This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life

By: Erica J. Schmidt
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  • Summary

  • Welcome to This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life! In this podcast, writer Erica J. Schmidt talks to people who may—or may not—have had the chance to transform their lives into spectacular TED talks. Cherished guests include Erica’s beloved grandmother, talented fringe performers, and more fascinating folks from across generations and communities. Discover new takes on creativity, morning routines, art, mental health, eating disorder recovery, perfectionism, and healing, plus a loving advice column segment in almost every episode. Oh, and sometimes there are tiny singsongs!

    About the host: Erica J. Schmidt is a writer, translator, storyteller, and recovering gifted child living in Montréal. She is currently querying a novel about that time she fell in love with her eleventh therapist. To learn more, check out Erica’s generously personal essays at ericajschmidt.com/blog

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Art Psychology Hygiene & Healthy Living
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Episodes
  • Singing For Bliss With Kathy Kennedy

    Singing For Bliss With Kathy Kennedy
    Oct 16 2024
    This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life welcomes marvellous community builder, multi-disciplinary sound artist, and relative social butterfly Kathy Kennedy. I met Kathy at one of the 17 Christmas parties she was invited to in 2022. Before that I knew her from when she directed the extraordinary women’s choir Choeur Maha. A conversation and a half with Kathy and I soon discovered that Kathy is as iconic as her far-reaching projects. Her magic awaits, right here on your favourite podcast platform! We even have a few hot takes from Kathy’s spectacular recordings. Listen all the way through, and check out the time stamps below to savour the highlights! (Full shownotes here.)Kathy Kennedy’s Episode00:00 Rousing and arousing intro song and bio 3:07 Quick and very fun break! Don’t forget to follow This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life and leave a five-star review. Also, please track down Erica and Kathy on Instagram and across the interwebs. 4:22 Interview starts. Question One: How did Kathy get started on her journey to creating this very unique art that requires a certain amount of equipment, a lot of skill? Turns out, Kathy moved from the Gaspé to Montréal as a tween. The assault of noise pollution and hormones left a drastic impact. 7:20 On Kathy’s lifelong fascination: the difference between listening and hearing. 8:05 The definition of acoustic ecology: the study of living beings and their sonic environment. This field was initially ununcovered by R. Murray Schafer who happens to be a Canadian. Go, R. Murray Schafer! His obituary on the cbc.ca was a pretty good read!8:55 Noise pollution and industry in nature, particularly in the ocean is affecting our animal friends. Whales are having a hard time mating! So are the humans. And they’ve discovered that birds are chirping at a higher decibel. 9:30 To cope with the grating sonar landscape, Kathy turned to art and sound (plus a touch of drugs and rock ‘n roll). Thank 11:10 The importance of bringing people together to sing. Kathy believes that singing is our birthright and not just for Celine and American idols. Kind of like Lynne Adams says that if you have a body, you are a dancer, Kathy insists that if you have a voice, then you are a singer! She says, “Singing is a gift.” Be that happy person who’s singing along to the radio in the supermarket. 17:30 Voice coaching and the healing power of helping people find, accept, and embrace their true voice. “I’m trying to focus on the concept of your voice healing you and making you feel good as opposed to wanting to sound any particular way.” 23:03 Fun excerpt from Kathy’s lovingly and painstakingly mixed recordings.23:53 How does Kathy get invited to so many parties? Kathy shares the interesting conundrum of being an introverted workaholic artist whose projects overlap with all kinds of wonderful people. Hear about Kathy’s vision of the good enough café, a non-pretentious opportunity for people to eat and commune in a not amazing but good enough place for her peeps to hang out and luxuriate in each other’s company like it’s the eighties in Montréal.31:01 Another soothing and invigorating excerpt of Kathy’s splendid recording!31:34 Like Daniel Allen Cox, Kathy Kennedy is yet another house fire twin! Kathy shares how her apartment fire was nothing short of a miracle that led her into a state of bliss (and possibly a touch of mania). 44:17 Listener Question from Hurt Inner Child: A daughter looks to her mother for support after a job interview. Guess how that went? Kathy and Erica can’t fix it, but they have thoughts about when to call your parents for best results. 56:28 Our last little bit from Kathy’s exquisite sound art.56:40 Morning routines, creative routines, cleaning routines, and Kathy’s spectacular TED talk: Kathy’s rituals in plant care, the struggle to transcend technology and fumble into a flow state, how to navigate neighbours and loud hobbies, procrasticleaning, rage cleaning, and more. Stay tuned for Kathy’s imminent book!Half-bad ukulele segment: If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot. Thank you to Lisa at Ukulele Fools for this delightful tutorial. Sing along loud and proud and if you’re playing along, we have the capo on 1!Thank you, Kathy Kennedy! What a blast!Links, Resources, and Recommended EpisodesFollow Kathy Kennedy on Instagram @kathykennedy.ca or on Facebook. Her glorious website is kathykennedy.ca.Follow Erica on Facebook or Instagram or check out her website at ericajschmidt.com. You can also make her day by sending her a listener question to any of these places.Recommended Episodes: 5 Rhythms With Lynne Adams, Hot Dates Frenching With Lou Laurence, and Moments of Joy With Al Lafrance.Listener Question from Hurt Inner ChildDear Erica and Kathy, My relationship with my mother has always been complicated. Most recently, I had a job interview I felt really confident about. I called her right after telling her how I had a ...
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Better Out Than In With Alo Azimov

