Navigating Low Vision and Albinism on Pretty Blind
Braaains
We are excited to talk to broadcast presenter, columnist, host, speaker, and now actor, Jennie Bovard. She stars in and is an associate producer for the scripted comedy series Pretty Blind on AMI. She is also the creator & host of the Low Vision Moments podcast, where she discusses her experiences with albinism and low vision. On today’s episode, we talk about how Jennie developed the show based on the experiences she shared on her podcast. We also discuss albinism and low vision and what Jennie would love to see represented more on film and television – obviously, our favorite...
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Reframing Life After an Acquired Disability
Braaains
Today's conversation is with Laura McKenzie about how she reframed her life after experiencing Transverse myelitis, which led to her spontaneous paralysis on New Year's Day in 2023. Laura is a stay-at-home mom who raises her kids, loves her dogs, and is a good partner, all while being in a wheelchair and having to relearn everything she previously knew how to do. She has become immersed in the once-foreign world of disability, and she has now found herself an advocate for it. She recently wrote a children’s book titled 'Mommy Grew A Wheelchair,' which features images of Laura (before...
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PBS's The Class and the Importance of Mentorship
Braaains
Our guest, Wax Taber, is a multi-award-winning documentary editor who worked on the PBS series, . This docuseries was set amid the turmoil of a pandemic year and follows six students from Deer Valley High School as they pursue their dreams of higher education, with their adviser, Mr. Cam, helping them overcome the challenges they face. We talk about the importance of mentors as seen in this series and the impact this support can have on your mental health. We also talk about the importance of mentors in Wax’s life as she navigated: homelessness as a teen in New York to being a part of the...
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Youth and Suicide in American Cinema
Braaains
Our co-host, Heather had the pleasure of interviewing sociologist and artist Alessandra Seggi about her latest book Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: Context, Causes, and Consequences. Alessandra is a Fulbright grantee with a PhD in Sociology and MA in Media Studies and the analysis in her book is both a personal and professional reflection on suicide in film. Youth and suicide in American Cinema is about the portrayal of suicide in youth films covering both studio-driven and independent cinema from 1900 to 2018. It aims to understand such portrayals by offering a proactive approach via a...
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Ontario Place and the Importance of Third Places
Braaains
Today we delve into the importance of public and free third places and how they impact your mental health. We had the pleasure of talking with filmmaker, Ali Weinstein about her first observational documentary, Your Tomorrow, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024. The film is about the last year in the life of Ontario Place which became a defacto public park 10 years ago after living many lives as an educational and entertainment destination. Ontario Place was a third place that acted as a refuge to a lot of Torontonians until the government decided to turn...
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How Family Separation via Migrant Labour Work Impacts Mental Health
Braaains
Welcome back to another season of Braaains. We’re so excited to start the season with a fantastic interview with filmmakers, Thea Loo and Jeremiah Reyes, about Thea’s latest documentary, INAY With the desire to help answer unresolved questions and heal lingering wounds, INAY (MAMA) investigates the flawed immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that kept so many Filipino children from their mothers. Inay, which means “mama” in Tagalog, is an intimate and personal look at the experiences and trauma endured by many Filipino Canadians. In the film, Thea and her husband...
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Brilliant Minds and the Realities of Face Blindness
Braaains
Today’s our last episode before our Christmas break. Sad, I know, but we have such a great guest: Sadie Dingfelder. She wrote the most excellent book “Do I Know You? A Faceblind Reporter’s Journey into the Science of Sight, Memory, and Imagination.” Our conversation not only delved into face blindness (prosopagnosia) but also covered neurodivergence, aphantasia, and the importance of effective science communication. We also discussed films and literature centered around Face Blindness: the new NBC series Brillant Minds starring Zachary Quinto, KDramas like Rich Man, Poor Woman,...
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Disney+'s Out of My Mind and the Importance of Being Heard
Braaains
Sarah had the pleasure of interviewing Amber Sealey, director of the newly released Disney+ film OUT OF MY MIND, alongside the movie's star, Phoebe-Rae Taylor. Out of My Mind is based on the best-selling novel of the same name and tells the story of Melody Brooks, a sixth grader with cerebral palsy, who has a quick wit and a sharp mind, but because she is non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, she is not given the same opportunities as her classmates. When a young educator notices her student’s untapped potential and Melody starts to participate in mainstream education, Melody shows that what she...
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TIFF Special: Building Inclusive Futures
Braaains
We're doing something a little different today. When we were at TIFF, we had the opportunity to go to the perspectives panel -- Building Inclusive Futures: The Means of Accessibility. The panel was a discussion on accessibility and redefining perceptions of disability within the industry and beyond. The panel included Kyla Harris (chair of We Crip Film for the BFI and producer of Patrice: The Film), Viktor Korotovskyi (freelance photojournalist and the subject of Olivier Sarbil's documentary Viktor), Sean Towgood (Toronto-based writer, actor and creator of You’re My Hero), Aria Mia Loberti...
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Men's Mental Health within the Black Community
Braaains
Today our special guests are writer/ director Bernard Gray and actor Dwain Murphy. We discussed Men's Mental Health within the Black Community and how they explored this topic in the film, The Other Stuff, which recently premiered at the Reelworld Festival in Toronto. The film offers an honest exploration of how Black men, especially those from environments of crime, straddle the paths of good and evil as they attempt to transition into healthier, more fulfilling lives. The film follows Winston played by Dwain Murphy (CROSS, DIGGSTOWN), and Shannon played by Golden Madison (CROSS, LAW &...
info_outlineToday, we’re excited to talk to Communication Skills Trainer, Ottillie Parfitt, about all things imposter syndrome!! That’s right, we’re talking about that little voice in your head that tells you that you’re a fraud, a phony, or just not good enough (even when you are). We go into what imposter syndrome is, what some of the triggers are, how it shows up in the workplace, and some techniques for overcoming Imposter Syndrome.
DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-Transcript-EP054_ImposterSyndrome.pdf
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