What the circus can teach us about mental health

What the circus can teach us about mental health

Author: Charts & Leisure September 9, 2026 Duration: 30:34

In this episode of Unravelling, we’re talking about circus arts and mental health with two people behind A Little Unwell, a circus variety show coming to Brattleboro, VT, this October through a partnership between the Brattleboro Retreat and the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). First, Mary talks with Caytha Jentis, director of the show, about how she turned a personal story about anxiety into a circus performance. Then, she talks with Hayley Brown, an aerialist and performer whose work explores anxiety, rumination and what it means to get out of your head and into your body.

The conversations explore what happens when personal experiences become movement, and why circus can be such a powerful way to tell stories that can sometimes be difficult to put into words. Caytha also talks about finding your flow, that moment when you stop overthinking and simply become immersed in what you’re doing. For both Caytha and Hayley, circus offers a way to connect with the body, express something personal and find a different way of understanding mental health.

Tickets to A Little Unwell (October 10-11, 2026): A Little Unwell - New England Center for Circus Arts


There’s a thread that connects our inner lives to the culture we live in, and Unravelling pulls on it to see what emerges. This isn’t a lecture series, but a conversation guided by therapist Kurt White and journalist Mary Wilson, who bring their distinct perspectives to every discussion. They explore how mental health is woven into everything from our daily fitness routines and societal pressures to the art we consume and the relationships we keep. In each episode, you’ll hear from experts who study the mind alongside individuals sharing their personal, lived experiences, creating a dialogue that feels both intellectually rigorous and deeply human. The aim is to move beyond simple definitions, examining how anxiety, resilience, joy, and struggle shape our collective reality. Produced by Charts & Leisure, this podcast provides a space for nuance, challenging the idea that our psychological worlds exist in a vacuum. It’s for anyone who has ever felt the tension between their private thoughts and the public world, offering not easy answers but a more textured understanding. By listening, you become part of a broader exploration into how compassion, for ourselves and our society, can actually be built from a place of genuine curiosity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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