Fundamentally Human

As we get older, we lose opportunities to connect with others the way we did while we were in school. We no longer get to see the same people daily and consistently. We don't have the chance to really get to know them. Jamie and I talk about how you can build a supportive environment around you and that starts with connecting with your friends. Learn more about what Jamie is up to here: https:...

Our brain health plays a significant role in our mental health and it's not always obvious from the outside looking in. The brain, or the center of our thoughts, controls our emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. When we consider lifestyle factors like stress, diet, sleep, and our social relationships, all of that combined can impact our mental health as well. Connect with Farah here: https://ww...

Trauma can impact us in ways that might surprise us. Physically, our bodies might have gone through an experience that caused us pain or an injury. Psychologically, we may have been exposed to toxic or harmful behaviour that has impacted us negatively. An approach that many therapists take is the biopsychosocial approach, which refers to how someone’s biological, psychological, and social factors...

How many times have you said that you're "not motivated" and it's led you to sit back and not get anything done? It's something that we've all experienced throughout our lives and we eventually let it become an excuse. Kamini and I explore why we let motivation be the catalyst for us to get things done and how we can change this mindset to allow for growth instead. Connec...

I often hear “I don’t have the motivation to do it” or “I know I have to do it but I don’t want to.” This comes up with exercise, food, cleaning, and most of the day-to-day things that we need to do. We generally have an idea of what healthy eating is but the hard part is HOW we can do it.  I’ve enlisted the help of Chanel Huynh, a health elevation coach and holistic nutritionist, to help us fill...

The theme of this episode is GROWTH. As I'm in the last year and a half of my 20s, I think back to the past (almost) decade and see how I've changed as a person. For me, learning from others' experiences is one of the best ways to learn in general. Sure, I can easily Google tips and lists of ways I can improve my quality of life or read self-help books, but it's not the same as goi...

Hi everyone, I wanted to try something different for this week's release. It's easy for us to feel rushed in our busy days but taking a moment to set ourselves up with an intention can be empowering. Join me in the next five minutes to help get your day started. The wonderful music is from Chewie Melodies, you can check him out here: https://chewiemelodies.carrd.co/ I've also been post...

Divorce and breakups can be messy, tricky, and painful to navigate, especially when you factor in the negative stigma, shame, and guilt, that accompanies the end of a relationship. I reached out to Cody to chat about his experiences with divorce and how it was his greatest gift. Divorce allowed him to dive deep and reflect on what it means to communicate in a healthy way with his partner. Connect...

Rivalry, or competing for the same objective or superiority in the same field, happens at all ages and in different circumstances. It's also a response to something else we're experiencing. Maybe we're envious of someone's success or we're projecting the weight of the pressure we're feeling from high standards and expectations. In today's episode, Dr. Amber Tichenor and...

If you were to ask me about the most common theme that comes up in therapy, the answer is identity. No matter what challenge you’re facing or what you’re working towards, your identity is constantly evolving and changing through each experience. A large part of our identities revolves around gender and sexuality and a big reason is that we can’t necessarily fight against the biology of our bodies...

We're changing things up in this episode - instead of talking about a specific mental health topic,  I'm sharing my rollercoaster experience of my first triathlon. It was one of the hardest conditions I've ever done a race in - it was freezing rain, snowing briefly, windy, and low temperatures.  The day didn't end the way I intended but I learned a lot about being gentle with myself and...

“The functional capabilities of the mature brain develop throughout life, but the vast majority of critical structural and functional organization takes place in childhood.” - Dr. Bruce Perry (specialist in childhood trauma, co-author of What Happened to You) So, what can we do about this? Although we're no longer children, it doesn't mean that you can’t reflect on your experiences growing up and...

Getting support isn't as simple as contacting a practitioner or friend. Sometimes it can feel like a burden, other times it can feel overwhelming to look up what services you can access. In today's episode, David and I talk about the differences between coaching and therapy and we go through a sample client to help paint the picture better. Find David and Leanness Lifestyle University here: https:...

