Mind Full of Everything

Reflection: Imposter Syndrome and Jealousy

This episode looks at the intersections between imposter syndrome and jealousy, and how the constant fear of being overtaken, in any part of life, drives many individuals to feel, and a lot of the time act upon, their intense hatred towards others that threaten their happiness/success.

All this results in is long-term instability of the mind and large-scale damage to both the jealous person and the person that they felt jealousy towards (which is exactly what I have experienced). Whilst all emotions are valid to feel, jealousy is that one emotion that needs to be urgently transformed, especially when felt frequently, because it highlights insecurities of an individual that stunts growth and destabilises mental wellbeing in the long term.

Veganism Needs To Be Intersectional

Veganism has sky-rocketed globally in the past few years, as we begin to evolve into more eco-conscious beings through being hyperaware of our impact on the planet. Although, the fundamental principle of intersectionality, along with the culturally rich history of vegetarianism and veganism, is being erased as quickly as the belief is gaining popularity. 

This is a massive issue because veganism has gradually become into a radical ideology, often perpetuated by the white, privileged, hipster image of an ideal vegan, that favours animal rights and livelihoods over human ones. Instead of remaining a philosophical belief rooted in equality for all walks of life, it has become, yet again, a breeding ground for white saviourism that fails to embrace diversity and inclusivity, especially for those non-white communities that don't engage in industrial meat and dairy farming but are sanctioned for going about their "non-vegan" ways that not only are a significant part of their culture but are also not environmentally damaging.

This episode aims to redefine veganism by emphasising on the importance of intersectionality through decolonising the philosophy, and reconnecting it back to it's non-colonial roots as a way to say that all lives really do matter, whether human or non-human.

Systemic Sexism and Gaslighting Domestic Violence Victims with Teri Yuan

Domestic abuse cases peaked during lockdown across the world, however this alarming rate of gender-based violence has existed well before the COVID-19 pandemic, disproportionately affecting womxn and children in abusive relationships and households. 

When 1 in 4 women in the US experience severe intimate partner physical violence and 95% of victims of coercive control in the UK are women, we can easily see that domestic violence is a product of systemic sexism, where female survivors are giving inadequate support when suffering from intimate partner abuse. This situation is then exacerbated when mothers go to court to accuse their partners of physical and/or sexual abuse of their children, and 57-68% of the time lose custody over their children (in the US) when accused of alienation by the abusive father. 

This gaslighting of female domestic violence victims needs to stop, whether in institutions such as the criminal justice systems or in society as a whole. This begins by normalising discussion on sex/gender-based inequities and establishing a culture of accountability to shift the focus from reforming abusers to providing permanent safety nets for survivors.

Reflection: Altruism Gone Wrong

It’s safe to say that we have entered into an “altruistic generation”, one that imposes the need to be immersed in charitable causes on all individuals, attacking those that fail to do so. However, if we were to look around, beyond social media and into reality, can we genuinely see any major change? A significant reduction in suffering? In fact, without sounding too pessimistic, pain and suffering has exponentially risen, world issues continue to be amplified, so really, are we in an altruistic generation?

In this reflection episode, I answer all of these questions by looking at the major flaws in modern-day altruism that has emphasised on documenting acts of selflessness instead of understanding the root cause of social issues to bring about sustainable change. This episode is a call to action for redefining altruism by ensuring the communities/individuals asking for support are prioritised over the altruist.

Fighting Period Poverty One Conversation At A Time with Victoria Abrahams

We very quickly synonymise stigmatised issues, particularly those concerning the female body, to developing countries' problems. This only belittles the painful experiences of women living in western countries that aren't able to get access to basic needs like period products. 

Period poverty is a massive issue in the UK, where 40% of women use materials like toilet paper as makeshift pads and 1 in 4 teenage girls don't know what to do on their first periods. Freedom4Girls helps to tackle the issue of period poverty through making reusable sanitary products available to vulnerable menstruating females free of cost, aswell as removing period stigma through education of the menstrual cycle in the UK, Kenya and Uganda.

When talking to Victoria Abrahams, the operations manager and lead for the Uganda project, it is evident that women still view periods in a negative light, often punishing themselves for undergoing a completely normal and non-preventable process. Until we don't normalise periods, desexualise the female body and encourage women to openly discuss their sexual health, issues like period poverty will continue to persist.

Indigenous Activism Through The Lens of Journalism with Desiree Kane

Native American communities have faced brutalisation by US constitutions for more than 500 years, yet nothing has changed, in fact things worsen every day. Genocide, rape and incarceration of the Indigenous constantly happen but all that mainstream media will cover is the environmental issues aspect of their struggles, often diluting the intensity of the problem.

The Indigenous communities can't keep fighting on their own, they need the allegiance and support of allies to ensure that future generations don't face the same torture that previous generations have experienced. Black Americans, facing extreme levels of racism and hate crimes too, have always stood by natives, so now it's everyone else's duty to join the fight for justice and peace. Silence only enables white supremacy that affects all ethnic minorities.

REMINDER: You can now buy 100% recycled acrylic pin badges from my website, an eco-friendly alternative to enamel badges. This will help to fund Mind Full of Everything and ensure the podcast continues delivering content you want to hear for longer!

Overcoming Trauma Through Creativity with Amy Oestreicher

Amy had always wanted to pursue a musical theatre career and ending up at Broadway some day. So when Amy experienced the pain of sexual abuse and the trauma of entering coma and having her entire digestive system removed due to a blood clot, achieving her dream seemed impossible.

Despite having 30 surgeries, being unable to eat, drink or even walk properly for years, Amy is now a playwright and actress for her own one-woman theatre shows, a Tedx speaker, teaching artist and PTSD specialist. Amy is the true definition of "never giving up", who not only overcame her trauma but has used her creative talent to encourage other trauma survivors to tell their stories and allow their pain to transform into hope and resilience.

New Season!

This episode gives a review of the last season and what listeners can expect to hear in Season 2 (spoiler alert: it's going to get deeper).

BeautifulPlanet: The True Stewards

This episode finishes off the Beautiful Planet series by putting an emphasis on the importance and success of indigenous stewardship as a form of conservation. Despite making up less than 5% of the human population, indigenous communities support up to 80% of the world's biodiversity through powerful techniques that have been used across generations. However, their conservational efforts have been largely dismissed, resulting in the indigenous being evicted from their own ancestral lands, mostly through lethal force by governments.

Listen to this episode to explore the ways in which the indigenous boost environmental value of landscapes and why protection of indigenous rights means protection of the vitality of planet Earth, especially during the climate crisis.

BeautifulPlanet: Healing Power of Nature

Nature, the entire planet in fact, provides us with an exceptional amount of resources and ecosystem services that we fully depend on to survive. Everything we consume and utilise is of natural origin, so when we talk about the healing powers of nature, it should not surprise us when we see the variety of ways nature supports our wellbeing/health.

This episode discusses the medicinal, economic, social and mental health benefits nature brings to us all, with an emphasis on the importance of protecting the "free" services and products that we have so taken granted for.