New participants. New Paralympians. New mindset. AMI is proud to announce Season three of Mind Set Go returns Wednesday, April 1, at 8 p.m. Eastern to AMI-tv.
An Anaïd and AMI production in partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Mind Set Go‘s newest eight episodes feature Integrated Described Video ensuring they are accessible to viewers who are blind or partially sighted.
The third season of Mind Set Go follows eight Canadians living with a disability, debilitating injury or chronic pain as they transform their physical, mental and emotional health over a 90-day journey of body, mind and soul. As previously announced, lead expert Stephanie Dixon—a 19-time Paralympic medalist—and fellow Paralympians provide encouragement, insight and advice to help the participants face their biggest physical and emotional obstacles heads-on.
From legal blindness, obesity and high blood pressure to neurological disease, Season three of Mind Set Go delves deep into understanding how negative sociological and psychological coping behaviours impact the participants’ health.
Each one-hour episode begins with a participant’s backstory and their struggles to adopt fitness activities while also working on their spiritual well-being. Each participant is there for a reason—whether it’s a need to build strength, gain independence or overcome feelings of low self-worth, they are all uniquely positioned to make a positive change to achieve optimal health. To bookend their journey, each sets a physically demanding goal to illustrate how their lives and attitudes have progressed after three months.
The Paralympians and athletes joining Stephanie Dixon include:
Michael Frogley
Michelle Stilwell
Jessica Tuomela
Adam Purdy
Michelle Salt
Richard Peter
Pamela LeJean
Shira Stanfield
Season three of Mind Set Go premieres Wednesday, April 1, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv. The complete first two seasons of Mind Set Go are available to stream online at AMI.ca or on the AMI-tv App.
The series is developed and produced by Anaïd Productions in association with Accessible Media Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canada Media Fund, Rogers Telefund, CHEK-TV and the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC. Assistance was also provided by the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.
Anaïd Productions is excited to announce that Accessible Media Inc.’s documentary series Mind Set Go begins production on eight new episodes this week in Vancouver.
For this third season on AMI-tv, acclaimed Paralympic medalist Stephanie Dixon joins the team as the series’ lead expert. Dixon is a retired Canadian swimmer who is considered one of the world’s best and is leading Canada at the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games as chef de mission. Born missing her right leg and hip, Dixon began swimming at the age of two and went on to win 19 Paralympic medals, seven of which are gold.
Each episode of Mind Set Go chronicles the three-month journey of individuals living with injury, disability or chronic pain, as they push the limits of their physical and mental barriers to lead a healthy, fit life. Along their journey, participants meet with Dixon and other top Canadian Paralympic athletes who provide a clearer understanding of the obstacles the participants face, and what it will take to overcome them.
Mind Set Go is supported by the Canadian Paralympic Committee for its role in showcasing the successes of Paralympic athletes. The program is broadcast on AMI-tv and features Integrated Described Video (IDV), making it accessible to audience members who are blind or partially sighted. Mind Set Go also airs on Victoria, B.C.,-based CHEK-TV.
Anaïd Productions is filming all episodes in locations around Vancouver from now until November 2019. Participants have been selected from around the Lower Mainland, including Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Squamish. Season 3 participants and Paralympic athletes will be announced at a later date.
Mind Set Go is developed and produced by Anaïd Productions in association with Accessible Media Inc. with the participation of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canada Media Fund, Rogers Telefund, and the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC. Assistance was also provided by the Government of Alberta, Alberta Media Fund and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.
The first two seasons of Mind Set Go are available to stream online at AMI.ca or on the AMI-tv app.
Summer at Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) is hotter than ever! Today, AMI-tv unveiled new original and acquired television series and documentary programming to entertain and inform Canadians of all abilities in the coming weeks.
Additionally, AMI is excited to announce Season three of Mind Set Go begins filming soon, and Anaïd Productions is casting new participants. The series—featuring Canadians transforming their lives physically, emotionally and mentally with help from Paralympians—seeks individuals of all ages and abilities to share their life-changing journey. Those who are interested, and live in the Vancouver and Lower Mainland area, can send a recent photo and paragraph about themselves to casting@anaid.com. Casting closes May 25.
In keeping with AMI’s mandate of making accessible media for all Canadians, AMI’s original series and documentaries utilize Integrated Described Video (IDV) so they are accessible to individuals who are blind or partially sighted.
