Claim OwnershipThe Commie Tea Room
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© The Commie Tea Room
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Two wannabe commies challenging social misconceptions, one uncomfortable conversation at a time (while making it fun!).
47 Episodes
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In keeping with the theme of the last episode, join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they discuss with Roger, the former chief of police of the Calgary Police Services, about the preconceptions and misconceptions we have about the police...and which the police have of us. This episode could not come at a better time, as the Dalia Kafi case comes to a head with the trial of suspended police officer Alex Dunn (for context: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-police-alex-dunn-assault-sentence-1.6084597). Roger does a deep dive with us, exploring the application and preliminary process of becoming a police officer, whether or not that training adequately prepares officers for their myriad of sensitive community interactions, as well as how the system is structured to disconnect police officers from their humanity as their careers go on.
This is a heavy episode, fellow commies, but we couldn't have hoped for a better note to end on, as The Commie Tearoom, hosted by Pola and Carole, comes to an end. While the podcast will continue, the format will look quite different-- stay tuned! Thank you for loving us, always and anyway!
Adam Massiah (@ar.maxxiah) is back for another episode because he is simply too awesome to only interview once. Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they discuss with Adam what working with the Calgary Police Services racial committee is like, what defunding the police really means, a glimpse into the systemic protection given to the CPS in the form of their legislation, their union, and their essential power structure. Adam also spills the tea on the CPS' response to their officers' conduct in the cases of Dalia Kafi and Kobe Amadi.
Also, a brief lesson on legislative change and how our Charter of Rights and Freedoms works in Canada, as a bonus!
To learn more about the cases of Dalia Kafi and Kobe Amadi:
https://globalnews.ca/news/7991917/calgary-dalia-kafi-dead/
https://www.660citynews.com/2021/05/31/family-of-wrongfully-arrested-black-boy-says-meeting-with-police-didnt-go-as-hoped/
Finally, here is a link to the petition for defunding the Calgary Police Services:
https://defund.ca/treaty-7-calgary-call/
Hosts-only episode! Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) on their first solo episode in a while, where they dive into the friendliest and non-divisive subject ever-- fallacies!
A fallacy is incorrect reasoning typically used to undermine an argument and is present in all forms of human communication. "The Strawman Fallacy" (where someone oversimplifies your argument to make it easier to attack). "The Ad Hominem Fallacy" (where someone attacks your character instead of addressing your argument). "The Slippery Slope Fallacy" (where someone makes a claim about a specific event, assuming a chain of events that will result in a disastrous outcome).
We're all guilty of having perpetrated a fallacy or two but the important step is to do something about it! Join us as we break down fallacies and then explore how to do better.
Remember to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!
Our clever episode title is actually directly lifted from our guest Dr. Kiona's Instagram platform, @HowNottoTravelLikeABasicBitch, which she started after realizing she kept coming across a certain type of individual while travelling, one who was unknowingly doing more damage to the places they graced with their presence while snapping that perfect filtered image for the 'gram (Spoiler alert: Insisting on speaking English and refusing to speak a word of the local dialect isn't the worst offence from this particular type of individual).
If you feel called out by the title, this episode is for you. Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they explore travel, racialized travel experiences, food and genetics, and how both tie into race, too.
Happy Asian Heritage Month, fellow commies!
Remember to follow, rate, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!
Julia Rose (@juliarosewrites) is a professional writer, communications consultant, and part-time dancer. She runs a successful writing coaching program called, "Hello, Writer", and one of the tenets of her program is that we need to be less afraid of creating bad words, bad art-- in fact, we should embrace it.
Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they talk to Julia about how she was able to build her successful program while struggling with the doubts all creatives grapple with-- what gives me the right? Who wants to experience what I have to offer? Julia talks to us about the realities of taking the plunge and making money from one's art and also how dealing with our fear of putting out "bad art" can be the most liberating thing we can do for ourselves.
Remember to rate, review, subscribe on Apple Podcasts and slide into our DMs on Instagram at @thecommietearoom.
TRIGGER WARNING: The content covered in this episode covers intimate partner violence (IPV) as well as toxic relationships.
