ReThreading Madness

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ReThreading Madness

Bernadine Fox

111 episodes

1 week ago

Bernadine Fox brings a rare and powerful combination of lived experience, long-term disability rights advocacy, and creative insight to her role as host and producer of ReThreading Madness, the award-winning radio show and podcast that dares to shift how we think about mental health.

A recipient of the 2022 Courage to Come Back Award, Bernadine is a white settler of Scottish, Irish, and French heritage with a familial connection to the Tsuut'ina nation. She has spent over 30 years advocating for those with lived experience of mental health challenges including survivors of trauma and therapy harm. She is an intersectional feminist, artist, and author of Coming to Voice: Surviving an Abusive Therapist—a memoir that confronts the devastating misuse of power in therapeutic relationships.

Bernadine is not a clinician, but she is a deeply informed mental health advocate with firsthand knowledge of trauma, CPTSD, and disability. Her background includes decades of work as a support worker for survivors of severe childhood trauma, a trauma consultant, and public speaker. She has led expressive arts groups in collaboration with Richmond Mental Health and Gallery Gachet, where she also served on the board and helped publish The Ear magazine. She has served on the board of such organizations as Kickstart (Disability Arts and Culture) which focused on breaking down barriers to creative access for people with disabilities.

What sets Bernadine apart as a radio host is her unwavering commitment to telling the truth—even when it's uncomfortable. She doesn't shy away from difficult conversations; she invites them. With compassion and clarity, she brings forward voices that are often silenced, challenges harmful narratives, and explores the messy realities of mental health, trauma, and recovery.

ReThreading Madness is more than a show. Under Bernadine's guidance, it's a platform for unfiltered, survivor-centered dialogue—one that refuses to pathologize trauma and instead builds community through shared truth. RTM won the Breaking Barriers CRABO award through the NCRA.

Bernadine currently lives in the forest with two cats, raises her grandchild, and continues to create, speak, and advocate for a world where mental health care is ethical, accessible, and just.

ReThreading Madness is produced and aired on the ancestral and unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We extend our gratitude and appreciation to the Indigenous people who have been living and working on this land from time immemorial.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rethreading-madness--5675300/support.

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Episodes (20/111)

ReThreading Madness

Kevin Jesuino Reveals the Magic of Theatre Terrific and Richard Lett Let’s Us in on what Makes Magic for Him

Kevin Jesuino Reveals the Magic of Theatre Terrific and Richard Lett Let’s Us in on what Makes Magic for Him.

Kevin Jesuino is a first-generation Portuguese settler, performance-maker, director, choreographer, artist educator, and community arts organizer. He is a passionate advocate for the arts and a firm believer that everyone should have access to both creating and experiencing art and culture. Kevin is continually working to make the arts more inclusive and accessible for all. On his website, he writes: “Since 2004, my artistic practice has been driven by a radical interdisciplinary integration of performance, socially engaged art, and digital media. I create work—including performance, video art, temporary public artworks, and participatory installations—that is fundamentally rooted in the belief that art serves as a catalyst for collective emancipation. My central focus is to establish co-creative spaces that facilitate an embodied exchange of care and dialogue among participants. Through experiential processes, I explore urgent themes such as accessibility, unseen histories, gender and sexuality, and urbanism across both public and private domains.”

In this lively and insightful conversation with Bernadine Fox, Kevin delves into the meaning and purpose of art—its impact on individuals and communities alike—and shares his deep connection to Theatre Terrific, a vital arts organization in Vancouver, BC. Theatre Terrific pioneers inclusive opportunities for artists of all abilities to develop performance skills and collaborate on original theatrical productions. Its work challenges audiences to confront their assumptions and be moved by thought-provoking, boundary-pushing art. Every class, workshop, and production brings together a diverse mix of people—across physical, developmental, mental health, and neurodiverse spectrums, alongside practicing actors—who are collectively exploring inclusive approaches to theatre-making.

Most recently, Theatre Terrific presented their newest work, Dance Floors Memoirs, at the Vancouver Fringe Festival—continuing their legacy of inclusive, community-rooted performance.

Music by Shari Ulrich and Leela Gildray

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rethreading-madness--5675300/support.