AROBA Podcasts Mon, 09 Mar 2026 01:21:45 -0400 https://arobapodcasts.buzzsprout.com en-ca © 2026 AROBA Podcasts yes Canada 10f4aaeb-5bfa-5626-b354-764f595d1f1b Host: Lana Lovell serial true AROBA Podcasts offer intimate, in-depth discussions about work, life, and society.  We aim to inform, entertain, and inspire.


AROBA can refer to several different things:

1. An acronym: A room of Black artists.

2. The @ symbol: In Spanish, "Arroba" is the word for the "@" symbol, which has the same origin as the unit of weight. 

3. A unit of weight: In Spanish, Portuguese, and some other languages, "Arroba" is a unit of weight, equivalent to about 25 pounds (11.3 kg) in Spain and 32 pounds (14.5 kg) in Portugal. 

4. A carriage: "Araba" (a variant of "Aroba") is a type of carriage, particularly in Turkey and surrounding regions, drawn by horses or oxen. 

(əˈrɑːbə ) noun. an Asian carriage, wagon or cart that is drawn by horses or oxen.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Cultural Conversations, Artistic Storytelling, Behind the Scenes, Creative Wellness, Performing Arts, Creative Industry Dialogues, Representation, Mental Health in the Arts, Black Creatives, Theatre Makers, Host: Lana Lovell https://storage.buzzsprout.com/mmgejstp1ud26r3ykeeu2wurxb2n?.jpg AROBA Podcasts Lana Lovell Facing Addiction: Loved Ones (part 2) Facing Addiction: Loved Ones (part 2) Part Two 
Victor Stiff is a Toronto-based entertainment journalist.   Victor continues (from part 1 of Loved Ones) to reveal his experiences around the impact of family members' drug use as he tries to support them,  as well as his efforts to look after his own mental wellbeing.

WARNING! This podcast may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised.   If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.

SERIES ONE CREDITS
Facing Addiction

Series Guests
Cassandra Smith, Colin H. Johnson, Louis Taylor, Adrian Hayley and Victor Stiff.

Host and Producer 
Lana Lovell 

Audio Technicians
Tq Digital - Francis Hudson
DriftNote - Omar Rivero

Transcriptions and Copy Editor
SAADA STYLO - Saada Branker

Marketing
Workman Arts – Kais Padamshi, Communications & Development Manager
Julie Riemersma, Social Media Consultant

Music
"Rescue Me"
Kobena Aquan-Harrison, Composer & Musician

Thanks
Workman Arts - Kelly Straughan, Executive Artistic Director

SheDoesTheCity,  Art Gallery of Ontario,  Black Health Alliance,  Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Council for Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta (CAAC),  Black Physicians of Canada,  Nia Centre for the Arts,  & Toronto Black Film Festival

Funding
Workman Art & the Ontario Arts Council

]]> Part Two 
Victor Stiff is a Toronto-based entertainment journalist.   Victor continues (from part 1 of Loved Ones) to reveal his experiences around the impact of family members' drug use as he tries to support them,  as well as his efforts to look after his own mental wellbeing.

WARNING! This podcast may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised.   If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.

SERIES ONE CREDITS
Facing Addiction

Series Guests
Cassandra Smith, Colin H. Johnson, Louis Taylor, Adrian Hayley and Victor Stiff.

Host and Producer 
Lana Lovell 

Audio Technicians
Tq Digital - Francis Hudson
DriftNote - Omar Rivero

Transcriptions and Copy Editor
SAADA STYLO - Saada Branker

Marketing
Workman Arts – Kais Padamshi, Communications & Development Manager
Julie Riemersma, Social Media Consultant

Music
"Rescue Me"
Kobena Aquan-Harrison, Composer & Musician

Thanks
Workman Arts - Kelly Straughan, Executive Artistic Director

SheDoesTheCity,  Art Gallery of Ontario,  Black Health Alliance,  Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Council for Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta (CAAC),  Black Physicians of Canada,  Nia Centre for the Arts,  & Toronto Black Film Festival

Funding
Workman Art & the Ontario Arts Council

]]> Victor Stiff Buzzsprout-10373998 Mon, 11 Apr 2022 23:00:00 -0400 797 Black Mental Health, addiction, drugs, opioids, family, dear ones, harm reduction, substances, mental wellness, arts, film, media 1 6 full false Facing Addiction: Loved Ones (part 1) Facing Addiction: Loved Ones (part 1) Part One
Victor Stiff is a Toronto-based entertainment journalist. He has contributed to the Canadian Academy, POV Magazine, Global News, The Playlist, Screen Rant, We Got This Covered, In the Seats, and Sordid Cinema. He also currently programmes with Rendezvous With Madness Festival.

Despite some  mental health issues, Victor didn’t have an easy childhood,  he has  achieved success as a writer.  In this episode, Victor talks about supporting loved ones through their own trials.

WARNING! This podcast may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised.   If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.

