Happy to See Me with Erika Casupanan

Celeste Anderson is a professional gamer and the first winner of the reality show King of the Nerds back in 2013. She opens up about backlash after winning the competition and being under edited. Celeste talks about overcoming self doubt, going back to school in her late 20s and the positive self talk that helped her get through a cancer diagnosis. Erika's mind is blown over how similar their real...

Neda Kalantar joins the podcast for her first interview in six years (!!!) to talk abut her two times on Big Brother Canada. She opens up about how the hate she received after season 2 impacted the way she approached the game in season 5. Neda and Erika bond over growing up with a money scarcity mindset and reflect on how their relationships with their respective reality shows may have run their c...

Taylor Lindsay-Noel of Access By Tay has never let her wheelchair slow her down. Taylor is a disability advocate, CEO, motivational speaker and content creator known for her accessibility reviews of restaurants. In this episode, Taylor talks about thriving despite misconceptions she faces as a Black disabled woman CEO. Plus, Taylor opens up about how the accident that left her paralyzed changed th...

Todd Herzog, winner of Survivor China and Erika's all-time favourite Survivor player, talks about having his life dream come true at the age of 22. Plus, Todd is candid about what it was like having his struggles with alcoholism broadcast to millions. He shares his next dream (which is a lot simpler). This episode contains a lot of Erika fangirling over Todd. Follow the podcast on Instagram @happy...

In this Pride Month special, we're putting the spotlight on Rainbow Railroad and its work to help at-risk LGBTQI+ people around the globe. Warning: mentions of violence throughout the episode. Latoya Nugent, Head of Engagement at Rainbow Railroad, joins the podcast to talk about why we need to remember queer refugees during our Pride Month celebrations. Latoya talks about why queer people are stil...

Time to get into your feels. Simone Saunders (therapist, Tiktok creator and founder of the Cognitive Corner) joins the podcast to explain what it means to *actually* feel your feelings. Simone talks about the drawbacks of over intellectualizing your feelings, signs you're disconnected from your body and advice for finding a therapist. Follow Happy to See Me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/h...

Sometimes super fans get judged. The truth is being a super fan can unlock community, growth and joy! This week, Bethany and Kayla of the Stanning BTS podcast talk about how being ARMY (aka BTS fans) helped them to grow as individuals and build their own podcast community. The trio chat about misconceptions of kpop fans (and super fans in general) and why women super fans tend to be invalidated. P...

Coming out often doesn't happen in isolation. A lot of your life can change when you're in the process of coming out and this can be especially hard when you grow up in a religious family. Content creator Gay Italian Nonna shares her story of coming out to her immigrant, Catholic family. Plus, she talks about breaking beauty and makeup barriers as a masc lesbian and tips for your first Pride month...

Ever wonder if you're queer enough? In a special HTSM happy hour episode, Erika and her pal Alena Papayanis (Dear Queer, Podcast) share their experiences with queer imposter syndrome and the insecurities that follow coming out in your 30s. The pair talk about making queer friends, entering queer spaces for the first time, choosing labels, figuring out how to dress and more! Follow Happy to See Me...

Imagine realizing you're queer on a TV show with 24/7 live feeds and a whole country watching you? That's what happened to Willow Faith on Big Brother Canada 3. This week, Willow talks about playing a reality show game while developing feelings for a woman for the first time, the pressure to label herself publicly when she was still figuring herself out and how she developed more self compassion p...

Comedian Tranna Wintour (Celebrity Big Brother Quebec) left her bank job, started stand up comedy and came to understand her trans identity all at the same time. This week, Tranna talks about resilience as a creative, unleashing her inner show girl, the beauty of being open to evolution and the lessons she learned from Celebrity Big Brother Quebec. Follow Happy to See Me on Instagram https://www.i...

For many athletes, a scholarship and spot on a D1 team are the dream. But what happens when the dream isn't all it's cracked up to be? Pro runner Aleeya Hutchins took the leap to quit her D1 team and return to Canada for private training. In this episode, she chats about making the tough decision to walk away from her dream and the aftermath that followed. Plus, she talks about building a healthie...

