone, and adapting to different cultures and different places. While there are many positives, all that can take a toll on both your body and your mind!
Despite this complexity, many people find that remote work offers them tremendous opportunities for growth. Valérie, a 50-year-old accounting technician, has been moving from place to place since 2021. “Living and working without a fixed base has taught me that the world is my office and that I can adapt to absolutely any environment. I’m actually quite impressed by my own ability to organize everything, fend for myself, and successfully overcome my fears, as it’s true that nomadic work can be exhausting at times and comes with a heavy mental load,” she affirmed, speaking to me from Prince Edward Island. “But the adrenaline and adventure make the experience addictive, and I’m immensely proud of the journey I’ve taken. I’ve discovered a tenfold increase in energy, boundless curiosity, and a total openness to meeting new people.”
Camille, 32 years old, is a creative director, media expert, and content creator who is currently based in Brazil but has been travelling for nearly a decade. She echoes this sentiment: “For me, this lifestyle is far from an escape; travelling is also part of how I build myself. My career has been taking shape, with intention, while on the move for 10 years. I have goals, dreams, and a vision that becomes clearer as I move forward. Seeing other places opens up possibilities. For me, that’s the real life hack: to be able to align work with life, not the other way around.”
While the great adventure of nomadic work continues to inspire, Claudine Bonneau reminds us that it’s important to approach it with a sense of awareness: that of one’s privileges, one’s impact, and the realities of nomadic work. She believes that cultivating a critical and authentic perspective on this lifestyle actually enriches the experience.
Looking back, I realize that, above all, nomadic work has taught me that freedom is not measured by the number of borders you cross, but by the ability to create a viable, humane, and sustainable framework for yourself. Travelling while working can open up vast horizons and become a powerful catalyst for personal and professional growth, provided that you know when to stop, question your impulses, and redefine your priorities. Today, I understand that it is no longer movement itself that gives meaning to the experience, but the balance we manage to create between work and life.
By Nicolas Gendron, cultural journalist
A metal tightrope. Or is it a silk one? Not losing your footing. Or rather, accepting to fall, getting back up, and continuing to move forward. That the I has access to its inner world, then encounters the We on every possible path: relational, professional, cultural, spiritual, and so on. While outside, right there, a breath away, others form community and society. Until they become an ecosystem, a planet, and… a galaxy. Is balance even possible? Is this the challenge of the day or of a lifetime? Through autobiographical fiction, poetry, psychology, song, or humour, here are five beginnings of an answer.
Aussi étrange que toi, Frida, by Christine Gosselin (Mémoire d’encrier, 2026)
Following Larves de vie and Regarder les coulisses se répandre , sports journalist Christine Gosselin continues on her literary journey in which the female body sheds the afflictions that consume it. In her third book, Aussi étrange que toi, Frida , the author embarks on the steep and vital path of empowerment. Through a timeless dialogue with the famous painter—and in its wake, the echoes of other fiery women, from Greta to Ernaux, Nelly to Pélicot—she summons herself, too: Titi in her childhood, Cri in her tormented adolescence, and Chris(tine) in adulthood, expanding her own self-portraits. In chapters interwoven with Kahlo’s paintings, without ever losing her way, Gosselin surrenders to the many parallels between her obsessions and those of the Mexican artist, including a spirit of rebellion, a rejection of gender norms, a failed motherhood, and an unyielding thirst for creation. Didn’t Frida say, “The most powerful art in life is to turn pain into a talisman that heals?” A source of courage that is both deeply textured and tied to redemption.
Quand je ne dis rien je pense encore, by Camille Readman Prud’homme (L’Oie de Cravan, 2021)
“[S]ometimes you lack/words/or rather space/to say the words/and what could have been/a word/remains a thought.” Let’s make an exception to the “new” rule to mark the 5th anniversary of this remarkable collection, the winner of the 2022 Booksellers’ Prize— Poetry. All the more because it bears witness, with wild acuity, to the balancing act we must (un)learn in order to evolve within society—or withdraw from it, if necessary. Between the dislocations of the intimate and what lies hidden beneath the images , Camille Readman Prud’homme offers us a stream of consciousness of raw clarity and witty, dizzying intensity. The gaps in our unspoken or deferred speech are laid bare, “between what we feel inside ourselves, what we show, and what is perceived.” It’s important to step outside to encounter all these faces that always appear “vaster and also denser” than we think, to grasp their bubble By the end of 2025, the work had reached its 16th printing—a remarkable feat in poetry and a well-deserved success.
