Academic women & family planning ft. Dr. Kasey Van Hedger & Dr. Alex LevineIn this episode, Niveen (@nivful), Hayley (@hayleyrcshanks) and Kyla (@kylaaalee) chat with Drs. Alex Levine and Kasey Van Hedger, both who completed PhDs in STEM and currently work at the University of Western Ontario in London, ON, Canada. We discuss their experiences in Academia with family planning and get two unique perspectives. Kasey and Alex detail their personal stories of how they got to their positions today, how family planning did, or did not, affect their trajectory, and provide invaluable advice for Professional women, including Academics, who are considering building a family.Connect with Alex Levine, PhD:↬ Twitter: @AlexTLev ↬ IG: @alextlevConnect with Kasey Van Hedger, PhD: ↬ Twitter: @kvanhedger ↬ IG: @kvanhedgerMentioned this episode:↬ BMC Episode 6- Anxiety & anger series with Rob Hicks:  - Part I: gender stereotypes - men’s mental health  - Part II: practicing mindfulness  - Part III: becoming a parent in Academia↬ Dr. Harriet de Wit Lab - research on the physiological, mood-altering & behavioral effects of drugs in healthy humans (Chicago, IL, USA)↬ Dr. Ingrid Johnsrude Lab - research using psychophysical and neuroimaging methods such as fMRI and EEG to study the neural basis of hearing (Western University, London, ON, CA)↬ #MomAdemia  Recent episodes can be found at www.songsuwo.ca/brainmatterchatter↬ Episode 7: Mental Health in South Asian Communities with Ishita AggarwalListen on any podcast platform + follow us on Twitter + Instagram @BrainMatterChat

In this episode, Ruby (Host) and Olivia (Co-Host) chat with Ishita Aggarwal about her experiences as a South Asian woman. Ishita completed a master's in public health and is currently a medical student at Queen's University in Canada. Ishita is a member of the BIPOC Women's Health Network (WHN), an initiative led by a group of medical students who aim to provide healthcare resources and improve health experiences for racialized womxn in local Canadian communities.

Anxiety & anger series with Rob Hicks, PART III: becoming a parent in AcademiaIn this three-part series, Niveen (@nivful) and Julia (@juliasunstrum) chat with Rob Hicks, a PhD Candidate in Kinesiology & Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada), about his experience in Academia with gender stereotypes and mental health, expressing emotions other than anger, and panic attack/anxiety triggers and what to look out for. Rob details his personal story of becoming a new parent in graduate school while managing his mental health and provides invaluable advice for (really) everyone, including men, parents, and Academics.Check out the Anxiety & Anger Series where Niveen and Julia discuss crucial matters with Rob Hicks:↬ Part I: gender stereotypes - men’s mental health↬ Part II: practicing mindfulness↬ Part III: becoming a parent in AcademiaConnect with Rob Hicks:↬ Instagram: @neurosnacks↬ Twitter: @_robhicks↬ Website↬ Rob's article: Men, we need to #GetReal about our mental healthRecent episodes can be found at www.songsuwo.ca/brainmatterchatter↬ Ep 5: Anxiety, Social Isolation & Returning to "Normal" w/Dr. David DozoisListen on any podcast platform + follow us on Twitter + Instagram @BrainMatterChat ! 

Anxiety & anger series with Rob Hicks, PART II:  practicing mindfulness. In this three-part series, Niveen (@nivful) and Julia (@juliasunstrum) chat with Rob Hicks, a PhD Candidate in Kinesiology & Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada), about his experience in Academia with gender stereotypes and mental health, expressing emotions other than anger, and panic attack/anxiety triggers and what to look out for. Rob details his personal story of becoming a new parent in graduate school while managing his mental health and provides invaluable advice for (really) everyone, including men, parents, and Academics.Resources:⇢The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Information Resource Center⇢ Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCheck out this series where Niveen & Julia continue the conversation with Rob Hicks in the Anxiety & Anger Series:↬ Part I: gender stereotypes - men’s mental health↬ Part II: practicing mindfulness↬ Part III: becoming a parent in AcademiaConnect with Rob Hicks:↬ Instagram: @neurosnacks↬ Twitter: @_robhicks↬ Website ↬ Rob's article: Men, we need to #GetReal about our mental healthSeptember is National Suicide Prevention Month to address suicide, its causes, awareness around it, and its prevention. We want to bring awareness and remind individuals that you are loved and you matter to the world.Health Hotlines:National Suicide Prevention Lifeline↬ The Lifeline provides 24-hour, toll-free, and confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to connect with a skilled, trained counsellor at a crisis centre in your area.↬ Support is available in English and Spanish and via live chatCrisis Text Line↬ Text HELLO to 741741 for free and confidential support 24 hours a day throughout the U.S.Disaster Distress Hotline↬ People affected by any disaster or tragedy can call this helpline, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to receive immediate counselling.↬ Call or text 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained professional from the closest crisis counselling centre within the network.Recent episodes can be found at www.songsuwo.ca/brainmatterchatter↬ Ep 5: Anxiety, Social Isolation & Returning to "Normal" w/Dr. David DozoisListen on any podcast platform + follow us on Twitter + Instagram @BrainMatterChat !

