Braaains – Details, episodes & analysis

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and we have a wonderful interview with writer, director, and actress, Nadine Crocker. We talk about her film, Continue, and the importance of representing depression and suicidal ideation on film and TV. We also talk about shows like The Bear and Modern Love (amongst many).

CONT;NUE is based on true events from Nadine’s life dealing with suicide and depression. After surviving a suicide attempt when she was 23 years old, Nadine is now a wife, mother, and friend to so many. A content warning to all our listeners that we will be talking about suicide throughout this episode and will also be talking about the toolkit that Nadine dips into when she is dealing with depression and thoughts of suicide.

DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-Transcript-EP062_-Suicidal-Ideation-in-The-Bear-Modern-Love-and-Nadine-Crockers-Con.pdf

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

We have decided to take a summer break and will be back in September with an interview with writer, director, and advocate, Claire Ayoub. For those of you in Edmonton, we're having an in-person event for our guests and listeners in August. Keep an eye on social media for our invite if you're interested in meeting us in person!

DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-Episode-061-Transcript-SUMMER-BREAK.pdf

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today we’re talking with two of the creators of Get Up, Aisha, Rabiya Mansoor and Marushka Jessica Almeida. Get Up Aisha is a compelling dramedy series following the intricate life of Aisha Rehman, a Pakistani Canadian student who grapples with her compulsive need for control as she deals with depression. The series, streaming on CBC Gem in Canada, follows Aisha’s story as she is diagnosed with depression after living through a suicide attempt and applies a checklist approach to curing the incurable.

Our conversation looks into what depression is, the signs (or lack of signs) that present, what you can do to get help, and how to reframe your experience to allow you to choose yourself. We also discuss using your personal stories of mental health to inform your material as a film and television creator and how to use this work to address the stigmas of mental health both broadly and specifically in the South Asian community.

DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP052-Transcript-Depression_-A-Conversation-with-the-Creators-of-CBC-Gems-Get-Up-Ai.pdf

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

This mini-episode is a continuation of our conversation with board-certified ObGyn, Dr. Sophia. Today, we talk about the stigmas surrounding menopause, what Dr. Sophia would like to see represented on TV, film, and in the media, and how to prepare for menopause - the more you know, the less scary it is!

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP51-Transcript_-Breaking-the-Stigmas-and-Preparing-for-Menopause.pdf

Listen to our longer interview with Dr. Sophia on navigating menopause: https://braaainspodcast.com/episodes/menopause

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today we’re talking with Dr. Sophia Lubin about menopause and perimenopause. Dr. Sophia has been a board-certified ObGyn for over 15 years and as a women’s health and well-being enthusiast, she spreads her knowledge and care through her “Dr. Sophia, ObGyn Podcast” where she helps women learn about their bodies and embrace themselves.

Our conversation covers a wide range of information about what menopause really is, the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, how to ask for treatment, and what representation of menopause looks like in film and TV. We deep dive into shows like Fleabag, Sex and the City, and Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce as well as conversations on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live!

READ TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP50-transcript-Navigating-Menopause_-Fleabag-Sex-and-the-City-and-Girlfriends-Guid.pdf

Listen to our mini-episode with Dr. Sophia on breaking the stigmas of menopause: https://braaainspodcast.com/episodes/menopausestigma 

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today’s mini-episode is a conversation with Dr. Jill L. Creighton, a higher education professional and the host of SA Voices from the Field Podcast. She came to talk with us about her experience as a transracial adoptee and how she would like to see adoption represented on film and television.

Also be sure to listen to our other episode on adoption with research sociologist, Gretchen Sisson -- braaainspodcast.com/episodes/adoption

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP049-Transcript_-Dispelling-Myths-of-Transracial-Adoption.pdf

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today we’re talking with Gretchen Sisson, a research sociologist with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, a critical, ten-year examination of domestic adoption. Centering on the stories of relinquishing mothers, the book chronicles America's refusal to care for families at the most basic level, and instead allows cultural and political ideas of adoption to advance an individual, private solution to large-scale social problems.

