Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Welcome to Life and Limb podcast from Thrive magazine, all about living well with limb loss and limb difference. I'm Jeff Thiessen, publisher of Thrive magazine and your podcast host. My guest this episode is a musician, a writer, a broadcaster, a filmmaker, and now the host of season five of the AMI travel docu series Postcards from, which features a different Canadian city in in each episode. Christa Couture is proudly indigenous, queer and a left leg amputee since childhood. She loves sharing stories that intersect with disability. Her work has explored experiences of loss, which include several unimaginable ones in her own life. She's here to talk about some of that and her new travel and road show. Welcome, Christa Couture. How are you?
[00:00:56] Speaker B: I'm good, thank you so much.
[00:00:58] Speaker A: So good to have you. So, yeah, you are in Toronto right now, but originally from the Prairies and born in Peterborough and lived in Florida and some time in Vancouver. I don't know if I have that in order, but are those the facts?
[00:01:11] Speaker B: Those are the facts. Those are most of the places that I've lived. And then I was a touring musician for so many years and I drove back and forth across Canada countless times. I feel really lucky that even before this travel show that I've seen so much of this country. I've also done a number of road trips in the States and yeah, it feels really like I know some. It's a different experience to grow up and live in just one place than. I'll never know that experience. It's too late for me.
But yeah, I like that. I've lived in so many places.
[00:01:46] Speaker A: Sounds like you have. I'm gonna ask you more about being a musician. I first want to ask you, what were you like as a child where. I mean, there's a bit of a Traveling Wilbury to you. Is that something that sort of shaped your personality or.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Yeah, it's interesting you say that because even just now I'm like, I also moved a lot as a kid. My parents were separated and both moved to different homes. My dad moved to New Jersey, Northern Alberta, Ontario. And so I'd be seeing him in different places and he loved a road trip. My God, that was like our summer holidays with my dad. We're like, we're in the car and we're just going somewhere camping.
So there was a lot of travel and moving around in my childhood as well.
But I was also always an artist. Like, I, you know, I have a six year old and when I see my six year old, she's clearly such an Artist. And I think. Is that what I was like? And I think I was, like, singing all the time, writing stories all the time, kind of documenting our experiences as we went.
Yeah, I think that's. That's a slice of my childhood.
[00:02:53] Speaker A: How old's your daughter?
[00:02:54] Speaker B: My daughter is 6, almost 7.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: And how old were you when you lost your leg to cancer, as I understand?
[00:03:00] Speaker B: That's right. I was 13 when my leg was amputated. But I was first diagnosed when I was 11 with Ewing Sarcoma and had chemotherapy. Radiotherapy went into remission, and then the cancer came back shortly before my 13th birthday. And so the amputation was. I'm very, very lucky. The amputation was the cure for my cancer. So that's.
That's when I had the surgery.
[00:03:27] Speaker A: Yeah. I asked about how old your daughter was and the age you lost your lim. Because I've talked to many people and myself, I resonate with this. I lost. Lost my hands when I was 11. So when my son reached 11, this was like kind of looking in the mirror at that. So this is my immaturity level at. At that age. These are the things I might have been interested in. So it was an interesting crossroads or intersection for. For me with the age.
[00:03:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And I'm sure that I will feel that when she reaches 11. And because I, you know, when you're a kid, you're just. You're the oldest you've ever been, and you don't feel like a little tiny child. You feel big and important and real and. And now when I see even photos of myself at age 11 or 12, I think, oh, my God, I'm so tiny. I'm so little. I'm just, I'm.
And so I'm sure with my own child that when she's 11, it'll be like. Like you just described. Really interesting to think, oh, wow, that's this huge life change was happening.
[00:04:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:28] Speaker B: And, you know, it's the only life, you know, and it's like. But I think I'm kind of anticipating I'll have something similar.
[00:04:37] Speaker A: Yeah. Interesting. Oh, yeah. Of course. I want to ask more about you and your personal life, but let's start with life on the road, which we kind of have started with. And, you know, I'm interested. What's it like doing a traveling roadshow? And again, important to, you know, the backdrop or the context is you're discovering unfamiliar places as a prosthesis, wearing above knee, amputee. And I wonder if that factors into the experience at all. But what's it like going to these different places as the host, pull the curtain.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: I mean it's a blast. Like it is a dream job and it feels like a gift in my life. I'm like, it's, it's exhausting, it's demanding, it's on camera. So I really have to be on all the time. But it just feels like a remarkable gift of an experience because I'm getting paid to go to new places, try new things, meet cool people.
