Last year, Jenny Jay and Sarah sat down to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations. Listening back, they both realized it was time to revisit the conversation, what went right, what went wrong, being, and doing better as we grow. While many listeners met Jenny last year in that episode, a LOT has changed since then. A photographer and videographer, Jenny has grown in her activism; her work has been among some of the most shared over the course of the Black Lives Matter movement as well ...
Jul 13, 2020•57 min•Ep. 56
How did a 20-something Toronto athlete come to find herself a fitness entrepreneur by teaching women to love their bodies through the power of sweat? Find out how this fitness influencer is doing things a little different by taking the parts of her that used to be bullied and channelling them into strengths. We also discuss how fitness can stay apart from diet culture, why EVERY body is worthy of fitness, and some simple truths about fueling and caring for your body. This episode is a special ed...
Jul 06, 2020•38 min•Ep. 55
Krystian is a proud wife and mom to an adorable 2 year old son. Oh, and she’s also a black woman, a gay woman, and in a bi-racial relationship raising a bi-racial son. Krystian sits down to share with us how it’s been for her and her family during the BLM movement in combination with Pride month, raising a son in today's world, and how she believes we can all be better with just one simple thing: LOVE. Follow along with Krystian on @Krystian_Gabrielle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
Jun 29, 2020•31 min•Ep. 54
Known for her table top dance parties, creating her very own show, her brand school and her top 100 podcast “Awesome with Alison”, Alison Faulkner brings us through her journey into awesomeness. This hilarious and powerful conversation will leave you inspired to be your best self and do what you feel CALLED to do, even if you get hit by a car on the way. Follow Alison on @TheAlisonShow, listen to her podcast “Awesome with Alison” and check out @alisonsbrandschool. Get 30% off your first month on...
Jun 22, 2020•38 min•Ep. 53
You may have seen Avery Francis pop up in your friend’s instagram stories or newsfeeds because in just a week’s time, Avery’s work has gained massive attention and tens of thousands of new followers. But the story doesn’t begin or end there. Avery is a mixed-race Black woman with expertise in Diversity & Inclusion, while also being a serial entrepreneur. However, this didn’t stop her from being gaslighted in the workplace, by a white woman. In order to gain understanding on things like micro...
Jun 15, 2020•41 min•Ep. 53
Get ready, we’re about to talk about vaginas… a lot. After delivering her son 6 years ago, Jorja was given what many know to be “the husband stitch” (yes, you may roll your eyes) but this led Jorja into an entirely different postpartum narrative than the ones we normally hear of and discuss. Jorja’s story will lead us all down a road of being advocates for our down under bits, speaking up for our pain and our pleasure, and finding intimacy in new places. With many women experiencing pain during ...
Jun 08, 2020•50 min•Ep. 52
WHAT CONTROVERSY?! Just two weeks ago, Raffela made an Instagram post that went viral. In named and highlighted several influencers (myself, included) bringing up the conversation around thin white privilege and the roots of the Body Positive movement. Confused? Upset? Many were. But in an effort to build bridges, not taller fences we sit downand discuss how we can ALL learn, be better and #PassTheMic to more marginalized bodies from which the movement originated. You may feel uncomfortable and ...
Jun 01, 2020•47 min•Ep. 52
Singer, Songwriter & Mental Health advocate, Madeline Merlo joins us today! Hailing from Maple Ridge, BC, Madeline is a CCMA Award and two-time BCCMA Award winning artist, with six Top 15 singles under her belt. Now based in Nashville, TN, Merlo continues to live up to Spotify’s prediction that she is one of the biggest rising stars to watch. Madeline has over 23 million global streams, and in March 2020, she was featured in Spotify's 'Music Needs Women' campaign. But how exactly did she get...
May 25, 2020•33 min•Ep. 51
Lisa Collum is one of the 2% of women who own a business that hits the $1Million mark, all while being a mother of 4! Lisa is the founder and CEO of Top Score Writing, which began humbly as a teacher who saw a gap in kid’s learning and just started making changes that actually helped students in really big ways. Those changes led to a multi-million dollar business, with just $100 to start and no loans. Lisa takes us into her story of how this all happened, along with some major takeaways for par...
May 18, 2020•38 min•Ep. 50
This week we (virtually) sit down with Chinae Alexander! Former Texan-turned-New Yorker, Chinae Alexander is an entrepreneur, lifestyle personality, writer, speaker, and wellness expert based in Brooklyn, New York. Her message is to empower people to be better through positive thinking, active change, self-love…with a lot of laughing and curse words along the fucking way. Fresh off her COVID-19 recovery, we talk about what it was really like, and how current realities are challenging her in ways...
