Guelph-Humber’s Dr. Nikki Martyn and Dr. Elena Merenda explore what it means to “live with heart”
What does it mean to live authentically and embrace vulnerability?
University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH) Early Childhood Studies (ECS) Chair Dr. Nikki Martyn and Associate Head Dr. Elena Merenda are exploring these themes, as well as what it means to “live with heart,” in their new podcast called Heart Uncovered.
“This podcast is an opportunity to talk about vulnerability, taking risks, and living in authenticity, which isn't an easy thing to do,” Dr. Martyn said. “My hope is that we can model love and be able to share that ripple of love with the world through our podcast and meet people where they are in their journey.”
While the first episode of this personal project was released on Dec. 20, 2024, the initial idea for the podcast goes back to the days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid unprecedented lockdowns, Dr. Martyn and Dr. Merenda spent much of their time discussing mental health and how it felt to be living during a pandemic, as a way to connect with students to create a supportive and inclusive environment where people didn’t feel alone. For the pair, creating spaces for people to be unapologetically authentic, feel safe to express themselves, and be vulnerable with each other reached far past the pandemic and into the present.
The podcast also has a unique perspective: the lens of early childhood experts. Dr. Merenda explained in U of GH’s ECS program, she and Dr. Martyn often talk to students about how a child’s formative early years can shape their adult life. The podcast takes inspiration from the healing journey many people must embark on when recovering from childhood trauma and the self-doubt that stems from childhood experiences – the ones that can lead to crippling feelings of guilt or shame in adulthood. According to Dr. Martyn, these experiences can live within us “neurologically, psychologically, and epigenetically.”
“On that journey of healing, we want to share with our students [and listeners] that things can change, you can let things go, and you can have boundaries, and you can be vulnerable, and you can take risks and you can say yes, because it's all worth it,” Dr. Merenda said.
Dr. Merenda shared how she, too, had to heal from her own trauma, having lost her father when she was a young girl. She faced challenges of low self-esteem, disordered eating, and lived in a state of fear; at that time, she said she wasn’t living as her authentic self and was afraid to be vulnerable.
“If we are living in fear, instead of living in that place of trust – trust in ourselves, trust in the world, trust in each other – then we miss out on a lot of things,” Dr. Merenda said. “As an adult, it's learning how to let go of those difficult perceptions I have of myself and really learning how to be grounded in the moment. Also, it’s being mindful of how I'm feeling and what I need and what I want, and being able to look at the positive things about myself so that I can share and share those messages with the world and with our students.”
Moreover, Dr. Martyn said early childhood professionals often enter these professions because they care immensely for others, but sometimes that comes with the cost of prioritizing their own needs last, which could leave them feeling inadequate. But to that, Dr. Martyn has a strong message: you are enough.
“You are worthy, and you do the most important thing in the world, which is sharing love. You share love and you change the world through your interactions with children because children grow into adults, so we actually have the most important jobs in the world: making the future,” she said in a message to early childhood professionals. This message is emphasized in the podcast.
The duo’s beautiful bond of friendship also makes the podcast’s message of vulnerability and strength even more prevalent; together, they are open and vulnerable with one another about their own traumas and healing paths. Dr. Martyn said that while they’ve experienced different traumas, being open with each other allows them to see themselves from different perspectives, and to further discover self-love and a love for others. Doing this can lead to “living with heart” – a key message of the podcast.
“Living with heart to me means living in love. It's about opening up opportunities to listen to all of me, to allow me to speak through my heart. That, to me, is about sharing vulnerability and taking risks, being authentic, and taking the risk to be me,” Dr. Martyn said.
For Dr. Merenda, living with heart means “living in a way where I can love myself.”
Of her hope for the podcast, Dr. Merenda said she’d like to build a sense of belonging, community, and trust, where people can feel seen and heard. “As we go into mental health awareness week, I think that's important. If we can find people who share experiences and emotions and then we can support one another,” she added.
For mental health services and resources at U of GH, click here.