And it just, I mean, it's not a job I was looking for. It kind of came to me through like an old work connection and they needed a new host and it had to be someone with a disability. And so that was already kind of the first requirement. And then from there. I'd never done television, but I'd done a lot of radio and I'd been a touring musician. Like I'm a performer. So even though I'm not, I hadn't done television before. At least I've been, you know, on stage or you know, on the mic. And, and so not only is it just like a really fun gig, but the fact that it is an accessible travel show and that it's for AMI accessible media here in Canada and the audience there is primarily blind and partially sighted, but you know, also broadly other disabled experiences, like that piece felt really meaningful to me. So it's been this beautiful combination of like, this is fun and exciting and also this feels meaningful because I'm getting to learn a lot about as a sighted person, I'm learning more about how blind and partially sighted people experience the world because as the host of the show, I need to think about their entry point and then just I feel like anytime we see a disabled person on camera, on stage, anytime a disabled person is kind of elevated, I think is so positive as far as the power of representation. And this show, I mean, it's an accessible travel show, but not really like on the nose. It's not really heavy handed about accessibility. But I have a disability. Exactly. I wear a prosthetic leg so it has to be accessible to me.
And, and we adapt things and we, we find a way to make things work and, and we often try to incorporate people with disability different than my own too or other limb difference people and wheelchair users and you know, but it feels like it's, it's sort of like implicit, which is the kind of representation I really like. It's just a way for audiences, particularly non disabled audiences. Well, it's both, I feel like for non disabled audiences to see it and go, huh? Like, I hadn't thought like that someone with a prosthetic leg could do that. Or oh my gosh, it makes me realize that my city is super inaccessible or, you know, or the thing, things that I love to do. How would I adapt them? Like, or, or just like, oh, this person laughs and talks and doesn't talk about their disability all the time. Like, whatever stereotypes someone might have, I feel like I get to contribute towards changing that. And then for other disabled people, hopefully there's some, like, you know, if I can do it, you can do it. Like, these are the ways that I've been able to travel and try these things. And I'm even trying things through this show that I probably never would have tried on my own. But with having, you know, the producers and the crew, they're bringing me to new things and I'm finding out like, I can what I can do, that I can go ziplining. Okay.
So it, it's, it's just a joy of a job. And it also feels like there's a light heartedness to it, but at the same time, it's my story and it's, I think the piece around representation for me especially feels really important.
[00:08:54] Speaker A: Yeah, it's interesting you say about the implicit representation of disability, but I would think at the same time when you talk about meeting people and having guests on the show that have other types of disabilities, that yours would almost be a gateway to comfortable engagements and conversations, which for the viewer then I would think extends to that comfort and maybe confidence when it comes to learning about people with disabilities.
[00:09:24] Speaker B: Yeah, I hope so, because exactly. Like we're having conversations with people about what they love, what they like to enjoy doing. Not about how they lost their leg or whatever, but just who they are and what they love about the place that they live and how they enjoy the place that they live.
So, yeah, I hope that, yeah, viewers are introduced to all kinds of experiences, you know, not just the travel part, but the personal experiences that maybe they haven't encountered before.
[00:09:57] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, I like that. Real people.
[00:10:00] Speaker B: Real people. Yeah.
[00:10:03] Speaker A: I had read that the show highlights how you experience cities through your senses. Taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight. What does that mean?
[00:10:15] Speaker B: So each episode has five segments and it is each segment we kind of focus on one of the senses. And that's partly, partly that's a means that helps us have like structure to the story, but partly it's again, thinking about, you know, depending on your disability or the barriers you face, you know, your entry point might be sound more than Sight. Right. And. Or touch more than taste or whatever. And so it's sort of a way to also think about what are the different ways that people experience travel. And.
But sometimes we'll be on set and I'll be like, is this, is this touch or hearing? Like, like remind me, remind me. And it just means that when I'm like, we're filming that scene, I try to sort of bring that part to the foreground. Like, if it's the smell scene, I really make sure I'm describing everything I can smell.