The first step to making a dream come true is as simple as a thought. Manifestation caoch Kathleen Cameron joins the podcast to share how our thoughts can create the reality of our dreams. Kathleen is a nurse turned multi-million dollar entrepreneur. In this episode, Kathleen talks about how our thoughts become reality (good and not so good) and easy exercises to get you started with your manifest...

Calling all reality TV hopefuls! Casting director Heather Muir is here to answer your questions about getting cast on reality TV. What do casting directors really look for? Do you need a big social media following to get noticed? What are the top DO NOTS in an audition video? Heather answers all of these and more in this week's episode. Plus, Heather talks about the Canada's Drag Race audition vid...

Body image is tricky especially when you're chronically ill. After being diagnosed with two chronic illnesses as a teen, Hannah Bee dealt with weight fluctations and a complicated relationship with their young, yet struggling body. In this episode, Hannah talks about how body acceptance might be a better option than body positivity, how the mainstream body image conversations often overlook people...

Feeling in between two cultures is common for immigrants to a new country. Kids TV executive Sarah Haasz is bringing this story to life for tweens in the new kpop series, The Gangnam Project. In this episode, Sarah talks about how a trip to South Korea in her teens taught her about acceptance, her considerations for raising biracial children and why it's important to tell a story about feeling eno...

Iconic Survivor winner Vecepia Robinson doesn't sweat over not getting an invite to return to the show. Vecepia opens up about how it feels to be passed up for a callback, the work of the Black Survivor Alliance to promote diversity and the fanfare that followed winning an early Survivor season. Plus, Vecepia shares important wisdom for people who feel overlooked. Follow Happy to See Me on Instagr...

Thinking about a career change? Journalist turned multi-hyphenate entrepreneur Kaitlin Narciso is talking all things career pivots. Kaitlin talks about leaving a dream job in broadcast TV to dive into entrepreneurship. Plus, she talks about imposter syndrome as an entrepreneur and getting over the mental hurdle of going back to school as an adult. Bonus: Erika and Kaitlin nerd out over their under...

Queer late bloomers, there's no need to feel awkward! Queer sex educator and speaker Eva Bloom joins the podcast to validate all of the confusing baby gay feelings! Eva explains comphet, answers your questions about navigating your evolving queerness, and Eva and Erika LOL about the queer signs they missed over the years (no offense to men in beards, we promise!) Follow Happy to See Me on Instagra...

Can TikTok help you land your dream career? Zachary Reality is a content creator and entertainment broadcast journalist who built a TikTok following based on his love for reality TV. This week, Zachary talks about how social media helped him get his foot in the door for his broadcast journalism dreams, what he really thinks about TikTokers on red carpets and the one reality show he's dying to do....

Sustainable fashion storyteller Ruby Veridiano is here to demystify what it means to dress sustainably. Ruby tackles sustainable fashion misconceptions, explains how responsible fashion can improve the lives of primarily BIPOC women around the world and she shares tips for how we can approach fashion more sustainably today. Plus, Ruby and Erika bond over how fashion helped them form their identiti...

Aurora Matrix, runner up of Canada's Drag Race season four, made a splash with her Asian-inspired looks and high-energy performances. This week, she talks about starting drag in high school, the strategy we didn't see on screen and what it's like to lip sync on the main stage. Aurora opens up about the evolving relationship with her parents and how they reached the point where they can support her...

Let's talk reality TV twists! Canada's Drag Race showrunner, former Big Brother Canada producer and the voice of Marsha the Moose, Trevor Boris, joins the podcast to talk all things producing reality TV. Trevor and Erika chat about seeing online fan feedback, taking risks with new twists, the evolution of queer reality TV storytelling and more! Trevor shares the Big Brother Canada twist with the m...

Long-time best friends Mae Martin and Sabrina Jalees are taking on taboo topics. In their new Canadian Audible Original, Benefits with Friends, Mae and Sabrina tackle topics that you wouldn't discuss in polite company, but they're doing it within the safety of their friendship. In this special mini episode, the pair talk about meeting as teenagers on the comedy scene 20 years ago, the one topic th...

Happy birthday to Happy to See Me! This week, Erika answers YOUR questions about her first year of podcasting. Erika is joined by her friend, former coworker and brand strategy consultant Natalie to reminisce about Erika's time in boardrooms and chat about the lessons from year one of podcasting. Erika provides a glimpse into the strategic thinking she puts into her career and developing her show....