The MindSpa Podcast

Your brain can be brilliant and still get stuck. When it does, more effort is not always the answer, sometimes it needs a nudge. Tina Wilston sits down with Yvonne, our Director of Neurofeedback, to explain Higher Performance Neurofeedback (HPN), a style of neurofeedback that acts more like neuromodulation. We talk about how HPN sends tiny frequencies back to the brain based on what it is already...

Your brain can know a thought is irrational and still react like danger is real. That gap between insight and automatic stress is where neurofeedback gets interesting. We sit down with Yvonne Burwash, Mind Spa’s Director of Neurofeedback, to explain how neurofeedback retrains brainwave activity by using real time feedback so the brain can build balance and flexibility, often making it easier for t...

Your brain is not broken; it may simply be overloaded. In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken unpack cognitive load and why so many people feel mentally exhausted, distracted, and overwhelmed, even after a full night’s sleep. When your attention is stretched too thin, it can show up as brain fog, scattered thinking, forgetfulness, and decision fatigue over eve...

What happens when saying “yes” feels easier than disappointing someone, even when it costs you? In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore a series of AITA-style scenarios that unpack boundaries, honesty, people pleasing, and the emotional pressure that can show up in everyday relationships. Scenario 1: Airplane Seats, Boundaries, And People Pleasing A tra...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore a new set of AITA-style scenarios through the lens of boundaries, emotional dynamics, trust, and relationship expectations. Rather than asking who is “right” or “wrong,” this conversation looks at what these situations reveal about communication, responsibility, entitlement, and the ways relationships shift under...

Feeling overwhelmed lately? You are not alone. In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore why so many people are feeling emotionally stretched thin and asking themselves: “What’s wrong with me?” Together, they offer a different perspective: maybe nothing is wrong with you. Maybe your emotional capacity has been carrying too much for too long. Tina and Mich...

What makes someone feel instantly familiar, and why can intense chemistry sometimes feel difficult to walk away from? In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken sit down with Nadine Samaroo , Registered Psychotherapist at MindSpa Mental Health , to explore attachment theory in practical, everyday terms and how our earliest relationships can quietly shape the way w...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore how Canadian Armed Forces culture can shape mental health, help-seeking, and recovery. The conversation looks at operational stress injuries, PTSD, depression, anxiety, addiction, and the pressure many serving members feel around readiness and deployability. Michelle shares how stigma can show up through silence,...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Michelle Massunken sits down with Yocabed Semere to explore identity, belonging, and the emotional tension many people in immigrant and diaspora communities experience while navigating multiple cultures, expectations, and values. The conversation reflects on how cultural identity, family pressure, and lived experience can shape mental health, relationships,...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore a series of “Am I the A**hole?” scenarios focused on boundaries, communication, guilt, and relationship dynamics. Through real-life dilemmas involving friendships, family expectations, forgiveness, and long-term relationships, they reflect on what it means to protect your emotional well-being while navigating the...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore a series of everyday dilemmas through a grounded, psychological lens, focusing on communication, boundaries, and emotional dynamics in relationships. What You’ll Hear In This Episode Scenario 1: When Therapy Language Becomes A Power Struggle Someone says they are “too dysregulated” to talk, and the conversation sh...

On this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken are joined by Julian McKenzie , sports journalist, podcast host, and author, for a grounded conversation about the realities behind hockey culture in Canada. While hockey is often framed as a unifying part of Canadian identity, this discussion explores the more complex lived experiences within the sport. Julian shares wha...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore the close relationship between sleep and mental health, and why sleep problems can make stress, anxiety, mood, and daily functioning feel much harder to manage. They break down insomnia in plain language, including difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and waking too early. Tina and Michelle also expl...

Anxiety is often experienced as something personal or disruptive, but it can also be understood as the brain doing what it is designed to do: protect. In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston explores anxiety through a grounded, educational lens, helping listeners better understand what is happening beneath the surface. While this is a solo episode, it reflects the shared clinical per...

Burnout does not arrive all at once. For many people, it builds gradually when stress never fully turns off. In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore how burnout is showing up across industries, not just in traditionally high-pressure roles such as health care or emergency services. With remote work, constant connectivity, and growing expectations to rem...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston explores what can happen when personal growth shifts the balance in a relationship that once relied on one person smoothing every edge. Beginning with a listener story involving therapy, emotional labour, and a partner who preferred the “easy” version of love, Tina examines the often unseen cost of people pleasing. She unpacks why setting bound...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore how meaningful change in therapy tends to happen, not through quick fixes or repeated venting, but through a practical and steady process that builds self-knowledge, supports nervous system regulation, and shifts daily patterns. The conversation reframes therapy as an ongoing practice of self-exploration. Patterns...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken sit down with Renad Albar , Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) at MindSpa Mental Health, to explore how culture, family dynamics, and early life experiences shape how we understand mental health. Renad shares how a high school career assessment redirected her path from architecture toward psychology, and how academic...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken continue their conversation on sustainable change with Phil Green, CSEP-CPT , founder of bodiesbyphil. Phil shares a practical framework for building strength and improving fitness in a way that lasts. Rather than chasing rapid transformation, he encourages starting smaller than expected, choosing movements you genuinely...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken sit down with Phil Green, CSEP-CPT , founder of bodiesbyphil, to explore how strength, structure, and community can shape not just fitness outcomes, but an entire life direction. Phil reflects on the personal turning point that led him into the fitness industry, and how what began as small backyard boot camps eventually g...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore how small moments can carry unexpected emotional weight, and how compassion often builds more connection than control ever could. A few degrees on a thermostat. A green dress with shifting expectations. An anniversary cake that feels “just fine” to one partner and deeply disappointing to the other. These everyday...

When children grow up and leave home, many couples find themselves facing an unexpected question: who are we now as partners? In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken sit down with registered psychotherapist, mental health speaker, and University of Ottawa professor Benslyne Avril to explore why many high-performing couples begin to feel disconnected once the pa...

What happens when setting a healthy boundary makes you look like the problem? In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore several “Am I the A**hole?” style scenarios where culture, grief, health, and family dynamics make it harder to know what is fair. Scenario 1: Privacy, Family, And Cultural Expectations A woman asks her family not to drop by her new cond...

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast , hosts Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken speak with business and mindset coach Maria Cherkasskaya about sustainable growth that feels aligned, not exhausting. Maria helps entrepreneurs move from clarity to execution, blending practical marketing systems with inner work that truly sticks. She explains why many founders don’t have a mindset issue, they often...

Separation can feel overwhelming, especially in the early weeks when emotions are high and practical decisions still need to be made. In Part 2 of this conversation on compassionate family law , Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken continue their discussion with family lawyer and mediator Jennifer Reynolds , exploring how thoughtful legal planning can help families create stability during separatio...