Other People's Problems
Real people. Real problems. Real talk. Normally, therapy sessions are totally confidential — but this podcast opens the doors. Hillary McBride and her clients want to help demystify mental health. No actors. No auditions. No artifice. This is what people really sound like when they talk about traumatic births, turbulent divorces, eating disorders and tough childhoods.
Mon, January 13, 2025
Other People’s Problems Introduces: On Drugs
On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now. More episodes of On Drugs are available at: https://link.mgln.ai/toiuju
Tue, November 26, 2024
Other People’s Problems Introduces | Personally: Short Sighted
People don’t think Graham Isador is losing his sight. They think he’s an asshole. Short Sighted is an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds. Written and hosted by master storyteller Graham Isador, the show’s mini episodes are an intimate and irreverent look at accessibility and its personal impacts. Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human. More episodes of Personally are available at: lnk.to/IIEOf8D5
Tue, June 04, 2024
Other People’s Problems Introduces: Come by Chance
If you’ve ever been to Newfoundland, you know it’s a place where fog can envelop you so deeply, you don’t know where you’re going or where you came from. When two men, born in the same rural Newfoundland hospital on the same day, discover an unbelievable 52-year-old secret, it changes the way they see themselves forever. But this isn’t the end of the story. Because it turns out these men are not alone. A series of other close calls and near misses have begun to emerge, and not only at Come by Chance hospital. Come By Chance is a story about what it means to belong in a family — and how a twist of fate can upend the life you thought you knew. More episodes are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/qWHd9npJ
Bonus · Mon, May 08, 2023
Other People’s Problems Introduces: Let’s Not Be Kidding with Gavin Crawford
If laughter really was the best medicine, Gavin Crawford would have cured his mother of Alzheimer’s disease. As a son, his mother’s dementia has been devastating. As a comedian though…it’s been sort of funny. Honestly, how do you respond when your mom confuses you with her teenage crush and wants you to take her to the high-school dance? Well, you laugh. Because it’s the only thing you can do. In this seven-part series, Gavin tells the story of losing his mother — his best friend and the inspiration for a lot of his comedy — to a disease that can be as hilarious as it is heartbreaking. He’s joined by comedian friends who share their experience caring for family members with dementia. The result is a cross between an improv act and a support group. Part memoir, part stand-up, part meditation on grief and loss, Let’s Not Be Kidding is a dose of the very best medicine for anyone dealing with hard times. More episodes are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/hZ9EDAJb
Bonus · Wed, January 19, 2022
Other People’s Problems Introduces: Sorry About The Kid
How do you forget your favourite person in the world? Alex remembers everything about the day a speeding police car killed his brother. But his brother, alive? Those memories are lost. And now, 30 years later, Alex wants them back. In this emotional four-part series, Alex unearths his childhood grief — with help from family, friends, and a therapist who witnessed his brother’s death. What happens when trauma and memory collide? Sorry About The Kid is a deeply personal meditation on the losses that define us. Hosted by Alex McKinnon. Produced with Mira Burt-Wintonick (WireTap, Love Me). More episodes are available at hyperurl.co/sorryaboutthekid
S4 E7 · Tue, June 29, 2021
Patti: You don’t need to be perfect to be lovable
A COVID scare in the kids’ group Patti manages wakes up the perfectionist inside her — the part of her that feels she needs to be perfect in order to deserve connection with others. She and Dr. Hillary trace this feeling back to her younger years, and help Patti draw from her personal growth to comfort that version of herself.
Bonus · Tue, June 29, 2021
Guided meditation: The shape of breathing
As we wind down the season, Dr. Hillary McBride invites you to catch your breath and feel yourself in this particular moment. Imagining as you exhale that this breath could support you in the practice of letting go.
S4 E6 · Tue, June 22, 2021
Kristin: Let yourself be excited about friendship
Kristin recognizes she feels isolated and alone, at least in part because she’s kept people at a distance to protect herself from getting hurt. Dr. Hillary uses her own relationship with Kristin to model friendship and the excitement that can come from deep connection.
S4 E5 · Tue, June 15, 2021
Vanessa: Surviving the fear that 'everyone leaves'
Dr. Hillary needs to tell her longtime client Vanessa that she’s pregnant and that they'll soon need to take a break, when Hillary goes on maternity leave. This is hard to hear for Vanessa, who has been left, physically and emotionally, by important people in her life when she needed them most. Hillary helps Vanessa navigate the pain of feeling abandoned while also assuring her: although their situation will change, their bond is secure.
