Strangers We Know Podcast

Cyndi & Jessi visit Psychotherapist Daryl Vineberg in his Toronto studio where he runs body-based group therapy sessions; equipped with props to hit, punch & kick. Jessi asks about cannabis-use during therapy & Cyndi takes a swing at physicalizing some of her work-related frustrations! "When our life force is moving freely in us we feel better, we feel at ease, we feel connected. When it’s not, we feel stuck & shitty & not connected." -Daryl Vineberg

Stand-Up Comedian Jason Allen talks about his start in comedy, the perks of "looking homeless" & being shy when it comes to intimate relationships. His girlfriend Katie Kullman is certain that all of her jobs are haunted & that camping equals murder! "All I’ll say is - very normal stuff. Not to mock anything, but we’re not like furries, or like bringing other people into the mix, that’s not why we have roommates now." -Jason Allen

Andrea Olivera talks about karmic debt, the nature of the 3 Ayurvedic body types (vata, pitta & kapha) & the use of cannabis, cocaine & anti-depressants. She also reflects on her childhood - being raised by 5 women who were "metaphysical explorers of the occult" & explains why Jesus was her first guru. "If you understand the nature of your mind, then you'll understand the right  practice that will help you." -Andrea Olivera

Cyndi & Jessi chat with a former New York Stripper who served 7 years in prison. From boxing at the age of 5, to driving hot cars across the border at 15, to stripping at 19, to lesbian burlesque dancers at 55, this conversation has the makings of a movie script! "I didn't need their approval anymore. It was always my approval & that's how I learned in life, there's only one word that counts & it's mine." -Former New York Stripper & Inmate

Stand-Up Comedians Tim Gray & Dana Smith reflect on their sex life adorned with "Breathe-Right" nasal strips, a marriage proposal in Paris & the whole "kale dinner fiasco". "It was the opposite of love at first site actually. We hated each other... No sorry, I hated you... No, it's just that we were in university together. We were kind of in two different circles... Like she was with friends & I wasn't." -Tim Gray

Tee & Cassandra talk about meeting over tattoos, visibility as a queer couple, the prospect of planned parenting, their left-of-center childhoods & psychedelics for spiritual ascension. "I would just like to offset some of that shit sometimes - have someone stop & be like:  'Oh my god, you guys are so cute. Pride be free!' So you know, anyone who hears this podcast, if you see us on road, just offset that shit." -Cassandra

Stand-Up Comedian Lucy Grrvais talks body hair, waxing woes & selling used underwear! She also discusses sexual harassment towards women in the comedy world, dating between comedians & "feminist secret Facebook groups". "I have a rule - I shave my legs for money. I shave my legs when I'm getting paid money to have my legs on display. That is when I shave my legs." -Lucy Grrvais

At 23 yrs old, Carolina Brown left Mexico without saying goodbye. Today, she's a performer living in Toronto & more connected to her roots than ever. Carolina talks about the offensive things strangers say to her, problems in the LGBT community & her dating life. "And those are the kind of things I don't talk about, but I want to. And I wanna write those songs, cause something was stolen from me, and I'm taking it back." -Carolina Brown

Aparajit Bhattacharjee thinks he's Johnny Depp in the 6% range! 50% Malcolm X, 70% Woody Allen & 90% Christopher Walken, he's an actor rehearsing his impersonation skills here & developing personality traits of popular American figures. "Time-out for me is sometimes jumping into character & relieving myself. Not in a Steve Martin or Gandhi way, where you just hold a cup under the table." -Aparajit Bhattacharjee

Stand-Up Comedian Sandro Veri's favourite thing about sex is "being really good at it". He talks about having multiple sexual partners & the mothers who love him.  Then he turns the tables, asking Cyndi & Jessi "how many fucking big dicks" they get! "My dad has a fantastic porn collection. He's got Playboys for almost a decade from the 70s. His fucking presidential library of pornography is so vast. I found it all & I got to see some cool shit." -Sandro Veri

