Sana Talks to People & Sometimes Herself

Cat and I discuss the body positivity movement and how our weight-obsessed culture discriminates against overweight individuals. Cat shares her personal experience being a plus-sized woman and the discrimination she has faced within the healthcare sector with her doctors and in her personal life in the dating world. We chat about the importance of mental health on overall well-being in addition to the social determinants of health that impact a person's weight. Other topics include studies contradicting the medical advice we get, the obesity epidemic, being raised and socialized to hate your body, and have expectations set for what a man wants, beauty standards of today and some resources that shed light on the topic. Cat also shares her admiration for the influencers who are working tirelessly to challenge the norms of what a beautiful body should look like by posting nude and boudoir pictures on social media. The message remains that we must fight the stigma and should see more diverse bodies in the media and have more conversations like these. Referenced Resources: Book: XXL: Obesity and the Limits of Shame by Patrick Luciani Song: Video by India Arie Book and Facebook Page by the name: The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor Influencer Gabi Fresh Ted Talk: Enough with the fear of fat - Kelli Jean Drinkwater

Mike shares his extensive experience on the subject of dating but most importantly reflections on connecting online and in-person, subjective realities of potential partners, social skills, people skills. We also delve into referencing an SNL sketch titled: Girl at a Bar, tolerable flaws, authenticity, the magical spark, and how Drake wants his partners to reply back immediately after his text.

Mike and I chat about the wage gap between men and women including the salaries of professional WNBA athletes and what we can do to support the players. Themes discussed include equity vs equality, fairness, and the effect of gender norms and roles in our culture.

Mike and I discuss our “origin stories” as Mike likes to put it in addition to several tangents including but not limited to: ethnicity, food, moving 18-22 times in our lives, self-sufficiency and independence, making friends, identity and belonging, culture and family earning our respect, what makes our culture, and last but not least, eating egg embryos. You’re welcome.

Maria and I talk about our own experiences relating to emotional intelligence and awareness of certain social skills both in ourselves and in others. In addition to reminding ourselves that we’ll be dead soon, so cheer up love! We’re all gonna die anyway.

Mike and I discuss the concept of Ghosting and common relationship problems and scenarios. Topics include the chase, moral high ground and finding meaning and purpose to combat the pain of exclusion.

Andrew (who describes himself as 537 years old) and I discuss our experience with manners, being considerate, current infuriating trends, and how we can become more conscious and considerate to others around us.

An actual movie review (spoiler alert) of Todd Phillip’s movie Joker and other takes on the famous character’s various interpretations in the media. Mike, Ahsan, and I share our insights into what makes the Joker so popular as a character and how the new movie could have stayed true to the Batman universe. Also included: The Simpsons references, Jeff Bezos and Lex Luther and the iron man suit, amazon, Musk, going to space, and our favourite Batman.

Mike and I delve into the political correctness culture as we discuss activism, cancel culture, being a good person, and language shaping our behaviours, among other things. Comedian that was mentioned on disability activism was the late Stella Young (RIP).

Mike and I discuss the movie Joker in addition to the stigma of not talking or wanting to talk about mental illness. We delve into topics like how to have an intelligent conversation or disagreement, thinking, male vulnerability, inauthenticity, and challenging our values and internal bias.

Andrew, Mike, and myself discuss our experience of divorce - as divorcées. We delve into our stories of love, loss, the aftermath, and how divorce is often spoken about in our culture.

Mike and I discuss some key themes in the Marvel movie: Captain America - Civil War (spoiler alert). Themes of individual rights and responsibilities vs groups, emotional responses, law, among other things.

What would you (WWYD) for love? Mike and I discuss a scenario that delves deeper into what we would do for love. Often logic seems to go out the window when making emotional decisions but it’s not as easy as one may think…

Andrew and I discuss why we compare our lives and behaviours to other celebrities. They are mostly and quite accurately speaking, brands. To what extent do we give value to these brands and how they affect our lives, and what about cancel culture and our own internal biases?

How do you feel when someone asks “How are you?” How authentically do you answer and how do you feel when others revel in small talk whilst hiding their true personalities? Where are we hiding - is it behind social media or are we too afraid to be sad and admit that it’s okay to be sad. Andrew and I discuss just that, along with some movies and shows we love that portray an authentic reality.

Ever wonder what the history behind offensive or pejorative terms are? Mike and I chat about some of these as we discuss offensive terms without using offensive terms and Mike’s new regiment of using cleaner and professional language.

Andrew and I share our experience as graduates of one of Second City's improv programs. Lots of laughter including lessons on accepting compliments and the benefit of being creative with your friends.

Andrew and I share our personal stories of love and loss - marriage and divorce and the lessons of growth and opportunity that came with.

On this podcast, Ahsan (who is obsessed with D&D) and I talk about the wonderful world of Dungeons & Dragons - which is a collaborative/table top role playing game (ttrpg) and how it has affected our lives for the better. For anyone who has no clue what I’m talking about, give this a listen to!

Jeremy and I chat about Buddhist concepts and how they can help in our everyday lives. He also shares pointers directly from his essay on www.aartysana.com

Mike and I chat about dating culture, some apps, and strategies that people use to find life partners. We also share what we've learned so far about relationships and being a whole person.

Mike and I chat about how quarantine has affected us and what we are doing to cope with the changes in our lives. There's also some movie ramblings.

Mike and I speak about the recent events with regards to the Black Lives Matter movement and a history of racism.

Mike and I chat about what work-life balance means to us and what we are doing to ensure we maintain a balance between our work and personal lives.