Lady Lucia (Activist, Performer, Sex Worker) was raised Buddhist and majored in Gender and Women's studies. Her identity was defined by activism, particularly Climate Justice, and to fund a trip to Germany (as a delegate at the UN Climate Talks) she started exotic dancing--though she had never been in a strip club previously. At the same time, she was burning out from her activism work and experienced a mental breakdown. How did she found empowerment in sex work and burlesque dancing? Listen to this episode! It's a GREAT one and sex work NEEDS to be talked about!
We also discuss
her first time having sex for money,
idealism + disillusionment,
spirituality + witchcraft,
sugar-daddying,
animal liberation,
FOSTA,
sex work stigma and decriminalization,
existential depression,
eating disorders,
general anxiety disorder,
looking outside of capitalism for liberation,
and SO much more!
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
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Instagram: @feelinweirdpod
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Sabrina Benaim (poet/writer) explains how finding a squash-ball-sized tumor in her twenties led to her vocalizing her feelings and mental health struggles through slam poetry. Her first mental breakdown was in tenth grade, but she wasn't diagnosed until she was 24. When she was a kid, she felt like a weirdo, and learned to not talk about her feelings, but now she tours the world, sharing her poems with audiences, breaking down stigma and spreading awareness of mental health. Sabrina and I alternate between laughter and seriousness in this wonderful episode!
We also talk about:
writing as catharsis/therapy,
travelling with mental illness,
depression + anxiety,
panic attacks,
isolation,
positive social media,
dance as therapy,
spirituality + meditation + tarot cards,
synchronicities,
John Mayer,
powerful films,
and MUCH more!
Sabrina is the author of Depression and Other Magic Tricks and can be found on instagram @badass_sab
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
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Instagram: @feelinweirdpod
Facebook: @feelinweird
BONUS episode! I talk about my tumultuous + toxic love affair with cocaine and what eventually led to a suicide attempt last September. Though suicide is often seen as purely negative, I found this experience to be life-changing and I think it needed to happen to me.
This is not a 'typical' episode because, as you see in the title, I interviewed myself. I thought it would be a funny way to talk about something fairly "heavy". I don't know if it ended up being funny at all... But I think the episode is still very interesting--though I'm very nervous to share it. People open up to me (and thousands of strangers who listen to Feelin Weird) every week about things that scare them, and 75% of guests (not a mathematician...) feel VERY nervous about doing it and are often hesitant to even share their stories, so I think it's important for me to share my WEIRD things as well (so I know what it's like). In my opinion, it's VERY important to talk about suicide (ideations, attempts, and just suicide in general) and I'm happy to share my experience.
TRIGGER WARNING: I talk about suicide, drugs and cutting myself--also, there is mention of blood. Please be cautious if any of those things trigger you! I honestly don't find these things hard to listen to--I LOVE HEARING THESE STORIES--but I know everyone is different.
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
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Instagram: @feelinweirdpod
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Part two of Raj's story. This episode features Raj's journey back to India where his grandfather left in the 1940s (to come to Canada for a better life for him and his children) in order to stop using heroin and find peace in his life. HE traveled to a place called Rishikesh, a place where pilgrims and people from all over the world have been going to for thousands of years for spiritual clarity. When Raj was younger, he was told by a doctor that he'd be on anti-depressants for the rest of his life, but hear how eastern spirituality, philosophy and embracing his familial culture proved that wrong. In the last half of the interview, he also talks about the documentary he's currently making regarding his addiction, relapse, and recovery.
Raj also talks about
the importance of relapse in his journey;
yoga (but not the western lululemon type);
life, death and the illusion of time;
the importance of suboxone for his recovery;
stigma of drug users in the south-asian community;
what 'success' means
and so much more!
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
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Instagram: @feelinweirdpod
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Raj (artist/activist) grew up with his grandparents who immersed him in Sikh culture but went to a school where he was the only person of colour. 9/11 happened and suddenly he realized how different he was--he tried to change himself to blend in, but depression and anxiety took over. Racism, indirectly and directly, shaped his childhood, but then he found an artist who turned it all around for him. Fast-forward many years and suddenly his grandparents were gone--he was left with his grief. Oxycodone, which started as a fun time, led to him becoming a full-time heroin user in the Downtown East-Side of Vancouver. This is the story of Raj's heart-breaks and reclamation of self.
We also talk about
'brownphobia',
MIA,
DTES,
safe sites,
fentanyl,
the opiate crisis,
hydromorphone & dilaudid,
opiate replacement therapy,
suboxone,
opiate withdrawal,
And MUCH more.
This is part one of a two-part interview with Raj. Next week I will release the second installment which includes his journeys in India.
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
Please rate/review/subscribe on iTunes (and subscribe/rate in whichever app you use)!