    Better Out Than In With Alo Azimov
    Oct 1 2024
    I had my first conversation with Alo Azimov during my two-star summer of wretched mental health.Before that I knew Alo from her candid and hilarious stand-up sets at queer-friendly venues across the city. If you’ve been at the same shows as Alo, you’ll recognize her unmistakeable and uproarious laughter that reverberates the venue walls and vodka bottles. In the throes of my break-up grief (and worse), I told Alo about one terrible day after another, the crapshoot of emotional regulation, and whether to embark on a fraught course of pharmaceuticals. As I vented, I discovered that Alo was a conscientious, compassionate conversationalist, and I thought, when the podcast comes back to life, she needs an episode. So, here we are!ALO AZIMOV’S EPISODEOn the pod, we talk about Alo’s comedic origin story, how she used to have to wear baggy hoodies so that people couldn’t see how much she was sweating and shaking, how failure became a motivator to keep getting up on stage, how she eventually overcame most of her performance anxiety and how she overcame most of her performance anxiety (with a little help from therapy). We discuss the difference between comedy and storytelling, citing my darling bestie Sherwin who claims that storytelling comes from the heart, while comedy aims lower from your gut and your junk. Alo shares her mental health journey, and how her bipolar disorder affects and does not affect her comedy. (Hint: You don’t have to be manic to be an artist, and medication will not destroy all your creativity.) We dig into medication, with its ups and downs and tradeoffs. (NEVER GO OFF YOUR MEDS BASED ON ANYTHING YOU HEAR ON THIS PODCAST OR THE INTERNET!) There’s some talk of lost will to live and suicidal ideation, but we infuse tough topics with riveting charm, and in general, the content warning is milder than anticipated. Our listener question from My House Smells Really Bad! Please Help! features a devastating roommate conundrum. Alo and Erica can’t fix it—but our thoughts are pragmatic and decisive. Make sure to listen to the end for Alo’s morning, creative, and cleaning routines, plus the title and topic of her life’s most spectacular TED talk. Like Alo, this is a thoughtful and generous episode, and the perfect interview to break the sad summer hiatus. THANK YOU, ALO!LINKS AND RECOMMENDED EPISODESFULL SHOWNOTES ON ERICA’S WEBSITEAlo Azimov, LIVE AT LADYFEST MONTREAL with Abby Stonehouse on House of Stone PodcastFollow Alo on Instagram @alo_aziCatch Alo’s performances at Stand-up Saint Henri, the Polymic, and Tales of Gender Affirmation.Follow Erica on Facebook or Instagram or check out her website at ericajschmidt.com. You can also make her day by sending her a listener question to any of these places.And if you enjoyed this episode, you’ll love Painting Boundaries with Painting Boundaries With Bean Nunnerley, Dream Jobs With John Cotrocois, and Laughs for All With Abby Stonehouse.ABOUT ALO AZIMOVAlo Azimov is a cherished comedian, host, and producer on the Montréal stand-up scene. She is also a delightful audience member. Her laughter is unmistakable and beautifully encouraging. It makes the whole show a better place. Alo’s stand-up offers an eclectic mix of hilarious musings on mental health, family problems, gender identity, and the absurd anecdotes that make life worth remembering. You can catch Alo on stages across the city, with regular appearances at Stand-up Saint Henri,the Polymic, and Tales of Gender Affirmation, which she founded and produces and which offers a supportive and empowering environment for queer and trans artists.LISTENER QUESTION FROM MY HOUSE SMELLS REALLY BAD! PLEASE HELP!Dear Erica and Alo,I live in a student house with 3 other tenants, I'm only really friends with 2 of them although not through lack of effort, the other girl just does not give me nor anyone the time of day. Always awkward in passing and never more than a one-word response in conversation. She is somewhat friends with the other girl we live with and she has told me that she hasn't washed her bedding all year - maybe 10months. She is disgusting, her room smells vile of just body odur from I can only assume is clothes and bedding that's gone unwashed and is so messy and dirty it looks like it should be on a hoarder programme.Now I don't want to make comments on her room as she doesn't know I've seen it (the other girl showed me because she was concerned) but I have messaged about the smell because it's really quite disgusting as it's built more over time and guests/visitors/girlfriends/boyfriends have all commented on it, literally everyone who has visited the house. The main issue here is how do I get her to change?! She ignored my message and the smell is so bad I can smell her B.O. in my room (our doors are adjacent). It's one thing to smell like that but its another to not make any effort but what can I do next to try and resolve this? Any help is appreciated because my...
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Alexia and Erica Can’t Fix It. But We Have Thoughts. (Summer Sprinkles Edition)

