What happens when you’re doing everything you were told to do — working, hustling, trying to build a life —and it still isn’t enough?

In this episode of Dare To Be Us, I sit down with actor, filmmaker, writer, and director Taylor Olson for a conversation that goes far beyond film.

We talk about the reality many people are facing after COVID: Nova Scotia’s housing crisis, invisible homelessness, the rising cost of basic necessities, and what happens when people are working two or even three jobs and still struggling to survive.

Taylor shares how witnessing people living in encampments and experiencing housing insecurity influenced their work and what it takes, as an actor and storyteller, to step inside a character carrying that kind of emotional weight.

We also explore something we don’t talk about enough: men’s mental health and the pressure to provide.

What happens when fathers are carrying financial stress, expectations, work, child support and the belief that they have to figure everything out alone? What happens to families when that pressure becomes too much? And what happens when mothers are left carrying the emotional and practical responsibilities that remain?

But this conversation isn’t only about what’s going wrong.

It’s also about what we may have forgotten along the way:

Community. Connection. Empathy.

Taylor takes us inside their recent and upcoming projects, including an experimental horror anthology exploring artificial intelligence, the OutTV workplace comedy Sexy Touch, and an upcoming dark comedy about a stand-up comedian who discovers what can happen when career ambition becomes more important than the people around us.

We also talk about Taylor’s deeply personal AMI project Look at Me, their experience with eating disorders, mental health storytelling, and why seeing someone’s reality can sometimes be the beginning of understanding it.

Maybe the question isn’t simply:

How do we become more successful?

Maybe we need to start asking:

What is our definition of success costing us?

🎙️ ABOUT THE GUEST — TAYLOR OLSON

Taylor Olson is an actor, filmmaker, writer and director whose work explores community, identity, mental health and the complicated realities of being human. Their projects include Look at Me, Sexy Touch, experimental work exploring artificial intelligence, and an upcoming dark comedy examining ambition, success and human connection.

✨ JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Have you felt like you’re working harder but getting further behind?

What has the cost-of-living crisis changed for you or your family?

And what do you think we need to rebuild, financially, emotionally or as a community?

Tell me in the comments. Your story matters here.

Dare to be weird. Dare to heal. Dare to be us.

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#HousingCrisis #CostOfLiving #MentalHealth #MensMentalHealth #TaylorOlson #DareToBeUs #NovaScotia #HousingCrisisCanada #Homelessness #Burnout #Filmmaking #Neurodivergence #Community #MentalHealthAwareness

What happens when we stop judging people and start understanding their stories?

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, filmmaker Eric Orson joins me for a conversation about invisible homelessness, mental health, neurodivergence, community, and why our definition of success may be contributing to the loneliness so many people experience today.

Inspired by real life experiences volunteering in Halifax's encampments, Eric shares how storytelling can challenge perspectives, build empathy, and inspire meaningful conversations. We also explore the pressures of modern society, the importance of genuine human connection, and how compassion can transform the way we see one another.

Whether you're passionate about mental health, filmmaking, or creating a more connected world, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on what it truly means to belong.

Connect with Dare to Be Us

🌐 https://daretobeus.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daretobeuspodcast

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a rating and review, and share it with someone who could benefit from today's conversation. Your support helps us continue creating conversations that encourage healing, curiosity, and authentic human connection.

Enough Is Never Enough | When Love Becomes Addiction with Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards

What if the relationship wasn't the addiction... but the chaos it created?

Dr. Stephen Paul Edwards returns to Dare to Be Us to discuss his newest book, The Venus Fly Trap 2: Enough Is Never Enough, and the deeper lessons hidden beneath the drama.

Together, we explore the difference between love and trauma bonds, why our nervous systems can become addicted to chaos, and how childhood wounds silently shape the relationships we choose. We also dive into accountability, empathy, boundaries, the myth of "saving" someone, and why material success alone can never fill an internal void.

This isn't just a conversation about one relationship, it's about understanding ourselves, breaking unhealthy patterns, and learning that healing begins when we stop asking "Why is this happening to me?" and start asking "What is this teaching me?"

In this episode:

• Love vs. trauma bonds
• When empathy becomes self-abandonment
• The psychology behind toxic relationships
• Addiction to chaos and nervous system patterns
• Boundaries without losing compassion
• Why "enough" is never enough when healing comes from the outside
• Redefining wealth, success, and fulfillment

✨ If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need to hear this conversation.

Connect with Dare to Be Us

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🎙️ Submit your story: https://daretobeus.com/submit-your-story

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What happens when you stop trying to fit in and start embracing the way your mind naturally works?

This week, Ruth sits down with filmmaker, artist, historian, and fellow neurodivergent Daniel MacNeil to explore creativity, ADHD, dyslexia, burnout, history, spirituality, and the unexpected ways curiosity can shape a life.

From spending over 500 hours reconstructing the original Fortress of Louisbourg in 3D to discovering why his best ideas arrive during long drives through nature, Daniel shares how learning to trust his unique way of thinking transformed his relationship with himself.

Together, they discuss healing after difficult seasons, reconnecting with creativity, journaling, flow state, ancestry, and why sometimes the path to finding yourself begins by embracing what once made you feel different.

A thoughtful conversation about identity, imagination, and the courage to create a life that feels authentic.

🎧 New episodes every week.

Host: Ruth AKA Yuya

Instagram: ⁨@daretobeus⁩ podcast

Tiktok: ⁨@daretobeus⁩

website/submit your story: daretobeus.com

Listen to the podcast on your favourite platform!

