Change Can Happen. Profiles in community leadership: Don Shafer

Central City Foundation is once again celebrating examples of extraordinary community leadership and innovation from the organizations we walk alongside and support. These individuals and their organizations have demonstrated that change can happen in our community. As part of this celebration, we asked each of our profiled leaders to share their thoughts on leadership, community and hope for a brighter future.

Don Shafer, Radio Personality and host of Central City Foundation’s Hope Dialogue

For the last decade, Don has been working tirelessly to amplify community voices, build platforms for dialogue, and demonstrate that authentic conversations can lead to deeper understanding and healing. Following his decades of leadership in Canadian broadcasting, Don pursued a PhD at the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice department of Social Justice at UBC. His research explored how the words we use can either open space for meaningful dialogue or reinforce division. Don’s commitment to community activism through his support and leadership with the Hope Dialogue Radio Show has helped Central City Foundation publicly lift community voices to the forefront.

Q:  You spent most of your career working in the for-profit media industry. In retrospect, are there any moments from your career that particularly stand out to you? 

I’ve been in media, mostly radio, for almost six decades, so there are quite a few. Actually, every radio station I’ve worked for across Canada was special. I was able to work and play with some of the best owner/operators before consolidation, and many wonderfully talented and dedicated teams. What stands out the most, besides excellent ratings and many awards, is how each of those radio stations connected with its community. Whether it was during crises, celebrations, community events, or just playing great music and creating magical moments on the air, I saw the medium’s power bring people together. people together. 

I also had a 9-year detour from radio and the privilege of apprenticing at the Toronto Star under John Honderich & David Galloway, two visionary leaders. It was like earning an MBA in media as we reimagined a legacy newsroom for the digital age. That experience helped shape many things I’ve done since

Q:  Over the last decade, you have become known as one of the most prolific interviewers of grassroots community leaders in the city. Why did your journey veer in this direction?

There are thousands of community groups and organizations in Canada doing great work that we don’t know much about. I’ve always been curious about them. Regardless of where I’ve worked, we always tried to give them a voice with public service announcements, promotions and event engagement. A group of us created Roundhouse Radio in 2014 with the hope of creating a commercial radio station with a community focus that shifted the spotlight from power to purpose, from the well-known to the people making change where it really matters. It wasn’t a “veer” so much as a return to storytelling that builds understanding and community. 

Q:  How would you describe the difference between what you are doing and what most public affairs shows or podcasts are doing?

Most public affairs shows or podcasts are designed around performance, debate, expert panels and are often driven by metrics like ratings, downloads, or their viral potential. What we’re doing with Hope Dialogue is a little different. These conversations are designed to slow us down. To listen more than argue. To sit with complexity, rather than reduce everything to a headline or position. I’m not chasing clicks; I’m chasing clarity and connection. It’s a passion project, not a platform play. And while every show wants to reach an audience, I see ours as less about influence and more about insight.

When I went back to school in 2015 to do my MA, my thesis was about the science of climate change and the many faces of denial. I had the opportunity to talk with about 70 experts in many fields and share them on air and online as part of my research. I’ve done something similar with my PhD research, talking with artists, activists, academics and change-makers about polarization and how they navigate difficult conversations. I’d like to think people find these conversations interesting and poignant for our time.

Q:  How would you define your approach to these interviews? Are there tactics you use to help bring out the best in interview subjects?

There are tipping points in conversations where we can open them up or shut them down. When I get in the way and bring my bias and beliefs into a conversation, I almost always get in trouble. When I get out of the way and bring a compassionate curiosity and active listening to our conversation, they are much more engaging and productive, where we feel respected and heard. Rica Nigar writes about bringing a “radical vulnerability” to our conversations, which I think is critical.

I also try to pay attention to what’s above and below the surface of a conversation, what’s said and what’s unsaid, the emotional and cultural undercurrents shaping how people show up. I call them conversational ecosystems, as there is a lot going on.  I’m trying to create a space where something meaningful can unfold, even if it surprises both of us. Consider that words shape our relationships, influencing how we connect, divide and understand one another.

Q:  What do you hope to accomplish with this work that you’re doing?

Polarization has gained mainstream traction because it addresses the visceral and often dramatic divisions in our choice of words and our relationships with our families, communities and society. I’d like to believe that each of us can help change the world one conversation at a time.

I hope what we are doing helps people feel seen. I hope it sparks reflection. And I hope it gives listeners the tools and encouragement to engage more thoughtfully at home and in their communities. At a time when we’re increasingly divided, these conversations are an invitation to connect.

Q:  Is there an interview experience or moment that stands out as particularly profound for you?

I think one of my worst conversations on air was at CHUM FM with Grace Slick when the Jefferson Starship played Toronto in the 70s. She was very high, rude and disrespectful to our audience. I kept trying to save the interview and get it back on track as the station was presenting the show, but to no avail. I learned as a young disc jockey to treat our audience better as she was guest in their homes.