    Alexia and Erica Can’t Fix It. But We Have Thoughts. (Summer Sprinkles Edition)
    Jul 30 2024
    Back due to wild popularity, we have the exuberant and life-enhancing, Alexia Côté, here for yet another all-advice episode. Tune in as we tackle a fascinating round of puzzling-to-devastating listener questions. Quandaries/Train Wrecks come from:The Best Friend Fadeaway: She’s drifting apart from her ostensibly draining and judgy BFF. Should she just let the friendship fizzle? Is a mature and honest conversation truly necessary?I Wanna Look Cute on Tinder Too: An identical twin uses pictures from her photogenic sister to land dates on the apps. Does this count as catfishing? Must she stop?Playing Second Fiddle to Her Little Brother: He snoops and finds his girlfriend might be hot for a family friend she calls her “Little Brother.” They even have a pact to get married if they’re both single when he finishes college. Is this the mess it feels like, or is he being paranoid?Alexia and Erica can’t fix it. But we have thoughts.Since she last appeared on Episode 20 of This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life, Alexia has enjoyed a delightful whirlwind of creative thrills. For example, she got into Montreal Fringe last minute and totally nailed it. La Germaine et le Vieux Criss premiered to rave reviews and two Frankie nominations including Best Storytelling Show. Congratulations, Alexia! Follow Alexia on Instagram @sidealexia so you don’t miss her next exciting news. In more upsetting news, Montréal’s beloved Mainline Theatre recently experienced dramatic flooding. They were already hoping to raise a bunch of funds to account for pandemic losses. But now with the extensive damages, they need our help more than ever. The fundraiser is doing great, but it would be splendid if we could give them some extra support. Every bit helps. Here’s the link to the fundraiser. Thank you so much!Half-bad Ukulele Segment: Seabird by the Alessi Brothers. Solidly half-bad!If you enjoyed this episode, you will also enjoy, Moments of Joy With Al Lafrance, and Caroline and Erica Can’t Fix It, and Erica and Alexia Can’t Fix It. But We Have Thoughts.Thank you so much for listening! To support this independent podcast, please consider purchasing a Lil and Bud dog greeting card at ericajschmidt.com/merch. You can also make a one-time donation here at The Donate Button. Feel free to get in touch for other sponsorship possibilities. My infinite thanks for all of this.More infinite thanks, as always, to Taes Leavitt (darling big sister, Big Heart Journey), Sherwin Tjia (technical and creative advisor, Sherwin’s Quirky Events, Episode 22) and my dearly departed aunt Eileen Gun, whose generous gift helped to fund my new podcast equipment. And infinite thanks to you, my dear listeners! Stay tuned for more episodes extra soon. Don’t forget to follow This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life on your favourite podcast platform. And if you enjoyed this episode, I would be immensely grateful if you could share it with a friend and/or leave a kind and enthusiastic rating and review.
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    53 mins

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