Live broadcast of the Autism Art Auction at Fitzgerald’s Pub:

Parts 1-6: Introduction, Dr. John Vervaeke, Anderson Todd, Leo Ferraro, Melissa Caparelli & Adam Golding:

Parts 7-12: Showcase of artwork, Veronica Yao, Maddy & Clara, Cliff McIntosh, Henry, McIntosh Family:

Nikki’s notes: This was a deeply personal episode for me, because the McIntosh Family are wonderful people and close friends of mine. My own brother has Asperger’s Syndrome and I’ve personally witnessed his struggles, and this episode was me doing my own small part to help the McIntosh realize their vision – a crisis centre for people with autism. The interview with the McIntosh Family at the end of the show is probably the best segment I’ve done in my life.

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April 5, 2013

Nikki opens the second season of Sex Brains & Money, now being filmed at Fitzgerald’s Pub in Toronto’s Beaches neighborhood. Today’s guest is Terri-Jean Bedford, author of Dominatrix On Trial and sex workers’ rights activist, and she joins Nikki to read a passage from her new book, Bondage Bungalow Fantasies. Terri-Jean sticks around for a second segment, where she talks about the upcoming Supreme Court hearings on June 12, when Canada’s highest court will examine the current laws surrounding sex work.

Nikki’s Notes: It felt so good to get back in front of the camera! I hadn’t done an episode in a few months so I was worried I would be a bit rusty, but about 30 seconds into the first segment, I had my confidence back and felt totally comfortable once again. I guess it’s just like riding a bike!

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November 30, 2012

Nikki brings Santa’s Little Helper (aka BonBon the Puppy) along for another appearance, where she shows off her holiday spirit (and antlers). Nikki talks about how her friend Teva Harrison from the Nature Conservancy of Canada helped her find the true meaning of Christmas, and why the holidays should be more about the Spirit of Giving, rather than the Spirit of Getting. Next, Nikki interviews Christian, a gentleman who enjoys the company of escorts. He explains how he found out about the positive side of the sex industry, discusses his relationships with sex workers, and gives advice to guys who are interested in seeing escorts but don’t know where to start. Lastly, Nikki talks Helen Lee from The Living City Foundation, whose organization encourages people to give gifts of local nature. Helen shares some great reasons to give gifts to charities in the name of your loved ones, instead of just buying junk for each other that you’ll never use.

Nikki’s notes: I had such a great time with this episode, and I found the interview with Christian so intriguing; he was so up-front and honest about his experiences. I was genuinely honoured that he chose to talk about such an intimate subject with me, and I was really glad to see someone on the “other” side of the industry talking in such a frank and open manner.

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October 28, 2012

Nikki brings BonBon back for another appearance, and shares some pictures of the destruction she’s caused in Nikki’s condo – at 4 months old, she’s been teething for a while, with disastrous results for the walls and doorframes at Nikki’s place. This episode also features Nikki’s explanation of the constitutional challenge being launched in Canada which is aimed to decriminalize sex work, giving a bit of the history behind the challenge and explaining why it’s so important. Also, this episode includes a return visit from Leo Ferraro, with a new feature called “This is your brain on Sex”, followed by a frank and candid interview with a sexy escort from Ottawa named Cleo Catra.

Nikki’s notes: I had a nasty cold in the days before this episode and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be healthy enough to do the show. Somehow, I managed to recover in time, and turned in one of the best segments I’ve ever done! Cleo and I were totally in sync the whole time, and we just fed off each others’ energy and had a really great interview. She’s so confident in her sexuality and so open and honest about what she does, it made for a fun, interesting and very sexy segment.

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September 28, 2012

Nikki opens the show with BonBon the Puppy’s second appearance as co-host and discusses the topics of the day – M312 and Yunel Escobar.
Nikki talks with Sarah Ali, law student at Exeter University, about M312, the motion put forth by the Conservative government in Canada, and why it is inherently harmful to women, particularly those who are marginalized. The second guest is Stephanie Bell from OutSportToronto, who talks about the “Tu Ere Maricon” message that Blue Jays shortstop Yunel Escobar wore on his eye black, and what it says about the underlying homophobia and misogyny that is rampant in professional sports. Nikki closes the show by sharing one of the tweets she received during the show, and explaining her own views on abortion – it’s not a good thing, but it’s still better than the alternatives.

