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Laurel Minnes is an award-winning singer/songwriter who lives in the Niagara Region of Ontario Canada. She’s also the front woman for the post-modern harmonic choral collective Minuscule, an experience of music that is equal parts joyful and soul-wrenching.

Full disclosure, I’m a total fan girl, so just having her agree to be a guest on the show was a big deal.

Our conversation spans everything from honouring the muse whenever she comes knocking to bravely voicing our darkness so others realize they aren’t alone. Laurel is figuring out how to solve the puzzle of life, one genius stroke of songwriting at a time. She talks about how to embrace the next tier of bravery, how to ask for help, how to learn the oh-so awkward steps of a new life choreography, and finally, she gives much deserved praise to the vulnerability and power of nice guys and their role in facilitating healing for, well, all of us.

Laurel is a beautiful example of what happens when you chose to put your magic out into the world, despite the fear and the uncertainty. Her stories resonate in their fragility and I feel so lucky to have the chance to share some of them with you.

Here's where to find Laurel and Miniscule:

Bandcamp

Instagram

Two of the songs we chat about in the podcast:

Jordan

Nice Guy

Season one of Soft Opening is made possible with the support of the Niagara Falls Cultural Development Fund.

Co-Produced and Engineered By: Peter Haverkamp

Co-Produced and Hosted By: Catherine Skinner

Soft Opening Website

Send us a text

One of the topics that keeps coming up in Season One of Soft Opening is the importance of community.

The opposite of community is social isolation which can lead to loneliness. Both have been found to have a significant impact on mental health, particularly on feelings of depression and anxiety. We’ve seen a slow return to social engagement in this post-pandemic landscape, and a rise in reported cases of depression and anxiety, and I think there might be a link between these statistics.

Human beings have existed in packs throughout history, yet we find ourselves more disconnected from real-life interaction than ever before. It’s not always easy to make plans and then keep them. After a long week, it can feel impossible to find the energy to leave the house. Yet, when we spend too much time alone, and in our own heads, or feeling a false sense of connection while scrolling through social media, we start to feel it in ways that are often unpleasant, and often hard to articulate.

So, what are some ways that we can feel less isolated and more like part of a community?

Start by understanding your own specific needs for social connection. These can change over time.

Make a list of the social environments that uplift you and give you energy, and those that feel draining and overwhelming

Start small – you can take a book to a cafe or a public park and just enjoy the energy of people

Share your struggles with social isolation with your trusted friends – there's strength in numbers, ask for their help in being accountable to staying connected

Or not – consider activities you can do solo; in case your friend(s) need a rain check or are suddenly unavailable

Couple it with fitness/wellness/or skill building

Organize a low-key event for friends like a potluck or a picnic

Some Free Community-Building Ideas:

Free concerts in outdoor venues

Readings or other library events

Farmer’s markets

Vendor or craft markets

Volunteer

Reach out to at least one friend daily with a voice memo, a phone call, or an in-person visit. This makes for a more personal connection than a text or an email

Compliment a stranger and stay open to how this might lead to a conversation

Remember to pace yourself so that you’re not doing too much all at once to fill up your social battery, as this can lead to overwhelm. It’s a good idea to take note of how an increased attention to connection and community impacts your overall sense of well-being so consider making notes in your journal to remind yourself of which efforts felt the best or led to surprisingly good results.

If, after having tried some of these options, you still feel stuck and lonely, it’s a good idea to talk to a mental health practitioner about some other tools and options for connecting and finding community.

Remember, all of us feel different from time-to-time. All of us have struggled with fitting in. Your people are out there, looking to connect with someone just like you, and it’s up to you to take the first steps towards finding them. There are folks everywhere wishing they had someone who understands what they’re going through, and that someone might just be you.

Season one of Soft Opening is made possible with the support of the Niagara Falls Cultural Development Fund.

Co-Produced and Engineered By: Peter Haverkamp

Co-Produced and Hosted By: Catherine Skinner

Soft Opening Website

Send us a text

Brandon Agnew is a Niagara based singer songwriter who has a deep appreciation for the value of life. A shocking experience of grief in his youth led to his first moment of using creativity as a tool to bring community together, and this valuable lesson in healing through sharing stories has continued to inform his creative collaborations.

Brandon is currently involved in multiple musical projects and he explores the genres of blues, folk, and Canadiana, writing stories about living life and falling in love with this great country. He’s surrounded himself with talented folks who are willing to say ‘yes’ and bring his vision to life, which is easy to do when he comes to the table with thoughtful, intentional, open-hearted songwriting.

Brandon lives by the principles of community wellness, simple, connected living, and leading with kindness and humility. In this conversation he shares how we can all have unlimited access to the creative muse, and how getting up close and personal with death can be a powerful teacher for living deeply with love and with an eye for light and joy.

Here's how to find Brandon's music:

Bandcamp

Instagram

And here are the three songs from this episode:

Meet You on Down the Road

In the Hot Louisiana Sun

They Don't Make 'Em Like You Anymore

Photo by Lauren Garbutt

Season one of Soft Opening is made possible with the support of the Niagara Falls Cultural Development Fund.

Co-Produced and Engineered By: Peter Haverkamp

Co-Produced and Hosted By: Catherine Skinner

Soft Opening Website