Running Wild With Christine

Hello lovers! Meet Danica Darling, our guest and sex worker extraordinaire! Although she is primarily an exotic dancer and escort professionally, Danica also holds psychology and paralegal degrees, and guest lectures on sex work legality in Canada! We retrace her steps from childhood in a religious suburb, to thriving during university years and becoming a sex worker.  Topics: #sexworkiswork, what supportive parents can look like, being nerds, first nights as an exotic dancer, Fort McMurray (yes, you read that right), serving vs. stripping, feeling less judged within the sex worker community, onlive vs. in-person, #OnlyFans, the root of negative stigma, coming out as a sex worker, how to make sex work safer, and much more!  You can find out more about Danica's podcast 50 plus a tip on your favourite podcast apps or @50plusatip on IG! You can also check out her OnlyFans @danica_darling! Don't hesitate to DM her on IG @dan

Hello world! This week, I had the honour and pleasure to chat with incredible Cicely Belle Blain! They are a black, mixed raced, queer writer and entrepreneur, CEO of a diversity and inclusion consulting firm, and activist powerhouse. I'm excited for you all to hear this story of how they founded Black Lives Matter Vancouver and discovered how they could best positively impact society.  Topics: emigrating to Vancouver, discovering queerness over Rihanna, reinventing oneself, feminism, anti-racism activism, entrepreneurship, #diversity, "fake it 'till you make it", basics in inclusion, the Stratagem conference, broadening education & resources for everyone who can't necessarily afford a consultancy, audience capacity, expertise and imposter syndrome, and being in progress!  For more on Cicely, go to cicelyblainconsulting.com or @cicelyblainconsulting on the socials! Be sure to watch out for Stratagem 2020 that will take pl

Hello lovers! Meet my dear friend IRL Devon. He did me the honour of spending an hour on the record talking about all things non-monogamy and political science. You folx are in for a treat! Listen in on how one might go from being a serial monogamist, to currently finding oneself in a polyamorous constellation! This is a joyful episode about alternatives to monogamy, the sometimes awkwardness of play and the magic of pleasure. I hope you'll like listening to it as much as I enjoyed taking part in it.  Topics: shibari rope bondage, bisexuality, learning how to communicate about sex and relationships, touch & sensualism, breathwork, relationship anarchy & polyamory, words vs. labels, oversharing vs. vulnerability, therapy, falling in love with two different people simultaneously, the work that takes, the connection to your body (from sports-induced endorphins to psychedelic effects), the lasting taboo around what pleasure can look like for men (ejaculati

Welcome friends, meet Maverick. They are a counsellor who just finished their program and are now launching themselves into their career. We talk about their focus on queer, non-binary and trans clients and why trauma-informed counselling by and for their community is crucial.  Topics: small town life as a queer PoC, puberty for trans youths, coming out, mental health, moving to the city, tarot, finding your niche, choice paralysis, the importance of pronouns, creating a support system, being social creatures, reconnection in isolation, the cis and straight biases of the counselling and wellness world, self-care, becoming a "professional" and grappling with imposter syndrome.  For more about Maverick's services, go to linktr.ee/mavericktrev. You can also find them on social media @queerlich. Thank you Ji-Youn Kim for the intro! :) (Check her out on episode 78! ) Thank you my darlings for listening! Please do share, review and rage about this pod

WELCOME LOVERS! How's everybody holding up? 'Cause we are... fine? Join us on this honest and candid whirlwind about covid feelings and feminism! Adriana defines herself as an artist, a woman, a spirituality and self-love seeker, and a total badass. Okay, that last one was my description, but hey, it's true. Today, we decided to talk about TOUCH and feminism, as well as how those have been BIG themes in Adri's life. Has that been the case for you? Topics: graphic design, swimming, expectations, entrepreneurs vs. the covid slowdown, the importance of touch, fashion marketing, body and age diversity, feminism, palatability, feeling like an energy dispenser, self-exploration in isolation, sitting in discomfort, fear, comfort, slowing down.  References: Sympli Women's Clothing and Ryan Heffington's Sweatfest (see @ryan.heffington on IG). For more on Adriana, go to @adricreative and adricreative.com!  Thanks again for joining and please, subscribe, rate and fo

