The Allie Marz

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:00:01
You May Also Like. A show about the things you may also like. Things like The Allie Marz. I want you to meet Allie Marz. Her real name is Alexandra Marston, but her social media handles say The Allie Marz. Back when I first met Allie, she was working for an airline, which really suited her lifestyle because that meant trips to Vegas with the girls. If you know Vegas, you know what this means. Daytime at the swimming pool, meeting guys, and nighttime at the clubs, dancing until the sun rises. Allie is the same person in real life as she is on her social media channels. She's fun, feisty, and sexy, and she has the podcast to complement it. Her show is called Welcome to Marz, and you might be able to say she takes after her dad. You'll hear how in just a sec. I caught up with Allie on a Saturday at high noon in Calgary.Matt Cundill (Host) 00:01:03
Hi, Allie.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:01:03
Hi.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:01:05
Tell me about growing up in a radio household.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:01:08
It's really hard for me to think back on my childhood, because I don't obviously remember too much when I was really little, because my dad was in radio. My dad was James "Baby" Scott, and I grew up with him and my uncle David Marston as well, who is also a very big radio name. It was really awesome because I used to go on my dad's radio show when I was a kid, and he used to bring me into the studio and I was so young. I don't remember really, but I have all the tapes. When my dad passed away, I got all of his radio stuff. So I have everything you can think of. I have his record player, I have all his records. It's really cool to see all the stuff that he has done and accomplished. And I have these tapes and they say, like, in the studio with Allie. And they're from 1996, I was like four or five years old. Honestly, it's crazy. But I haven't converted them yet, and I'm dying to listen to these tapes. It's like on my list of things to do. But it was really cool. And I have so many pictures from growing up with him in the radio, and it's really cool to look back on and look at.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:02:14
Is it a little bit daunting when you see all that stuff? Because I was in radio in that same era, and I've got the same stuff. I've got cassettes that are still sticking about, and I've got some real to real tape. It feels a little bit daunting on how we're going to get that converted over into digital.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:02:29
Yeah, I was actually talking to Phil Evans about it. When my dad had passed, I had mentioned that I had all this stuff and he's like, oh, you just have to take it in to- there's certain old music stores that are able to convert these things. So, again, it's been on my list, I just haven't done it yet.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:02:48
So growing up in and around radio. Yet, your generation really doesn't have the same affinity for radio. But you wanted to communicate. So was it natural that you would gravitate to a podcast?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:03:00
It's so true though, actually, because nobody listens to the radio anymore. Like you are in a car, no one is playing the radio. They are always connecting their phone and listening to Spotify or something like that. I just think for the longest time, even before my dad got sick, I always wanted to be in radio. Like, radio was the end goal. I got into Fanshawe for broadcasting, I got into George Brown for journalism. I was on my path, ready to kind of follow in those same footsteps. Podcasts started like popping off over the last few years, and then I was like, podcasts seem like the way to go nowadays. Because obviously, like I said, not many people will listen to the radio, but people still do. Podcasts are just so popular. Any influencer is going to post their favorite self-help podcast they listen to, their favorite dating podcast that they listen to. And it just occurred to me, I actually started a podcast when I was living in Vancouver, which was about five years ago now, with my old roommate. And we only recorded one episode and we were just like, oh my God, we are so silly. This is not going to pan out. We didn't know what we were doing. That was when I moved back here with Nicole and I, when we had that podcast, which we really enjoyed doing. And like I said, we had differences and we fell apart. But ever since I took this podcast solo, I've been really enjoying it because I get to do my own thing, right? I can have on guests, I can do a solo episode, I can give advice. I just think more people are more interested in podcasts than they are really the radio.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:04:34
And it really sort of suits your lifestyle, because you like to travel. And maybe you're still working- You were working in the travel industry and had access to going to some fun, faraway places and just doing the podcast from there, or telling tales from the road.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:04:47
Obviously air travel has been a little difficult lately, but I find- I had a little bit more of exciting stories when I was single and traveling and doing a single girl thing. And obviously it's not to say me and my current partner now aren't going to go travel and have stories to tell, which I know we will. I find it was easier to come up with those raunchy, juicy stories when you were a single gal with your girlfriend out in Las Vegas. 

