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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Episodes
  • 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 EPISODE On 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 (but therapy helped too). 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 WEBSITE Alo 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 girlfriend now doesn't want to visit. Love, My House ...
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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
  • Moment(s) of Joy With Al Lafrance

    Moment(s) of Joy With Al Lafrance
    Jul 2 2024
    Today my guest is the Montreal Fringe and Canadian Heartthrob Al Lafrance. I caught Al during this year’s Fringe and it was a dream come true. Over iced tea and zero air conditioning, we reminisce about Al’s prolific Fringe and haiku career, his cringey and champion insomnia, how not sleeping and other mental health adventures help and don’t help creativity, how Al’s brain’s doing now, thrift stores, hoarding, cleaning routines, plus a 5-star listener question from How Much Tea Should I Spill, a would-be artist who’s dying to write their juicy and incriminating opus but they’re worried they’re family will sue them. And not to be missed, we wrap up with Al’s first and last singing performance of everybody’s favourite punk rock 90s hit Basket Case. Transcend the bottom of the u-shaped curve with moments of joy with Al Lafrance. If you love Al’s soothing and hilarious, spot-on rambly shows, you will love this episode.About Al LafranceAl Lafrance is a veteran and idol in the delicate and risky art of the one-human show. (We all know these can go either way. But for Al, they always go the right way!) Time and again, Al has taken to the stage in bare feet and a statement t-shirt. He is famous for enthralling audiences and leading them to laugh their faces off. Al has the enviable gift of infusing humour and fascination into life’s most unlikely crevices, whether that’s insomnia, trampoline injuries, fast food jobs, beards, mental health, or obscure award-winning board games. To watch Al Lafrance do his thing is to be captivated, to restore your faith in humanity and to rediscover the magic of creativity. Same thing goes for listening to this interview!Follow Al Lafrance on Instagram @notsoweirdalSlide into Al’s DMs and tell him all about your creative failures and moments of joy! Bonus points for selfies of you in a rubber chicken hat!Al Lafrance’s WebsiteStay tuned for tickets to Al’s Show Is This Yours, This August 16-25 at the Edmonton Fringe FestivalResources and Recommended EpisodesIsland of the Sequinned Love Nun by Christopher MooreIf you enjoyed this episode, you will also enjoy, Quirky Events With Sherwin Tjia, Default Creative Settings With Paul de Tourreil, Hot Dates and Frenching With Lou Laurence, andErica and Alexia Can’t Fix It. But We Have Thoughts.Half Bad Ukulele Segment: Basket Case. Thank youUkulele Cheats for this splendid ukulele tutorial!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.Listener Question With How Much Tea Should I Spill?Dear Erica and Al,I have all these crazy stories from my family and fucked up childhood. I want to turn them into art, butI’m worried about compromising other people’s privacy. Some of the parties involved have not treated me well. In these cases, I don’t care about their feelings and feel like any repercussions would be worth it. At the same time, I don’t want to jeopardize my relationships with certain friends and siblings. Plus, couldn’t anybody take me to court and sue me? How do I write my opus while avoiding a lawsuit and other complications?Love, How Much Tea Should I Spill?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 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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    1 hr and 17 mins
Art Psychology Hygiene & Healthy Living
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