Matt (00:00):
Today's episode of The Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast on the Unsettled Media Podcast Network is brought to you by Sensory Friendly Solutions. Discover sensory-friendly solutions for daily life. To learn more, head to sensoryfriendly.net.
Matt (00:24):
Hello, listeners. Welcome to episode six of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast. It's hard to believe you've now been with us for six episodes, but here we are and we're very lucky to have had the voice of Corinne Gagne on this episode. All the way from greater Montreal, she's the president of FDMT. You can find out more about FDMT at fdmt.ca. The introduction for this episode will be short but I wanted to read the first paragraph of the about us page on FDMT's website. It really struck a chord. It says this, "All children learn differently and our goal is to help them develop to their full potential. We wholeheartedly offer you resources, games, educational materials, and quality sensory tools. We are your allies in challenges and your accomplices in your daily pleasures." This is episode six of the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast with Corrine Gagne. Corinne, thank you so much for joining the Sensory Friendly Solutions Podcast.
Corinne Gagne (01:48):
Well thank you Matt for having me.
Matt (01:52):
Corinne, where am I finding you right now?
Corinne Gagne (01:55):
Well I'm in Longueuil which is just outside of Montreal in Quebec, Canada.
Matt (02:00):
Mm-hmm (affirmative), excellent, great. I'm on the East coast a little bit further towards the ocean than you are but nonetheless I'm really glad that we could connect today. And before we get going I'd love you to introduce yourself and the work you're doing right now. I know some of our listeners may be familiar but we want to make sure they're up to speed with all of the great things you're doing right now.
Corinne Gagne (02:23):
Sure, well basically I'm the owner and founder of FDMT and the Manimo Weighted Animals. FDMT is a sensory product solution I should say, which I started 18 years ago. And we started this business, my dad and I, because simply there was a lot of things that I used to work the hotel business which is completely outside of this sensory world. But it right at this point was really... it was an OT and specialize with kids with sensory issues. I was fascinated with all these clientele. And I was pregnant at that time, and it just happened that my daughter Ana's, when she was born in 2002, she was a special kid. She was wonderful but she had those special issue I should say.
Corinne Gagne (03:26):
We found out later on that she had sensory disorder and that she was on the autism spectrum. And it made me engage even more I should say in this business. I love what I was starting to do. I was always good with people. I was always curious. I'm not an OT myself but my sister is an OT, and it just was really something that I wanted to go further into it and because of my daughter, I just simply like dug in even more. So we've created the manual line which are the weighted animal. The reason our manual was really like and OT's in the sensory field would work a lot with weighted blanket or weighted vest which was more therapy, and if we're back 18 years ago, that was really something that was not as the awareness about these kinds of products. We're really not well known for the pubic in general and talking with teachers and with OT's and so we just said, well, how about we create something that the kids will want to use,
Matt (04:44):
Yes.
Corinne Gagne (04:44):
And that will relate to, and will become something more than just a therapeutic tool but it will be something that becomes your friend and that's where the manual line came in. So, Manimo is basically an animal shaped like a stuffed animal... like a teddy bear, but its not a teddy bear. The first one was a lizard. Why lizard? Because we thought it was something different that was really never... it's not something that you really want to come home for first at the beginning, but because of the way the lizard is made, is like the big paws of the long tail, you want to play with it. So that's how it happened. It was really something that we wanted to create for kids at the beginning with sensory issues to have something that would achieve what a weighted vest would in therapy, but something that the kid can actually relate to and just go and grab when they need it. So its something accessible instead of being a therapy. That's really how it started; what we are doing.
Matt (05:52):
I love talking about our guests origin stories because they're also fascinating and there's always a catalyst somewhere within that conversation. But before we get to that, you just gave a great description but I want to just rewind for a minute and do what I fell is kind of a mandatory COVID check in. How did the company manage through what we're all experiencing right now? I know as far as the eastern portion of the company, Montreal was particularly adversely affected. I have many friends in your area. So how did you navigate? Did you change your approach? Was there actually opportunity discovered? Did it hurt the business? How have you been navigating throughout this?