If it's the touch scene, you know, I'm really leaning into what the textures are or what have you.
And yeah, it's just kind of a fun way to frame the story. You know, it gives us like a structure to the story and an entry point into the different scenes.
[00:11:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
Is there, I mean, different cities? But is there a commonality that you're finding? Is there an essence of Canadiana or, you know, being Canadian?
Oh, what are you finding? What are you learning out there?
[00:11:39] Speaker B: I mean, Canada is so big and so diverse. I think, like, what is Canadian or what is Canada is like that. There's many truths in that. There's many versions of that. And I mean, we're filming season six right now and we were just Grossmoor, Newfoundland, like the west coast of Newfoundland. And you know, in season five we went to Dawson City in the Yukon. Like, you couldn't be further apart in this country or within these sort of state borders.
I mean, I'm finding that in the smaller places I'm learning that I'm, you know, I've always lived in cities. Like, yes, I've lived in many cities, but they've always been big cities for Canada anyway.
And. But going to these smaller towns where I maybe had some stereotypes about people being more close minded or more conservative or whatever that you might think of small town thinking. I'm putting air quotes, but I'm finding in these smaller places that there's incredible community and creativity and people are very welcoming. And I don't know if that's a Canadian trait, but I've been most moved by seeing the way, especially for someone with a disability, the way that a community comes together to make something possible. Because, you know, when you live in a big city, you can kind of feel a bit anonymous. Right. That's sort of the irony of being surrounded by thousands of people is that everyone sort of just like goes about their day and doesn't look up around them. And then these smaller communities like you, you say hi to Everybody, you know, and there's a real sort of, like, more neighborly collaboration cooperation that I experienced on the show in these smaller places. So I think that's been one of the coolest things to learn. And, you know, because when I think of, like, the accessibility as far as my needs, like, with, like, which are, you know, all based around mobility, you know, I need elevators or, like, even ground. I mean, Dawson City, my God, has no paved sidewalks. It's all these wooden boardwalks. It's terrible if you, you know, my. My toes were getting caught. I think if you had, you know, a chair, you would just be going, like, it's really bumpy. But I. So I sort of have always equated, like, the cities are where the resources are. The cities are more accessible. But in these smaller towns, because there's this a sort of creativity and an investment in community, accessibility looks more like support from each other. And yes, they also still need to get ramps and elevators, but there's sort of a level of helping each other that I. I haven't seen in the cities.
[00:14:26] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a really interesting component of accessibility, too, that we forget about.
[00:14:30] Speaker B: Right.
[00:14:30] Speaker A: That people can be part of our greatest, you know, accessible. And I want to say tools. That's not the right word, but assets, maybe. And see that I have in some more developing countries where they don't have that kind of infrastructure that, you know, we're somewhat accustomed to. But everybody's willing to help, and that makes a difference.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. People want to help. And I know ideally there'd be universal design and wherever we went, and you wouldn't have to necessarily kind of rely on people, but at the same time, it's like, yeah, let's not forget that we can help each other, you know, and.
And that people care about each other, so.
[00:15:13] Speaker A: True.
I'm not going to ask you to pick favorites that. That's never, you know, a good practice. But what have been some of your favorite experiences? Being out on the road, and I'm guessing maybe prairie oysters in those.
[00:15:28] Speaker B: Prairie oysters? Well, yes. So season five, we filmed an episode in Drumheller, Alberta, and Drumheller is in what's called, like, the Badlands. I mean, it's this part of Alberta that it just looks like you're on Mars. I haven't been to Mars, but, like, it's just sandy, rocky. There's incredible layers of the sediment. Over the years, I think there was some sort of glacial event that just created these valleys that you see everything in the rock and this is where this is like a hotbed of dinosaur bones because of whatever that glacial event was. So it's kind of known as like dino town and there's just dinosaur everything.