PODCAST
À la recherche du soi perdu (OHdio, 2025-2026)
Over two seasons, journalist Karina Marceau teams up with psychiatrist Marie-Ève Cotton and psychologist Nathalie Plaat— both of whom are also authors—to explore various psychological issues in a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and to better examine “our relationship with ourselves, our loved ones, and the world.” The conversation, always enriched by two guests, serves as the perfect opportunity to “take a break, step back, and gain some perspective.” From the “pressure to love oneself” felt within families to the scourge of loneliness, via communication gaps or sexual disconnect, the themes are always explored and illuminated from the inside, with myriad variations that prove nothing is monolithic. Personal favourites include the episode entitled Cultivating Your Relationship with Others to Face Crises, which dissects our sense of powerlessness and the essential human interconnectedness needed to brave the “turmoil of the present,” and The Invigorating Act of Bringing Joy into Your Daily Life , where actor and ritualist Stéphane Crête argues that being joyful can be a transgressive act. A reflective and immersive podcast, accompanied by songs to match.
Scan the QR code to listen to the podcast on OHdio.
t.o.m. ou la trajectoire des perséides, by Alphonse Bisaillon (LABE, 2026)
Don’t try to pigeonhole Alphonse Bisaillon; he won’t fit. The Maskoutain singer-songwriter released his very first album, t.o.m. ou la trajectoire des perséides, in February, and it’s as sparkling and teeming with life as its title. A true UFO (an unidentified, unruly, and ever-changing object) in our musical landscape, whose influences range from Billie Eilish to Asterix! At the age of 27, in a deft reel talk where he surveys l’avenir et moi [the future and me], Bisaillon steps back a decade, to a time when “our sky was the palette of our caps,” to recount a journey of self-affirmation and falling in love. While the album as a whole can be approached as a Hall of Mirrors of masculinity, each song is both the sum and a part. We encounter the figures of the best friend (dessins desanimés), the essayist with three initials (chroniques), and the travelling sage (Monsieur Quan), as we navigate from jazz to dubstep, without forgetting traditional music (every appearance by Éric Beaudry and David Boulanger of La Bottine Souriante, followed by his sidekick Michel Bordeleau of Les Charbonniers de l’enfer, is a gem). An inexhaustible storyteller, Bisaillon spares neither his love of words nor his theatricality, sculpting his art from the very vibrations of the unspeakable.
Scan the QR code to listen to the music on Spotify.
COMEDY
Québécois Tabarnak; Des putes et des voleurs, by Adib Alkhalidey (La Tribu, 2022, 2024)
At the intersection of music (the album Plexus lunaire), directing (the teen series La nuit devant nous), and comedy, Adib Alkhalidey is a happy jack-of-all-trades whose sensitivity is matched only by his humility. Both available for free online, released by Stanké, and winners of the Félix Award for Best Comedy Show, his latest stage offerings reflect his uninhibited and sharp vision. In Québécois Tabarnak , his weariness as a pandemic-era unemployed person and his identity crisis drive him to reclaim his Quebec identity, between jokes about cookies and the Taliban. “I start from the premise in life that we are all one,” he states right off the bat. “There is only one human race, and existence is a tragedy for everyone.” As for Des putes et des voleurs, he comes to realize that one can “love existing,” all while advocating universal hatred of mosquitoes… and empathy toward them. A master of digression, Alkhalidey can’t quite reconcile taxes with YOLO, but above all, like the psychiatrist Jung, he invites us to acknowledge our shadow side, so as not to live “in the illusion of [our] own light.”
