Breaking The Silence

Podcast by Owolabi Oluwatoyin, Sharelle Scullion, Precious Chisom Obi, Emanuella Edomwonhi, Aduburaran Geoffry

Breaking The Silence

Breaking the Silence is a podcast that dives into the stigma surrounding mental health and substance use—how it starts, how it spreads, and how we begin to break it. Through real conversations with youth, families, community leaders, and healthcare professionals, we explore how stigma affects help-seeking, identity, and healing across generations and cultures. Each episode unpacks a different layer of the issue—from personal stories to policy, spirituality to school systems—so we can build understanding, challenge assumptions, and create space for support over shame.

Latest episodes

31 July 2025

Episode 1 : Stigma & Youth

Breaking the Silence is a podcast that explores how stigma surrounding mental health and substance use impacts individuals, families, and communities. In our first episode, we’re joined by a member of the management team at Wyndham House, a youth support organization in Guelph, to break down what stigma really is, how it affects young people, and why building systems of support (not shame) is so important. Using theories like Erving Goffman’s work on stigma, we unpack how society labels and marginalizes those struggling with mental health, and what needs to change.

00:00

33:21

31 July 2025

Episode 2: Help Seeking Then & Now

In this episode of Breaking the Silence, we explore how attitudes toward mental health and help-seeking have shifted over the past few decades. Host Sharelle is joined by her father, a retired family physician with over 30 years of experience, to reflect on how stigma, culture, and healthcare systems have shaped the way people access support. From the early days of his medical career to today’s growing awareness, they unpack what has changed—and what still needs to.

00:00

23:32

31 July 2025

Episode 3: Stigma Around The Globe

In this episode of Breaking the Silence, we take a global look at how stigma around mental health and substance use is shaped by culture. With a focus on Nigeria, we explore how spiritual and religious beliefs influence public attitudes, often leading to harmful misconceptions and silence. We also compare this to stigma in countries like Canada, examining how different cultural narratives affect whether people seek help—or suffer in silence.

00:00

57:41