Lise (@melody.rose24) is currently working as a resident counsellor, eventually training to become a registered psychologist. Her professional gogo resume and LGBTQ+ allyship afford her a unique perspective in which to consider the concept of empowerment. Lise does a deep dive with Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillienial) into the toxic effects of the patriarchy-- unfettered misogyny in social media and intimate partner violence, and it all starts with a reel Lise posted on Instagram and earned her the ire and harassment of a particular TikToker and his legion of followers. Get ready-- it is going to get heavy!
Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!
Disclaimer: graphic content
We are so excited to finally release this episode! We sat down with Domina (not her real name) to discuss the world of BDSM and kink, and how her work as a dominamatrix has allowed her to see another side of humanity. The idea that we are all weirdos at the end of the day could never be truer, and also never be more liberating.
Join us as we do a deep dive into fetlife ("Fetlife", by the way, is a great resource to go if you are curious about BDSM), how the practice of kink is typically incredibly mindful of safety, consent, and compassion, and how Domina spends more time reading about human psychology and mental health than she does spend reading about how to tie shibari knots. You would be surprised and pleased to learn how many transferrable skills there are from the kink world that can positively impact our own relationships, kinky and otherwise.
Remember to show us some love by rating, reviewing, and subscribing on Apple Podcasts. Episode is available on all podcast platforms.
Having a podcast means getting to grow and learn from the various people we interview.
And sometimes, that just doesn't happen. Tune in to get all the tea from your two favourite commies.
Remember to follow, subscribe, and leave a five-star rating on Apple Podcast!
Disclaimer: There may be a significant echo in this track. Pola went above and beyond to clean up the audio but there may be some residual noise pollution. Forgive us and love us anyway!
Our much-beloved guest @_mckensea comes back to talk about something incredibly intimate yet contentious-- polyamory. Polyamory-- not to be confused with polygamy-- is "consensual, ethical, and responsible non-monogamy." Polyamory is an umbrella term and covers a wide variety of relationships but at its core, s a practice that requires a great deal of healthy communication, reflection, and trust-- which are all things all human relationships share and, let's be honest, struggle with.
Many are uncomfortable with the idea of polyamory (perhaps because so many struggle with monogamous relationships as is, that a different format seems threatening?), and we definitely have a lot more to learn, but @_mckensea does an amazing job of framing the lifestyle for the uninitiated and who knows-- you may learn something you can take back to your monogamous relationship as well!
Check out @_mckensea on her own amazing podcast, "The Controversial Dive" and her recommended resource for the curious (and for anyone who wants to improve their relationships, really), "The Ethical Slut".
Please remember to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcast!
TW: This episode contains discussions of abuse and trauma, as well as explorations of racialized experiences.
Amber Paquette, Edmonton's historian laureate, as well as filmmaker, performer, historical reenactor, AND a mother of three, blew our minds during this interview. There were so many preconceptions and misconceptions Amber debunked for us, that many of us, some Indigenous folx might labour under simply because the rich histories of Indigenous civilizations have been lost and are still not being taught in schools.
Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillienial) as they dive deeper in their own unlearning and relearning.
Don't forget to rate, review ,and subscribe your two favourite commies on Apple Podcasts.
Podcast guests who have their own podcasts are something else. Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they talk to Giselle and Harlene of H.A.M. Podcast about the helpful and unhelpful ideas surrounding motherhood, single parenthood, and people who don't want parenthood at all. They also talk about the challenges of being a parent while trying to reconcile the imperfect parenting they received as children, and explore ways in which to break that vicious cycle.
It's a heavy episode, fellow commies-- take lots of breaks and check in with yourself, and if you're able, please rate, review, and subscribe!
Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they talk to Christina (@cookingwithchow) about deviating from stereotypes experienced while traveling, social media tips, deviating and challenging cultural expectations, as well as the Imposter Syndrome, and advocating for one's own mental health in a less-than-permissive household, while always grounding these stories in our connection with food.
Also, Happy Lunar New Year!!! This episode is released just in time for Lunar New Year, one of the biggest festivals celebrated throughout Asia. Check out Christina's amazing and very popular food instagram to get recipe ideas for Lunar New Year!
In this episode Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenal) chat with Siggy (@siggycortez), the creator of the popular TWERKFIT program, to talk about experiences of BIPOC dancers going through the studio route as well as the experiences they have outside of studios. They also talk about the history of twerk, the stigma that surrounds it, and finally they do a deep dive into how dance offers healing for anyone who has experienced trauma.
Please remember to rate, review and subscribe!
The Commies are back from their holiday break! What better way to start the new year than to get right into something that, let's be honest, none of us are really good at-- relationships.
Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) talk with Katie (@kthmooree) about gaslighting, how to address and counter gaslighting, toxic relationships (especially with women) and how to set boundaries.
Katie Moore is a student of Business at Mount Royal University, a dancer, an internationally-published model, as well as a cohost of masterclasses focused on helping guys become men of action.
It's the happiest time of the year-- but is it? Christmas is advertised as the biggest celebration of the calendar, especially in North America, so it's no surprise the idea of not giving it the expected pomp can be incredibly polarizing. But what if you're an immigrant from a culture that has seen very little Christian/Christmas influence? Or what if you're an immigrant from a culture that celebrates Christmas with so much extravagance that the ugly-Christmas sweater, eggnog-laden North American approach doesn't seem enough?
Join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillienial) as they get into their personal experiences in celebrating Christmas, the uncomfortable process of integrating into North American culture, and how even years later, they can still feel like an imposter.
This will be our last episode for 2020-- it's been an interesting year, to put it mildly! Can't wait to see what 2021 has in store (we say this with some trepidation). Happy holidays everyone and see you in the new year!
Sarah (@sawrasaurusrex) joins Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) in discussing the barriers for BIPOC dancers in the dance community, specifically the studio dance community. Sarah also gets into why feminism must be intersectional, and how white feminism can end up causing more harm than good.
This is a longer episode but it's worth listening to the end-- as we wrap things up, Sarah spills some spicy tea on her Twitter feud with a certain female Edmonton mayoral candidate.
Put your seatbelts on, it's time to get uncomfortable!
If this episode title makes you feel attacked, then this is the episode for you! Donny (@takinlunchmoney), a fan favourite, returns to join Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) as they explore ghosting/zombieing/benching/breadcrumbing from some unflinching perspectives, while also taking a look at some other dating behaviour that comes part and parcel with the use of social media (i.e. what to do when your partner likes pictures of Instagram models). Prepare to get uncomfortable!
Have you tried to be more environmentally friendly? Reduced, reused, recycled? Have you bought into something you thought was helping the environment but maybe wasn't? We spill the tea with Mckenzie (@_mckensea) and discuss how this trend is to blame consumers for environmental issues when the focus needs to be on big corporations. We can't wait for you to listen!
Remember to rate, subscribe, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Staci Mitchell (@stacimitchellintimates) is a celebrated boudoir photographer in Calgary and joins Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillienial) in spilling the tea on what it's like to be a boudoir photographer, especially on how Staci uses her craft to help empower womxn in their bodies. We discuss the space male photographers occupy in boudoir photography, how it can be challenging for a female photographer, who is also working through her own societally-imposed baggage when it comes to her body and how that impacts her clients, as well as how to pronounce "boudoir", which apparently, Carole can't do. We also do a quick dip into how photography plays into dating profiles, specifically, Pola's dating profile and her attending dating habits.
We had so much fun with this interview-- let us know what you think and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!
Larissa Kovalenko is the co-owner of Rhythm FX Entertainment and founder of RFX Collective. She is a dancer, choreographer, dance educator, and creative director that has worked on local and international platforms (think: the most prestigious international music experiences).
She joins Pola (@russiancoffee) and Carole (@ofmillenial) to talk about misogyny within our economy, heading a business as a woman in a male-dominated industry and playing the game while maintaining her values, and what's it like to have your heart broken by your dreams, and finding healing in love that is still not entirely socially embraced.
Trigger Warning: This stuff gets heavy. Take breaks and be gentle with yourself. Be prepared to get vulnerable-- we did!
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