Lessons to My Younger Self

Friendships as an adult can be challenging. While resources for intimate relationships are all around, our platonic relationships don’t have a readily available toolkit to access. Enter: Danielle Bayard Jackson, a Friendship Coach and Expert. Yes, it’s a thing! Danielle focuses on navigating female friendships through coaching and workshops. She conducts her own surveys and research-based strategies to provide tools and tips for making friends, keeping friends, and even handling the end of friendships too.

Follow Danielle on TikTok @TheFriendshipExpert or on Instagram @DanielleBayardJackson

And join the Friend Forward community BetterFemaleFriendships.com

Follow Host @_SamEast

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Lessons to My Younger Self team

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Kecskemeti

Hosted and Produced by: Sam East

Feedback or inquiries: info@SamEast.ca

Carmi Levy is a Canadian technology journalist. You may recognize him from the many appearances he’s made over the years breaking down how technology shapes how we work and live. And while he could give us a perfect explanation on the latest iPhone, our conversation is about the health event that changed his life. Carmi suffered a very unexpected stroke in 2013. And while he’s always been a very thoughtful and genuine person, the stroke heightened his appreciation of the in-between moments of life.

I’ve always marvelled at the ways in which Carmi is attuned to the bright side, and how he injects kindness in everything he does. Carmi is a mensch, through and through.

Follow @CarmiLevy & @_SamEast

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Lessons to My Younger Self team

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Kecskemeti

Hosted and Produced by: Sam East

You’ve probably heard some version of: The type of attachment you have with your parents or caregivers as a young person, helps inform how you operate in intimate relationships. Makes sense in theory, right?

The theory we’re talking about is Attachment Theory.  You may have read up on your attachment style, seen a post on it, or even taken a quiz to figure out what attachment style you or a loved one would fall under - but there’s a lot more nuance to the theory.

Sexologist Dr. Jess O’Reilly is back to explain Attachment Theory, but also help us understand why the styles should be seen as fluid instead of fixed.

Follow @SexWithDrJess & @_SamEast

For more info: https://www.sexwithdrjess.com/

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Lessons to My Younger Self team

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Kecskemeti

Hosted and Produced by: Sam East

There’s a good chance you’ve seen AsapSCIENCE’s hilarious and educational videos, specifically on YouTube where they have over 10 MILLION subscribers. Greg Brown, one half of the AsapSCIENCE duo is joining Sam East for a conversation that is insightful - definitely, but also so much fun. That’s the whole AsapSCIENCE intention; accessible, digestible, informative, that pushes the ideas we have of science education.

Greg and Sam chat about "Shut it Off" - their youtube series on climate change and sustainability, how science and spirituality can co-exist, how to thrive making content online and the new generation of brilliant and diverse science communicators.

Follow Greg: @whalewatchmeplz / @AsapSCIENCE

Follow Sam: @_SamEast

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Lessons to My Younger Self team

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Kecskemeti

Hosted and Produced by: Sam East

Grief isn't a linear process. Despite the depictions of grief we've seen and heard, the 5 or 7 stages might not be a category you fit into. So, what happens when you lose someone who you had a strained relationship with? What does grief look like in that case?

In this episode, Sam East chats with medium Tracy Stella. Tracy uses a process called Automatic Writing to connect people with loved ones that they've lost. She helps provide some clarity around what happens in the afterlife, and why our actions here on earth affect the ones we've lost. She also connects Sam with her Dad who passed in 2011. 

Follow Tracy Stella @UptalkWithTracy

Follow Sam East @_SamEast

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Lessons to My Younger Self team

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Kecskemeti

Hosted and Produced by: Sam East

Would you consider yourself to be a resilient person? Dr. Christy Gibson is a family doctor, and trauma and resilience specialist who focuses on equity work, medical education, and global health. She's built a community by sharing free resources to help manage and heal through trauma, while building resilience. She says, even if you've experienced catastrophic trauma, there is a way for you to heal through it - it's just a matter of understanding, and possibly rebooting, your nervous system. Christy has a book coming out in Spring 2023 called "The Modern Trauma Toolkit", which aims to make healing accessible to everyone - regardless of background, social class, access to resources, and what kind of trauma you've experienced. 

Follow Dr. Christy Gibson on TikTok @TikTokTraumaDoc & check out ModernTrauma.com

Follow host @_SamEast

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Lessons to My Younger Self team

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Kecskemeti

Hosted and Produced by: Sam East

What does the work look like to be a better ally to marginalized groups, to recognize harmful behaviour - not just in others, but in yourself too? You might sense that there’s been a real shift in awareness over the last couple years, especially throughout the pandemic. Luckily for us, we have educators like Benjy Kusi to help navigate the many nuances that exist in these spaces.

Benjy is an inclusion and well-being consultant who has gained a massive online following helping people unpack microaggressions, racism, homophobia, gender identity, and a ton of other very important and layered conversations. The ones that even the most well-intentioned people may shy away from because of the complex and vulnerable nature of these topics. But people gravitate to Benjy’s content because he takes these complex issues and brilliantly breaks things down in a way that’s easy to grasp. In a world that’s become quick to cancel, Benjy invites us to both learn and unlearn with accountability, grace, and kindness. I had the privilege to chat with Benjy early this year, and am so excited for you to hear more of his insight.

