Hi friends! In this episode, I chat with Edline about growing up as Asian Canadian women of Philippine descent. We chat about the struggles and stereotypes of growing up Filipino and the lack of diversity and the misrepresentation of Asians in media and conforming to Western culture.   

We also talk about how covid has affected the AAPI community, what we can do as people/allies/and society to make a change, educate ourselves and unlearn our racial biases. This is such a heavy topic and hits home for us. We don’t represent all Asians but we’re sharing our stories and experience to create conversation and raise awareness.  

Rest in Power to the victims of the Atlanta terrorist attack. To those who identify with the AAPI community, my heart reaches out to you. Take time to take care of your mental health and to heal if you are hurting.     

Resources:  

💐 Locals Fest “#StopAsianHate” blog: https://www.localsfestival.com/blog/stopasianhate (more resources here)   💐 https://stopaapihate.org

Thank you so much to my friend Josh for letting me use his beats. Find him on SoundCloud as Owa! 👀https://m.soundcloud.com/owa-ever. Stay updated with us on https://solo.to/SpeakUpErika! 🌸

Hi friends! We’re back with Part 2 of "Raising Mental Health Awareness" with my lovely friends Cruz and T. This series chats about all things mental health — from disorders to therapy, to how to get diagnosed, to the health care system.

In this episode, we chat about the Canadian health care system. We share our personal experiences of the healthcare system, self-diagnosis, misdiagnosis and how to get diagnosed for a mental health disorder.

Stay tuned for Part 3 in a few weeks as we'll be talking about therapy and sharing our experiences, the pros and cons of therapy and more. We are not experts but we hope that having these conversations and sharing our own experiences help educate others and help those who are feeling the way we are.

Thank you so much to Cruz + T for doing this series with me, for being amazing guests and for sharing their vulnerability and experiences with us. 💛 Support their creative work on Instagram!

Cruz 🌻

@vnyvc (https://www.instagram.com/vnyvc​)

@creatingstrongties (https://www.instagram.com/creatingstrongties)

T 🌻

@itsbbtea (https://www.instagram.com/itsbbtea​)

@loosefade (https://www.instagram.com/loosefade)

You are strong to ask for help. You are brave. You are loved.

Below are some resources for mental health.

Free therapy (people living in Ontario)

💐 MindBeacon https://info.mindbeacon.com​​

💐 Abiliti CBT https://myicbt.com​

💐 Friends of Ruby https://www.friendsofruby.ca

💐 Stella's Place https://stellasplace.ca

CAMH: 416 535-8501

GTA: 416-408-HELP (4357)

Peel: 905-459-7777

Mental Health Helpline: 1-866-531-2600

Canadian Mental Health Awareness resources: https://ontario.cmha.ca/provincial-mental-health-supports

Thank you so much to my friend Josh for letting me use his beats. Find him on SoundCloud as Owa! 👀 https://m.soundcloud.com/owa-ever. Stay updated with the "Speak Up Erika" podcast on https://solo.to/SpeakUpErika! 🌸

Hi friends! In today’s episode I speak with my friend Debbie from 3GL Consulting. We chat about abuse, mental health, and therapy. Debbie highlights the importance of raising awareness about the abuse of women, young girls and individuals during the pandemic. She also shares her advice on how to aid our mental health and how to help family and our loved ones during this time. 

Debbie is an author, counsellor, life coach, motivational speaker and business owner of 3GL Consulting, focusing on creating safe spaces. Thank you so much again Debbie for returning back to the podcast! I appreciate you so much for sharing your expertise and experience.

If you missed out on our first episode together, check out Ep.11 Bare Feet ft. Debbie, where she talks about her abduction story.

👼🏽Debbie’s website and services at https://3glconsulting.com. She’s currently offering 20% off her services and a student special.