Highlights of AMI-tv’s upcoming summer programming include:
Sea School Marine Science Camp (Friday, May 24, at 7 p.m. Eastern) AMI This Week Bureau Reporter Grant Hardy joins a group of blind and partially sighted high school students as they travel to the remote village of Bamfield, B.C., to learn about the sea—and the world beneath its waves—at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre.
Level Playing Field (Friday, May 31, at 7 p.m. Eastern)
Hosted by Greg Westlake, Level Playing Field showcases and celebrates the power of sport by introducing audiences to the athletes, community groups, healthcare professionals and grassroots innovators who demonstrate a desire to help drive positive social change through sport. In Episode 2 of this AMI original, viewers meet Keely Shaw, who had a promising future in hockey until a brain injury almost robbed her of everything. Keely openly discusses dealing with partial paralysis and an eating disorder on the road to becoming one of the Top 5 Para-cyclists in the world.
The Systemic Effect (Saturday, June 1, at 8 p.m. Eastern) How important is the link between oral health and general overall well-being? Interviews with accomplished oral health care practitioners reveal that treating the neglected oral health care of elderly residents brings both challenges and positive results. The findings uncovered in The Systemic Effect can set Canada’s course towards better, more economical health care and longer, healthier lives. The Systemic Effect is produced by Thomega Entertainment Inc. in association with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Saskatchewan Oral Health Coalition.
Accidental Activist (Friday, June 21, at 7 p.m. Eastern) Accidental Activist is an in-depth and captivating look at the life of Paul Vienneau, one of Halifax’s most compelling and effective disability advocates. The original documentary charts Paul’s journey from injury to recovery and disability rights activism. Through intimate interviews with Paul, his friends, family and fellow activists, the documentary paints an unflinching portrait of a complicated man who unintentionally discovered his true calling and has had a huge impact on his community.
Sound Insight (Friday, June 28, at 7 p.m. Eastern) Sound Insight explores the impact sound has on the lives of people with disabilities. Host Alex Smyth, alongside Mark Zillman and Daniel Kish, describes the different ways hearing has shaped their lives. Zillman, a piano tuner who is blind, shows how his exceptional hearing helps him keep notes perfectly accurate. Kish, who had his eyes removed in childhood, uses echolocation to “see” his surroundings. And Alex, a hearing aid user, shares growing up with hearing loss through visits to his audiologist and family.
Double Tap TV (Wednesday, July 31, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern) Double Tap Canada is joining a new platform! Building on the popular AMI-audio brand, Double Tap TV brings the same cutting-edge discussions on everything tech, with news, reviews and interviews—all with an eye on accessibility—to television. Join hosts Steven Scott and Marc Aflalo, alongside contributors Shaun Preece, Joeita Gupta and Jennie Bovard, as they help viewers better understand how technology can help in everyday life. Produced by Marc Aflalo Communications.
The Achieveables (Friday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. Eastern) In this project from Render Digital, a group of adventurers with disabilities challenge stereotypes through feats of courage. The group will spend three days on the Kootenay River—known for its wild rapids, changing weather and stunning scenery—to tell a story of tenacity, community, pain and triumph in the face of obstacles.
All AMI-tv originals are available post-broadcast on demand at AMI.ca or the free AMI-tv App.
I truly relate to the participants of AMI-tv’s documentary series, Mind Set Go, which kicks off its second season on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life and have had to deal with the mental blocks that kept me from achieving my health and fitness goals. Over the past few years, I changed my focus from short-term fixes to a long-term wellness plan, and I’ve lost around 50 pounds. Despite that success, it’s still a daily challenge, and I often have days when I have to battle negative thoughts.
As it so happens, overcoming negative thoughts is the entire point of Mind Set Go, which follows the journeys of eight overweight Canadians as they attempt to change their lives for the healthier.
Para-athlete Pamela LeJean helps Mind Set Go participant Danielle on her fitness journey.
“It’s all about the brain, and it’s all about your mindset,” supervising producer Sophie Morgadinho explains during a phone interview from Toronto. “It’s not like a diet. It’s stopping the behaviours that are causing you to be unhealthy, and it really starts with changing the way you think about yourself and what you’re doing every day.”
