Character

When a peacock gets loose in a quaint town - where the population hasn't changed much since the 1930's - there's really only one option.  Send the authorities.   Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast Theme music by Samurai Guitarist   Character is brought to you by: EPH Apparel - Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. Onnit - Supplements for total human optimization. Cedar & Moss - Handcrafted, mid-century modern lighting.

After a 3 month hiatus from recording, Chris sheds some light on the things that happened in his life which prevented him from sharing the final chapter in his story. He reflects on everything that has happened with the podcast to date, and how he feels about the stories he's told. During the final Q&A of Season 1, Chris shares a few new stories - some of which he can't believe he never even told.   Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. Theme music by Me and Molly.

Chris reflects on his time at Toys 'R Us, where he did things the way he wanted to do them. No matter how hard he tried to get fired, he couldn't. Somehow, his delinquent behaviour ended up getting him promoted.   Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. Theme music by Me and Molly. Be sure to check out Daughter Podcast and show them some love!

After taking a couple of weeks off of recording, Chris fills in listeners with some news about things happening in his life in real time. In the game of life, you never know what your next hand will be.

For a period of time, Chris had a few different jobs in Winnipeg. Each of these jobs had a few ups and downs, but eventually Chris decided to go back to school.  He was pretty sure of the direction that he was headed in University; however, the career path that he thought he was going to take ended up being quite different from the one that he ended up pursuing. ------------------------ Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. Theme music by Me and Molly. Be sure to check out Beginner Podcast and show them some love!

After spending a few years in Gimli, living an autonomous life and going on tour continuously with his band, Chris decided to move back to Winnipeg. When he finally made his way back to Winnipeg, it wasn't by choice. Chris refers to this period as rock bottom - the time when he felt the most alone in his life. ------------------------ Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. Theme music by Me and Molly.

During the time that Chris was playing with his first band, Cities I've Never Seen, he and his bandmates spent quite a bit of time touring across Canada. After going on tour 12 separate times, and living in the close quarters of their unreliable van, many band members began to think differently about their future together.  ------------------------ Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. Theme music by Me and Molly.

After Chris decided to stay in Gimli, he found himself bouncing around between friends' houses, and never really found a stable place to live. Eventually, he met a group of people that welcomed him into their home with open arms. However, despite the warm welcome he received, he never felt like he was truly "part of the group". As time passed, Chris's friends - one of whom was infamously named "D-Bag," of course - let him into their world. Chris no longer felt like an outsider - but that didn't last long. ------------------------ Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. Theme music by Me and Molly.

When Chris moved to Gimli, it became an escape from his reality. He left behind his life in Winnipeg for a fresh start. However, on multiple occasions, Chris almost picked up and left the small town that he was finding comfort in. Although Chris had become straight-edge for a number of years, the freedom of living on his own exposed him to drugs and alchohol, once again, for a second time in his life. ------------------------ Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. Theme music by Me and Molly.

Prior to Episode 7, Ben chatted with with Owen - Chris's brother, and Miki - Chris's childhood best friend. Each conversation paints a picture, first-hand, for some of the characters that we've heard about from Chris. As well, we learn that most people - including Chris, himself - know very little about his past. Don't forget to follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast

In past episodes, Chris referred to his time in Gimli as a "fresh start". And, for some people, starting over isn't necessarily a bad thing. For Chris, however, moving to Gimli became another eye opening experience into the way in which he had naively lived his life up until that point. As Chris reflects on his Gimli-life, he discusses the responsibility that he had to take on as he went from being unemployed, to having three jobs - all at the same time.   Follow the story on Instagram! @characterpodcast   Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order.   Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist.   Theme music by Me and Molly.

After revealing some heavy news in Episode 7, we take a step back to reflect on some of the things we've learned about Chris's story so far. Episode 8 is a question and answer format, co-hosted by Steve Onotera (Samurai Guitarist) and Declan McGarry (Me and Molly), where Chris answers some of the questions submitted by listeners. In this episode, Chris reflects on the way his story has unfolded through the podcast. As well, he tells us more about some of his interests - like music and video games - that make him who he is.   Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. www.ephapparel.com   Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. https://www.youtube.com/user/samuraiguit   Theme music by Me and Molly. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/old-friend/id1199510671

There are many missing puzzle pieces to the life of Chris Friesen. He often feels like details about his past have been "swept under the rug" by various family members - it's the Mennonite way. After digging deeper into Chris's past, more details are uncovered about his childhood. Chris learns new information about his mom - for first time ever.   Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. www.ephapparel.com   Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. https://www.youtube.com/user/samuraiguit   Theme music by Me and Molly. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/old-friend/id1199510671

After spending some time with a group of neighbourhood “hooligans,” Chris realized that a life of drugs and misdemeanours was not for him. Around high school, Chris started to clean up his act. It wasn’t long after this period that Chris and his Grandfather no longer saw eye to eye on many issues. Eventually, Chris left his Grandpa’s house - for good, and never returned home.   Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. www.ephapparel.com   Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. https://www.youtube.com/user/samuraiguit   Theme music by Me and Molly. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/old-friend/id1199510671

After trying to connect with people from Chris's past, a few leads come up short. However, Chris recalls a story about his grandmother and mother trying to "help" his brother, Owen, when he was a young child. The deeper we go into exploring many of Chris’s stories, the more he becomes quite open about some of his past experiences, which he isn't proud of at all.   Character is brought to you by EPH Apparel. Enter promo code: character to get 20% off your next order. www.ephapparel.com   Production assistance by Samurai Guitarist. https://www.youtube.com/user/samuraiguit   Theme music by Me and Molly. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/old-friend/id1199510671

There is lots we don't know about Chris's story. And there is lots he doesn't know either. Trying to find out detailed information proves to be hard when he turns to his own family members to help him put together the missing puzzle pieces about his past. In this episode, we learn more about his childhood friends - Miki, Brad, and Alfredo - and how they impacted his first encounter with marijuana.

Chris begins to recall more memories about his past. Although unsure about the exact location of the place he lived in with his Grandmother for a period of time, Chris starts to remember details about the residence, which could provide some new direction in uncovering more information about his story. We learn about "when he got out," as well as his relationship with both Stacey and Matthew. Chris has always loved gaming, but he didn't realize that a love affair with Final Fantasy would change his life forever.

The story of Chris Friesen continues, as we learn more about his troubled relationship with his mom, siblings, and family. Chris knows some of his family members well, or so he thinks. And others - he doesn't know at all.

An epic tale and true story about the life of Chris Friesen. Although Chris is recounting and telling his life story in real-time to the host, Ben Grynol, neither Chris, Ben, nor the listeners know where his story will end up. Each week, new details unfold in the story and listeners learn of things that happened in Chris's life, which will have unknown outcomes moving forward. Episode 1 discusses drugs, Chris's relationship with his mom, and the self-dependent life he lived throughout his pre-teen years.