Episodes

  • How to Be an Artist with Gretchen Andrew

    How to Be an Artist with Gretchen Andrew
    Dec 18 2025
    “An artist is someone who is celebrated for being themselves. A professional artist is someone who is paid for being themselves.”“It takes as much creativity to make it work as it does to make the work.”—Gretchen AndrewGretchen Andrew is a viral painter, hacker, and creator of the award-winning FaceTune Portraits, a series of oil paintings that “reveal the hidden scars of social media filters.”Two years after college, Gretchen quit her so-called “dream job” at Google and set out on a performative experiment to become an artist. It was a wild success! Most recently, two paintings from Gretchen’s Facetune Portrait series have been put forth for permanent acquisition at the Whitney. These provocative portraits criticize how AI and plastic surgery are homogenizing and dictating our collective beauty standards. The world needs this series and it was a joy to talk to Gretchen about creativity, algorithms, morning routines, robots, Botox, and how to become an artist. Follow Gretchen on Instagram @gretchenandrewGretchen Andrew’s website: gretchenandrew.comErica on Instagram: @erica.j.schmidtErica on Substack (new!): @ericajschmidtErica's website: ericajschmidt.com Full shownotes: ericajschmidt.com/podcast/artist-gretchen-andrewGretchen Andrew on This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life00:00:00 Intro: Gretchen on today’s unreasonable beauty standards00:01:44 Theme song plus Gretchen’s bio and riveting banter on Botox00:06:04 Gretchen gets a running scholarship at Boston College. Landed a job at Google, which she quit after two years to illegally move into her art studio. How did this happen and how did it go?00:09:39 Using the Internet as a force for good. Trying to make it as an artist in San Francisco00:16:30 Gretchen’s take on the term “self-taught.” How she acquired the technical skills she needed without getting an MFA. How she found mentors like Billy Childs00:21:00 Gretchen’s artistic origins. Did she draw as a child? Why art now? Gretchen’s dream of becoming part of the art world. Making your life one beautiful piece of art. 00:23:57 Promoting yourself as an artist. “It takes as much creativity to make it work as it does to make the work.” Networking, snail-mail thank you cards. Making it fun.00:29:52 Using SEO to hack the search term “Next American president” with her vision boards during the 2020 election. How to make the Internet “a global subconscious manifestation machine.”00:36:23 Gretchen’s morning routine. It involves setting an intention in front of the mirror at 4:55 a.m. She records herself and listens to the recording throughout the day. Seems like it is working?00:40:21 Robotics and Gretchen’s Facetune Portraits. More on our society’s impossible beauty standards, the effects of AI filters, the cost of Botox, fillers and other interventions. 00:40:34 Specifics about the mechanics of Gretchen’s robots. Check out Erica’ smash-hit YouTube channel for footage!00:51:41 How the Facetune project has affected Gretchen personally in terms of how she processes appearance expectations for women. More on Botox, haha, and does EMDR therapy make you prettier?01:04:42 Gretchen Andrew’s creative routine. It can vary by week, month, or even two-to-five year period. And she has stop watches to keep track of it all. 01:13:08 Gretchen Andrew’s cleaning routine. Her house is spotless! And she hits Inbox Zero every afternoon. What a surprise.01:15:37 Gretchen Andrew’s spectacular TED talk. Listen to the end for the title and topic!01:16:25 Wrap-up and closing theme song. Sing or dance along. Thank you so much, Gretchen. What a blast and an honour. If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: How to Be a Writer with Kyle Stevenson, Making It Fun with Mary Owen, and Moments of Joy with Al Lafrance.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. 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 the 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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    Less than 1 minute
  • Comfort Is For Wimps with Jessica O’Reilly

