Skin Deep Stories

Three and a half weeks in Indonesia. Incredible scuba diving, breathtaking scenery, ancient traditions, Komodo dragons, and some of the most spectacular marine life on the planet. Sounds like the perfect honeymoon, right? Well, just wait until you hear about the trip home. In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Kirsten Diachidos is back from her Indonesian honeymoon with her partner Janik, and she'...

Why do we carve pumpkins? Where did trick-or-treating come from? And what does bobbing for apples have to do with finding a husband?! After a couple of weeks away, Kirsten and Mel are BACK! And just in time for Halloween, they're celebrating one year of Skin Deep Stories by digging into the history, folklore, and surprisingly witchy origins of some of our favourite spooky season traditions. From t...

There is a LOT happening in Mel and Kirsten's worlds right now, so this week on Skin Deep Stories, they're catching up on everything from tattoo convention wins and upcoming pop-ups to international travel, motherhood, and the sudden urge to reinvent your entire life the second fall arrives. Kirsten is getting ready for an extended honeymoon in Indonesia, which means squeezing in as much work as p...

What do tattoos, secondhand books, video games, tarot cards, coffee, and rescue animals have in common? At Reddy Ink and Fables, apparently everything. In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger sit down with tattoo artist Matthew Reddy and his girlfriend and business partner, Lauren, to talk about tattooing, entrepreneurship, and...

What exactly happens during a sound healing session? Can hypnosis help you explore a past life? And what can these practices teach us about ourselves in the present?   In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger sit down with sound healer and hypnosis practitioner Dalia Marom for a conversation about healing, spirituality, altered s...

Not every tattoo needs a deep meaning. Your fine line tattoo isn't going to stay perfectly crisp forever. Your tattoo artist is allowed to say no. And yes, Kirsten and Mel have some opinions about tipping. In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger are sharing some of their tattoo industry hot takes and tackling the things clients...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Kirsten and Mel sit down with Sarah Di Marco for a deeply personal conversation about grief, tattoos, motherhood, music, and finding ways to carry the people we love with us after they're gone. Sarah lost both of her parents within just nine months, after each was diagnosed with terminal cancer only a year apart. She opens up about navigating that unimaginable...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger welcome a very special guest to the podcast: longtime client and loyal Skin Deep Stories listener Jonathan Chipman. Jonathan shares his story, including surviving a stroke when he was just four years old and growing up with hemiplegia. He opens up about years of physical rehabilitation, th...

Mel is back! In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger reunite for a good old-fashioned catch-up after a VERY busy summer. They talk about balancing work, kids, travel, and trying to squeeze a little time for themselves into the mix. From family cottage trips and summer tattoo appointments to realizing how much easier traveling wi...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Kirsten Diachidos is hosting solo again and welcoming someone who has known her a LOT longer than most of her guests: her cousin Rebecca. Kirsten and Rebecca grew up spending summers together and traveling back and forth between Montreal and the Maritimes, creating the kind of childhood memories that have kept them close well into adulthood. They look back on...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, host Kirsten Diachidos sits down one-on-one with her mentor, fellow tattoo artist, and Wild Magnolia owner Robin Labreche to look back on more than two decades in the tattoo industry. Robin shares how his fascination with tattooing began when he was just 14 years old, and what it took to break into an industry that looked VERY different in the early 2000s. Fro...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger are letting their inner critics loose... all in good fun, of course. From everyday annoyances to questionable social etiquette, nothing is off limits as they share the little things that drive them absolutely crazy. The conversation covers everything from shopping cart etiquette and slow w...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger are joined by fellow tattoo artist Tami Clark, whose career path has been anything but ordinary. Before picking up a tattoo machine, Tami spent more than a decade climbing the corporate ladder before making another unexpected pivot into restaurant management. Eventually, an apprenticeship...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger take a nostalgic trip back to the unforgettable summers of the 1990s, when bikes were our transportation, the neighborhood was our playground, and nobody knew where we were until the streetlights came on. From backyard obstacle courses and endless afternoons at the pool to freezies, garden...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger take a break from talking tattoos to reconnect with listeners and share more about who they are, what they believe, and the experiences that have shaped them. From spirituality and near-death experiences to kitchen witchery and finding comfort in the unknown, Kirsten and Mel have an open a...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger are answering a collection of fun, thought-provoking, and completely random questions that spark plenty of laughter, honest conversations, and a few unexpected stories along the way. From the superpower they wish they had to the life lessons they've learned from motherhood, Kirsten and Mel...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger catch up on everything that's been happening in their lives lately, from creative passions and community events to health, family, and learning when it's okay to slow down. The conversation begins with a look back at a recent "Gather and Trade" event, where local women came together to exc...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger tackle a topic that sparks a lot of debate in the tattoo industry: home studios versus traditional tattoo shops. For years, getting tattooed in someone's house was often associated with "scratchers" and poor-quality work. Today, however, many highly skilled and respected artists are choosi...

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, domestic abuse, trauma, and mental health. Listener discretion is advised. In this episode of Skin Deep Stories , Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger sit down with Kirsten's friend Tracy for a deeply honest and courageous conversation about resilience, survival, and the power of sharing your s...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger dive into the viral concept of Lucky Girl Syndrome and explore whether it is manifestation, mindset, or something in between. The conversation unpacks the idea that some people seem to attract opportunities, good fortune, and positive outcomes more easily than others. Kirsten and Mel discu...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger welcome special guest Marie-Claude Goudreau , certified death doula, grief companion, and founder of Empowered Through Grief . What begins as a conversation between old friends quickly becomes a powerful discussion about love, loss, healing, and the ways we carry grief throughout our lives...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories , Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger trade tattoo stories for hilarious tales from the classroom and the world of parenting school-aged kids. With Kirsten’s background as a former teacher and Mel’s perspective as a mom navigating school life with two kids, the conversation is packed with funny, chaotic, and unbelievably rela...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories , Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger are joined by one of Kirsten’s oldest and closest friends, Shanna McCord . The two have been friends for more than 25 years, and this episode is filled with stories, memories, laughter, and some incredibly meaningful reflections on life, motherhood, and surviving hard seasons together. Ki...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories, Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger sit down with local baker, maker, and entrepreneur Autumn Whiteside Wilson, the owner of The Lucky Craft and Hex and Harvest. The conversation dives into creativity, community, and the growing movement toward slower, more intentional living. From artisan markets and handmade goods to “gath...

In this episode of Skin Deep Stories , Montreal tattoo artists and moms Kirsten Diachidos and Melanie Belanger dive into the world of Reddit’s wildest tattoo-related “Am I the Asshole?” stories … and they are not holding back. From relationship drama to questionable tattoo decisions, Kirsten and Mel react to real-life scenarios and give their honest, unfiltered opinions on who is right, who is wro...