Listen 2 Me Podcast

29/09/2021

Feeling a little scattered? Us too. Thank you so much for all your support and for listening to us for the last year and a half! Listen 2 Me is going on a brief hiatus, but we’ll let you know as soon as we’re back. Thanks for all of the love and sticking with us so far!

25/09/2021

✨GUEST POST✨
Lee Kvern is an award-winning author of short stories and novels. Her stories in 7 Ways To Sunday have garnered the
national CBC Literary Award, Western Magazine Award, Hazel Hilles Memorial Short Fiction Prize, and the Howard 'O'
Hagan Award (twice) and CBC Alberta Anthology (twice).
Afterall selected for Canada Reads (Regional) and nominated
for Alberta Books Awards. The Matter of Sylvie nominated for Alberta Book Awards and the Ottawa Relit Award. Lush
Triumphant finalist 2018. Best of the Net nomination 2018. Her work has been produced for CBC Radio, published in
Grain, Event, Descant, Air Canada enRoute, Tishman Review, Globe & Mail, subTerrain, Loft 112, Radical Books. On-line:
Joyland.ca, Foundpress.com, LittleFiction.com
In Lee's own words: "I'm a fiction writer, first and foremost, although my formal training from ACAD has me pegged as a
visual artist in graphic design and illustration. I'm the mother of two grown boys. I've got a stellar artist husband that also
teaches art in the education system. I've recently come back to my visual roots, this time in painting. I write and paint but
never at the same time as I'm a one-trick pony who can't multi-task."
Have you listened to our interview with Lee Kvern yet? Stream it wherever you get your pods! And if you like what your hear, leave us a review and subscribe. 💛
***rcreatives

22/09/2021

Lee Kvern (she/her) has been writing for almost thirty years, and she hasn’t met a writer that she doesn’t like. Lee can always find the good in people—or, at the very least, the interesting—and her award-winning short stories ("White", 2007 CBC Prize for Fiction; "Visibility", 2006 CBC Alberta Anthology; "Fourteen", 2007 CBC Alberta Anthology; "Detachment", 2010 Malahat Open Season Award finalist; "The Nothing Yard", 1999 Heritage Short Story Contest) and celebrated novels (The Matter of Sylvie, Afterall) tend to feature characters you might call 'unlikeable'—but that's the fun of writing them, and seeing where their stories end up. Lee joins Gio and Renée to talk about how far she's come in her career and how far she still wants to go, story building craft, and how to have it all as a parent, an employee and an author—hint: you have to pick your priorities. Detours include the odd jobs authors tend to have, the joy of making yourself a nuisance to elected officials, and the pleasure of teaching yourself how to make art for art's sake. Find Lee on social media .

Want to support the show? Check out our bonus content on Patreon.

Gio Petrucci: giografik.com

Renée Meloche: reneewrought.com

08/09/2021

In the spring of 2020, 16-year-old playwright, poet, screenwriter and filmmaker Eli Smart (he/they) and 14-year-old artist and filmmaker Caelan Bell (he/him) found themselves "coping" as best they could with the upheaval and uncertainty of quarantine, online learning, social isolation and political divisiveness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the help of collaborators and their mentor, author and playwright Kim Firmston (she/he/they), Eli Caelan set out to make sense of this strange new world through the medium of film with their docu-short Adaptation in the Impoverished City.
Caelan, Eli and Kim join Renée and Gio to discuss how the project came together, what these accomplished young creatives are going to pursue next, and how connecting with other creatives during such a fraught time inspired them to keep going.
Stay up to date on the Adaptation in the Impoverished City by following them . And if you like the show, click the link in our bio to check out our Patreon for ways to support us. ☺️

11/08/2021

Have you ever wondered how hiking to Mt. Everest basecamp relates to writing and producing a poetry-based, one-woman show? Ellen Kartz (she/her) is here to tell you.

Ellen joins Gio and Renée to talk about her diverse career in Alberta's writing scene, the launch of her small press, Armistice, for emerging, local 2SLGBTQIA+ poets, and her involvement with the Edmonton Poetry Festival and the Writers' Guild of Alberta.

Go to armisticepress.blogspot.com to find out more about Armistice Press and follow Ellen on social media .