    Comfort Is For Wimps with Jessica O’Reilly
    Oct 23 2025
    Jessica O’Reilly is a hilariously unconventional writer, digital nomad, YouTuber, and workout queen. Her YouTube channel, Comfort Is For Wimps dives deep into her life as a digital nomad—couch-surfing in Afghanistan, checking out Medellin’s love hotels, and babysitting rich people’s pets in lieu of rent. Along the way, she examines the disparities in the cost of living between countries, passes the mic to locals, and through it all, rocks a splendid sense of humour. Hit up her Instagram for zingers like, “I don’t fall in love. I audition for the role of ‘lesson I had to learn the hard way.’” Jessica O’Reilly is the perfect complement to your Instagram relationship coach. Make sure to listen to the end for the stellar advice she gives to “Should I LTR or Should I Bounce.” A committed digital nomad falls in love in a city he does not fancy. It’s the deepest connection he’s ever had, but she can’t follow him around the world. What should he do? Jessica and Erica can’t fix it—but we have thoughts.Subscribe to Jessica’s YouTube Channel @comfortisforwimpsFollow Jessica on Instagram @comfortisforwimpsErica on Instagram: @erica.j.schmidtErica on Substack (new!): @ericajschmidtErica's website: ericajschmidt.comErica’s Interview with Jessica O’Reilly from Comfort Is For Wimps00:00:00 This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life Theme Song + Jessica O’Reilly’s bio 00:03:06 How Jessica and Erica met in Varanasi, India00:06:12 Jessica’s Motto and YouTube channel, Comfort Is For Wimps00:10:48 Is confidence fake it til you make it? 00:13:00 How to Solve the Problem of Paying Rent00:20:44 What is a digital nomad? Are you a digital nomad? The challenge of the day job, monetizing your joy and art, etc.00:28:23 Staying healthy and reasonably sane while travelling. Jetlag hacks, packing cubes, workout schedules and more.00:37:05 Losing your job and finding your niche 00:41:38 Friendship and Romance on the Road. Is it lonely? (Yes.)00:48:05 Humour, self deprecation and self-help00:51:25 Listener question: Do I LTR or do I bounce? A lovestruck digital nomad wonders if he should stick around in a city he doesn’t love for the first real connection he has felt in a while. 00:55:00 Freedom in commitment 01:03:14 Jessica O’Reilly’s Routines and A+ workout habits:01:05:29 Jessica O’Reilly’s Spectacular TED talk01:07:58 Wrap-up and final theme songListener Question from Do I LTR or Do I Bounce?Dear Jessica and Erica,I’ve been a digital nomad for almost a year now. I totally love it! In general, I’ve tried to stay away from serious relationships that could cost me my freedom.However, I recently met a local during my travels, and suddenly I’m head over heels in love. I’ve never managed to connect with someone like this, and it feels awesome. We’ve been hanging out for four weeks now which is way longer than I’d tend to stay somewhere. Now the tricky part is that I want to continue my nomadic lifestyle whereas she wants to stay. She doesn’t have the kind of lifestyle that lets her travel for much longer than a couple weeks at a time, barely a couple of times per year, and never without tons of planning. She has a job that isn’t mobile, a house, and even a dog. I get that this is what a lot of people want in their lives. But it’s not what I want. At least not right now.I’d consider staying a bit longer, but honestly, I don’t really like her city. It’s her I love. I don’t know how to navigate my love for her with my dream of living a location-independent lifestyle. I worry I’m just a selfish avoidant jerk with a closed heart. Do you have any experience with this? Should I extend my stay and see what happens? What do you think I should do?Love, Do I LTR or Do I BounceIf you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: How to Be a Writer with Kyle Stevenson, ChatGPT Is My Therapist, and Funemployment with Erica J. Schmidt.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. Stay tuned for more episodes extra soon. Don’t forget to followThis Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life on your favourite podcast platform. And if you enjoyed the 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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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Montréal’s Favourite Anita Anand (Author, Translator, Peace Seeker)