May 11, 2020•48 min•Ep. 49
In this week’s episode - we go solo. For an opportunity to speak about current events, the necessary agitation that isolation has caused, and our emotional and bodily responses to it all. This is a candid conversation around our bodies, shame, our mental health and why it’s ok to be “unstable”. We also discuss how and why Sarah owes 2.1 million dollars to a racoon named Tom… what a ride! As always, follow along with Sarah on Instagram @TheBirdsPapaya. Produced by Dear Media. Learn more about you...
May 04, 2020•30 min•Ep. 48
In this podcast episode, we debunk some myths about sexual desire, illuminate the impact that chronic stress can play in women’s low desire, and discuss Dr. Brotto’s research which found that mindfulness can help manage chronic stress and improve desire. Dr. Lori Brotto aims to place emphasis on pleasure-focused (rather than dysfunction-based) language for women with low sexual desire. Dr. Lori Brotto,PhD, is a clinical psychologist, sex researcher, and Canada Research Chair in Women's Sexual He...
Apr 27, 2020•39 min•Ep. 47
Known as “The Poetry Bandit”, Jon Lupin takes us through his journey to sobriety and how he surprisingly became a poet in the process. Now 5 years sober, Jon shares his incredible story through alcoholism, divorce and authoring THREE poetry books. With a growing and popular social media, this newly single dad of 3 makes it easy to talk about one of the more uncomfortable things to talk about: being social, and being sober. Jon’s 3 books Encyclopedia of a Broken Heart, You Only Love Me When I’m S...
Apr 20, 2020•53 min•Ep. 46
My friend Raia “Coach” Carey is a 3x certified Life Coach and motivational speaker who is passionate about helping people tap into their hidden confidence. The topic of confidence is near and dear to her heart, because when Raia was younger she was bullied and then became the bully. Afterwards, Raia changed her mentality and ultimately was a catalyst in eliminating bullying in her high school. Coach Carey’s ‘The Confidence Talk’ has allowed her to provide corporate wellness workshops/talks to so...
Apr 13, 2020•41 min•Ep. 45
After we were both featured in the same article that went viral, I knew I needed to sit down and get some expert conversations flowing about dieting, recovery and how we can be better supporters in that arena. Kyla Fox has established herself as a visionary and innovator, when it comes to re-framing the way Canadians think about and treat eating disorders. As someone who struggled herself with an eating disorder, Fox identified care gaps and fundamental flaws in the treatment and recovery approa...
Apr 06, 2020•38 min•Ep. 44
OG blogger, Roxanne West of the Bonjour Bliss Blog is known for her incredible home designs, impeccable fashion sense, adorable family and their travel together. What many didn’t know was that Roxanne was recently faced with one of the biggest decisions of her life; the decision to explant her breast implants. In this non-judgmental approach to her personal story, Roxanne takes us through how she came to this decision, and how she’s doing just WEEKS post op, and her first time traveling (and sho...
Mar 30, 2020•40 min•Ep. 43
If you visit Huda Alvi’s Instagram page you’ll see the words “Brown Girl Breaking Stigmas One Caption At A Time”, and this conversation with her is no different. Huda takes us through her own journey through marriage, divorce, the impact of it all on her family and then remarriage with a blended family. Huda is a wealth of life experience, and perspective that not many of us are often aware of when it comes to racial and cultural differences on topics as simple as dating, and as devastating as d...
Mar 23, 2020•43 min•Ep. 42
Known for their hilarious viral videos “Mom Truths” along with a top podcast, a hit book, and ya know, a worldwide tour, these two best friends have got it all together, by having nothing together at all. Honesty and humour at the core of what they do, they’ve been able to break down barriers between motherhood, womanhood, relationships and all that jazz with a real honest look at it all, in a way that leaves you laughing time after time. In this episode we go on a wild ride with Cat & Nat a...
Mar 16, 2020•49 min•Ep. 41
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, and it felt important to bring this topic to the podcast. With the diagnosis of endo taking often up to a decade, and too often it’s symptoms being called “normal” this was an opportunity for us to learn from another’s story so we are encouraged to become advocates for ourselves and our health. That’s where Leslie comes in. She’s young, cool as hell, and the mom to the world’s most famous pug, Doug. Her life is absolutely insane, from red carpets, a toy li...
Mar 09, 2020•47 min•Ep. 40
As one of the original internet home bloggers, Elsie Larson is well known for her style, her classic pink front door, her two adorable daughters, and a Pinterest-worthy EVERYTHING. The blog she shares with her sister, Emma, called “A Beautiful Mess”, is a place of joy and inspiration that’s proven longevity on the internet in a day in age where everything feels so fleeting. What’s unique about Elsie (and Emma) is how they’ve taken the experiences of being creators and made it easier for other cr...
