Friendless

This week on a very special episode of Friendless, host James Avramenko welcomes returning guest Nathan Isles for a wide-ranging catch-up on aging, self-care, and how relationships change over time. Nathan shares what's shifted since his last appearance: an amicable separation, dating again, deleting social apps for stretches, and a renewed focus on real-life connection over low-friction social media, including the guilt and "friendship FOMO" that online closeness can create. They talk about building deep friendships through consistent effort, Nathan's moves across Western Canada, and his band Brain Bent's growth—touring, opening for Wheatus, and learning to love the road despite music's financial realities. Nathan also opens up about fear of change, shame and accountability, considering becoming an electrician, and mental health supports including DBT, medication, and treating sleep apnea, plus a practical takeaway: say yes to an invite and give others a chance to show up for you. Learn more about Nathan's work HERE [https://nathaniles.com/] Check out Brain Bent on Bandcamp [https://brainbent.bandcamp.com/] Book Warehouse Midnight Launch of Threshing Day Tickets HERE [https://blackbondbooks.com/events/6208020260928] Read the Friendless Substack [https://friendless.substack.com/] 📩 [email protected]📱 @friendlesspod on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/friendlesspod/] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@friendlesspod] 🌐 friendlesspod.com [https://www.friendlesspod.com/] Create your podcast [https://zencastr.com/?via=james-avramenko] today! #madeonzencastr

This week on a very special episode Friendless, your pal and host of the show James Avramenko takes the mic for a very special solo episode, marking his 39th birthday with honesty, humour, and a healthy dose of self-reflection. In this Q&A retrospective, James  dives into the wild ride of aging, the evolution of the show, lessons learned about loneliness, connection, and community, and the often hilarious or cringe-worthy moments that come with navigating friendships. Expect candid stories of personal growth, unexpected friendships, musical nostalgia, the art of making (and losing) friends, and some incredible life reflections—including why aging is a privilege and how to survive being a mascot—or a bad haircut. Read the Friendless Substack [https://friendless.substack.com/] 📩 [email protected]📱 @friendlesspod on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/friendlesspod/] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@friendlesspod] 🌐 friendlesspod.com [https://www.friendlesspod.com/] Create your podcast [https://zencastr.com/?via=james-avramenko] today! #madeonzencastr

In this very special episode of Friendless, your host James Avramenko sits down with Leandra Guillet. Together, they dive into the quirks of Vancouver life, from unpredictable weather and the city's mysterious moodiness to what it actually takes to find and foster community in a city full of "shelter cats." The conversation bounces (or "ADHD ping pongs") from the deep—human insecurity, the cyclical nature of history, and our collective need to be seen—to the delicious, like mourning cheese on a vegan journey and the surprisingly powerful life advice parents pass down about always layering up and never saying no to a meal. Along the way, expect musings on art history, the endless rhyming of cultural trends, the exhausting but ultimately rewarding pursuit of friendship, and why building community is, at the end of the day, your own responsibility. Read the Friendless Substack [https://friendless.substack.com/] 📩 [email protected]📱 @friendlesspod on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/friendlesspod/] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@friendlesspod] 🌐 friendlesspod.com [https://www.friendlesspod.com/] Create your podcast [https://zencastr.com/?via=james-avramenko] today! #madeonzencastr

This week on Friendless, I'm joined by two guests I've been genuinely honored to sit down with: Elder Larry Grant, Elder in Residence at the Justice Institute of BC and UBC's First Nations House of Learning, and an elder of both the Musqueam Indian Band and Vancouver's Chinese community — and his co-author Scott Steedman, writer, editor, and publishing professor at SFU.  Together they wrote Reconciling, a book that maps Elder Larry's life not chronologically but geographically — Chinatown, Strathcona, Musqueam, the Fraser Valley — letting each place pull its own stories loose. We talk about growing up caught between two identities that were both, in different ways, denied to him. We talk about the specific, everyday mechanics of exclusion — the signs, the double standards, the small cruelties that build until they explode from somewhere inside you. We talk about his years of drinking and the two-beers-that-were-never-two-beers, and how getting sober became inseparable from learning to love and respect himself. And we talk about what reconciliation actually asks of a country that would rather it stayed on paper than stood as a monument you can't walk past. Reconciling [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Reconciling/Larry-Grant/9781770417984] is out now — grab a copy at Book Warehouse. [https://blackbondbooks.com/] Learn more about the Musqueam Indian Band [https://www.musqueam.bc.ca/] • Email: [email protected] • Substack: https://friendless.substack.com/ • Instagram: @friendlesspod [https://www.instagram.com/friendlesspod/] • TikTok: @friendlesspod [https://www.tiktok.com/@friendlesspod] Create your podcast [https://zencastr.com/?via=james-avramenko] today! #madeonzencastr

Content Note: This episode discusses disordered eating. If you're in recovery or feeling vulnerable, please prioritise your well-being. This week on a very special episode of Friendless, host James Avramenko sits down with poet Brandi Bird for a deep dive into creativity, recovery, and self-discovery. The conversation explores the messy realities of writing and publishing poetry, the impact of external validation, and the importance of allowing time and distance between lived experience and creative transformation. Brandi discusses their own journey through eating disorder recovery and how it shapes their work, approaches to confessional writing, and the ways truth, persona, and vulnerability intersect in poetry. The two tackle topics such as perfectionism, the pressures of literary recognition, and the liberation found in writing for oneself rather than for approval. They also reflect on the power of oral tradition, stage presence, and shared first drafts, as well as the nuances of exploring difficult family relationships—particularly with mothers—within art. The conversation turns to broader issues including medical bigotry, Indigenous identity, community, and what it means to move beyond victimhood to agency. From pop culture to personal struggles, this episode is an honest, witty, and intimate look at the intersections of art, healing, and being unapologetically oneself. 📩 [email protected]📱 @friendlesspod on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/friendlesspod/] and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@friendlesspod] 🌐 friendlesspod.com [https://www.friendlesspod.com/] Create your podcast [https://zencastr.com/?via=james-avramenko] today! #madeonzencastr