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Unfixed Community
United States
Registrace 26. 11. 2019
un·fixed /ˌənˈfikst/
Being whole in our brokenness
Unfixed shares stories of humans living with chronic, incurable conditions. People love fixer-upper stories, miracle cures and answers but many wake up each day without any of these. Our world needs more models for how to live a meaningful, unfixed life - a life liberated from fixed notions of how we must feel in order to live fully. Unfixed humans may be in pain but they are learning to integrate it into a larger definition of themselves. The Unfixed portfolio of projects demonstrates that living well is not about eradicating our wounds and weaknesses but understanding how they complete our identities and equip us to help others. Currently, a docu-series, podcast, round-table webcast, and feature documentary are in production.
FOLLOW US:
Instagram - unfixed_media
Twitter - unfixed_media
Being whole in our brokenness
Unfixed shares stories of humans living with chronic, incurable conditions. People love fixer-upper stories, miracle cures and answers but many wake up each day without any of these. Our world needs more models for how to live a meaningful, unfixed life - a life liberated from fixed notions of how we must feel in order to live fully. Unfixed humans may be in pain but they are learning to integrate it into a larger definition of themselves. The Unfixed portfolio of projects demonstrates that living well is not about eradicating our wounds and weaknesses but understanding how they complete our identities and equip us to help others. Currently, a docu-series, podcast, round-table webcast, and feature documentary are in production.
FOLLOW US:
Instagram - unfixed_media
Twitter - unfixed_media
Slow blooming with Nathan Slake
"Writing is the most true to myself that I can be."
“To me, it's just exhilarating, the notion that you can have a seed of an idea and then the only way to find out where the plot is going to go is by inhabiting those characters and the situation and just writing it and finding out. And that's pretty much how I do everything when I write.”
-Nathan Slake, writer, scientist, dreamer
Occasionally, I’ll discover a writer whose prose tastes like food-nourishing food, delicious food. Phrases that slow me down, descriptions to savor, sentences that land in my body like sun-warmed blackberries: complete and whole, yet always leaving me wanting more.
Nathan Slake is one of those writers. While his professional life is spent within the walls of academia, teaching and researching immunology, his soul resides in storytelling. I’ve found a kindred spirit, a brother-from-another-mother, in Nathan. I nodded throughout our conversation like a bobblehead as I related to his experiences of being a “slow bloomer,” his love for “slow reading,” and the not-so-slow exhilaration of creating and writing without a map, where deep listening precedes strategizing.
Nathan is someone to keep on your radar, friends! His imagination and craft are already captivating the minds and hearts of many readers. And while he humbly admits to only “discovering his soul” in his 30s-largely due to a deliberate cultivation of attentive presence and deep conversations with his wife Josephine-this soul is already a mosaic of memorable landscapes and characters, all grappling with poignant themes on the nature of consciousness and what it means to be human.
Subscribe below to take your first Michelin star bite!
“To me, it's just exhilarating, the notion that you can have a seed of an idea and then the only way to find out where the plot is going to go is by inhabiting those characters and the situation and just writing it and finding out. And that's pretty much how I do everything when I write.”
-Nathan Slake, writer, scientist, dreamer
Occasionally, I’ll discover a writer whose prose tastes like food-nourishing food, delicious food. Phrases that slow me down, descriptions to savor, sentences that land in my body like sun-warmed blackberries: complete and whole, yet always leaving me wanting more.
Nathan Slake is one of those writers. While his professional life is spent within the walls of academia, teaching and researching immunology, his soul resides in storytelling. I’ve found a kindred spirit, a brother-from-another-mother, in Nathan. I nodded throughout our conversation like a bobblehead as I related to his experiences of being a “slow bloomer,” his love for “slow reading,” and the not-so-slow exhilaration of creating and writing without a map, where deep listening precedes strategizing.
Nathan is someone to keep on your radar, friends! His imagination and craft are already captivating the minds and hearts of many readers. And while he humbly admits to only “discovering his soul” in his 30s-largely due to a deliberate cultivation of attentive presence and deep conversations with his wife Josephine-this soul is already a mosaic of memorable landscapes and characters, all grappling with poignant themes on the nature of consciousness and what it means to be human.
Subscribe below to take your first Michelin star bite!
zhlédnutí: 36
Video
Gail Marlene Schwartz isn't afraid of the hard stuff
zhlédnutí 26Před 14 dny
When Gail Marlene Schwartz posted a section from her debut novel Falling Through the Night on Substack, I knew I’d found a woman unafraid to “go there.” I fell in love with her characters immediately-unhinged, messy, complex but never far-removed from the love that bonds them to one another. I devoured the novel in under a week and wished upon finishing I could invite all her characters over fo...
