Culture Meets Wellness

In this week's episode, we are joined by Snjezana Pruginic and Rebeckah Price, who are the co-founders of The Well Collective, which is a community-focused wellness pop-up in Toronto that features classes led by various BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of colour) wellness practitioners. During this episode, we discuss each of their wellness journeys, the different ways that wellness can look in different cultures, their thoughts on cultural appropriation and honouring the roots of cultural healing practices, their views on the common assumption that 'wellness isn't for us', the importance of approaching wellness from a community perspective, and why they chose to create The Well Collective. We also discuss lessons that we can all learn from COVID-19 as it relates to the importance of community & the current state of our world. To learn more about Snjezana & Rebeckah, check out their website at the following link: https://www.decolonizingwellnessto.com/. 

In the wake of COVID-19 and social distancing, the importance of self-care and wellness is undeniable. In this week's episode, we invite special guest Chantée Dardaine, who is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) to give us her best advice on how to cope with uncertainty, anxiety, and fear during COVID-19. During our discussion, we also discuss her Caribbean background, the need for culturally adapted therapy, why she founded her own private practice 'Self Care TO', and the importance of viewing wellness and self-care as preventative tools.

To learn more about Chantée and her work, visit her instagram page @selfcareTO and her website https://selfcareto.com/. 

NOTE: there was an issue with the mic which caused some background noise for the first 8 minutes or so of the podcast. At the 9 minute mark the issue was resolved. My apologies for the inconvenience and I hope you can all understand!

During this episode, we talk to Fatima Alk, who was born and raised in Canada, but ethnically, is half Algerian and half Lebanese. Our chat includes an in-depth discussion about being raised by immigrant parents, the sacrifice that our parents made to provide us with the best opportunities, and understanding the tough reality behind why they made the decisions that they did & may not have prioritized wellness. We also discuss Fatima's experience with wellness activities and her interest in trying yoga. 

This week, we are joined by Ali Arbeau, who is a yoga teacher who was born in China, but was adopted and grew up in Canada. During this episode, we discuss the reason why Ali decided to become a yoga teacher; how we have both been impacted by the lack of representation in the makeup, film, and yoga industries; Ali's experience with being adopted and raised by white parents; and lastly, Ali's thoughts on why wellness and mental health do not appear to be prioritized by immigrants and people of colour. 

In this week's episode of the Anona Wellness podcast, we are joined by Adrienne Corea, who was born and raised in Canada, but whose parents are both from Nicaragua. During this episode, we talk about her transition into motherhood, the way wellness was viewed in her household growing up, how her idea of wellness has changed since having her first child, and the various activities that she partakes in.

In this week's episode of the Anona Wellness Podcast, we are joined by Monadi Nasir, who is a personal trainer with a strong passion for emotional intelligence and mental health. She was born and raised in Canada, but ethnically, is from Bangladesh. During our discussion, we talk about feeling lost after university, how she eventually found her passion in personal training, her struggle to accept her cultural background, how our circumstances shape us & our mental health, and how poetry, therapy, hypnotherapy, & meditation have played a role in her wellness journey. To follow along with Monadi, check out her instagram page, @monadifitness.

In this week's episode of the Anona Wellness Podcast, we are joined by Marlee Laratte, who is originally from Haiti. During our discussion, we talk about her interests and career ambitions, her journey from Haiti to Canada, the stigma surrounding mental health within her culture, and the different wellness activities that she participates in, as well as the ones that she would like to try. 

We are so excited to share our discussion with Vladimir Jean-Gilles, who is a Haitian film critic and lifestyle blogger based in Ottawa. During our chat, we discuss how he went from reviewing films on Snapchat to walking the red carpet in LA, his experience with burnout & how it helped him find wellness, his thoughts on the mental health stigma & intergenerational trauma within the black community, and how therapy has helped him pinpoint the various areas he needs to work on. 

In this episode, we are joined by Javed Nasir, who was born in Bangladesh and came to Canada when he was 4 years old. During our discussion, we talk about how Javed became a User Experience Designer, the benefits and drawbacks associated with being a first-generation immigrant, his thoughts on the importance of wellness & emotional intelligence for men, people of colour, and immigrants (including how therapy, journalling, and yoga fit into that), and his criticisms of the yoga industry. 

This week, we are joined by Priymedh Kulkarni, who was born in India and moved to Canada when he was 3 years old. During our hilarious discussion, we talk about how Priymedh's goals and ambitions have changed throughout his life, the struggles associated with balancing South Asian and Western values, the wellness activities that he partakes in, and the ones he is looking to try (and reasons why he hasn't tried them yet). 

Make sure to tune in, because it's a good one!