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OILY TO COMBINATION SKIN KIT
What could be more fitting than passion fruit to celebrate the arrival of sunny days? This sea bream ceviche is refreshing, juicy, and even spicy (if you like it that way). The creaminess of the avocado adds just the right touch of sweetness for a well-balanced bite. Bon appétit!
Yield
4 servings (to share)
Ingredients
600 g boneless, skinless sea bream fillet (very fresh)
Juice of 4 limes
Pulp of 4 passion fruits
1 avocado, diced
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ red onion, pickled
½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and thinly sliced Cilantro leaves, to taste
Salt or fleur de sel
Tostadas (fried corn tortillas), for serving
Preparation
Cut the sea bream into small cubes measuring approximately 1.5 cm.
In a bowl, combine the sea bream with the lime juice, the pulp of 3 passion fruits, and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 8 minutes.
Preparation
Assembly
Arrange the sea bream mixture on a rimmed plate or in a bowl.
Top with diced avocado. Drizzle with orange juice and olive oil.
To taste, garnish with slices of pickled red onion, jalapeño strips, the pulp of the remaining passion fruit, cilantro, and a pinch of fleur de sel.
Serve in the centre of the table with a few tostadas.
Note
Make sure to check with your fishmonger that the sea bream is fresh.
By Caroline Huard, a.k.a. Loounie, culinary creator
Hosting friends at my home is one of my favourite activities. I love planning the menu, cooking with my favourite ingredients, picking out the music, laying out a beautiful tablecloth, and bringing out my collection of vintage tableware. Unfortunately, I don’t do it nearly as often as I’d like because I’m too busy or too tired. After a long week at work, I’d rather spend my precious free evenings in self-care mode, with a hydrating face mask, a bowl of soup, and a TV series I’m binge-watching. While these relaxing evenings do me good, they also leave me wanting more.
When I was a kid, my favourite evenings were with friends or family who would show up unexpectedly and stay for a “laid-back and relaxed” dinner, as my mom would always say. We’d defrost some pasta sauce, pull out the folding chairs, chat, and laugh out loud. The food wouldn’t have won us any culinary contests, but the important thing was spending time together.
Now that it’s my turn to be an adult, and in this age of social media and fast-paced lives, I feel like hosting dinner isn’t something we take as lightly as we used to do. The feeling that comes over us to perform discourages us from doing it as often as we did before. And since it’s becoming so much rarer, every occasion is even more pressure-filled. We get stuck in a vicious cycle where we see our friends and family less and less, and that most certainly contributes to a sense of isolation.
“The
art of simply inviting someone over for tea or coffee—whether in the morning, afternoon, or early evening— seems to have been lost.”
According to a June 2025 report published by Statistics Canada, based on data collected in 2022 from the Time Use Survey, we see our friends much less often than we once did. In 1986, one in two people saw one or more friends on a given day. By 2022, that figure had dropped to about one in five people. Several factors may explain this trend: work demands, geographical distance, and the ubiquity of social media, which allows us to maintain social connections without meeting in person. Economic factors may also play a role. The term “friendflation” was coined in 2025 in an article by the Financial Times to describe the rising cost of our friendships, which is attributed to the rising cost of living combined with high social expectations. According to a survey commissioned by Grant Thornton in 2025, 40% of Canadians reportedly missed out on opportunities to see their friends due to the cost of living. What if part of the solution were to start hosting casual get-togethers again?
Much like a muscle that has been forced into inactivity or simply gotten out of shape over the years, we may need to retrain our skills in hosting and gathering around the table. Start slowly, then gradually increase your effort while respecting your limits (or your budget in terms of time, money, and energy). What might that look like in practical terms?
The art of simply inviting someone over for tea or coffee—in the morning, afternoon, or early evening—seems to have been lost, but we’d do well to rediscover it. In addition to coffee or tea, we can keep a variety of plant-based beverages in the cupboard to make comforting lattes. If you want to take it a step further, you can get into the habit of freezing a few individual portions of desserts such as cakes, pies, or muffins when you finish baking them, so they’re ready to be reheated at any time.