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Like the show? Check out patreon.com/listen2mepod to find out how you can support it! 💖Connect with Gio at giografik.com and Renée at reneewrought.com.

04/08/2021

Lannie Johnston (they/them) is a printmaker and visual artist whose fascination with corporeal shapes is a thread through their art. Renée and Gio chat with Lannie about how they fell in love with the study of printmaking, what draws them to the aesthetic of body horror, and their experience with mental health and chronic illness and how those factors have shaped their relationship to their art.

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See more of Lannie's art on Instagram and go to patreon.com/listen2mepod for more information on how to keep Listen 2 Me podcast online! Connect with Gio: giografik.com and Renee: reneewrought.com.

01/08/2021

Do you put more stock in what other people think of you than you do in what you think of yourself?
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Every month we release blog posts related to topics we cover on episodes of the show. Our March blog "The Long Con(fidence)" offers 9 practical tips for building your confidence and achieving your goals. And if you have any tried and true tips for building confidence, let us know in the comments!
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Go to patreon.com/listen2mepod to find out more!
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[Photo ID: a pink square with light particles floating around it and a green-lipped, open mouth with an eyeball beside it in the top left corner. Text in the centre of the image reading "It's great when we have other people in our corner pumping us up, but the most effective way to boost your confidence is by directing your own efforts into it."]
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***rculture

28/07/2021

Lisa Murphy-Lamb (she/her) came to writing through education, and her passion for creating inclusive, artist-friendly spaces has made her a fixture of the southern Alberta writing community.

Lisa joins Gio and Renée to talk about her many projects: from publishing her young adult novel, Jesus on the Dashboard, her work as an editor at small press Stonehouse Publishing, the founding of New Forum Magazine and Loft 112 and its current community art installations. We cover so much!

Detours include Dolly Parton, teenage bus drivers, and the impact of mentorship on creatives' success. A rising tide lifts all boats, baby! See more of Lisa's initiatives on social media:

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Enjoying L2M? Leave us some love in a review, and check out patreon.com/listen2mepod to see how you can support the show! Find us online: Gio at giografik.com and Renee: reneewrought.com

21/07/2021

Haui, aka Howard J. Davis (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist who defies categorization. His latest project, Mixed↑ (MixedUp Film) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, OUTtv, and TVNZ OnDemand.
Mixedup is part documentary, part visual performance, part spoken word poem, and part personal essay about the challenges and triumphs that come with straddling different identities. Haui joins Gio and Renée for a special two-part interview: in this part, we discuss their career in many disciplines, their creative path so far and their experiences creating a personal project like Mixed↑. In a second, bonus episode available exclusively on Listen 2 Me Patreon, we dive deeper into the behind-the-scenes of Mixed↑ film.
Find Haui at haui.ca and on the socials ; and if you like what you hear, help support the show by going to patreon.com/listen2mepod. For as little as $1 a month you can help us keep the creativity flowing right into your earholes!

14/07/2021

Are you tired of feeling like you're missing out on all the good stuff in life? Is it getting harder to reconnect with the joy of your creative practice as we continue to live with the uncertainty of a peri-pandemic world? Same here! Allow Gio and Renée to introduce you to the alternative: JOMO (or, the Joy of Missing Out).

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We'd love to keep bringing new episodes to you! Check out our Patreon for ways to support the show: patreon.com/listen2mepod!

💖Connect with Gio at giografik.com and Renée at reneewrought.com.

30/06/2021

Chantelle Quow (she/her) is a Business Strategy and Finance Consultant, and the President of CQ Business Consulting Inc. She improves organizations and businesses by evaluating, developing, and implementing strategic plans—basically, she uses her multiple areas of expertise to teach business owners the way to get from Point A to Point B better.

Chantelle Quow chats with Gio and Renée about her work as a business blueprint and community builder, collaborating with other entrepreneurs to leverage resources each might not otherwise have, her advocacy and research around the challenges the BIPOC community faces when navigating Canada's entrepreneurial industry.

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You can connect with Chantelle at cqbusinesscoach.com, and on Instagram and Twitter . Like the show? Go to patreon.com/listen2mepod to support us! See more of our work: Gio at giografik.com and Renée at reneewrought.com.

29/06/2021

Director Howard J Davis - Haui talking to gems Renee Wrought and GIOGRAFIK about Mixedup, the intersections of art and advocacy and the joys of not being 9-5ers!!!