Hello lovers. This week, AJ Lowik (pronouns: they/them/theirs) came over to chat about their work and life! We talk about what it's like to walk in this world as a non-binary trans person, a queer liberationist, an unapologetic feminist, a PhD candidate, a researcher and instructor. Predictably, this episode goes in many different directions. We cover coming out narratives, academia and the ivory tower, and choosing one's battles. Listen in on this exploration of gender, learning and choices.  Topics: cats, trans-inclusive reproductive rights, childhood and nerdom, gender categories, sexuality studies, queerness,  trans-inclusive care & accessibility to abortion clinics, deconstructing cis-normative narratives within healthcare and parenthood, empathy for all humans walking this earth, academia vs. activism, opting out of gender, misgendering, colonialism & social constructs,  the need to stick people into boxes & boundary policing, AND SO MUCH MOR

MY LOVERS! Meet my new fave long-distance love, Odessa Young. Odessa is an Australian actor, whom you might have seen in Assassination Nation (2018), The Daughter (2015) and High Life (2017). She will also star as Frannie Goldsmith in the upcoming CBS mini-series The Stand. We were finally able to sit down and download on how we feel during this real-life pandemic.  We start off retracing her steps as a young actor inevitably ending up in LA. We then meander through the difficulties of choosing a vocation with no "natural" progression, and having to make your own path. We digress into our respective reviews of Marriage Story and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, because why not? You'll just have to listen to hear where we go from there because it's wonderfully bizarre and yet wholesome! There's also some comforting life advice in here. You belong here. Topics: discerning between hobby and career, the concept of stability, "fake it 'till you make it", expectations, the bubble of

Welcome MY LOVERS! Meet Airial, our sexual health educator of the week and our newest and only PARTNER of the podcast! She's the CEO of Intamo Pleasurables, a company aimed at facilitating sex that feels better, using plant-based ingredients and the soothing properties of hemp-seed oil. Join us today for a hilarious and deeply personal ride on Airial's journey to today. We saunter through her Kitsilano childhood, through choosing a vocation, and spend some time investigating sexual woes. (Not for the faint of heart friends, crass depictions of what cervix healing procedures feel like - FUN.)  Topics: self-care, mental health, sexual health, empowerment, abortion, HPV, LEEP procedures, shame, sexual education for people with diverse abilities, getting creative, entrepreneurship, challenges of marketing sex-related products, masturbation, and SO MUCH MORE. Shout out to the University of Alberta's graduate certificate in Sexual Health! Look it up if this onl

Welcome my lovers!! 90 down WTF! Meet Julia, our single-mom and coach of the week! Today, we retrace Julia's steps throughout her life as a daughter to her mother, a mother to her daughter and a woman part of a larger story. She walks me through how many of her life decisions were influenced by her toxic relationship with her mother, and how recovering from the abusive parenting sent her on a path of discovery. Listen in on this fascinating life story. Who knows? It might resonate with you.  Topics: low-nurtured, poorly-bonded toxic and/or abusive parenting recovery, relationships, chef life, eloping, motherhood, trilogies, meditation, duplicity, narcissists, death, confidence, assertiveness, gaslighting, trauma, tools for feeling capable, self-worth, boundaries, generational baggage, sensuality, writing, happiness, the power of storytelling, and sisterhood. Thanks friends, lovers and strangers for staying on this journey with us! Please do rate, sub

My lovers! Meet my dear friend Charlotte, our writer, director and locations manager of the today! She walks me through her Scottish childhood, big move to London and travel discoveries across Australia and Canada. We talk about the film industry and its less-known Locations department, balancing creativity versus money, and creating one's own films. Follow us down these rabbit holes on narrative and creating positive discourse on trans people amongst other things.  Topics: storytelling, travel, taking Europe for granted, small town ambition, inevitably COVID-19, happy life accidents, logistics vs. creativity, problem solving, privilege, trans lives, acting, directing, gender representation, making space, expanding past our lived experiences, growth, writing, and trusting your instincts!!  Keep your eyes peeled for Eyes Down, Charlotte's short that we discuss at length. You can keep in the loop on IG @chard_films and on her personal pa