👼🏽 Debbie’s book “Bare Feet” available on Amazon or her website. (https://www.amazon.ca/Bare-Feet-Debbie-Ali-ebook/dp/B0746PQ1VD)

National Domestic Violence Hotline – 24/7 Line: 1-800-799-7233

https://www.awhl.org, @assaulted_womens_helpline, 416-863-0511

https://womenshabitat.ca, @womenshabitat, 416-252-5829

https://www.samrazafar.com/resources

Thank you so much to my friend Josh for letting me use his beats. Find him on SoundCloud as Owa! 👀https://m.soundcloud.com/owa-ever. Stay updated with us on https://solo.to/SpeakUpErika! 🌸

Hi friends! In today's episode, we're starting a series with Cruz + T! This series is called "Raising Mental Health Awareness" and we'll be chatting about all things mental health – from disorders, to therapy, to how to get diagnosed, to the health care system.

In Part 1 we get to learn who Cruz and T are, chat about what mental health means to us, learn about their disorders and cry together. We also talk about how our mental health affects us as creatives.

Sending so much love and appreciation to Cruz + T for doing this series with me! Support their creative work on Instagram, Cruz @vnyvc (https://www.instagram.com/vnyvc​) & T @itsbbtea (https://www.instagram.com/itsbbtea​). Listen to the Creating Strong Ties podcast on YouTube, Deezer, Spotify, Apple Podcast (http://linktr.ee/creatingstrongties​).

We hope that having these conversations and sharing our own experiences helps educate others and help those who are feeling the way we are. You are strong to ask for help. You are beautiful. You are loved. Below are some mental health resources.

Free therapy (people living in Ontario)

💐 MindBeacon https://info.mindbeacon.com​​

💐 Abiliti CBT https://myicbt.com​​

GTA: 416-408-HELP (4357)

Peel: 905-459-7777

CAMH: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/cr...​

Toronto Crisis Lines (suicide, depression, phone support, non-crisis, mental health services):

https://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgeb​...

Canada National Mental Health Crisis Hotline – 1 (833) 456-4566

OR text “CONNECT” to 686868/74

Call Centres:

- Crisis Outreach And Support Team (COAST) – 1-877-825-9011 (24/7)

-Mental health helpline – 1-866-531-2600 www.mentalhealthhelpline.ca

- Drugs and Alcohol Helpline – 1-800-565-8603 www.drugandalcoholhelpline.ca

- ADAPT (Halton Alcohol, Drugs, Gambling) - 905-639-6537 ext. 0

Accessible & Affordable Therapy - Ontario

Access CAMH

Affordable Therapy Network of Toronto

Friends of Ruby

Halton Centre for Cognitive Therapy & Stress Reduction

Hard Feelings Mental Health

Ontario Psychological Association's Disaster Response

Stella's Place

Tangerine Walk-in Counselling

The Create Clinic

Women's College Hospital

Hi friends! In this episode, I chat with my friend Devanté about childhood experiences and the stigmas of mental health in men. We chat about the balance between feminine and masculine energies, how our childhood experiences shaped us into the people that we are today, and the relation between growing up and experiencing stigmas of men’s mental health.

Thank you so much Devanté (https://www.instagram.com/deveydgaf) for being a guest and fan of the podcast. I’m thrilled and this episode left me speechless and thinking. Thank you for sharing your experiences, emotional intelligence, and valuable insights.

Support his production company and continuous work creating safe spaces on Instagram at "Don't Give Away Your Future" Productions, @Producedbydgaf (https://www.instagram.com/producedbydgaf).

As Black History Month comes to an end, thank you to my amazing guests for being part of the podcast and allowing me to highlight the importance of mental health in black communities, amplifying melanated voices and sharing their stories.

Thank you so much to my friend Josh for letting me use his beats. Find him on SoundCloud as Owa! 👀 https://m.soundcloud.com/owa-ever. Stay updated with us on http://solo.to/speakuperika! 🌸

Hi friends! In this week’s episode, I chat with O’Neil about job hunting. We chat about his own experience in job hunting, the pressure of fitting into society and having immigrant parents and also what’s it’s like being a minority in the workplace.

Thank you so much O’Neil for being an awesome guest on the podcast and for being real and vulnerable with us. Check out his IG @oneilmurphs (instagram.com/oneilmurphs) for content on videography and cooking. Also check out @localsfestival (instagram.com/localsfestival) an online festival supporting locals and giving back to the community in a sustainable way.