Mar 02, 2020•35 min•Ep. 39
Sitting in a rainbow room in Nashville, Sarah sits down with her dear old blogger friend from Take The Cannoli, Natalie Ensor. Natalie is known for her unique and colourful home designs, her DIY abilities, being probably the trendiest vintage-dressed family you’ll see on the gram, and yet, there was a 17 year secret that came to light in the most inconvenient, yet important of times - new motherhood. Natalie takes us back to when she was 11 years old, how her “secret” was formed, and how she hea...
Feb 24, 2020•56 min•Ep. 38
Roles are reversed this week as Sarah interviews Kaitlyn! Back in 2018, Sarah’s first ever podcast interview was on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s hit podcast “Off The Vine” which pushed so for the Papaya Podcast to even come to be! This full-circle interview with Kaitlyn, we sit down in her home in Nashville, surrounded by friends and discuss her time as The Bachelorette, rescuing her amazing dogs from another country, what really to gets to her, and fun some life chats. Kaitlyn is an inspiration for anyon...
Feb 17, 2020•58 min•Ep. 37
Elena and Sarah chat about meeting up in Nashville, how their friendship began, mental health in a public platform and why she chooses to show up day after day. Elena Davies is most known for her time as a radio host and Big Brother house guest where all eyes are on you 24/7, and the world is ready to make their opinions known. Between her body, her relationship with a fellow house guest, and even how she shows emotion all up for discussion, it’s been a journey! This episode will be one to make ...
Feb 10, 2020•45 min•Ep. 36
Sarah has had a whirlwind life. Her story starts back in kindergarten and takes you through a wild journey of self hate, divorce and a crumbling identity to a renewed story of self love, self awareness, and the power of those little things called “positive affirmations”. While success to the world may be measured in money and power, for Sarah and her journey - success is actually so much more. Not only was Sarah crowned Miss Plus Canada in 2015, she continues to plus size model while also being ...
Feb 03, 2020•39 min•Ep. 35
A top nominated guest for The Papaya Podcast, Amanda Muse is ready to sit down and share! Amanda was a new young mother living abroad with her pilot husband when she realized, she could get really involved in the community experience online. So she picked up a camera, and it began. Years have passed, and she continues to carry around a camera, living and breathing the walks of life while sharing it in a way that feels so unlike the rest: raw, gritty and real...before all of that was “cool”. In t...
Jan 27, 2020•40 min•Ep. 34
This week we sit down with beauty experts Jill Dunn & Carlene Higgins and chat all things… well, beauty! Long-time magazine beauty editors Jill & Carlene have witnessed so many changes to the beauty industry, so they broke out of their traditional media channels with a podcast about breakthrough products, people and moments in beauty. Their expertise lends to an interesting and indulgent conversation around beauty products, the industry, founders and entrepreneurs that are breaking groun...
Jan 20, 2020•55 min•Ep. 33
In the beginning of 2019, my IG page @TheBirdsPapaya had about 150,000 followers. Amazing, to say the least after 6 years on the platform. But in 2019 my way of creating changed, and the page grew rapidly...an additional 600,000 followers to be exact. I stand by the belief that everyone should have an opportunity to grow, so in an effort to disclose some of the biggest learnings and what I believe may have nudged things in the right direction without any gross or fake online behaviour, this podc...
Jan 13, 2020•23 min•Ep. 32
Content Warning: Topics in this podcast include abortion, rape, assault, revenge porn and violence. While there are no details disclosed, it’s important to know that going into listening. Angela Chiasson is a feminist lawyer and fearless litigator who is known for her progressive legal work. Angela has dedicated that work to the advancement of women and LGBTQ people. With societal hot topics, we chat about the importance of dividing personal beliefs from legal rights, why money for victims is im...
Jan 06, 2020•47 min•Ep. 31
When Fallon was just 9 years old, the unthinkable happened to her family. An unthinkable that lead to an unfolding of trauma that didn’t seem to end. Fallon, however, used her survival as a means to activate her story, and the story of so many others, including sitting on the board for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. This mother of 3 is is turning tragedy into an opportunity to speak and advocate. You can follow Fallon @FallonFarinacci Learn m...
Dec 23, 2019•47 min•Ep. 30
After a lifetime of bullying, Megan found acceptance in a fat-positive community that changed the way she started to view herself and her body. After growing confidence through modelling and new narratives, Megan has been a part of the body positive movement before it ever hit the mainstream. Find out what she thinks about it all, what she has to tell us all about what it’s like to exist in a bigger body in today’s society, and why we truly can all be a part of the conversation. You can follow M...
Dec 16, 2019•42 min•Ep. 29
