Join the conversation with Freedom To Know Wellness in Season 2, Episode 1—an episode honouring Black Maternal Health Week, April 11–17. Hear one Black woman's powerful journey navigating chronic pain and maternal care within the Canadian healthcare system. She represents many Black women and Women of Colour who face a system often marked by neglect and medical gaslighting. A system built on biased standards—rooted in comparisons based on the race and gender of its original, dominant population.

Black Maternal Health Week, "Emphasizes the power of Black-led perinatal, maternal, and reproductive health organizations to drive systemic change and foster community healing." Quote by Black Mamas Matter.

For references and other important content listed in this episode, continue this episode's conversation on our Freedom To Know Wellnes Substack Blog

🎙️ Freedom To Know Wellness is available on all major Podcast platforms.

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🎵 Music: Hold You

Artist: Q-Black

Soundcloud

*Music rights owned by Freedom To Know Wellness*

Timestamp

0:00 FTKWellness Intro

0:56 Facts On Black Maternal Health

2:27 Interview (Intro on Guest: Efia)

5:42 Chronic Pain, Advocacy, Medical Gaslighting, Care, & Women of Colour

35:48 Anxiety and Silencing: Managing the Medical System 

40:55 TTC/Pregnancy/ Chronic Pain/ Medical System & Race

48:47 Race & Medical System - Reference Intervals (RIs)

56:20 Black-led OB, Birth Mortality Rates,  Maternal Collective Care 

01:14:06 Partners Genes Impacting Pregnancy

01:17:12 Post-Partum Healing with Chronic Pain 

This title may seem sombre— “Alive Traumatic Births…” Urgh, depressing! But don't fear. My guest, Allison Wylie, will inform and expand your understanding of their birth trauma, infertility and IVF journey while giving you some humour within their traumatic and extensive experience of obtaining their two children.

S1: Episode 14 Transcription

*Viewer Discretion is Advised*

Aisha shares her journey managing Pelvic Reproductive pain, enduring medical gaslighting and her struggle in search of a gynecologist and pelvic floor therapist to treat her. Aisha's chronic pain began as a teenager-- impacting her quality of life. Despite living with chronic- even debilitating pain, she went on to be a professional dancer and a Reiki Master using this technique to help manage her pain. Aisha trained at GTA Reiki, in Markham, Ontario.

*VIEWERS' DISCRETION IS ADVISED*

This is the final episode from our highlight series Seniors Voices, 2024 year. Join FTKWellness as we discuss the benefits of Medical Cannabis for PTSD and seniors' health with the owner of Bayview Concierge- an online health, home, legal and finances resource for seniors, and the podcast, Let’s Talk Cannabis, Sherry Bennet. Sherry shares her journey to using cannabis to manage her PTSD and physical pain issues and the historical atrocities that helped lead to the criminalization of cannabis in Canada.

*Podcast interview is Closed Caption*

Episode Resources: ⁠Resources Listed in Podcast⁠:

Seniors Voices Resources: ⁠FTKWellness’s Seniors Voices Resources⁠

📰 ⁠Freedom To Know Wellness Substack Blog⁠ 

Host: ⁠Michelle Samuels (Instagram) ⁠

💰 ⁠Support Freedom To Know Wellness⁠

🎵 Music: Hold You

Artist: Q-Black ⁠Soundcloud⁠

**Music rights owned by Freedom To Know Wellness**

Timestamp

00:00 Prologue

00:23 Intro & Warnings

00:56 Interview

02:09 Bayview Concierge Services 

10:49 Sherry’s Story

24:16 Pain/PTSD Marijuana Benefits 

1:02:18  Suggestions For Seniors

1:04:00 PTSD Survivor Suggestions

1:07:23 Sherry’s Contact Info

1:09:26 Racist History: Marijuana Laws

1:12:59 Endocannabinoid System & Benefits

#PTSD  #chronicpain  #cannabiseducation #medicalcannabis #cannabistalk101 #cannabisbenefits #pensioners #seniors #seniorsmatter #cancer #fibromyalgia #arthritis #ms #multiplesclerosis #autoimmunedisease  #anxiety #anxietydisordertreatment #psilocybin #treatment #psychodelictherapy

Welcome to Freedom To Know Wellness’s, Seniors Voices, episode 3 with guest Linda. We continue this series with Linda, a retired Production Manager from the Canadian theatre company Famous People Players #disabilityinarts, as she shares about her disability due to a car accident that caused a spinal injury and her life now as a disabled senior using an accessible wheelchair managing post-injury cognitive impairment. In late 2021, Linda's wheelchair broke down and she couldn't afford to fix it. Linda shares her experience, but due to her cognitive impairment, certain important details surrounding fixing her wheelchair were left out. Listen until the end as I share the missing details of her lengthy journey to reclaim her electric wheelchair.

