This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life

Keith Serry is a rockstar. Actually, he’s not a rockstar. But he’s a big fan of rockstars. He hosts the singular podcast, The Volume Knob where guests tell poignant and personal stories, each one featuring a song that saved their life. Beyond his podcast, he is an acclaimed storyteller who has graced many stages from Montréal’s Confabulation to­—maybe people have heard of the TV channel PBS? Keith...

Today my guest is ME, and the topic is FUNEMPLOYMENT . How to believe deeply in yourself (and your worth and your life) when you don’t have a job or all that much to do. In my own, sort-of-short existence, I have become quite seasoned in the art (and struggle) of facing the blank slate of my day —the freedom, the possibility, and the angst. How to survive spiritually and financially without the bu...

Andrew Khoury is a rising star to look out for on the Montréal comedy scene . He comes to us from the hip and groovy suburbs of Nova Scotia. Since nailing his first stand-up set five going on six years ago, Andrew has channeled his anxiety into making people laugh —very hard. In the summer of 2023, he graced the Discovery Stage at Zoofest to great acclaim. Andrew is known for his fabulous legs and...

Maha Abdelhak Calvalcanti discovered autism while falling in love with her unique and effervescent, autistic son, Zane. It was a joy to hear her share about the vast and fascinating world that opened up with Zane’s diagnosis. We talked about the latest in autism and disability , language and advocacy, technology and augmentative alternative communication , and the voices, gifts and wisdom of autis...

Sherwin Tjia is Montreal’s most original and magnificent artist, writer, poet, graphic novelist, Canada workshop leader, walk-a-holic, and quirky event planner. Since 2001, Sherwin has published nine books including the acclaimed graphic novels The Hipless Boy and Plummet , plus a trilogy of choose-your-own-adventure novels written from the perspective of a cat . Sherwin is the beloved founder of...

Daniel Allen Cox is a prolific and beloved Montreal-based author. He has written and published one novella, and four highly acclaimed novels. Daniel’s memoir-in-essays “I Felt the End Before It Came” dives into what it’s like to be raised and manipulated to reject yourself, or reject the only world you’ve ever known. Daniel grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness in the suburbs of Montreal. As he writes, “...

And we’re breaking the hiatus with a riveting all-advice episode, featuring the wildly adored storyteller, Alexia Côté . “My fiancé agreed to pay for our wedding ring but now he wants out of this month’s rent.” “I use too many pillows and my husband left the bedroom. Three months, later our marriage has totally imploded.” “I’m a sad failed artist mom, supporting my family single-handedly. Meanwhil...

Welcome to our final episode of 2023! Today’s guest is me, Erica J. Schmidt . I have a special update about my first date podcast project . I’m going to talk a little bit about gratitude lists . And our listener question comes from “My Guru’s a Drunk” who’s concerned about her motivational speaker mentor’s drinking problem. With the Winter Solstice on the horizon, our half-bad ukulele segment is L...

Radio and podcast star Simon Barbz hops on the pod to talk sex, love, dating, art, passion, adoption , and so much more. Simon Barbz is a curious and wildly charismatic journalist, podcaster and producer . He is the host of Cheek to Cheek with Simon Barbz . On this coveted Montreal podcast, Simon talks to artists and public personalities about belonging and all the possibilities before us.  H...

Mariam Khan is a delightful and invaluable addition to the Montréal comedy scene. She is known for her smooth, deadpan delivery, sassy well-played opinions , and ability to bring laughter to the daily grind of being a person. Her stand-up tells pointed truths about dating, sexism, race, and growing up with immigrant parents. Mariam regularly performs at clubs across the city and has appeared on Of...

For a joyful, low-drama approach to creativity, Jeff Gandell is your person. Jeff Gandell is an icon in the Montréal storytelling and performance community. He has written, directed, produced, and starred in a number of glittering fringe shows including Things Drugs Taught Me (co-created with Nisha Coleman ), and The Balding , a coming-of-age-story about the race to lose your virginity before you...

Are you all for body positivity, as long as people stay healthy and don’t get too fat? Have you spent the last 3 to 45 years trying to lose 10 to 97 pounds? Welcome to fat liberation with Emma Lanza . Emma Lanza is another crowd favourite in the Montréal storytelling community. Her stories dive into mental health and hypochondria, obsessions and crushes, body image and fat liberation , and her und...