But I had gone there with my mom when I was a kid, so we. I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, and we'd gone on a trip together. And so in the show, it was one of the places. It wasn't a brand new place to me, but it was a place that I had a connection to, which sometimes we do as well. And you know, when I went to Germhaller with my mom in 1991, it actually was. I. My chemotherapy had finished. We thought my cancer was gone, but we didn't know that two months later my leg was going to be amputated. And, and so there's photos of me in Jermaheller. It's like some of the last photos of me with two legs. And, and so I've always kind of thought of that. That trip is very clear because it happened just before this major life change. Right.
And so going back there with the show, there was that element that felt like very interesting to go back to that place and think about myself 30 years ago.
And then of course, try some of the local delicacies, which includes prairie oysters. So for anyone who doesn't know, prairie oysters are not oysters at all. They're actually calf testicles. And it's a big thing on the cattle ranches like Alberta, you know, the prairies, tons of cattle. And, and that's a big part of the culture and industry and economy and all of that. And they. When all the bulls are castrated in this spring or the male calves so they don't become bulls, it's a waste not, want not situation, I guess.
And they deep fry them and they eat them. And like the, the ranchers that, you know, cooked these prairie oysters for me on the back of their truck, like, the kids love them, everyone gets in on it. I don't know that I will ever eat them again.
Very chewy, Jeff. Very, very chewy. But, but I'm glad I tried it, you know, like, it was interesting to find out. And, and, and interesting because again, it's a big part of some people's lives there, right? So it felt like a, an important part of the local culture. So the prairie oysters are very memorable. I've already mentioned Dawson City. That was a really memorable place because it's so remote and there's just a lot of artists and kind of counterculture people, people Living off grid. Half the town is off grid. And so that was a really neat experience as well.
Whistler was a favorite episode because even though I'd lived in Vancouver for 17 years, I'd only been to Whistler once, and.
But I tried sit skiing for the first time.
An amputee for 30 years, I'd never tried sit skiing.
And I loved it. I loved it. It was so much fun.
[00:18:56] Speaker A: You're very brave, Krista. Very brave.
[00:18:59] Speaker B: I mean, it was cross country. It wasn't downhill. I don't. I don't want to be pushed downhill yet. But cross country, like, sit skiing was fantastic. And so that was another favorite because it felt like it was an episode that pushed me a little, like, to my. My kind of comfort level or my learning things. And so just individually, it's a Satisfying to get to try something and then so satisfying to turn out that I love it.
So those are some of the memorable places, for sure.
[00:19:28] Speaker A: That's a great answer. Wow. So the Back to the Prairie or streets, that would fit into the taste segment.
[00:19:34] Speaker B: That was a. That was a taste segment? Yes, Yes, a very memorable taste segment.
[00:19:40] Speaker A: I just thought that was something they duped tourists into doing, like kissing the cod. But no, I guess not.
[00:19:45] Speaker B: Right? Which I kissed the cod for. In season six, we filmed kissing the cod. I mean, there is. I mean, actually in Dawson, there's a.
An initiation called the sour toe cocktail, where they put a mummified toe, like a human toe, most often from someone who's still alive, like they've lost it to frostbite or whatever. I mean, I joked about. I was like, if I had known, I could have given them my whole foot when I was 13.
But they put the mummified toe in a shot of whiskey, and then you drink the whiskey and the toe has to touch your lips. It's disgusting. So that's a ritual that maybe is about duping tourists. But, yeah, the Prairie oysters, it's a. It's a local thing, and families love it. And there's even a festival, a local festival called the Testy Festy, where people cook them in all different ways and sort of celebrate this part of their. Their yearly life. Yeah.
[00:20:40] Speaker A: Sounds like a show unto itself.
Before we talk about loss. And in your memoir, your career is so interesting. Interesting and windy, if that's the word.
Not linear, for sure. So, you know, maybe in terms of a highlight reel, your work as a filmmaker and a musician and a writer and a broadcaster, give us the high notes on how that. How did you get to Hear.
[00:21:13] Speaker B: Yes. My circuitous career, I mean, it's just been connecting the dots. I started as a singer songwriter in my 20s, and I have seven albums, and I toured for 10 years, and I loved it. And then I had to take a break, actually, because I was. I had thyroid cancer, and I was having my thyroid removed. And so I needed to take a break from singing for a while. And then in taking that break, I had. Had had this idea to write a memoir. Had been kind of on my mind, but I decided to spend the time doing that, and then that experience was so positive, and I really enjoyed that process. And so then I started doing more writing. And then out of the book, a project to create one short animated film based on an excerpt of the book came up. And then that grew into a series of five short animated films. Like, it just kind of happened.