In honour of celebrating black history month, I’ll be collaborating with some amazing people and amplifying melanated voices. Throughout the month we’ll be highlighting the importance of mental health in the black community through their stories.

Below are some resources for mental health.

Free therapy (people living in Ontario)

💐MindBeacon https://info.mindbeacon.com

💐Abiliti CBT https://myicbt.com/home

Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868

CAMH: 416 535-8501

GTA: 416-408-HELP (4357)

Peel: 905-459-7777

Thank you so much to my friend Josh for letting me use his beats. Find him on SoundCloud as Owa! 👀 https://m.soundcloud.com/owa-ever. Stay updated with us on https://linktr.ee/SpeakUpErika! 🌸

Hi friends! In this week’s episode, I chat with Sabriya about mental health. We chat about her own mental health journey, the importance of chatting about the gray area when it comes to suicide and also the barriers with receiving therapy.

We have a lil longer episode but such valuable information and thoughts from the lovely Sabriya. Thank you so much for being vulnerable and strong for sharing your experience and for being a voice about very important topics that aren’t always talked about. Feel free to connect with Sabriya on Instagram @Sabriyuh (https://www.instagram.com/sabriyuh). 

In honour of celebrating black history month, I’ll be collaborating with some amazing people and amplifying melanated voices. Throughout the month we’ll be highlighting the importance of mental health in the black community through their stories.

Below are some resources for mental health.

Free therapy (people living in Ontario)

💐MindBeacon https://info.mindbeacon.com

💐Abiliti CBT https://myicbt.com/home

GTA: 416-408-HELP (4357)

Toronto Crisis Lines (suicide, depression, phone support, non-crisis, mental health services): https://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/kb/docs/articles/311-toronto/information-and-business-development/crisis-lines-suicide-depression-telephone-support-lines-non-crisis-mental-health-services.html

Instagram links from Sabriya’s posts:

Thank you so much to my friend Josh for letting me use his beats. Find him on SoundCloud as Owa! 👀https://m.soundcloud.com/owa-ever. Stay updated with us on https://linktr.ee/SpeakUpErika! 🌸

Hi friends! In this episode, I chat with my regular guest Mango about crying. We chat about why we think it’s appropriate to cry or not cry in certain situations, reasons of why we think we cry and the stigma behind women and men crying.

Thank you, Mango, for being an amazing guest as always. Stay tuned for future episodes together. I hope you enjoy this episode and relate in some way.

In honour of celebrating black history month, I’ll be collaborating with some amazing people and sharing black voices. Throughout the month we’ll be highlighting the importance of mental health in the BIPOC community through their stories.

Thank you so much to my friend Josh for letting me use his beats. Find him on SoundCloud as Owa! 👀 https://m.soundcloud.com/owa-ever. Stay updated with me on https://linktr.ee/SpeakUpErika! 🌸

Hi friends! In this week's episode I had the pleasure of chatting with my friend Sara about diabetes. Sara shares her experience when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, how she handles her diabetes day-to-day and misconceptions of people living with diabetes.   

Thank you so much Sara for being such an amazing guest and for educating myself and others about diabetes. This episode really opened my eyes about the hardships of people with diabetes and that they're warriors!!!   Be sure to support Sara's business Diawear on Instagram as @wearediawear and connect with her if you're looking for more information about diabetes.   

Resources for diabetes information: 

JDRF: https://www.jdrf.ca (charity committed to finding a cure for diabetes) 

Diawear: https://www.instagram.com/wearediawear (fashionable dresses for people living with diabetes)  

Myabetic: https://www.myabetic.com (stylish diabetes accessories)

Hi friends! In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with my friend Phoebe about motherhood. We chat about her journey of being a young mother, going through societal pressures and tips for moms in school. Thanks so much Mama P for sharing your experience with us! Shout out to being a rockstar mom and killing it and to all the moms out there. 

Thank you so much to my friend Josh for letting me use his beats. Find him on SoundCloud as Owa! 👀 https://m.soundcloud.com/owa-ever. Stay updated with me on https://linktr.ee/SpeakUpErika! 🌸