Traci and Sydney talk about becoming aware of mental health issues as adults, generational and community conversations relating to mental health, regulating and understanding emotions, complex PTSD, anxiety, eating disorders, depression, working in mental health, somatic experiencing, grounding, medication intolerance, the importance of acknowledging and understanding physiological dysregulation, positives that come out of the difficult journey, self-compassion, speaking through metaphor and accessible language, giving yourself permission to rest, working with your nervous system or against it, “othered culture”, interdependence, learning about yourself through relationships, hope, disassociation, using alcohol and drugs for fun vs to escape, family, the legalization of cannabis, and looking for love.

Interspersed throughout the discussion are a few performances of original works by these artists, with poetry from Traci and music from Sydney.

Content/Trigger Warnings include language, eating disorders, suicide, death/grief, car accident resulting in serious injury, disassociation, sexual violence, substance use/abuse, alcoholism and domestic violence.

Genevieve and Vanessa talk about struggles with sincerity, coping through comedy, the effect of seeing more people open up about mental health, ADHD, therapy, being an oversharer, difficulty getting an autism diagnosis as an adult, self-diagnosing, anxiety, finding the right balance of being around people vs being alone, depression, creating a degree of separation when performing, the positives of neurodiversity, and the importance of laughter.

Partway through, Genevieve and Vanessa take a break from their discussion to perform a couple comedy bits.

Content/Trigger Warnings include language, suicidal ideation and alcohol use.

Carla and Dara talk about finding the right time to explore mental health in art, using different creative outlets to cope, alternative therapy methods, determining the best ways to work on mental health and how that is different for each individual, significant life changes, difficulty finding hope in dark times, pressure for women to keep emotions in check and to not be seen as overly emotional, societal perceptions and expectations of women, different writing methods/processes, reflecting on progress, and finding the freedom to be yourself.

Throughout their discussion, Dara and Carla also share some of their music and poetry.

Content/Trigger Warnings include trauma, sexual assault and disordered eating.

Shelynn and David talk about recognizing mental health issues as an adult, anxiety, depression, family dynamics, positive supports, dealing with panic attacks, chronic fatigue and insomnia, taking a break to deal with health, grieving the loss of certain activities, imposter syndrome, experiences with medication, living with OCD, art being a therapeutic place, feeling like a burden, the struggles of parenting, finding coping techniques, the importance of communication, societal perception of physical appearance and its effect, level of comfort with performance, and finding someone to help advocate for you.

Shelynn and David also play some acoustic versions of a couple of Femme Fragile’s songs.

Content/Trigger Warnings include language, child abandonment, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, plastic surgery, panic attacks, grief/death and extreme spiritual approaches to mental health.

Erik and Lexy talk about mental health in the music industry, opening up with music, feeling your emotions and finding outlets for release, navigating hectic environments, the importance of sleep, living with pets, balancing social media and art, getting involved in community through music, exercise benefits for overthinkers, developing a healthy relationship with substance, anxiety and stress, highs and lows, and advice for young artists. 

Erik and Lexy also give us a taste of their music as they wrap up their discussion.

Content/Trigger Warnings include substance use.

Cat and Roxie talk about their diagnoses (depression, anxiety, ADHD, BPD, OCD), the importance of talking openly about mental health, meeting with doctors when first seeking help, rejection sensitivity, outside perception, escapism, importance of validation, writing as an outlet, burn out, loss, effects of the pandemic, trying to find the right medications, side effects, differentiating between illness & self, support systems, tools they have found helpful, and panic attacks.

Interspersed throughout the discussion are a few performances relating to the mental health journeys of these artists, with Cat sharing poetry and Roxie playing some acoustic songs.

Content/Trigger Warnings include language, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, self-harm, death/grief, and panic attacks.