Helping the show’s participants to transform their outlooks and bodies are fitness and health experts Julie and Lowell Taylor (The Amazing Race Canada) and a group of Canadian Paralympians. One of those Paralympians is Para Hall of Famer and retired para-alpine skier Karolina Wisniewska, who says she was thrilled to take part in the series.
“I think the thing that appealed to me most of all was this opportunity to be in a position to kind of inspire or help someone based on the things I learned as a high-performance athlete,” she says. “And on another maybe more personal level, I retired from alpine skiing in 2011 due to a concussion, and after my retirement, I too had struggled with maintaining my fitness. So I could really relate to what maybe some of these participants on the show were experiencing themselves.”
Each expanded, one-hour episode of the show follows a participant as he or she attempts to get fit and triumph over some of the mental hurdles that have tripped them up in the past. For self-professed “sugar addict” Dana, who is featured in the season premiere and paired with Paralympian powerlifter Ness Murby, that means confronting the grief she tried to suppress with food after her father died. For formerly fit Darryl, who is featured in the sixth episode and paired with Wisniewska, that means coming to grips with a degenerative hearing condition that left him profoundly deaf.
“My strong feeling with Daryl was that he just really needed somebody to bounce ideas off of and to talk him through it and to kind of think about what was resonating with him,” says Wisniewska. “The second aspect, I think, is that he did need a bit of a kick in the butt.”
Para Hall of Famer and former para-alpine skier Karolina Wisniewska.
Wisniewska was more than happy to provide that kick. While she says her history of concussions makes her very empathetic towards those who are facing adversity, being born with cerebral palsy makes her want to push able-bodied people to meet their full fitness potential.
“I’m someone who was born with a disability, and I’ve never understood able-bodied people who take their bodies for granted,” she says. “So that’s where my competitive athlete side comes out, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my god. Stop making excuses. You have no excuse, just do it.'”
At the beginning of their journeys, Dana, Darryl and the other participants all choose a physical challenge to complete at the end of their three-month transformations. These challenges, which include a mountain climb and a long-distance bike ride, are designed to provide a measuring stick for the physical and mental progress each person has made. While the Taylors and the Paralympians are a key part of the process, in the end, the participants have to look inside themselves for the inspiration they need to succeed–a situation Wisneiwska is very familiar with.
“At the end of the day, in ski racing, you’re at the top of the hill, you have to kick out of the start gate, and you have to race that race,” she says. “Nobody else is going to do it.”
According to Morgadinho, watching people overcome their mental demons and achieve their health goals was a motivating experience for everyone involved with the series.
“Working on the show, I have to tell you, it’s been really inspiring because I see people make transformations in their lives,” she says. “And it’s not like Biggest Loser. You’re not going to see someone come back 100 pounds lighter. It’s not about that. But you see a difference in their confidence and their happiness, and they’re healthier, they look better.”
She continues, “For me, it’s very inspiring to look at the things that I can change and go, ‘I know I’m in control of this. I have to change how I look at the problem and how I look at the solution.’ I hope that viewers are also inspired to make positive, healthy changes.”
Upcoming episodes of the series feature Canadian Paralympians Michelle Stilwell, David Willsie, Ina Forrest, Pamela LeJean, Shawna Ryan and Andrew Haley.
Mind Set Go airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on AMI-tv.
Following the success of the first season of Mind Set Go, Anaïd Productions and AMI-tv announced today that production on the second season of the Vancouver-shot documentary series has begun.
Mind Set Go follows the three-month journey of eight Canadians as they push their limits and overcome the physical and mental barriers preventing them from reaching their fitness and wellness goals. Season 2 of Mind Set Go will air in 2019 on AMI-tv and will feature eight, one-hour episodes.
In each episode, one participant seeks to understand and overcome their negative coping behaviours with insight from returning fitness and health experts Lowell and Julie Taylor (Amazing Race Canada), and from Canadian Paralympians and para-athletes. Learning that a positive mindset can go a long way, these athletes, who have triumphed over adversities in their own lives, share their experiences with participants to help them overcome their biggest obstacles. At the end of three months, each participant tackles a demanding fitness goal that reveals the progress they’ve made throughout their journey.
Mind Set Go features Integrated Described Video (IDV) and is accessible to audience members who are blind or partially sighted.
The series is developed and produced by Anaïd Productions in association with Accessible Media Inc., with the participation of the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Canada Media Fund, Rogers Telefund, and the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC.