S4 E4 · Tue, June 08, 2021
Hannah: Stop pleasing and start trusting connection
Hannah has found a range of ways to earn love and protect herself from getting hurt. In Dr. Hillary McBride’s words, she “has found a way to stay connected to people by figuring out who they want her to be, and then being that.” The two work to help Hannah trust that she can show up as her authentic self, and to believe that she is lovable as she is.
S4 E3 · Tue, June 01, 2021
Ethan: A deep political rift in the family
Ethan’s parents have become committed to extreme right wing ideologies, which they keep pushing on Ethan. He has tried and failed to explain to them why their views are harmful. Now, in the midst of helping his wife deal with a health crisis, Ethan has decided to step away from his relationship with his parents, despite how much it hurts. Dr. Hillary helps him navigate his grief.
S4 E2 · Tue, May 25, 2021
Kristin: Sibling loss in early life
Kristin’s brother died when she was very young and she blamed herself, the way children sometimes do. She has carried that unresolved shame for decades. As the anniversary of his death stirs up hard feelings, Dr. Hillary helps Kristin begin to heal this deep wound. She also guides adult Kristin, now a parent herself, toward saying the words she needed to hear as a child.
S4 E1 · Tue, May 18, 2021
Julia: Hiding away the hard parts
As someone who has struggled with addiction and a bipolar diagnosis, Julia carefully hides away parts of herself. Dr. Hillary McBride helps her embrace her complexity, and reconcile it with her new identity as mom. “Your identity was never in addiction, was never in illness, your identity has always been something much deeper.”
Bonus · Tue, May 18, 2021
Guided meditation: "Feel life flowing through your feet”
Slow down today and join Dr. Hillary for five minutes of mindfulness. This meditation, which she wrote, is intended to help you feel grounded and more at ease. (If you're too busy today, then you may want to play it twice.)
Trailer · Tue, May 11, 2021
Coming soon: Season 4 of Other People's Problems
What does it mean to come out of isolation? In a year where we’ve needed it, this season is all about reconnecting with ourselves and one another. Dr. Hillary McBride helps her clients talk through a range of issues heightened by these uncertain times. An all new season of Other People’s Problems begins May 18, 2021.
Bonus · Tue, April 27, 2021
Introducing: Life Jolt
Life Jolt - prison slang for a life sentence - examines the lives of women navigating Canada’s correctional system. The team gained unprecedented access to the Grand Valley Institution prison, the federal pen for women in Ontario, for a full year. They followed women going into prison for the first time, spoke with lifers who have been there for years, and parolees as they left. Hosted by Rosemary Green, a former inmate herself, Life Jolt focuses on individual women’s stories and the realities of prison life, and explores a wide range of issues including parenting behind bars, segregation, the over-representation of Indigenous women, addiction, trauma and the many obstacles of reintegration. More episodes are available at: smarturl.it/lifejolt
Bonus · Thu, February 11, 2021
Introducing: Chosen Family Season 3
Chosen Family is a podcast hosted by comedians and best friends, Thomas Leblanc and Tranna Wintour. The duo bring their signature wit and warmth to deep and meaningful conversations with artists and creators from music, television, film, and literature to illuminate the powerful connection between the creative process, community, and healing trauma. More episodes are available at: smarturl.it/chosenfamilycbc
S3 E10 · Wed, July 08, 2020
Guided meditation: For these uncertain times
A gift to you, our listeners, as we wrap Season 3. We appreciate you so much. Take good care of yourself and each other. (And, hey, if you have feedback or experiences with OPP to share, we’d love to hear from you. Please email producer Jodie Martinson: jodie.martinson@cbc.ca)
S3 E9 · Mon, July 06, 2020
Lacey: Looking back with accepting eyes, forward to more joy
As we know from the earlier episode with Lacey, she grew up with a mother who neglected her. It has left her with a deep sense she is not good enough. In this episode, Hillary and Lacey travel back to Lacey’s childhood home to witness the situation through the eyes of caring responsible adults who see little Lacey’s suffering and take care of her.
Bonus · Fri, July 03, 2020
Louise: Ready to feel alive
It’s been a few weeks since we released a bonus episode from Louise about being hospitalized for anorexia and contracting COVID-19 in the hospital. Now, she’s home, healing, and determined to take steps toward recovering from her eating disorder and letting her true self shine through.
