Gabrielle Griffith, Toronto, ON (2026)

04/28/2026

What happens when people are given space to speak honestly about care, stigma and survival?

What does a harm reduction approach to perinatal care look like in practice?

These are questions I'm sitting with this week.

Last week, I got to co-host at the Wading Through The Weeds community forum

I'm still holding the stories shared, from the panelists, from the people in the room, I am so grateful you showed up and brought your full self with you. Your voices shaped the heart of the day. It reminded why this is so important.

I laughed and I cried.
I held the younger version of my self, who was desperately needing what I have co-created.

We don't get to build better systems without listening to the people most impacted by them. The systems won't change if we don't listen, they will repeat the harm time and time again.

Thank you to Saara Greene, a mentor, a visionary and a friend, for seeing me, listening to me and co creating this space with me.

Thank you to Sarah Switzer, your organization and leadership is what made this event possible.

Thank you to all of the moms and parents who have showed up time and time again over the years to share your stories, your photos, and your passion for changing the ways people experience care while pregnant and navigating cannabis use.

Thank you to the entire Wading Through The Weeds team!

This work is not done. The conversations, relationships and insights from the gathering will continue to ripple outward and inform what comes next.

💚

04/26/2026

The first few months of the year are already done.

The past three months have included some absolutely incredible highlights but I also find myself attempting to master a balancing act of grief.

Earlier this year, I was at the Black Q***r Canada Conference and learned from the incredible Dr. ABC, to document and post about it. Let people know you were in the room!

And so I want to start highlighting my adventures, my learnings along the way and begin documenting my life again.

These photos are from March, better late than never, right? I need to rebuild the practice of getting comfortable in front of a camera because believe it or not, I actually get really nervous in front of a camera!!

These photos are from the Vitally Important National Women's Health Conference, where I got to connect with the folks from the and hearing Dr. Saraswati share about how to do community led research that leads to change, I got invited to record a podcast about Care for Marginalized Communities with Laura Mayer and Judy Clark. I heard from so many incredible speakers and panelists learning about what we know, and don't know about brain and reproductive health including some dear colleagues, and as they shared their knowledge on a panel about women's mental and brain health across the life span.

March was also full of family moments, an impromptu trip to Barbados and march break fun while still meeting deadlines....I am feeling more like Princess Carolyn daily(if you get it you get it🤣). Most times I am asked, how do I manage it all? And the truth is, I don't. We take things one day at a time.

On the podcast I had a hard time describing who I am, and so I described myself as someone who goes into rooms to take up space and share my story. It's a working description, but I can feel an internal and external shift happening for me, and I'd love to bring you all on this journey as I rebirth.

I think it's time for a reintroduction post but first, I need to take some time to rest after a bullet train start to the year!

03/30/2026

I’ve been wanting to share this body of work for a while, but every time I sit down to reflect, I’m met with something I don’t always let myself feel—joy, pride, and a deep sense of accomplishment.

Back in 2019, I came across a call for an arts-based research project on cannabis and pregnancy. My kid was 4, and I had been a long-time cannabis consumer—starting at 12, using daily by 15.

When I became pregnant at 20, everything shifted. I was suddenly asking questions I didn’t have answers to: Can I keep using? Should I stop? What are the risks?

I turned to the internet and found…nothing that felt helpful. No harm reduction, no real guidance, no space to be honest. I continued using cannabis during pregnancy and lactation without telling my doctor. I was scared—young, unemployed, in recovery, navigating new parenthood, and using cannabis as harm reduction away from other substances.

At the time, telling the truth felt like the bigger risk.

That project changed my life. There's something magical about the combination of storytelling and art as research.

Being witnessed without judgment shifted something in me—and now, years later, I’m part of building the resources I wish I had. Supporting parents and providers to have real, trauma-informed, harm reduction conversations about cannabis in the perinatal period.

This is what happens when we centre lived experience.

My heart is in this work. Always.

Please check out the work at www.wadingthroughtheweeds.com for the research report, publications, educational video and digital toolkit for parents and care providers, then drop a comment and let me know what you think 🫶🏾

01/26/2026

Images That Speak. Voices That Matter!

Let your voice and photos help shape a future free of Type 2 Diabetes.

The Family and Child Health Initiative (FCHI) research team at Trillium Health Partners is inviting Black, African, and Caribbean residents of Peel Region to participate in a research study exploring lived experiences with diabetes through storytelling and photography. All participants will receive an honorarium for participation.

✔️ Ages 18+
📍Live in the Peel Region
📩 Interested? Contact: fchi@thp.ca
⏳ Limited spots available — register now!

12/19/2025

I got to be a podcast host instead of guest speaker this time around 😆. Take a listen and let me know what you think! I have linked it in my bio

In this episode, host Gabrielle Griffith sits down with co-researchers from a CIHR-funded initiative that explored young adult mental wellness across diverse communities. Together, they reflect on their creative journey with doing photovoice, collaborative analysis, zine-making, and filmmaking online. The team created these visual products to represent voices of young adults and the family, friends, and peers who support them through mental wellness challenges. Gabrielle invites the guests to evaluate what worked well, what proved challenging, and what impact the project made. Their conversation offers a rare “look back” at online participatory visual methods after a project’s completion, highlighting how these creative approaches shaped both the research and the researchers themselves. They also share candid insights about collaborating entirely online: what helped the team feel connected, what obstacles emerged, and how digital spaces can support meaningful community-engaged research. This reflective dialogue is both a learning resource and an inspiration for anyone working with participatory visual methods.