Corinne Gagne (06:40):
Well, I think like everybody we just step back six months ago, how it all happened, and yes Montreal was really well affected and we are still in the red alert zone at this point. But I think that personally when all this happened everything got the big lockdown. Everything happened so fast. And I was just back from vacation with my daughter. I was a weekend vacation with her like a school break. And we just came back and just realizing we knew that it was there, it was coming, but I feel like I received a big something in the forehead and just oh my gosh, this is what it is and then the school stopped two days after I came back from vacation.
Corinne Gagne (07:33):
So what happened? Basically, the first thing was, okay, schools are shutting down, businesses are shutdown, like two days after. So basically we had to shut everything down. That was difficult I should say, as a business owner, yes, but more as a human being. You don't build the business and you don't have a team to have to, how do you say that in English, to make people like out of work? I don't know the exact term. So this is something that was really hard. And I had to do this over zoom with my team, because I was in quarantine because I had traveled outside the country, so that was really hard. I should say as human I didn't like that part. That was really hard. But at the same time it shows how much energy inside you can have. So me and a very small team. I mean like for the first three weeks of the lockdown, we were 10 people out a team of 40. And we just tried to rethink how we're going to do things, how we can reopen, and we were able to open because we were considered essential services, because we actually supply a lot of the healthcare system.
Corinne Gagne (08:56):
So for that reason and because we do online business we were allowed to continue business. But being allowed to continue business it's not that easy. I mean you have all the [inaudible 00:09:08] the sanitary, like protocol and everything. So we basically work a tremendous amount of hours and making sure that we could reopen with a small team and that people would be safe. So we've done that. I mean, I actually wasn't aware I was because we had backlogs in orders and things like that. So we basically worked a lot but what had happened to me I should say is that it made me being able to focus after 18 years in business. We have done a lot of things. I mean we have lots of products in different fields. A lot of it is always to help children but not only younger children but young adults, how to develop themselves, and get knowledge, and get better. So this is what we always focus on at FDMT but we've tried many things. We have a big base of customer for schools but obviously they were closed for many months. And then it made me restart the business in the sense that I was like, okay I'm doing a lot of things, but what is the essence of this business?
Matt (10:19):
Right
Corinne Gagne (10:20):
And it mainly came back to the original reason why I had started this business and it was to help people in the sensory field in the way that people need to be comfortable in their own body. They need to be able to make more... learn easier and all this. So that being said, it was really getting back to my project. And what happened is that I had, in my online task, I had like new design for manual or any waiting new design for other products. And I said to my team, "okay, this is our time. We are doing this. We're going to invest in getting those projects done fast, because I think that people need it and I think that manual can be a very good help in managing the anxiety that we have."
Corinne Gagne (11:18):
I think that we all have our level of anxiety as all, get higher because of this pandemic situation and that's what we have done. We're launching new manual, we're launching new products also in the sensory feel this fall. I mean, we work extremely fast with our business partner or manufacturer to be able to get this done. And what happens is that I feel as a business owner, that most of the team is now back to work with us. And I feel that it's like we have a purpose together as a team. And this sense of engagement of everybody in the team is even stronger. I think that this is what I found about this pandemic situation.
Matt (12:14):
[crosstalk 00:12:14]Some people yes, you're right, in the sense that we've heard from many people that, as you say, it's given them a cause to go back to their roots to the original mission and vision of the company, and to really do their best to provide value in this time. And like you say we're all experiencing this kind of collective unease. And one of the quotes that I always ask our guests to reflect on is this really fascinating stat that as of June 2020, so pre pandemic sensory overload was being searched. Well, maybe that isn't pre pandemic. That's for many of us, right in the thick of it.
Matt (12:58):
So the stat is that sensory overload was being searched over 40,000 times a month on Google. And the number may not seem very large. But according to Google Trends, that's a 50% increase in the past year. So I always ask our guests to reflect I know, I don't expect you to be an expert but just reflecting on... I mean what are we all experiencing as a collective? Our routines have been disrupted, we're bombarded by news. What do you see us experiencing as a community right now?