]]> Part One
Victor Stiff is a Toronto-based entertainment journalist. He has contributed to the Canadian Academy, POV Magazine, Global News, The Playlist, Screen Rant, We Got This Covered, In the Seats, and Sordid Cinema. He also currently programmes with Rendezvous With Madness Festival.

Despite some  mental health issues, Victor didn’t have an easy childhood,  he has  achieved success as a writer.  In this episode, Victor talks about supporting loved ones through their own trials.

WARNING! This podcast may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised.   If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.

]]> Victor Stiff Buzzsprout-10373997 Mon, 04 Apr 2022 10:00:00 -0400 1399 Black Mental Health, addiction, drugs, opioids, family, dear ones, harm reduction, substances, mental wellness, arts, film, media 1 5 full true Facing Addiction: Commitment Facing Addiction: Commitment Adrian Hayles’ background includes mural painting, graphic design and illustration.  For the pass nine years, he has been operating as an independent artist, before that he worked in the animation industry.  A year ago, Adrian began the commitment of a street outreach project for substance users, with the end goal of creating a Harm Reduction Oasis Centre in one of Toronto’s most under served communities.

WARNING! This podcast may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised.   If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.

]]> Adrian Hayles’ background includes mural painting, graphic design and illustration.  For the pass nine years, he has been operating as an independent artist, before that he worked in the animation industry.  A year ago, Adrian began the commitment of a street outreach project for substance users, with the end goal of creating a Harm Reduction Oasis Centre in one of Toronto’s most under served communities.

WARNING! This podcast may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised.   If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.

]]> Adrian Hayles Buzzsprout-10329745 Mon, 28 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0400 918 Black mental health, mural, public art, gallery, pandemic, harm reduction, commitment, mental wellness, artist, Black, media 1 4 full false Facing Addiction: Kindness Facing Addiction: Kindness Louis Taylor is a media, content creator who owes and operates Shining Trauma Pictures.  In this episode he discusses  what it was like to grow-up with traumas from anti Black experiences, how he coped  and why he developed ways to be kind to others.

WARNING! This podcast contains swearing,  discussions about violence and drug use which may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised.   If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.



]]> Louis Taylor is a media, content creator who owes and operates Shining Trauma Pictures.  In this episode he discusses  what it was like to grow-up with traumas from anti Black experiences, how he coped  and why he developed ways to be kind to others.

WARNING! This podcast contains swearing,  discussions about violence and drug use which may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised.   If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.



]]> Louis Taylor Buzzsprout-10186075 Mon, 21 Mar 2022 23:00:00 -0400 1059 Black Mental Health, drugs, prison, addictions, alcohol, harm reduction, substances, mental wellness, arts, film, media 1 3 full true Facing Addiction: Substances Facing Addiction: Substances "A big part of harm reduction is about the language that we use.  You know you don't say that somebody's clean, you say somebody stopped using, because those words are very judgmental.  We stay away from words like junkie and addict and pot head or crackhead.  Those words are really, really filled with so much emotion and so much negativity."  
Colin H. Johnson 

Colin H. Johnson immigrated to Canada in 1972 from Jamaica. Colin has been a  drug user for 40 years.  He presently co-facilitates with the Ontario Harm Reduction Network (OHRN) and was employed as the African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) Harm Reduction MSM peer educator at Black CAP.

As a founding member of the Gay Freedom Movement in Jamaica and the Gay Alliance at York (Toronto), he has been an advocate for gay and Black rights since the 1970s.

Colin mentions The Works in this podcast as a place that provides programs and services to reduce drug-related harm and prevents the spread of communicable diseases for vulnerable populations.

He also mentions Fentanyl:  A high-potency synthetic opioid, considered to be up to 40 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine; and,  Methyl fentanyl:  An active fentanyl-related drug, considered to be significantly more potent than fentanyl.
An additional list of drugs are identified by Toronto’s drug checking service.

WARNING! This podcast contains a discussion around drug use and language which may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised. 

]]> "A big part of harm reduction is about the language that we use.  You know you don't say that somebody's clean, you say somebody stopped using, because those words are very judgmental.  We stay away from words like junkie and addict and pot head or crackhead.  Those words are really, really filled with so much emotion and so much negativity."  
Colin H. Johnson 

Colin H. Johnson immigrated to Canada in 1972 from Jamaica. Colin has been a  drug user for 40 years.  He presently co-facilitates with the Ontario Harm Reduction Network (OHRN) and was employed as the African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) Harm Reduction MSM peer educator at Black CAP.

As a founding member of the Gay Freedom Movement in Jamaica and the Gay Alliance at York (Toronto), he has been an advocate for gay and Black rights since the 1970s.

Colin mentions The Works in this podcast as a place that provides programs and services to reduce drug-related harm and prevents the spread of communicable diseases for vulnerable populations.

He also mentions Fentanyl:  A high-potency synthetic opioid, considered to be up to 40 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine; and,  Methyl fentanyl:  An active fentanyl-related drug, considered to be significantly more potent than fentanyl.
An additional list of drugs are identified by Toronto’s drug checking service.