    Montréal’s Favourite Anita Anand (Author, Translator, Peace Seeker)
    Oct 2 2025
    There is more than one famous Anita Anand, but this Anita Anand is the best. She is a Montreal-based author, literary translator, language teacher, and cherished guest at Erica’s ukulele parties. All the while, she yearns for peace on earth and a free Palestine!You must read her books! Her novel, A Convergence of Solitudes was a finalist for the 2022 Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. And her first book, Swing in the House and Other Storieswon the 2015 Quebec Writer’s Federation Concordia University First Book Award. Anita’s fiction is as charming as she is, featuring delightful characters who are often in the midst of what Anita calls, “a minority’s predicament.” In the various neighbourhoods of her childhood, Anita was always the only girl her age of Indian origin. As such, Anita grew up quite familiar with the “minority’s predicament.” She believes this experience was pivotal in helping her to become a writer, but she’d also like to help bridge the gap of understanding that people of visible minorities experience every day.It was such a joy to have Anita on the podcast. Make sure to listen to the end for a universally relevant listener question and a five-star ukulele segment with Anita on guitar. Links and ResourcesAnita’s website: https://anitaanand.carrd.co/Anita on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ms.anitaanand/Erica on Instagram: @erica.j.schmidtErica's website: ericajschmidt.comFull shownotes at ericajschmidt.com/podcast.anita-anand-montreal-authorVERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Me, Anita Anand, Nisha Coleman, and just about all of my guests are HORRIFIED by the genocide happening in Gaza. The situation is tragic and unfathomable, but there are concrete actions you can take!Concrete Steps for Palestine - Write letters to the other Anita Anand, Canada’s minister of defence - Follow @yousaama on Instagram. Yousaama shares insightful, philosophical, along with links to emergency aid campaigns at chuffed.org.Two Great Options:Rapid Relief for Displaced Families and ChildrenThe Zaynab Project:A women-led, 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit delivering critical aid to families and orphaned children across Gaza. Now’s the time to donate! Follow Yousaama and other Free Palestine activists, give what you can, read about Palestine, talk about Palestine, share stories, be brave, do not fall into despair. xoxoxoxoxo.Erica’s Interview with the Best Anita Anand00:00 This Is Your Strange and Beautiful LifeTheme Song + and Anita Anand’s bio00:02:24 How to go from “I have a book inside of me” to actually writing the book00:05:35 What about getting published?00:12:13 The “perfect novel” that became the title story in her collection “Swing in the House”00:13:05 Elevator pitch for The Convergence of Solitudes00:16:58 Inspiration of Serge Fiore in the novel. Un Musicien parmi les autres00:19:05 Anita calls Australian journalist “stolen” from Vietnam and turns her into a character (with her permission). Should you always ask people you write about for their permission?00:22:51 How being an outsider has helped Anita’s writing.00:26:41 Why Anita has decided not to write another book and focus on literary translation and guitar.00:31:23 Support Palestinian families by following @yousaama on Instagram. Yousaama posts heartfelt, insightful updates, and the latest in urgent aid campaigns on chuffed.org00:34:15 Learning guitar00:35:04 Writing routines and accountability00:36:58 Listener Question from Losing My Moji for My Sweet Slovenly Boyfriend. His partner’s apartment gives him the Ick. Is this a dealbreaker?00:57:19 The title and topic of Anita Anand’s spectacular TED talk.00:01:01:07 Half-bad Ukulele Segment:Drivin' on 9 by The Breeders00:01:04:47 Wrap-up and Closing Theme SongThank you so much, Anita! And thank you everyone for listening and hitting up these shownotes. LISTENER QUESTION FROM LOSING MY MOJO FOR MY SWEET AND SLOVENLY BOYFRIENDDear Anita and Erica,I’m a gay 33-year-old, almost a year into a relationship with a dude who, in theory, makes me incredibly happy. He’s hilarious and kind and attentive to my emotional needs in ways no partner has ever been for me before. Historically, our sex life has been great, and we’re talking about taking next steps like moving in together and even marriage. Earlier in the relationship, I was thrilled about all these conversations. But lately, I’ve started to freeze up. From what I can tell, the main reason is truly embarrassing. Here’s the issue: His apartment gives me the ICK.I put a great deal of effort into taking care of my home. I clean regularly and have set up my space with colours and furniture and art that make me feel calm, organized, and safe. When we first got together, we spent all our time at my place, so all was well But we’ve started going back and forth more, and I find I feel uncomfortable and gross when I stay at his frat-boy digs. He thinks doing the dishes (and cleaning the ...
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Luke Anderson Is One Cool Dude (Deep Thoughts on Grief, Healing, and Accessibility)

