How 27 Canadians Found Joy In 2025
Whatever type of year you’ve had, we bet you wouldn’t say no to squeezing a little more joy out of 2025. For inspiration, we asked 27 of our favourite Canadians—including comedian Ann Pornel, whom we’ve appointed president of the Chatelaine Joy Club—to share their most exuberant moments of the year. Here’s what they told us.
Ann Pornel | Adra Shephard | Anna Lambe | Damhnait Doyle | Debbie Travis | Farah Alibay | Hayley Wickenheiser | Jann Arden | Jen Gunter | Jennifer Whalen | Jessica Lanyadoo | Jillian Harris | Joleen Mitton | Jully Black | Karine Vanasse | Lesley Hampton | Lisa LaFlamme | Louise Penny | Mary Berg | Musemo Handahu | Olivia Chow | Shayla Stonechild | Sook-Yin Lee | Tracy Moore | Uzma Jalaluddin | Varda Étienne | Vivek Shraya
Ann Pornel
Comedian, Toronto
The world is in its flop era. I'm not typically a pessimist, but there’s no amount of delulu that exists that can convince me otherwise. I also wouldn’t say I’m an optimist—I have five working senses and access to the Internet, after all. But despite 2025 flaming out to absurd lows, I can confidently say that I live a life that is abundant in joy. And that’s all thanks to Little Ann.
My job as a comedian means I’m constantly chasing a good time. Comedy has kept me in touch with my inner child—whom I call Little Ann—and it has ingrained in me a “follow the fun” mentality. And there’s no one I trust more to tell me what’s fun than Little Ann. All the silly things, big and small, that I do to cultivate a joyful life are in service of her—from wearing obnoxiously bright outfits to collecting adorably grotesque Labubus to roaming the world like a thick Pinay Carmen Sandiego.
Growing up in an immigrant household, my amazing parents worked hard for better life for us, which meant our family didn’t go on a lot of vacations. We would take the occasional road trip to Atlantic City or Buffalo to see the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, but rarely did we board a plane. Let’s just say Little Ann did not consider seeing statues of saints a vacation, but I also never felt like I was missing out because driving for hours through upstate New York into New Jersey was a fun adventure, and so was eating Burger King at road stops.
It wasn’t until 2018 that I went on an overseas vacation. I had just finished my first big job at Second City Toronto, which allowed me to pay off my debt. And so I booked a six-week trip to Bali, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and the Philippines. I was exposed to different ways of living, I ate incredible food, I saw some of the most beautiful and scenic countrysides, rice terraces, volcanos, waterfalls and beaches.
And, for the first time since I moved to Canada from the Philippines in 1989, I was surrounded by people who actually looked like me. Locals would often talk to me in their language, mistaking me as one of them. The second I opened my mouth to reply, they realized, “Oop, she’s not,” and we would share a big laugh. It’s these small moments of connection that can feel the most powerful and life affirming.
I haven’t stopped travelling since that epic, worldview-changing trip. This past March, I visited Busan, South Korea. It was cherry blossom season and while I was in a taxi to the train station, my driver pointed to the tree and said “벚꽃” (“cherry blossom” in Korean). Despite my three-and-a-half-year streak on Duolingo, my Korean language skills remained woefully lacking. But of all the words I didn’t know, I happened to know that one! I mustered the courage to say, “예쁜다” which means “beautiful.” My driver was delighted at my attempt to communicate, and he began talking a mile a minute. I could feel his excitement that a foreigner was trying to speak his language, and I was thrilled with the generous compliments he gave on my (paltry) vocabulary. It was such a pure and joyful exchange. Travelling is intimidating, overwhelming and difficult. But finding that moment of recognition with someone? Or seeing something you’ve never seen before? The joy that floods your system is so pure and wholesome. You see how lovely this world can be when you’re paying attention.
