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ReThreading Madness

ReThreading Madness

By: Bernadine Fox
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About this listen

 Bernadine Fox brings a rare and powerful combination of lived experience, long-term disability rights advocacy, and creative insight to her role as host and producer of ReThreading Madness, the award-winning radio show and podcast that dares to shift how we think about mental health.

A recipient of the 2022 Courage to Come Back Award, Bernadine is a white settler of Scottish, Irish, and French heritage with a familial connection to the Tsuut'ina nation. She has spent over 30 years advocating for those with lived experience of mental health challenges including survivors of trauma and therapy harm. She is an intersectional feminist, artist, and author of Coming to Voice: Surviving an Abusive Therapist—a memoir that confronts the devastating misuse of power in therapeutic relationships.

Bernadine is not a clinician, but she is a deeply informed mental health advocate with firsthand knowledge of trauma, CPTSD, and disability. Her background includes decades of work as a support worker for survivors of severe childhood trauma, a trauma consultant, and public speaker. She has led expressive arts groups in collaboration with Richmond Mental Health and Gallery Gachet, where she also served on the board and helped publish The Ear magazine. She has served on the board of such organizations as Kickstart (Disability Arts and Culture) which focused on breaking down barriers to creative access for people with disabilities.

What sets Bernadine apart as a radio host is her unwavering commitment to telling the truth—even when it's uncomfortable. She doesn't shy away from difficult conversations; she invites them. With compassion and clarity, she brings forward voices that are often silenced, challenges harmful narratives, and explores the messy realities of mental health, trauma, and recovery.

ReThreading Madness is more than a show. Under Bernadine's guidance, it's a platform for unfiltered, survivor-centered dialogue—one that refuses to pathologize trauma and instead builds community through shared truth. RTM won the Breaking Barriers CRABO award through the NCRA.

Bernadine currently lives in the forest with two cats, raises her grandchild, and continues to create, speak, and advocate for a world where mental health care is ethical, accessible, and just.
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ReThreading Madness is produced and aired on the ancestral and unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We extend our gratitude and appreciation to the Indigenous people who have been living and working on this land from time immemorial.Bernadine Fox Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • Forrest Lang, Author of Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption talks about his journey through trauma

    Forrest Lang, Author of Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption talks about his journey through trauma
    Sep 2 2025
    Forrest Lang, Author of Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption, talks about his journey through trauma

    Trigger Warning: We talk about childhood trauma in this program. Please make sure you do what you need to to take care of yourself.

    Meet Forrest. With an artist’s hands and a life forged in resilience, Forrest Lang has lived a journey carved by trauma, tempered by addiction, and transformed through recovery. His path moves through child abuse, foster care, and homelessness to sobriety, service, and purpose. Today, he speaks not just for himself, but for every survivor searching for light in the dark—offering strength, truth, and the promise of healing.

    Forrest is a tattoo artist, father, and military veteran and resides in La Jolla, California. He is the author of Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption.

    Bernadine and Forrest virtually sat down and talked about trauma in the way only two trauma survivors can. From his website we grabbed this information and found that it was true for this program as well. "Forrest’s ability to connect with his audience stems from personal experiences. He understands the struggles and doubts that individuals face on their path to success, and he uses his own story as a source of inspiration. Through his engaging storytelling and relatable anecdotes, Forrest creates an atmosphere of trust and authenticity, allowing his audience to truly connect with his message. …

    Forrest covers a wide range of topics, including goal setting, overcoming adversity, vulnerability, and suicide prevention. … Forrest believes that true transformation occurs when individuals are equipped with the tools and mindset necessary to take control of their own destiny. Forrest is also the author of “Angel Blue, a Song of Redemption,” a memoir on overcoming trauma and success. His written works serve as a valuable resource for individuals seeking long-term guidance and inspiration."

    Join us.

    You can find his book on Amazon or on his website angelbluebook.com

    Music by Shari Ulrich and Siibii
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    1 hr
  • Heidi Little and Her Journey to Heart-based Learning and Education

    Heidi Little and Her Journey to Heart-based Learning and Education
    Aug 31 2025
    Heidi Little and Her Journey to Heart-based Learning and Education

    For 30 years Heidi Little hails out of Regina Saskatchewan before she moved to Mexico and then to Austin Texas. She has been teaching and using music to give people the sacred space to explore and decide who and what they are here for. Heidi has created The Center for Heart Based Education and The Center for Advancement in Social Emotional Learning. She has written 14 books on heart based education. Including the foundation of the Center for Advancement with it's 8 stacking modules offer tools and techniques that connect to the heart and inner guidance system we all have. According to Heidi, despite the ways in which we flounder trying to find ourselves, inside we know who and what we are AND when we are given safe, brave space to ‘come home to self’ we can find that for ourselves. Bernadine Heidi talk about single motherhood, dealing with terminal illness and finding your way out of that twice, find ourselves, participating in waterkeepers, Dr. Emoto’s work on how our intentions affect water and therefore ourselves. And she mentions things like soul house, source energy, plant medicine and other things that mostly went over my head. Come and listen as I try and keep up around navigating your own inner guidance systems to find what are your unique gifts, mission and purpose for being on the planet.

    Music by Shari Ulrich and Heidi Little
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    1 hr
  • Changing your Life with Improv and Speaking out about Therapy Abuse

    Changing your Life with Improv and Speaking out about Therapy Abuse
    Jul 29 2025
    Cass Freeman is an Improviser, Activist, Journalist and all-round funny person. She joins us to talk about the benefits of Improv theatre for our mental health. She teaches Improv and is setting up class starting in September specifically for folks with mental health challenges. She chats with Bernadine about what Improv is, why its important, and how it can help all of us overcome fear, embrace positivity and learn to inspire others. Classes are open to anyone who self-identifies as living with a mental health challenge and she does not require any disclosures.

    Then Shanice Docksin joins Bernadine for a very serious conversation about her experience with therapy abuse and exploitation. And while that is what we are going to talk about here, that is not the most important thing about Shanice. She is a leading Black businessewoman who has experienced her fair share of failures, challenges, and success. She transformed herself from a broken-home mentality to one of Oklahoma City’s very own published authors whose published works include "Unplugged". Shanice is also a public speaker, coach, and a mental health/domestic violence advocate. Shanice is one of those examples that tells us those who have been victimized by therapy abuse and exploitation are not chosen because they poor fragile, broken people.

    Music by Shari Ulrich, Kelly Clarkson, and Sons of Legions
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    1 hr
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