Seniors Voices is an FTKWellness highlight series featuring seniors with different disabilities, telling their life stories transitioning from government disability to government pension and resources that can help others who have already transitioned or will be transitioning from disability to pension. 

For resources listed in this series see Freedom To Know Wellness's Seniors Voices Resources 

https://freedomtoknowwellness.substack.com/p/seniors-voices-podcast-seniors-resources

Woodgreen Meals on Wheels

https://www.woodgreen.org/programs/meals-on-wheels

Woodgreen Seniors Day Program

https://www.woodgreen.org/programs/seniors-day-programs

Podcast Transcript

"Seniors Voices" is Sponsored by Digital Main Street R.A.I.S.E Grant @digitalmainstreet8974  

📰 Freedom To Know Wellness Substack Blog:  https://freedomtoknowwellness.substack.com/

💰 Support Freedom To Know Wellness

🎵 Music: Hold You Artist: Q-Black 

Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/o2WJMeTNBKFNHuGz8

**Music rights owned by Freedom To Know Wellness**

Timestamp

00:00 Sponsorship

00:10 Alert: Format Change 

00:45 Introduction - Seniors Voices

03:38 Advisory Warning

04:08 Linda’s Story

04:33 Working in Theatre

06:00 The Car Accident - Disability

09:22 Creative Careers w/ Disability

12:40 Life as a Senior w/ Disability

19:00 Seniors Activity Programs

23:46 Food Services + Financial Planning

27:27 Wheelchair Fix Story

36:19 Words of Advice

38:04 Linda’s Real Wheelchair Fix Story

40:20 Next Episode / Conclusion

#seniors  #disabilityinclusion #pensioners #accessibility #affordablehousing #pensioners  #canadiangovernment #ontario #toronto  #hardshipfund #OliviaChow #accessibledevices #supportseniors #devicefund

Welcome to Freedom To Know Wellness’s “Seniors Voices” episode 2 with guest, Robert. In episode 2, Robert shares his life as a senior using accessibility devices due to conditions like COPD and diabetes- to name a few, and his activism to make the Canadian government aware of the needs of seniors and people with disability.

Freedom To Know Wellness's “Seniors Voices” are stories, shared without being interviewed- by individuals managing various disabilities and medical conditions, telling the difficulties they faced transitioning from government disability to Canadian pension, the frustration and financial hardship they encounter now without disability support- yet the various great support they discovered during their process to provide some aid. But the journey and the needs continue.

FTKWellness provides listeners with an online resource for seniors, sharing the support services shared in these interviews and more. Click the ⁠link⁠ for details.

NOTE: The current online resources only cover the province of Ontario with a focus on the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

📰 Freedom To Know Wellness Substack Blog: https://freedomtoknowwellness.substack.com/

The Freedom To Know Wellness podcast interviewed Meghan French @thefaithfulfibromyalgiawarrior  last year, discussing her healing journey from debilitating Fibromyalgia pain using the controversial Carnivore Diet. It's been 6 months since that interview to this recording, and to see her improvement and mobility are beyond remarkable.

Episode Transcript

Time Stamp

00:00 Intro

01:02 Interview: Update

32:08 Pain Reduction + Overcome Fear of Movement 

44:25 Transitioning + Gut Rot

49:24 Blood Type + Carnivore Diet

51:22 Remain Disciplined

57:09 Conclusion + Update Post Interview

Risa Corbett battled lung failure caused by a life-threatening rare ARDS Lung condition due to Streptococcus pneumonia. An experience that caused a Near Death Experience (NDE) and created debilitating Fibromyalgia. Risa shares how she advocated, fought for and spearheaded an unheard-of surgery that healed her conditions, giving her a new view and lease on life.

Risa is eager to help others going through similar struggles. Connect with Risa via email or on social media.

CONNECT with FREEDOM TO KNOW WELLNESS

Episode 7 ⁠Transcription⁠

TimeStamp

Managing multiple sclerosis alone is difficult enough, with its vast debilitating symptoms. But when this condition is compounded with other chronic pain and/or complex medical conditions like Fibromyalgia, it makes the wellness journey even more difficult. Watch on Freedom To Know Wellness to Dale's inspirational journey of perseverance in managing severe MS with Fibromyalgia.

⁠Episode Transcription