Corinne Gagne (13:32):
Obviously it's really disturbing. I mean, in the sense that we... I think that we've all made use overload I should say. The information, I mean, trying to understand what's going on, trying to understand the virus itself, trying to understand what it's going to do to our... the way we communicate, the way we interact. I mean, yes, there was a lot of communication tools available if we just think of zooms or teams or any type of those, but spending most of your day with those it makes it hard also. I mean, I was talking about with people in my team and even other people. I mean, I'm part of a business owner group, which we exchange and we're able to share the experience and how we feel and all this. And that's one of the things that came out. It's like, how tiring it is to be in front of your screen all day. It really changes a lot of things. And even for the student my own daughter, I mean, like now 18, she's doing most of her study from home.
Corinne Gagne (14:53):
And it's asking a lot of us, self discipline to be able to really manage your schedule and get things but also all the social part. Some people are more social and needs that restaurant, lunch with friends and gather together. Some people are less. But even people that are not that big social, I mean, you still have that contact with friends. I mean, I have good friends of mine, I mean, that you can't even give a hug. You can't give a hug to your mother. This is hard, I think, on people. And even if we're trying to adjust, we're still really in the adjustment part. And I'm not sure any human is really able to adjust completely of not having that hug to the people you care and love. I think that's, to me anyway, it's part of the thing that I found very hard not to be able to be so close to the people that you love and you care about. It's hard. We try other things, but it's not the same.
Matt (16:04):
Yeah, certainly I know. We're all really feeling that unease right now. So let's go back to your career arc, Corinne, and how you came about starting this. So FDMT starts, you're in the hotel industry at the time but then you decide you need to branch out, you need to start this business. And was the inspiration for the company based on your daughter's experience of sensory disorder?
Corinne Gagne (16:32):
Actually, no. it just came at the same time, which is the only thing that it's called the earth, the stars that just aligned for me to be on that spot. It was like the story is really at a dinner table. My dad is there. His wife is there, she's an OT, we're just talking. My husband is there. We're just like, blah, blah, blah. And then we're just... she's saying, "well, we're really having a lot of difficulties, like trying to get those topics in. I mean, there's some in the States, but it's very expensive. It's hard to be accessible and not really happy with when I'm looking. My dad was retired at that point, but he had like businesses in his previously. And I was in maternity leave. And I was just... well, I worked 10 years in the hotel and restaurant business and I was already questioning myself.
Corinne Gagne (17:29):
What can I do that I would feel that I have a mission in life, that I feel that I would do it different? And that's how it really started. We started looking at each other. Well, what can we do about this? And it just started there from scratch. And we designed the product. And we work with lots of different OT's and different teachers, because we wanted to see how the products will be in reaction in the field. So that's really how it started. I mean, we worked on the research of getting the products and the first line of products done for almost two years, before we make our first presentation to an OT conference.
Corinne Gagne (18:13):
That was fall of 2004. I still remember it like if it was yesterday. And when I got in that room, there was 40 OTS there, and they were all there for a special workshop for The Wilbarger Protocol which is really something that we do in the sensory field. So I was there presenting my five products, it was just like, Wow! newly made and all the OT was crazy happy about what we just launched. And that's when I really knew, Okay, I'm doing this for something. And after that moment I just started to invest in even more. I had invested two years of my time in the research and the development of the product.
Corinne Gagne (19:04):
But that's when I saw the reaction with the OT and then later on a few months later, when I got come backs from the customer, from the parents, I really thought like, Okay, this is bigger than I even thought that it would be. And the great things about this is I think that my daughter, having those difficulties obviously like from the start, like in the beginning of the first two years, made me really want to look for a solution. And how can I interact and get those kids to be able to have a great day basically. That was my top. I wanted my daughter to reach from point A to point B and even to point half and further on. I want her to evolve and that's why what I always have in mind with the launching, the creating, or even just in the distribution field of finding products, that can actually really help the kids but the teachers and the parents to get to move and to learn. So that's really something that it's still there. I mean, in my inner me I should say, it's something that kills me every morning. Mm hmm(affirmative).
Matt (20:20):
Yes, that's wonderful. We're gonna get to some strategies that you've used in your life and in your daughter's life towards the end of the episode, but I'm curious, how did the line of weighted products begin? And how did they manifest in the child because I'm thinking of manimo and the really interesting application of making the just the simple technology of a weighted product more accessible, and maybe even safe than something like a blanket, or a sweater. But when did research around these weighted product lines begin and how do they help someone like your daughter navigate the world in a better way? Is it that they're more comfortable? Is it a relaxing sensation?