Whether it stretches into the evening, gathered around a kitchen island, or a coffee table in the living room, a cocktail remains a special moment to connect, with or without alcohol. When we challenge the belief that alcohol is a must for social gatherings, we may be more inclined to plan cocktail hours more regularly, even on a weeknight. I like to keep a variety of non-alcoholic beers in my pantry, which I serve with a splash of citrus juice, or sparkling water, which I serve with aromatic herbs, a few drops of bitters, syrups, or even savory ingredients such as pickle juice or olive brine.
In terms of snacks, I like to serve up a variety of savory bites: pickled lupin beans served with olives; frozen shelled edamame beans, which are easily reheated in the microwave and seasoned with salt and spices; nuts toasted for a few minutes in a pan or in the oven; or homemade or store-bought hummus served on a beautiful plate with a drizzle of olive oil or chili crisps and chips or crackers.
Dinner doesn’t need to be a three-course meal (and it doesn’t need to contain alcohol, either!). You can choose a simple dish and, if you wish, put a little effort into its presentation.
For a friendly meal, instead of putting out individual plates, I like to put my creations on large serving platters, which I place on the table so that everyone can serve themselves. We can choose to put out our most beautiful tableware, keeping in mind that mismatched plates and bowls also have their charm. And finally, to transform a weeknight meal into a slightly more memorable dish, we can turn to fresh or tangy toppings, such as herbs, marinades, or slices of citrus fruit, or crunchy ones, such as fried onions, toasted nuts, or crumbled chips. With this approach, even leftovers from the previous day can have their place!
If you want to entertain but you’re short on time, combine it with a task you’d be doing anyway, like meal prep: assembling gyoza to be frozen, baking muffins and snacks, cooking a large lasagna to be portioned out for lunches, or even washing and prepping vegetables for the week.
You can do this on a Sunday, where you spend part of the afternoon cooking before sharing a meal together, or on a weeknight with a happy hour vibe that doesn’t go too late. As a bonus, every time you eat that dish throughout the week, you’ll be thinking about the people you cooked it with.
In the culture we live in, it can be difficult to set a goal such as “have people over more often” without slipping into a performance mindset and trying to outdo yourself each time. To avoid falling into this trap, I think it’s important to talk about it, to name it. To challenge ourselves, we can maybe even take turns hosting with our close friends and family, without doing a major cleanup beforehand or a complicated menu. That way, everyone can play around with the concept, laugh at their mistakes, and truly rediscover the joys of laid-back, relaxed gatherings.
Sources
Grant Thornton Debt Solutions. (n.d.). The rising cost of friendship in Canada . https://gtdebtsolutions.com/en/debt-help-resources/articles/article-the-rising-cost-of-friendship-in-canada
Statistics Canada. (2025, June 17). La contrainte de temps et le temps passé avec des amis au cours des 30 dernières années. Le Quotidien. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250617/dq250617d-fra.htm
CATHERINE
Interview
Catherine St-Laurent and Anne-Julie Tessier
Combining scientific evidence with proven culinary creativity in a single volume: this is the unique formula behind Mange ta vie [Eat your life], a lively, gourmet book that sparks a love of cooking while focusing on well-being and healthy longevity. The result of the combined talents of Anne-Julie Tessier (a nutrition researcher) and Catherine St-Laurent (an actress), it brings together tips and inspired recipes. We met up with the co-authors for a conversation that was as delicious as it was informative.
Hello, Catherine. How did your passion for food begin?
“During the pandemic, I started seeing my kitchen as a learning lab. Some people got into sourdough and developed a passion for bread. For me, it was cooking: learning the fundamentals, creating recipes, and watching the American magazine Bon Appétit ’s YouTube channel. That’s when I fell in love with the process of creating recipes. I already had a love of food and I loved eating, but I wanted to create a variety of beautiful, colourful meals.”
Hello, Anne-Julie. How did a researcher and an actress become friends and end up writing a book together?
