Rock Yourself to Sleep

Explored in this episode

• Prioritizing rest during life transitions, including after a breast cancer diagnosis
• Recovering from breast cancer treatment
• Understanding the key to personal acceptance
• The power of customizing our wellness rituals to serve our schedules
• The effects of sleep deprivation on young people in college settings
• How the pressures of a new environment and a loss of community can impact our sleep
• The concept of wholeness as a more accessible way to define wellness for everyone

Voices in the conversation

Bif Naked

Singer, Songwriter, Author

Bif Naked is a celebrated and notorious performer in music, TV, film, and dance, and a tireless advocate and Humanitarian. Orphaned in India, emancipated by punk rock, and empowered by surviving breast cancer, kidney failure, heart surgery, divorce, and surviving as a Woman in The Entertainment Industry for twenty-five years, Bif has transcended any and all obstacles placed in her path to become one of the world's most unique, recognizable and beloved icons.

It is because Bif is such a tremendous performer and musician that she is able to seamlessly and successfully explore and record other mediums, like writing, painting, choreography, and of course other genres of music. For over two decades, Bif has been an original "Straight-Edge" and Vegan and encourages everyone to live compassionately.

When not on rock tours around the World, Canada's Queen of Punk splits her time between Paris, France, New Delhi, India, and her current “new” home, Toronto, Canada. Bif has published memoirs, titled, I, Bificus and is now writing a book about cancer, along with her first poetry book.

In this episode, Bif shares how her relationship to sleep has changed throughout her life. From a young, touring rock star to a cancer patient to today, sleep has been a challenge for her, one that she learned ways to accept to get the rest she needs.

Kris Mereigh

Director of Wellness Programming at Smith College

Kris Mereigh is the director of wellness programming at Smith College. She earned her master’s degree in public health communications from John Hopkins University. She has up-to-date certifications in health communications; diversity and inclusion; monitoring and evaluation in health promotion; social entrepreneurship; and Be Body Positive facilitation. Kris’ passion is holistic and identity-humble health promotion. Other areas of professional interest include body positivity, nutrition, alcohol and other drugs, wholeness program development and equity/inclusion in health programming design and recording her podcast.

In this episode, Kris shares her experiences working with the often stressed, sleep-deprived student population, and how we can all benefit from making sleep more of a priority in our lives. She also shares her ideas on the word ‘wellness’, and how she’s shifted to considering ‘wholeness’ as a more integrated, accessible and realistic way for us all to live our best lives.