Insights & Inspiration: Dare to Care’s Top Picks of 2025
- Raine Paul
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
During the holiday season, one of my favourite traditions is to pause and reflect on highlights from the past 12 months. Whether it’s celebrating accomplishments, scrolling through photos, or reminiscing about favourite meals, taking this time helps me truly appreciate the year that has passed.
When it comes to content, we can all agree that sometimes it feels overwhelming. There’s always a new show to binge, a podcast craze to catch up on, or an endless stream of information on social media.
This December, the Dare to Care team took a moment to reflect on our top content recommendations from 2025. The list is short but intentional. Each selection has resonated with our team in a meaningful way. From thought-provoking ideas to inspiring messages, these picks explore a diverse mix of topics that offer insight on sport, leadership, and culture.
So, if you only have time to read one book, watch one show or film, listen to one podcast, or follow one new social account, here are our top picks. We’d also love to hear from you! Share your favourite content from 2025 in the comment section below and let us know why it resonated with you.
📘 Book Recommendation: Smartphone Nation by Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr
Like many, 2025 was a year when I took a look in the mirror and reflected on my relationship with technology. How many times have you checked your phone today? (Too many!) What was your average daily screen time last week? (I’m embarrassed to say!) Who else is guilty of double, triple, or even quadruple screening?
Picture this: There’s a movie playing on the TV (screen one), you’re scrolling on your phone (screen two), and your laptop is open nearby so you can respond to a few quick emails (screen three). Sound familiar?
It’s easy to get caught in an endless scroll cycle or pulled into an app designed to capture, and keep, our attention. Screens are everywhere, and for many of us, they’ve become deeply ingrained in our daily routines. But the most important question isn’t whether technology is influencing us, it’s what we are doing about it.
Smartphone Nation sparks essential conversations about the role technology plays in our lives — both the benefits and the challenges. From social media platforms to AI tools like ChatGPT, tech shapes how we communicate, learn, coach, parent, and connect. This book encourages an intentional approach to device use and invites us to reflect on how technology affects our attention spans, relationships, and well-being.
A powerful, timely read for parents, caregivers, coaches, and educators, Smartphone Nation is the perfect read for end-of-year reflection.
Consider these questions to take the Dr. Regehr’s ideas off the page and into everyday practice:
What technology habits do I want to change or let go of as I move into 2026?
When do my devices enhance connection? More importantly, when do they distract from it?
What boundaries around technology might support well-being in my household, classroom, or team environment?
What small, realistic change could I start with this month?
🎥 Film Recommendation: Surviving Ohio State
(available on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Crave)
Content Notice: This film contains discussions of sexual abuse, institutional failure, and trauma. Viewer discretion is advised. Support resources are encouraged for those who may find this content difficult.
At Dare to Care, we believe deeply in the power of sport. It can shape character, build confidence, and unite communities. But when power is misused, sport can also cause profound and lasting harm.
Surviving Ohio State courageously shines a light on this darker reality. The docuseries raises awareness about the decades-long sexual abuse of male student-athletes by Dr. Richard Strauss, and the institutional failures that allowed it to continue. Through the brave voices of survivors, the series documents how Strauss abused over 177 male students between 1978 and 1998, despite multiple reports being filed with the university.
What makes this series especially impactful is not only its examination of systemic failures, but its focus on the ongoing fight for accountability. To this day, survivors of Strauss continue to seek recognition, justice, and meaningful change from the institution, underscoring how long and complex the road to justice can be.
Surviving Ohio State also brings much-needed attention to an often-overlooked group: Male survivors. Stories of male sexual assault are often minimized or silenced due to stigma, harmful stereotypes, and expectations rooted in toxic masculinity. This series powerfully challenges those assumptions and reminds us that every survivor deserves to be heard, believed, and supported.
This film may not be suitable for all audiences. Young viewers should watch with a trusted adult or caregiver. While difficult to watch, its message is an essential one. By confronting these realities, we take an important step toward building safer, more accountable sports environments.
📺 Series Recommendation: Adolescence
(available on Netflix)
Like the rest of the world, the Dare to Care team was captivated by Adolescence when it premiered in March 2025. Instantly an international hit, it became the second most-watched English-language series of all time, proving how its storyline and themes resonated globally.
Adolescence follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller as his family’s life is upended when he is accused of murdering a classmate. Beyond the mesmerizing performances and cutting-edge cinematography, the series explores urgent societal issues such as bullying, online radicalization, misogyny, social media algorithms, and the “manosphere.”
One of the most powerful aspects of the series is its sense of normalcy. At first glance, Jamie seems like any other 13-year-old: nervous, curious, and navigating the typical ups and downs of teenage life. His family is a relatable, middle-class household, living on a quiet UK street. His school is familiar to many viewers as it depicts a typical middle-school full of rebellious students and burnt out, over-stretched teachers. This “everyday” setting makes the series feel chillingly relatable and underscores how easily these dynamics could occur in any home or school.
My only note of critique is that I wish there was an episode from the perspective of Katie’s family and friends. Katie, the young girl murdered in the series, is largely absent from the narrative. This reflects a common reality for victims of violence. The name and storyline of the attacker dominate media and public attention, while the memory of victims is quickly forgotten. An episode focusing on Katie’s loved ones in the aftermath of her death would have deepened the narrative and reminded viewers of the human cost of such tragedies. It is important to remember that victims are more than just headlines. They are lives lost; families and communities forever changed.
On a personal note, this series sparked passionate discussion at my family’s dinner table. While perspectives varied, the conversation itself highlighted one of the show’s greatest achievements. Adolescence prompts reflection and dialogue on issues that are urgent and relevant in today’s digital world. At Dare to Care, we consider Adolescence a must-watch for families, educators, and anyone invested in understanding the challenges young people face today.
To help spark thoughtful conversations, here are some post-show discussion prompts:
What moments in the series most resonated with you?
How did social media, digital influence, and online spaces impact what happened? What takeaways does this leave you with?
How can we navigate important conversations about consent, masculinity, and bullying?
🎧 Podcast Recommendation: Analyzing the Hockey Canada Trial by Canadian True Crime
Content Notice: This podcast discusses sexual assault, trauma, and survivor experiences. Listener discretion is advised. We encourage taking breaks as needed and accessing support resources if the content feels distressing.
In 2025, one of the most widely followed news stories in Canada was the Hockey Canada trial involving five former Team Canada and NHL athletes. The case received extensive media coverage and sparked intense public discussion on sexual assault, consent, and sport culture.
Analyzing the Hockey Canada Trial delves into these issues over five episodes as the podcast examines the facts of the case, details of the court proceedings, and, perhaps most impactful, discussion segments with two survivors of highly publicized sexual assault trials. These guests provide insight into the survivor experience and offer perspectives that resonate with broader conversations about sexual assault and the justice system.
The series blends a true-crime style with a thoughtful analysis of the case, making it compelling, but at times difficult, to listen to. It examines not only hockey culture, but the influence of power imbalances, complexities of consent, and systemic barriers that make sexual assault on of the most underreported crimes globally.
📱Social Follow – @newhappyco
We’re closing out our 2025 recommendations on a positive note. With many accounts competing for our attention, it’s easy for our feeds to feel overwhelming. That’s why we love The New Happy (@newhappyco). This creative feed shares messages of hope, inspiration, and practical advice through beautiful, simple graphics.
The posts are designed to spark a moment to pause, reflect, and recenter in the middle of a busy day. We encourage you to give this account a follow for a daily dose of positivity.
Just like the posts themselves, this recommendation is short, sweet, and guaranteed to brighten your feed.
Comments