“During my postdoc at Harvard, I had written a scientific paper on diet and healthy aging, and I was thinking about topics that would make for great book chapters. I’d been following Catherine on social media for a long time; I think she’s an inspiration. She started posting more and more culinary content, and I simply sent her a message to pitch the idea. To my surprise, she replied with an immediate “yes!”
A.-J. T.
A.-J. T.
Rather than cutting things out of our diets, you’re an advocate of adding foods that have various health benefts. We’re talking about enhancing rather than restricting here. What can we add to our plates to make them appetizing and balanced?
“Often, the answer is an extra serving of vegetables. A balanced plate should be half fruits or vegetables, which is a significant portion. You can also add nuts, seeds, legumes… The more varied the plate, the more nutrients you get.”
Why are vegetables so extraordinary?
“Depending on their colour, vegetables are associated with a family of polyphenols that have antioxidant properties. Vegetables help reduce inflammation, which is linked to cognitive decline and the onset of certain chronic diseases. Vegetables also contain vitamins, minerals, and fibre. In fact, in Quebec, we don’t eat enough fibre. It’s a fact that fibre is found in grain products, especially those made with whole grains, but we shouldn’t overlook the fibre that vegetables and legumes provide.”
In nutrition, there are many trends. Both the food industry and the media are currently focusing on protein. How do you explain this?
“We’re in an era of performance and image-driven fitness, and we’ve convinced ourselves that a muscular body requires us to eat protein all day long. But the body is smart: if you eat too much, it gets rid of the excess. It doesn’t stash away a little chicken protein for the next day (laughter)…”
“Our protein reserves are our muscles, but once we reach a certain threshold, the body gets rid of them. In North America, we already consume a lot of protein, so there’s no need to go beyond the recommended daily intake.”
Eating seems to have become a full-time job: checking whether a product is natural or processed, whether it contains excess sugar or salt, analyzing the nutrition facts on food packaging, and so on. Eating has become a mental burden!
“We address this issue in the book, highlighting that our relationship with food is a two-way street. Studies show that a balanced diet is beneficial for our mental health. However, even if you eat healthily all the time, if you put a lot of pressure on yourself to do so, you’ll feel anxious and end up missing the mark.”
Are all processed foods harmful and therefore to be avoided?
“We’re talking more about ultra-processed foods, which share the common trait of having been significantly altered from their original state, meaning that they contain additives and compounds that we don’t keep in the pantry. But it’s important to understand that not all these foods are created equal, as this category is quite varied. A loaf of bread from the bakery is just as much of an ultra-processed food as soda, yet the two are not comparable in terms of their effects on our health. That said, enjoying a soda every once in a while isn’t a big deal. It won’t affect our long-term health. It’s all about balance.”
You chose not to include red meat in your recipes. Why?
“First off, processed meats have been recognized as foods to avoid. As for red meat, we know that higher consumption is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. However, it does provide a valuable source of protein, as well as iron. In our case, we chose to focus on poultry, fish, and plant-based proteins such as tofu and legumes. We don’t need to completely avoid red meat, but we should be replacing it from time to time.”
Eating to prevent disease and promote our health is a privilege. These days, healthy foods are often more expensive than ultra-processed foods. What’s your advice for minimizing costs while choosing healthy products?
“As an alternative to fresh produce, you could opt for frozen fruits and vegetables. The freezing process takes place three hours after harvest, so these products are at the peak of their nutritional value. Canned products are another good option. When it comes to olive oil, you don’t need to choose extra-virgin; you can opt for regular olive oil. Canola oil, which is less expensive, is also a great option, with the added bonus of having a high smoke point, which makes it perfect for cooking.”
“Buying in bulk is a tip I’ve really embraced in recent years to avoid food waste. Let’s say you want to make a recipe with buckwheat. If you don’t know how to incorporate this ingredient into other dishes, a $10 bag of buckwheat probably isn’t the right choice for you. Buying just the right amount from a bulk bin prevents waste and costs less.”
Drawing from your cookbook Mange ta vie , what changes can we adopt starting today? What should we be putting on our plates to promote healthy longevity?
