On the Edge of Health and Design

The Art of Figuring it Out (Episode 36)

Today we’re re-welcoming Demi Yoo, a marketing professional with a passion for health and wellness. Demi returns to update us on her health and wellness journey, and her latest passion project, The Spiritual Self Company. To paraphrase Demi, “this is our first time living this life, so we’re all just figuring this out!”. If you relate to this episode, please leave us a comment and rating on your favourite podcast platform. You can find and follow The Spiritual Self Company on Instagram. Resources Instagram @thespiritualself.co

Mental Health Culture (Episode 35)

Culture and age both shape how we experience and talk about mental health, for better or for worse. Culture and age influence our beliefs about mental health, how comfortable we are in asking for help, and how others treat us when we disclose mental health challenges. In this episode, Nita and Sylvia explore how culture and age shape mental health based on our personal and professional experiences. Mental Health IS Health and we conclude with an emphasis on awareness of this concept and how we might support our own mental health. Mental Health is Health campaign: https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/mental-health-is-health [https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/mental-health-is-health] Social prescribing: https://www.socialprescribing.ca/ [https://www.socialprescribing.ca/]   Nature prescribing: parx.ca [http://parx.ca]

Living a Bipolar Life with Kiki Kamdar (Episode 34)

To kick of Jan 2026, we spoke with Kiki (Kajal) Kamdar, a health and wellness advocate who shared her past experience as a caregiver for a partner experiencing mental illness. Kiki turned to hiking as a way to combat stress, connect with nature and develop her community. Through hiking, Kiki learned to "live a bipolar life" on her own terms, with self compassion. If this episode resonates with you or someone you know struggling with mental illness, please pass it along! Resources Kiki's instagram is kiki_pura_vida or you can reach her by email at kajal.kamdar@gmail.com NAMI - National Alliiance on Mental Illness https://www.nami.org/ [https://www.nami.org/]

The Evolution of Mental Health Nursing with Aideen Carroll (Episode 33)

This month, we highlight Aideen Carroll, Advanced Practice Nurse Educator and champion of mental health nursing! Of note, Aideen shared her love of the history of mental health/health care and provided examples of the design and evolution of products and processes towards improving experiences for both patients and providers. Aideen’s key takeaway was challenging future generations with normalizing mental health as a part of our overall health. We hope you loved this episode as much as we did!  Aideen's email: aideen.carroll@uhn.ca https://hospitalnews.com/nursing-hero-award-first-place-winner-aideen-carroll/ [https://hospitalnews.com/nursing-hero-award-first-place-winner-aideen-carroll/] CAMH - Mental Health is Health campaign https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/mental-health-is-health [https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/mental-health-is-health] Mental health commission of Canada app assessment framework⁠https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/app-assessment/ [https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/app-assessment/]

From Kenya to Canada in search of Community (Episode 32)

In this summer recap episode, your cohost, Nita shares her personal reflections following her recent Heritage Journey to Kenya, Africa. Nita revisits the concept of Designing your Life and shares how her own Indian, African and Canadian heritage shapes her current quest to find communities of belonging. Are you looking for your community? Feel free to reach out to us with comments, questions and reflections of your own. Resources Episode 30: Design your Life with Demi Yoo Episode 31: Breathe into Balance with Manjit Hansra Book: Breath by James Nester Design concept: Iterative Inquiry [https://managingresearchlibrary.org/glossary/iterative-inquiry]