In the Season 2 finale of How We Heal, I sit down with Nathan, aka BLENDERFACE, at Picture This Production Studios -- the most professional setting our podcast has seen so far. We dive into everything from the origin of his stage name and early creative experiments to the ways technology, AI, and the internet have shaped art and critical thinking.

Nathan opens up about his unique creative process: making aggressive music when happy, using food to cope with grief, and the joy of experimenting with art that's fun and silly while still being meaningful. We also discuss the challenges of the music scene, the invisible pressures artists face, and the subtle power of witnessing and being seen online.

Our conversation touches on health, past habits, coping mechanisms, and how exploring spirituality and travel helps Nathan feel connected to something greater. Along the way, we share hilarious tangents, reflect on childhood memories, and explore how empathy shapes responsible creativity.

This episode is full of insight, humor, and the kind of deep, human connection that makes How We Heal so special.

Guest Socials:

- Youtube & Instagram: @blenderface

- Youtube & Instagram: @picturethisportland

Featured Track:

- "bet u wsh" by Blenderface, hitpoints -- available everywhere

Support the show:

- Like, Comment, and Subscribe -- it goes a long way!

- Follow and review on your favorite podcast

- Follow us on Instagram: @HowWeHealPDX

The conversations shared here and with peers are meant for support and connection, not professional therapy. If you need professional help, licensed therapists and counselors can provide guidance and care. I'm not affiliated with these originations but personally found my current therapist through Psychology Today's Therapist Finder.

- Psychology Today Therapist Finder

- SAMSHA Treatment Locator

- Open Path Collective

Crisis Hotlines:

- 988 (US Suicide & Crisis Line)

- Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to 741741)

- LGBT National Hotline (1-888-843-4564)

In this rowdy, reflective, and unexpectedly spiritual episode, 3/4ths of ic double (IC, CJ, & Hayden) pull up to How We Heal for a conversation that spans music, memory, and meaning. We cover the usual HWH terrain: healing, growth, and the cost of vulnerability; but also veer into their musical origins, their love for film and basketball.

IC shares a surreal story of learning chess from a one-eyed bachelor who lived next door to a chess-playing pimp, and somehow it all makes sense. We discuss the criminality of Spotify, why fans have to show up in real life, and how buying merch can literally keep artists afloat. We even touch on theology, asking the age-old question: Was Jesus the sexiest of the prophets?

We discuss:

- The bands early beginning

- Life outside the music: film, basketball, thrifting, and what fuels their art

- IC's wild chess origin story

- Reflections on healing, growth, and recovery

- Critique on Spotify: how the platform underpays artists and funds war

- Why showing up to live shows matters

- Tangible merch vs. streaming

- The power of community in the underground Portland music scene

Support the show:

- Subscribe so you don't miss a moment of Season Two

- Follow "How We Heal" on Instagram: @HowWeHealPDX ​

The conversations shared here and with peers are meant for support and connection, not professional therapy. If you need professional help, licensed therapists and counselors can provide guidance and care. I'm not affiliated with these originations but personally found my current therapist through Psychology Today's Therapist Finder.

- Psychology Today Therapist Finder

- SAMSHA Treatment Locator

- Open Path Collective

Crisis Hotlines:

- 988 (US Suicide & Crisis Line)

- Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to 741741)

- LGBT National Hotline (1-888-843-4564)

In this episode, we step inside The Tac0 Truck—Hyperbeam's creative sanctuary—where emotion leads and sound follows. Kael (Hyperbeam) shows us how asking artists to name the feeling behind a track, rather than who it sounds like, unlocks deeper, more authentic work. We talk process, presence, and the kind of healing that only happens when you create from the inside out.

