Braaains

In 2017, Canadian director Lindsay MacKay had a brain aneurysm that almost killed her. She joins us today to talk about that experience, the warning signs that can happen (but sometimes don't), and what the aftermath and recovery were like. We also discuss how Lindsay used the experience of her brain aneurysm to inform her direction of Kate Hewlett's The Swearing Jar and how Lindsay adjusted her w...

Nafisa Moallim, a therapist and Registered Social Worker with a Clinical Master of Social Work, joins us to talk about immigration and bicultural identity. As a Somali-Canadian refugee, Nafisa has extensive lived experiences navigating two identities and learning the language of trauma. Her biggest passion is for advocating for how to discuss mental health in immigrant and refugee populations. We...

Today is the episode you've all been waiting for – ADHD! Our guest, Rach Idowu was diagnosed with ADHD Combined Type on January 2020 at the age of 26. Shortly after her diagnosis, she decided to start her AdultingADHD substack newsletter to document her own personal experience. Rach has been featured in the NYTimes, BBC, Stylist, and Mashable among others. She has also created flashcards to help a...

Today's episode is about diabetes and we are excited to talk with writer, science communications professional, and podcast producer and host, Krista Lamb, who recently released her book 'Beyond Banting: Decoding Canada's Diabetes Research Superstars.' During our conversation, we discussed the different types of diabetes that present (type one and type two), the stigmas associated with diabetes, an...

On today's episode, we dive into the world of autism with Ava Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt who is a writer, actress, and consultant/advocate for diversity, autism, and disability representation in entertainment.  We discussed how Ava got her autism diagnosis and what it meant for her, what stigmas she and other autistics often face, and how she would like to create inclusive autism representation on and of...

Respectability alum, Michael J. Dougherty, talks with us about Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus and disability representation in Guillermo del Toro films such as The Devil's Backbone and The Shape of Water. Michael is a film person, screenwriter, essayist, occasional actor, and advocate living & working in Hollywood. He's also the co-founder of the ReelAbilities Film Festival: Los Angeles, entering it...

Today, we deconstruct emergency medicine and medical misinformation with ER doctor, Dr. Shazma Mithani. Wondering how many patients emergency doctors see in a day or why it's such a burnout profession? Listen on! We also discuss which TV series portrays the ER in the most accurate way – is it Grey's Anatomy? House? ER? Scrubs? And of course, we find out why Dr. Mithani decided to take to social me...

Our guest, writer and actor, Graham Kent, joins us to talk about his experience with Tourette Syndrome, how it presents, and why he thinks Edward Norton's Motherless Brooklyn is the best portrayal of Tourette Syndrome he's seen on screen! The key moments in this episode are: 00:06:16 - Overlapping Disorders  00:08:08 - Presentation of Tourette Syndrome  00:14:17 - Living with Tourette Syndrome  00...

Today we had the pleasure of speaking with Diana Elizabeth Jordan, an award-winning actor, filmmaker, and disability and IDEA influencer. We discussed her experience with cerebral palsy, some of the common stigmas associated with her disability, and what the representation of cerebral palsy on shows like Special and Speechless meant to her. Whether portraying a character, sharing a personal story,...

Jenna and the system of alters (together known as the Gianu System) join us today to talk about Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. This complex disorder, which occurs in 1.5% of our population, is a covert survival mechanism specific to each individual. We discuss what dissociation is, how identities and ego states exist, and how alters can hold different parts of trauma. We also talk about th...

Today's guest, Michelle Asgarali, a Disabled Creative Producer and Advocate and Story Producer on the new CBC docuseries PUSH, deep dives into disability representation and the stigmas and tropes that impact the disability community on and off the screen. We also discussed the importance of creating more accessible and inclusive spaces with universal design and looked at how popular shows like The...

Welcome to Season two of Braaains! Today we're discussing weight stigma, diet culture, and the impact of fat representation in TV shows like Shrill and Rutherford Falls with our guest Lauren Groves, a registered psychologist in Edmonton, Alberta who is the owner of Ignite Counseling and Wellness Services. [00:02:14] Diet culture and representation. [00:04:28] The effects of lack of body representa...