Finding joy is an intentional practice, one that relies on flexibility, creativity, zero judgment and an open heart—traits that come naturally to kids but that we somehow lose on our path to adulthood. I challenge that we didn’t lose those things, we just forgot about them. We stopped listening to our younger selves because we have those pesky things called “responsibilities.” But the world is feeling pretty heavy these days, and I think it’s fair and reasonable to want an escape from that, even temporarily. You don’t need to go across the globe to have a novel experience. Maybe it’s hiking a new trail or trying a different cuisine. Ask yourself: What’s something your inner child would be excited to do?
Joy can be found in most places if you allow yourself to be curious and vulnerable. Anyway, I gotta go. Little Ann needs me to find more Labubu outfits on Etsy. She’s demanding, but boy, is she fun.
Adra Shephard
Author and host of Fashion Dis, Toronto
“I published my first book, Fallosophy: My Trip Through Life With MS, in March. Women are conditioned to believe that we’re done at a certain age. So, discovering this new chapter in my 40s—especially while living with a condition that is as limiting as multiple sclerosis—is a really joyful thing. Just to feel like you can still have dreams and can still do big things.”
Anna Lambe
Actor in North of North, the hit series from APTN, CBC and Netflix, Ottawa
“2025 has been one of the most exciting, scary, daunting and exhilarating years of my life—and I have felt so grateful to celebrate community and be celebrated. I strongly believe that we all succeed together, and seeing so many Inuit and Indigenous folks taking up space and owning their space in every industry this year has been both empowering and inspiring. As much as I hope my work may inspire others, I am deeply inspired by my community and always hope to continue growing alongside it.”
Damhnait Doyle
Canadian singer and CBC Music morning radio host, Toronto
“I took my oldest daughter to see Hamilton in Ottawa last August. I bought the tickets because she is an absolute Hamilton freak, she loves it so much. I didn’t know the plot or what to expect—I was just along for the ride. But the show absolutely blew me away. My daughter said, ‘I’d never seen you nod your head for two hours like that.’ It was a joy to experience something that she introduced to me. My kids are my teachers.”
Debbie Travis
Television personality, retreat host and bestselling author of Joy: Life Lessons From a Tuscan Villa, Tuscany
“The joy of this year has been bringing joy to other people. I’ve been running women’s retreats out of my Tuscan villa for more than 10 years, and I recently started running classic car rallies. I’m used to seeing the joy among our female participants, but men don’t typically embrace retreats like women do. One of our car rally guests recently told me that he hadn’t smiled that much since his wedding day. When you give joy, it’s not about money or prestige. It’s about seeing people living in the moment, making new friends and saying, ‘Wow, best day ever.’”
Farah Alibay
Canadian aerospace engineer and author
“Since 2022, I’ve been working on an infrared space telescope called SPHEREx, and it finally launched in March. I got to be onsite for the launch and host the broadcast. The telescope has since returned some fantastic images, and the team had a party to celebrate. When you work on these big projects, the moments that you remember the most aren’t the scientific achievements, but the people that you were with in that moment.”
Hayley Wickenheiser
Canadian women’s hockey hall of famer and assistant general manager for the Toronto Mpale Leafs, Toronto
“My entire family lives in Western Canada, This year, I was able to spend more time with them than in years past. They came east a few times to see some Leafs games (all of which the guys won!), and I saw my son, who lives in Sweden, a couple of times, too. Time with loved ones is the most joyful commodity for me.”
Jann Arden
Canadian musician, actor and author, Calgary
“I met the love of my life in April. Her name is Thordis Elva, and she’s an amazing Icelandic author and speaker. We met at a writers’ retreat in Iceland, we started corresponding—and we’ve been together ever since. It’s been one of the biggest surprises of my life. I’d been single for 10 years, and I’d just been very determined to never get involved with anybody again in my life. And I was really happy, being sober and being creative and writing and doing [the] The Jann Show and touring and writing music. Love wasn’t even on my radar. Now I wake up every day and I just think, God, what a life I am living.”