Welcome lovers to this crazy mashup crossover of Kilter&Mint vs. RWWC!  Ash Belluz came over to the couch to introduce herself and talk smack! Kilter&Mint is a podcast on snapshot storytelling, a place to hear from the movers & shakers of Vancouver and also a gentle nudge to go to yoga. Ash herself is a yoga teacher, mom, podcaster and hilarious gem of a human. Join us for this episode on our respective stories with podcasting, life and walking the path to today. (I gotta say, it felt weird and great answering questions for half the episode!) Come not your head and rant with us my lovers.  Topics: Tom Hardy, podcasting, motherhood, social justice and micro-scale activism, choosing whose voices you bring to your platform, competition vs networking, online dating, making lists, setting standards, privilege & community, motivation, touch, and strange tattoos.  Special treat: you get to hear about my raclette accident.  For more on the po

Hi my lovers! Meet my colleague Jaden! This aussie import was open enough to come chat with me about his relationship to his sexuality, his body image issues and his sex life (or lack thereof). We go through his early life, student years, and coming out journey together. We spend some time talking about first relationships and self-sabotage. We digress into some highly entertaining stories of first moves and awkward flirting, before diving in deep. Listen in if you too feel like your inability to love yourself is hindering your ability to find a loving partner. Listen especially if you're fully aware of it and just haven't gotten to the point where you can help yourself.  Topics: high school awkwardness, relationships, body image, the importance of swimming lessons, university/college self-reinvention, rejecting physical touch, frustration, self-awareness of being one's own worst enemy, depression, escaping home vs escaping problems, virginity as a myth, spont

Well lovers... This episode comes to you three days late, because life happens. I had planned to come out with a special Valentine's day episode about Love, with Mark, to talk about progress, learning and relationships. I wanted to be joyful, talk about us and celebrate the successes of this ever-changing relationship we are building. Instead, we had a bad weekend of arguments and anxiety. Here is our unedited, unchecked, vulnerable couch therapy session about mental health and our version of non-monogamy. Please do feel free to skip this one.  I love you all. May you all be kind to yourselves and take life one step at a time.  Yours, as always. C. x --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/runningwildwithchristine/support

Welcome my lovers. Let us delve into the wild woman archetype today. Meet Fiona. She is a women's empowerment educator and feminine embodiment facilitator. We go back to her worldly upbringing, boarding school stint and decade of confusion spent climbing the corporate ladder. We then dive into the interesting bit, the breakdown bit, the "fuck this shit" bit. Stick around for this fascinating saunter around femininity and sexuality. I really loved getting to know Fiona and I hope you will too!  Thank you for one of the few things that you do right, @instagram.  Topics: online connections, Brexit, life changing moments, fucking the system, travel, the digital nomad life, yoga, sex, periods, shame, shadow-banning, witches, wilderness, communities of self-identified women, movement, power, patriarchy, unlearning, trust, rules, healing, (as always storytelling), individualism vs. community, presence and so much more!  For coaching and

Happy new year!!! Welcome back my lovers! What a treat we have prepared for you today! Meet Claire, our superstar comedian, dancer, actress and producer. She came over to the couch to talk about The Dirty Betty Show, Feminism, and small towns! Naturally, we kick off the episode by discussing strip clubs. We then do our usual "who are you" dance, from childhood in a small town to producing a provocative show to shake up said small towns. Join us for this candid and giggly episode about personal achievements and definitions of success.  New fave quote of the pod: "When you love something so much, you can squeeze it too tight and just break it." Claire's advice: start with something you don't love quite that much.   She tells me about her funny, filthy, feminist femme-led comedy shows, and the challenges she faces touring across Canada.  Topics: Luminesque, theatre, depression, bombing auditions, comedy, making your own big break, fuckboys, drag performances, handling negative

