Freedom To Know Wellness

Living the Sweeter Life with Farzana Doctor | FOLD 2026 | Healing Through Stories

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 10 of Freedom To Know Wellness! In today's episode of our ongoing Healing Stories Series—captured in collaboration with the 2026 Festival of Literary Diversity  @TheFOLDCanada  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCywyd2d0z5jBASnRYNjsViA], we sit down with author, psychotherapist, and activist Farzana Doctor to explore the complexities of trauma response in caregivers and 'overgivers,' and dive into the intersection of disability and wellness, healthy boundaries and building community care. Episode Transcription [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CmmBKMP3AdGoDgzEONvIYRATQTU5XFh1/view?usp=sharing] 📍Connect with Farzana Doctor 📱Instagram @farzanadoctor 🌐 farzanadoctor.com 📍Connect with  @TheFOLDCanada  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCywyd2d0z5jBASnRYNjsViA] 🌐 www.festivalofliterarydiversity.org 📍Connect with Freedom To Know Wellness 🌐 linktr.ee/freedomtoknowwellness 👩🏿‍💻 freedomtoknowwellness.substack.com 🎵 Music: “Hold You” – Q-Black (licensed) Timestamp 00:00 - Introduction 01:59 - Farzana's Alt-Text Description & Background: Writing & Social Work 03:26 - 52 Weeks to a Sweeter Life (05:47) Why Helpers Struggle to Help Themselves (05:58) Trauma Responses & the Helper Personality (11:23) Grounding & the Window of Capacity (13:32) Self-Care for Chronic Illness & Fibromyalgia (14:33) Baby Steps: Building a Rest Practice 1 (16:12) Somatic Strategies & Habit Stacking (18:09) Cultural Pressures & Community Care (21:23) Immigrant Experience & Exceptionalism (22:27) Community Over Competition (24:32) P.E.A.C.E. Breathing Guided Practice (30:38) Closing & Resources

Writing Beyond Barriers with Amanda Leduc | Disabilities & Healing Stories at The FOLD | 2 of 6

In the first interview from "Disabilities & Healing Stories", Freedom To Know Wellness (@FTKWellness) sits down with celebrated Canadian author and disability activist Amanda Leduc at the 2025 The FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity) (@TheFOLDCanada).♿️ Accessibility Note: Closed Captions (CC) enabled. Episode Transcription [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jCMPocR0mAp5l3YpPs-atyBemnrq3zf1/view?usp=sharing]In Part 1, Amanda reflects on the challenges of navigating creative work while living with cerebral palsy. The author of Wild Life and Disfigured, she shares how she shifted her perspective on disability—moving beyond perceived limitations to reclaim space in the literary world. Through lived experience and by leading through example, Amanda illustrates how disabled artists can flourish without limiting their craft, offering a powerful roadmap for healing through creative resilience.This conversation challenges how we think about disability, healing, and who gets to be seen.📍 Connect with author Amanda Leduc: https://amandaleduc.com/____________________________________________________________Featured in this Series:Amanda Leduc – Author of Wild Life and DisfiguredMorgan Campbell – Author of My Fighting FamilyAmal Elsana Alh'jooj – Author of Hope is a Woman’s NameTanya Talaga – Author of The Knowing, Seven Fallen Feathers and All Our Revelations.___________________________________________________________📍Connect with our Partners: The FOLD Canada www.thefoldcanada.org. Explore 2026 events and diversity in Canadian literature.Connect with Freedom To Know Wellness: @FTKWellness 📧 Email: info@freedomtoknowwellness.ca 🌐 Website https://freedomtoknowwellness.substack.com/🎥 Special Thanks to Lara Tai for The FOLD's raw video footage. 🔈 Audio edits by Photographs by Shaun J www.instagram.com/photographybyshaunj🎵 Music: Hold You - Artist: Q-Black - (Licensed)⁠**Music Owner Rights by Freedom To Know Wellness**________________________Timestamp00:00 Introduction 01:05 About Amanda LeDuc 01:26 Balancing health and creative work02:05 Managing deadlines and expectations04:58 Amanda's journey to understanding these lessons06:03 Navigating Invisible Disability07:52 Responsibility and Advocacy 09:20 Creating inclusive spaces09:43 Outro - Podcast info & social media

Black Mental Health Week - FTKWellness Clip from Morgan Campbell Interview

FTKWellness celebrated Black Mental Health Week (March 2 - 9, 2026) with author and sports journalist Morgan Campbell. In this clip, Morgan discusses his memoir, "My Fighting Family," and how uncovering uncomfortable truths can lead to profound family healing. 🎙️Watch the Full Episode here on Spotify or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2hEmsXAc4Rk🎧 Listen to the full episode on the "Disabilities and Healing Stories" playlist here: https://youtu.be/2hEmsXAc4Rk#MyFightingFamily #MorganCampbell #BlackMentalHealth #HealingStories @TheFOLDCanada #FTKWellness #Storytelling