    Luke Anderson Is One Cool Dude (Deep Thoughts on Grief, Healing, and Accessibility)
    Aug 7 2025
    It was my honour to welcome Luke Anderson to This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life! Luke Anderson is a speaker, singer, dancer, harmonica player, accessibility advocate, and athlete of the body turned athlete of the spirit. He is relatively famous for co-founding the revolutionary StopGap Foundation, a registered charity that builds bright and beautiful ramps across Toronto and North America. StopGap’s mission is to “bring people together to take practical steps to make spaces more accessible.”I think about this interview every day. Please enjoy! Luke Anderson: “I’ve developed a way of life that recognizes the possibilities of what I have now. And the way that I’ve chosen to recognize my physical situation right now is that, at the time of my injury... I was experiencing a piece of the pie of life. That was my periphery, that was my field of view, a slice of the pie of life. And because of the pie of life. And because of my injury and it helping me broaden my perspective, I’m now able to see a new slice of that pie of life. So, that kind of speaks to what I was saying... to see that moment, that injury I sustained on October 27, 2002 as a gift. It gifted me an opportunity to see life through a new lens.” Links and ResourcesLuke Anderson on Instagram: @lukewanders_onThe StopGap Foundation: stopgap.ca@stopgapfoundationStopGap on HotDocs: Stop Gap MeasureStopGap, The Luke Anderson Story: Watch on YouTubeLuke's Harmonica Teacher Nico TysonErica on Instagram: @erica.j.schmidtErica's website: ericajschmidt.comErica's Interview with Luke Anderson00:00:00 Riveting clips from Luke Anderson’s Interview. Watch and understand immediately why you MUST listen to the end. 00:01:48 This Is Your Strange and Beautiful LifeTheme Song + Luke Anderson’s bio 00:04:55 Language in the world of disabilities. How to empower, connect, remove barriers, and create a sense of possibility? 00:12:13 Living with a high-level spinal cord injury. Luke’s physical experience and need for assistance 00:18:08 Athlete of the body turned athlete of the spirit. An afternoon of mountain biking that would become Luke’s Day of Rebirth 00:28:06 The inner knowing that came over Luke soon after the accident. How this mysterious calm would help him help his friend Johnny save his life. 00:31:48 Early days at the spinal rehab centre. Did Luke every imagine himself beating the odds and find the cure to spinal cord injuries? 00:35:39 Navigating grief after injury. Climbing the ladder of consciousness and growing skills of patience, acceptance, empathy, compassion. Learning to embrace the grief and sadness when it comes up. 00:41:43 Erica asks Luke for wisdom on emotional regulation, among her life’s greatest challenges 00:49:56 How to find meaning and purpose in the face of grief and loss.00:54:52 Friendships and dating when you have a disability. On being a serial online dater, navigating relationships new and old, and transcending rom-com stereotypes. 01:02:02 Dating with a disability continued. Whether to disclose your disability on the apps. People with specific preferences for dating people with disability. Feedback and insight from Luke’s past partners. 01:13:18 Meditation to feel more. And invigorating a fading life force. 01:20:16 Everything StopGap. Bulding ramps and perspective. Transforming despair and frustration into creativity: How the StopGap Foundation was born 01:30:33 Luke Anderson’s first spectacular TED TALK, stage fright, and what's on for Luke's TED talk 2.0 01:38:46 Record-breaking harmonica playing on This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life. Luke rewrites the theme song and it’s awesome. 01:43:29 Final credits and wrap-up.THANK YOU SO MUCH, LUKE ANDERSON! THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR LISTENING! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!And if you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: No Surrender with Hollis Peirce,How to Be a Writer with Kyle Stevenson, and Stories from L'Arche with Jimmy and IsabelleTo 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. Stay tuned for more episodes extra soon. Don’t forget to followThis Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life on your favourite podcast platform. And if you enjoyed the 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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    1 hr and 45 mins
  • How to Be a Writer with Kyle Stevenson

