The MindSpa Podcast

Batten Media House
  • 5.0 (6)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

The MindSpa Podcast is your go-to space for meaningful conversations around mental health, healing, and personal growth. Hosted by Michelle Massunken RSW and Tina Wilston RP, co-founders of MindSpa Mental Health Centre, each episode explores key mental health topics through expert interviews and thoughtful roundtable discussions. From managing stress and building stronger relationships to navigating invisible challenges, the MindSpa Podcast offers grounded, professional insights in a warm and accessible way. Tune in weekly for supportive, real-world conversations to help you feel seen, supported, and empowered on your wellness journey.

  1. 4D AGO

    S2 · Ep 10: AITA Scenarios — Boundaries Without Guilt And Navigating Limits | The MindSpa Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when setting a boundary changes how others see you? In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore a series of “Am I the A**hole?” scenarios that highlight the complexity of boundaries, communication, and relationship dynamics. From friendships and family expectations to ethical dilemmas and long-term partnerships, this conversation reflects on what it means to honour your limits. Scenario 1: Friendship, Discomfort, And Observing Red Flags A woman chooses to spend time one-on-one with her friend rather than around her friend’s partner, whose behaviour feels controlling and passive aggressive. Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore how boundaries can be an act of protection rather than judgment.  Scenario 2: Family Expectations And Professional Boundaries A therapist refuses to provide free therapy to a family member and faces backlash. Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken discuss ethical responsibilities and the pressure professionals face within personal relationships.  Scenario 3: Ultimatums, Boundaries, And Relationship Change A woman tells her partner she cannot stay unless he seeks help. Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken reflect on the difference between ultimatums and boundaries in shaping relationship change.  Scenario 4: Family Gatherings, Guilt, And Emotional Drain A woman stops attending family holidays due to passive aggressive dynamics. Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore guilt, emotional exhaustion, and self-protection.  Scenario 5: Forgiveness Without Reconnection A woman chooses not to rebuild a friendship despite a sincere apology. Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken discuss why forgiveness does not always mean re-entry into someone’s life.  This episode offers a grounded look at how boundaries can be misunderstood, and why holding them can still be the healthiest choice. The MindSpa Podcast Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight. Hosts Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist  Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook MindSpa Mental Health Centre Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester themindspa.ca LinkedIn, instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

    45 min

  2. APR 27

    S2 · Ep 9: AITA Scenarios — Boundaries, Conflict, And Everyday Relationships | The MindSpa Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore a series of everyday dilemmas through a grounded, psychological lens, focusing on communication, boundaries, and emotional dynamics in relationships. What You’ll Hear In This Episode Scenario 1: When Therapy Language Becomes A Power Struggle Someone says they are “too dysregulated” to talk, and the conversation shifts from disagreement to disconnection. Tina and Michelle explore how therapy-informed language can either support emotional regulation or escalate conflict, and how small shifts—especially using “I” statements, can help keep conversations within the window of tolerance without turning a partner into a client. Scenario 2: Weddings, Boundaries, And The “No Kids” Dilemma A closer look at the tension that can arise around wedding expectations. The conversation explores how to navigate boundaries like a “no kids” rule while maintaining important relationships, and why flexibility and context—especially with close family—can matter more than rigid rules. Scenario 3: Navigating No Contact With One Parent While Maintaining Another Relationship Tina and Michelle unpack the complexity of setting boundaries with a manipulative parent while still wanting a relationship with the other. They explore how control can show up in family dynamics, and why maintaining connection sometimes requires thoughtful, private boundaries. Scenario 4: Burnout, Mental Health Days, And Workplace Resentment A discussion on workplace culture, burnout, and the tension that can arise when employees take mental health days. This scenario reframes the issue by examining how systemic pressures—not individuals—often contribute to resentment and imbalance within teams. About This Episode This episode reflects on how everyday situations can surface deeper emotional patterns, and how communication, boundaries, and self-awareness can support healthier relationships across personal and professional contexts.  The MindSpa Podcast Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight. Hosts Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist  Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook MindSpa Mental Health Centre Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester themindspa.ca LinkedIn, instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

