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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
  • Creative Joy, Finding Flow, and How We Are and Are Not Like Elizabeth Gilbert

    Creative Joy, Finding Flow, and How We Are and Are Not Like Elizabeth Gilbert
    Jul 30 2026
    I practically invented my podcast for today’s guest. His name is William Burr. William incarnates how to follow your curiosity and creativity. He has had so many strange and beautiful lives along his journey. He is a trained journalist and has spent years working at Radio-Canada (The French side of CBC) reporting in FRENCH. This is incredibly impressive because William is not francophone. And no matter what his job is, he remains committed to writing, painting, dancing, singing, meditating, and staying aligned with his heart and deepest self. He wrote and performed in two smash-hit and entirely poignant plays at the Montréal Fringe Festival. During the pandemic, William made a courageous move from Montréal to Vancouver to study theology and become a minister for the Presbyterian church. I cannot think of anyone the Presbyterian church needs more than William Burr. And I could not more be more thrilled to welcome William to This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life. Make sure to listen to the end for a groundbreaking take on Elizabeth Gilbert’s new memoir, All the Way to the River, plus deep thoughts on sex and love addiction, and a half-bad ukulele segment for the ages. Infinite thanks, William Burr!Follow William BurrWilliam Burr on Instagram: @w_burrWilliam Burr’s website: williamburr.wordpress.com William Burr’s Substack: @williamburr2William Burr’s Brilliant Substack on Elizabeth Gilbert: After Eat Pray Love, the Love AddictionFollow Erica J. SchmidtErica on Instagram: @erica.j.schmidt YouTube: @ericajschmidt Substack: ericajschmidt.substack.com Website: ericajschmidt.com The Donate ButtonWill Burr Time Stamps00:00:00 Teaser: William Burr’s Healing Thoughts on Creativity, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Sex and Love Addiction, and the Painful Pleasure and Pleasurable Pain of Falling in Love00:01:38 The Erica Choir Theme Song + William Burr’s bio00:03:52 William Burr’s Creative Oranges/Origins: What did creativity look like as a child and how did you start to explore writing, painting, and creative projects? (Shout-out to Aunt Kelsey!)00:05:22 Why did William quit drawing and painting at age 15?00:08:45 How did Will decide to go to journalism school? How did this help his creativity?00:14:04 The Creative Spark. Does Will Burr relate to transforming his despair into creativity? How does he get his inspiration and drive to create? The despair of doing the dishes and how to move out of stasis and lethargy. How to release and express what’s inside of us.00:18:37 But how do you choose the right medium, vehicle, and containers for expression? (Erica’s great source of despair: I want to do something but I don’t know what and I don’t know what I CAN do.)00:19:39 How does William work within such a broad spectrum of vehicles and creative outlets? How does he fit it all in or decide what to focus on? (+ Elizabeth Gilbert’s theory that some of us are woodpeckers and dig one hole as our creative vehicle but a bunch of us are hummingbirds so we fly around pollinating the world.)00:22:35: William Burr’s spiritual calling and how he went from attending Buddhist meditation to going back to school to become a Presbyterian church minister.00:30:59 William Burr’s Routines. What is his morning routine? In case you haven’t read the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron 17 times, here is a more elaborate explanation of Morning Pages.Morning Pages: Write three stream-of-consciousness pages as soon as you wake up in the morning. Water and coffee are optional.Erica and William discuss the pros and cons of journalling and Morning Pages and The Artist’s Way. Erica is concerned that everything in her life is going to be the same forever. She really wants to be not obsessed with herself and that is not going so well. She knows that “where attention goes, energy flows,” but she also heard that “what you resist, persists” and she’s wondering which one is it.38:17 Does William Burr have a creative routine?00:42:02 Erica summarizes a writing workshop where she learned about the three categories of writing: Drafting, Revising, and Creative Play. But we only seem to value drafting and generating new material and maybe that is not fair. Will we ever not beat ourselves up for not writing enough.00:45:27 Does Will Burr have a cleaning routine? (No. Except for iPhone timers)00:48:27 Elizabeth Gilbert Fan Club: From Eat Pray Love to a new life thesis on Sex and Love Addiction. We believe in Liz’s love addiction, but do we trust her new thesis?01:05:15 Erica failed Man’s Search for Meaning but it’s not too late. Liz Gilbert gets an open invitation to This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life.01:07:56 Half-Bad Ukulele Segment: Someone Like You by Adele. Best.01:12:04 Wrap-up, Thank yous and where to find Erica and Will on the interwebs.If you enjoyed this episode, you might also love: How to Make an Album and Hundreds of Exquisite Paintings with Sandra TaylorHow to Be a Writer with Kyle StevensonMoments of ...