Follow Benjy: @Benjy_Lookbook

Follow Sam East: @_SamEast

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Lessons to My Younger Self team

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Kecskemeti

Hosted and Produced by: Sam East

What would life look like for you if you your thoughts, actions, and worth were not defined by your body, or how you look? Alicia Mccarvell is at the forefront of the self-love movement. She discusses the liberating moment that she decided to authentically live her life outside the confines of ridiculously unattainable beauty standards, the impact of her content on her massive community, and why we need to stop thinking "fat" is a bad word. 

Follow @AliciaMccarvell & @_SamEast

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Lessons to My Younger Self team

Technical Producer: Chris Luis

Sound Design: Adam Kecskemeti

Hosted and Produced by: Sam East

Dr. Jess O'Reilly is a sexologist, author, host, and speaker based in Toronto, Canada. She's worked with thousands of people all over the world on how you can achieve that happily-ever-after - in and out of the bedroom. In our conversation, she brilliantly breaks down why you should set appointments to have sex, what role race plays in sexual identity, what we need to normalize in the bedroom, how you can cultivate sexual compatibility and so. much. more. This is a crash course in sex and intimacy, and you may want to break out a pen and paper to take notes!

Follow Dr. Jess @SexWithDrJess and host Sam East @_SamEast

What happens when you’re a shy kid with BIG dreams? Arthur Mola flipped his timid tendencies into an incredible path. You’ve probably seen his work as a photographer in the pages of Vogue, Vanity Fair, People, the New York Times and MANY more. He’s covered countless major events, film festivals, and concerts all over the world, capturing the most recognizable faces along the way.

Arthur and I have known each other since the 4th grade, and even then, it was obvious that he was one of a kind; super talented in a multitude of different interests and areas, with a fierce determination to go after his dreams.

He shares stories of his hustle, how his family helped and inspired him along the way, and a very clear message to his younger self on what he would have done differently.

Follow Arthur @ArthurMola and host @_SamEast

Do you find yourself consciously choosing to be humble to help OTHER people feel comfortable? In this mini episode, I vent about the humble system that's designed to keep us playing small. 

Follow host Sam East @_SamEast

Dames Nellas is confidence personified. You may recognize the name and voice from the evening show that he hosts on 99.9 Virgin Radio in Toronto, and everywhere with the iHeartRadio Canada app. Dames and I have worked together at the station since 2018, and he’s truly one of the most naturally talented people I know. He reflects on tapping into your confidence, building self-awareness, and his big regrets in life too.

Find Dames at @DamesNellas and host Sam East @_SamEast

Picture your favourite Looney Tunes characters; Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Marvin the Martian. All of these characters (and more!) are currently voiced by the incredible Eric Bauza. You can hear his talent in Space Jam: A New Legacy dropping July 16th in theatres and on HBO Max.

Eric opens up about growing up in Scarborough and his Filipino upbringing, the importance of family on his path, the rich history behind these iconic characters that he voices, and what it was like being a part of Space Jam.

Follow Eric Bauza @Bauzilla & host Sam East @_SamEast

Debra DiGiovanni is hilarious. She’s been a comedian for over 20 years, so you may recognize her from a set, a special, a late night TV appearance, or the iconic Canadian show “Video on Trial” on Much Music. Debra chats about the experience being on the show, the evolution of comedy now that there’s greater awareness around racism and stereotypes, and she reflects on her path to sobriety.

You can find Debra on Twitter @DebraDiGiovanni / Instagram @DebraDG, and host Sam East @_SamEast

Are you comfortable observing yourself and your thoughts? Are you training your mind as much as you train your body? Manoj Dias is a meditation teacher who’s been helping people all over the world to relate rather than react to their thoughts. He speaks on the importance of accepting the entirety of your human experience, and gives you a quick body scan meditation to wind down at the end of the episode.

Check out Manoj’s book “Still Together: Connection Through Meditation”.

Follow @ ManojDias_ and host Sam East @_SamEast

Are you on the right path? What’s the real essence of what you’re putting out into the world? Big questions to reflect on from the one and only Oprah Winfrey. I had a chance to meet and interview Oprah 2 years ago; June 16th, 2019. It was a beautiful moment that I’ll never forget. In this mini episode, you’ll hear snippets from our conversation, plus some key lessons that I learned from the experience that may resonate with you.

Follow host Sam East @_SamEast

Jess Allen is one of the co-hosts of "The Social" on CTV. You'll find her at the table candidly sharing her opinions and snippets of her life, too. Jess opens up about finding her voice again after a particular "trip up" - as she calls it - from November 2019. Plus we get into why the number of followers you have or likes you get on social media can mean very little when it comes to finding.

Find Jess at @Jessie_Rae57 and host Sam East at @_SamEast

Jully Black is Canada’s Queen of R&B soul - emphasis on SOUL, ‘cause this conversation was anything but surface level. Jully talks candidly about purpose, self-awareness, spirituality, and answering “the call”.

Find Jully @MissJullyBlack and host Sam East @_sameast.

If you could give your younger self one sage piece of advice, what would it be? Sam East talks to great storytellers, artists, hosts, thought-leaders, and experts as they reflect on the BIG lessons they’ve learned in life, and what they wish their younger self understood. Every week a different guest unpacks a new life lesson that’ll inspire you to reflect, and tap into your own introspection.