It’s Not Therapy!

INT ep 70 - Can Drag Shows Make You A Better Person?

Prejudice and bigotry are common human failings, even among those who have experienced both. Liana talks to Gila Münster, a Toronto drag performer and charity fundraiser, about how antisemitism in the LGBTQ+ community motivated her to develop a greater sense of self and desire to help others.

INT ep 69 - Mental Health Maintenance with Howie Mandel

INT ep 69 - Mental Health Maintenance with Howie Mandel
Howie Mandel, the star of TV's America's Got Talent and Canada's Got Talent has been open about his mental health challenges. Liana talks to Howie about normalizing caring for our mental health in the same way we care for our dental health. Plus, Liana goes in-depth on her Top 10 Rules for checking in with your best self. 

INT ep 68 - Moving Past Shame

Shame. It's something that touches, and damages, us all. Liana shares her raw, honest, personal battle with shame and its childhood origins and talks to Dr. Tina Schermer Sellers, PhD, author, licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist about how to overcome shame that stunts our self-worth, infects our relationships and hurts our intimate and sexual connections. 

INT ep 67 - How to Feel Better About Feeling Bad

Processing negative emotions is a learned skill... that a lot of people don't learn! Liana talks to psychology researcher Richard Contrada, Ph.D. of Rutgers University about how to channel being sad, angry, disappointed, ashamed or dejected into tools for positive change. 

INT ep 66 - Creativity + Depression: friends or foes?

Vincent Van Gogh created many of his greatest masterpieces while in a psychiatric hospital. Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson wrote classic hits while dealing with mental illness. The list goes on. Some believe that the creative impulse and mental health challenges often go hand in hand. In this episode Liana talks with James 'Grim' Desborough (https://post-mort.com/), UK tabletop game writer and artist, about how he manages the relationship between his depression and his creative work.

INT Ep 65 - Autism - It’s Not A Disease!

The first thing to understand about Autism - there is no one-size-fits-all way to understand Autism. It's called a 'spectrum' for a reason.  Though those on the spectrum are all different, Liana and her guest Ingrid, who has Autism,  offer some primers to help you understand your neurodivergent friends, family and colleagues. 

INT ep 64 - Break the Ice! How to Start Meaningful Conversations

"What if I F up?" It's a fear that stops conversations before they start. Beginning a conversation can stir up multiple "What if?" anxieties - but relax! Breaking the ice is easier than you think! Liana and Kevin Bennet, PhD, professor of social-personality psychology, talk about how you can overcome the pre-conversation jitters.

INT epside 63 - New Strategies For Dealing With Anxiety

"So what?" Those two words have the power to free us from the anxiety, fear and dread which keep our lives stuck in a bad place.  Author and psychotherapist Richard Joelson joins Liana to relate how he helps his clients cope with and overcome obstacles and live happy, fulfilling lives.

INT ep 62 - Teamwork! What Elite Athletes Can Teach Us About Mental Health

Performance psychologists coach elite athletes to win championships by working as a team. Alex Auerbach, performance psychologist for the Toronto Raptors, joins Liana to talk about how he approaches high level well being, resilience, and teamwork in a highly competitive environment! Plus: why Liana utterly hated group work in school.

INT ep 61 - What It’s Really Like To Have OCD

If your understanding of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) comes through how it's presented in the media, then you don't really understand OCD. Liana talks with Sophia Florence, a comedian with OCD, about how it impacts her daily life and the strategies she's developed to deal with it.