Show Notes
"We only have one home to live in: our body," says today's guest, Jovanka Ciares who carries over a decade of personal wisdom as an integrative herbalist and nutrition expert with the life mission of "helping people reclaim natural states of wellness through practices of our lineage, our ancestry, and our birthright." I instantly graviated to her work because it highlights how we can take our power back and heal ourselves. She writes about this in her book, "Reclaiming Wellness: Ancient Wisdom for Your Healthy, Happy, and Beautiful Life." And has so much wisdom to offer us today as the founder of Solana Wellness and creator of the #ReclaimingWellness, which carries the initiative of educating BIPOC communities about the power of herbal medicine and plant-based living. In this conversation, we go DEEP and get to hear her share powerful practices to build new habits, change our taste buds, and experience a new conversation between our mind and body. We explore how her upbringing in Puerto Rico and connection to African philosophies brought her to discover a level of true wellness & connectivity we all deeply crave and deserve access to. WORKS: - author, Reclaiming Wellness: Ancient Wisdom for Your Healthy, Happy, and Beautiful Life - founder, Solana Wellness TOOLS: - Thought processes to support systems change in privileged spaces - Practices to decolonize your mind - African philosophies for reconciliation & healing - How music serves as a gift and doorway into healing - Advice for those moments when you feel the call to do more and give back - Wisdom for honoring the only home we have to live in: our body - "Lazy-proof" self-love, self-care practices to create nutritional routines that give you joy and uplift your lifestyle - Why we're depleted, and tools to reclaim time and space - Practices that help us replenish our needs rather than self-abandon - Permission to honor your emotions and cry - Powerful practices to build new habits, change your taste buds, and experience a new conversation between your mind and body - Tips to turn your desire to see the world be a BETTER place into ACTION LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: BETTER is recorded on the unceded and ancestral territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and has been stewarded by them since time immemorial.
BETTER with Mark Brand is produced by Pamela Rothenberg of I HEAR YOU STUDIOS and Adam Karch with Orbyt Media
More from BETTER presents: Make Food Food Again
In Season 4, Make Food Food Again, Mark takes a deeper look at the systems that determine how we feed ourselves, who benefits, who gets left behind, and what needs to change. Through powerful human stories, investigative documentaries, and accessible explainers, BETTER explores the connections between food, health, labour, land, power, and dignity. From food banks and grocery giants to the people growing, preparing, and relying on our food, Mark asks difficult questions, challenges familiar narratives, and explores practical solutions. Because building a better world starts with understanding the one we've created. East Coast Credit Union is proud to support Better because we believe meaningful change starts with asking the right questions and challenging the way things have always been done. As Mark Brand explores the systems that shape our lives and meets the people working to improve them, we see a natural connection to our own purpose: using banking as a force for good to improve financial wellbeing, strengthen communities and help people thrive. When our members and communities thrive, we all do. Learn more about how East Coast Credit Union is challenging the status quo of traditional banking and showing how business and banking can be a force for good: eastcoastcu.ca
In this episode of Better, host Mark Brand sits down with Nova Scotian diver and content creator Sean “Saltwater Sean” McMullen for a deeply honest conversation about curiosity, healing, and finding purpose beneath the waves. Sean shares how boredom during COVID, a wetsuit from Marketplace, and a couple of vintage soda bottles led to a viral photo, national media attention, and the birth of the Saltwater Sean platform. Along the way, he opens up about sobriety, divorce, tinnitus and hearing loss, childhood bullying, and how diving, magnet fishing, and cleaning up local waterways became a way to reconnect with his inner child, his parents, his kids, and his community. This is a story about environmental action, mental health, and the power of simply doing your own “weird thing” so others feel brave enough to do theirs.
Social impact entrepreneur Mark Brand and Producer Madison Irvine unpack their conversation with ocean cleanup creator Sean “Saltwater Sean” McMullen. From diving Nova Scotia’s rivers, lakes, and coastline for trash to becoming an unlikely online creator, Sean’s story opens up a bigger conversation about authenticity, community, local arts, and playing the long game with your craft. This Season 3 finale also celebrates Nova Scotian identity, neighborhood kindness in Halifax, and the importance of supporting local art, podcasts, and emerging storytellers.
Actor, director, gamer, and entrepreneur Matthew Lillard has been a cult favorite for decades—from Scream and Hackers to Scooby-Doo and Five Nights at Freddy’s. But behind the characters is a story of failure, reinvention, and radical authenticity. In this conversation with Mark Brand, Matthew opens up about: Growing up as an outsider: obese kid, learning disabilities, drama nerd in the 80s The moment he turned down Dancing With the Stars, fired his team, sold his house, and rebuilt his life and career How The Descendants “reintroduced” him to Hollywood as a man, not just the funny kid Building Beadle & Grimm’s and Find Familiar Spirits, brands that serve fandoms instead of chasing the mainstream Why helping friends win feels better than his own success How he uses his celebrity as a tool for impact, not ego Turning pain, insecurity, and “outsider” energy into art, business, and community This episode is a love letter to nerds, misfits, and late bloomers, and a masterclass in showing up as your whole self, even when it’s messy.
Coming soon! Matt Lillard! Actor, director, gamer, and entrepreneur Matthew Lillard has been a cult favorite for decades, from Scream and Hackers to Scooby-Doo and Five Nights at Freddy’s. But behind the characters is a story of failure, reinvention, and radical authenticity.