Rae McDaniel discusses gender identity, exploration, expression, AND freedom and how your mental health is overwhelmingly better when you can authentically be yourself. We also discuss TV shows like Pose, Sense8, The Politician, and Mae Martin’s Feel Good that include or showcase stories of transgender and non-binary individuals and explore the impact of that representation.

In 2017, Canadian director Lindsay MacKay had a brain aneurysm that almost killed her. She joins us today to talk about that experience, the warning signs that can happen (but sometimes don’t), and what the aftermath and recovery were like.

Nafisa Moallim, a therapist and Registered Social Worker with a Clinical Master of Social Work, joins us to talk about immigration and bicultural identity as well as discuss the CBC Gem Original, virgins!

This episode discusses the long road to our guest Rach Idowu’s ADHD diagnosis, the impact of ADHD stigmas on getting the help you need, and the representation of ADHD in films like Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Today’s episode explores diabetes with Krista Lamb, who recently released her book ‘Beyond Banting: Decoding Canada’s Diabetes Research Superstars.’ We discuss stigmas, the impact of diabetes on mental health, and the impact of representation in films like Turning Red and series like The Baby-Sitters Club.

We dive into the world of autism with Ava Xiao-Lin Rigelhaupt, a writer, actress, and consultant/advocate. We discussed autism diagnosis, stigmas, and autism representation in television shows such as As We See It and Everything’s Gonna Be Okay.

Respectability alum and film person, Michael J. Dougherty, talks with us about Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus and disability representation in Guillermo del Toro films such as The Devil’s Backbone and The Shape of Water.

ER doctor, Dr. Shazma Mithani, joins us to discuss emergency medicine, medical misinformation, and which TV series portrays the ER in the most accurate way – is it Grey’s Anatomy? House? ER? Scrubs? Listen on to find out!

Our guest, writer and actor, Graham Kent, joins us to talk about his experience with Tourette Syndrome, how it presents, and why he thinks Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn is the best portrayal of Tourette Syndrome he’s seen on screen!

Diana Elizabeth Jordan discusses her experience with cerebral palsy, some of the common stigmas associated with her disability, and what the representation of cerebral palsy on shows like Special and Speechless meant to her.

Jenna and the system of alters (together known as the Gianu System) join us today to talk about Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID. We discuss what dissociation is, how identities and ego states exist, and how alters can hold different parts of trauma.

Michelle Asgarali, a Disabled Creative Producer and Advocate and Story Producer on the new CBC docuseries PUSH, discusses disability representation and the stigmas and tropes that impact the disability community on and off the screen.

Registered psychologist Lauren Groves discusses weight stigma, diet culture, and the impact of fat representation in TV shows like Shrill and Rutherford Falls.

Historian Vaughn Joy discusses her research on the impact of Christmas movies, how the government influenced the cultural sector in the nuclear age, and how those ramifications are still having ripple effects today.

Per Alm, a neuroscience researcher, and Maya Chupkov, the host and creator of the podcast Proud Stutter, discuss background factors that can affect whether or not you stutter, the impact of neurological mechanisms underlying stuttering, and how stuttering can affect your day-to-day life.

Disabled educator, speaker, and creator, Erin Ryan Heyneman, joins us to talk about Multiple Sclerosis. We discuss how MS presents, the impact of her diagnosis as a teenager, how a major flair-up and its aftermath affected her life, and the importance of disability representation.

Filmmaker Guylaine Maroist goes in depth about misogyny, the topic of her film BACKLASH: MISOGYNY IN THE DIGITAL AGE. We also talk about the importance of education in combating this growing phenomenon.

Horror film writer and cognitive behavior therapist, Mo Moshaty, joins us to talk about the intersection between trauma and horror films. We discuss her own experiences with trauma and how horror films can use and misuse traumatic experiences for chills and thrills.

Producer and mental health nurse, Jenny Ng-Turner, deep-dives into addiction and substance abuse. We’ll discuss warning signs, triggers, stigmas, the value of having the right support systems in place, and where you can go for help.

Dr. Kathryn Wood joins us today to talk about rural medicine and the impact lack of medical access can have on both patients and physicians. She details what it’s like to work in the Peace River area in Northern Alberta, the impact on the mental health of doctors and patients, how she chose the path of rural medicine, and what she’d love medical shows to get right about remote medicine.