Pollinate

Carlos Perez left his job as a software developer and fully committed to sculpting. His series, called 'Play', delves into letting go of control, owning our sexuality with a sense of innocence. He shares the nuances of his artistic process and explores what sculpting can reveal about us as artists, observers, and collaborators. His series is impacted by his Venezuelan upbringing, and evokes a pursuit of fuller embodiment, vulnerability and intimacy.

We were invited to host the Artist Talk at the Toronto Visionary Art Exhibit 2019 organized by Rahul Bader. It is their 5th year running, and this year the exhibition ran for three days long, with artists talks, DJs, performances and more. Thank you for inviting us! Photos taken by Pablo Perez and edited by Alina Kouvchinova

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Morrice who ran for the Green Party candidacy this year. Hear how focusing on what is important to the community can inspire such engagement in the community at large. Here our interview with him and read more on the story here: https://www.therecord.com//9656003-in-kitchener-centre-t/

In 2015 the Green candidate won 3%; this past 2019 election, Mike Morrice won 26% of the vote Mike Morrice for Kitchener Centre. His campaign saw the largest vote jump of any candidacy across Canada. He raised more than $100,000, more than 60 times the amount raised by previous candidates, and saw an astounding increase in community engagement. All this with no previous political experience. Hear his story here, including some of the his more impactful take-aways, and see how you, too, can engage in democracy.

Enjoy a sneak peak at the live recording with my guest, Clarissa Magalhaes, who speaks about her intergrational work of plant medicines with western science.

Check out our feature with Empathy Squad 2.0 with FiXT POiNT on the local tea-house, Bampot! And follow the other brilliant local storytellers featured, including stories on climate change, gentrification, other community hubs!

In this episode, we speak with community organizer of Authentic Relating Toronto and Facilitator of Circling, Taylor Barratt. He speaks to us about these relational modalities that have the potential to expand awareness, reveal blind spots, cultivate meaningful relationships, creates a feeling of being seen, cultivates presence, authenticity, and personal transformation. He shares with us his personal journey with this practice, including it's impact on his romantic and familial relationships. He highlights some of the scientific research and published theories that aid the continual development of this cognitive practice and it's myriad of applications.

For those who like the visual, here is a recording of our online call with Valentina Leo.

Valentina Leo, an embodied initiator (Dakini) of Traditional Kaula-Tantra lineage of Kashmir Shivaism. She speaks with us about the essence of tantra, what it means to be wonder-struck, why we forget our divinity, what is occurring when we fall in love or resonate with a teacher, and how to access our sexual energy through the pleasures of life. You may access her podcast, retreats and other offerings by visiting: www.EroticWisdom.com

After spending most of his life avoiding speaking due to a debilitating stutter, Joze Piranian is now a TEDx speaker, the recipient of the Inspirational Speaker of the year award in 2017 and a stand-up comedian who has performed in the US, Canada and the UK in English, French and Spanish. One of his talks went viral online this year ; it was viewed by more than two million people worldwide. In this episode, Joze shares his tale of overcoming adversity to motivate others to face their fears, overcome their obstacles and skyrocket their true potential in both their professional and personal lives.

Navigating Internal Process in Relationship with Reva Wild Reva Wild takes us into the depths of internal processes by becoming present with the care behind our more turbulent emotions. She reflects on the use of 'core transformation process to excavate our deepest needs, and create space to give that to ourselves. We delve into how to create cohesion in relationships instead of creating an 'end product' of our relationships. She touches on the roots of that product driven mindset and how that impacts our ability to learn, play and be present with what is here, hindering us from leveraging our life's possibility. In this episode we go deeper into re-familiarizing ourselves with play as a pivotal component to learning, recognizing impact of our actions and realigning ourselves with our creative pursuits.

We're connecting with Marcos Corral, founder of Free Thinkers Allowed Podcast, a US Veteran, a Cannabis Advocate and a Musician. We'll be talking about use of cannabis for spiritual growth, spirituality in the US Military, Christianity, and 'Finding Out Who You Really Are'.