Today's episode is our last one for 2022 so of course, we're talking about the holidays and how they're portrayed on film! We're excited to have historian Vaughn Joy on to talk specifically about the impact of Christmas movies, how the government influenced the cultural sector in the nuclear age, and how those ramifications are still having ripple effects today. We also discuss how pop culture cha...

Today, we deep dive into stuttering with our guests Per Alm, a researcher and lecturer from the Department of Neuroscience at Uppsala University, Sweden, and Maya Chupkov, the host and creator of the podcast Proud Stutter . We discuss background factors that can affect whether or not you stutter, the impact of neurological mechanisms underlying stuttering, and how stuttering can affect your day-to...

Disabled educator, speaker, and creator, Erin Ryan Heyneman, joins us to talk about Multiple Sclerosis. We discuss how MS presents, the impact of her diagnosis as a teenager, how a major flair-up and its aftermath affected her life, and the importance of disability representation. Contact us:  BraaainsPodcast.com Follow:  @BraaainsPodcast Music:  @_Deppisch_ Design:  Perpetualnotion.ca Mixing/ Mas...

On today's episode we discuss misogyny with Guylaine Maroist, who is one of the directors of BACKLASH: MISOGYNY IN THE DIGITAL AGE. This tour de force documentary throws us into the vortex of online misogyny and reveals the devastating effects unbridled female hatred has on victims. We also talk about the importantance of education in combating this growing phenomenon. Contact us:  BraaainsPodcast...

It's spooky season so let's talk about trauma and horror films and how the two intersect. We're excited to be talking to horror film writer and cognitive behavior therapist, Mo Moshaty, about her own experiences with trauma and how horror films can be used to talk about it. Of course, it can sometimes misuse and exploit traumatic experiences for chills and thrills which we also address in this epi...

On today's episode, we'll be talking about addiction and substance abuse with producer and mental health nurse, Jenny Ng-Turner! We'll discuss warning signs, triggers, stigmas, the value of having the right support systems in place, and where you can go for help. The key moments in this episode are: 00:01:20 - Jenny's Background and Interest in Addiction and Substance Abuse 00:05:37 - Definition o...

Doctor Kathryn Wood joins us today to talk about rural medicine and the impact lack of medical access can have on both patients and physicians. She details what it's like to work in the Peace River area in Northern Alberta, the impact on the mental health of doctors and patients, how she chose the path of rural medicine, and what she'd love medical shows to get right about remote medicine. The key...

Today's guest is Kahstoserakwathe Paulette Moore, an independent filmmaker, podcaster, artist and educator, who is a Mohawk citizen and an enrolled member of Six Nations of the Grand River territory. Our conversation deep dives into the importance of language, community, and the impact representation (or the lack thereof) can have on you. We also discuss how losing and/or gaining a language that c...

On today's episode, we interviewed Marie-France Guerrette, documentary filmmaker, director, and producer who created the feature doc, Sans Maman or Unmothered. In this touching documentary about her family, Marie-France blends home-movie footage and interviews to give viewers a window into her own personal experience of grief. Through the lens of the film and beyond, we discuss the death of a pare...

Today, we deep-dive into OCD - Obsession Compulsive Disorder - and discuss symptoms, treatment options, and the impact OCD can have on your everyday life. Our two guests include photographer Dallas Curow , who recently started sharing her story about OCD, and Farah Zerehi, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in California. She's a specialist who works with OCD patients and has OCD herse...

Today's episode is all about Aphantasia, also known as mind's eye blindness. Those with Aphantasia can't visualize scenes, people, experiences, objects, and memories, and it can impact other senses as well. This lack of mental imagery was described as early as the late 1800s, yet it has remained a relatively unstudied phenomenon until 2015, when a study first introduced the term, Aphantasia. Since...

Ahhh! Animals! On today's podcast, we're talking to Jocelyn Nand, executive director of the Family Counselling Centres in Alberta. Her work includes animal-assisted therapy with the help of her co-therapist (and dog!), Watson. We'll talk about the work that she does to help a variety of clients deal with emotional dysregulation issues, impulse control, behavioral struggles, anxiety, low self-estee...

This episode is part two of our conversation around abortion. Today we're discussing the research conducted for the Abortion Onscreen program which examines how abortion is portrayed in American popular culture. The principal investigator, Dr. Gretchen Sisson, is a research sociologist with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) at the University of California, San Francisco. She'...