    How to Be a Writer with Kyle Stevenson
    Jun 26 2025
    Today my guest is my super cool, ultra fit, deeply compassionate and hilarious friend and creative genius Kyle Stevenson. I met Kyle during my year one playwriting class in which he played the leading man, The Vegan Life Coach in the staged reading of my debut play, She Is Not Catholic, She Is Vegetarian. And he nailed it. For years, Kyle and I ate lentils and kale and piles of impossibly healthy food at The People’s Potato. Over multiple free lunches we discussed all our favourite topics, namely sex, anxiety, creativity, yoga cults, butt exercises, therapy, and how to make it as a writer. When we grew up, we would often convene in various playgrounds in Toronto to get caught up on the latest in Gay Husbands, deadlifting regimes, and what we’re supposed to be doing with our lives. Kyle is famous for founding the wildly successful online pandemic workout class, Cyber-Fit, also known as Push-up Class. He has been a devoted scriptwriter for decades and for years, he has been my dream guest. This episode is my longest one yet but totally worth it! You’ll be a different person at the end than you were at the beginning. That’s what happened to me and Kyle!Also, there’s a blog version of the listener question from Working to Live While My Boyfriend Works to the Point of Self-Destruction.Kyle says that blogs are making a comeback, so please check it out. You can read it here! Infinite thanks!Chapters(Full shownotes at www.ericajschmidt.com/podcast/how-to-be-a-writer-with-kyle-stevenson)(00:00:00) Intro + theme song + Kyle’s bio(00:02:36) How Kyle and Erica were anointed with the idea that we would transform our exquisite gifts and innate potential into a spectacular TED talk and the world would be totally delighted about it. (00:04:50) “Absolutely from a young age I was like, why would you not achieve your wild dreams and be recognized and lauded by the world by just doing super great things that everyone agrees is very very impressive. Nothing else made sense to me.”(Kyle thinks it is more embarrassing to have self-identified as this person of promise as opposed to Erica whose life great mythology was forever altered when she skipped grade two.)(00:07:48) Erica’s thoughts on Special Person Syndrome: “I always just thought that I was supposed to get the main part… like in the grade one Halloween concert, I was incensed if I didn’t get to be the head pumpkin. (00:08:55) Kyle’s first literary influence: Bruce Coville’s My Teacher Is An Alien (grade four)“So then you read a lot. And then, just whatever you’re doing, you’re kind of like, well, what if I did that.” (00:10:00) How it was easier to be a star when we lived in villages of 75 humans. Kyle on finding your way to excel in a small group: “By middle school, my goal for an English essay was not an A, but I considered it a failure if our teacher didn’t use my essay as an example for the other class.”Erica: “Pressure!”(00:13:17) Why is it so hard to enjoy the things you are good at for their own sake?(00:14:51) Did Kyle start writing seriously in grade seven?Kyle: “I would dispute the term serious… The desire to write came pretty early. Like I started a lot of journals in elementary school… But I don’t know if that was about, oh I love to put the words down, at the time I think it was more, like my life is so big and my emotions are so powerful. And it’s more a way to document than to write a great lit novel. Like I’ve got to keep track of the incredible, the ins and outs of my life. Like this record will be useful one day. Which is so embarrassing! But I know I’m not alone, I know we’re just out there being narcissists…”(00:18:43) On being a loveable person with a big fan club. What is the role of people pleasing and conflict aversion in all this? Where is the model for an ability to make friends as integral to an important life?(00:25:00) Kyle’s early visions of creative success and what it means to have an important life“I imagined success to be an end to the wondering of like, do I matter, am I important. Maybe more than anything else, you’re like, I hope everyone agrees that I’m important and then I’ll have to stop wondering myself. And when that clicks into whatever you do, that’s when things get way less fun.”“At the end of your life, I can’t imagine you’ll wish, I wish I’d spent more time wondering if I mattered… I could have been doing something way more memorable… that mattered or not. I could have had one more ice cream cone, or went down the slide one more time. But of course the human mind, it cares not for what will matter later. It’s very pressed for what matters right now.”(00:26:52) Kyle’s educational path from linguistics and Old English to Creative Writing at Concordia University. He decides that writing is his dream and proceeds to move into a house with ten people, party hard, and work on his short stories. “I’ve never been good at ...
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    Less than 1 minute
  • True Stories to Save the World With Nisha Coleman