“My crush is drooling all over my hot BFF.” “My boss took advantage of me during my internship.” “I ran into my toxic friend on the sidewalk and didn't say the right thing.” Caroline and Erica can’t fix it. But we have thoughts. Welcome to our first ever all-listener question episode . Chiming in with her sage advice is the elegant and eloquent Caroline. Caroline is known for her reasonable decisi...

Michelle Syba is the first published author and Harvard graduate to appear on This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life. This year, 2023, Michelle released a remarkable short story collection called, End Times. Precise yet nuanced and laugh-out-loud funny, the book delves into the minds of people from all walks of life, from fervent evangelical Christians waiting for the Rapture to left woke atheist...

I’ve gotten so much good dating advice lately, that I decided to invite a stranger on the pod for the inaugural, real live (and blind) first date. The stranger’s name was Amir and it was deeply generous of him to show up. Going into the date, all I knew about Amir was that he worked a bank and that he went camping on Labour Day weekend. He had every opportunity to stalk me online but I don’t think...

Abby Stonehouse is English Montréal’s wildly popular stand-up comic, writer, podcaster, and producer.   Six years into her comedy career, she is known for her honest, autobiographical, storytelling approach.  Abby is committed to building up the Montréal comedy community, and creating onstage opportunities for diverse and emerging voices. She is a pioneer in making comedy hearing accessi...

Alexia Côté is a beloved Montréal storyteller who brings us hilarious tales about life, love, and dating. Though Alexia is quite young, her fascinating trajectory has included approximately 100 jobs, as well as a stint at Model UN, and appearance as a debutante at the Montréal Austrian Society . Her performance career began at the age of 4 when she started to direct, produce, and star in all kinds...

Taes (Tess) Leavitt is known and loved as the founder of The Big Heart Journey and “Boots” in the wildly popular children’s music duo, “ Splashnboots .” She is also my darling and extraordinary big sister. Friends and fans of Taes can rejoice in this VIP, family-friendly episode . Sister-to-sister, we talk about: What it’s like to grow up in the metropolis of Perth, Ontario : Why Taes develop...

Kristin Govers is the star and creator of the smash-hit Fringe play, The Awkward Ballerina. Her playful, heartfelt and gripping one-woman show tells a true story about growing up with big dreams of becoming a ballet dancer, when you also have cerebral palsy. Although she never made it onto the Nutcracker stage, Kristin is the most beautiful and sincere ballerina that I have ever met. Her message i...

John Cotrocois is a Montréal comedian whose captivating stand-up has earned him a spot on Just For Laughs Montréal 2023 . John found his way to the stage as a storyteller where he became so popular, he got his own t-shirts. Then he migrated to comedy, endearing the Montréal scene at ZooFest & OffJFL and all kinds of clubs across the city. In 2020, the Comedy Nest named John Comedy’s Risin...

CONTENT WARNING: Suicidal ideation and a suicide attempt. Please see time stamps below. Bean Nunnerley is an artist, massage therapist, self-taught, builder, mother, swimmer, and long-time singer in the Montréal women’s choir Choeur Maha . I met Bean at a birthday weekend at her exquisite DIY island cottage. I knew she’d be the perfect guest when, during an unbridled discussion about boundaries, B...

Today, we have Francesca Esguerra, writer, performer, and cherished member of the Montréal storytelling community. Enjoy Francesca’s unrivalled wisdom on how to: - Survive and thrive as an only child - Become and stay fearlessly creative (+ BONUS pro tips on procrastination) - Use humour to redeem heartbreak, STIs, and other tragic circumstances - Weed out boring online dating peeps by being 150%...

Back for more, we have Part 2 of my interview with Paul de Tourreil. It’s a celebration of honesty, creativity, self-love, perseverance, and the daily joys of being a person. We return to Attached’s Letter, where Paul offers zero-bullshit advice. Attached’s fraught situation leads Paul to get vulnerable about his recent romantic struggles, and how his default adult settings might have derailed a g...

This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life is delighted to welcome Paul de Tourreil. Paul is a writer, fight choreographer, non-practising biologist, retired kung fu teacher, and self-described Swiss-Indian weirdo. He has written, produced and directed countless plays as part of the Montréal Fringe Festival. This year, 2023, Paul is thrilled to be performing his first ever solo show, 9 Lives, 8...

Everyone says they have the best grandma. Not everyone is right. I am right. My grandma is the best. Her name is Mary Louise Adamson Owen , and back in March, she agreed to be my very first guest on This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life . “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she said as we started recording. A natural podcast star, Mary shares about her first memories (and mishaps), her time in t...