Why can it feel like there is such a disconnect between women who are mothers and those who aren't? How does our current social and cultural context contribute to mothering and parenthood feeling like such an isolating experience? Is there a better way forward?

Listen in as Nicole chats with Katelyn, a fellow Registered Clinical Counsellor, about all things related to mothering and parenting including fertility, reproductive justice, patriarchal gender roles, and the impacts of capitalism on the family unit.

Resources:

Motherhood by Sheila Heti: A novel exploring one woman's decision making process around motherhood

Revolution at Point Zero by Silvia Frederici: A collection of essays outlining the value of domestic work and the way capitalism works to minimize those contributions

Queering Reproductive Access by Michelle Tam: Resource for QTBIPOC folks navigating the reproductive journey

What are we missing out on by not accessing our creativity? How has our creativity as individuals and communities become blocked, and what do we do about it? What would connecting to our creativity change in our everyday lives?

Listen in as Nicole chats with Suvi about their experience using The Artist's Way, a book written by Julia Cameron, designed to help folks reconnect with their natural creativity. Learn about the ways the practices described in this help our brains clear out the clutter, allowing us to become reconnected with our core selves.

Resources:

Get your own copy of The Artist's Way.

A New York Times Review of The Artist's Way

Kait Ramsden, the dance instructor Suvi recommends

What does it take to see a creative project come to life? How has filmmaking and media creation changed in the last few years? How does it actually feel to work on a high-paced set?

Listen in as Nicole chats with Erica, who works in the film industry. Learn about how late-stage capitalism squeezes hardest where it hurts, trying to extract the most labour for its dollar. Explore how to stay connected to your own creative energy.

Resources:

Erica's podcast reco: Tales from the Stinky Dragon

Free Vancouver Public Library Digital Access to indie films (hot tip: most public libraries have a huge film collection you can borrow for free)

Learn about the use of propaganda during WW2. (I can't talk about propaganda without also mentioning Check my Ads, a nonprofit dedicated to stopping the spread of misinformation online.)

How are our feelings about alcohol evolving? Is it actually as bad for us as the media has portrayed? Why are Millenials and Gen-z more likely to explore sobriety? Where did our beliefs and behaviours around alcohol consumption come from?

Listen in as Nicole chats with Kady, a wine buyer in BC. They hit on alcohol consumption trends since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the impact of the economy, and the movement towards sober curiosity.

Resources:

New York Times The Daily Podcase episode: How Bad is Drinking Really? Hosts interview the author of the government of Canada report.

Government of Canada Report: Read the actual report that caused the media frenzy in the summer of 2023

Sober Babes Vancouver: A new movement in vancouver supporting alcohol free social connections and community

If you or your loved ones are strugging with substance use or alcohol consumption, please reach out for support.

Why are so many of us just feeling off? Why does it feel more and more difficult to feel like we can keep up with the pace of life? Listen in as Suki and Nicole discuss our nervous systems: how they work, and how we are impacted by unprocessed emotions.

Additional Resources:

The Change Triangle: A useful tool to reflect on what your are experiencing and help yourself learn to identify your emotions.

Why are women more likely to experience burnout and struggle with nervous system regulation? This book called 'Burnout' by Emily and Amelia Nagoski is an amazing resource.

If you're curious to learn more about what Nicole was discussing regarding Europatriarchal knowledge and the bias towards intellectualism both Sensuous Knowledge by Minna Salami and Descartes' Error by Antonio Damasio are great places to start.

If you want to learn more about savoring, Suki recommends giving this podcast called 'make the good times last' a listen.

Lastly, if you're looking for tools to help you downregulate our favourite free online yoga is by Yoga with Adriene.

What is up with this mushroom obsession? Are psychedelic treatments actually safe? How have our perceptions about substance use been shaped? Listen in as Suki and Nicole discuss all things mushrooms.

Resources:

Vice Video: The Media Lies about Drugs

Michael Pollan: How to Change your Mind

MAPS Canada: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

What Happens to an Octopus on MDMA

PSIP: Training for Therapists on Using Psychedelics In Treatment

Does ethical consumption even exist? How has the idea of sustainability been commodified? Is there a way to consume goods that can be aligned with our values? Listen in as Suki and Nicole discuss their thoughts and feelings on ethical consumption.

Resources:

First as Tragedy, then as Farce: Slavoj Zizek discussing charitable giving

Reclaiming Abundance under Capitalism: What does it look like when we move away from scarcity?

Is it ok to be wrong? Do we need to have an opinion on everything? What are the best ways to learn? How does all of this impact our sense of belonging? Listen in as Suki and Nicole discuss their thoughts and feelings on opinions.

Resources:

Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown: on developing the courage to stand alone

On Being Wrong by Kathryn Schultz: on learning from our errors (Ted Talk for those who want a quicker version)

Holy/Hurt Podcast: discusses spiritual trauma and the impact of recognizing the harm you have unintentionally inflicted while exploring how to repair relationships

Understand and access your core self to improve your ability to stay curious and open to learning new information. (From Internal Family Systems Therapy)

A podcast about mental health, wellness, and culture. Episodes dropping monthly.