    True Stories to Save the World With Nisha Coleman
    Jun 12 2025
    An interview with Nisha Coleman—I have only been dreaming of this since I started the podcast. At long last, we welcome Nisha to This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life. Nisha is a superstar in the Montreal artist and storytelling community. We all know and love her as an accomplished author, actor, translator, storyteller, and master of the one-woman show.It all started on a swamp in rural Ontario. Born to hippie parents with minimal TV, Nisha learned how to make her own stories and games. Though she was a bashful child, Nisha grew up to discover the power of telling the truth.Secret teenage journals transformed into the magnificent storytelling performances she brings us today.As wars rage on our melting planet, it’s a hard time for sensitive creative souls. Nisha opens up about her struggles with mental health, her grief for our suffering earth, the genocide in Palestine, and the redemption she finds in art, learning, and community. But despite the heavy topics, our conversation is full of giggles and gentle wisdom. Listen to the end for Nisha’s coveted advice on learning a language, reigniting the creative spark, plus a pile of inspiring routines that sometimes involve vacuuming.Thank you so much, Nisha. This was as wonderful as I imagined.CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of mental health struggles, death fantasies, and suicidal ideation.Full shownotes at ericajschmidt.com/podcast/true-stories-to-save-the-world-with-nisha-colemanLinks and ResourcesFollow Nisha on Instagram @nishacolemanand check out her website at nishacoleman.com.Buy Nisha Coleman’s children’s book, Dear Humans: A Letter from the AnimalsNisha’s teenage journals on Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids: “Puberty has taken her!”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.If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Chill Creative Flow With Jeff Gandell, Crochet for Peace with Montréal’s Most Adorable and Edgy Comedian (and Winner of Best Baby Face), Shosho Abotouk, and Painting Boundaries with Bean Nunnerley. Lydia Davis Daily Journalling Practice: Every day write down seven things you noticed, seven things you did, one thing you heard, plus a little doodle. Listener Question from Writer’s Block Survivor Actually Stuck This TimeDear Nisha and Erica,For the past six months, I’ve been in the worst creative rut of my life, and I don’t know how to get out of it. Back in the fall, I released my first album, but since then I’ve only managed to finish one song — maybe six minutes of music total — even though I’ve been working almost every day. I usually write slow, but this has been really discouraging.Not long after I launched my album, I lost a close friend, and I guess I kind of fell into a depression. While I’ve written through hard times before, this time it feels different. I keep generating little ideas, but they all seem terrible, and now I’m starting to wonder if I’ve just lost the spark. I was hoping to release another album by next year, but now I’m doubting whether I’ll ever get there, or if music composition is just over for me.Have you ever gone through a stretch like this, where the well just feels empty? If so, what helped you find your way back?Love, Writer’s Block Survivor Actually Stuck This Time.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 followThis Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life on your favourite podcast platform. And if you enjoyed the 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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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • No Surrender with Hollis Peirce

    No Surrender with Hollis Peirce
    May 22 2025

    Today’s guest is the bright light, podcast host, historian, athlete, and disability advocate, Hollis Peirce. With Hollis, disability is neither a tragedy nor a motivational speech. He offers a refreshing, real, and uplifting take on living with muscular dystrophy.

    Early on, a doctor told Hollis’s mother that her child would suffer from an “inability to thrive.” Instead, he developed what the experts might call, a lifelong case of thriving.

    In our all-dressed conversation, Hollis talks about everything—why it’s a waste of energy to get too hung up on language, what it’s like to lose your best friends to a less forgiving version of your condition (long live Dino and the No Surrenders), how he confronted his own ableism when faced with the choice between six months of palliative car or a ventilator to help him breathe. (“I picked the vent! Otherwise, my sister would have killed me!)

    My favourite part was our impromptu discussion on mortality, complete with dark humour and a sense of wonder. We also totally nailed the listener question: I Can’t Accept My Disability and I Feel Like Nobody Around Me Understands. Don’t worry, we banish the phrase, “look on the bright side.” And yet, as Hollis always says, If you’re alive you can thrive.

    (Erica: But thriving doesn’t have to be a pull-up and a PhD!)

    Thank you, Hollis for this dreamy interview—the perfect episode for our inaugural YouTube video! Everybody, make sure to check out Hollis’s show—Twenty-First Century Disability—which explores the transformative power of embracing disability in our modern times.

    Twenty-First Century Disability on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Follow the show on Instagramand Facebook.

