It’s Ali & Mati on a podcast!

For those of you who got to know me after my time as a student at Durham College, you may be surprised to hear that I actually as part of a campus radio show for three semesters called Ali and Mati in the Morning. The show was broadcasted on Riot Radio and was a fun little project for me and my dear friend Ali. At its core, it was an entertainment show where we talked about all the day’s hottest headlines from Hollywood. We even had Wannabe, a Spice Girls tribute band, as guests!

Our shows name came from our love of the television show Community, and the characters Troy and Abed. If you watch(ed) the show, you know that those two are best friends and had their own morning show called Tory and Abed in the Morning.  If you have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Say hello to Troy and Abed…

So, as a way of paying homage to their hilarity and our love of the show in general, we named ourselves in a similar manner. But why am I bringing this up now? It’s been almost seven years since our last episode, why talk about it again? Well, it’s because Ali and Mati are back again, only in podcast form!

We’ve been talking for some time about how much we missed the show and all the fun we had with it, so we brought it back. We’re a few episodes in already (check out previous episodes on our Facebook page), and we’ve found ourselves reinventing what we do. By Episode 3, we realized the old Hollywood gossip angle wasn’t our style anymore. It didn’t feel as authentic as it did back in the day. So, the new and improved Ali and Mati Podcast is all about what is near and dear to our hearts. We talk about stress, anxiety, mental health, pregnancy, family, what’s happening in the world, and so much more.

I didn’t realize how much I needed/missed this in my life. And the best part of all is that I get three standing weekly dates with Ali! With us living in different towns, it’s been an absolute joy getting to reconnecting over something we both loved so much. She’s one of the biggest badasses I know and she has never let anything stop her pursuit of finding happiness and fulfilling her dreams. So, I thought I’d use this post to introduce you to the dynamic that is Ali and Mati!

This is my first interview-style blog post, but I think it’s going to be fun. I’m kind of hoping this dive into us as friends and hosts will entice you to tune in each week, even if it’s just to say “Hi!”

Ready? Set? Say hello to Ali and Mati!

Question 1: Introduce yourself.

Ali: Hi! I’m Ali, I’m 28 and I’m a content creator. It’s weird to say that because most of the time I still feel like a kid but I make videos and other visual content. I’m a mom and those two things about sum me up.

Mati: Well, even though this is my blog, let me reintroduce myself 🙂 I’m Mati (or Matisse), I work in communications and PR during the day and get to play podcast host at night with Ali. I’m happily married and have two wonderful dogs named Agnes and Edith. I live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and love all things stationery, music on vinyl, true crime, swimming, and photography. I’m currently finishing up a degree in professional communication from Royal Roads University and am in the process of launching my own business called Queddo Communications, which is a communications and digital accessibility agency based in Durham Region.

Question 2: Why did you want to bring back Ali and Mati in the Morning?

Ali: I wanted to bring back Ali & Mati because I missed Mati a lot. It’s just really nice to have a rapport with someone who has the same interests as you and shares the same desire to talk to people and build a community of listeners. Also, there are a lot of things happening in the world and I was struggling with where to have a voice about those issues.

Mati: I missed it! I missed having a talkshow with Ali and the fun we had chatting about whatever was happening in Hollywood. When we reconnected after a couple of years of life getting in the way, it was as if no time had passed at all; we didn’t skip a beat. We knew it was something we had to do. However, we soon realized that we weren’t Hollywood-obsessed students anymore. We wanted to take this podcast and talk about things that were impacting us. So, why did we want to bring it back? It’s because it just made sense for us to do it now and talk about real things that others might relate to.

Question 3: What are you loving about the new podcast format? What do you wish was still the same as your time on Riot Radio?

Ali: I love being able to talk about ourselves and our struggles and growth. I feel like everyone struggles with issues they’re too afraid to share and the more people who open up about what they’re going through the more people will find the strength to do the same. We’re stronger together. I wish we had the music licensing and had the opportunity to play music videos/ songs even in the background.

Mati: I miss the amazing people we got to work with at Riot Radio and actually being in the same room with Ali when we record. But, I love that we’re trying new things in how we’re broadcasting the show. From using Twitch to live stream it and then editing and sharing a “clean-cut” version on our social platforms…it’s really just a great learning experience. And to see how excited Ali is about the backend of the podcast and learning new things, it just makes it so much fun!

Question 4: If you could have any guest on the show, who would it be?

Ali: Oh this is a tough one…Ummm…Honestly…So, I’ll pick like a celebrity-type person and then just someone I like. First, it would be Jagmeet Singh because I think he’s great, and second person would be a girl on TikTok by the name of Call Me Kris, she cracks me up. Shout out to Canadian content

Mati: Oooooh…That’s a good question…Hmmm…I would love to talk to Meaghan Markle, but not about her marriage or the royal family, but rather her advocacy work, empowering women…that sort of thing. I think she’s a brilliant and passionate woman and I’d love to have that type of conversation with her.

Question 5: What topic are you most excited to chat about on the show?

Ali: Mental health…anything to do with that. I’ve been on this mental health journey for the better part of a decade and I’ve been through so many ups and downs. If I can help someone avoid one obstacle or hurdle, then I feel like we’ve accomplished something.

Mati: I’m excited to talk about things that are impacting others my age like mental health, reproduction, advocacy, money…there are so many topics that I can’t wait to discuss!

Question 6: What are your hopes for the Ali and Mati Podcast?

Ali: I hope people will listen to us, laugh, cry and learn with us. I feel like we can build an incredible community.

Mati: I want this to become our thing. I want it to be successful in that we get to keep doing this for years to come. It’s not about the money, it’s about friendship and getting to talk to one of my closest friends!

Question 7: What do you do outside of podcasting in your free time?

Ali: Ha podcasting 🙂 This apparently has become my thing, but really I make videos. I hang out with my family and am always outside.

Mati: Outside of the podcast, I blog, play with my dogs, work on building my company, cook, go on random photo adventures, and try to be the best wife I can be to my amazing husband.

Question 8: What are your Top 3 binge-worthy shows?

Ali: The Simpsons, The Office and Community

Mati: Bob’s Burgers,  and Fixer Upper and any of the Rupaul’s Drag Race franchises

Question 9: What are your Top 3 music albums?

Ali: Uhhh… Gravity by Our Lady Peace, Sublime’s complete discography greatest hits album, annnnnd… So Far Gone by Drake

Mati: Parachutes by Coldplay, Hamilton soundtrack, and I Love You by The Neighborhood

Question 10: Finally, what would you be doing if you weren’t doing what you do now?

Ali: Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t really think I have many other options other than this. But if I wasn’t doing this, I would want to be home every day with Ava.

Mati: I think I’d be a lawyer…maybe? I don’t know hahaha. Not something I think about, but it reminds me how happy I am in doing what I am doing now.

That’s Ali and me in a nutshell. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And if you want to watch us live, you can tune into Twitch every Friday night at 8 p.m. EST, or watch the recording on our Facebook the following Monday.

That’s it for now. Until next time!