So I produced five short animated films, all by indigenous artists. I mean, I hadn't. I wouldn't. I don't know if I'll ever make other short films, but that was like three years of my life. I learned so much, and I'm so proud of those films. And then the radio work. Like, I've been on radio off and on for years, but I feel like that was sort of an extension of being a touring musician. You know, it was like I'm speaking into microphones all the time. I would just get these gigs of hosting different things and. And then. And I also really love being in radio, and so they all kind of connect. Like, I'm definitely a master of none. I know that. But, like, they're all sort of storytelling, some kind of storytelling. And I just sort of am connecting the dots from one project to the next.
[00:22:56] Speaker A: Ironically, it seems very unscripted. Like, it doesn't seem like you. You planned out what the next opportunity was going to be, right?
[00:23:05] Speaker B: No, I have no career plan.
[00:23:10] Speaker A: Well, that's working out for you. I'd stick with that if. If that's the plan. No plan.
Let's talk about loss. And unfortunately, you are more familiar with unimaginable loss than. And grief than most. Your memoir, how to Lose Everything, is certainly a testament to that. So I'm going to hand it to you here and let you take it from here and share what you'd like to share.
[00:23:38] Speaker B: Sure. And thank you for that.
Yeah, a lot of my work has been about grief and loss. My, definitely my albums, like, as a singer, songwriter, so much of it is about loss. The short films, which are also called how to Lose Everything, like, as a series and they came from the book. They're about loss.
And I mean, the book. When I would. When I would tell people about the book, I would share what I call my grief bio, which is sort of also my book outline, which is cancer, amputation, death, death, divorce, and more cancer.
Which is to say, I mean, we've already touched on this. Like, I had bone cancer as a child. My left leg was amputated above the knee. And I. I am so grateful that there was a cure. I had friends in the hospital for whom there wasn't a cure for their cancer. All of us have lost people to cancer. Right. Like, it. It's. I mean, fucking cancer. If I can swear.
[00:24:35] Speaker A: You can, but especially when cancer is concerned.
[00:24:39] Speaker B: Yeah. And so I am very lucky. And. And it was a loss, right? Losing my leg, of course, was a big loss, changed the trajectory of my life.
And then in my late 20s and 30s, my. I had a child in 2006 who died when he was a day old.
And then I had a second child in 2009 who died when he was 14 months old, um, because he was born with a serious heart condition. And. And then after that, my marriage ended. Like, we, you know, understandably couldn't survive as a couple through these really devastating experiences. And that was all in Vancouver. And so kind of up then moved to Toronto to try and pick up the pieces and start over in some way. And then I got thyroid cancer, which put that. My career as a singer songwriter on hold. And so that's the, like, bullet point losses. I mean, though, even in the book, like, the book being called how to Lose Everything and I. All of those stories are in it. The having bone cancer, going through divorce, it's all in there. But for me, the. Everything is definitely my children. You know, there's. There's nothing that compares to the loss of a child. And.
And so that's kind of always present in the book. Even though I go through these other, other stories, I feel like that's. That's my biggest loss, and that will always be heartbreaking. Like, I. I can say these things to you in this podcast, and I published the book, but that's because I've had years, many years to kind of come to terms with how to say it. You know, like 10 years ago, I wouldn't have been able to say this without crying. And it's not that I'm not still heartbroken. I am. But I can talk about these experiences, and I've been driven to create work from them and about them partially as my just My means for survival, certainly in the beginning, like recording albums and singing songs, that gave me something to hold on to. It gave me a way to express myself. It gave me a way to connect with other people. I mean, grief, you know, not everyone has lost a child or two children, but grief obviously so universal, you know, we, we all experience grief. And at the same time, it can be so specific and it can feel so isolating, like our own grief can feel like exile, you know. And so in creating work about grief, I've been really helped by just, you know, it's kind of like saying like, you know what I mean? And then other people go, yeah, yeah, like a few. Okay, um, and then, you know. But in recent years, I've been making less work about grief, which has felt good. Like it's been now more sort of disability focused or other parts of my identity. And I'll always want to talk about grief, I think, and make space for grief because I think it's so important to make space for it.
