Judy Talks - A Podcast

So, I met this guy James during an acting workshop, found out we have a mutual friend in the industry, and one of us ‘friended’ the other on Facebook (I can’t remember which one of us sent the request first). Any way, a few years and one pandemic later, I thought “James would make a really cool guest!” James is an on-screen actor and voice actor but the latter has been his focus lately. He’s also the founder of Dooley Media Works, a company that specializes in professional voiceover production. 

We chat about his career and how he found himself in the world of voice over work…how covid changed the audition process…and why learning from brutally honest feedback is the most important thing a performer can do for themselves. 

On this episode of Judy Talks, the velvet voiced James Dooley. 

https://dooleymediaworks.com/about-us/   https://www.toddschick.com/

In 2019, Lynn attended the annual Homeless World Cup football tournament in Cardiff, Wales and the trajectory of her life changed. At this event, she witnessed people from all over the world come together for a cause but one person in particular left a lasting impression on her; the chameleonesque Welsh actor, Michael Sheen.

If you don’t know the name, chances are you have seen him from one or more of his film and television roles. He’s played:

• Aro in Twilight
• Tony Blair in The Queen
• Dr. William Masters in Masters of Sex
• Arthur the bartender in Passengers
• Roland Blum in The Good Fight
• Lucien in Underworld
• Miles in Bright Young Things
• and recently Dr. Martin Whitly in Prodigal Son 
• and Aziraphale in Good Omens

However, this isn’t what drew Lynn to him. She saw Michael in attendance at the event, right in the thick of it, day after day, participating, talking with everyone, helping with what needed to be done. As she puts it, he wasn’t just being a celebrity who swooped in for a few minutes to show his face and then leave. He was as dedicated to this event as everyone else (in fact, it eventually came out that his financial generosity prevented the event from being cancelled).

When Lynn returned home to the United States, she had a mission; to raise money and help the charities she encountered while in Wales. And with that, The White Curl was born.

On this episode of Judy Talks – the founder and director of The White Curl, Lynn.

Dr. Nel Wieman didn’t purposely set out to be Canada’s first female indigenous psychiatrist but in the 90s she did just that despite her early life being so difficult.

Dr. Wieman has been described as a victim of the 60s scoop but she sees herself as, not only a survivor but a THRIVER. Her professional resume is a mile long and she is a highly respected person in her field – in fact, she is a recipient of the Indspire Award.

You’ve never heard of the Indspire Awards? Oh, it’s just the highest honour the Indigenous community gives its people. It’s seriously so significant, that the awards are (according to its website) “a nationally broadcast celebration that showcases the diversity and accomplishments of Indigenous peoples in Canada”. Jeebus! Dr. Wieman AND Buffy Sainte-Marie received their awards on the same night!

Despite being a bit nervous, I was so incredibly honoured to talk with Dr. Wieman. She openly discusses so many topics including her early life, the responsibility she felt as being only the second indigenous psychiatrist in Canada, establishing trust with clients, the systemic racism she’s faced in the medical community, and her opinion about the Pope’s recent visit to Canada.

On this episode of Judy Talks – the humble trailblazer, Dr. Cornelia Wieman.

Adam Avitable considers himself to be a “creative polymath”. He is a comedian, writer, photographer, wedding officiant, and a former lawyer/entrepreneur/college professor. According to his website, He has written books, started businesses, set his life on fire, gotten married, gotten divorced, spoken at conferences, headlined casinos, taught workshops, performed for thousands, and written for millions, creating content that made readers cry, laugh, or even pick up their pitchforks.

Currently, he produces and co-hosts a dating podcast called “Dating Kinda Sucks” and has garnered quite a following on social media, in particular Tiktok, as a content creator who calls out toxic masculinity and the shitty behaviour of other men. I wanted to talk with Adam to find out if he’s legit or just another man trying to cash in on the #metoo movement.

On this episode of Judy Talks, the detrimentally blunt Adam Avitable.

With one seemingly innocent Tiktok video, Ashley Gray found herself in the middle of an opinion storm surrounding the issue of how the rest of the world views the United States. You see, Ashley is an American living in the UK and that distance has afforded her an arm’s length view of the country she loves.

During our chat we talked about Canada vs. the US vs. the UK when it comes to health care, abortion, politics, cultural views, guns and gun laws, and the American crisis of being made to choose money over love. 

Annnnd…I’ll be honest, we kind of went off the rails and had our own Lord of the Rings moment with tangent after tangent keeping us from actually ending the interview…but if you can get around that you just might enjoy our Canadian vs. expatriate view of ‘Murica.