    29 min

  3. APR 20

    S2 · Ep 8: Belonging In Hockey — Who Gets To Feel At Home In Canada’s Game | Julian McKenzie | The MindSpa Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail On this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken are joined by Julian McKenzie, sports journalist, podcast host, and author, for a grounded conversation about the realities behind hockey culture in Canada. While hockey is often framed as a unifying part of Canadian identity, this discussion explores the more complex lived experiences within the sport. Julian shares what it takes to build a career in hockey media, including the early stages of internships, long hours, and the ongoing mental load of working in a high-pressure industry where stability can feel uncertain. The conversation then turns to his book Black Aces and the real-world experiences that shaped it. Together, they reflect on racial blind spots in hockey, how narratives around “rehabilitation” can sometimes prioritize image over accountability, and the importance of holding space for both difficult realities and the joy, pride, and talent within the game. They also explore youth hockey and parenting, including the financial barriers to participation, the impact of representation, and how families can approach inclusion while supporting their children’s wellbeing and development. To close, Tina, Michelle, and Julian broaden the lens to consider how players are discussed in media and by fans—not only as statistics or contracts, but as individuals navigating pressure, fatigue, family responsibilities, and mental health. Julian McKenzie is a Canadian sports journalist, podcast host, and author known for his coverage of the NHL and hockey culture. He has reported for national media outlets including The Athletic and hosts hockey-focused podcasts that explore both the game and its broader social context. Julian is the author of Black Aces: The Expanded Story of Black Hockey Players in the NHL, where he documents the history, challenges, and contributions of Black athletes in professional hockey. Connect With Julian McKenzie Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn The MindSpa Podcast Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight. Hosts Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist  Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook MindSpa Mental Health Centre Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester themindspa.ca LinkedIn, instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

    33 min

  4. APR 13

    S2 · Ep 7: Sleep And Mental Health — Why Rest Changes Everything | The MindSpa Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore the close relationship between sleep and mental health, and why sleep problems can make stress, anxiety, mood, and daily functioning feel much harder to manage. They break down insomnia in plain language, including difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and waking too early. Tina and Michelle also explain how sleep cycles work, why REM sleep matters, and why spending enough time in bed does not always mean you are getting restorative rest. The conversation also covers practical, grounded strategies that can support better sleep, including consistent wake times, CBT-I approaches, wind-down routines, reducing stimulation before bed, journalling before sleep, and paying attention to caffeine timing. They also discuss recurring nightmares, how emotion shows up in dreams, and how Imaginal Rehearsal Therapy can help reduce nightmare distress. Tina and Michelle also reflect on melatonin, the limits of sleep medication, and why teens often face unique sleep challenges because of circadian rhythm shifts and school schedules. This episode offers a thoughtful look at sleep as one of the most important foundations of emotional wellbeing. What You’ll Hear In This Episode • The three main types of insomnia • How sleep stages and 90-minute cycles affect restoration • Why CBT-I is often more effective than people expect • How caffeine, blue light, and stress interfere with sleep quality • How nightmare rescripting can help with recurring distressing dreams • Why teen sleep patterns often differ from adult sleep patterns The MindSpa Podcast Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight. Hosts Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist  Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook MindSpa Mental Health Centre Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester themindspa.ca LinkedIn, instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

    33 min

  5. APR 6

    S2 · Ep 6: Anxiety — When It’s A Signal, Not A Flaw | Tina Wilston | The MindSpa Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail Anxiety is often experienced as something personal or disruptive, but it can also be understood as the brain doing what it is designed to do: protect. In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston explores anxiety through a grounded, educational lens, helping listeners better understand what is happening beneath the surface. While this is a solo episode, it reflects the shared clinical perspective of both Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken at MindSpa Mental Health. This conversation explores the role of the nervous system and why the brain’s survival responses can move faster than our thinking processes. Tina explains how fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses can show up in everyday situations, and how physical sensations such as a racing heart, tight chest, or unsettled stomach are connected to natural biological processes like adrenaline and breathing patterns. A central focus of the episode is avoidance, and how it can gradually narrow a person’s world over time. Tina reflects on how anxiety can expand when discomfort is consistently avoided, and introduces a more supportive framework: understanding anxiety as an alarm rather than a conclusion. Learning to pause, name the experience, and gently assess what is happening can shift how we relate to anxious moments. You will also hear practical, accessible strategies for navigating high-stress situations, including flying and other sensory-heavy environments. The episode explores how simple adjustments, such as focusing on a longer exhale, can support nervous system regulation and create a sense of steadiness. Finally, Tina discusses therapeutic approaches such as exposure work and the concept of the window of tolerance, offering insight into how change can happen gradually without becoming overwhelming. This episode offers a thoughtful invitation to better understand anxiety, not as something to eliminate, but as something to relate to with greater awareness and care. Read the full blog and explore anxiety therapy insights in Ottawa: 👉 https://themindspa.ca/anxiety-therapy-ottawa-podcast/ The MindSpa Podcast Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight. Hosts Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist  Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook MindSpa Mental Health Centre Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester themindspa.ca LinkedIn, instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