Welcome to the last episode of 2019!!! Thanks so much for sticking around for this very special episode with an indescribable human! (Let me attempt this anyway..)  Meet jaye simpson, an Oji-Cree Saulteaux Non-Binary Two Spirit Queer Trans Woman (Sapotaweyak Cree Nation) poet, artist, performer and activist. They came over to the couch to tell me all the things. We go back to their 16 years in foster care, their art, advocacy and social justice work. In this episode, they tell me about their trials and tribulations, but also about stepping into their power and what the keys to their successes are.   Topics: spotted owls, small town cruelty, queerness, slam poetry, erasure, violence, baby queers, call out vs cancel culture, privilege, indigeneity, social capital, colonialism, the tragic story of Tina Fontaine, the problem with the [white and capitalist] justice system, politics, land acknowledgments, the limitations of "awareness", gender identit

Rage.         How does it feel? Where do you feel it? Welcome to this week's awe inspiring episode with Ji-Youn (pronounce Jiyanne) Kim. I had the pleasure of welcoming her over to the couch to talk about social injustice and feelings. We do our usual walk about her Korean roots and Vancouverite childhood. We zero in on her university days. Fun fact: if you google "UBC drop out" one of the first photos you'll find is of Ji-Youn! It's in those days that she started advocating for mental health after she went viral for dropping out following a suicide attempt. Check out the Tipping Point if you want to know more about an advocacy movement that aims to push post-secondary institutions to better support student mental health. We wander around her steps from drop out to counsellor, to arrive at her work on Processing Rage. Follow us down this rabbit hole to hear more about the tools we might have or need to work through some of this world's most burdensome emotions

Meet Toni, our 20 year old advocate for gender inclusion and acceptance within death services for today! He is a transgender man, who identifies openly within the funeral and death care services profession. He is currently studying to become a funeral director and embalmer at the Canadian College of Funeral Services. Today, Toni candidly opens up to us about what it means to him and talks about the current system's implications for transgender and gender-nonconforming people.  Death and Funeral services are not (yet) equipped for transgender care and it will take people like Toni to make it happen! Please do join us for this fascinating episode on a topic I had never thought about before (privilege!). Thank you so much Toni for taking my hand and leading us down the rabbit hole.  Topics: death, coming out as trans, grief, the three main options you get once you're dead: embalming, cremation and no embalming, representation, trans rights within death services, mental health, 

Welcome to the much-anticipated follow-up episode to Joanne and Julia's Expressions of Self series on life after trauma. The women held three consecutive storytelling events, each one month apart, on the topics of Survival, Resilience, and Healing after trauma. They came over to my couch to discuss how it went, what they learned and what surprised them. Their aim was to gear the conversation towards the HOW, and not the who, what,  and why's of survival. Listen to this hilarious and empowering episode, led by your fave trio!   For an intro to the girls, refer to episodes: 31 with Joanne, 39 with Julia, and 58!  Topics: trauma, forgiveness, storytelling, thinking out loud with others, somatic exercises, resilience as a constant, healing as a non-linear concept, learning and connection from personal experiences, counseling, the pitfalls of certain post-traumatic services, imposter syndrome as a survivor, setting and expressing boundaries, battling negative self-talk, know

Hello my lovers! Meet Megan. She is a self-healing guide, who focuses on intuitive healing, readings and Reiki. Follow us down the rabbit hole that is her life, to uncover how a high-school "failure" became an entrepreneur and now helps people get that extra spark that makes life feel real. Listen to this peaceful and re-generating, yet real-talk AF, episode on how to recenter yourself and turn toward the right direction at the very least. I’m starting to find the energy of this podcast a little cocky. Like: ok Universe, I see what you’re doing by putting these particular people on my path!  It’s getting quite weird.  Have you ever felt like "is this it?" There's gotta be more to life than this? I got good news: you’re just a click away from Megan's truths. I seriously can’t believe I’m here talking (typing) about energy. Gotta hear it to believe it.  Topics: hiring a life coach, therapy, positive psychology, spirituality, psychic abilities, identifying vs feeling feelings, taking time for