Psychosis or spiritual awakening? with Phil Borges
Welcome to episode 225 with Phil Borges, a documentary photographer and filmmaker, recognised for his documentation of indigenous peoples and tribal cultures, with a particular focus on Tibet, human rights, and women's empowerment issues. His work is exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.
While Phil was documenting the various human rights abuses faced by tribal and indigenous cultures around the world, he began to meet their healers and visionaries-the people we often refer to as shamans.
He was surprised to learn that many of the shamans he met had been identified in their youth as ‘being gifted’ by having visions, hearing voices and experiencing intense mood swings-what we would call a psychotic episode.
His documentary ‘Crazywise’ explores the growing severity of a global mental health crisis that is dominated by biomedical psychiatry and looks at some the ways that indigenous peoples’ acceptance of non-ordinary states of consciousness, along with rituals and metaphors that form deep connections to nature, to each other, and to ancestors, is something we can learn from.
In this episode Phil joins me to chat about his journey from dentist school in San Francisco to photographing the emerging hippie movement of the 1960’s and how this led him to exploring and documenting tribal and indigenous cultures around the world.
We talk about meeting the Dalai Lama and the differences in how mental illness is viewed and treated in different cultures compared to our approach in the West.
And we talk about connection, compassion, community, what can happen when we reframe mental breakdown as a spiritual awakening and how he brought all of these ideas together for his documentary.
Watch Crazywise here: CRAZYWISE – Documentary Film
Learn more about Phil here: Home | PHIL BORGES PRODUCTIONS storytelling for social change
Phil has several Tedx talks that you can watch here: Psychosis or Spiritual Awakening: Phil Borges at TEDxUMKC - YouTube
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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1:16:12
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1:16:12
Depression, identity and creativity as an outlet with Karla Chubb (Sprints)
Welcome to episode 224 with Karla Chubb, who is a singer, guitarist and songwriter in Sprints.
Sprints formed in Dublin in 2019 and quickly became known for their explosive, cathartic, and incredibly powerful live performances. After a series of EP’s, they released their debut album in 2024 to great critical acclaim. The follow up ‘All That is Over’ is out this month.
In this episode I’m joined by Karla to chat about the origins of Sprints, their relentless touring schedule and life on the road in general.
We chat about her experiences with depression when she started college, how resisting her sexual identity exacerbated her mental state and how she has come up against her mental health through the years since then.
And we chat about dealing with internalised battles, finding the vocabulary to talk about and understand mental health, creativity as an outlet and balancing energy levels as an introvert while being the front person of a rock band.
The first Sprints album was one of my favourite records of last year and I am very excited to hear the new one so it was wonderful to chat to Karla about all of it!
For all things Sprints, the new record and upcoming tour dates head to www.sprintsmusic.com and follow @sprintsmusic
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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Healing trauma and reclaiming joy with Dr MaryCatherine McDonald
Welcome to episode 223 with Dr MaryCatherine McDonald, who is a research professor and life coach who specialises in the psychology and philosophy of trauma.
Her work focuses on thinking critically about how we understand, define, and heal from traumatic experiences.
Her newest book, The Joy Reset is a ground breaking, accessible guide to identifying the key ways trauma prevents joy and hope, with strategies for healing.
In this episode I’m joined by MC to chat about her research in to trauma and how things look different when we use both a psychological and a philosophical lens.
We chat about misunderstanding joy and the different forms this emotion can take and we talk about how joy interacts with trauma and the research and that informs this work.
MC also guides me through the neuroscience of The Hope Circuit and The Fear Circuit and breaks down the 6 thieves of joy and what we can do about them and we discuss how all of this relates to trauma and recovery.
We also chat about the nervous system, cultivating kindness, why some people resist joy, overidentifying with trauma and why it’s so important to imprint ‘tiny little joys’ every single day.
This is a fascinating conversation about the complexities of trauma alongside small, actionable steps to change your relationship with it and the science and research to back it up.
You can connect with Dr MaryCatherine and join her in imprinting a tiny little joy everyday this year on her social channels @mc.phd
Find out more about all aspects of her work at www.drmcmcdonald.com
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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54:56
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54:56
Anthony Kavanagh on fame, addiction and the dark side of 90’s pop
Welcome to episode 222 with Anthony Kavanagh, a singer and author who exploded onto the pop music scene in the late 90’s when his song ‘I Can Make You Feel Good’ was a huge hit all over the world. At just 18 years old he was touring with the Spice Girls and Boyzone, on the front cover of Smash Hits and countless magazines and regularly appearing on Top of the Pops.
Throughout this time Anthony was keeping his sexuality a secret, slowly developing a serious drinking problem and all while trying to stay relevant in the music industry where fame can be quickly taken away and second chances are few and far between.
In this episode, Anthony joins me to chat about growing up in Manchester with dreams of being a pop star and how he made those dreams a reality.
We talk about Smash Hits awards, sell out tours and being a pop star and we chat about what happens when the hits stop coming and the money starts to run out.
We also talk about 90’s nostalgia, the mental toll of hiding his sexuality, addiction, rehab, recovery and the beauty of finding humour and hope in the darkness.
His recent book ‘Popscars: A Memoir on Fame, Addiction and the Dark Side of 90’s pop’ is one of my reads of the year so far and it was wonderful to chat about why he decided to write the book and what he learned about himself from writing down his story to share with the world.
Anthony is a lovely man and it was absolutely lovely to chat!
Connect with Anthony on social media @kavana_real
His book is available everywhere now and you can learn more here: Pop Scars - Bonnier Books
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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1:12:27
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1:12:27
Kaila Yu and the intersection of race, body image and mental health.
Welcome to episode 221 with Kaila Yu, a journalist, travel writer and the author of Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty.
A former model, Kaila became closely associated with the import scene that took off in the late 90’s (think Fast & Furious 1) and also featured in many of the high-profile magazines of that time.
In this episode Kaila joins me to chat about growing up as an Asian woman in America and how pop culture warped her sense of self-worth and mental wellbeing.
We chat about her journey in to modelling, the lack of Asian representation and role models at that time, the emotional and psychological impact of being hypersexualized by media and her own journey with beauty standards self-acceptance, and healing.
And we chat about Asian fetish, feminism, finding self-love and compassion, and the intersection of race, body image and mental health.
Connect with Kaila on Instagram @kailayu and TikTok @kaila.yu
Learn more at https://kailayu.com
Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty is available everywhere, learn more at: Fetishized by Kaila Yu: 9780593728017 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at
www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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