25/06/2021

For pride month, Brooke Armstrong has made a poster of this excellent Marsha P Johnson quote. Happy pride! ()

For more inspiring graphic design and visual culture visit
⟶ instagram.com/grafik.media

24/06/2021

Gotta love this beautiful illustration by Lauren Martin! ()

For more inspiring graphic design and visual culture visit
⟶ instagram.com/grafik.media

23/06/2021

Brian R. Williams (he/him) is an artist, graphic designer, college art instructor and webcomic creator.

He joins Gio and Renée to chat about his studies in Illustration, Fine Art and Art History, and art crime; his success in turning several part-time jobs into a full-time career; his experience working in museums; his fascination with Bigfoot and his comic Orick & Argyle; the way he links narrative storytelling with visual expression; and the inspiration behind his evocative illustrations that fuse the history of human industry with the intriguing forms of the natural world. Bonus topics include repatriation of artefacts stolen by museums, the Bigfoot Research Organization, and Brian and Renée discovering that they are creative soul sisters.

You can subscribe to Brian's comic Orick & Argyle at www.patreon.com/orickandargyle. Find more of Brian's work at brianrwilliams.com and on Instagram.

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Want to keep Listen 2 Me pumping? Check out patreon.com/listen2mepod! 💖 Connect with Gio at giografik.com and Renée at reneewrought.com.

21/06/2021

Here are some resources to help you celebrate National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day.

16/06/2021

You like us, you really, really like us!

Listen 2 Me Podcast reached a milestone today and we are so thankful for all of our new and OG listeners. The community is growing and we can't thank you enough!

- Gio & Renée

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Like what you hear and want to support the show? Please head to patreon.com/listen2mepod!

16/06/2021

Gio and Renée use this Work In Progress episode to check in on multiple topics, including: soft and hard g's, Gio's audio mixing and censoring, taking a break from pushing ourselves through pandemic-induced brain fog, heteroflexibility and whatever the hell Omegle is. The conversation quickly devolves into Gio asking Renée what they've been reading lately, and a discussion of the 🌶️️descriptive sex🌶️ in modern romance novels.

⚠️WARNING: a lot of spicy language during that segment.⚠️ Bonus topics include Renée speaking to her experience with burning herself out in order to distract from anxiety, and Gio waxing poetic about the joy of planning and hosting dinner parties. Trigger warning for discussion of depression, anxiety, alcoholism and gender dysphoria.

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If you want to support the show, please check out patreon.com/listen2mepod! 💖Connect with Gio at giografik.com and Renée at reneewrought.com.

16/06/2021

✨GUEST POST✨

Stacey Gonder is a Fashion Designer based out of Toronto, ON. From a young age she knew that she had a passion for dance, and the talent to pursue it.

After a quarter-century of dance instruction and performing professionally, she decided to enrol in the International Academy of Design, with a focus on costume studies. In 2001, immediately after graduating, she launched her first endeavour – Flash Design Co..

Catering to some of the GTA’s most prestigious dance companies, she found a way to combine her two passions – dance and fashion. Flash DC designs and crafts costumes for a range of ages and dance styles. In the competitive dance world,
costumes creators must master three things; good construction, comfort and looking absolutely fabulous!

After 14 years of honing these skills, Stacey decided that dance land wasn’t enough. She believes that every body deserved the opportunity to express themselves through fashion, and in
2014 launched The House of Sass and Magic.

As an enthusiast in the Toronto Electronic Dance Music
scene, it did not take long for Stacey to develop clientele for both the ready-to-wear party line, and highly coveted custom rave costumes. Her wearable artistic creations have been seen on dance-floors around the world, and graced such festivals as Bass Coast Festival, Shambhala Music Festival and Burning Man Project. And as if that wasn’t enough, her custom work can also be seen at various comic book and cosplay conventions such as FanExpo and Anime North Compass.

She is also a regular vendor at Toronto’s Pride festivities, selling on-site and creating some custom pieces for attendees. It is important to Stacey that The House of Sass and Magic
promote ideals surrounding individuality, self-expression, authenticity and advocate for the LGBTQ+ communities. Stacey loves to design for all genders and non-binary alike, and at present is excitedly designing a gender-fluid line.

