Braaains Braaains Podcast

Today’s mini-episode is a conversation with Dr. Jill L. Creighton, a higher education professional and the host of SA Voices from the Field Podcast. She came to talk with us about her experience as a transracial adoptee and how she would like to see adoption represented on film and television.
Also be sure to listen to our other episode on adoption with research sociologist, Gretchen Sisson -- braaainspodcast.com/episodes/adoption
DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP049-Transcript_-Dispelling-Myths-of-Transracial-Adoption.pdf
Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com
Follow: @BraaainsPodcast
Music: @_Deppisch_
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today we’re talking with Gretchen Sisson, a research sociologist with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, a critical, ten-year examination of domestic adoption. Centering on the stories of relinquishing mothers, the book chronicles America's refusal to care for families at the most basic level, and instead allows cultural and political ideas of adoption to advance an individual, private solution to large-scale social problems.
In our conversation, we discuss the function of adoption in society, its representation in popular culture, and the experiences of birth mothers. We explore the stereotypes and tropes perpetuated by modern adoption stories in TV and film like in shows like This is Us and 16 and Pregnant, and the impact of these narratives on societal biases and policies. We also talk about how the women who Gretchen spoke with feel like The Handmaid’s Tale is the closest representation of their experience of relinquishing their child. We then delve into the complexities of adoption, the historical context of pre-Roe adoption, and the consequences for birth mothers and relinquished children.
This discussion explores the complexities of adoption, highlighting the experiences and perspectives of birth mothers as captured in Gretchen Sisson's new book. It delves into the emotional journey of birth mothers, their hopes and expectations, as well as the challenges and grief they face. The conversation also touches on the impact of adoption on adoptees, particularly in terms of trauma and identity. It further discusses the connection between adoption and reproductive justice, and the need to critically examine the narratives and beliefs surrounding adoption. Our discussion concludes with a discussion on the potential of pop culture to shape a more nuanced and inclusive narrative around adoption.
Here is a link to find out more about Gretchen's book: https://www.relinquishedbook.com/
DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP048-transcript-The-Handmaids-Tale-This-is-Us-and-Adoption.pdf
Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com
Follow: @BraaainsPodcast
Music: @_Deppisch_
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today’s mini-episode is all about working with consultants and team members with lived experience on projects about mental health and disability.
Our conversation is with Karen and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy, sisters and the co-creators of the new CW and CTV show, SIGHT UNSEEN. The series is about a homicide detective who rapidly loses her vision and has to quit the homicide force. When she leaves, she’s haunted by the cases she’s left behind and is determined to solve them with the help of her visual guide via a visual assistance app.
If you want to hear our full episode with Kat and Niko about low vision, vision loss, and the representation of it in their show and beyond, listen here: https://braaainspodcast.com/episodes/visionloss
DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/EP047-Braaains-Podcast-transcript-Working-with-disability-and-mental-health-consultants.pdf
Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com
Follow: @BraaainsPodcast
Music: @_Deppisch_
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Today's guests, Karen and Nikolijne Troubetzkoy, are the co-creators of the new CW and CTV show, SIGHT UNSEEN. The series is about a homicide detective who rapidly loses her vision and has to quit the homicide force. When she leaves, she’s haunted by the cases she’s left behind and is determined to solve them with the help of her visual guide via a visual assistance app.
In this episode, we discuss sight loss, the representation of vision loss and blindness on SIGHT UNSEEN, and what considerations had to be made when creating a television show for viewers across the entire vision spectrum. 
DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT - https://braaainspodcast.com/https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Episode-046-TRANSCRIPT-Vision-Loss-and-Blindness-on-Sight-Unseen.pdf
Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com
Follow: @BraaainsPodcast
Music: @_Deppisch_
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast
 
KEY POINTS
05:21 The Genesis of Sight Unseen
06:44 The Plot and Characters of Sight Unseen
07:35 The Importance of Sight Loss Representation
24:04 The Visual Representation of Sight Loss
34:15 Challenging Stigmas and Representing Vision Loss
36:07 Filming Challenges with an Immersive Point of View
 

For today's mini-episode, we're chatting with New York Times best-selling author Bassey Ikpi about the depiction of mental illness (specifically Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD) in The CW's musical comedy-drama series My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019) by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna.
Our guest Bassey Ikpi is a Nigerian-American, ex-poet, current writer, mental health advocate, underachieving overachiever, and memoir procrastinator. Her best selling book I’m Telling the Truth But I’m Lying is available in both print and audio at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/im-telling-the-truth-but-im-lying-bassey-ikpi.
Listen to our full interview with Bassey: https://braaainspodcast.com/episodes/bipolardisorder
DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-EP045-transcript-BPD-and-Mental-Health-Representation-in-My-Crazy-Ex-Girlfriend.pdf
Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com
Follow: @BraaainsPodcast
Music: @_Deppisch_
Mixing/ Mastering: Tony Bao
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast

Welcome to season three of Braaains! Today we have the pleasure of talking with New York Times Best Selling author Bassey Ikpi about Bipolar II disorder, how she got her diagnosis, and the representation of bipolar and depression on shows like Atlanta, Insecure, and Dave.
Bassey is a Nigerian-American, ex-poet, current writer, mental health advocate, underachieving overachiever, and memoir procrastinator. Her best selling book I’m Telling the Truth But I’m Lying is available in both print and audio at https://www.harpercollins.com/products/im-telling-the-truth-but-im-lying-bassey-ikpi.
DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://braaainspodcast.com/s/Braaains-Podcast-Episode-44-bipolar-disorder-transcript.pdf
Contact us: BraaainsPodcast.com
Follow: @BraaainsPodcast
Music: @_Deppisch_
Mixing/ Mastering: Tony Bao
Support this show: Patreon.com/BraaainsPodcast