You can listen to this podcast on Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube!

https://aim4communityhealth.ca/episode-4/

09/17/2025

Recruitment is open for an exciting new study exploring what gender-affirming language means to trans and nonbinary midwifery service-users in Ontario!

You may be eligible if you:

✔️identify as trans, nonbinary, genderq***r, or another gender diverse identity
✔️are at least 18 years of age
✔️reside in Ontario
✔️have used midwives in Ontario within the past five years

During a digital storytelling workshop, participants will create short videos about what gender-affirming language means to them and how it impacts their care experiences. The workshop will either be in-person, virtual (online), or a combination (hybrid) – which will be decided together by the group of participants. Participants will be compensated $480 for completing all workshop-related sessions.

For an in-person or hybrid workshop, we will provide participants’ accommodations, meals, childcare, and reasonable transportation costs. For a virtual workshop, we will cover childcare related expenses in order to attend the workshop sessions.

Expert workshop facilitation will be provided by StoryCentre Canada.

The videos will be shared with midwives and other healthcare providers to help them answer the question: why does gender-affirming language matter?

For more information, check out https://www.redefinestudy.ca/qds

Interested in participating or have questions? Please email Jen Goldberg, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at QDS@mcmaster.ca.

This study has been approved by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board and is funded through a grant from the McMaster Midwifery Research Centre.

04/05/2025

A call for focus group participants who are interested in cannabis during pregnancy!

Open for folks currently pregnant or with a child under 2 years of age

02/19/2025

February 20, 2025 Update: PROGRAM FULL!

You will be contacted by March 1, 2025, if you have a confirmed spot!

Six Nations Department of Well-Being Palliative & Hospice Care Team Invite You To:

Death Doula Training with Blackbird Medicine

What Is A Death Doula?
Trained individuals who are able to assist with emotional support, physical support, educational support, and legacy projects, for a person, as well as their loved ones, during their end of life journey.

12/17/2024

Join us for our inaugural symposium in Toronto on January 19th 2025, focused on improving 2SLGBTQ+ Family Building Care for providers and community members.

👉🏾This symposium is an opportunity for community members, healthcare providers, activists, academics, and support people to
gather together to learn, build community, and collaborate.

📝The day will feature panels, roundtables, and facilitated discussions,highlighting the voices of q***r and trans community members, care providers, and experts in the field. Topics include perinatal mental
health, navigating the challenges of family building, and envisioning the future of q***r families.

Be part of this vital conversation and help shape the future of 2SLGBTQ+ family building.

Register today!

https://familybuildingcanada.com/symposium

11/07/2024

Fall has been full of Love.

1. James Baldwin
2. Africville, NS
3. The sunrise in my backyard
4. Conceivable, featuring C3 care (postpartum community care model)
5. Sunrise on the Cabot Trail, NS
6. ✌🏾 with my bestie
7. My sun ☀️ and guiding light
8. A mirror selfie after a day at the spa
9. Beautiful BC
10. My riders in this reproductive justice war
11. Celebrating my Afro being work appropriate hair 🖤

10/07/2024

CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
2SLGBTQ+ FAMILY BUILDING IN CANADA (FBC) SYMPOSIUM

The 2SLGBTQ+ Family Building Canada (FBC) initiative invites proposals from community members, scholars, and practitioners for presentations at our upcoming symposium. The symposium explores urgent and timely issues related to 2SLGBTQ+ family building, advancing both community engagement, practitioner training, and academic inquiry.
FBC supports a broad range of family building supports, offering strategies, resources, and partnerships that challenge how we think of ‘family’ and expand the scope of 2SLGBTQ+ research and equity in Canada.

We are seeking submissions that explore challenges, opportunities, and innovations in 2SLGBTQ+ family building. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
● Indigenous kinship and the impact of colonization and white supremacy on fertility access and family building care.
● Exploring the legacy and ongoing impacts of eugenics and racial disparities in reproductive technologies related to donor access and availability.
● Fatphobia and body stigma in reproductive care and family-building processes
● Experiences of non-gestational parents in conception, loss, and early pregnancy
● Alternative routes for family building, kinships structures, and navigating care.
● Reproductive justice for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in underserved populations.
● Supporting neurodivergent individuals and improving accessibility in fertility and
reproductive healthcare
● Legal and policy frameworks affecting 2SLGBTQ+ families
● Family-building technologies and their impact on 2SLGBTQ+ communities
● Storytelling and creative practice in 2SLGBTQ+ family and fertility journeys

👇🏾
Proposal Deadline: November 4, 2024
Proposal Length: 300 words max
Symposium Location: Toronto, Ontario (in-person) Symposium Date: January 19, 2024
Send proposals to: info@familybuildingcanada.com

09/10/2024

Call for participants!

Are you a Black older woman (trans & non-binary inclusive) who uses cannabis?

McMaster researchers are looking to connect with 4 women for an online and in person arts-based workshop sharing their experience of cannabis use. The purpose is to use what we learn to support older women in accessing cannabis information and support.

To find out more please contact: blakem7@mcmaster.ca

All participation is confidential

Gabrielle Griffith

04/28/2026

04/26/2026

03/30/2026

01/26/2026

12/19/2025

09/17/2025

04/05/2025

02/19/2025

12/17/2024

11/07/2024

10/07/2024

09/10/2024

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