09/06/2021

Stacey Gonder (she/her) isn't shy about putting her passion for glitter and sass into clothing that looks as good as it feels, constructed for people who like to move. 💃🕺

Her love of dance and creative expression helped birth Flash Design Co. and the The House of Sass & Magic, and her experience and expertise in constructing garments and costumes is what has helped her cater to underrepresented segments of the dance community.

Gio and Renée hear from Stacey about how surprising her career trajectory has been so far, what we can all take away from rave culture, and the joy of connecting with other creatives through her Maker Monday and Friends Friday podcast series.

Follow and to see more of Stacey's work and designs.

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Like this episode? Want to keep the L2M party going? Check out patreon.com/listen2mepod! Connect with Gio at giografik.com and Renée at reneewrought.com.

03/06/2021

🌈 HAPPY PRIDE 🌈

As an LGBTQ+-owned business, every month is Pride month — but we embrace any opportunity to celebrate our beautiful community 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We believe in working towards a world where everyone is free to live as their true selves. So for the month of June (including National Doughnut Day’s sold out preorders!) we will be donating $1 from every cinnamon sugar doughnut to Trans Wellness Ontario, our local trans and LGBTQ+ wellness centre!

Happy pride, everyone ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤎💖🤍💙

02/06/2021

Sarah Feinstein (she/her) takes the time to connect with Gio and Renée from her home in northwest India to talk about the journey of her life so far: from studying analog photography as an art student in Toronto, to working as a medic in the backwoods of Yukon to pay off her student loans, then moving to northern India to study with a meditation community in the mountains, and finally setting up Superfein Creative Consultants, her boutique design studio, from her current home in Himchal Pradesh.

Sarah shares her wisdom about trying, failing, and persevering; learning from some (epic) failures, and bringing the spirit of inquiry and growth to her business practice. Follow on Instagram for more, and bookmark theselfreunion.com to see what Sarah's been working on.

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Love the show? Interested in keeping it going? Become a patron at patreon.com/listen2mepod! Connect with Gio at giografik.com and Renée at reneewrought.com.

01/06/2021

Happy Pride Month to my 🏳️‍🌈 family! It's been an intense time for everyone, we can all agree. Wishing you all a q***r season filled with connection : connection to loved ones, family, chosen family, our history and stories, and most importantly, to yourselves. Don't forget to hear the music we've created as a community, because life without music is no life at all.

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giografik.com/

01/06/2021

Happy Pride month to the 🏳️‍🌈 family! It's been an intense time for everyone - so we wish you all a connected season. Connected to loved ones, family, chosen family, our history and stories and most importantly, ourselves. 💜💙💚💛🧡❤️
🎨 Artwork by Toronto artist (INSTAGRAM).
Darryl Mabey · darrylmabey.com/

28/05/2021

Happy birthday Buttered Lemonade!

Jordan Marchand (she/her) took her love of art, opulence, and the macabre and turned it into Buttered Lemonade : artistic collages evoking dark and romantic figures. She might not own a cell phone, but with over 11k followers on Instagram, Jordan knows a bit about what it means to go viral.

Jordan joins Gio and Renée to chat about the therapeutic value of making art; finding your way to your own signature style; nurturing your creativity and her own struggles with imposter syndrome.

Detours include Guillermo del Toro, Gio's pun game, and not underselling your work. TW for mentions of sexual assault, pe******ia, and trauma disclosure.

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Looking to add more Listen 2 Me to your life? Patreon.com/listen2mepod has all the bonus content you've been missing.

28/05/2021

🎉 CAPTION THIS (2011) 🎉

26/05/2021

Have you ever wanted to hear Gio and Renée ask each other icebreaker questions from a 1970s corporate team-building exercise? Well, you're in luck!

Gio and Renée ask each other questions like "who are your heroes", "what is your ideal karaoke song", "what's one thing you would change about yourself" and "what is your favourite book" (a question Renée declined to answer).

TW for mentions of su***de, death, and a horse s***f film Gio watched.

Can't get enough L2M in your life? Go to patreon.com/listen2mepod to find out how you can keep the show going! See more of our work: Gio at giografik.com and Renée at reneewrought.com.

26/05/2021

A snippet from our chat with Gregg Brown - Change Ready Leadership.