Pardon our much needed hiatus! That's right, we're back again and serving you, the viewers and listeners, with a reboot of Pardon My Mind (yes, still with your candid duo, Rachel and Hiiro)!

With a new bi-weekly format starting this episode, we're thrilled to share what we've been up to in 2024 and what 2025 looks like for the podcast!

Our focus will remain squarely on mental health, exploring it through our own perspectives as well as the insights of our upcoming guests. Tune in for key takeaways and actionable lessons shared on the podcast, along with reflections on recent lived experiences—each shaping the way we envision the future of the show.

Rachel gives herself grace for her health anxiety, while Hiiro offers the same compassion to his struggles with AUDHD and anxiety, working to set healthier personal boundaries for his mind in 2025.

Happy New Year and join us while we Pardon our Minds!

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Are you listening, or are you already commenting? We chat about how comments and opinions are put on a pedestal. These days, the narrative in the digital world has already been formed before the actual narrator has had the chance to be fully listened to. Are folx reacting poorly based on woke exhaustion? And, is there a lack of emotional availability because of this, which leads to more closed-off people who have lost their superpowers of vulnerability and transparency?

Some heavy-hitter topics are discussed in this episode. We deeply appreciate your support and if you subscribe to our channel, we might even get a little verklempt. ;)

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In this episode of Pardon My Mind, Rachel shares her struggles with being addicted to suffering, while Hiiro reflects on his deep-rooted complex of being forgotten and forgetting anything in general. How are these concepts presented in our lives, and what began these behavioural patterns and ultimately may impact the future? Can you relate?

LINKS:
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And just like that...

Wait... wrong show!

Hello and from the 🧠 🧠 of Rachel and Hiiro, we welcome you back to PMM! It's been a hot Summer and we're ready to deep dive into discussions about real life and all things mental health, and then some.

We try to get to the point (you'll see what we mean when you start listening...), as Rachel opens up about her new realizations on life and anxiety and Hiiro speaks of his 'advocacy fatigue', as he continues to navigate society post formal diagnosis with mild autism and ADHD.

Let's have a Kiki, shall we?

LINKS:
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Instagram - @pardonmymindpod
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Get ready to sit down and absorb the many intriguing stories that Jeremie Jalapeno (nee Drainville) has to impart to us, ranging from how he started the infamous Men in Tubs calendar to his "trip" (pun INtended) in Peru.

Jeremie “Jalapeno” hails from Gatineau, Quebec and currently resides in Nelson, BC. His love for snowboarding brought him to BC. At the end of the 2014, he fractured his left kneecap snowboarding in a competition, which led him to discover his love of taking photos and for discovering what his mind was capable of while his body was healing.

A portion of every Men in Tubs calendar sold is donated to organizations that help support mental health. Jeremie's mission is to create a world of vulnerability and connection through artistic human experiences. And with our podcast centred around finding strength through vulnerability, it was a perfect match for a great convo!

Jeremie's Links:
Instagram
Website

Pardon My Mind Links:
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Facebook
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Check out Part 1 with Alice on Episode 78! We're so inspired by their transformation and how far they've come!

We caught up with Canada's ONLY professional drag wrestler, Alice Starr, who appeared on the pod last year as they were breaking into the world of wrestling through drag! Since our last chat, Alice has become one of the main stars on the Canadian reality TV series, Drag Heals, which follows the journeys of Queer folx, as they learn how to embody themselves as drag artists!

Alice and their partner were also expecting their first born son the last time we spoke, and Alice opens up about being a new parent! We have a very open dialog about unconscious bias and how humans are naturally programmed to categorize or label. This develops into a bigger conversation regarding the way society views humanity within the roles of gender, sexuality, lifestyles and ethics.

You can experience the grand slam that is Alice Starr on Drag Heals Season 3, now streaming on OUTtv or wherever you have access to the network.

Alice's Links:
Instagram (@officialalicestarr)
Drag Heals on OUTtv

Pardon My Mind Links:
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Facebook (@pardonmymindpod)
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We are fortunate to be joined by Tobias Picker, who has drawn commissions from and performances by the world’s leading musicians, orchestras, and opera houses! Tobias, is known for his scores behind many operas, including his most recent adaptation of the iconic non-fiction book, Awakenings, by Oliver Sacks. You may recall the famous movie adaptation from the 90's with Robert De Niro and Robin Williams, which recounts the life histories of those who had been victims of the 1920s encephalitis lethargica epidemic (aka "sleeping sickness") and where Olive Sacks chronicles his efforts in the late 1960s to help these patients.

Tobias opens up about his long-time friendship with Oliver Sacks, as well as  the challenges he faced growing up with Tourette syndrome, sexuality, arts and self expression, while finding his way through his exceptional career. We chat about our common thread of being Jewish and Tobias' interest civil and political rights in the US.

"I live my life controlled by Tourette's... but I use music to control it. I have harnessed its energy—I play with it, manipulate it, trick it, mimic it, taunt it, explore it, exploit it, in every possible way." - Tobias Picker

You can catch the East Coast premiere of Awakenings, on February 25th, 2023 at The Huntington Theatre in Boston, which is the Odyssey Opera in partnership with Boston Modern Orchestra.

Tobias' Links:
Website
Awakenings Tickets

Pardon My Mind Links:
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Facebook (@pardonmymindpod)
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In this episode, we chat about turning your mental health challenges into your own, personal superpowers! Also, as we approach another year older, how does our mental health get affected by our birthdays??

Pardon My Mind Links:
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"Expectation is the mother of all frustration." - Antonio Banderas

How do "resolutions" affect our mental health?

Pardon My Mind Links:
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*Magdalena joins the conversation at the 16 minute mark.*

Magdalena is a storyteller through the mediums of photography, filmmaking and storytelling. She is an artist who is not afraid show the authentic, raw and beautiful messiness of being human. Her subject matter has ranged throughout the years, from skate culture, the heavy metal music scene, A-list celebrities, editorials, and more recently diverse groups of people in diverse settings and the archival of her muse, her late mother.

She is the true definition of a BOSS WOMAN and her raw and uncensored way of opening up to us truly embodies what our podcast is at the core: vulnerable, raw, candid dialogues with folx not concerned about going to “those places”.

**This is our last episode as “Getting Jewcy”, as we’ll be rebranding in the New Year with a new name and slightly different episode structure, but… with the same approach, content, and of course with your same beloved hosts!

We thank all of our supporters over the last couple of years! We look forward to bringing you more discussions surrounding mental health, with a fresh mindset.

Magdalena's Links:
Instagram (@magdawosinskastudio)
Website

Pardon My Mind Links:
YouTube
Instagram (@pardonmymindpod)
Facebook (@pardonmymindpod)
Website