In our conversation, we discuss the function of adoption in society, its representation in popular culture, and the experiences of birth mothers. We explore the stereotypes and tropes perpetuated by modern adoption stories in TV and film like in shows like This is Us and 16 and Pregnant, and the impact of these narratives on societal biases and policies. We also talk about how the women who Gretchen spoke with feel like The Handmaid’s Tale is the closest representation of their experience of relinquishing their child. We then delve into the complexities of adoption, the historical context of pre-Roe adoption, and the consequences for birth mothers and relinquished children.

This discussion explores the complexities of adoption, highlighting the experiences and perspectives of birth mothers as captured in Gretchen Sisson's new book. It delves into the emotional journey of birth mothers, their hopes and expectations, as well as the challenges and grief they face. The conversation also touches on the impact of adoption on adoptees, particularly in terms of trauma and identity. It further discusses the connection between adoption and reproductive justice, and the need to critically examine the narratives and beliefs surrounding adoption. Our discussion concludes with a discussion on the potential of pop culture to shape a more nuanced and inclusive narrative around adoption.

Here is a link to find out more about Gretchen's book: https://www.relinquishedbook.com/

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP048-transcript-The-Handmaids-Tale-This-is-Us-and-Adoption.pdf

Listen to our companion episode on Dispelling Myths of Transracial Adoption in Media here: https://braaainspodcast.com/episodes/transracialadoption 

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today’s mini-episode is all about working with consultants and team members with lived experience on projects about mental health and disability.

Our conversation is with Karen and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy, sisters and the co-creators of the new CW and CTV show, SIGHT UNSEEN. The series is about a homicide detective who rapidly loses her vision and has to quit the homicide force. When she leaves, she’s haunted by the cases she’s left behind and is determined to solve them with the help of her visual guide via a visual assistance app.

If you want to hear our full episode with Kat and Niko about low vision, vision loss, and the representation of it in their show and beyond, listen here: https://braaainspodcast.com/episodes/visionloss

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/EP047-Braaains-Podcast-transcript-Working-with-disability-and-mental-health-consultants.pdf

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today's guests, Karen and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy, are the co-creators of the new CW and CTV show, SIGHT UNSEEN. The series is about a homicide detective who rapidly loses her vision and has to quit the homicide force. When she leaves, she’s haunted by the cases she’s left behind and is determined to solve them with the help of her visual guide via a visual assistance app.

In this episode, we discuss sight loss, the representation of vision loss and blindness on SIGHT UNSEEN, and what considerations had to be made when creating a television show for viewers across the entire vision spectrum. 

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT - https://braaainspodcast.com/https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Episode-046-TRANSCRIPT-Vision-Loss-and-Blindness-on-Sight-Unseen.pdf

Listen to the mini-episode with Niko and Kat on Working with Disability and Mental Health Consultants: https://braaainspodcast.com/episodes/visionlossconsultants 

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

KEY POINTS

05:21 The Genesis of Sight Unseen

06:44 The Plot and Characters of Sight Unseen

07:35 The Importance of Sight Loss Representation

24:04 The Visual Representation of Sight Loss

34:15 Challenging Stigmas and Representing Vision Loss

36:07 Filming Challenges with an Immersive Point of View

For today's mini-episode, we're chatting with New York Times best-selling author Bassey Ikpi about the depiction of mental illness (specifically Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD) in The CW's musical comedy-drama series My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019) by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna.

Our guest Bassey Ikpi is a Nigerian-American, ex-poet, current writer, mental health advocate, underachieving overachiever, and memoir procrastinator. Her best selling book I’m Telling the Truth But I’m Lying is available in both print and audio at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/im-telling-the-truth-but-im-lying-bassey-ikpi.

Listen to our full interview with Bassey: https://braaainspodcast.com/episodes/bipolardisorder

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP045-transcript-BPD-and-Mental-Health-Representation-in-My-Crazy-Ex-Girlfriend.pdf

Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com

Follow: @BraaainsPodcast

Music: @_Deppisch_

Mixing/ Mastering: Tony Bao

Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast