Tag Archives: Ness Murby

AMI announces the debut of Ness Murby: Transcending, March 8 on AMI-tv

From a media release:

AMI, in partnership with Anaïd Productions (Mind Set Go), is excited to announce the debut of Ness Murby: Transcending.

Debuting Wednesday, March 8, at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and on demand at AMI.ca and on the AMI-tv App, the six-part documentary series Ness Murby: Transcending (6 x 30), follows groundbreaking Paralympian Ness Murby as he trains and vies to become the world’s first openly trans man to compete at a Paralympic Games.

This intimate and unflinching series follows Ness and his family as they navigate the emotional and physical challenges of gender transition, juggle the stresses of first-time parenthood and break down barriers in the world of sport. Since completely losing his sight as a teenager, Ness is no stranger to adversity, but in this series, he will be pushed to his limit. Battling social stigma, discrimination and the physical limitations of his transitioning body, Ness bravely attempts to carve a new space for himself in the Men’s discus division on the national team and pave the way for trans acceptance in elite sport. But is the world and sport system ready to embrace this change?

Additionally, behind-the-scenes clips—available at AMI.ca and on the AMI-tv App—give viewers exclusive peeks into Ness’ life. From conversations about fertility inclusivity, misgendering and penile prostheses to struggling with a petulant lawnmower, they spotlight personal moments and conversations.

“We are proud to present Ness Murby: Transcending to Canadians,” said John Melville, Vice-President, Content Development & Operations, AMI-audio/AMI-tv. “Ness’ story is one of acceptance, perseverance and being true to yourself. We look forward to this series furthering the conversation about inclusion for all.”

Synopses for the first two episodes are below:

Episode 1 – “Stepping Into the Arena”
Debuting Wednesday, March 8, at 8 p.m. Eastern
In the debut episode, viewers watch Ness prepare for the lead-up to the Canadian Athletics Championships, his first national competition as an openly trans man. The pressure is on as Ness makes history in the men’s division, but right before the competition, he receives an email that jeopardizes his entire athletics career.

Episode 2 – “Comfortable in My Skin”
Debuting Wednesday, March 15, at 8 p.m. Eastern
Every Tuesday, Ness makes the life-affirming decision to inject his body with testosterone. We hear from Ness how this life-saving medicine has transformed his body, changing his appearance, strength and mindset. On a family walk, Ness has a hard conversation with his partner, Eva, about parenting, and a trip to the vet with Ness’ guide dog, Lexington, doesn’t go as expected.

About Ness Murby
Ness Murby (he/him) is a JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Brand Strategist and Counselor, Paralympian and the co-founder of TougherThan. Lived experience and common humanity fuel his passion for diversity and inclusion and, with intersecting marginalized identities, he has long been led to push against prejudices, drive for systemic change and challenge the status quo.

Ness has an extensive background and credentials that include anatomy and physiology, applied psychology, business management, education and pedagogy, design, inclusive design, marketing and organizational strategy.

He has represented three countries in three Parasports—Australia, Japan and Canada in Goalball, Powerlifting and Para Athletics —and holds world records as well as world, continental and national titles. In 2020, Ness came out as trans. As the first openly trans Paralympian, Ness is carving out space for future generations. He currently competes in Men’s F11 discus and is aiming for the 2024 Paralympics. An advocate and public figure, Ness is a passionate contributor. His niche is asking “better questions,” he believes “everything is mentionable and from there manageable,” and he advocates “there is enough space for all of us.”

Ness Murby: Transcending airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern on AMI-tv and on demand at AMI.ca and on the AMI-tv App.

Ness Murby: Transcending is developed and produced by Anaïd Productions in association with Accessible Media Inc. and produced with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, Rogers Telefund, the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC, and Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.

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AMI’s Mind Set Go inspires Canadians to transform their minds and bodies

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.

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