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  • How to Make an Album and Hundreds of Exquisite Paintings with Sandra Taylor

    How to Make an Album and Hundreds of Exquisite Paintings with Sandra Taylor
    Jul 9 2026
    Sandra Taylor is a wildly talented painter, singer-songwriter, and pianist. Her watercolours bring us exquisite explorations of nature, (shout-out to the birds), and truly unique abstract designs. In 2024, Sandra launched her album “Life Beautiful Life,” which combines down-to-earth, whimsical lyrics with her soothing voice and impressive musicality. Sandra was also my first-year university roommate, back when we were almost as young and full of promise as we are now. It is such a gift to have kept in touch after all these years, and a true dream to have her on the show. Thank you, Sandra!(And please listen to the end for a beautifully special surprise!)Sandra Taylor on the interwebsFollow Sandra Taylor on Instagram: @sandrataylormusicBuy her album Life Beautiful Life on bandcamp: More on Sandra’s watercolours and music at sandrataylormusic.com*All excerpts from Life Beautiful Life were used with Sandra’s permission. Life Beautiful Life was produced by Chris Stringer and engineered by Darren McGill.Erica J. Schmidt on the InterwebsInstagram: @erica.j.schmidtSubstack: @ericajschmidtWebsite: ericajschmidt.comThe Donate ButtonIf you would like to be a beta reader for one of Erica’s two manuscripts, please get in touch! THANK YOU SO MUCH!Timestamps for Life Beautiful Life: Music, Watercolours, and Creativity with Sandra Taylor00:00:00 Theme song and Sandra Taylor’s bio01:52:11 How Erica and Sandra Taylor met (at the cool kids residence, Solin Hall, Mcgill University, 2003) Their moderate approach to cleaning routines lined up great. Erica was trying to make her boobs grow with 2% milk.00:04:30 How did Sandra’s creativity start? When did she start being creative? As a kid, Sandra loved running around outside, putting on plays with her siblings, and writing stories. But she also got really far in the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her Bach is lit!00:08:43 But did the Internet take over your life in grade eight or nine? What about MSN messenger and ICQ? Sandra doesn’t let her life revolve around a device. Erica does her best.00:12:32 Erica and Sandra are McGill dropout twins. Does Sandra have advice for people hoping to go to university and become an artist?00:18:47 Now Sandra is back at university finishing the music degree she started when we first met. How is that going?00:20:23 Special excerpt of Sandra’s music video LIFE BEAUTIFUL LIFE. Watch and listen to the whole thing here!00:21:27 How Sandra keeps the faith and how she keeps making things.00:24:14 It’s time for Sandra Taylor’s routines! Hurray! Starting with her morning routine.00:25:44 Erica and Sandra discuss yoga routines of yore.00:29:36 Sandra Taylor’s creative routine. “A lot of this stuff is just putting the hours in.”00:32:44 The value of setting a specific goal, like when she tried to work on her portrait skills.00:32:18 Special Bach Surprise. More where that came from here.00:37:45 Sandra Taylor’s Cleaning Routine00:41:17 Special excerpt of “Downhill Too Fast” from Sandra Taylor’s album, “Life, Beautiful Life.” Watch the whole video here!00:42:29 Listener Question from I.T. GUY. APPARENTLY.00:52:46 Sandra Taylor’s spectacular TED talk00:58:11 Where people can find Sandra Taylor online. The hyper-free links: https://www.instagram.com/sandrataylormusic/https://sandrataylormusic.com/shop-musichttps://sandrataylor.bandcamp.com/album/life-beautiful-life00:59:53 If you enjoyed this episode, you will also enjoy Hot Dates and Frenching withLou Laurenceand Singing for Bliss with Kathy Kennedy01:00:16 Wrap-up and Thank yous01:01:26 Modern Life by Sandra Taylor mixed with miscellaneous video clips. Listen to the entire album, Life Beautiful Life. Thank you for listening to this episode of This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life. LOVE YOU, BYE!
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  • Unhinged Ways to Learn French in Quebec (with Jahon Mousavi-Torbati)

    Unhinged Ways to Learn French in Quebec (with Jahon Mousavi-Torbati)
    May 7 2026
    Erica and Jahon are two artsy, nerdy, anglophone Montrealers. And today, we’re coming together for our special episode, Unhinged Ways to Learn French in Quebec. Join us for adventures in French stand-up comedy, cringe slam poetry, and becoming a Quebec Grey’s Anatomy superfan. We talk education, French immersion in Perth Ontario, reading in French, dating in French, hobbies in French, and more. Make sure to listen to the end for a riveting listener question from Girl Who Just Wants to French Some Dudes.Please note that this episode is in English, making it a wonderful start for learners of all levels. Wherever you are in your French journey, it’s never too late and it’s always worth it.Jahon Mousavi-Torbatiis a talented concept artist and regular artist who has made a recent pivot to storytelling and stand-up comedy. Jahon has great enthusiasm for urban transit, kobo e-readers, pineapples, and ending doom-scrolling for all time. In general, Jahon is someone who exudes great enthusiasm for just about everything. Also, he is Erica J. Schmidt’s boyfriend!Erica J. Schmidt grew up in Perth Ontario, where she enjoyed half-day immersion from grade five to eight. Then there was a touch of extended French in high school, but odds for mastery were not in her favour. Despite this, she moved to Montreal and proceeded to become a French-to-English translator. These days, she is proud to be able to read full novels in French with the help of her trusty kobo.Jahon Mousavi-Torbati on the InterwebsFollow Jahon on Instagram @jahonartCheck out his Concept Art Drink and Draw: @conceptartdrinkanddrawJahon’s Quebec fantasy illustration projectJahon on LinkedInJahon’s Website: artstation.comErica J. Schmidt on the InterwebsInstagram: @erica.j.schmidtSubstack: @ericajschmidtWebsite: ericajschmidt.comThe Donate ButtonIf you would like to be a beta reader for one of Erica’s two manuscripts, please get in touch! THANK YOU SO MUCH!How to Learn French in Quebec: Art, Books, and ResourcesC’est L’Halloween (Est-ce que tu as peur? Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui!)Watch STAT on icitouttv‍ ‍Book: 99 Francs, a novel by Frédéric BeigbederBook: Spoken Here: Travels among Threatened LanguagesLOVING SHOUT-OUT TO OUR FABULOUS TEACHERSFrom Stewart School, Perth Ontario: Mme. Shelley Fillipoff, Mme. Renée Capello, Mme. Denise Baker, Mme. Danielle Normandin‍From John Abbot College, Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue:Frédéric Laganière‍How to Learn French in Quebec: Timestamps00:00:00 Theme Song00:00:34 Introduction to VIP guest, Jahon and his extra special episode, Unhinged Ways to Learn French in Quebec. Teasers about Jahon’s slam poetry and fun facts on how to pronounce poutine. Disclaimer about how this episode will NOT address language politics00:02:54 Official Bio: Jahon Mousavi-Torbati00:04:20 Jahon’s incredibly biased bio for host Erica J. Schmidt. Slide into Erica’s DMs if you’d like to be a beta reader for one of her manuscripts.00:07:17 Erica and Jahon’s linguistic origins. Jahon was Montréal born and raised by French-Canadian mother and Persian father who both spoke English at home. He went to French immersion school and eventually was accepted to a French program at university.00:11:12 Erica grew up in the metropolis of Perth Ontario. Her French career started with core French songs like C’est l’Halloween before she embarked on four years of half-day immersion from grade 5 to grade 8.00:16:55 Jahon feels he did not read enough books in French. Shout-out to his teacher Frederic who had him read the book 99 Francs and dessicrate it00:18:27 How Jahon’s father ended up in Quebec, and his French story. The moments Jahon realized that his French was not at an adequate level. Jahon reads book Spoken Here and commits to improving his French and he applies to Université de Montréal. 00:23:11 The moments when Erica realized her French was not at an adequate level. 00:24:54 Erica binge watches STAT on icitoutv. (Quebec’s Grey’s Anatomy)00:28:50 The first time Jahon was referred to as le Quebecois, and how that became part of his identity.00:32:19 Deeper into unconventional ways Jahon and Erica learned French, especially improv and stand-up comedy.00:39:19 Erica explains Shadowing, the technique she used while practising to become an interpreter. It involves listening to the language you are practising and then repeating the words while you are still listening to what comes next.00:41:45 One last conventional way to learn French: Read! And ideally get a Kobo which lets you take books out of the library and look up words without checking your phone.00:44:19 Listener Question from A Girl Who Just Wants to French Some Dudes00:58:02 Always read books with your girlfriend. Stay tuned for an exciting surprise on This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life59:22 Thanks and wrap-up. Follow Jahon and Erica on the Interwebs. Go to Jahon’s Concept Art Drink and Draw. Never give up on your French. LOVE YOU, BYE!!!
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