Instagram: @feelinweirdpod
Facebook: @feelinweird
Stuart Ralph (host of The OCD Stories podcast) had his first OCD symptom at age 7 but didn't start treating it until age 26. This is a very typical story for those with OCD because of misconceptions about the disorder. Stuart breaks down those misconceptions in this hour long talk. He shares his experiences with the disorder but also shares his WEALTH of knowledge! I guarantee you know someone who has OCD and probably 80% of listeners won't actually be able to say what the disorder is (okay, i made that stat up...)
Stuart ALSO talks about
ERP and ACT,
OCD vs. OCPD,
Pure O,
Different types of OCD,
private vs. public healthcare,
fear of how others will react to your diagnosis,
relapse,
meditation & mindfulness,
and SO much more!
It's been two years since I started this podcast and I want to thank you for listening--Feelin Weird is the best part of my life (though it's a struggle a lot of the time too). <3
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
Please rate/review/subscribe on iTunes (and subscribe/rate in whichever app you use)!
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Alli G (therapist + social worker for holocaust survivors) had her first OCD symptom at age 7; she tells the story of her struggles with it over the last couple decades. She grew up in South Florida, a place known for plastic surgery and obsessive beauty standards, and, like many womyn, her eating disorder started at a young age as the result of a comment her mother made. After college, she tried law school but later decided her true calling was therapy--which she now practices--and, might I add, it is SO refreshing to hear about a therapist who KNOWS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO STRUGGLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS and who TRULY cares!
We also talk about:
listening + validating people instead of telling them to "calm down",
psychoeducation (having to educate family members about your illness),
growing up with a mentally ill father,
being the symptom bearer of the family,
her FIRST session as a therapist,
skin picking,
the positive aside of "mental illness",
perfectionism,
suicidal ideation (TW),
medication (and how it saved her life),
and SO much more!
Alli G is my new favourite person and I guarantee you will love her (and this episode)!
Two of the best quotes from this episode:
"If people could see the suffering that we have to go through, physically, on our bodies, mental illness wouldn't be a stigma.
People would be like, "holy shit--why didn't you get help sooner??" And we're like "I tried, but you told me I was being too dramatic--you told me to calm down!"
"you have to laugh to keep from crying. How else would you get out of bed everyday?"
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
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Instagram: @feelinweirdpod
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Danika Ransome (mental health advocate), talks about her experience growing up with BPD--she also suffers from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. She talks about her chaotic childhood and the bullying/violence she witnessed (TW) *there is one graphic scene*. We also discuss nine symptoms of BPD, which gives the listener a better idea of what it's like to experience the disorder.
We talk about using social media as a support system and creating a positive online presence.
We also talk about body positivity,
self-medication,
self-harm (TW),
validation,
laughter as a coping mechanism,
dissociation + depersonalization,
fear of abandonment,
chaotic relationships,
anger,
and SO much more.
Danika's instagram: @my_mh_journey
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
Please rate/review/subscribe on iTunes (and subscribe/rate in whichever app you use)!
Instagram: @feelinweirdpod
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Holly Lowery (ED recovery coach + anti-diet advocate) talks about her history with disordered eating and the steps people can take towards recovery. She talks about the grey area of eating disorders--most people aren't sure if they qualify as having an eating disorder. She breaks down myths and misconceptions about food and eating and presents a much healthier way to think about and to eat food.
She also talks about atypical anorexia/bulimia, "clean eating" communities, diversifying our online representations of beauty, the damage disordered eating inflicts, set-point weight, fear of food and weight gain, food restricting, getting rid of the word "exercise", over-exercising, the link between depression/anxiety and eating disorders and SO much more.
This episode is awesome, and you need to listen to it whether you struggle with these things or not. There are so many misconceptions about eating disorders and they affect SO many people we love. Let's stop demonizing food! Food is not a moral issue!
Follow Holly on instagram @hollylowerycny or at hollylowery.com
Books mentioned: Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon AND Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole.
If you wonder whether you have an eating disorder or not, take NEDA's quiz https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool
Thanks so much for listening, friend!
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Janet Ford (artist & author) talks about her 22 year battle with eating disorders. She started at 14, as her mom was dying, and soon found she was addicted to both-binge eating and purging as a coping mechanism. Janet thinks it's one of the most expensive addictions out there--at one point she was binge/purging 4-8 times per day (each purge could cost close to $100 and she spent ~3 hours in the bathroom afterwards each time). She lied, cheated and stole so she could afford the habit. BUT, there's redemption! This is a fascinating story for anyone, whether you suffer from eating disorders or not.
Janet breaks down misconceptions about bulimia. She also talks about body positive instagram accounts, fatphobia, body-shaming, diet culture, breaking down "good" and "bad" food, the concept of 'health', adults as role models for children, 12-step programs, recovery and SO much more!
Janet is the author of Delusions of Grandeur and the soon-to-be-published 100 Days of Bulimia. She can be reached on Instagram @fordjanet or janetamara@gmail.com
Thanks for listening!
Remember to rate/review/subscribe on iTunes (and subscribe in whichever app you use)!
Instagram: @feelinweirdpod
Facebook: @feelinweird