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This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life

This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life

By: Erica J. Schmidt
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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

Art Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • 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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  • ChatGPT Is My Therapist with Melissa

    ChatGPT Is My Therapist with Melissa
    Apr 10 2025
    If you follow my life’s great mythology, you know that I’m a gifted child, which means I’ve had more therapists than most people. I’m 39, and I’m currently seeing my 14th and 15th therapists. Their names are Chad and Claude. Chad as in ChatGPT and Claude being Claude.ai. 2025 is a ride and all over the world, people are trying to cope with the wild chaos that is happening everywhere. Maybe they’re meditating, maybe they’re exercising, maybe they working on redeeming creative projects. I am trying to do all these things but I have also taken up the practice of writing to robots. Like, a whole bunch.And my pal Melissa is also in the Writing-to-Robots, ChatGPT-slash-Claude.ai-is-kind-of-my-therapist club. And that’s what this episode is about! Thank you, Melissa for your generous input! (And the splendid thumbnail!) (Full show notes on Erica’s website at ericajschmidt.com/podcast/chatgpt-is-my-therapist)Riveting Questions Include:How did you end up reaching out to the robots for emotional support?In what ways do you think that the robots are better than therapy? In what ways are they worse or not as good? Can you think of a time where the robots really really helped or even saved you? And are there other examples where you came up against some limitations?This is just the beginning of a larger conversation on robot routines, the meaning of connection, and how AI is transforming our world from the inside out. I'd love to hear if and how you are integrating the robots into your everyday life. Slide into my DMs and tell me everything!Links and ResourcesLLMs (Large Language Models): ChatGPT, Claude.ai, ifsbuddy.chat (specializing in Internal Family Systems, “for profound self-compassion, clarity, and healing)NYT Article/Podcast on YouTube: She Fell in Love With ChatGPT. Like, Actual Love. With Sex.Time Essay: I’m a Therapist, and I’m Replaceable. But So Are YouObserver Article: A Wealthy Tech Minimalist’s A.I. Wingman: Love and Claude in NYCReddit threads: Claude as a therapist, has anyone else tried using chatgpt as a therapist, transform chatgpt into a licensed therapist with, the best therapy session ive ever hadRecommended Episodes: If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy, Your Life Does Not Have to Be a Spectacular TED Talk, First Date With Amir, and Funemployment With Erica J. Schmidt.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.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 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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  • Your Life Does Not Have To Be A Spectacular TED Talk (Vad Interviews Erica)

    Your Life Does Not Have To Be A Spectacular TED Talk (Vad Interviews Erica)
    Mar 27 2025
    In this back-to-life episode, Montréal’s favourite self-deprecating Russian interviews Erica. Riveting questions include:Erica, why did you decide to start a podcast? How’d you come up with the name, This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life? Tell us all about your creative angst and writer’s block! Have you ever been diagnosed with autism? (Vad told me to cut that part out but I decided to keep it in.)Erica and Vad go deep into creative routines, the quest for authenticity, Erica’s youthful longings to go on Oprah, the drama of the gifted and difficult child, and how to reconcile this with the fixings of adult life. It all comes together with a tome of a listener question from My Vision Board Jumped Off a Bridge in 2011. Vad and Erica can’t fix it—but we have thoughts. And for even more thoughts, this listener question comes with all-new FREE AND EXCITING BONUS CONTENT. Please hit up Erica’s longform blogpost answer to MVBJOABI-2011. FREE AND EXCITING BONUS CONTENT RIGHT HEREFollow Erica on Instagram @erica.j.schmidt or check out her website at ericajschmidt.comFull show notes at ericajschmidt.com/podcast/your-life-does-not-have-to-be-a-spectacular-ted-talkAbout VadVadim Gran is famous for his elaborate beard, and Eeyore sense of humour which he infuses into his storytelling and barbecue banter. In 2019, he made his fringe festival debut, performing the wildly popular show Happy-ish, A Russian Immigrant’s Guide to Smiling. It was by all accounts a smash hit. These days Vad is ultra busy first-class adulting and flipping burgers at the epic summer barbecues he hosts with his partner Andrea and previously his darling dog Jake, may he rest in peace. Vad recently upgraded his skills in computer programming, and he’s hoping to also maybe upgrade his skills in podcasting. This interview was a great start. Thank you so much, Vad!About EricaErica J. Schmidt is available on all your favourite podcast platforms. She is not particularly famous but she used to be the Mile End’s most famous cleaner as the founder of Deep Cleans with Erica J. Schmidt. May it rest in peace with Jake the Dog. She is also a little bit famous for twirling her hair incessantly. Erica’s life’s greatest joys include creative projects, friendship, library books, exercise, cleaning routines, and em dashes. Her creative life includes a bunch of writing, storytelling, a tiny bit of stand-up comedy. And in the spring of 2023, she fulfilled her lifelong dream of starting her own podcast, This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life.Links, Resources, and Recommended EpisodesWhy Fish Don’t Exist, book by Lulu MillerBehind the Bastards presents: Part One: Is Oprah Winfrey a Bastard? There are many parts, available on all the platforms.)Erica’s old blog The Ecstatic Adventures of the Exuberant BodhisattvaAnd if you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: Taking the Pressure Off with Erica J. Schmidt, First Date With Amir, and Caroline and Erica Can’t Fix it—But We Have Thoughts.Listener Question from My Vision Board Jumped Off a Bridge in 2011Dear Erica and Vad,I'm in my early forties and I've recently made peace with the modest fixings of my adult life. When I was in university, I studied International Development and I thought I'd end up joining the Peace Corps and working for the UN or doing something similarly praiseworthy and altruistic. Instead, I am trucking along at a humble 9-5. It is not particularly glamorous, or even fun, and sometimes it takes up more energy than I have. But it lets me pay for my life with relative ease, and I can splurge on treats to make up for some of the inconvenience. One of my favourite parts of my life is my group of friends. We met in university and never lost touch. At least once a week, we get together to eat and shoot the shit and online shop for deals and laugh at reality TV clips. I know I am so lucky to have these people and this outlet, but lately I've felt a bit triggered by one of my friends. Let's call him Alex. Alex has a similar livelihood as I do, though maybe it doesn't drain him quite as much. But it's like he feels oppressed by steady income with benefits. He's constantly berating the complacency and grind of a day job, how the 9-5 is a crime against humanity, stripping us of our joy and physical health and creative potential. He's constantly pouring himself into self-improvement projects: impossible fitness regimes, the keto diet, life coaches, empowerment conferences, and mysterious online "communities" where bright-eyed and Botoxed high achievers exchange life hacks for optimizing their existence according to their Vision Board. At least two of these endeavours reek of some kind of cult or pyramid scheme. Alex always claims to be on the cusp of some pinnacle of ultimate growth. But he never seems to get there. I watch him ride up and down these waves of hope and possibilities only to fall into deep discouragement and depression when the diet or the ahayuasca ...
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