Jen Gunter
Ob-gyn and author of The Menopause Manifesto, San Francisco
“My husband and I are in the process of moving back to Canada. Moving back home is very joyful, obviously. But we bought our house on Vancouver Island in the winter, when nothing was sprouting. When I got up there for the first time this spring, the garden was a sea of dahlias in pinks and yellows and reds. And I just was looking at them thinking, ‘Oh my god, nature. Like, what the fuck?’ The dahlias are preposterous in the greatest way, and they bring me an extreme amount of joy.”
Jennifer Whalen
Actor, writer and producer; stars in Small Achievable Goals, Toronto
“My husband and I spent our 10th anniversary in Ireland and the moment that made the trip took us by surprise. We were trudging to our hotel in the rain, stepped into a pub, and wound up in the middle of a singalong. It was so pure: people singing songs they love just for the pleasure of it!”
Jessica Lanyadoo
Astrologer, British Columbia
“After living in California for the last 30 years, I moved to British Columbia in late 2024, and I cannot count the times that my partner and I have turned to each other to marvel at how absolutely breathtaking it is here. Cultivating a relationship to the nature of this place has been so joyful!”
Jillian Harris
TV personality, business owner, cookbook author, Kelowna, B.C.
“Our sweet dog, Nacho, passed away earlier this year and our hearts were completely broken. After he passed, we somehow found Nacho’s lineage and learned that there was a new litter, so we were able to adopt our puppy, Churro, who we're pretty certain is related to our first boy!”
Joleen Mitton
Founder of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, co-founder of Supernaturals Modelling, community leader and activist, Vancouver
“My mother grew up feeling shame around her Indigenous heritage, and I have always wanted to show her there is nothing to be ashamed of—that she and I and all Indigenous peoples are beautiful, skilled and important creators in this world. That happened this year when my entire family joined me on stage for the closing event of Vancouver Indigenous= Fashion Week. For the first time, my mother truly saw herself reflected in the thousands of Indigenous people sitting in the audience. To witness her pride, surrounded by generations of our family, was pure joy. It was a moment of healing, belonging and strength that I’ll carry forever.”
Jully Black
Singer, songwriter, actor, Toronto
“This summer, 120 loved ones flew to Jamaica to witness me marry Valentine, the love of my life, at the beautiful age of 47. This didn’t just bring me joy, it added to my ‘joy bank.’ I think of it like a savings account that I can draw from and pour into others. I was surprised that so many people made the trip, not because they don’t love us, but because we’re in a time where every dollar and day off matters. Every single person we hoped for attended our wedding, and that filled me with so much gratitude. The experience inspired us to plan a couples’ retreat, especially after seeing over 30 couples show up to celebrate with us.”
Karine Vanasse
Actor and host of The Traitors Canada, Knowlton, Que.
“For years, I’ve been feeling in my entire body that I need to dance. I’ve planned to go dancing with friends so many times, but it never worked out. Over the summer, I went on vacation with my seven-year-old son and, as we were walking back to our cabin one night, we heard drums. The performers from the Cirque de la Pointe-Sèche were having a big party to celebrate the end of their season. My son and I ended up spending the evening dancing together. To finally be able to dance freely and ecstatically—and to share that moment with him—was amazing.”
Lesley Hampton
Fashion designer and model, Toronto
“Being one of the designers featured in FASHION Magazine’s The Ones September 2025 cover story, which celebrates trailblazing Canadians in the arts and fashion, was a big moment for me. It was exciting to get the call sheet the day before the shoot and see a lot of names that I’ve looked up to and worked alongside over the years—it was a moment for us all to shine.”
Lisa LaFlamme
Award-winning journalist, Toronto
“This year I became a grauntie—a great aunt—for the fourth time, and there are two more babies on the way. My mother, sisters and I are part of a group chat called Baby Watch, where every day they post videos of all their grandkids. I love seeing how the whole family lights up around them. I am mesmerized by these little guys, and I love watching them grow. All this new life has really changed the dynamic of our family.”
Louise Penny
Author (her latest release, The Black Wolf, is out now), Knowlton, Que.