Anxiety & anger series with Rob Hicks, PART I: gender stereotypes & men’s mental healthIn this three-part series, Niveen (@nivful) and Julia (@juliasunstrum) chat with Rob Hicks, a PhD Candidate in Kinesiology & Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada), about his experience in Academia with gender stereotypes and mental health, expressing emotions other than anger, and panic attack/anxiety triggers and what to look out for. Rob details his personal story of becoming a new parent in graduate school while managing his mental health and provides invaluable advice for (really) everyone, including men, parents, and Academics.References / resources: ⇢The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Information Resource Center⇢ Centers for Disease Control and PreventionLook out for upcoming episodes where Niveen and Julia continue the conversation with Rob Hicks in the Anxiety & Anger Series: ↬ Part I: gender stereotypes - men’s mental health  ↬ Part II: practicing mindfulness ↬ Part III: becoming a parent in AcademiaConnect with Rob Hicks:↬ Instagram: @neurosnacks↬ Twitter: @_robhicks↬ Website ↬ Rob's article: Men, we need to #GetReal about our mental healthSeptember is National Suicide Prevention Month to address suicide, its causes, awareness around it, and its prevention. We want to bring awareness and remind individuals that you are loved and you matter to the world.Health Hotlines:National Suicide Prevention Lifeline ↬ The Lifeline provides 24-hour, toll-free, and confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to connect with a skilled, trained counsellor at a crisis centre in your area. ↬ Support is available in English and Spanish and via live chatCrisis Text Line ↬ Text HELLO to 741741 for free and confidential support 24 hours a day throughout the U.S.Disaster Distress Hotline ↬ People affected by any disaster or tragedy can call this helpline, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to receive immediate counselling. ↬ Call or text 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained professional from the closest crisis counselling centre within the network.Recent episodes can be found at www.songsuwo.ca/brainmatterchatter↬ Ep 5: Anxiety, Social Isolation & Returning to "Normal" w/Dr. David DozoisListen on any podcast platform + follow us on Twitter @BrainMatterChat ! 

Julia and Niveen chat with Dr. David Dozois, a Psychologist, Professor, and the Director of the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at Western University, about the impact of social isolation on mental health. We also learn why some of us feel anxious about going back to our normal social lives and routines and what we can do to ease this transition.  Dr. Dozois also shares some of his personal experiences in graduate school and gives some great advice for graduate students. Connect with Dr. Dozois:Website: http://dozoislab.com/ Twitter: @david_dozois & @Dozois_Mood_LabResources Mentioned in this Episode:Book: Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger & Christine A. Padesky 

In part two of the exercise series, Hayley (Host) and Olivia (Co-Host) discuss the cognitive benefits of exercise with Joyla Furlano and Dr. Lindsay Nagamatsu. They touch on sex differences in response to exercise, exercise in aging and disease and exercise as medicine. Joyla is a fourth-year PhD candidate in Neuroscience at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She currently works in the Exercise, Mobility and Brain Health Laboratory at Western under the supervision of Dr. Lindsay Nagamatsu. Her doctoral research uses fMRI to examine the effects of resistance exercise on cognitive and brain health in prediabetic and overweight older adults. Dr. Lindsay Nagamatsu is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology at Western. Her research focuses on examining the effects of exercise on cognition and brain health in at-risk populations, using neuroimaging techniques such as fMRI and EEG to examine underlying functional changes. Dr. Nagamatsu’s website: https://www.uwo.ca/bmi/investigators/lindsay-nagamatsu.htmlRecent articles: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jnr.24830 , https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33358932/ 

In part one of a two part series, Hayley (Host) and Olivia (Co-Host) discuss the health benefits of exercise, including the ability of exercise to boost mood. They delve into some of the neuroscience behind exercise’s beneficial impact on mood, and touch on tips for staying active as graduate students. 

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains sensitive content relating to eating disorders. In this episode, Ruby (Host) and Hayley (Co-Host) chat with Dr. Jaclyn Siegel about her experiences and research relating to eating disorders. Dr. Siegel completed her PhD at Western University in social psychology. She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at San Diego State University in the Body Image, Sexuality, and Health Lab. Visit https://www.jaclynasiegel.com/ to discover more about her research. 

In this episode, Michaela Kent, a PhD student in neuroscience, at Western University, joins Ruby and Julia for a discussion on Zoom fatigue. Michaela draws on her expertise in, and research on, virtual socialization to explain why Zoom fatigue leaves many of us feeling unmotivated and unfilled at the end of the day. As an international student, Michaela shares her experiences of being a "Zoom student" in the midst of the pandemic.