Another learning moment was with David Whyte. I’m a huge fan of his work and did a lot of research and preparation for our interview. I realized the moment we were “live” that if I followed my questions, our conversation would become very mechanical and lose the warmth and feel we had established in those initial moments. So, I set them aside and we had a real conversation about his work and life. It was a memorable exchange and one of my favourite conversations.

I think Brene Brown and Bill Moyers are some of the best hosts or conversationalists that I’ve learned from. They listen deeply, and they have a natural curiosity that eventually gets to more beautiful questions.

Q: You’ve spent the last number of years working toward your PhD at UBC. Can you tell us about the work that you’ve been doing? What motivated you to undertake such an ambitious challenge?

The simple answer is I like learning. A colleague noticed what I was reading when we were building Roundhouse Radio and suggested I enrol in the Graduate Liberal Arts Program (GLS) at Simon Fraser University, and it was transformational. I was hooked and wanted to do a PhD. I’d applied in a few places and was fortunate to be accepted at UBC’s Social Justice Institute (GRSJ) as it was the best fit for my work because it offered an interdisciplinary and intersectional lens that allowed me to explore the deeper roots of polarization through language, power, identity and systemic inequality in ways that a traditional communication or political science program could not.

I was talking earlier about the different research paths I chose for my MA and PhD programs. My central question for my PhD is: What role does dialogue play in mitigating the social fractures caused by polarization, fear, ignorance, and systemic inequality?

Q: What is the nature of the research you are pursuing? What drove this choice?  

The work began with a deeply personal moment, open-heart surgery that shifted my understanding of care, conversation, and connection. I watched my cardiac team reduce fear and ease suffering not just with their skill, but through the words they chose and the presence they offered. A year later, a rupture with my sister over a post on social media. It wasn’t just a disagreement; it was an embodied moment of disconnection that left me wondering how conversations unravel, and whether they can be repaired. That experience, coupled with my background in radio and dialogue, sparked a central question: How do we talk across lines of difference when identities, values, and belonging are at stake?

My dissertation, Sticks & Stones, Roots & Bones: Exploring the Power of Words in a Polarized World, draws on qualitative interviews, podcasting, and reflexive analysis to explore how language, identity, and emotion shape difficult conversations. I wanted to understand what helps people stay present at those fragile thresholds where a conversation can either deepen or fall apart. My research blends personal story, social justice scholarship, and communication practice to explore how we might change hearts and minds—not by winning arguments, but by learning how to stay in the conversation with curiosity, care, and courage.

Q: The Hope Dialogue radio show and podcast you host (which airs Mondays at noon on 100.5 FM in Vancouver) is made possible through support from Central City Foundation. What do you hope this new project will accomplish?

I hope that the radio program and podcast become a platform where the wisdom of lived experience is not just acknowledged, but centred. With the support of Central City Foundation, we’re able to have conversations that go beyond headlines and policy frameworks to explore what it actually means to live, work, play and survive in the Downtown Eastside. The challenges facing this community—addiction, poverty, housing insecurity, colonial violence—are symptoms of much deeper systemic issues, and they are far too often misunderstood, ignored, or sensationalized by mainstream media.

Our goal is to open up space for dialogue, not only within the community but across the country. Hope Dialogue airs on CFRO 100.5 FM and is shared nationally through the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA/ANREC) network, so these stories and insights can reach people in other communities grappling with similar issues. We want to create a ripple effect, mobilizing knowledge, sharing grassroots solutions, and building bridges between people and places that don’t always get to hear from one another. Hope, in this context, isn’t just optimism. It’s relational, it’s practical, and it’s rooted in the voices of those most affected.

Q: A lot of everyday people would like to better understand the deep, long-standing social challenges we have in our city. From your unique perspective, where would you suggest they start?

I’d start by listening. Not to the loudest voices, but to the people who are living these realities every day. Ask questions. Be willing to be uncomfortable. And stay curious. Change begins not with having the answers, but with a willingness to learn.

Q: Many believe that we have entered a post-truth age of disinformation, where our traditional media watchdogs are failing us. What gives you hope that we will continue to engage in the curious, empathetic conversations that allow us to collectively grow as a society?

What gives me hope is that beneath the noise, the cynicism, and the polarizing narratives, people are still looking for meaning, for connection, belonging, and a chance to be heard. Even in this so-called post-truth era, I’ve found that when we slow down and create space for genuine, empathetic conversation, people respond. It’s not just about facts or arguments; it’s about what we carry into the room: our histories, fears, hopes, and the stories we’ve been told about each other.

The Hope Dialogue is more than a radio show or podcast; it’s a call to action. It asks: What would change if we truly listened to those most impacted by injustice? What if our conversations centred on care, not combat? My dissertation explored the power of words to either harden or heal our divides, and I’ve come to believe that transformation begins not in shouting louder, but in showing up differently. This show is my way of inviting others into that practice. It’s about building trust, one conversation at a time and in doing so, helping to rebuild a fractured society from the ground up. I’m grateful to Central City Foundation for working on this program.