Sickboy

They say laughter is the best medicine - unless you're diagnosed with something that sounds like a meme. Mike lives with FAP, short for Familial Adenomatous Polyposis - a rare genetic disorder that guarantees colon cancer without drastic surgical intervention. In this unfiltered and laugh-out-loud conversation, Mike opens up about the brutal realities of living without a large intestine, the menta...

Turns out, the most dangerous thing on TV in the ‘90s wasn’t violence—it was Pikachu. In December, 1997, nearly 700 kids in Japan were rushed to the hospital after watching a single episode of Pokémon. No, this isn’t an urban legend—it actually happened, and it was electrifying (lol). This week, Jer walks the fellas headfirst into the wild, true story of the Pokémon seizure panic, how Pikachu lite...

Taylor Arbeau is a firecracker. A passionate photographer, musician, and former Special Olympics athlete, she also happens to live with Down syndrome — mosaic Down syndrome, to be exact (yeah, we had no clue what that was either). In this candid convo, Taylor drops truth bombs about growing up “different,” discovering self-love, and calling bullshit on assumptions people make about her. She opens...

Jeremie met Terry where all deep, life-altering connections begin: half-naked in a sauna, trying not to die of heat stroke. What started as a sweaty convo about testosterone turned into one of the most jaw-dropping pain stories we’ve ever heard. Terry's been battling chronic pain since the age of nine thanks to a rare hip disease that left his femur more hammerhead shark than ball-and-socket. He’s...

Falling asleep is easy—until it becomes the hardest part of your day. Recorded live in Toronto, this episode dives into the unpredictable world of narcolepsy type 1 with Heather, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner living with both narcolepsy and cataplexy. From sleep-deprived misdiagnoses to lucid hallucinations and arms that give out mid-laugh, Heather walks us through the reality behind...

When a hospital nurse's error leads to a life-threatening hemorrhage, Tracy's fight for survival and answers begins. This week, Tracy shares her unbelievable journey through misdiagnosis, two kidney transplants, and a near-fatal medical error that led her to become a fierce patient safety advocate. From a childhood illness that unknowingly attacked her kidneys to a shocking turn of events post-tra...

When the map doesn’t match the terrain, sometimes you just make your own path. Natalia Bartlomowicz was born with a rare congenital condition so unique it doesn’t even have a name—just a stack of medical files and a body doctors still can’t quite predict. In this episode, she opens up about navigating childhood surgeries, a 16-hour operation in Boston, and the emotional toll of being called a “med...

You can’t outgrow puberty—but maybe we can outlearn how we teach it. This week, Jer and Tay explore a topic often overlooked: puberty education for youth with disabilities. Social worker and doctoral student Jennalyn Suda breaks down how trauma-informed frameworks can radically reshape how we approach this formative stage, especially for students who face additional barriers. From the sensory...

When you go in for testicular cancer surgery, do they offer you a scrotal facelift while they're down there? We ask the important questions. This week is a wild ride through Taaha's diagnosis in grade 12. Taha talks about the pressure to be strong for his family, how the other testicle "kicks up into overdrive" to pick up the slack, and the incredible nurses who inspired him to change his life's p...

When the cost of survival outweighs the cost of death, something has gone deeply wrong. In this sobering and eye-opening episode, Mitch, living with cerebral palsy and chronic pain, shares his harrowing journey through a Canadian healthcare and social system that he argues is failing its disabled citizens. From the challenges of inadequate education and inaccessible post-secondary programs, to the...

Some people get nine lives. Others get nine surgeries and still walk taller. This week, Ray shares a gripping story that starts with a motorcycle crash at 19 and unfolds into a series of life-altering events: a traumatic brain injury, a delayed cancer diagnosis, and the unexpected grief of infertility. Through it all, Ray finds his way—first back to school, then into the world of horseshoeing and...

American men are in a friendship recession. Compared to a few decades ago, five times as many men have no close friends. So what’s going on? In this episode of Embodied, host Anita Rao talks with Mark Pagán, creator and host of the podcast “Other Men Need Help,” about what makes close friendships among men so fraught — and what we can do about it. They talk about everything from why Mark loves sec...