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:04:47
And you also like wine. 

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:04:47
I almost poured a glass to come sit here, but I was like, I just woke up. I have to have a coffee first.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:05:22
So you got the podcast divorce, and then you went solo with it. One of the things I find difficult is just talking about myself to myself, by myself. Here you are doing it. You'll do it for like 20, 30 minutes at a time.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:05:34
It's hard. Honestly, that was the first thing I struggled with when I got started doing the solo podcast. I was like, oh my God, who is going to want to listen to me sit here and talk for- I tried to aim for 30 minutes, because I feel like 20 minutes is too quick, 45 minutes is too long. And especially when you talk about yourself, how long are people going to want to sit there and listen to you talk about yourself for half an hour? So I struggle with that for a really long time. I was like, I'm sitting here talking. No one cares. No one cares what I have to say. But a lot of people do. I have a lot of followers. I have a lot of people that listen. And it's really nice to know that I do have a big following, that actually do want to listen to me talk for 30 minutes about advice when it comes to mental health, or dating, and sex, and this, that and the other. But that was the hardest thing. And I like to have a guest on, because I find you obviously have more chemistry when you have a guest on. And my girlfriend Gina, who I've had on a couple of times, a lot of people, the feedback with her were like, holy crap, you two are too funny together. And I was like, she makes a good partner. That's why I like to have her on every now and then.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:06:37
I was going to ask you what your show is about, but I think you're you described it as being mental health, sex and lifestyle.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:06:43
It's really taken a turn. Not a turn. It's different now because when I first started, I was like, oh my God. Like I said, how am I going to talk about sex by myself? It's really fucking hard. My last three episodes that I've put out have been very strongly mental health oriented, just because a good friend of mine, he likes to talk about mental health. And I like having them on because it is an important topic to talk about. And I feel like a lot of people like to listen to that kind of stuff. And given the New Year, people like to have their New Year goals and stuff like that. And a lot of it has to do with mental health. So those were my last couple of episodes that I did, and I'm actually recording an episode tomorrow with my condom sponsor, Mila. We're going to talk about February, because February is masturbation month, and we always do a February episode together, her and I. And I love having her on. She's a great time as well. And yeah, I have another couple lined up as well. More sex related. I'm trying to get back on that topic, but like I said, it's hard to sit there and talk about it by yourself.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:07:44
What about on the wider, bigger scope of things? I mean, you say, okay, well, I've tested these condoms out, and obviously you're a brand ambassador and you can speak to it. But when it comes to birth control, is there sort of a bigger discussion about health that's out there?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:07:58
That's actually a really good question. That's actually a good topic I could really talk about too, as well, coming up. Obviously, yeah, I am an ambassador for One condoms. I love their condoms. I love their lube, especially. I personally have an IUD, so I don't really think too much when it comes to birth control because that's something that's just- for a gal, it's in ya for a few years, right? You don't really have to think too much about it, but that's definitely a topic I would absolutely love to talk about.

