Mia Silverman

We’ll start the show with an interview between our host, Amanda, and special guest Mia Silverman, also known as @TheAllergicGirl on TikTok and Instagram. Mia is a young adult who has risen to TikTok fame with her raw and real posts about living with 50+ food allergies as a young adult living and going to school in NYC.

Amanda Orlando

Your host, Amanda, will guide you through soft spoken, calming affirmations and gentle seated movements to provoke greater awareness of our bodies and minds, to be present in the moment, and to think calmly and clearly; all important strategies for those living with allergies or who live with anxiety as a result of their allergic experiences.

Karrie Kwong

WHAT you say is just as important as HOW you say it! How we communicate our needs as people with food allergies has an impact on our everyday interactions with others. With over 13 years working in advertising, and years of experience as a professional actor and acting coach, Karrie understands good communication and how to hone one’s skills. She will engage guests in roleplay self-advocacy scenarios, and challenge us to improve our craft through vocal and physical exercises that build self awareness, confidence, and clarity.

Bianca Lee

Trauma-informed expressive arts facilitator and sound therapist, Bianca, will lead guests through a creative journaling and illustration session to spark joy and appreciation for ourselves and how we manage this allergic life. She will challenge guests to look inwards at our successes and personal growth on our unique food allergy journeys, with an eye to promoting self confidence, and helping guests thrive! The session will involve a visual arts component, as well as group sharing and discussion.

Self-Guided

For guests who prefer a smaller group activity, because everyone’s comfort level is different. Guests will enter a peaceful space that is plentiful with collaging supplies, as well as prompts for how to create a collage that expresses your emotions towards specific aspects of allergy life. Guests will be welcome to enjoy this activity quietly, or to engage as a group; however they wish to spend their time.

Michael Sawers and Kyle Dine

Michael Sawers has a wealth of experience mentoring youth with food allergies through his involvement with Food Allergy Canada, as a member of their Youth Advisory Committee, and is a highly sought after mentor thanks to his welcoming demeanor and down-to-earth approach as a young adult with allergies himself. Kyle Dine, CEO and founder of Equal Eats, musician, keynote speaker, and food allergy adult, has educated over 1 million kids across 900 schools with his school assemblies about food allergy safety. Michael and Kyle will lead a group discussion for young guests, starting with a focus on navigating social media and anxiety, and opening up the conversation more broadly to navigating life as a young adult with allergies.

Sarah Danna

Sarah, also known as @SarahandSpices, is a young adult and recent college graduate living her best life with food allergies, who shares her journey online with authenticity, positivity, and grace. Sarah will lead a teen workshop on tackling common barriers that allergic teens face, and guide participants on how to turn them into actions!

Joelle Tomlinson

Joelle is an adult living with food allergies and celiac disease, who has created an incredible career for herself working in media. Joelle spent six years of her decade-long career in broadcast journalism working as the morning news anchor and producer for CTV Calgary. She now work as a public speaker and emcee. Joelle has not let her restrictions hold her back! She’s an inspiration. Joelle and I will sit down for a Q&A to discuss her allergy and celiac story, the road to diagnosis, and her incredible career in media so far.

Gwen Smith

Amanda will sit down with Gwen Smith, Co-Owner and Editor of Allergic Living Magazine for a Q&A about the magazine’s inception, Gwen’s personal story behind creating a media outlet that has become an institution, successfully pivoting in a changing media landscape, and how to write a good submission for those looking to share their story. Our media theme would not be complete without Gwen herself!

Megan Crowley

How do you react to portrayals of allergic reactions in TV and movies? As people with food allergies we tend to have strong opinions about how allergic reactions, or the allergic person, is depicted in the media. It can elicit intense emotions. How do we address these scenes with our kids, or our partners, our friends, coworkers, and family? Megan Crowley, of Holis Collective, is a food allergy parent, registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist, and is part of The Food Allergy Counsellor directory. She will lead a talk on reacting to depictions of food allergies in the media and how they make us feel, challenge us to look deeper into what these emotions may indicate in regards to our relationship with food allergies, and speak to how we can process these emotions, as well as time for a more general Q&A about the psychology of food allergies.