The Shine Cast

In our second episode of season 3, Marco and Jordie are joined by Farqd, an upper year UoG Wildlife Biology and Conservation student. Over the course of the episode, Farqd takes us through her journey of navigating life and balancing expectations as a young person, a university student, and a daughter. She explains her transition to campus life, molded together with internal battles encompassing identity conflicts, faith, and famil...

In our first episode of Season 3,  Jordie and our new co-host Marco sat down with Bella Mangiapane, a 3rd year U of G student studying Agricultural Science with a minor in Business. Bella gets the conversation started with a struggle that all university students can relate to (especially now) - making social connections. From there Bella shares her story about her on-going mental health journey, and how an unrelated trip to the ER ...

In the final episode of season 2, we hear from Wing Tse, a University of Guelph student pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Studio Art. In addition to this, he has served in the armed forces and is currently a firefighter. Wing describes his tough upbringing and recalls his struggle with mental health beginning at a very early age - a time where he had limited access to resources and support. He reflects on...

In this episode we talk with Prof. Matt Demers, an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Guelph, and streams on Twitch connecting with old friends and students. Matt explains his journey transitioning from high school to university, from his undergrad to his masters, and finally his PhD and professorship. He explores what has helped him through all those changes and the joy he has always had for tea...

In this episode, we chat with Maryam Maamoun, a University of Guelph student pursuing her Bachelor of Science with a major in Biochemistry and a minor in Microbiology. Beyond her academic focus as a student, she continues to wear multiple hats on campus through her work as a volunteer and as a field hockey player. We hear about Maryam’s experiences with performance over-analyzation leading to anxiety as a goalie, the importance of ...

In the second episode of the season, we talk to Victoria Fritz, U of G staff* as well as a PhD candidate in Family Relations and Human Development at the University of Guelph. Victoria’s PhD is focused on researching and understanding student’s experiences of academic failure. She tells us about her experience as an undergrad and how her original post-grad plans did not work out the way she thought they would have. We hear about ho...

In this episode, we sat down with Kailyn Brewer, a University of Guelph Student pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Family and Child Studies. Kailyn’s mental health journey began at a very young age, and like with most mental health stories, her healing is far from linear. We hear about her experience with coping during times when everything felt out of her control, her struggle to obtain therapy and a diagn...

In our Season 1 finale, we’re talking with Sarah, a clinical counsellor (aka a veterinary social worker) with the Ontario Veterinary College. Sarah shares what exactly ‘veterinary social work’ is and why it’s so important to the field of veterinary medicine. We also discuss what it’s like to deal with grief, how pets truly become members of the family,  how to deal with imposter syndrome in such a small profession, and of course sh...

This episode we’re chatting with Sonia, an undergrad student at the University of Guelph. Sonia is double majoring in Biology and Psychology with the hope of pursuing a career in the mental health field. Sonia’s interest in mental health stems from her own experiences following major surgery to treat scoliosis in high school. Since then, Sonia has learned a lot about her own mental health and how to help others. This episode we als...

This episode we’re chatting with Jaime, a student currently doing two degrees as a University of Guelph Business student, as well as studying Astrophysics at Western University. Jaime shares with us her story of living with her multiple diagnoses of anxiety, depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Jaime walks us through some common misconceptions about OCD, what her experience has been like, and how she has found ways to adap...

This episode we’re talking with two University of Guelph undergrads: Brooke and Darian. Brooke and Darian are both student athletes and co-leads of UofG’s SAMHI (Student Athlete Mental Health Initiative). We hear what it’s been like transitioning from high school, to university, to pandemic life and how that’s affected their sports, schooling, and of course mental health. This episode we hear about several helpful UofG resources, i...

This episode we’re chatting with Cayden, a University of Guelph alumni now pursuing a degree in Behavioral Psychology. Cayden has lived through more than most, experiencing the struggles of chronic physical illness as well as gender dysphoria. Now he is an out and proud trans man looking to help others battling mental illness. Listen to Cayden describe his journey of mental and physical illness and how coming out helped save his li...

This episode we’re talking with Katie McLean, a University of Guelph staff member and alumni currently pursuing a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology. As the current Coordinator, Neighbourhood Relations and Off-Campus Living at the University of Guelph, Katie is accustomed to helping people through challenging situations. But even those in a helping role sometimes need a bit of help themselves. Listen to Katie share her story ...

Hello, and welcome to The Shine Cast! This is a podcast where we’re having conversations with students, staff, and faculty at the University of Guelph around mental health, mental illness, how we cope and how we thrive throughout our journeys. 

Our first season consists of 6 episodes, with each episode featuring guests who will be talking about their experiences with anxiety, depression, OCD, body dysmorphia, gender dyspho...