Good Faith with Christian Peregin

Chaos Magick began in London in the 1970s but it only recently became a fascination of Teodor Reljic, a Maltese-Serbian writer. In this episode, he explains what the practice is all about and how he uses it as a form of playful meditation and creative inspiration. He also talks about his move to Malta in childhood where one of his first memories was being shit-scared by all the horrifically-vivid crucifixes everywhere he looked. We then talk about everything from anti-vaccers to flat-earthers and the dangers and origins of clickbait.

Joanna Demarco is a young photographer with a fascination for how social media has changed our world. Together with writer Ann Dingli, she travelled to West Virginia to a region called The Quiet Zone where people cannot use 3G. Their work is currently being exhibited at Valletta Contemporary. On Good Faith, Joanna talks about the psychology of social media and its impact on our relationships. We also talk about the press in Malta and how politics still plays a strange role in our media landscape.

Ben Camille had a childhood dream to become a professional footballer. But just as he was about to make it, an injury forced him to give it all up. Instead of getting depressed, he found other ways to achieve success and is today one of Malta’s most thriving celebrities. In this episode, the X Factor Malta presenter and former reality TV star shares his experiences and thoughts about everything from self-confidence and grooming to fatherhood, influencer culture, business, family and language.

Charmaine Galea, a diabetic from Malta, was pregnant with her second child when she suffered a hypo and was clinically dead for 90 minutes. Thanks to some quick thinking by her husband Mark and lots of his persistence throughout her six-week coma, she lived to tell the tale. This is a story of true love and resilience.

When Will Privitera found joy and serenity in attending yoga classes and seeking to improve his mental wellbeing, he began to wonder: where are all the men? He believes societal constructs surrounding masculinity keep men away from exploring vital aspects of who they are and he's doing something to change that. He organises regular self-improvement activities targeted at men. And he's causing a bit of a stir. If you're interested in participating in the next event, you can find more details here.

Malta is voting this Saturday 25th May to elect its MEPs and local councillors. That's why I sat down with one of the candidates who caught my attention, the Swedish cleanup activist Cami Applegren. Cami fell in love with Malta when she was just 14 years old and now wants to represent the island she loves in Brussels. We talk about her intentions, her views on some of the major issues being discussed in this election campaign, as well as her internal criticism of the party she joined: Partit Demokratiku. NB: This podcast was recorded the night before Cami deleted her Facebook account after receiving alleged death threats. It was also recorded before PD 'clarified' its stance on abortion where leader Godfrey Farrugia proposed speeding up pregnancies.

Emma Hogg is a psychotherapist and lifestyle strategist who has personally overcome childhood trauma, anorexia and the fallout from calling off a wedding. She speaks to Christian Peregin about finding the right partner, nourishing a relationship, overcoming hurt and understanding why we sometimes get stuck on the little things when something much bigger is at play. Basically every question you’ve ever had about relationships, answered by someone who really understands the self.

Raisa Galea was born in Soviet Russia and witnessed the fall of Communism when she was a little girl. She experienced the rise of capitalism in its rawest form, which has shaped many of her ideas around economics, entrepreneurship and greed. Raisa stumbled upon Malta accidentally when she was depressed and she says the island saved her life. Ten years after moving here, she feels like a true local and has lots to say about where the country is headed and what we should be attentive towards. Today the editor of online magazine Isles Of The Left, she talks to Christian Peregin about everything from falling in love to Maltese classism.

This episode is slightly different from the rest. We have two cool guests but they don’t have a particular story to share, so we just have an open conversation about all things politics: abortion, gender quotas, the right to bear arms, environmental crises, global technology, partisan politics and much more. Andrew Farrugia is concerned about the lack of debate in Malta. He also thinks politicians should get paid a huge amount. Matt Chetcuti is fascinated by the interplay between individual freedom and responsibility. He was once against divorce but is now largely pro-choice. And then there’s me...

Chris Vincent is a gay man living with HIV. He talks openly about what it was like to contract the virus and to have to tell his closest friends and family. He also explains what it means to be on treatment and undetectable, rendering it impossible for him to pass on the virus to someone else even through unprotected sex. If you have any comments or questions, please send them to www.facebook.com/goodfaithpodcast and we’ll try to answer them in future episodes.

Alex Curmi is a Maltese psychiatrist-in-training with a particular interest in psychedelics and their possible therapeutic applications to treat mental health disorders like PTSD and depression. In this podcast, he talks about his personal experience with mindfulness meditation, giving up alcohol, and some tools he uses to overcome social anxiety. He offers practical advice to anyone going through a personal struggle, centred around better self-awareness.If you want to get in touch with Alex Curmi, e-mail him here: moodforthoughtpodcast@gmail.com

Jonathan Mizzi is a celebrated London-based Maltese architect who is as critical of the island's built environment as he is optimistic about its future. He believes autonomous electric cars can solve Malta's gridlocked roads and help make the island greener. He also believes high-rises can be an aesthetic solution to several nondescript medium-rise towns that have mushroomed all over the island. In this podcast, he talks about moving back to Malta, the changes he experienced since fatherhood and his belief in educational spaces that are close to nature.

Ann Dingli left Malta with lofty dreams of becoming a respected design critic eight years ago. Her plans were somewhat foiled by the cold reality of life and she was confronted with the anguish of self-diagnosed failure. Today she runs a small art blog and writes for a handful of cultural publications. Her realisation that things don’t always turn out as envisioned has made her fascinated with the meaning of ‘failure’, and has convinced her that FOMO is the mother of all insecurities.

Christian Peregin speaks to Clayton Mercieca, probably the first Maltese gay man to use surrogacy, which is a criminal offence in Malta. Clayton opens up about the joy of fatherhood as he details his family's experiences and responds to questions about the moral issues surrounding surrogacy and gay parenting. Clayton is a full-time LGBT rights activist who organises Malta's annual pride march.