Women We Admire - Sarah Podemski
What is your favourite morning ritual?
I love being in bed. I will stay in my bed as long as possible. When I’m working on a project I have a lot of early mornings, so if I can sleep in or stay in bed responding to emails, that’s where you will find me. The only ritual I have is my husband bringing me coffee in bed. No matter what city or hotel we are in, it’s the thing I rely on most!
Name a book or a band you are obsessed with right now.
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It’s an incredible guide to understanding Indigenous perspectives about land and our relationship to it. It’s incredibly insightful, and inspiring, and has influenced me to take more care in the world around me. Everything is relational. We must leave things better than we found them, in every aspect of our lives.
How do you ground yourself (during the day)?
I love staring at the wall and zoning out. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, and only as an adult realized it’s a form of meditation. If I need a minute, I’ll lay on the couch and just look around. Sometimes, I’ll dream of the future, or redesign my house in my head. I’ll think about a hard decision, or I’ll just breath. There is no pressure to turn my brain off, it just naturally floats from thought to thought. I am not good with following rules, so I hate being told how to meditate. But I find laying down anywhere comfortable and just relaxing for a few minutes can do wonders for my emotional state.
What's the best advice you've ever received?
When I was in my 20’s I asked a woman who I was working with how she felt about turning 40. She very calmly said, “It feels like I am finally finding myself.” I thought, “Wow”, I can’t wait to have that kind of peace. So I was never afraid of aging, I understood that things would only get better and my sense of self would get stronger, and my joy would get deeper. I think it really saved me, especially as a woman in the entertainment industry. I would see all these women afraid to age. And I was just never afraid, I really looked forward to feeling more awesome as the years went by. And it has proven to be true!
Where do you find daily/creative inspiration?
People are incredible, their resilience, their joy and humour in the darkest times. Having a conversation with someone new is always inspiring for me. Everyone has a story. We can connect with people in ways we never dreamed of if we just take the time. It’s crucial to our well being as humans. An interaction with another person can change the trajectory of your life. It’s amazing the possibility that can happen when we connect with each other. And that is the exact thing we are starved of, and what I think contributes to so much of the divisiveness we are seeing right now. We are so separated as humans, it’s a very colonial structure we have inherited. It separates us, keeps us lonely and apart. We must find that connection again, and not social media connection, real life connection, especially after this pandemic. It’s the key to our joy!
When do you feel most like yourself?
When I’m outside in nature, driving through the country at the beach or at a cottage, near water, I feel very calm, and happy. I grew up at summer camp, running around barefoot and dirty and laughing. I like to be in that state whenever I can. It’s full of joy for me, and if I can do it near my friends and family, even better! My favorite thing in the world is falling asleep on a beach in the sun, hearing the water, and people playing and laughing. For me there is nothing better.
Sarah Podemski is an Anishinaabe/Ashkenazi multidisciplinary artist from Toronto. From her first role in the German TV series Blue Hawk at the age of 11, to her award winning performance in the TIFF selection Mekko (directed by Sterlin Harjo), Sarah has been passionate about recreating the Indigenous narrative that has been misrepresented since the beginning of cinema. Sarah is excited to join the third season of CBC’s, ‘The Coroner’, Syfy’s newest comedy, ‘Resident Alien’, and the upcoming, 'Reservation Dogs' created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. Sarah is also the owner of Totem Designs where she creates one-of-a-kind dreamcatchers with a modern twist. She was proud to represent this traditional artform as one of five Indigenous artists out of eight hundred artisans at the 2019 One of a Kind Show in Toronto and was featured in the 2019 Christmas Gift Guide on HGTV.com. Sarah’s upcoming projects include executive producing and starring in CBC’s ‘The Red’ and shooting a second season of SyFy’s, ‘Resident Alien’ and the 4th season of ‘The Coroner’ this summer.
Insta @_totem_designs_