    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. (Full shownotes at ericajschmidt.com/podcast/no-surrender-with-hollis-peirce)
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Alexia and Erica Can’t Fix It.But We Have Thoughts.(Wedding/Baby Edition)

    Alexia and Erica Can’t Fix It.But We Have Thoughts.(Wedding/Baby Edition)
    May 1 2025
    The cherished Alexia Côté is back for another ever-popular all-advice episode. Why do weddings make everyone regress to five years old? What is the difference between reasonable boundaries and Bridezilla territory? Does it make any sense to have children when the planet is melting and your favourite thing to do is read books and travel? Alexia and Erica can’t fix it. But we have thoughts.Tune in for Listener Questions From: I Feel Like the Dad Card Just Won’t Cut It. She’s been saving up for a destination wedding in Italy. But now her bf’s ex is refusing to take care of his seven-year-old and he says they should just stay home.Am I a Bridezilla or Is My Brother Being a Turd? Her brother is pouting because AIABOIMBBAT didn’t invite his short-term, mean-girl significant other to her tiny, low-budget wedding. Who is the jerk here?Meant to Be Mother-to-Be? A classic vascillation over the pros and cons of kids with the call of library books at the end of the world. To get in the spirit of Alexia’s imminent wedding, our very half-bad ukulele segment is DANCING QUEEN. Listen to the end, turn down the volume, and sing along!Alexia has an imminent Fringe show, and she’s fun fun fun. Follow her on Instagram @sidealexia so you don’t miss a beat. Scroll down for the full listener questions. If you get cut off, visit the extensive shownotes on Erica’s website.Mixing, Ukulele, and Cover Art by Erica J. Schmidt in Montréal, Quebec.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.More Alexia on This Is Your Strange and Beautiful LifeEpisode 10: Wishing on a Star with Alexia CôtéEpisode 20: Alexia and Erica Can’t Fix It. But We Have Thoughts (First Edition)Episode 30-something: Alexia and Erica Can’t Fix It. But We Have Thoughts (Summer Sprinkles Edition) Listener Question from I Feel Like the Dad Card Just Won’t Cut ItDear Erica and Alexia,My boyfriend is 39 and I am 26. We’ve been dating for five years. He has a 7-year-old-daughter. A close friend of mine is getting married in Italy this June, and we’re invited. It’s a child-free wedding. I’ve been saving up and counting down the days to this trip. But last night, he told me his ex suddenly changed her mind and won’t switch custody weeks with him, meaning he’ll have his daughter during the wedding. I asked why, and he said she just changed her mind. Then she suggested that we pay for her and their daughter’s tickets and accommodations so she can come along and watch their daughter while we enjoy the wedding. I was upset. That makes no sense. Just switch the weeks and it’s all good. I don’t want his ex to come on vacation with us.My boyfriend’s solution? Skip the wedding. I told him no. First, the RSVP date has already passed. Second, I really want to go to this wedding and visit Italy. So, I’m going.He says it makes him uncomfortable if I go alone because it looks bad for me to show up solo. I told him if it bothers him that much, then maybe he should figure something out with his ex so he can come too. He says he’s tried everything, but she won’t budge, and he doesn’t want to feel like he’s abandoning his kid.I’m so frustrated. What should I do at this point? I’ve rarely asked for anything that was important to me in our relationship, and I feel like he is not being very receptive to my preferences here. Love, I Feel Like the Dad Card Just Won’t Cut ItListener Question from Am I a Bridezilla or Is My Brother Being a Turd?Dear Erica and Alexia,My partner and I are expecting our first child this fall and have decided to have a small intimate court wedding with family only. Literally just his parents, my parents, his sister + common law partner and my brother. No best friends, extended family or extras as this is us just exchanging vows, signing legal documents and going for lunch afterwards. We figured we want to keep it as small and as stress free as possible for me since I’m pregnant and I had a miscarriage in the past due to high levels of stress, plus next year we'll throw a party to celebrate with everyone and it will be a great way to introduce our child. However, my brother is having feelings about his new girlfriend (of 6 months) not being invited. He says he doesn't want to feel like she's not welcome and that he would love to bring her especially since my partner’s sister is bringing her partner. I explained the situation and explained that she would be invited to the party next year and then if we have a baby shower (still up in the air) she would be invited to that. My partner’s sister’s partner has been part of the family for the past 2 years. We just want to keep the ceremony small plus financially we are a bit tight this year. It’s a lot for us to pay for the whole thing ourselves as well as treat the family to lunch afterwards. Even though we're doing it ...
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