So-called Normal

Mark is joined by Karim Mamdani, the President and CEO of Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Services in Whitby, Ontario. They discuss the evolving nature of mental health services and the driving philosophy and policy behind Ontario Shores.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by Javeed Sukhera, Professor of Psychiatry and Paediatrics at Western University and President of the Ontario Psychiatric Association. They discuss why he chose psychiatry and the stigma that psychiatrists sometimes face, and how he treats mental health as both a social issue and a biomedical one.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by his longtime friend Dr. Michael Higgins, academic, author of over a dozen books, and distinguished professor of Catholic Thought at Sacred Heart University. They discuss the difference between being religious and being pious, and dive into the philosophies of revolutionary thinkers like Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen and how they relate to mental health.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by Bif Naked, iconic Canadian singer-songwriter, speaker, and author. They discuss what it was like to be a female rock artist in the 1990s, her philosophy on life, and how she got through breast cancer.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark sits down with Don Tapscott, one of the world's leading authorities on innovation, technology and business, as well as a lifelong mental health advocate and author of Blockchain Revolution with his son Alex. They discuss the little known history of mental health policy in Canada, and how treatment and policy can be brought into the 21st century. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark gets a rare opportunity to speak to Steven Kerzner - the real person behind Canadian TV personality Ed The Sock. Kerzner shares how he got into television, how he created Ed The Sock, and how creativity helped him through depression.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Bonus episode with Steven Kerzner! Steven continues his conversation with Mark, he defines depression and what it can feel like, and how he navigated his career.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark speaks with Ann Dowsett Johnston, journalist of Maclean's fame and best-selling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol. They discuss Ann's own story of recovery from alcoholism, the closing gender gap on risky drinking, and how her passion for this issue caused her to switch careers from journalism to social work.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by retired Canadian rower Silken Laumann, a three-time Olympian and former world champion. She shares what life was like for a world-class athlete and how a horrific collision in 1992 changed her career and life forever. Today, she's the founder of Unsinkable, a story sharing platform for Canadians to open up about their resiliency, courage, and transformation.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Since starting the business in a little room in their apartment, Speakers’ Spotlight has grown beyond Martin and Farah’s wildest dreams. Today, they have offices in Toronto and Calgary, and have booked 30,000 keynotes in more than 30 countries,. The agency was selected by Profit Magazine as one of the 100 fastest growing companies in Canada and twice the couple has been named finalists for the Ernst & Young ‘Entrepreneur of The Year Award’.  This power couple shares what it's like to grow a company with their spouse, raising a family, how to be an effective speaker, and the importance of balance.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark Henick  talks to actor, producer, and tv personality Kalen Allen - YouTuber who catapulted into the mainstream media, reaching millions of people worldwide. Discovered in 2018 by renowned talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, Kalen first made a name for himself through his hilarious “Kalen Reacts” videos, giving colourful and witty commentary on culinary concoctions online. Kalen shares how he maintains a positive attitude, how he overcomes adversity, and what he's learned from Hollywood.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Alexandria Santaguida creates her music to empower people and bring attention to issues that affect us all today.  She is a yoga teacher, sound healer, and community wellness event called NULOVE. She brings yoga, live music, meditation, a dance party, and art together with the intention of expanding as a collective and raising our vibration to the highest frequency...love! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark sits down with Emily Lyons, founder and CEO of Femme Fatale Media Group, North America's top event staffing, media & communications agency. They chat about Emily’s humble beginnings, the early spark to build businesses, and her life atop a media empire. In true So-Called Normal style, they also get into Emily’s struggles with her own mental health, how her sister’s death changed her life forever, and her passion to give back and amplify causes that matter so personally to her. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by Dr. Bill Howatt, Chief of Research, Workforce Productivity at The Conference Board of Canada to discuss the psychology of workplace mental health--mental injury, loneliness, depression, and what employers can do to help their employees dealing with these and any other issues.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by Andrew Solomon to discuss the award winning writer's personal story of depression and coming out to his family. They also talk about Andrew's work with Far From the Tree, his book that became a documentary focused on parents and their children with physical, mental, and social disabilities and differing identities.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

In honour of Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans' Day in the US, Mark sits down with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Stéphane Grenier, who served all over the world, including Rwanda and Afghanistan. Stéphane discusses how his own PTSD and depression pushed him to become an advocate for mental health, both within and outside the Armed Forces.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by Mary Ann Baynton, an expert consultant on mental health in the workplace. They discuss her work helping to put together the Canadian Mental Health Commission's National Standard, the first national standard for mental health in the workplace in the world. They also go into how Mary Ann helps workplaces, managers, and employees to communicate with each other and work through problems that create a toxic environment.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by Irwin Elman, the former child and youth advocate for the province of Ontario, Canada. They discuss the problems in the child and youth care systems in Canada and around the world, and what governments can do better to help children in foster care, poverty, or abusive situations.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark sits down with Seamus O'Regan, the Minister of Indigenous Services for the Liberal government of Canada. They discuss how Seamus got started in politics and what it was like to share the truth about his alcoholism with his workplace and the support he received from fellow MPs and the Prime Minister himself.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message

Mark is joined by Jimmy Rankin, a fixture of the Canadian celtic folk and country music scene as both a solo artist and a member of renowned The Rankin Family. They discuss Jimmy's upbringing as the youngest of twelve siblings, the inspiration behind his most recent album Moving East, and what it's been like to play music with his family for several decades.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/socallednormal/message