Sickboy

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...

How do you fix a face that’s falling apart? In Rachel’s case, you break it even more. What started as trouble swallowing as a teenager turned into a full facial reconstruction. Rachel’s TMJ deterioration left her unable to eat, breathe properly, or even recognize her own face. With her airway down to just 2 millimeters (when it should be 11!), doctors had no choice but to break and rebuild her ent...

"Only move from love, don’t move from fear." That’s the mantra guiding Mark Brand, a world-class chef who went from spiraling into self-destruction to serving over 2,200 meals a day to Vancouver’s most vulnerable. At 27, Mark was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease—a degenerative condition that would eventually shut down his organs. Doctors warned him he’d be on dialysis by 35 and told him to...

Declared dead. Hours later, she opened her eyes—very much alive. From waking up in a chilly morgue to defying every known law of medicine, this episode dives into the spine-tingling reality of Lazarus Syndrome—when someone pronounced clinically dead shocks everyone by suddenly coming back to life. We trace eerie accounts of premature burial fears, ancient “safety coffins,” and real-life cases that...

What if dying is the most transformative experience you'll ever have? David Maginley unpacks the mysteries of death and spirituality, sharing profound insights on near-death experiences, ego deconstruction, and the cultural impact of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). David, a psycho-spiritual therapist, chaplain, and four-time cancer survivor, dives deep into the mysteries of death, dying, and s...

When the odds say you shouldn't be alive, sometimes you wake up and make a podcast application anyway. In this episode, Hannah Maria takes us through her miraculous survival story after a devastating collision with a semi-truck left her with the lowest possible score on the Glasgow Coma Scale. From a shattered pelvis to a brain that decided to take an 11-day nap, her injuries read like a medical t...

When your healthcare system runs on love and unpaid overtime, something's gotta give. This week, we're joined by Liv Mendelsohn, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, to unpack a staggering reality: for every hour of professional healthcare, there are three hours of unpaid care happening behind closed doors. From accidental caregivers who don't realize they've joined...

When your parents tell you you'll be the exception to CF's cruel rules, you either sink or swim - Madison MacGregor chose to freestyle. When doctors couldn't halt her declining health, Madison went rogue - ditching the CF diet for squash and alternative treatments until she weighed just 88 pounds. From competitive dancing with an IV to battling her medical team at every turn, this self-proclaimed...

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Brad Arseneau’s here to prove them wrong. At 49, he decided to master skateboarding, a hobby that quickly became a passion—and surprisingly, had nothing to do with the bus accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Brad’s journey of resilience began not on his skateboard, but his bike. Faced with unimaginable challenges, he refused to l...

On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now. More episodes of On Drugs are available at:  https://link.mgln.ai/upajoH

When the pursuit of health becomes unhealthy, it’s time to rewrite the rules. From struggling with orthorexia to becoming a leading voice against diet culture, registered dietitian Abbey Sharp joins us to explore the complex relationship between mental health and eating. Abbey shares her journey from an obsession with "clean eating" to helping others find food freedom, while breaking down popular...

That impulse purchase you made at 2 AM? It wasn't about the thing you bought—it was about that thing that happened when you were seven. In this episode, we sit down with financial expert Jessica Moorhouse to explore the hidden emotional roots of our money habits. From childhood trauma to ADHD, we dive into the surprising ways our mental health shapes our financial decisions. Jessica opens up about...