Stigma plays a significant role in creating barriers to talking about and caring for mental health. While I have a number of episodes that talk about how culture can impact how we think about mental health, I’m switching gears to talk about men’s mental health. Today, I'm joined by Chris Campassi, a therapist based in Colorado, to explore the stigma of mental health support and vulnerability for m...

Burnout, or the state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion, is typically caused by excessive or prolonged stress. This could look like juggling numerous tasks at work without adequate support, caring for family and friends outside of your threshold and capacity, or having social commitments without allowing yourself to rest and recharge. I'm joined by fellow clinician, Shannon Heers, to e...

Hi everyone, this episode is going to sound a little different from my usual ones. I wanted to share more about my personal life and the struggles I face as a caregiver both professionally and personally. I thought it was important to be transparent, or at least show, that I go through my own set of challenges and just because I work in mental health, it doesn't mean I don't have moments where I l...

Often, transitions can leave us feeling unsettled and sometimes lost. I notice this beginning to happen with clients in their 20s and this feeling of being lost comes and goes for the rest of our lives. Transitions, no matter how big or small, can change our routines and leave us feeling unsettled. This is normal. Today, I’m joined by Dr. Tara Sanderson, to explore the topic of having a syllabus f...

In this episode, Cordelia Mejin, a counsellor, helps me explore the difference between guilt and regret in the context of grief. In the face of grief, a number of emotions can come up. Being able to identify if you're feeling guilt or regret is essential because we often mistake regret for guilt, which can be much heavier to take on. When we're feeling guilty, we think that we've done something wr...

Everyone is different - this is no doubt about that. Whether it's the way we look, the environment we grew up in, the messages we've been told, and the people we meet along the way, we're all impacted by what we see and hear. In this episode, Daniel explains "Why is Grandma so Weird?" (which is also his newly written book) through a cultural lens and what his journey from China to Switzerland and...

A theme that I’ve heard frequently in a number of my sessions with my clients is that they’re feeling like they’re going on autopilot, like they’re watching from the outside in, that they’re bored, and that they don’t know what they’re doing with their lives. When they ask me what they should do when they’re in a rut, the word fulfillment often comes up. In today’s episode, I enlisted the help of...

Throughout our 20s, we go through a number of transitions, whether it's attending post-secondary, finding a job, getting married, or experiencing loss...we find ourselves through each change. I'm joined by Kristy and Angie, the co-hosts of the Shit We Don't Tell Mom podcast, about how we've been forming our identities.  Find Kristy and Angie here: https://www.shitwedonttellmom.com/ | @shitwed...

A double standard is “a rule or principle which is unfairly applied in different ways to different people or groups.” Oftentimes, double standards are applied subconsciously and most people aren’t aware that they are doing this. Cognitive biases and confirmation biases can play a role in forming double standards. I'm joined with Shane Rogers, the co-host of Midnight Facts for Insomniacs, to share...

Reframing is a way for us to broaden our perspectives, consider an alternative, and extend compassion to others and ourselves. It can be challenging to do at the moment but with practice, it gets easier - even if it's in hindsight. In this episode, I take you through three steps to reframing a situation. shirvin.ca | @helloshirvin | @therapywithshirvin | https://linktr.ee/shirvin Music: Faithful M...

"I don't wanna do anything" comes up from time to time. I don't want to go to the gym, eat healthily, read my book, do my work...I don't want to do anything. I had a break from releasing an episode because I was going through this. I was feeling fatigued, uninspired, unmotivated, and unwilling to do work. This episode gives you some insight into how I work through these ebbs and flows to get back...

I have completed my graduate degree!!! After two years of writing papers, having awkward mock therapy sessions, and then transitioning into actually providing therapy for the past eight months, I'm so excited to be done with school (for now). In this episode, I look back at my reflections after my first semester of school in April 2021. I thought it would be interesting to reflect on those reflect...