Corinne Gagne (21:06):
Yes, well, actually, it's really comes from the OT part of sensory integration. I mean, basically it's like the deep pressure therapy, which it's the same one that is used in vest or in blankets. And the deep pressure therapy to make this simple, what it does is that it's a little bit like a massage. You know when you go for a massage, you get the deep pressure feel, and what it actually does... I always call it like a reset of your nervous system. So if you are in the sensory overload, you're hyperactive or hyperreactive, it will actually help you to calm down to a good level of awareness. But if it works in the opposite side, if you [inaudible 00:21:57].
Corinne Gagne (21:58):
So if you don't have enough awareness, it will actually bring you back up to a good level. So it makes two things it either calms you down or helps you being more aware of, and being more there. And I always relate this like +if you have attention deficit disorder, sometimes it's hard for you to keep your mind at the good spot, let's say the classroom, to be able to listen to the teacher and not listening to the noise around and things like that. So manual and deep pressure, what it does, it helps give you that deep pressure to your body to help you focus. So that's the way it works. Like scientifically, that's the way it does. But at the same time, the difference between manual, and a vest, or a blanket.
Corinne Gagne (22:57):
Because it is accessible, it's not too heavy. It's between one and two kilos. It's something that you can actually hold like a baby, or you would hold your cat. So it's small, but the way we designed them is that they have kind of a stretch fabric. And it kind of gives you a hug, the way they are built is as soon as you take them in your home, they give you that hug and that feeling of getting like a squeeze, a hug, or a massage. And that's how manimos makes it very easy to use, because it's easy to bring everywhere. But it's not something that you would wear as a vest. Because you can't wear a vest with two, three kilos on you all day, it doesn't make sense. It would be like wearing a backpack overfilled. It's not for your body. So that's where the difference is.
Matt (23:54):
Right. We've had some fascinating conversations on the podcast already with people who are either thinkers in this space or researchers in this space, but people who have also had real world experience. In some of the last episodes we had Maureen Benny, who was the founder of the Autism Awareness Center. We also had Bill Wong who is an OT himself on the west coast of America, who was diagnosed with autism. When he became an adult as a child, there were a few things that he pointed to and said, "I see those kinds of things in myself. When I learned how autistic children play and how autistic children experience the world, I see that within myself." But they were reluctant to give him a diagnosis because of his high IQ which was a really interesting conversation.
Matt (24:45):
And then on top of that, we had Carol Kranowitz, who is the writer of The Out-Of-Sync Child, which has sold over a million copies, has been bed by the New York Times, and others your daughter's experience of the world sounds so interesting and such a throughway, through the conversations that we've had already on this podcast. I know our listeners are really looking at strategies and solutions to navigate sensory overload. And to navigate this time. What are some of the strategies you've employed when you're when you're designing products or implementing products? But also, what kinds of strategies are you implementing products? But also, what kinds of strategies are you implementing at home in your life and with your daughter during this time?
Corinne Gagne (25:27):
Well, I think that what I've learned very fast, like early in my daughter's life is that I had to be there at the moment. I think that being there at the present, with her was what I've learned the most. I think that sometimes we're just like, what's gonna happen with it? I call it make it cartoon of what's going to happen in the future. But basically, it bring me back to now, this moment. And the strategies that I use I was very lucky, because I had with my work with FDMT and Manimo, I had the chance to meet some tremendous people. And actually, Boeing Benny, is one of them that became friends with me over time. But with people that I've met in this field taught me, it's really to trust my inner feeling with my daughter. And it was really what I was trying to do, it's not to change her. It was really to work with her and work with what was good with her.