MaryTabor's unimaginable lightness of being
zhlédnutí 32Před 2 měsíci
When I read anything by Mary Tabor, I do it slowly. Deliberately. I liken the experience to being deeply engrossed in a 5000 piece, handcrafted jigsaw puzzle, each piece just as important and gorgeous as the final image. But there’s more. Solving this puzzle will reveal something I’ve never known about life, so while I must go slowly, there’s also an urgency. I know I speak in metaphor but I’ve...
Alisa Kennedy Jones Sings the Brain Electric
zhlédnutí 42Před 3 měsíci
Alisa is one smart, witty, electrifying cookie. I started reading her two columns The Empress and Gotham Girl early last year and learned very quickly to not have liquids nearby while reading. She is a one woman, laugh-out-loud, tragicomedy act and infuses her work with infectious, tinkering curiosity, humility and self-compassion that might just be the #1 super-smoothie to getting through life...
Chloe Hope's Sacred Everything
zhlédnutí 41Před 3 měsíci
Sharing time with Chloe this past month felt like a forest bath, a Maranasti “death awareness” meditation, and an expanse of dancing fireflies. I found myself numerous times throughout our conversations wanting to reach into the computer screen and bear hug her beautiful existence as she discussed her work as an end-of-life doula, a baby bird carer, and the way these two extremes demand the gif...
Troy Ford's Inclusive and Inviting Nest
zhlédnutí 31Před 4 měsíci
Windows and mirrors are often used to describe the diversity, or lack of, found in media and how stories can portray social group characteristics like culture, race, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. After spending a much-too-short hour last week with Mr. Troy Ford exploring everything from writer’s block and mental health to toxic masculinity and creating inclusive narrative...
Bertus' Beautiful Brain
zhlédnutí 43Před 5 měsíci
Interviews aren’t supposed to be this fun. My conversation with Bertus felt more like hanging out in a sandbox with an old friend, making castles and then destroying them with just as much delight. But describing my sandbox mate is a bit of a challenge, and I think he prefers it this way. Bertus Meijer is an imaginative, free-spirited, deeply intelligent polymath whose spanning creativity is bo...
Ben Wakeman's Memory of My Shadow
zhlédnutí 124Před 5 měsíci
Today’s interview is with author Ben Wakeman, a brilliant and stirring author and musician whose songs, short stories, essays, novels, and immersive audio, to name a few, explore deeply thought-provoking themes. For the sake of our Unfixed audience, in this interview I explore his serialized speculative fiction novel Memory of My Shadow, a gripping tale of technological advancement, human emoti...
Unfixed Mind - trailer
zhlédnutí 125Před 6 měsíci
In 2023, Unfixed Media and Health Story Collaborative, created a four-part, limited series, The Unfixed Mind: Navigating Mental Health Today, chronicling the real-life stories of six people living with mental health conditions. The mini-series aimed to provide these individuals an opportunity to authentically share their experiences and capture the humanity and genuine complexity of navigating ...
Unfixed Mind: Facing Tomorrow
zhlédnutí 226Před 9 měsíci
In episode 4, Ava, Jacob, Dior, Kyle, Ricky, and Cissy reflect on where they have been and where they are going. They share about what their “rock bottom” looked like, and about coping tools they have developed along the way. They share their thoughts on what living “better” feels like, and on what they hope for in the future. How do we live our “best” lives in the face of inevitable struggle? ...
Unfixed Mind: Relationships and Mental Health
zhlédnutí 690Před 9 měsíci
In episode 3, cast members Jacob, Ava, Dior, Cissy, Kyle, and Ricky talk with honesty about relationships, and specifically about navigating them while living with a mental health condition. They touch on topics such as disclosing a diagnosis to a new friend or partner, and about learning who is truly there for us and who isn’t. They reflect on fear, vulnerability, trust, boundaries, loving and...
Unfixed Mind: Facing and Transforming Stigma
zhlédnutí 609Před 9 měsíci
In episode 2, Facing and Transforming Stigma, cast members Ava, Jacob, Ricky, Kyle, and Dior address the stigma of mental illness. They discuss the challenges of navigating societal misperceptions about mental health-the pain, the loneliness, the shame and the importance of learning how to embrace our personal stories and feel proud of who we are despite such challenges. An Unfixed and Health S...