BUT…before we get into the episode, I want to address some comments that were made during recording. You see, I recorded Ashley’s interview BEFORE I spoke with Bill from the Church of Satan. I edited and posted Ashley’s interview AFTER I released the Church of Satan episode. Comments we make about the Church of Satan’s views on abortion are not accurate and I encourage you to listen to episode 11 for facts about the stance the Church of Satan takes on abortion.

On this episode of Judy Talks, broken hearted American expat, Ashley Gray.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, you no doubt saw Mo Collins generously peppered throughout TV shows and Movies including MadTV, The 40 year old virgin, Arrested Development, Knocked Up, and more recently on Parks and Recreation and Fear the Walking Dead. 

She’s an Actor, comedian, writer, director, animal advocate, and, it turns out, she is incredibly passionate about politics in the United states. Oh, and chickens, too!

When I was making plans to speak with Mo, like all of my interviews, I didn’t prepare much because I prefer it when conversations take a natural course. But one single question at the beginning conveyed just how infuriating and scary it is to be a Democrat in America today.

On this episode of Judy Talks, funny woman with a heart full of rage, Mo Collins.

Bill is a Magister with the church of Satan. Essentially, that means he is master or teacher within the church. And that’s definitely a suitable title for him because, wow…he knows a lot.

I contacted the Church of Satan because I wanted to talk about why interest in them seems to increase whenever the rights of people in the United States are challenged. I was given the rundown on what the church is about, their beliefs (which, you may be surprised to learn does NOT include animals sacrifices and eating babies) but, we also talk about Bill himself - his life, his day job in the corporate world, and his journey from Catholic to Satanist.

After a few hiccups at the start, we were able to sort out our technical difficulties and chat.

On this episode of Judy talks, Magister Bill with the Church of Satan.

Trigger Warning! Even though today’s episode is meant to be a body positive and a healthy discussion about fitness, exercise, and other health related topics, the following discusses body image, shame, eating disorders, fad diets, and scams within the health industry. These topics can be triggering for some people and I just wanted to give everyone a heads up because I care and don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable.

Leah Barron is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer in New York City. When she was just a kid, she struggled with her weight and body image, which led to the development of disordered eating habits. At the tender age of 13, Leah decided to take control and began learning about nutrition and exercise and realize THIS was her calling! Her goal is to challenge the messages we get from social media and change the fitness and health industries from the inside by taking a different approach; she doesn’t focus so much on WEIGHT but instead looks at her clients as whole people with complex needs and goals. She wants people to be happy, have a positive body image, and love themselves unconditionally regardless of their shape.

On today’s episode of Judy Talks, fitness industry renegade, Leah Barron.

Thomas Lawrence is a modern-day David taking on Goliath; a marketing school drop-out running two companies from Scotland.

The first is Tom’s Totes; an ethical, slow-fashion accessories brand with an emphasis on social causes, sustainable practices, and appreciation for artists.

His latest is Good People Inc.; a marketplace platform for responsibly produced goods that acts as an alternative to online retailers such as Amazon (whom he QUOTE fucking hates) where you can buy anything and everything you need as long as it’s ethically-produced. 

But how does he plan to actually take on the mega corporations of the world? 

On this episode of Judy Talks, social entrepreneur, Thomas Lawrence.

Lee Howard is a self-taught, freelance artist, creator of Quiet Room Bears (est. 2001), and bonafide horror aficionado. After almost two decades of hard work, he was able to fulfill his dream to become a full-time artist. However, it wasn’t an easy journey. Lee battled depression, heartbreak, alcoholism, anxiety, the loss of both parents, and a severe lack of confidence. How did he move past all that to become the success he is? We chat about that and more!

On this episode of Judy Talks, super-nice scary guy Lee Howard.

Annabelle Woghiren is an anti-racism, human rights, and decolonization educator and activist. On top of that she is a Law and Politics student at Queen Mary University in London, England. 

This is taken directly from her website because I couldn't phrase it any better: Through unpacking myths and stereotypes regarding the politics behind the distributions of power, and investigating the role of racism and anti-racism in social, professional, and educational spaces, she encourages people to analyse their identities and positions within systems of power. 

On this episode of Judy Talks, activist Annabelle Woghiren.

Artimus Wolz is a New York City-based, Tiktok famous funny guy who brought the song “Incompedance” to the masses. He’s also a Filmmaker, Musician, Artist, Digital Media Consultant, and Founder and Creative Director of SOMNITECT studio. On a whim, I sent a message asking if I could interview him and was completely shocked when he said “yes”.

We chat about his time as an essential worker, childhood trauma, and how he’s building a career poking fun at the patriarchy, toxic masculinity, and the people out there who like to use the “not all men” hashtag.  

On this episode of Judy Talks, gender wars insurgent, Artimus Wolz.