“Vegetables ( laughter)! A small change can make a big difference. Let’s say you eat tacos every Tuesday. Maybe next Tuesday, you can have tacos with a side salad. One day at a time, one step at a time. Drastic changes never work for anyone. They’re not sustainable. Giving yourself time and making changes with flexibility over the long term: I think that’s the key.”
To listen to the full interview hosted by Evelyne Charuest, follow our podcast Centré sur l'équilibre.
A moment for servedyourself, in a glass.
In the summer, our sites come alive under the open sky. The blue pools blend into the landscape, nature takes centre stage, and the light—from morning to night—becomes an integral part of the experience, transforming every journey into an invitation to savour the moment outdoors to the fullest.
The swan-neck spouts offer a welcome coolness in the sun-drenched pool.
The Nordic waterfall is invigorating on hot days.
From
The pools stretch along the Magog River, each sheltered by vegetation to provide a sense of natural privacy.
A refreshing ice treatment offers a pleasant contrast to the heat of the sauna.
The water cascades in ribbons, creating a shimmer that is magnified by the summer sun.
The light-filled Nord Restaurant lets you enhance your relaxing moment with a gourmet dining experience.
A section of the site with lush greenery, seen from above.
Strategically placed windows allow you to enjoy the sauna while taking in the natural scenery outside.
From one body of water to another, at dusk.
PROUD DESIGN PARTNER OF THE STROM GROUP
For more than 45 years, LemayMichaud has been creating environments where architecture and design are in dialogue. From exterior to interior, every detail is designed to create unique, seamlessly integrated human experiences.
Quebec City + Montreal + Ottawa lemaymichaud.com
WELLNESS: THE LOOP WAY
Rescued fruit. Real wellness. Drinks that are good for you and the planet. Drink better. Live better. Choose LOOP.
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CAMELINA: A TREASURE FROM THE PAST, WELLNESS FOR TODAY
Over 6,000 years old, camelina has found its place once again in our fields at Signé Caméline, where we cultivate and transform it with the utmost care. Grown through local, sustainable, entirely Quebec-based agriculture, our camelina oils are available in three distinctive versions: virgin, which is soft and herbaceous; toasted, with warm notes of grilled sesame; and our newest creation, a completely vegan butter-flavoured oil.
Incorporate them effortlessly into your everyday recipes—roasts, stir-fries, salads, grilled vegetables, eggs, or popcorn—and they will elevate each dish with natural elegance. Local camelina: a culinary gesture that becomes a moment of well-being.
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PROMENADE WELLINGTON: A UNIQUE DESTINATION
10 MINUTES FROM NUN’S ISLAND
Pedestrianized all summer long, Promenade Wellington is more than just a street; it’s a destination that invites you to wander, celebrated for its riverside setting and vibrant selection of shops, restaurants, and cafés.
514 766-6437
Métro De l’Église (Montreal) promenadewellington.com
Just minutes from Montreal, Exporail immerses you in the fascinating world of railways: an immersive tunnel, iconic locomotives, and vintage train or tram rides offer you a captivating cultural experience.
110, rue Saint-Pierre, Saint-Constant, Quebec exporail.org
GOURMET BY NATURE
Close to Montreal, the Montérégie region stretches between its dynamic cities, scenic hills, riverside panoramas, and fertile lands, where flavours shape the region's identity.
Wine tasting in a vineyard, apple picking in an orchard, visiting a market gardener, dining at a country table or on a trendy terrace: here, the terroir is experienced as much as
it is savoured, shaped by the expertise of passionate local producers.
Let yourself be guided by regional flavours: monteregie.ca
Since 2014
Staying with Chalets Zenya means experiencing an intimate thermal journey from warmth to refreshing coolness, immersed in nature, near a soothing lake, just one hour from Montreal. chaletszenya.com
Invitation reserved for readers of Strøm magazine. Extend the relaxation with family or friends. Enjoy 15% off your rental and complimentary access to all activities at Fiddler Lake Resort Recreational Center. Scan the QR code — Promo code: STROM26 Offer cannot be combined with other promotions.