Unfixed Mind: Living with Mental Health Challenges
zhlédnutí 5KPřed 9 měsíci
In the first episode of Unfixed Mind: Living with Mental Health Challenges, six individuals-Cissy, Ava, Ricky, Kyle, Dior and Jacob-share their experiences with mental health diagnoses. They explore how it feels to live with their unique challenges and reflect on identity, growing up, diagnostic labels and self-acceptance. An Unfixed and Health Story Collaborative co-production The 988 Lifeline...
Livable Design Conference - Home Smart Home Roundtable
zhlédnutí 30Před 2 lety
Livable Design Conference - Home Smart Home Roundtable
Yes that is what I am seeking education
Powerful story - especially love hearing the perspective and support of Rene's kids. 💛
Relationship starvation is real. It is a cause of anxiety, depression & loneliness. See Abraham Maslow. When humans have unmet needs for love & belonging, health suffers. No one is mentally ill. The circumstances of their life can cause all sorts of havoc when the human needs for relationship & emotional safety are not met. It is actually very difficult to find people who are safe to talk to. Even some therapists put the blame on the relationally starved person. It is very hard to keep reaching out when you have the expectation you'll just be attacked again in the form of judgement or being labelled or being verbally abused.
more like living with mental illness challenges, ending the mental illness stigma, maybe end the ideals of a man made standards of what mentally healthys expectations are, and how individuals aren't going to compartmentalize with blanket and text book definitions, its not logical, reasonable, or rational uncommon sense even!!! Saddest face ever how they're educated and deciding the best for what i know I've had more meaningful encounters with strangers, drunk in the dark then I've ever had with a paid professional.
Oh my goodness, what a funny guy - love how he has forged forward with his art in the face of the challenges.
fantastic!! Good video
Your strength is Beautiful 🌻
Where are the empathetic people at? ❤
this is valuable!! if you were to turn off, or turn way down the music it would be better.
Brian has the best sense of humor !!! What a guy!!!!!
It's so hard to live in a society where showing vulnerability is seen as a weakness and/or something to be ashamed of. Until we change how we view our own natural feelings and emotions, there will always be stigma/ judgment and shame when it comes to mental health or mental wellness and therefore people will continue to suffer in silence and alone. A lot lf people who are apparently educated in mental health don't even understand how isolating and debilitating it can be to struggle mentally.
You're so right Sarah. Thank you for watching and chiming in.
@@UnfixedCommunity you're welcome 💓
Two of the most wonderful women I have the honor to call friends - great conversation, thank you! ❤❤💜💜💙💙
Awww, thank you Troy!!!!!
I love this metaphor of kintsugi and unfixed for people reclaiming their voices and their lives under such challenging circumstances. Rachelle's dancing is so beautiful - it was a wonderful to experience this.
Ha! I didn't know this was up here... :) xo
My friends don’t get it. I say I’m having a bad day with my pain and then they go “oh well I feel sick to but I’m at school” a cold and chronic stomach pain is extremely different
Always so moving to me, especially suffering around the shame "What did I do to deserve this?" I know the feeling, it's terrible that anyone should carry that.
I have so much to say to you guys after watching this, but all I can do is cry because of this deep sense of sisterhood/brotherhood you transact to me. I love you all and feel such specific mysterious details in common with each one of - my ‘memento mori’ tattoo, the death of my mother which slaughtered my life into ‘before’ and ‘after’. I’m a writer, a rather successful novelist here in Israel. At the time I started writing, it was against all odds - I was a struggling young actress with a reputation of someone with a psychiatric condition and suicidal cloud floating above her crazy blond hairdo. The writing though didn’t come easy as I (still you) like things to come and go, Therefore I suspect that there were some serious star constellations involved. But what can I say about all this ‘recovery’ trend today, from which I can’t figure out the practical actions one should take to get things going. Each time there’s this slogan jumps like jack on the box - saying that recovery means different things to different people, and I thought we wanted to minimize or even completely get rid of them and be free to love, make art, record music, write novels,have careers and make money for the rent, but also for an occasional pair of funky shoes. I listen to you guys carefully and I totally trust the experience you share with us, as well as giving us tips and directions how to save ourselves. I want to share with you that I always reached out for help, I’ve used the cervices of many good and less good psych doctors and even more cervices of all kinds of therapists, in which I invested all my faith and hope, and at this point of summing up my path through mental condition, I came to the conclusion that talking about your emotions, your pain, your helplessness, your privet fiery inferno in which you abide, brings no interesting wisdom or insight but definitely brings up a lot of useless distress and unsolvable and overused memories . I know I’m perceiving my ability to see things the way they are, in a slightly arrogant manner, but let’s face it guys - when push come to shove - no one can make a serious enquiry of your psyche. And often enough I discover that I’m coming to detest all the recommended activities that are supposed to ‘manage’ your condition. what does it even mean? I’m going now trough a severe depressive episode, and I’m holding my self not to start screaming so hard they’ll hear me at the Antarctica - all this ‘coping skills’ one can find in any old lifestyle magazine at your dentist’s waiting room. Fitness? Yoga? Heathy eating? Spending time in nature? Meeting with friends? Helpppppp! However, if all this resonates on any level, and if any of you has some thoughts on this matter, I shall be more grateful and to hear your ideas ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
P.S. I love the part about meeting the other clients of the therapist instead the therapist herself! Such a perfect idea❤
Thank you for this incredible channel. Now that I’ve subscribed, I’m looking forward to your important and consoling content.