Guest: Daniel C MacNeil

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm17669627/

https://screennovascotia.com/production-guide/members/daniel-macneil/

https://www.tiktok.com/@avalonfilmcompany?_r=1&_t=ZS-97EddEB1ccJ

#adhd #neurodivergent #mentalhealth #fortress #amnewbutnottheleast #podcast #Spirituality #history #capebreton #Podcast #DareToBeUs

What happens when trauma becomes identity?

In this deeply vulnerable episode of Dare to Be Us, Ruth and Joe sit down with Dr. Stephen Paul for a raw conversation about healing, masculinity, authenticity, relationships, survival personas, and the stories we build around ourselves.

Before the interview, Ruth investigated Dr. Stephen Paul’s public image, business claims, and online persona not to expose him, but to understand the tension between performance and truth in modern self-help culture.

Together, they explore:

• trauma and childhood conditioning
• the identities people create to survive
• vulnerability and masculine culture
• monogamy vs polyamory
• emotional safety and intimacy
• spirituality and reinvention
• authenticity in the age of social media
• healing versus branding healing

Joe and Ruth also openly share their opposing perspectives on polyamory, creating a powerful and emotionally honest dialogue around modern relationships and what people truly seek underneath love, sex, success, and connection.

This episode isn’t about who is right.

It’s about what becomes possible when people are willing to tell the truth.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

🎙️ FOLLOW & SUPPORT

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🏠 Rowan House

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📖 Follow Dr. Stephen Paul Dr. Stephen Paul Instagram

Landing Page:

• https://bit.ly/4sIEsbp

Coaching unique link:

• https://vft23.com/coaching-and-counselling/?utm_source=Ruth+Rementeria+Mendez&utm_medium=Dare+to+be+us%21+Podcast&utm_campaign=Podcast+Interview+-+Ruth+Rementeria+Mendez

Discount Code: VFT23!

In this powerful and deeply vulnerable episode of Dare to Be Us, we sit down with Keonte, singer, speaker, author, and community leader, to explore what it truly means to turn pain into purpose.

Growing up in North Preston, Keonte shares how music, community, and lived experience shaped his identity… but also opens up about one of the darkest moments of his life when, at just 12 years old, he began planning to take his life.

What followed was a life changing realization: nobody was coming to save him.

From that moment, Keonte began a journey of self-discovery, learning how to pour into himself, redefine self-love, and eventually transform his story into a mission to help others, especially children.

Through children’s books, speaking, and powerful community work, he now gives young people the words he once needed to hear.

This episode dives into:

• Healing your inner child
• Redefining failure and growth
• Letting go of old versions of yourself
• Building purpose through pain
• The truth about self-love and showing up for yourself

This conversation is raw, emotional, and deeply human.

If you’ve ever felt alone… this episode is for you.

Host: Ruth

Insta: @daretobeus

Tiktok: @daretobeus

Co-Host: Yoseph

Insta: @rowan.house

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Rowan.Housementalhealth

Website:

www.rowan-house.com

Guest: Kionte Beals

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Key.Beals

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/keontebeals?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Website:

https://keontebeals.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnF_S9jDG9TK4hI-uXnLkiM8U9R0uzbArfnX6bXKe2pUROad7zM41cLBww7xc_aem_JwHVdn6ScEYY9qtmuSzDBQ

Halifax Chamber of Commerce:

https://halifaxchamber.com/business-voice/telling-my-true-story/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnUUNhXaMOdNvXbrxaRi1ySHB3ubpVplKu3IE9RBh7O8QUn1cVRXJpzMnqih4_aem_irNgaT8uk0UotjESW6nbRA

Books:

https://keontebeals.com/contact-book-keonte-beals-to-speak

In this episode of Dare To Be Us, we welcome Shawn Leonard for an open and thoughtful conversation on spirituality, lived experience, and the mysteries many people carry privately.

Shawn shares parts of his personal journey, how spirit first began speaking in his life, and how those experiences evolved into a path of service, teaching, and responsibility. We discuss the Seven Grandfather Teachings, medicine, spirit animals, and the importance of humility and discernment.

The conversation also explores larger questions around consciousness, dreams, intuition, divinity, and how to remain grounded while navigating experiences that don’t always fit traditional frameworks.

This episode isn’t about belief systems, it’s about curiosity, reflection, and honoring personal experience with balance and respect.

Topics include spirituality, healing, consciousness, Indigenous teachings, intuition, shadow and light, aliens, and personal growth.

Have you ever felt like you’re doing everything to heal… and still feel stuck?

In this episode of Dare to Be Us, Ruth sits down with Joe for a real, honest conversation about something many people experience, but rarely talk about:

Why healing alone doesn’t fully work.

We explore the gap between awareness and transformation, the role of the nervous system, and why so many people feel like they’re “doing the work” but not seeing real change.

This episode is for you if:

• You understand your patterns but still feel stuck
• You’ve been doing self-work on your own
• You’re ready for deeper, real-life change

Because healing isn’t just about what you know… It’s about what you experience, practice, and integrate.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The self-awareness trap
• Why healing happens in relationship
• Nervous system safety and real change
• The difference between knowing and integrating
• What’s actually missing in most healing journeys

Deeper support? If this episode resonated with you, you don’t have to do this alone.

Explore the SPR Program at Rowan-House.com a space designed for real-life integration, guided support, and meaningful change:

👉 Rowan House

Instagram: @rowan.house

Facebook: Rowan-HouseMentalHealth

🎙️ Stay connected with Dare to Be Us: This podcast is a space for real conversations around healing, identity, mental health, and becoming who you truly are.

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