This week, meet Corinne, a teen who makes "Final Destination" look like a chill day out. After a car packed like a clown car met a tree at high speed, she was launched out the window (note to self: wear your seatbelt, kids ), broke a laundry list of bones, and then casually had a stroke in the ambulance for an encore. The paramedic? Looked "terrified". Corinne spills on surviving the unsurviv...

Feeling like 'self-care' is just another word for avoiding your problems? Psychologist Dr. Emily Anhalt joins the boys to unpack the concept of Emotional Fitness — a proactive approach to mental health that involves leaning into discomfort, not away from it. Discover the 7 traits of emotionally fit people (including mindfulness, resilience, and playfulness!) and learn practical 'emotional push-ups...

What happens when your brain betrays you with seizures that arrive without warning and leave you depressed for days? Meet Landis, a writer and podcaster who developed epilepsy after brain tumor surgery at age 32. In this illuminating conversation, she breaks down the reality of living with seizures that arrive without warning, including the four-day depression cycle that follows each episode. From...

What if the thing that saved your life ended up making you feel like a stranger in your own body? Whose Hand Is It Anyway? This week, Jer goes full Frankenstein as he walks the guys through the psychological minefield of visible transplants—hands, faces, and all the weird, uncomfortable identity baggage that comes with them. From the guy who returned his donor hand, to another who says he’d r...

He lost most of his leg, two lungs got cracked open, and somehow he still walked it off—literally. Jeff Bryant’s life was all about basketball—until a swollen leg led to a diagnosis of high-grade osteosarcoma. What followed was a wild medical journey: a full femur and knee replacement, the loss of three out of four quadriceps, two lung surgeries, and multiple reconstructive operations. But Jeff di...

When Gwen first went to the doctor for stomach pain, she didn’t expect to leave with a diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome—let alone a growing list of conditions including POTS and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. In this episode, the gang explore what it’s like to get too many answers too quickly, how chronic illness reshapes identity, and why the system often fails patients with complex needs. Fro...

Are we witnessing the first scientific proof of telepathy? Dr. Diane Powell is a Harvard-trained neuroscientist and psychiatrist who’s spent the last 20 years diving deep into a topic most scientists wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole: telepathy. And not just any kind — we’re talking about non-speaking autistic children who seem to communicate mind-to-mind. In this mind-bending episode, Diane joi...

What do Hereditary, Sound of Metal, A Ghost Story, and The Rugrats Movie have in common? They’ll absolutely destroy you—and maybe help you feel a little more human while they’re at it. This week, Jeremie and Brian sit down with Elliott and Kylie from the Moody Movie Club podcast, who are running a film screening series all about grief, loss, and those beautiful moments where a cartoon baby can mak...

What if you were too young for the place you had no choice but to call home? At 39, Mel moved into a long-term care facility because of her MS. Fifteen years later, she's navigating a world designed for people twice her age—where privacy requires special door signs, intimacy becomes a spectator sport, and a single shower per week is the norm. With unflinching honesty and humour, Mel takes the fell...

When war rages, combat medics are the only thing standing between life and death. Most people will never experience the chaos of a war zone—but for combat medics like Philip, it’s just another day at work. From dodging artillery fire while treating wounded soldiers to sneaking through conflict zones under cover of darkness, this episode takes you inside the high-stakes world of battlefield medicin...

Your inner voice can be your greatest weapon—or your worst enemy. So… which one is yours? Psychologist and bestselling author Ethan Kross joins the boys to unpack the science of self-talk, emotional control, and mental resilience. Why do some people crack under pressure while others thrive? What separates high performers from those who let emotions run their lives? And most importantly, how can yo...

What if everything we think we know about reality is just scratching the surface? After our deep dive into Savant Syndrome and Telepathy, we found ourselves spiralling into a whole new conversation—one that forced us to rethink everything we believe about consciousness, religion, and the limits of human potential. This bonus episode is a portion of this weeks episode that didn't make the final cut...

What if your thoughts aren’t just your own? Some scientists believe telepathy might be real… and the proof could lie in savant syndrome. Some people wake up from traumatic brain injuries with brand-new talents—like instantly becoming a world-class musician or solving impossible math problems. Others, born with savant syndrome, display superhuman memory, artistic mastery, and skills they never lear...