It’s Not Therapy!

Why It's So Hard To Just Start Stuff!

We all have tasks or projects that we know we need to do, even want to do, but we don't, we don't even get started. Is it fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of change? A mixture of fears? And how do we get past our hesitations and get going? Good questions, and Liana's returning guest, Steven Puri of thesukha.co, has some answers!

Social Media and Phone Bans For Kids - Solution or Band-Aid?

Social media and cell phone bans for children under 16 are a common topic among many world governments, including Canada's. But what if the device isn't the problem, but a symptom masking the problem? Child mental health therapist Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge joins Liana to talk about the less-discussed social, emotional and mental health issues that may fuel a child's phone habits... and those of adults.

Weird Ways To Fight Loneliness (With Chachkes!)

Recent studies have shown that the loneliness epidemic has been furthered by a lack of meeting spaces in the real world, notably low-pressure gatherings... and what's more low-pressure than a garage sale?? Liana talks with Danielle Cohen, organizer of the Georgina-Wide Garage Sale Day, about the need to create opportunities for people to interact in a chill space where the weight of constrictive social norms are relaxed.
 

Identity is Messy and Beautiful

Who are you? The answer to that question often depends on who is asking and where it's being asked. There's the "You" you are at work, the "You" you are to friends and family, the "You" society, your racial, religious or cultural profile says you are, and who you are in quiet moments alone. What is the real you? Or are they all the real you? Machan Taylor has lived this journey as a singer, songwriter, educator and author who performed with, among others, Pink Floyd, Sting, Foreigner and Pat Benatar. Liana talks to Machan about her book Naked Out Loud: From Yokohama to Pink Floyd and Beyond and everyone's quest to self-define their personal identity.

Are You Terrified To Talk To People?

Many of us were told in childhood not to talk to strangers. Good advice at the time. But today, one of the foundations of the loneliness epidemic is people not knowing how to talk to strangers, or very afraid of trying. Liana lived with these experiences and so did her guest, Geoffrey Huck (courageous-communication.com), who shares how he 'flipped his extrovert switch' and turned his fear of speaking to new people into a compass and not a stop sign.

Surviving Narcissism: Why Partners Make Us Feel Like Prey

Many of us have been in a relationship with someone who is wrong for us. This is especially true of people who are 'givers' that find themselves attracted to 'takers'...sometimes repeatedly. Ross Rosenberg is an author and expert on codependency and trauma - such an expert that he believes the term 'codependency' is a misnomer and has instead coined the term Self-Love Deficit Disorder. What is that? Listen as he and Liana discuss SLDD and pathological narcissism, and what you can do to stop falling for people who keep hurting you.

Internalized Stigma - Why Do Some Things Make You Hate Yourself?

Stigma involves applying negative stereotypes to people who are ill, have certain physical characteristics or other perceived 'deficiencies,' which leads to discrimination and exclusion, sometimes with harrowing results.  Typically, these stigma are inflicted by the judgment of others - but some are also self-inflicted. Liana shares steps people can take to free themselves from the pain of their internalized stigma. 

What It's Like To Be Told You May Be Dying

For most people, being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer represents the end of their life's journey, but for Tim McDonald it was the beginning of a new path. Tim, a stage four colorectal cancer survivor and liver transplant recipient, talks to Liana about how he turned his struggle with his health crises into a renewed purpose as a patient advocate, speaker, host of the Advocacy at Work podcast and author of the book From Patient to Advocate: Turning Survivorship into Impact. Tim's tale is inspiring and important listening for people experiencing life-threatening illnesses and those who love and support them. 

How The Boys Helps Us Understand Bad People

Where's the line between "bad people" and "good people who do bad things"? Using characters from the Amazon Prime series The Boys as examples, Liana examines how intent, mental health, and behaviour intersect to define true "bad person" territory.

The Trumpertantrum!

No, this episode isn't about politics, but the recent social media tirade from US President Trump threatening to militarily destroy Iran and its people, expressed in vulgar language, is a prime example of how behaviour once considered unfit for public display has now become normalized. Not only normalized, but held up as examples of strength, honesty and courage. Liana takes apart this troubling trend, influences which motivate it, illnesses which may contribute to it, and how we push back against it - without ourselves exhibiting the same behaviour.