WARNING! This podcast contains a discussion around drug use and language which may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised. 

]]> Colin H. Johnson Buzzsprout-10185901 Mon, 14 Mar 2022 22:00:00 -0400 835 Black Mental Health, drugs, harm reduction, HIV, overdose, lgbtq community, cocaine, fentanyl, jail, prison 1 2 full true Facing Addiction: Satellites Facing Addiction: Satellites Cassandra  Smith battles a crisis within the Black community where drug overdoses and poisonings are hidden in plain sight.   There has been unprecedented overdoses deaths in Toronto in the last year.  As a harm reduction specialist, she takes a client-centred approach to reduce the health and social harms connected with drug and substance use, without necessarily requiring people who use drugs to stop using them.

In this episode, Cassandra  draws attention to the need  within the Black community for more satellites sites .  These are harm reduction sites run out of people’s homes,  places where there’s overdose information, harm reduction kits, support and space to talk without judgement.  

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association,  overdose prevention sites have been known to reduce costs for the health care system, prevent blood borne illnesses such as HIV or Hepatitis C, helps individuals access support services and prevent overdose deaths. In addition, research shows that the existence of an overdose prevention site in a community does not lead to increased crime, and works to decrease public substance consumption. These facilities are helpful in reducing the harms related to substances, particularly opioids. 

WARNING! This podcast episode contains discussions about drug use, overdose deaths and anti-Black racism which may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised. 

]]> Cassandra  Smith battles a crisis within the Black community where drug overdoses and poisonings are hidden in plain sight.   There has been unprecedented overdoses deaths in Toronto in the last year.  As a harm reduction specialist, she takes a client-centred approach to reduce the health and social harms connected with drug and substance use, without necessarily requiring people who use drugs to stop using them.

In this episode, Cassandra  draws attention to the need  within the Black community for more satellites sites .  These are harm reduction sites run out of people’s homes,  places where there’s overdose information, harm reduction kits, support and space to talk without judgement.  

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association,  overdose prevention sites have been known to reduce costs for the health care system, prevent blood borne illnesses such as HIV or Hepatitis C, helps individuals access support services and prevent overdose deaths. In addition, research shows that the existence of an overdose prevention site in a community does not lead to increased crime, and works to decrease public substance consumption. These facilities are helpful in reducing the harms related to substances, particularly opioids. 

WARNING! This podcast episode contains discussions about drug use, overdose deaths and anti-Black racism which may be triggering to some audiences. Audience discretion is advised. 

]]> Cassandra Smith Buzzsprout-10185694 Mon, 07 Mar 2022 21:00:00 -0500 762 Black Mental Health, harm reduction, satellites, drug use, Crack, kits, condoms, Naloxone, Kits, dealers 1 1 full true Series One: Introduction to Facing Addiction Series One: Introduction to Facing Addiction Written and hosted by documentary filmmaker Lana Lovell,  "Facing Addiction"  features six episodes. Framed around the grim realities of drug use, the episodes contemplate community, understanding, and the value of helping those who have become isolated as they struggle with trauma. 

Set and produced in Toronto, Canada, each episode builds on the cultures and attitudes that contribute to substance abuse differences in the Black community.

The podcast series features stories from people with lived,  worked,  and volunteered experience  in the arena of harm reduction; among them are muralist Adrian Hayles, filmmaker Louis Taylor, harm reduction specialists Cassandra Smith and Colin Johnson. Harm reduction is an approach that tries to reduce the health and social harm associated with addiction and substance use.

We acknowledge that the content in this podcast may be difficult for some, so we encourage you to care of  your mental health and overall well-being.  If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.

Take care and enjoy our first podcast series.

This podcast series is produced with the support of the Ontario Arts Council and in Association with Workman Arts.  

]]> Written and hosted by documentary filmmaker Lana Lovell,  "Facing Addiction"  features six episodes. Framed around the grim realities of drug use, the episodes contemplate community, understanding, and the value of helping those who have become isolated as they struggle with trauma. 

Set and produced in Toronto, Canada, each episode builds on the cultures and attitudes that contribute to substance abuse differences in the Black community.

The podcast series features stories from people with lived,  worked,  and volunteered experience  in the arena of harm reduction; among them are muralist Adrian Hayles, filmmaker Louis Taylor, harm reduction specialists Cassandra Smith and Colin Johnson. Harm reduction is an approach that tries to reduce the health and social harm associated with addiction and substance use.

We acknowledge that the content in this podcast may be difficult for some, so we encourage you to care of  your mental health and overall well-being.  If anything you heard in this podcast is triggering for you, please go to https://workmanarts.com/resources/mental-health-resources/ for a list of mental health resources.

Take care and enjoy our first podcast series.

This podcast series is produced with the support of the Ontario Arts Council and in Association with Workman Arts.  

]]> Lana Lovell Buzzsprout-10185597 Fri, 04 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500 119 Black Mental Health 1 trailer true