“My most joyous moment of the year was when my golden retriever rescue, Charlie, arrived from the good folks at Golden Rescue. She was a two-year-old scraggly, thin little girl, a golden retriever scooped from a puppy mill. She was scared, defensive. Even though I was told she loved other dogs, my own golden, Muggins, discovered that was not totally true. The first night was a disaster: I had to separate them, with Mugs looking at me like I’d just ruined her life. But we persevered and little by little Charlie relaxed. And now they are inseparable. Charlie has proven loving, loyal, indefatigable; a ball-chasing bundle of happiness. And she takes Muggins along for the ride.”
Mary Berg
Television host, MasterChef Canada judge and cookbook author, Toronto
“I’ve never had a better year for strawberries in terms of flavour and brightness. There was a two-month span where the whole strawberry was red—no white centre! This year I also perfected a recipe for what I call grocery-store strawberry shortcake: a vanilla cake with stabilized whipped cream and strawberries. I was born in December and I always had that cake on my birthday when I was growing up. Being able to recreate that memory—but with summer-fresh strawberries— was an absolute thrill.”
Musemo Handahu
Photographer and content creator, @misslionhunter, Halifax
“I spent three weeks in Mexico City with my best friend this year. We live in different cities and we were both burnt out and in need of an escape. The trip was a way of finding our way back to our creative selves. We would journal in the morning, dissect it together, then go explore. We got to experience the food, the fashion, the boutiques and the galleries. Experiencing different sights, sounds and smells filled my cup.”
Olivia Chow
Mayor of Toronto, Toronto
“I’m reminiscing about a school visit I had, where these kids were so excited that, instead of two days a week, every single day they’d be getting a mid-morning snack: a fruit or vegetable, a grain and a protein. When I walked in to help deliver the food, they all cheered. Making sure that every child in every school in Toronto under the age of 18 has a nutritious meal every day is a personal priority for me. At the end of my visit, the kids gave me cards covered in stickers of fruits and hearts to say thank you. I still have them.”
Shayla Stonechild
Global yoga ambassador, Lululemon; founder, The Matriarch Movement, Vancouver
“This year I championed a book, A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby with Mary Louisa Plummer, on CBC Canada Reads—and it won. It was a really big challenge, competing against other very talented people. The book is a memoir of Ma-Nee Chacaby’s life, and I was really inspired by her journey as a Two-Spirit Ojibwa-Cree elder. I found out live on air that her book won, and I broke down crying. Afterwards, I finally met Ma-Nee in person in Winnipeg. She reminded me of my own kôkom.”
Sook-Yin Lee
Filmmaker, actor, producer, Toronto
“I think the idea of joy is not unlike when people want a happy ending. It sounds nice to think about, but real life is more tricky. Maybe it’s because I’m Chinese-Canadian and raised in a Confucian/Taoist ideology, but emotions are often mixed up; there’s never a purity of one emotion.
“My most recent moment of joy underscores the complication. Several days ago, I wanted a coffee. I was with a friend who swore that the coffee from the machine at my local laundromat was delicious, so I gave it a go. I tried to figure out the buttons because I couldn’t tell how much money it wanted; it took me a couple of times to try to figure it out. Finally, the cup dropped and it started to make a double Americano—but it was just this tiny bit of hot water. Immediately I was like, ‘What is this?! This is terrible!’
“Then I looked at the coffee machine, and it had this sign that said, 'For inquiries, call Amir.' And it had his phone number. I’ve been trying to honour how I feel these days, and in this moment, I was kind of pissed. So, I called up Amir, and he answered his phone, and I said ‘Amir, this machine of yours is malfunctioning.’ His response: ‘What are you talking about? I have nothing to do with that!!’
“So, I talked to the people running the laundromat and told them Amir was upset. The laundromat owners were trying to shoo me off the phone. It turned out that they had bought this old machine secondhand and were using it to sell coffee, and Amir had been in the coffee business like 20 years ago.