Just came across channel thank you you spoke for me my feelings i couldn't accept re my health
God bless you from eire❤
Such moving statements, in new ways we haven't seen before from the Unfixed members - there's a a kind of intimacy in speaking directly to their personified conditions.
🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for sharing your stories 🕊💞
Having Love For Ourselves For Who We Are And The journey we've gone through is a blessing in our story to find inner peace and love🕊💞🙏
This was very well put together and I appreciate hearing all of their stories. We are all out there in the world just trying to make it. ❤️👏
When I was in a wheelchair for only 6 weeks, I mourned who I use to be and was angry at myself for my accident. I wanted to be the person with energy, who can get things done and I missed it. Now I am better and no longer in a wheelchair. Whether it is a big accident or a temporary one it still changes you to understand more.
Really powerful, brave souls. ⭐⭐💛💛⭐⭐
I am so profoundly moved by this and look forward to the movie and to more from the unfixed community. My challenges are mental health ones. But when I see these beautiful people, my struggles disappear because you are all beacons of light, masters of living unfixed. Thank you from my heart. This is so different from the toxic positivity movement. This is real. It's what I've looked for my whole life; the courage and love of life here is so uplifting. Bless you all. Thank you from my heart and soul. You all give me hope that a different and kinder world is possible.
Oh bless you for sharing!!! Your comment brings tears to my eyes. I am so glad these voices bring you peace, they do me as well. We just wrapped a limited series on mental health specifically, you may want to check it out. If you scroll down through the playlists, you'll see a series titled Unfixed Mind. I think you'll find a lot of solidarity in the sharings. Wishing you much peace and gentle days ahead.
😂 This is lovely *and* poor cows/potato flakes!❤💚❤
I am a chronically ill special needs mama with HSD, Dysautonomia, and MCAS with multiple more diagnoses! My son is medically complex with non verbal autism. I try not to even worry if people say anything. People are trying to be kind and if they say the wromg thing in the nocest way I try to educate if it is a high flare day I just say thank you and ignore it lol today os a reallh bad day! Feel guilt for calling my husband home from work because I am so sick today! 😢
So raw, so real! Thank you for putting it all together and offering it to the public…
I had to embrace Brocolli. LOVE THAT ❤️
Is that Ava's song at the end?
It is!!!!!
Ah my heart - I love this series ❤
Thank you. 🧡
Really good episode. Thank you! 🧡
Yes, yes, yes - so many moments in their stories resonate.
This is definitely an enlightening episode! Thanks to each of you for your vulnerability and emotional honesty. Hopefully your courage will encourage others who are suffering from mental health issues.
Loving this series 💙
SO powerful. Thank you!
🧡💛🧡
Thank you so much for this first episode. 🧡
Love what Cissy says: if these are normal responses to abnormal situations, why am I the one that ends up with the label?
'Promosm' 😣
I'm hearing you. I'm nearing 12 months😢
I'm unfixed; I finally have to admit that to myself...I am a type 01 diabetic & was diagnosed w/ Dermatomyositis & resulting interstitial lung disease complication 17 years ago...Going into remission and then relapsing about every 3-4 years on average. Been on prednisone daily for the last 17 years, along w/ monoclonal antibody infusion therapy & IVIG infusion therapy. Praying & hoping for a miracle healing/ recovery that it seems I get to the edge of, & then it all comes crashing down w/ another relapse. I went from a trail runner, weightlifter & kayaking free climber; now I can barely walk after 17 years of this crap. Current diagnosis is now polymyositis w/ ILD along w/ severe Rueumatoid Arthritis...Blamed myself for years for my health problems; I don't know why, it's not my fault. It's just the issue of being disabled & at my age not being able to function as I used to before. I finally have to admit that I'm unfixable. I've pretty much given up hope for ever living a somewhat 'normal' life, ever again.
You make the world so much better.
Rachelle! Aw there you are my friend ❤