Corinne Gagne (26:40):
And in the day, what I understand, there was a lot of overload in many times with her when she was younger and there still is, which doesn't change because she's gotten older, it just the strategies are different. But in some ways what I always tried to do is to have like a con time, in the morning, even before going to school, or go start working, it's really to have calm time, but it's always preceded by exercise time. For me, and for my daughter, it makes a big difference. So we start our day with either go out for a walk with [inaudible 00:27:23]go for a jog. I mean, when she was little, it was like do the trampoline, have a walk, and then a calm moment; let's calm down. Manual could be part of it. But it could also be just like a quick meditation, but just to relax like a calm music. But it's also to do that a lot of time to during the day. And we use a lot of the deep pressure, not only with manual, but also with just deep pressure, like press your arms in together, that you can jump. So we use a lot of that during the day.
Corinne Gagne (28:02):
And we found out that when we do this, little sensory break throughout the day, we get to the end of our day and we're not as exhausted as when we don't do it. So I think this is the main strategy that we have been using for years, my daughter and I. And I include myself in that because I am not on the spectrum, but I do have some sensory issue and it's working to feel that you realize, oh, okay, this is good for me. I like that [crosstalk 00:28:35]. So I think that it's really to do with just a little bit of the time. And I found that I relate a lot of this like it's exercising. I'm not the type that will go for five hours of something once a week. I prefer to do a little every day. And for me it works best. But I'm like that in many parts of my life. And I think for the sensory it works well if you're addressing it regularly instead of when it's too late.
Matt (29:13):
Yeah. And it seems like you're a really big advocate for consistency as well.
Corinne Gagne (29:20):
Yes, it really works well. For me. I'm very good with routine.
Matt (29:24):
Yes, we've heard that reflection from many of our guests. Corinne, you've been extremely generous with your time. We thank you so much for being on this podcast journey with us on the Sensory Friendly Solutions podcast. And the final thing is where can our listeners interface with your work? We're really interested in what Manimo is doing. What FDMT is doing? What's the best place to find you and interface with your work?
Corinne Gagne (29:49):
Actually, FDMT and Manimo both have Facebook pages. We also have a website for both manual.ca and fdmt.ca, but please find us on the social media; Facebook, Instagram. We're there and we'll be happy to answer questions and chat with you and just share what we can share with you.
Matt (30:15):
That's excellent Corinne, we'll make sure that we point our listeners to all of the places that you are online in our show notes. And I thank you again for being a part of the Sensory Friendly Solutions podcast.
Corinne Gagne (30:26):
Well, thank you so much for having me. It was really nice having this conversation Matt.
Matt (30:31):
It was a pleasure for me as well. Be well.
Corinne Gagne (30:33):
Be well. Good bye.
Matt (30:35):
Good bye.
Matt (30:41):
Crystal, we're back for the reflections segment. On the Sensory Friendly Solutions podcast. This is Episode Six. Is it crazy to you that we're on the back nine of this first season?
Crystal (30:54):
It is. it's funny you say that Matt, because I can't believe how quickly it goes by, and how just wonderful the conversations are in as much as they each offer different insights, there's a thread, right? Of sensory friendly solutions that are woven through all of them that we always seem to come back to with each guest. So that just makes it interesting, And inviting, and affirming.
Matt (31:33):
Yes, for me, time is felt like it's going quickly this whole fall season. I know partially because of the pandemic but also, if you don't take the time to see the high ground and you're just always in the trenches, sometimes you lose the view of the whole forest and what crystallized it for me in doing this episode six is exactly what you said. I'm starting to see the thread. I'm starting to see the patterns. I'm starting to see the lived experience that's coming out in each and every single episode. And doing the blog has been great. And I encourage our listeners to head to our website and check out the blog posts. But that's exactly what it is. It's crystallized for me is... okay, now I see what this is all about. And we've heard it time and time again and we talked about these threads and I'm really interested to see for Episode Six, Corinne Gagne, what really caught your attention.
Crystal (32:27):
Yes, so Corinne, I'll say I've known for a number of years and I'll disclose that as an occupational therapist I recommended as a practicing occupational therapist and clinician absolutely recommended their products, FDMT products, and I've liked them so much. I've actually represented them at trade shows. Gone to trade shows as an occupational therapist, right? In the past to talk to folks about their product so I just wanted to just share that. They're such a phenomenal company which Corinne's passion and her mission. It was so nice to hear that. I heard so much about the germination of the company. But one of the things that really attracted me to them as an occupational therapist was that not even hearing her founder story and just her passion, and her purpose, shines through in what they're trying to do. She started with just a little story or a little quote where she said something Matt where they were really trying to create solutions that were more than therapy. Was like your friend in the manimo, the weighted animal products that they've designed, conceptualized, brought to life, and iterated on.