This is a special episode, a cathartic portrait of classical theatre school training as administered for decades. In January 2018, The Toronto Star, CBC News, came out with articles about George Brown Theatre School and it's psychological impact on it's students. Many students have suffered trauma, mental health issues, eating disorders, and anguish after undergoing this pedagogical training. A website called George Brown Theatre School Survivors was launched in attempt to pr...ovide a platform for the students to cope and exchange their stories. Over decades, these issues were brought up to the administration and multiple levels of government. No action or consolation was given... until this story went viral on the back of the #MeToo Movement. Read the Intermission Magazine story about the educational reform in Theatre Institutions. Deep thank you to all the students, teachers, admin, for their stance for mental health, integral education and putting their all in bettering each other's lives. Thank you to all who agreed to be interviewed for this piece: the artistic director, teachers, students from 20 years, 10 years, 5 years to present. You have helped to paint a fuller picture of our experience. A deep thank you to all who stepped up in laying the foundations for a healthier, innovative approach to artistic learning. You are helping to lay foundations that many, previously, have fought hard for and failed. You have paved a means for many to find closure. Even still, you paved a healthier means for all emerging artists to realize their dreams. Links to articles mentioned: CBC News: https://www.cbc.ca///george-brown-theatre-school-1.4482213 Toronto Star: https://www.thestar.com//george-brown-theatre-school-teach George Brown Theatre School Survivors: https://gbsurvivors.org/ Confessions from Theatre School: https://www.intermissionmagazine.ca//confessions-theatre-/ Intermission Magazine: https://www.intermissionmagazine.ca//actor-training-canad/ It is my hope that someone who is suffering from creative, psychological, emotional, spiritual blockages due to the arts education in post-secondary institutions would benefit from hearing this piece, and know that change is possible and is happening. P.S. Also, a big thank you to FiXT POiNT for helping me put this piece together. Without your mentorship, I wouldn't be where I am today, and there would be no Pollinate.

Indu Iyer, a freelance writer, playwright and painter opens up about her experience in the theatre conservatory, how it accompanied her voyage into 'madness', and how she has used boxing as a tool to heal herself. WARNING: sound quality suffered due to bad connection, but, don't worry, the content delivers.

In this episode, Katie Christie, a Holistic Nutritionist, speaks about looking at root causes of nutritional imbalances, the impact of different foods on our system, and actionable steps to begin to foster healthy habits. She provides tools to locate the best-accessible foods and gives advice on how to cultivate self-awareness around our sabotaging patterns. Visit: https://www.soulfeastkatie.com

Our new episode of Pollinate is out! Learn How to Reduce Electromagnetic Stress In Your Home & In Your Body With Alan Reed In this episode, Alan Reed, a geomancer, gives advice on how to reduce electromagnetic stress. He speaks about the importance of clean fundamental resources to restore balance in our bodies, how imbalances show up within natural terrain, and exemplified different ways to make a positive impact within our natural environments.

A short snippet from our talk with Don Christensen, the founder of Day of Pause, a global invitation to pause for 24 hours from the bustle of our everyday lives. Here, he speaks about the power of meeting in circles as a response to the sense of isolation. Consider registering for the event at www.dayofpause.org

Recommend this page to your friends, support your local artists!

Live with Jesse Buck of the Chocolate Groove

A short clip of one of Vanessa Ferraro's actionable steps to growing conscious business. Listen to the full episode on: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/pollinate/id1483396560

In this short, Vanessa Ferraro shares with us tangible piece of advice for entrepreneurs. She speaks about the importance of grounding inspiration of your message by inviting opportunities for action. Listen to the full episode on: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/pollinate/id1483396560... Wealthy Goddess Movement

The new episode of Pollinate is out! Take a Day of Pause with Don Christensen In this episode, we talk with Don Christensen about the importance of getting in touch with the care that we possess and letting it be the guiding force of our actions. We speak about isolation, consumerism and how community circles can be used to combat disconnect. We invite the audience to take part in the international Day of Pause occurring on May 20th 2020 to join people all over the world to c...onnect with themselves and each other. You can join the event at: http://dayofpause.org/registration/

Ingo Dyrkton is reviving traditional wood carving using generationally refined adzes and knives, all the while living off-grid in the isles of British Columbia.

Get a little peek into my first time attempting to carve a spoon with Ingo Dyrkton, in his wooden cabin sanctuary.

Hear a snippet from my time with Ingo Dykton on an Off-Grid Island in BC!

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Standing for Traditional Craftsmanship & Off-Grid Principles with Ingo Dyrkton In this episode, we call upon Ingo Dyrkton, a traditional wood carver who is reviving traditional methods of his craft, while residing off-grid on an Island in the Gulfs of British Columbia. He shares his principles of well-being as his directive force. We get to hear about the importance of contributing to other's confidence, living in harmony with nature, and creating objects with our bare hands as pillars for harmonious living. #ingodyrkton #woodcarving #woodenspoons #lasquiti #offgrid #pollinatepodcast