In this educational monologue Mandy talks about what is actually going on with the dopamine hits everyone talks about these days and then ends with some practical ways to control our behaviour for better mental health and wellbeing through harnessing the power of the reward system.
NOTE: Season 4 is a Silent Season (S4E1) /
The last episode I posted before today (May 1, 2023) was one with my friend Sarah, who died shortly after. We talked several times about her journey with cancer and then dying. I never got the motivation to post again, until today.
So season 4 is a silent season devoted to the honor of Sarah. She’ll be happy for me that I posted again.
Talking with Sarah about her experience with cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic (S3E14) /
I sent Sarah a voice memo prompt to ask if she wanted to share some experiences being in the middle of a pandemic and needing to self-isolate during this time, particularly because she is living with cancer. We discussed a few topics including how the pandemic has created an experience that allows Sarah (and maybe others with chronic health conditions) to feel less alone and that she can properly take care of herself during this time.
Read MorePandemic Take Aways with Mike (S3E13) /
Five weeks after the social distancing started — and LOTS of conversations later — I actually recorded something… me and Mike talking about it. I got a bit nervous at the thought of this lifting, to be honest. There are many parts of this experience that I love and that I think is important for the world.
Read MoreCan a 4-year-old Tell A Story Without Poop? /
This is a recording of my 4-year-old back in the summer when he was extra obsessed with poop and with porcupines, warthogs, and raccoons. He told us 3 stories. Please note: the stories are interactive and you will have to stand with the rest of the audience at the time. He’s a very insistent little 4-year-old who doesn’t take no for an answer.
Talking with the Hosts of the Uncoverup Conspiracy Podcast (S3E11) /
I was very excited to be invited onto the podcast The Uncoverup to talk about the Psychology of Conspiracy Thinking with Hosts Nathan Radke and Alena Papayanis. After recording that episode, which can be found on Apple Podcast or Soundcloud (links below), we made use of their superior recording equipment to just chat about what inspired them to create their podcast and the nature of conspiracy thinking and conspiracies themselves as they try to find truth around conspiracies. I love how both of their minds work so it was seriously a pleasure and honour to be invited into their world. And I love how Nathan turned the table on me and asked where I stood on UFOs.
Read MoreMandyland Rant: Christmas (S3E10) /
It’s December. Christmas season is well among us. It’s a crazy time of year for many people. Not me. But for many others. Here in this rant I talk about my process of degifting my holidays, the terribleness of commercialized Christmas, the egocentrism of Christmas, the stress and money issues around Christmas, and where is religion in all of this? I end with some thoughts on Santa.
Read MoreMandyland Rant: Gender (S3E9) /
Me… ranting about gender, gender issues, gender reveal parties, gendered clothing, gender segregation, gender neutral, gender expansion, gendered opportunities, gendered washrooms… It didn’t start out as a rant. It was going to be an introduction to two other conversations about gender I’ve had specifically around gender-expansive parenting. But 17 minutes in, I realized it was a rant. Oops.
Read MoreMandyland Rant: University Education (S3E8) /
Me ranting about accessibility issues and the university system. No, I’m not actually lacking compassion for people’s needs. What I’m annoyed with is why we aren’t individualizing education more. I have lots of issues with the university system and you can read about some of them in the MicroDegree Manifesto too.
Read MoreLindsay and her NXIVM Cult Experience: Getting and Being In (S3E7) /
I am talking with my very dear friend, Lindsay. About 8 years ago, Lindsay got involved in the now famous cult, NXIVM, lead by Keith Raniere. In June of this year (2019) Keith was convicted of federal crimes including sex trafficking, conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor. His sentencing is at the end of October, 2019. I have been talking with Lindsay about her involvement since she started, back in 2011. Then this past summer, 2 years after she left the cult, we decided to make some podcast episodes.
EPISODE 2: Today, I share parts of my conversation with Lindsay about what compelled into this world. I love how she starts with it’s not like they say “hey wanna join this cult and we’re gonna have this sex group?”. The recruiting process is very deliberate and calculated.