S3 E7 · Tue, June 30, 2020
Vanessa: “The life I have isn’t working”
Vanessa’s daily life is difficult. Between coping with the demands of work and raising a daughter with special needs, Vanessa is falling into old patterns of negative thinking and self-silencing. Can she learn to break old patterns and recognize her own feelings of loneliness?
S3 E6 · Tue, June 23, 2020
Andrew: Unlocking memories of childhood sexual abuse
As a teenager, Andrew was sexually abused by someone he trusted. Even though the perpetrator was an adult, and to an outsider it would be a clear case of child sexual abuse, the experience felt more complex to him at the time.
Bonus · Sat, June 20, 2020
Louise: Surviving an eating disorder and COVID-19 (Plus, a special interview with Hillary)
Louise had to be hospitalized because of anorexia. In the hospital, she contracted COVID-19 and has had to be isolated for weeks. She and Hillary speak compassionately to the eating disorder part of Louise for how it has helped her cope with her suffering, and ask it to move aside so that the real Louise, the parts of her that want to live fully, can begin to take over. Plus, we hear a candid interview with Hillary, who has personal experience with an eating disorder. NOTE: This conversation was recorded over video conferencing software over weak hospital wifi, and the audio quality is hard to understand at times. We’ve done our best to improve it but recommend listening in a quiet space with good headphones.
S3 E4 · Tue, June 16, 2020
Emily: Letting yourself be sad
Emily was taught as a kid to avoid some of her emotions, including sadness. Now as an adult, she is learning how to sit with her feelings without pushing them away. She hopes to resolve past traumas and develop new ways of coping with the ups and downs of life.
S3 E3 · Mon, June 08, 2020
Tom: Riding big waves of emotion
Tom connects with Hillary over Zoom during a lunch break at work. He's been working to understand and experience his emotions, connect with his wife and kids, and compassionately factor in his ADHD. Hillary is amazed at how far Tom has come from their first session to where he is today, taking the time to take care of himself, and model for his kids how to express big feelings appropriately when they come up.
S3 E2 · Mon, June 01, 2020
Lacey: Healing from a neglectful mother
Growing up, there was a lot of conflict in Lacey’s family. After her parents divorced, the conflict stopped, but Lacey and her sister were often left alone. By connecting with her younger self, Lacey realises what she was missing: being seen and loved just as she is. Now, Lacey is doing her best to let go of the childhood patterns — the shield — that once protected her, in hopes of creating healthier ways of being for herself and her children.
Trailer · Tue, May 26, 2020
Coming soon: new episodes of Other People's Problems
Dr. Hillary McBride is back with a new season of Other People's Problems. Unlike most therapy podcasts that feature sessions between a therapist and a one-off client, Hillary's clients have been working with her for a long time. This is what people sound like when they talk about difficult childhoods, the stress of day-to-day-life and sudden changes to our lives with someone they trust.
S3 E1 · Tue, May 26, 2020
Andrew: Opening up during lockdown
Andrew has been working on connecting with others. Although he is making great strides, Andrew is finding it hard to connect with his wife. As the corona virus forces him to close his restaurant and isolate at home with his family, Andrew must get vulnerable and ask for what he's been longing for — intimacy.
Bonus · Wed, January 22, 2020
Introducing Food, We Need to Talk
Food, We Need to Talk from WBUR follows one woman's quest to end her war with food. Hosts Juna Gjata and Dr. Eddie Phillips wield solid science, medical knowledge, common sense and an endless supply of dad jokes to teach us how to eat better and feel better about it.
Bonus · Wed, January 23, 2019
Other People's Problems live! "Family Inheritance"
Recorded in front of a live theatre audience at the HotDocs Podcast Festival, Hillary McBride discusses how our families shape us for better and for worse by digging deeper into Sloane's story and her own. Featuring special expert panellists Kwame McKenzie and Tina Malti.
S2 E9 · Tue, November 27, 2018
Maggie: It's okay to feel good
"You don't get rid of shadow, you learn how to use it. There is strength and goodness and power even in the shadow" - Hillary
S2 E8 · Tue, November 27, 2018
Dave: Shame blocks connection
Shame keeps Dave from connecting with other people. He finds a way to reach toward Hillary.
S2 E7 · Tue, November 20, 2018
Sloane: Ending it with an abusive mom
As Sloane prepares to welcome her first child, she confronts the painful relationship she has with her own mother and her wish the relationship could end.
S2 E6 · Tue, November 20, 2018
Franklyn: Carrying old hurt into new love
Franklyn has begun dating again after his divorce. But hurt and fear from the past are making it hard for him to dive in to new love.
