Show Hosts and contributors

Hosts and contributors to Sound Therapy Radio, do so on a volunteer basis. We are all passionate about what we can achieve through this project. To maintain our independence, we broadcast on non-commercial radio. Thus, we do not accept advertising dollars from any groups, pharmaceutical companies or other commercial entities. The true cost of freedom is worth it.

J Peachy

J Peachy is an Arts Based advocate for Environmental Health. Being a past client of the Mental Health system he has the perspective from the inside, while he sees some successes there is also the potential to do much more.

As an artist he found that his creative expression was a source of healing and a means for survival. He saw the power of art and inspiration through his own experience but also from those around him, whether they are in the system or not. Peachy is an active member in the arts community and believes the utility of art and its interconnection with our natural environment is one part of a holistic model that contributes to the maintenance of a healthy mind.

Peachy is the Creator and Producer of Sound Therapy Radio. For more on J Peachy and his creative expressions, visit jpeachygallery.com or contact him by email.

Patrick Connors

Patrick Connors is a writer and social activist from Toronto. However, he doesn’t think he is the centre of the universe, so he does not suffer delusions of grandeur. He has suffered from periodic bouts of clinical depression, however, and wants to make something positive come out of that. He is making the difficult and long transition from corporate work to the more vocational work he has always been called to do, and believes this to be a step in the right direction.

Patrick Connors is also a leadership team member with the Toronto chapter Artist Alliance for Mental Health Canada. As a spoken word artist and a survivor of his lived experience he believes in expression through the beauty of words. Patrick will share his thoughts from a poets perspective through his posts and radio segments. Check out Patrick on the spoken word scene, you can also contact him by email..

Ana Bedard

Ana Bedard is a Vancouver based writer and an avid supporter of the local arts community. She has an interest in local alternative media, having volunteered with CITR and W2 in the past. She is excited about combining a number of passions including, art, mental health awareness and spoken word radio. Currently studying Psychology at the University of British Columbia, she is also a self-proclaimed Russophile. Ms. Bedard prides herself in having taken every Russian literature course that UBC offers. Ana also mentors burgeoning young writers at the secondary school she attended. Ms. Bedard can be also seen committing random acts of freelance writing throughout Vancouver, so be on the lookout.

Ana’s lifelong dream is to become an extensively published addictions counsellor and part-time belly dancer! We’re excited to have Ana on board, there will be no doubt that her knowledge and passion will be sprinkled throughout our programs.

Ashley Collins

Ashley Collins now joins the Sound Therapy Radio Empire. Ashley’s enthusiasm for health and wellness has led her to recently completing courses for a BSc in Kinesiology at SFU. In an effort to voyage on her own path of wellness, she adores running, travelling about, seeking new adventures and being outdoors as often as possible. On any given work day, she may be found travelling about the Fraser Health region being amazed by the stories and knowledge of seniors, as she dole’s out ways to keep them healthy and able.

When not singing away to herself, Ashley can probably be found dancing and singing about while listening to music, attending local concerts and events, or enveloping herself in Spoken word radio. For Ashley the opportunity to be behind the mic presents an exciting new world of possibilities; one that she satirically refers to as, “The other side”

Ashley states “One of my most favourite things in life is meeting new people and coming to understand, interact and learn from them, and I’m looking forward to doing exactly this through Sound Therapy Radio.”

We welcome Ashley and her enthusiasm, passion and personality to the enchanted world, orbiting moons and other associated celestial bodies in the Sound Therapy Radio Universe.

Lia Haleem

Lia Haleem is an avid volunteer in the Vancouver community, and is particularly interested in issues concerning women, children, the arts and mental wellness. She feels an urgency to live her life fully, and explore the world.

Often balancing the perspectives between extrovert and introvert, journaling and poetry have been her art of choice. She has always found a fascination with words, the way they sound, the shape of them, how they can move through mediums. She likes the accessibility of words, and is sometimes caught up watching the energy of spoken word poetry on Youtube.

Lia is currently studying Communication at Simon Fraser University , and pursuing a minor in Dialogue. She is passionate about the ideals of dialogue and the possibilities of creating new solutions. Lia also enjoys internet memes, pop culture, and singing along to love ballads.

She plans to continue travelling, work with people and live a good life. Lia will be assisting in the production of special event and radio broadcast, keep a look out for her, she’s the one with a big smile!

Stephanie Price

Stephanie is both a mental health consumer and zealous mental health advocate. She founded and ran the Love Is The Cure social enterprise from Spring 2009 to Spring 2010. She has a strong background in marketing and art and is currently the Editor In Chief of VOLTE_face Magazine.

Stephanie is based out of Tennessee and will provide an American perspective on Mental Health issues. From below the 49th parallel, Stephanie will share her experience and knowledge in dealing with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) to the project. Ms. Price will be contributing regularly and producing broadcast segments that relate to mental health in young adults, alternative therapies and social media and pop culture advocacy to name a few.

