Francis Arevalo, a poetic musical artist and advocate for mental Health. Founder of Uwido.

In this week's episode I'm chatting with Francis Arevalo. Francis Arevalo is a Filipino artist-producer known for his personal storytelling, thoughtful messages, and colourful production. He creates to uplift, inspire, and energize his communities. His music has been described as if he has "found and embraced a truth deep within himself, that he sees the world not through rose-coloured glasses, but in shades of optimism, hope, and beauty" (DOMINIONATED). Whether through song or conversation, Francis is dedicated to collective growth through meaningful relationship. He is also a passionate mental health advocate whose journey battling bipolar disorder through music was the subject of a 2017 Vancouver Asian Film Fest award-winning documentary "The Lion"; for this, he was named one of the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health Top 150 Canadian mental health advocates of 2018. He also tells this story through song in his EP The Sound of Healing. He is currently working on his debut album Home, Grown for release Spring 2023. He is currently living in Vancouver on the traditional and unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ. This conversations is sooo good! Francis opened up about his mental health journey and how through it, he experienced being judge and felt unseen and heard. Especially as a Filipino and among the Filipino community. It made me recollect when I experienced this first hand as well, and I got emotional. I was hesitant to include that part, but decided to put it out there anyways because, I was allowed the space and grace to let those emotions come through because of Francis and well, what a gift! He also talks about what he does to help him through times when he feels his mental health is being compromised and how important it is to understand and recognize any symptoms that may come up. In other parts of our conversation, Francis describes how he allowed himself to accept a job that gave him basic resources to live, but in the end allowed him the time and space to imagine and realize a dream. So, for any of you out there working that 9-5 that you are not feeling passionate about, there is a means to a end. It's about shifting your mindset, knowing that even though it's not happening "right now", trust that every experience you have, has the potential to work for you and your future. My Favourite Francis quotes: “All the questions that you have for yourself as you move through life, that keep coming up, know that that’s a great question and there’s a reason why it keeps coming up and I hope that you know that you also have the answers to your own questions.” "Im doing the work of cultivating my life’s garden and I'm not so attached to what’s it gonna look like in the end." "Once the clarity is locked, the momentum can't be stopped." Thank you for listening! Contact Francis: Email: [email protected] Website: www.uwidomusic.com IG: www.instagram.com/francisarevalomusic Contact Daisy Email: [email protected] Website: www.aporpro.ca IG: www.instagram.com/creativeinspo_daisy Resources: Canada Mental Health Support information: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html United States Mental Health Support information: https://www.usa.gov/features/usa-govs-guide-to-mental-health-resources-from-the-government