Crystal (33:57):
And just that little statement made me a little teary and brought me back in my career. I'm gonna say about easily 15 years ago now working with a preschooler, goodness, who would now be a young man. And I had this little lending library of sensory strategies and tools and one of the things we had I think it was the weighted frog. And I saw him weekly for therapy. And so we loaned it out to... he was going to give it a try. And it was from our lending library and when they came back for their therapy session the next week, he was upset he was asking me why do I have to give my only friend back that's how he described the weighted lap animal, and the frog and so obviously he... that was his henceforth. But just, again, the solution then that story from Corinne about her journey to this and that they're creating solutions that they want to feel like friends, right?
Matt (35:19):
Yes.
Crystal (35:19):
For people and that just hit home.
Matt (35:22):
Yes, in my research I knew many Manimo would be one of the centers of the conversation. But I did ask Corinne and I'm interested in your own words as well in your practice. You told me in the reflections for Episode Five that you started practicing in 94, which you said may have dated yourself, but that just makes you an expert in the field. And for listeners, if they're curious I would [inaudible 00:35:45] when you started practicing, I was two years old.
Crystal (35:49):
Thanks, Matt. That just... Yes. So our listeners? Yes, can't hear them Matt. I can see each other right now. And yes, thanks, Matt. That's lovely.
Matt (36:00):
So what I was curious in asking Corinne is this, when did weighted products become part of the industry because I loved hearing the inspiration for Manimo, because as you know and you've told me more than once, there is a little bit of controversy in the industry or maybe just best practices is a better way to put it in terms of weighted blankets, and weighted mass, or wearables. But Manimo was in response to a gap that Corinne and her team had seen in things that your early guest and patient could carry around, could become a friend, it could really walk around life with. So when did weighted products come on the scene? And why are they...what is the what's the inspiration? Is it that sense of comfort? And touch?
Crystal (36:49):
So yes, the exact data? My goodness Matt, I don't know. But I will say FDMT were absolute leaders. There were other similar products, absolutely, at the time. And Corinne, I think she gave a date of 2004 for their kind of start date on this. And absolutely other products that were nice products, a little bit more like stuffed toys. One of the great things about their products, again, just that the thoughtfulness and products that I'm going to say are used across the lifespan, right? They absolutely were designed first for children. They have many different materials, many different sizes. And that's one of the things I like about them.
Crystal (37:39):
And they're developing more and more lines that are more appropriate, for example, with older adults with dementia, right? Who also are seeking that calmness. And again, so they've designed a product that was different from the onset from other products, because of the material they used. They want it to be friendly. And like a hug, right? That draping material, but that it still stands the test of time, right? These are durable products. And so again, there's lots of other products out there, but some of the specifics and the attention to detail, the research, they try things out, the testing that they do, really shows up in why, for example, that young boy I worked with called the weighted lap animal his only friend.
Matt (38:51):
Yes. When we plug FDMT's products in our innovation segment like you say you are a supporter, there's many on the market but you are a supporter what of what Corinne and her team are doing in the company. And it struck me as a throughway that I've seen many times before on the podcast, designing solutions, specifically sensory friendly solutions that meet people where they are and fill a gap. We saw that with Dr. Wong, we saw that with Carol Stock Kranowitz, and we're seeing it again with Manimo and the other products. When you look on the website, you see things like adjustable tables, you see the Manimo line. Things to meet people where they are. They're great.
Crystal (39:33):
Yes. And Corinne talked about... and we use our, I'll say as occupational therapists, and many people looking for solutions, use products like compression vest, weighted vest, weighted blankets, but really the thoughtfulness behind this line of solution is that it's something that can be picked up, carried around, very portable, just very comfortable, and something incredibly engaging, right, for people. And that thoughtfulness alluding to that and that the solutions that we're honestly not discovering some of them we know about, but the solutions that we're really highlighting here, Corinne said something you were talking about what strategies does she use every day? What are things that she finds make a difference. And she talked about being there in the moment.