“First, I was angry at Amir, then I defended him, then I was able to broker an under- standing between him and the owners so they could get the coffee machine fixed. Going through all those emotions and finding a way to make it work; it was a small but really happy moment.”
Tracy Moore
Television personality, Toronto
“I’ve got one arm up and my index finger is bobbing to the beat. Eyes closed, two-step going, shout-screaming lyrics. It’s 5 p.m., the sun is still up and I’m in sneakers on a dance floor. This type of peak joy may be a novelty at 50, but it’s a tale that started more than three decades ago.
“I didn’t have a curfew growing up. As long as my grades stayed high, I was out in the streets Friday to Sunday. From the age of 15, as long as I had a few subway tokens and a quarter for the pay phone, I was set.
“This was how it went: beg parents for a ride or jump on the subway. Get in line (unless we knew the bouncers). Shove our coats into a dark corner. Get thee to the dance floor. It could be a quad burning slow whine, a fast-paced ‘mock the dread’ or a tootsie roll—we weren’t coming home until we heard the last bars of SWV’s “Weak” and the lights were on. As the DJs packed their records back into crates, the crowd would make its way out of the club, slow as molasses. We had to get the hell outta there but were we ready to go home? No.
“The post-club ‘lime’ in the parking lot was as good a time as the party. Digits were exchanged, jokes were run, corn soup consumed. This was club life and it was dope. So good, in fact, many of us grown-ups decided not to let go. Bless up the DJs and club promoters who grew up, got married, had kids, thrived in careers and decided they still wanted to party.
“These culture-curators are the reason I still leave my house to sweat it out on a dance floor. The parties are in the daytime and our high-energy moves have been replaced with two steps, but the joy is still capital J palpable. When I look around, I feel blessed to have these roots, these people and this culture to fold myself into whenever the world feels cold.”
Uzma Jalaluddin
Teacher and author (her new holiday romance, Yours for the Season, is out now), Toronto
“My very first mystery novel, Detective Aunty, came out this year. One of my greatest joys as an author is getting emails from readers, and I’ve gotten so many thanking me for constructing a character who is an older woman—Kausar Khan is in her late 50s—who is smart and savvy and isn’t silly. I feel like I’ve tapped into this conversation that we’re having as a society about the way that older women are made to feel invisible. I want to bring aunties back into the spotlight.”
Varda Étienne
Media personality, author, mental health advocate and cover model for Châtelaine’s Winter 2025 issue, Montreal
“I was born in Quebec but I'm of Haitian descent. Every time I close my eyes and think about the magnificent country of Haiti, where we find hibiscus— its emblematic flower—I feel a sense of calm.”
Vivek Shraya
Multidisciplinary artist, Toronto
“My partner and I moved back to Toronto after six years in Alberta. While apartment hunting, we had one condition: we had to relocate to a neighbourhood we’d never lived in before. We settled on Leslieville, and it’s where I’ve found most joy this year: in the snacks (Masa Deli breakfast sandwiches; Ed’s Real Scoop ice cream), the parks where people gather to watch the sunset, even the beautiful tree that’s across from our apartment. I use an app to track moments of joy—and 95 percent of those moments have happened in Leslieville.”
Chantal Braganza is a writer and editor living in Toronto. She is deputy editor, food at Chatelaine, a cookbook nerd, lover of vintage dish ware, and currently training for yoga teacher certification. Her first book, Story of Your Mother, is out with Strange Light Press.
Andréanne Dion is the senior editor, style, beauty and travel at Chatelaine. She is also a contributing editor at FASHION and Hello! Canada.
Born in London, Ont., Gillian was Chatelaine’s former deputy editor, digital. She has also worked at Toronto Life and the National Post. Gillian cares deeply about fighting climate change and loves birds, sad lady singers, bikes, baking and wide-legged denim. She lives in Toronto's east end with her partner, two children and Rosie, her very exuberant Bouvier des Flandres.
Maureen Halushak is the editor-in-chief of Chatelaine. Outside of work she's an avid runner, writer, reader and dog walker.