But it's less the focus of what I do publicly. But I'm so glad my book is out there and the films are out there. And I just hope that they, you know, if they reach people who, who need them.
Because I know, like in the early years after both my son's deaths, like the books that I read or the songs that I heard were sometimes that lifeline, you know. And so I felt like in writing the book, it was my way of sort of giving back or putting something. Now there's now one more thing, there's one more resource and people will find the things that they connect to. But now my book is one of the possibilities.
So, yeah, it's felt, it's felt, I don't, I know it's felt good, but it, it's, it's been meaningful to me and healing for me to make, make this, this kind of work.
[00:28:28] Speaker A: I, I, I'm sure. And I'm thinking the, the book which I'm looking forward to reading is there's got to be that message of sort of how to, or how you got through or for others that are reading it, that can resonate with one or more of the different type of traumatic experiences you've had in your life. So what is that end message to folks?
[00:28:56] Speaker B: There is the final passage in the book is called Chapter name is how to Lose Everything a field guide. And it's that passage that I turned into a short film because it's only five minutes if you read it out loud. But it's like the one moment that I give a little bit of advice and generally the advice I have for people, especially in the immediate days after the loss, you know, through illness or of a relationship or a family member, like whatever that loss is, my advice is to wait. Like, you know, time heals is so trite and I don't think it's true. But I do think that like you need the shock to pass, you need that initial reaction to pass and really it does just take time. Like you know, if you have to just sit and watch television for a month, like do that like whatever sort of the gentlest way to get through those early days. And then slowly you will build, you will rebuild and you will create other bits of life around. But there's no, unfortunately there's no way to hurry it up. And so I think when I, you know, when people reach out to me or they're in those early days, like all I can sort of suggest is just like just wait and do your best to not hurt yourself or others if you can avoid it, you know, but to just like time really will take that, that shock, that level of shock out and then time will allow you to create new things.
[00:30:37] Speaker A: Seems to that that kind of wraps around self care in a way. And if sitting and watching TV for a month is the way you're taking care of yours.
[00:30:45] Speaker B: Yeah, right. Yeah, whatever it takes. I think, you know, when it comes to like traumatic events and like just a really stressful life events like I am all about whatever it takes, you know, you need to check out and play on your phone, whatever. Just like just get through it. Just get through and be gentle with yourself. And then later when you have the resources, you can do other things. But yeah, just an acceptance and a care. Absolutely.
[00:31:17] Speaker A: I've got one more question for you and it's not so much around advice. I'm listening to you. Or however long your book is, you say you dedicated one page to advice, right? I think this is more of an observational question and as I said, my last one for you, Krista, but I've been an amputee for 45 years plus and I've been asked so many times, you know, what has losing your arms taught you about yourself? Or what have you learned about being an amputee? And it's a really hard question for me to answer because I've been through so many ages and stages of life as an amputee and yeah, probably some of the lessons I learned along the way, you know, were through the lens of being an amputee. But, you know, I would have learned them somehow someplace. I hope otherwise as well. So I want to flip the script a little bit on that question and ask you, what do you think your amputation has taught others in your personal and professional life? What have people learned from you because of your. Let's call it circumstance?
[00:32:24] Speaker B: Oh, interesting.
I don't. I mean, I haven't been asked that. I have been asked, like, you, like, what has. What have you gained from this? Or what has it taught you? But what has it taught others?
I think some of the same things that, that it's taught me, which is a greater understanding of just our bodies. You know, we're all in a body, and yet there's such a sort of, like, pervasive idea about what a body should be and should do. And we've all been, like, affected by that. And so I feel like for the people close to me, it has helped them maybe undo some of the ideas of the shoulder. A body should be this. A body should be able to do this. And, and then in turn, a broader understanding of looking at the world around them. Kind of like, I think what happens in this travel show is the people in my life can now show up at a space and go, oh, wow, this would be really tough for Krista. Like, you know, maybe I can do something differently or, you know, just a way of, of, you know, which. The more we understand of different experiences, the better. And so I feel like in my life, people learn more about disability and maybe more about how they might think of their own body and, and, and accept and love their own body as it is. And, you know, because I think for me as an amputee, I don't know if this is true for you, but, like, it's, it's so visible. Right. People look at us and can see how we are quote, unquote, different. Yeah. Whereas lots of other people, the ways they might feel different in their body might be something they can kind of hide or whatever, but with us at a glance, people know. And so I think it's. I think it's been helpful to people around me to, like, be sort of confronted with their own ideas of disability ability and again, just those, like, impossible ideas of, of what bodies are supposed to be like. Does that make sense?