Bonus · Tue, November 13, 2018
Lu Ripley: Talking about suicide (Special guest)
*Warning: This episode references suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. When someone you love is suicidal, talking about it is daunting. In this podcast extra, host Hillary McBride, producer Jodie Martinson, and expert guest Lu Ripley get real about how to have candid conversations and ask that terrifying question: "Do you want to kill yourself?"
S2 E5 · Tue, November 13, 2018
Belle: Suicide and parental guilt
*Warning: This episode references suicide and may be triggering for some listeners. Belle is feeling suicidal and like a bad parent. Hillary talks with her about the idea of a "good enough" mom.
S2 E4 · Tue, November 06, 2018
Hannah: Coping with anxiety
Hannah's anxiety is out of control and that's making it hard to get through her day at work.
Bonus · Tue, November 06, 2018
Guided meditation: Ease your anxiety
Host Hillary McBride advises her client Hannah to listen to a guided mediation on her commute to help ease her anxiety. Here's one for you to use, with Hillary as your guide.
S2 E3 · Tue, November 06, 2018
Ethan: Space for a new baby
Hillary works with Ethan to imagine playing and connecting with his new baby. He's worked for years to process the terrifying experience of almost losing his wife during the birth of their first child.
S2 E2 · Tue, October 30, 2018
Layla: Healing from rape
*Warning: This episode details a sexual assault and may be triggering for some listeners. A chance encounter at the pool has triggered Layla to remember a sexual assault. In this session, she begins to heal.
S2 E1 · Tue, October 30, 2018
Ellie: Abusive with me, but loves our daughter
Ellie's decision to leave her abusive relationship has restored her sparkle. But how does she foster a good relationship between him and their daughter without getting hurt again?
Bonus · Fri, May 04, 2018
Hillary's podcast pick: Mic Drop
If you liked how Other People's Problems let you into the minds and hearts of ordinary people you'll love Mic Drop. Listen in as teenagers share their mood-swinging, dream-chasing, rule-breaking dramas and adventures.
S1 E9 · Mon, April 23, 2018
Patti: Giving until it's all gone
Patti strives to be perfect and does so much for her son and husband. Hillary helps her see that giving even more is not the answer.
S1 E8 · Sun, April 22, 2018
Sloane: Putting a name on this problem
Hillary introduces Sloane to the idea of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to help her understand why she feels so overwhelmed at times. But will the diagnosis help Sloane feel more or less empowered to change?
S1 E7 · Sat, April 21, 2018
Belle: The eating disorder voice inside
Belle has a voice inside her head that torments her with messages of self-hate. She turns to food to feel better. Hillary tries to help her with a therapy called EMDR.
Bonus · Fri, April 20, 2018
OPP Extra - 'Maggie' interview
'Maggie' talks with OPP creator and producer Jodie Martinson about what it was like to be a part of the podcast, and how the microphone in the room affected her.
S1 E6 · Wed, April 18, 2018
Franklyn: Heartbreak in a digital world
Franklyn revokes his access to tracking his ex-wife's whereabouts through her phone. It's his last connection to her.
S1 E5 · Tue, April 17, 2018
Patti: Birth trauma
The birth of Patti's son still haunts her today. What can she do to overcome those memories that are keeping her stuck in guilt and regret?
S1 E4 · Mon, April 16, 2018
Megan and Clark: Learning how to be married all over again
Megan and Clark are going through some major life changes. Clark welcomes the change. Megan is supportive yet can't help but miss what's been lost along the way.
Bonus · Fri, April 13, 2018
OPP Extra - Hillary McBride interview
Creator and producer of Other People's Problems Jodie Martinson sits down with Hillary to explain how OPP was made, and what challenges they faced in putting it together.
S1 E3 · Wed, April 11, 2018
Steve: Sex is more than sex
Steve wants to have more sex with his wife. But is his focus on the bedroom obscuring a bigger issue?
S1 E2 · Tue, April 10, 2018
Maggie: When good moms need to be bad
Sometimes we use thrills - even illegal ones - to lift our mood when we're feeling down. Maggie is a stay-at-home mom who struggles with the humdrum of raising little ones. But can she find a way to feel proud and powerful without resorting to destructive thrills?
S1 E1 · Mon, April 09, 2018
Sloane: Childhood trauma changes everything
Sloane is planning her wedding, but childhood memories make her fearful of what could go horribly wrong. Although she's excited to start a new stage of her life, she's having nightmares of her wedding day. They all revolve around her mother.
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