In this deeply honest and wide-ranging conversation, Dre Turner joins us to unpack what it means to live through loss, rewrite your story, and come out the other side still standing. Adopted as a baby and raised in Ottawa, Dre shares her early experiences navigating identity, trauma, and belonging, including a reunion with her birth mother many years later. We dive into the impact of her mother’s long battle with brain cancer, and the heartbreaking but empowering experience of supporting her through MAID (medical assistance in dying).
Dre reflects on the dark and challenging moments of caregiving, and how it ultimately deepened her understanding of what it means to show up for someone you love. We also explore the loving marriage she shared with her ex-husband . before deciding to seperate ways just shy of their four-year anniversary, Dre speaks candidly about how they consciously uncoupled with grace, respect, and enduring affection. Their marriage was full of adventure, and even as they grew apart, they managed to stay close.
We cover it all, from early bullying and identity exploration to sexual fluidity, agency life in Toronto, moving west, finding healing in nature, and the ongoing journey of learning who you are after everything changes. Dre is in a season of reinvention, one that’s equal parts grief and lightness, solitude and community, and full permission to become someone entirely new. This episode is for anyone who’s lost something, let go of someone, or is learning to feel more at home in their own story.
Themes We Explore:
Chapters:
Chapters
(00:00) Intro to Dre's Journey
(08:55) Navigating Adoption and Identity
(17:13) Career Path and Creative Evolution
(30:43) Amicable Divorce: Maintaining Friendship
(42:30) Exploring Her Sexuality
(44:33) Caring for a Dying Parent with Cancer
(53:08) Finding Meaning in Grief and Loss
(54:35) The Process of MAID
(01:04:50) The Grief Tour of Two Big Losses
(01:14:45) Reconnecting with Birth Family
(01:21:25) Rebuilding Life and Finding Joy
(01:27:41) Fun Round Up Questions
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Links:
Dre's Instagram: @dreturner
Dre's Newsletter: Words by Dre
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