The State of Mental Health in The World of Art & Entrepreneurship - A Podcast

Xavi de Guzman (Photo by @RobertOShoots)

There’s no shortage of discussions when it comes to the topic of mental health in 2023, especially in western society. The well-being of people has been brought to the forefront of what it means to be happy. Success carries with it the guise of material possessions. It was determined by how others perceived it — the more you could show, the better you must be doing. But while a cultural shift is happening, the suicide rate is still on the incline despite the rise in number of millionaires. With that, while mental health and happiness are becoming increasingly important, there has been a rise in artists and entrepreneurs. People leaving their 9–5 jobs in attempts to find happiness by redefining success, not as a full bank account, but a fulfilled soul.

Xavi de Guzman, Toronto born actor, author, activist, motivational speaker, and philanthropist, also became victim to the plight of finding this materialistic success. His solution, to convert an old Ford E350 moving truck into a tiny home and hit the road. Complete with a kitchen, bathroom, deep freezer, roof top deck, skylight, six 100ah solar panels, and space for his Kawasaki Ninja, Xavi started the adventure from Vancouver. He made his way to the east coast of Canada, then down to Miami, west to California, then back north to Vancouver. While this trip was intended to get him off the grid, there was too much adventure to be told. So, he set up shop in his tiny home and created The 2 Degrees Podcast, brought to you by The Play On Foundation. The podcast was named ‘2 Degrees’ on account of a few things: he constructed the interior of the truck without considering its weight distribution, so majority of the appliances are fixed on the passenger side, causing the truck to sit at a 2 degree tilt; his goal was to escape the cold 2 degree coastal weather of Canadian winters (which can get as low as 40 degrees C in the interiors of the nation) and committing to the life of a snowbird; and the mission of the podcast, to invite industry professionals and bring them 2 degrees of separation closer to the audience. With a successful first season with 20 episodes and second season with another 20 episodes, The 2 Degrees Podcast has another 20 episodes ready to hit podcast platforms, March 2nd.

On the podcast, Xavi explores the professional and personal history of his guests, and how they’ve turned their art into something financially sustainable. Every artist in the world desires the opportunity to be able to pay their bills with their art, the crux is putting up with all that life will throw at you in their journey to ‘make it.’ The biggest growth that Xavi experienced with all the guests he has interviewed is that art crosses all boundaries. To him, there was a separation between being a conventional artist to, the other end of the spectrum of, being corporate. Coming to the end of the first season, Xavi realized that art can be found in anything, especially once you’ve taken your business to a point where you let passion and purpose drive it. Financial brokers, neurolinguists, and store owners are just as much artists as the actors, singers, and writers that he’s had on the show, and while everyone’s story is wildly different, Xavi finds a way to curate a conversation to something that’s relatable for audience members.

A common topic that every conversation circles is mental health. The relationships that Xavi had built with his guests, prior the show’s conception, created a safe space that allowed them to not only accept the invitation, but to be candid and open with their answers. The mission, to allow the audience an opportunity to see that these people who are in glamorized positions in society have also went through the ebbs and flows of life, but more importantly, that there is a way out of those low times. Each guest’s story are always prefaced by saying something along the lines of, “everyone’s story is different, so while the guests are sharing their experience, in no way does it mean that ‘this is how you, going through a similar situation, will get out of it’ but it can most certainly act as an idea to explore if you’re having trouble getting out of your funk,” Xavi continues to share, “Depression is real, the first step is identifying it, but the worst thing you can do is ignore it.”

Guests of the first season include, Ryan Rosery, Brandon McKnight, Marlon Palmer, Jenny Heijun Wills, Adaire Byerly, Adam Murciano, Alaina Huffman, Kale Olivier, Kerën Burkett, Lovell Adams Gray, Dubz Priceless, Mozhdah Jamalzadah, Norm Alconcel, Tefari Bailey, Alex Mallari Jr., Tanya Jade, Nilo Blues, Leighton Alexander Williams, DJ 4Korners, Raymond Ablack, Richard Harmon, Samora Smallwood, Khori Anglin, Marcus Bridgewater, Dylan Kingwell, Nadia Stone, Suraya Rose Santos, Emi Grannis, Flo King, Savannah Re, Akil Augustine, Aliyah O’Brien, Kiana Madeira, Praneet Akilla, Vernice ‘Crystal’ Gabriel, Michael Mazze, Matthew Isen, Marika Sila, Hamza Fouad, and Duane Perera.

And these are the names to look out for in season 3: Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire, Rhoda Domingo, Maya Macatumpag, Atticus Dean Mitchell, Yong Chavez, Yvonne Chapman, Lonnie Marts III, Humberly González, Jessie Liang & Jarred Meeks, Bethany Brown, Ruth Goodwin, Pedro Miguel Arce, Raquel Lily, Sandy Kaur Gill, Noah Asanias, Adrian Walters, Rebekah Elkerton, Chris Hanbury, Shailene Garnett, and Destra Garcia!

Check out The Play On Foundation pres: The 2 Degrees Podcast on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay or where ever you stream your podcasts. The Play On Foundation’s mission is to bring awareness to neurological research for brain aneurysm detection and prevention. Check out www.letsplayon.org for more details and follow @xdeguz on Instagram for updates.