Mary Anne Ivison (VO) 00:08:29
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Matt Cundill (Host) 00:08:41
So when it comes to the dating scene, and you've got a reputation as being, I've got a podcast. So before you enter into a relationship with someone, is there ever a discussion like, "I'm not sure that I want our sex life to be broadcast all the time." Is there hesitancy when it comes to finding a partner?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:08:57
When my current boyfriend Darryl and I met, we met in June last year. And the way we met, we matched on Hinge. But he had a mutual friend with me, and he said, oh, God, I heard you have a podcast. Like, am I going to be on it? I don't really want to be on it. And I was like, don't worry, I only will put you on the podcast if you do me wrong. If you screw me over, yeah, I'm going to talk shit about you, but that's the only way you make it to the podcast. And he just laughed. Obviously, we are still together. It is almost February, so things are going well. They were very on and off for a while, but we've gotten our shit together, obviously, I am in his house right now while I record this. I talk about our sex life quite a bit. I don't think he really listens, which is fine with me. I don't mind if he's not listening, but he knows I do talk about things with us.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:09:48
You could just tell him the show is not for him anyway.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:09:50
Yeah, exactly. You don't need to listen. It's fine. It's a womens' only podcast.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:09:55
One of the things I really do like is that is that you talk about inhibitions. So here's an episode about butt sex. There's a lot of people who are afraid to go into that territory, but you're not. I mean, you might have your own inhibitions. Will you just go and explore those just for the sake of being able to speak about it on the podcast?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:10:12
When I recorded that butt episode, I was really nervous because I was like, a lot of people don't like to talk about that. A lot of people don't want to dabble in it. But for me and my boyfriend, obviously, if you've listened to the episode, it's something that we have explored and explore. But I used to really struggle with people judging me for what I talked about on my podcast. And I would be so nervous when it would come to even talking about sex. And I'd be like, oh, my God, people are going to judge me. It's going to get around, like, that I'm a hoe. And then I really like, after a couple of months, it sunk into my head, who fucking cares? Who cares what other people think that you're talking about? Because a lot of people like what you're talking about. And like that butt episode that I did, I had so many people message me, being like, this was a fucking great episode. It's so nice to see you be able to go there and talk about that stuff. Because genuinely, it was just about how to have safe butt sex, from one person to another. It's a very sensitive subject that a lot of people don't know a lot of knowledge about. And I just went for it. And the feedback I got from it was like, wow, this is a good episode. Thanks for sharing these tips with me. I'm going to go buy baby wipes. People just loved it. And I was like, okay. I guess I did okay.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:11:30
Inhibitions can also be in the form of feelings. So Valentine's Day is coming up, and you wrote a great blog on Crier Media about Valentine's Day. I've seen some people, they get a little bit triggered by Valentine's Day, because they don't have a partner. And you put out a number of really good tips for those who do have a partner or who are underperforming at Valentine's Day. There is a little something to it that I think people need to pay attention to for February 14th.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:11:55
So I wrote that because, coming from a person who also used to hate Valentine's Day, I started to think- so this kind of, like, stemmed down from Christmas. I used to be the Grinch. I used to hate Christmas. I used to hate shopping. I used to hate gifts. And I was like, you know what? It's not about that. It's not about the gifts on Valentine's Day. And then it really, like, my mind started going like this. I was like, it's also- you shouldn't be taking one day of the year to show your affection for your partner. It shouldn't just take February 14th for you or your significant other to go out and buy someone chocolates, or come home with flowers, or have a date night. It's not about that. And I really wanted my first blog post to be, like, a powerful one because I was like, a lot of people need to hear this. I don't need you to go out and buy me a Cartier bracelet that's five grand. That's not what Valentine's Day is about. If you come home with my favorite chocolate bar and a flower, it just shows you care. It shouldn't be about gifts. And that's why I really wanted to put out my perspective of Valentine's Day. For me, I don't want to go out for dinner on Valentine's Day, because why do you want to go be in an overpopulated restaurant with a bunch of strangers on Valentine's Day? I would rather cook with my significant other, and have a romantic night making something different, making a new dish, making personal pizzas and trying each other's dish. I just find that there's so much more to Valentine's Day, but I also think it shouldn't be one day of the year.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:13:25
What bottle of wine would you like on Valentine's Day?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:13:27