Nikki’s notes: Our guest for the Brains segment got terribly sick a couple of days before the show, so I was going to do that segment myself. Unfortunately, I forgot my bag of marshmallows at home, so I didn’t have the props I needed to talk about Walter Mischel’s experiment, so I decided to skip the segment entirely. That’s probably the only time in the history of television that a segment was scrapped due to a lack of marshmallows…

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September 13, 2012

Nikki opens the show apologizing for the hiatus, and explains the reason for her time away: her brand-new Chocolate Lab puppy, BonBon! She introduces the guests while trying to prevent BonBon from eating her face. Deb Singh from the TRCC/MWAR (Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape) speaks out against the recent spate of sexual assaults in Toronto, and discusses Take Back The Night, to be held on September 15, 2012. Anderson Todd, an Enrichment Educator and Counsellor, discusses “psychadelic psychotherapy” and the potential for certain chemical substances in the treatment of a wide range of mental illnesses and psychological disorders. Michael Erickson shares the history of the Glad Day Bookshop, the world’s oldest LGBTQ bookstore. Now owned by 22 community members, the bookshop offers a wide range of activities and publications for patrons to enjoy. Nikki closes out the show by bringing BonBon back for another appearance, and talks about why Krista Ford’s “Don’t dress like a whore” is damaging to sex workers, as well as women in general.

Nikki’s notes: BonBon is such a handful sitting in my lap! She’s nice and calm until the cameras get rolling, but the moment my producer gives us the signal (which I totally missed in the final segment) she starts wriggling and twisting around. Beyond that, I liked the new set design and chair arrangement, which feels a lot more comfortable than the previous one. I think I’m starting to get the hang of this whole TV host thing!

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July 31, 2012

Leanne Iskander discusses her fight to bring Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) to Ontario schools, and how she expects the Catholic Schools to respond when classes start in September. Adam Golding discusses the difficulties in studying consciousness, and how the study of music can help us better understand the subjective nature of our consciouness. Mohsin Bhujwalla, Fundraising Coordinator of the LGBT YouthLine (www.youthline.ca) discusses how the organization reaches out to LGBTQ youth in Ontario, and explains how their motto – “By Youth, For Youth” – influences their approach to helping other LGBTQ youth across the province.

Nikki’s notes: This episode was a lot of fun, because it was the first time we tried the new two-chair format, and because I had three really great guests talking about three things they’re really passionate about. It was the first episode where I really tried to faciliate the discussion by engaging the guests, and trying to draw out their passion as best I could. I think they all felt happy for the chance to talk about their passions on their own terms.

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July 19, 2012

Nikki talks to Andrew Randall about the challenges facing LGBTQ youth in Ontario post-secondary institutions, as well as the difficulties faced by all students in the province. Next, Nikki talks to Dr. John Vervaeke, professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto, about a universal experience known as “Flow” – that feeling of being “In The Zone” or deeply immersed in an activity. Lastly, Nikki chats with Carlyle Jansen, owner of Good For Her and producer of the Feminist Porn Awards.

Nikki’s notes: Geez, my makeup artist really went overboard in this episode, I’ll have to ask her to tone it down in the future. I was really happy to have John join me for this segment, he’s a wonderful speaker and a really nice guy as well. There aren’t many U of T professors who would go out of their way to help a former student like he did for me. I can honestly say that he has one of the most attractive brains I’ve ever been fortunate enough to interact with.

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July 6, 2012

Nikki opens the show by talking to Matt from ClubM4, the owner/manager of Toronto’s #1 swingers’ club, which caters to a wide and diverse clientele. The second segment features Paralympic Gold Medalist Paul Rosen, talking about his work as the ambassador for stopconcussions.com. Finally, Nikki welcomes Robin LeBlanc from The Thirsty Wench, an online beer blog, and they enjoy a refreshing Pale Ale together on one of the hottest days of the year.

Nikki’s notes: I really have to convince my producer to upgrade the aircon system in the studio, I was positively melting by the end of the show… I especially enjoyed being able to tell the CRTC to “suck it” on the air, because we’re an online-only show and not subject to their restrictions… I hope that doesn’t come back to hurt me someday!

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Episode 1 – June 29, 2012

In the first episode, Nikki welcomes Terri-Jean Bedford, the famous dominatrix at the centre of the constitutional challenge to decriminalize sex work, and talks about what made her job so much fun. In the second segment, Leonardo Ferraro explains why “magic bullet” gimmicks don’t work, and discusses how our tendency to see the world in narratives (stories) makes it easy for us to fall for quick-fix solutions to our problems. Finally, Nikki talks to Mandy DeGeit about her pleasure-toy business, “Idle Hands” and discusses the strange logic behind sexual education – where we learn to pleasure other people before we learn to pleasure ourselves.

Nikki’s notes: Wow, I was sooooo nervous during this episode! I made all the mistakes I promised myself I wouldn’t make – reading from my list of questions, using my hands way too much, talking when my guests were in the middle of a sentence… I couldn’t have had a worse debut if I tried! On the bright side, at least I knew things could only get better from here.

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