We dive into the social, economical, and emotional expectations of men in the oil & gas culture with documentary filmmakers Omar Mouallem and Dylan Rhys Howard. Their film “Digging in the Dirt” (on CBC Gem) focuses on addiction, suicide, and men’s mental health in the Alberta oil sands. They explore the layers underneath the culture of silence that surround men’s mental health and how men are sometimes stoic to their own detriment.

The more they learned about men’s mental health, the more they were able to reflect on their own personal mental struggles and journeys. If the work didn’t begin personal, it certainly became so.

This was such a poignant and deep conversation that we kept Omar from his kids for an extra episode’s worth of discussion. So, here’s part 1 of 2.

“Digging in the Dirt” on CBC Gem:

https://gem.cbc.ca/media/media/absolutely-canadian/episode-23/38e815a-011a7b71c5b

Alberta’s Mental Health Line

1-877-303-2642

Cool Things:

Justin’s:

Breaking the fourth wall

Cales’:

Sadhguru

https://isha.sadhguru.org/ca/en

&

“The Most Unknown” (2018) on Netflix

Theme music by Tessa Good & Petr Balaz

Send your cool things into:

https://anchor.fm/wtnok/message

This interview was recorded on June 4, 2020