Disabilities & Healing Through Stories @ #thefold | Series Intro | 1 of 6

Freedom To Know Wellness is honoured to partner with The FOLD  @TheFOLDCanada  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCywyd2d0z5jBASnRYNjsViA] (Festival of Literary Diversity) to present this special 4-part series, Disabilities & Healing Stories.In May 2025, FTKWellness had the privilege of attending the FOLD at the Rose Theatre in Brampton, Ontario. As a disability social enterprise, FTKWellness explores how literature serves as a powerful modality for physical, mental, and emotional healing.In this introduction, we set the stage for deep conversations with four incredible authors whose memoirs explore pathways through trauma—be it generational, relational, or shaped by disability and war.Featured in this Series:Amanda Leduc – Author of "Wild Life" and "Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space".Morgan Campbell – Author of "My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines and the Battles That Made Us".Tanya Talaga – Author of "The Knowing" and "Seven Fallen Feathers".Amal Elsana Alh'jooj – Author of "Hope is a Woman’s Name".Connect with  @TheFOLDCanada  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCywyd2d0z5jBASnRYNjsViA] for more information on the Festival of Literary Diversity’s 2026 events, visit: www.thefoldcanada.org♿️ Accessibility:At FTKWellness, we strive for an inclusive sensory experience. A full transcript [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QrMMbh2dfK-cD3rDwwUr8KA6sH3yZoJT/view?usp=sharing] is available in the description to ensure these powerful stories remain accessible to all.📍Connect with our Partners: Produced by Freedom To Know Wellness ⁨ @FTKWellness  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCmoYVq-JY8PWnaM9kDO_Zmw], a social enterprise advocating for disability representation and literature as a modality for healing. Special thanks to The FOLD ⁨ @TheFOLDCanada  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCywyd2d0z5jBASnRYNjsViA]. For more information on 2026 events, visit: www.thefoldcanada.org.📍Freedom To Know Wellness🌐 Website: www.freedomtoknowwellness.substack.com📱 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ftkwellness/👩🏾‍💻 Follow Host Michelle Samuels https://www.instagram.com/michelle.samuels.8/🎥 Special Thanks to Lara Tai for The FOLD's raw video footage. Follow Lara Tai https://www.instagram.com/lara_tai1/🎵 Music: Hold You Artist: Q-Black ⁠Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mrq94**Music Owner Rights by Freedom To Know Wellness**#healingstories #womenshistorymonth #blackmentalhealth #disabilityrepresentation #HealingThruStories #FTKWellness #Memoir #HealingThroughLiterature #DisabilityStories #Inspiration #AuthorsLife #substack #disabilityawareness #chronicillness #mentalhealth #overcomingtrauma #canadianauthor

‘Love & Kindness’ Meditation Healing for Chronic Pain | guest Rachel Donen | FTKWellness

Can "Love and Kindness" unlock the hidden door to healing chronic pain?In this episode, FTKWellness speaks with Rachel Donen  @racheldonen  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCpzpZ1SyxS_nUgM07eyitOA] about how the meditation practice of "Loving Kindness" can support healing from chronic pain. Drawing from teachings by Buddhist monk and author Thich Nhat Hanh [https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh], as well as the Tibetan practice of Tonglen [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonglen] meditation, Rachel shares insights on how compassion-based meditation can transform the experience of pain.Rachel is a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Yoga practitioner, founder of the ALIGN Community, and a recovering long-term chronic pain sufferer herself.✨ Watch this inspiring and impactful conversation to discover practical tools, spiritual wisdom, and resources that can support your healing and wellness journey. 📝 S2 E3 Transcript [https://freedomtoknowwellness.ca/love-kindness-for-chronic-pain-ftkwellness-s2-ep-3-transcript-docx-pdf] 🔔 Subscribe for more episodes! 📰 Read more on Substack: https://freedomtoknowwellness.substack.com/ CONNECT with Rachel Donen Instagram [ https://www.instagram.com/racheldonen/] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@racheldonen] CONNECT with FTKWellness (Michelle Samuels) 🌳 linktr.ee/freedomtoknowwellness 💰 ⁠Support Freedom To Know Wellness [https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/FTKWellness] 🎵 Music: Hold You Artist: Q-Black ⁠Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mrq94 **Music Owner Rights by Freedom To Know Wellness Timestamps 11:19 — Car Accidents Journey to Love Kindness Practice 15:22 — Being our sources of love 25:10 — Steps to Healing - Setbacks and Breakthroughs 29:16 — Body Perceiving Threat - Healing Journey 39:44 — What We Eat - Does it bring Suffering? 49:44 — Letting Go - Learning to Move with Chronic Pain #chronicpain #lovingkindnessmeditation #thichnhathanh #healing #tonglen #meditation #yoga #ftkwellness