How to be Okay (so that everything else doesn't have to be)

#016 - New Zealand-based Confidence & Clarity Coach Tash Pieterse (@tashtasticnz) opens up to us about her experience growing up in the Mormon church, her difficult decision to leave it and how she rebuilt her life after hitting rock bottom at 26 years old.  We bond over our experiences living inauthentically (and how the Universe ultimately made some decisions for us), building trust with ourselves, and when she knew she found her person. Be sure to  check out her website here.

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#015 -  Kirsty Baines is a Trauma-Informed Yoga teacher and training to become a Children and Young Person’s Well-being Practitioner. From alcohol to exercise bulimia, Kirsty sought okayness outside herself from many avenues after experiencing trauma at a young age. Today she shares with us her journey to find a sense of okayness within herself and how she is rejecting toxic positivity!

Check out Kirsty's instagram: here

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#014 - Today I sit down with host of the Stomp the Stigma Podcast, Alana Cooper. Alana lives with Borderline Personality Disorder, a mental health disorder that impacts the way you think and feel about yourself and others and can lead to intense mood swings, self-image issues and suicide ideation. Alana and I bond over our shared dysfunction with food and talk about our shared passion for authentic human connection!

Check out the Stomp the Stigma Podcast on Instagram, here 

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#013 - Today, my friend and fellow socially-minded business nerd, April Hoffort, and I are asking the hard questions found at the intersection of business, the environment and mental health: how do we as individuals navigate climate grief? How do we balance capitalism's innate need for profit with sustainability: both environmental sustainability and sustainable happiness? And WHY in fact, do we keep buying sh*t? We don't have all the answers but we aren't afraid to ask the hard questions. 

• Check out April's Rocky Mountain Rising instagram page, here 

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#012 - In her early 20's, Sophie Jones was a victim of human trafficking. Now a successful entrepreneur, business coach and breathwork healer, Sophie shares with us her journey returning to the  "burning building" of her past and the unexpectedness of what she found inside. 

• Check out Sophie on instagram here 
• Check out Sophie's website, Sacred Healing, here 

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#011 - With talk therapy and medications at the core of my mental health recovery for the last decade, my approach to mental health has always been largely...well, mental. In today's episode Dahlya Brown Shook helps me see why the body has a much larger role to play in mental wellness  than I realized.  Dahlya is a Brain Mastery Specialist whose approach to mental health spans well beyond the brain. From neuroplasticity to neuroprotective nutrition (think gut-brain connection); from movement therapy to sleep hygiene, Dahlya is working tirelessly to help people be okay from the inside-out, literally. 

• Check out Dahlya on instagram here 
• Check out Dahyla's website, Holistic Medical Healing, here 

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#010 - From estranged siblings to best friends and roomies through a global pandemic (the ultimate test of any relationship), this week's episode is the tale of two sisters and a classic case of over-functioning and under-functioning; of over-powering and under-communicating. From the unintended message we send when we try to fix our loved one's problems to that dreaded F-word (f-f-f-feedback), my sister, Sarah, and I share the biggest lessons we learned in the fight to save our relationship and show up as our most okay selves.

Resources Mentioned:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle 
• All things Brenee Brown 

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#009 - Today we sit down with BFRB Dogs Founder, Haley Sciola to discuss one of the most poorly understood, under-diagnosed and untreated disorders there is: body-focused repetitive behaviours, or BFRBs. An umbrella-term for hair pulling disorder, skin picking disorder and other compulsive self-grooming behaviours, BFRBs affect 1 in 20 people! But because they are often dismissed as bad habits, most suffer alone. Haley also talks to us about coming to the realization that she was in a codependent relationship, as well as living with PTSD, depression and suicidal thinking which ultimately led to her hospitalization. 

Resources mentioned: 

• The TLC Foundation for BFRBs website can be found here 
• Check out Haley's blog for the Canadian BFRB Support Network here
• Co-dependents Anonymous (CoDA) website can be found here 
• Follow BFRB Dogs on instagram here 

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#008: What if I told you that the part of yourself you've been trying to control/get rid of for years has all the answers you've ever looked for? In Episode 008  we take another deep dive - this time into how we got here (relying heavily on sources outside ourselves to be okay) from a nurture perspective. From how authentic we were allowed to be as children, to trauma and bullying, we all have parts of ourself that subconsciously (or consciously) don't make the cut into the curated version of ourselves we present to the world. This becomes increasingly uncomfortable so we look to numb the pain with our favourite vices. From drug and alcohol addiction to serial dating to eating disorders, our compulsions know us best.

Resources Mentioned: 

•  Gabor Mate - Authenticity vs. Attachment 
• The Power of Self to Heal Our Parts | Richard Schwartz
• The Gift of our Compulsions by Mary O'Malley 

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8

#007 - In a space often dominated by women, Cam Chomyn brings a refreshingly male perspective to the world of vulnerability and mental health.  From self-love and body image struggles to dating and his shitty roommate "depression", Cam offers us a hilarious and vulnerable look into the role that comedy has played in his life. English teacher by day, comedian and playwright by night and full-time "Nick Miller wannabe", you won't want to miss this honest conversation about the role of laughter in Cam's mental health journey.    

Music: Adventures by A Himitsu https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgFwu-j5-xNJml2FtTrrB3A Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music released by Argofox https://youtu.be/8BXNwnxaVQE Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8