[00:34:33] Speaker A: Makes a lot of sense.
[00:34:34] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:34:35] Speaker A: It leans right into the whole, like, ableism aspect. Right. And. And you value normal and ideal and, and productive and, and those bodies that are different and don't live up to that societal expectation are then valued lesser and have a lesser Currency. So.
[00:34:54] Speaker B: And that applies to even, you know, obviously even like learning disabilities or. Or neurodivergence or any kind of way of not conforming. Maybe gender, you're not conforming or. Or, you know, even with grief. Like we talked about the self care piece. Like, if you just need to sit there for six months and do nothing, people will tell you you're wasting space. But, like, that's just. It's just coming from, again, these, like, ideas of the ways it should be like, for what, you know. So I think all of those things are really connected. Like Ableism, I think just like, is baked into our culture so deeply in so many ways, and it really comes. You see it around any difference, even, like economic differences people have all sorts of attitudes about. Right. Like, so I think anytime we can chip away at those biases that we all have is beneficial.
[00:35:51] Speaker A: Yeah. A friend of mine describes ableism as not the shark, but the water. And then it's not one biting comment or, you know, ableist comment. But it's like you said, that pervasive societal.
[00:36:10] Speaker B: Yeah, just the attitudes, they're just like, it's. It's really baked into our culture. And, you know, I think I've probably had to fast track undoing that because I'm in a disabled body.
But other people don't necessarily encounter it until they know someone. Right.
[00:36:28] Speaker A: That's right.
[00:36:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:30] Speaker A: Wow. Thank you for all the sharings and such. Personal sharing too. And I think with the grief that you talked about, us amputees, those that have, you know, lost limbs along the way for medical reasons or trauma. Yeah. We've had to. Had to grieve and. But there's always a little bit that lingers often throughout our life, and it's how we manage it. And. And thanks for that. Time was great. A great suggestion. And thanks for your time.
[00:36:58] Speaker B: I mean, it's. It feels so basic, but it's all I've got. It's just give yourself time. But thank you. No, thank you, Jeff. I appreciate it and I appreciate you giving me the space to. To talk about this stuff.
[00:37:09] Speaker A: Appreciate what you're doing, Krista, but we want to let people know where to find you if they wanted to find your book, order your book, buy your book. Where. Where can they find that?
[00:37:18] Speaker B: My book is in all the places. All the. All your local independent bookstore, your big online bookstores. It should be in your libraries. I love a library. So it's called how to Lose Everything and it should be pretty easy to find. I'm online, you know, at Christicuture on instagram or chriscouture.com and I love to connect with people there. And then the show is only available in Canada, but in Canada it's on Amiplus Ca.
[00:37:46] Speaker A: Okay, so for those that aren't familiar a mi ca and are the preview. Well, you're just you started season five, right? And now you're into season six. But are the previous episodes there too?
[00:37:58] Speaker B: All five seasons are there. So I yeah, I came on as the host just in season five. There was other hosts before me. Season four was hosted by Theresa Stashin. I don't know if you know her. She's a incredible poet amputee, a bilateral amputee. She wrote a book of poetry called Phantom Pain or Phantom Limb. Anyway, anyways, she was an amazing host of season four and she just couldn't schedule wise do season five, which was great news for me. But she, she did a fantastic job. And yeah, we're filming season six now and that will be coming out in April. But all five seasons are are online. Yeah.
[00:38:33] Speaker A: Excellent. We'll let let our readers know too in in the magazine about that for for a reminder. So with that, again, thank you so much. This has been life and limb. Thanks everybody for listening. You can read about others thriving with limb loss or limb difference and plenty more at Thrive Mag Ca and you'll find our previous podcast episodes there too. Until next time, Live Well.