Melanie Rose

Melanie Rose is burning up the comedic world and will be helping add some lightness to our sometimes dark episodes. Melanie attributes comedy and the Stand up for Mental Health program for saving her life.

Melanie has learned that laughter is always the best medicine. She has learned not to PANIC when she is MANIC.

Although, her love for tye dye shirts might be helping her get over the Ex.…it may also explain why she is still single.

She is a mother of 4 girls that don’t live with her (a long story).. but she is real…Anxiety and all…she tells jokes and stories of her life, and hopefully shows people it might just be OK to be “Crazy”.

So be on the lookout for Melanie on the airwaves of Sound Therapy Radio, as she will be conducting testing on comedic material she has tested in her underground laboratory.

Kat Thorsen

Kat is the c0-creator of CJ the Sock Monkey and a regular participant at creative ventures around Vancouver. As a multi-talented Artist, Kat creates in many different mediums, graffitti, watercolour tattoos, body painting, sewing, crafts, film and animation.

Katarina Thorsen (Kat) is the resident art therapist at Keith Lynn Alternative Secondary School in North Vancouver. The student population presents with a variety of issues including behavioral challenges, learning
disabilities, substance abuse and mental health.

Kat’s own artwork (drawing, painting, quilting, journaling, sock animals) can be found in private collections in Canada, USA and Sweden. Kat is passionate about the therapeutic power of art and though her main focus is at-risk children and
youth, she is currently developing a workshop series that will facilitate creative expression and self-empowerment in adults. Always in the pursuit of new creative outlets Kat is also working on a Graphic Novel based on her research into a historical Vancouver murder mystery.

We are excited to know what creative adventure is on the horizon

For more details go to: http://katthorsen.wordpress.com/about/

To read more about Katarina’s work with sock monkey/art therapy for at-risk
youth go to http://klasssockmonkey.wordpress.com/
To read more about Katarina’s art therapy and visual art, go to
http://katthorsen.wordpress.com
To read more about Katarina’s sock creations, go to
http://poststreet.wordpress.com/

Paul Caune

Paul Caune was born in 1968 with Muscular Dystrophy. He started using a wheel-chair when he was 26 and ten years later became vent dependant.

In 2005 he was forced against his will into a BC nursing home where he was abused. This experience inspired him to found Civil Rights Now!, a non-partisan, all-volunteer, not for profit society of fair-minded citizens to advocate for legislative reform which will give the equality provision of the Charter real force and effect in the daily lives of BC voters and children with disabilities.

He is non-compliant.

Mary JM

First and foremost Mary JM ‘s dream was to be a sportscaster since she was in her teens and first saw Dave Randorf on UTV Sportspage. Since then she has been involved with both radio, film and TV, behind the scenes and as well a host. Mary has an online presence with new demos in both audio and video at www.myspace.com/maryjm1831

Mary JM also has a learning disability, being a premature baby and the only surviving triplet makes her a little slower than most people. In addition a hit and run accident in her teens further complicated her disability.

When not busy on media projects, she is either watching sports or spending time with her three cats in North Vancouver. She is a fan of every sport and it is her passion to watch and keep track of the scores and news in the world of sports.

Being an intern at City TV was a career highlight. Her project focused on delivering quality sound, and worked closely with Shane Foxman, another favorite sportscaster. Mary JM graduated from Columbia Academy with a diploma for broadcasting of the arts. There she also met, Don Taylor, a local favourite sportscaster. Mary also hosted and produced her own late night radio show, called “Locals” for four years on co-op radio, CFRO 102.7, where she featured local bands live in studio. In addition she was co-host of the CFRO program “Band of the week”.

Mary is excited to help out on the Sound Therapy projects as she is a big supporter of local arts and community media. Mary JM will be focusing on production, distribution and social media promotions.

Pierre Leicher

Over the past 8 years Pierre has been transitioning from a thirty-year career as an academic psychiatrist to that of an artist. Mr. Leichner obtained his Bachelor in Fine Arts in Vancouver from Emily Carr University and a Masters in Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montreal.

Most of his works address biological, psychological, social/cultural, political and spiritual issues simultaneously. This has led him to use multi-sensoriality in many of his projects. Pierre’s recent projects Pommier Renversé, The Root Laboratory Project and Jardin Biologique # 8,Potager de Résistance put him in a collaborative dependency with living matter (www.leichner.ca).

Since 2005, Pierre has had 6 solo shows, participated in 25 group shows and presented in 3 art conferences. Leichner is also presently working on an altered book’s project: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Re-Revised that draws on my previous experiences and knowledge as a psychiatrist and an artist. It questions the political and economic issues that are associated with psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. Pierre also has a striking resemblance to Dr. Legumes from online television fame.