Known for his sometimes dark, weird & cringe-worthy humour, Stand-Up Comedian Kyle Lucey talks about taking risks on stage, being good with heckling & "getting lucky". Porn addiction? Kyle gets into it! "There's a scene where like the brother is also half-spider so he eats the hot cheerleader & her blood goes all over his face & the dad goes: Looks like you found a squirter son!"  - Kyle Lucey

Cyndi & Jessi join Lu Pancini in her studio where she's been running Ganja Yoga classes for the past 5 years. Lu talks about how cannabis helped to heal her 7 year old daughter of juvenile arthritis, her expansive experience using psychedelics & her revolutionary yoga-teacher-training program. "Everything that I learned about cannabis was about that; was about love, healing & connection & peace. Never was harm." - Lu Pancini

Motivational just by sitting next to him, Stand-Up Comedian Che Durena talks strategies for accomplishing his personal goals, his first really bad bomb, the legalization of weed, Che Guevara & God. "I don't know where I am on it - like is there a God, is there not a God... I want there to be something after because I feel like that's just so boring... Like we go through all this & we can imagine infinity & then it's done? I want a cool thing at least." -Che Durena

Tara Dawn Solheim is a writer, poet & singer visiting Toronto for the first time & spending her 2nd day recording this episode! Tara talks about life as a writer in Saskatchewan, overcoming performance anxiety & the challenge of conforming to social expectations in a foreign country. "So I lived in Japan for 5 years... I was there with my sister & she's taller than me. She's like 5'11". We were like amazon scary women to people." -Tara Dawn Solheim

Cyndi invites Mr. Intimacy to her apartment, where he talks about his bi-curiousity, predatorial men, his attraction to "crazy people" & crushing on his lesbian friend. Cyndi shares her first experiences dating women! "I feel like I have a small glimpse into the world of women that are dogged by really irritating men." - Mr. Intimacy

There's an emergency meeting for the Toronto Cannabis Industry! Cyndi & Jessi are there, recorder in hand, getting baked & mingling. They chat with "Weed Man",  a dispensary owner, a "person with a very interesting look about him" & Puffdog. "I see no harm in responsible cannabis consumption. Responsible cannabis consumption is not problematic. It's the reefer madness that is problematic." - Michael Thomas, Dads 4 Marijuana

Cyndi & Jessi visit the infamous Toronto Sex Store, GOOD FOR HER. Owner Carlyle Jansen gives them a tour & talks about how her early sexual experiences shaped her career path. Behold "The Outlaw" & "The Hitachi Magic Wand", meant for more than just a regular back massage! "I always say: make sure your eyes are not wider than your vagina, or your anus for that matter." - Carlyle Jansen

What happens at the Global Marijuana March, stays at the Global Marijuana March! Unless you record it & share it via podcast-land! Cyndi & Jessi, aka Chonga & Cheecha, get super baked & mingle with the masses. "I just started making these... Cannabis suppositories. I make them with cannabis, coconut oil & Shea butter. You can use them anally or vaginally." -Cannabis Rights Coalition

Cyndi & Jessi sample some delicious Kombucha on tap at THE WITCHES BREW. Dynamic business owner Babette Burrell talks about digestive health, her former career as a midwife & being "colonized by culture". "My little alter space... I've got some actual cotton which ties me to my ancestors. I've got some hibiscus & some herbs. I've got the blue malva here cuz it's kind of like a time of divine intervention in terms of energy." - Babette Burrell

Before devoting their lives to "happy baker hours", Tova & Janet worked in theatre production together. "A lot of hours, lots of laughing" a common thread between these 2 worlds. A passionate customer gives an impromptu testimonial! Cyndi wants to know if these 2 ladies have time for love lives! Jessi asks about  "special treats"! "Five or six years ago we worked on a show together... It was a theater production... We were Producers. It was DA KINK IN MY HAIR."