    27 min

  6. MAR 27

    S2 · Ep 5: Burnout — It Builds Slowly When Stress Never Ends | The MindSpa Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail Burnout does not arrive all at once. For many people, it builds gradually when stress never fully turns off. In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken explore how burnout is showing up across industries, not just in traditionally high-pressure roles such as health care or emergency services. With remote work, constant connectivity, and growing expectations to remain available, many people are living with a level of chronic stress that the nervous system is not designed to sustain long-term. Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken break down the difference between stress and burnout in clear, practical terms. They discuss early warning signs that are often easy to overlook, including brain fog, reduced focus, irritability, physical fatigue, and the subtle but important sense of not quite feeling like yourself. The conversation also explores sensory overload, and why everyday noise or minor frustrations can feel overwhelming when the system is already depleted. A central theme of this episode is normalization. When exhaustion becomes part of daily life, it can be difficult to recognize that something deeper may be happening. Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken reflect on how burnout can gradually become a “new normal,” making it harder to step back and assess the full picture. Listeners will also hear a practical workplace boundary strategy that can be applied immediately, using a priorities list to clarify expectations and reduce the pressure of everything feeling urgent at once. Beyond the workplace, the conversation expands to include how home responsibilities, financial strain, and seasonal factors such as Canadian winters can compound overall stress levels. This episode also challenges common assumptions about rest. Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken highlight the difference between true rest and activities that may feel productive but do not allow the nervous system to recover, such as catching up on chores or scrolling. This is a grounded and practical conversation that approaches burnout as a signal rather than a failure, offering space to better understand what your mind and body may be asking for. The MindSpa Podcast Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight. Hosts Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist  Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook MindSpa Mental Health Centre Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester themindspa.ca LinkedIn, instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

    25 min

  7. FEB 23

    S2 · Ep 4: AITA Scenarios — People Pleasing, Boundaries, and the Cost of Being “Easy” | Tina Wilston | The MindSpa Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston explores what can happen when personal growth shifts the balance in a relationship that once relied on one person smoothing every edge. Beginning with a listener story involving therapy, emotional labour, and a partner who preferred the “easy” version of love, Tina examines the often unseen cost of people pleasing. She unpacks why setting boundaries for the first time can feel destabilizing, how accountability may be experienced as criticism, and why ending a relationship can reflect integrity rather than failure. As one person becomes healthier, the relationship is required to adapt, and not every dynamic is able to make that shift. The episode then turns to a second scenario: cancelling a family dinner due to emotional exhaustion. Tina challenges the idea that resilience means pushing through at any cost, and offers a more sustainable model that includes rest, renegotiation, and shared responsibility. She reflects on how strong families adapt to capacity rather than judging it. Throughout the episode, Tina shares practical language for redrawing boundaries without escalating conflict, including naming patterns clearly, stating limits directly, and offering alternatives when appropriate. She also explores how guilt can be used to discourage growth, and how the label “selfish” is often applied to moments of self-respect. This episode offers a grounded perspective for anyone who has been described as “colder,” “too sensitive,” or “harder to love” after becoming more self-aware, along with thoughtful tools for navigating the discomfort that can follow personal change. If you have a scenario you would like explored on the show, you can contact the team at media@themindspa.ca The MindSpa Podcast Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight. Hosts Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist  Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook MindSpa Mental Health Centre Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester themindspa.ca LinkedIn, instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

    9 min

  8. FEB 16

    S2 · Ep 3: Adoption, Identity, and Healing — Walking Out of the FOG | Ludivine Blais | The MindSpa Podcast

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken are joined by Ludivine Blais, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), for a thoughtful conversation on adoption, identity, and the experience often described as FOG: fear, obligation, and guilt. As a transracial adoptee from China raised in a white French Canadian family, Ludivine Blais reflects on the ongoing process of navigating identity between love received and culture lost. She shares how the one-child policy, international adoption systems, and early attachment experiences can shape identity development in complex and sometimes conflicting ways. The conversation explores how therapy can adapt to an individual’s readiness. For some adoptees, approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy may support the process of naming loss without overwhelming the nervous system. For others, exploring ethical questions, power dynamics, and adoption narratives becomes an important part of making sense of their experience. Tina Wilston and Ludivine Blais also discuss identity dissonance, and the emotional reality of belonging and grief existing at the same time. They reflect on how cultural awareness, attachment patterns, and unanswered questions can influence long-term wellbeing. This episode offers a grounded and compassionate exploration of adoption and identity, inviting listeners to consider how healing can unfold gradually, with space for both clarity and complexity. Guest: Ludivine Blais Ludivine Blais is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO #19585) and a member of the MindSpa Mental Health team. She offers individual therapy to adults in Kanata and online, supporting concerns such as anxiety, burnout, trauma, and emotional regulation using evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based practices. Connect With Ludivine Blais Website  | LinkedIn Please note: Ludivine Blais is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario and practices unde The MindSpa Podcast Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight. Hosts Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist  Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook MindSpa Mental Health Centre Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester themindspa.ca LinkedIn, instagram Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

    42 min
See All (40)

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The MindSpa Podcast is your go-to space for meaningful conversations around mental health, healing, and personal growth. Hosted by Michelle Massunken RSW and Tina Wilston RP, co-founders of MindSpa Mental Health Centre, each episode explores key mental health topics through expert interviews and thoughtful roundtable discussions. From managing stress and building stronger relationships to navigating invisible challenges, the MindSpa Podcast offers grounded, professional insights in a warm and accessible way. Tune in weekly for supportive, real-world conversations to help you feel seen, supported, and empowered on your wellness journey.

Information

  • Creator
    Batten Media House
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The MindSpa Podcast
  • Show Website
    The MindSpa Podcast