#59 Jody Vance

Jody Vance recently made national headlines sharing her experience with online criminal harassment. While that story is important and she'll walk us through a horrible seven years on this episode; she's a media personality with quite the journey to listen and learn from and she’s hella inspiring.

A born and raised Vancouverite, Jody Vance built her career in radio and TV in BC before her big break. With the launch of Sportsnet, Vance was lured east. In 2000 a move to Toronto would lead to an incredible opportunity to make sports broadcast history, nationally. After a very brief stint as host of Sportcentral AM executives decided to offer up the national supper hour program seat. Almost a decade later, in 2009, the ocean called her back home with a return to her radio roots in the cards to fit her greatest casting: mother to her “miracle baby”. (There’s a story there).

Once settled back home and soaking up the 2010 Olympics, things got very busy. In 2011, while picking up a few fill-in sports shifts at CBC Vancouver - between hosting mid-days on SHORE104, another dream opportunity presented itself. Host of the Canucks Stanley Cup postgame show “Seeking Stanley.” Shortly after that her career path took a turn out of sports and into full-time news and Current Affairs. In October 2011, Vance joined CITY-TV as host of Breakfast Television Vancouver. For five years viewers watched the evolution to where Vance finds herself now: a broadcaster who helps shape conversations that impact her community - and offer opinions. 

Five years of BT came to a halt with budget cuts in the spring of 2016 - and that was the push to become her own brand. Broadcast Pirate Services Ltd was born. Almost immediately CKNW brought Vance on as the go-to fill-in host. She penned a weekly column for theorca.ca called The Middle for five years. In 2021 Vance signed on as Canadian Correspondent for Al Jazeera English bringing stories from Canada to a worldwide audience of almost half a billion viewers. 

Most recently Jody teamed up with her longtime radio colleague Lynda Steele on a weekly TV talk show called “Steele and Vance” — on CHEK. North America’s only employee-owned media outlet. The one-hour show followed ‘Jeopardy’ and has, in only its first season, welcomed a “who’s who” of guests. 

A proud, and fiercely protective, mother - Jody also admits to being somewhat of a “crazy dog lady” in the best possible way. 

Find out more about Jody’s criminal harassment story HERE.
Find out more about Steele and Vance HERE.
Follow Jody Vance on Instagram @JodyVance