Ty Snaden

Ty Snaden is a Multimedia Journalist & Writer based in Vancouver, BC. He is a graduate of Fanshawe College Photography and Post-Graduate Advanced Photography programs. He has covered issues surrounding the socioeconomic degradation of Detroit and its Canadian neighbor, Windsor ON. in mid-2009, the Vancouver Olympics Opposition movement, and the chaotic events of Toronto’s 2010 G20 summit. Ty’s work has been published in many print and online magazines, including Rabble.ca, Applied Arts Magazine and (Cult)ure Magazine. He was a recipient of the Applied Arts Magazine student award for Photography in 2008.

Conan Carlick

Conan Carlick is a former professional M.M.A. (Mixed Martial Arts) competitor and boxer. Having both physical talents and artistic ability, Conan is a natural performer at heart. Having first experienced acting through Drama class at the age of thirteen, he fell in love with the craft and continued take it throughout high school. At a young age, Conan was naturally optimistic about all that life had to offer and the results in sports and school were evidence of such.

After high school, Conan did a couple of small projects that were acting related, but never considered the idea of becoming an actor a real possibility. After feeling very discouraged by how well some youth were able to retain lines at an audition, and not getting a call back for the role; thus he completely abandoned the fantasy of acting. At age fifteen he tried boxing and found it to be second nature. For this very reason, he enjoyed it and had his very first fight after only six weeks of training. Conan went on to have fifteen amateur fights and three professional fights, winning two provincial titles and the B.C. Golden Gloves title. At age twenty two Conan started training in Mixed Martial Arts, went on to have five fights, in which he remained undefeated. After losing a majority decision in a September of 2008, Conan felt that the fatigue had too much of an adverse effect on him and retired as a professional fighter.

After his fighting career, Conan again got the taste for acting and gained a part as an extra in the movie “Afghan Luke and the burgundy of hash”. While in a summer semester of a College Fine Arts program Conan gained his first experience of live Theatre, in the play directed by Wesley Eccleston, “Tests”. Very shortly after this, Conan decided to move to Vancouver to really pursue a career in Acting. He attended many auditions, and within a few weeks, earned a role in the short film the Inner Torment, as the character ‘Robert’, which is to be released in July 2011. As part of his career journey, Conan was accepted to called Kaleidoscope which is a digital film making program.

While in Kaleidoscope Conan gained another role, in a feature length film, called “Forgive Me Father”. Conan continues to develop his creative career in all aspects of film making and production and will contribute through performing arts projects with the Sound Therapy Team.

 

John Prentice

John Prentice was born in Vancouver, BC. A graduate from Magee Secondary, he moved on to BCIT to study a variety of subjects including carpentry, power engineering, then on to Douglas College for building environmental systems and energy efficiency as recently as 2010. John has worked in various building and construction trades, carpentry, plumbing and drainage, painting, and landscaping and has worked as a building operator for over 10 years, for a Commercial Property Mgt. company in Downtown Vancouver.

John’s interest for photography and nature was inspired by his father who devoted time to taking his children on camping trips from an early age. His first camera was a disposable Kodak X-15. He bought his first compact 35mm film camera, an Olympus, and used it over 25 years. Then he bought a Nikon f90 35mm film based camera. Deciding to join the digital world, john traded his Nikon F90 film camera for a Nikon D300 S Digital camera with video capability, which he uses today.

Always looking for opportunities for creative expression and ways to get involved with his community, John has spent years volunteering with organizations such as the Wilderness Committee, and recently in 2010 and 2011,for Salmon Are Sacred. In 2010 John was asked by Dr. Alexandra Morton to be her photographer to document the ” Get Out Migration Walk” a walk down Vancouver island to raise awareness of the negative imapcts B.C.’s fish farms on our wild salmon.The next event John joined up for was as a paddler in another Salmon Are Sacred event ” Hope To Vancouver Paddle”,and he continues to support this group today.Highlights of volunteering include working with public figures such as Dr. Alexandra Morton, who invited John to photo-document her “Get out Migration” project, and recently as the Photographer/video/talent scout for Ryan Fletcher host and creator of a weekly radio show entitled “Melodies in Mind” at Simon Fraser University. In addition, John has worked closely with Jay Peachy, Artist and Activist, with television productions as camera man and assist in post production of shows aired on Shaw Cable 4 and Evotv. Further, John had also volunteered in 2002, 2003 on “The Witness Project” a project jointly produced by the Roundhouse Community Centre and the Squamish First Nations,that brought city folk up to their Northern Territory, for summer camp weekends, into the Elaho Valley and Sims Creek watersheds,to learn about Squamish First Nations traditions, to hear stories and learn about the impacts of Industrial clear cut logging on their culture. A highlight of John’s photography was having one of his photos featured in Common Ground Magazine, at the end of the Get Out Migration walk, finishing on the lawns of the Legislature in Victoria.

Future ambitions for John include photography, as well as a business venture, with Ryan Fletcher, which aims to help find opportunities for musicians across Canada.