Crystal (40:33):
And I think, again, as someone who, like Corinne, who's on a path to develop and discover solutions, that she's not lost sight of the importance of that, and how that informs everything else that we do. And you know, and that resonates with the busyness of what we're all experiencing right now. The change the stress, the anxiety, and that our guests often their strategies and the sensory friendly solutions that they're bringing to light. There is something about being there in the moment that gives clarity.
Matt (41:22):
Yes. And it requires, again, us to be thoughtful on this side of the conversation, to say how can be how can we be more present in our daily lives, to meet people where they are, to develop sensory friendly solutions for us and for our community? And that's what we're trying to do here on the podcast. Are there any other thoughts Crystal that you had on episode six? What was going through your mind listening to this conversation?
Crystal (41:50):
Yes, there was a little bit that I really liked, that Corinne shared towards the end, and the particular strategies that she's put into place for herself personally, and her daughter and their family at home. And I liked, she said she was a little bit first then she said first we move, right? And then we quiet the mind. I liked the way that they're making that connection together. It's not necessarily one or the other, but the power of combining movements. And then a little meditation or a strategy like manimo using a product like manimo or something that brings some quiet to the mind. So that really resonated and the other thing she said, was what works for her, and they do a little bit at a time. And sometimes we think I have to do an hour of exercise and 30 minutes of meditation for that to work for me and Corinne really quite clearly has figured out what works best for her and her family.
Matt (43:06):
Yes. I think getting those small wins goes a long way especially at a moment like this. We often do put that kind of pressure on ourselves to do that full one hour HIT workout, or whatever it is, but as Corinne said, a little bit at a time, those small wins, and those small steps and I can't wait to get to the innovation segment of this episode to talk about some of those products and meet people where they are. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the innovation segment of episode six of the sensory friendly solutions podcast with Corrine Gagne, you just heard from Crystal, our founder and president of Sensory Friendly Solutions reflecting on what she heard in the podcast. And one thing we both agreed on is we're seeing patterns. We're seeing folks coming up with sensory friendly solutions for daily life to meet people where they are. We see that FDMT Corinne's company on the back of the success of Manimo, which is one of their excellent products. It's a response to what Corinne saw as a gap. In the weighted products market. We've all seen weighted blankets Some of us may have seen weighted vests. As Crystal pointed out there are other products on the market. But FDMT has a fantastic line called many mo and they were designed in Quebec in 2002 and has become an essential sensory tool for thousands of people. They're heavy. They're comforting plush toys that provide as the website says that propria nociceptive sensory stimulation for young and old folks with a calming effect on the body and the mind. They have a turtle. They have half moon balls. They have full moon balls. They have a dolphin they have a frog as crystal mentioned in one of the young boys that she worked with early in his life. Their great products had to fdmt.ca slash manimo for more. And while you're there, browse FDM T's products. Like I said, it's fascinating to see people who are building things that meet people where they are, you're going to see adjustable tables. They have some games, they have bracelets, new on the market, given the time is a timer for washing your hands. It has a great feedback mechanism.
Matt (45:53):
A good system to show you the countdown as you wash your hands, allowing you to engage those senses they have headphones for noise reduction. There's a lot of great stuff. Go to FTM t.ca after listening to this innovation segment, to find products that Corinne and her team have really thoughtfully designed. Thanks for listening, folks. We'll be back next week with episode seven of the sensory friendly solutions podcast. Thank you to our sponsor taking it global, ensuring that youth around the world are actively engaged and connected in shaping a more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable world. As part of their rising youth initiative. They're looking for young people who are inspired with ideas and ready to take action through youth led community service grants head to rising youth.ca to learn more, and to become the next rising youth grant recipient. The podcast is also supported by New Brunswick Community College as part of the community resource awareness during an after COVID-19 applied research project funded by the New Brunswick innovation foundation. Learn more about NBCC's efforts to transform lives and communities@nbcc.ca. The sensory friendly solutions podcast is produced by me, Matt George is engineered by the grade Zachary Pell j and is part of the unsettled media Podcast Network.