We discuss:

- The meaning behind his many names

- The difference between mixing audio and mixing music

- His experience living with Bipolar 2 disorder

- Finding a new sonic home in folk punk

- How his emotion-first method parallels the world of sync licensing

- The creative partnership with his wife

- His view of his body as a canvas, and his intention to cover it in tattoos as living art

- How he finds joy in cooking and baking, often exploring dishes from cultures around the world

Support the show:

- Subscribe so you don't miss an episode

- Follow us on Instagram: @HealWeHealPDX

The conversations shared here and with peers are meant for support and connection, not professional therapy. If you need professional help, licensed therapists and counselors can provide guidance and care. I'm not affiliated with these originations but personally found my current therapist through Psychology Today's Therapist Finder.

- Psychology Today Therapist Finder

- SAMSHA Treatment Locator

- Open Path Collective

Crisis Hotlines:

- 988 (US Suicide & Crisis Line)

- Crisis Text Line (Text HOME to 741741)

- LGBT National Hotline (1-888-843-4564)

What if your strength comes from the very thing, you were told was your weakness?

In this episode, photographer, musician, and educator, Tone Deff, joins me for a gentle and introspective conversation about emotional suppression, self-worth, and stepping into your truth---one choice at a time.

We discuss:

- Growing up isolated in a deeply religious household, and how photography became a way to see and be seen

- Struggling with vulnerability after being taught that pain should be hidden---not healed

- Why avoiding discomfort isn't sustainable, and how growth starts with choosing your own peace

- The quiet tension of envy and freedom---how he and his siblings look at each other's lives with admiration, but also with longing

- How reading and reflecting on ancient philosophy helps him navigate modern struggles

- His journey to unlearn the lie that "my pain doesn't matter because someone else has it worse"

Support the show:

- Subscribe for new episodes

- Follow "How We Heal" on Instagram: @HowWeHealPDX ​

What if the answers you're seeking are already inside you? Rapper, storyteller, and life coach, Diction Uno, joins me for an expansive conversation about transformation, self-mastery, and the long road to healing.

We discuss:

- How he began rapping at 14 and rose to prominence with his group Big Bang---a name they shared with a K-pop band, boosting their visibility

- His struggles with addiction, the chaos of drug-fueled creativity, and how sobriety has redefined his path

- How each concept album he makes reflects a distinct life chapter, using direct lyricism, story, or metaphor to transmute pain into power

- His work as a life coach, focusing on mindfulness, self-awareness, and subconscious reprogramming

- His study of Hermetic knowledge and "chaos magic" as tools for manifesting healing and abundance

- The identity-shaping power of saying "I am..." and choosing who you become

Support the show:

- Subscribe for new episodes

- Follow "How We Heal" on Instagram: @HowWeHealPDX ​ for updates

Season Two begins here! I sit down with artist, visionary, and mental health advocate Chrix The Great, a deeply reflective creator living with bipolar 1 disorder who channels the intensity of his inner world into transformative art and action.

We discuss:

- What it means to "time travel" from a past self to a healed, empowered future

- How reclaiming power starts with honest self-inquiry - Why his name, drawn from Alexander the Great, reminds him to keep striving, even when it feels like there are no more worlds to conquer

- The difference between true stoicism and the emotionally avoidant "broicism" we see today

- Why disbelief is sacred, and how questioning everything brings us closer to truth

- His belief that the universe is infinitely expanding because it must be; the alternative is infinite nothing

- His work outside music as a drug and alcohol counselor supporting others on their healing path

- His message to the people: "Become financially literate. The follow your joy."

Support the show:

- Follow so you don't miss a moment of Season Two

- Follow "How We Heal" on Instagram: @HowWeHealPDX ​

What if healing isn't the end of pain, but the beginning of purpose? For the season one finale, artist and father, Silas1Wolf, joins me for a grounded and full-circle conversation wherein he reflects on growth, grief, and the commitment to rise above it all.

Follow Us: @HowWeHealPDX

What if your whole life is a mirror? In this spiritually charged continuation, artist Johnnie RIAR (Reality Is A Reflection), shares how pain, loss, and meditation revealed a deeper purpose, and a divine connection.

Follow Us: @HowWeHealPDX

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