I'm a very, like, cheap wine drinker. Like, I don't need a $50 bottle of wine, because of how much I consume. So actually, last night, because we got a lot of snow here in Calgary, like, you should see my car. She's snowed in. My boyfriend was coming home from work yesterday, and I was like, I'll order us some dinner tonight, but can you stop and get me a bottle of wine? And he's like, yeah, of course. And he comes home with Pinot Grigio. He knows I like Pinot Grigio. I'm easy. It doesn't really matter what brand, as long as it's not Peller Estates. Sorry, Niagara. I don't really like that kind of wine, but I've been drinking this zero sugar, zero carb wine right now just because I'm trying to get back into a very low carb diet. And it's the brand Basque, and it's really good. But for having no carbs, no sugar, I'll drink, like, a couple of bottles.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:14:16
Where would you like to travel in 2023?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:14:19
The only travel plans I have for this year is my best friend. He's getting married in Mexico. In Puerto Vallarta. May 3rd. So I have a week off to go to that wedding, which will be really exciting. I would like to do something. Like, I told myself last year I wanted to do a Bali trip this year, but I just don't think it's in the cards this year. Maybe next year, but I definitely want to do something like that. And Darryl and I are talking about doing something. We just don't know what yet, because I go to Mexico all the time, and it's just, Mexico is very convenient because it's so close. I do want to do something good. I went to Scotland as you know, last summer. Going over there was fun. I just thought it was really far and I didn't really like Scotland, but Paris or something would be really nice, I think.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:15:00
Give me some social media tips for promoting your podcast, or just any general social media tips.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:15:06
So I learned with social media, and I learned this from growing my TikTok. And I used to be so afraid to post too much, and I was like, people are going to be so sick of me. But you have to. You have to post if you want to try and grow yourself. I was posting a TikTok every now and then, but now I've realized from taking tips from small content creators and people who have become big content creators, just post it. That is like my motto. Just post it. I am now trying to post two TikToks a day. I have gotten the most brands reach out to me over the last couple of weeks asking to send me stuff. Like, I had a skincare company message me yesterday, hey, we want to send you some product. We love your content that you create. I just got a package that's behind me from a lingerie company. They wanted me to promote some stuff for them. You just have to post. You just have to do it. I don't care if you're sick of me. I don't care if you mute me. I don't care if you unfollow me. I'm still going to keep posting. So that's just the model I've really grown to do.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:16:11
And coming up on the podcast, you do put out an episode every couple of weeks or so. We love getting them. What are some of the subject matter you think you're going to be exploring over the next few months?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:16:21
So I'm going to be recording with my girlfriend, actually, next week. We're doing a topic about why men always come back. It's a little bit of a touchy subject for her, but we've decided we're going to do an episode on that. I have an episode, obviously, like I told you I'm doing with Masturbation Month with Mila. I have another episode I'm doing with a girlfriend of mine who's starting a dating app. And we're going to talk a little bit about how she's gotten started on that, and her goals and stuff for that. So just little things here and there. Things just come into my mind and I just start typing down, like, you should see all the notes that I have. Like, it's just like, episode this, that, this, that. I have a soulmates one I want to record. So I have lots on my radar. And after my set of few days of work this week, I have eight days off. So I have a lot of stuff I have to get done in those eight days.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:17:09
What dating apps are on your phone?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:17:11
I don't have any.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:17:12
Not now, you mean?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:17:14
Well, not anymore, but obviously, me and my boyfriend met on Hinge, and Hinge was obviously the biggest one. I would never recommend anybody to download Tinder. It's a dirty app, in my opinion. And Bumble is the same as Hinge, I guess. But Hinge, I found great success on. I think, obviously, if I'm in my boyfriend's house currently.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:17:35
Is that the moment you know when you're together, is when you both sit down and delete all your dating apps together?

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:17:42
Yeah, we had a little bit of a rocky situation when it came to that. He did delete them, and then a few weeks later, I found them on his phone again. There's two different ways to delete the app. You delete the app off your phone, and it just deletes the app. You have to physically go into the profile and delete your profile so you are no longer visible on the app. So he did that after our big argument, and it is long history.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:18:07
Allie, thanks so much for joining me on the podcast.

Allie Marz (Guest) 00:18:10
Hey, anytime.

Matt Cundill (Host) 00:18:26
My thanks to Allie for joining me on the show. The Welcome to Marz podcast can be heard on all the usual podcast apps. If you'd like to partner with Allie, reach out to Jack Harding at Crier media. This episode was produced by Evan Surminski and built for your ears by everyone at the Soundoff Media Company.