Read MoreLindsay and her NXIVM Cult Experience: PTSD and Life After Leaving (S3E6) /
I am talking with my very dear friend, Lindsay. About 8 years ago, Lindsay got involved in the now famous cult, NXIVM, lead by Keith Raniere. In June of this year (2019) Keith was convicted of federal crimes including sex trafficking, conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor. His sentencing is at the end of October, 2019. Today, I share parts of my conversation with Lindsay about how she feels today, 2 years after she left as she heels and lives with PTSD. To read the full story about Lindsay, please visit her page: https://www.Mandyland.ca/about-lindsay
Read MoreCo-Living and Community (S3E5) /
Alia and I speak for the first time during this conversation. We were introduced through email by a mutual friend, Paul, who we both know from CSI (Centre for Social Innovation). Paul connected us because Alia is interested in co-living and because my partner and I bought a house in Toronto with our friends and are in a co-living situation. We talk here about what makes for a good human experience and community in a good co-living situation.
Read MoreBisexuality bi Vanessa, prefaced bi Mandy (S3E4) /
If you want to sit in on a class presentation on the research related to bisexuality please listen to this podcast! Vanessa is a MicroMasters student (part of the Centre for Applied Neuroscience MicroDegree in Psychological Neuroscience) supervised by me, Mandy Wintink. This week’s seminar class was on Sex and Gender and Vanessa’s topic was “Bisexuality” and she presents on the topic according to the guiding questions that provoked the research (see below). The other voices you can hear are that of the other MicroDegree students.
Vanessa chose to do bisexuality because it is often considered a hidden sexuality because those who are bisexual are often seen as heterosexual if they are in a monogamous opposite-sex relationship or gay if they are in a same-sex relationship, neither of which can feel complete for someone who is bisexual. Through her research, Vanessa discovered that bisexual erasure is prevalent and so is bisexuality as well. In fact, some statistics show that bisexuality is the majority of the LGTB2QS community.
Word of wise: You may want to slow this episode down to .75 speed because Vanessa and her brain present very fast…
Read MoreNailing the Ask... i.e., asking for money with Mandy (S3E3) /
I reflect on two examples of people asking for money, one good, one not-so good.
Read MoreCoaching Dawn Around Her Acute Stress Reactions (S3E2) /
Dawn has spoken before about her sever mental health issues (e.g., Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder). She works with a psychiatrist, is on medication, and is on permanent disability and unable to work. Today, she shares with an acute stress reaction she recently had and aims to get some perspective on it. She had approached me to do a live coaching session. The video associated with this session will also be released soon.
Read MoreCandid Conversation Refining A Mission Statement (S3E1) /
Truth be told, Mandyland is not my main gig. I actually run a company on the side. ;) The Centre for Applied Neuroscience is where I do most of my work as a life coach, life coach trainer, and a neuroscience workshop leader in organizations. I founded the company in 2010 and now have 7-8 people working for me part-time. During this team meeting, we brainstormed our mission and corporate philosophy and present it to our clients, potential clients, and friends of Mandyland as part of our “openness” mandate. To read what we came up with based on that conversation head to our About Us page here: http://www.knowyourbrain.ca/about.
Read MoreSeason 2 Recap and Season 3 Forecast (S2E35) /
Just a little recap of my experience with season two and forecasting what to expect for season 3.
Read MoreMike's Cancer Patient Experience (S2E34) /
A year ago Mike was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, a cancer of the kidneys. He had surgery 6 months later. His experience was, on paper, great because everything went medically well. But his patient experience made him think very deeply about how to improve the cancer patient experience. Mike is the Design Director at Healthcare Human Factors, a consultancy through University Health Network in Toronto. He is fortunate to be in a position to rethink and design cancer care and he’s doing that now. Here we talk about his experience, which laid a foundation for rethinking cancer care!
Read MoreConversation with Vanessa: The Concept of Sexual Orientation is Not Enough To Capture Modern Relationships (S2E33) /
Vanessa, who recently came out as Polyamorous, is questioning whether identifying a sexual orientation is enough to really capture all the nuances of romantic relationships. So we discuss… and that obviously brings up a discussion about gay versus bisexual and gender and labels in general.
Read MoreSaying Goodbye to Jett, My Amazing Dog (S2E32) /
Pets: We love them dearly, oftentimes more than the humans in our life. When they leave us it is one of the hardest things to experience. It’s been 2 days since we said goodbye to our amazing dog Jett. It hurts like hell. I miss her dearly. I will love her forever. I want her to come back.
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