The Liquid Courage Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In today’s episode, Amanda drinks some non-alcoholic beer with comedian Laura Ramoso. Laura is a German-Italian comedian best known for her viral online characters, including “German Mom”, “Italian Dad”, “Girl who just got back from…”, and "Chiara". She has amassed over 3 million followers, sold out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and London’s Soho Theatre, and completed a 60+ show, sold-out world tour with her third live special, Sit Up Straight. She was named a 2023 Just For Laughs New Face, and recently opened for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on their Restless Leg tour at the Wang Theatre in Boston. She is now gearing up for her 2026 international tour with her fourth solo special The Calm Down Tour.

In this episode, Amanda and Laura discuss Laura’s journey from classical theatre training to falling in love with sketch and improv, navigating the pressure of an audience’s expectations, and the difference in creating comedy for the stage versus online.

Mentions from this episode…

~ Heavy Weight (podcast) https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/heavyweight

Terms we mentioned…

1. “Beat out / Beat it out” - refers to the process of breaking a comedy idea into key moment-by-moment story or joke beats before writing it out fully.

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Let’s Connect! 

Liquid Courage - click here! 

Amanda Pereira (host) - click here! 

Laura Ramoso (guest) - click here! 

Laura’s Work in Progress shows (Dec 2025 in Toronto) 

Laura’s The Calm Down Tour (2026) 

⇒ To donate to the show, click here!

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The music in this episode is thanks to HookSounds. You can check out their tracks here: www.hooksounds.com. Use the discount code LIQUIDCOURAGE10 for 10% off a HookSounds subscription!*

*If you use this code, I earn a small commission — so you’ll be supporting the podcast, too!

In today’s episode, Amanda drinks some sparkling water with actor, writer, and producer Nadine Bhabha. Nadine is an award-winning writer, actor, and producer from Toronto. She’s written for This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Children Ruin Everything, and Crave’s upcoming comedy Slo Pitch. She’s best known for her performances on Letterkenny (Hulu/Crave), The Holiday Shift (CBS), One More Time (CBC), and This Hour Has 22 Minutes (CBC). A three-time CSA nominee, Nadine continues to develop projects in Canada and the U.S., committed to writing and portraying hilarious, nuanced female narratives.

In this episode, Amanda and Nadine discuss building a career in Canadian comedy, the creative power that comes from saying no, and the importance of community and friendship in sustaining a life in the arts.

Mentions from this episode…

~ Letterkenny

~ The Town (podcast)

~ Script Notes (podcast)

~ Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent

~ Britt Lower's Severance audition

~ The Studio

~ High Potential

~ Settle Down

~ This Hour Has 22 Minutes

~ Children Ruin Everything

~ Slo Pitch

~ Sweat (by Nadine Bhabha)

~ Comedy Bar Bloor (west) & Comedy Bar Danforth (east)

~ Soulpepper Theatre

~ Canadian Stage

~ Coal Mine Theatre

~ Spare Parts (podcast)

~ The Office Movers

Terms we mentioned…

1. “WGC” - stands for the Writers Guild of Canada, a professional association for screenwriters in Canada
2. “Punch up” - a term used to describe the process of adding more/better jokes to a script, or sharpening/heightening the existing jokes in a script

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Let’s Connect! 

Liquid Courage - click here! 

Amanda Pereira (host) - click here! 

Nadine Bhabha (guest) - click here! 

⇒ To donate to the show, click here! 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The music in this episode is thanks to HookSounds. You can check out their tracks here: www.hooksounds.com. Use the discount code LIQUIDCOURAGE10 for 10% off a HookSounds subscription!*

*If you use this code, I earn a small commission — so you’ll be supporting the podcast, too!

In today’s episode, Amanda drinks some White Claws with comedian and actor Rachelle Lauzon to discuss her stand-up career, the importance of being your own cheerleader, and astrology (obviously). Rachelle is a multi-faceted artist originally from London, Ontario who is now based in Toronto. Rachelle has performed stand-up comedy at comedy festivals including Just for Laughs Toronto, The Boston Comedy Festival, NXNE, The Blue Whale Comedy Festival and The Odd Block Festival. Last year, her stand-up was featured on Laugh After Dark: Live in Las Vegas which is available to watch on Tubi, and her debut comedy album Rachelle, Rachelle just premiered on all streaming platforms earlier this month. As an actor, Rachelle made her feature film debut in the Butler Brothers’ newest dark comedy Unfriending, which won Best International Feature Film at the 2023 International Cobb Film Festival.

Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast?

Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast

TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast

YouTube Video Episodes & more!

Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com

Host - Amanda Pereira: IG @hotcoldspicy

Guest - Rachelle Lauzon: IG @rachellelauzon

In today’s episode Amanda is joined by her friend Tyra Sweet. Tyra is an award-nominated writer, actor, creator and host based in Toronto. She is best known for her hosting on YTV’s The Zone and Kid Food Nation: The Show. The has written on shows for Family Jr., CBC Kids, TVOKids, and AppleTV, and most recently Tyra was an associate producer on the new sci-fi comedy Davey & Jonesie’s Locker for Hulu and Prime Canada.

Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast?

Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast

TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast

YouTube Video Episodes & more!

Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com

Host - Amanda Pereira: insta @hotcoldspicy

Guest on this episode – Tyra Sweet: @imtyrasweet on instagram & Twitter

Click here to submit a prompt for “Never Have I Ever”

Thanks to Flying Monkeys Brewery for supplying the delicious beverages for this series!

Drink featured in this episode: Supersonic Puppy Dreams Hard Seltzer

The music used in this episode is thanks to HookSounds. Check them out for your projects too! www.hooksounds.com

In today’s episode, Amanda drinks some white wine with actor and writer Lauren Collins to discuss her time on Degrassi, pregnancy and motherhood, and what it’s like to feel recognizable but not quite famous. Lauren is an actor and writer, best known for her portrayal of Paige Michalchuk on the international hit series, Degrassi. A three-time Canadian Screen Award nominee, some highlights from Lauren’s 25-year long career include The Kroll Show, The Strain, Take the Lead starring Antonio Banderas, and Charlie Bartlett starring Robert Downey Jr.. Most recently, you can catch Lauren guest starring on What We Do In The Shadows, Pretty Hard Cases, and the Roku series SLIP from writer/director Zoe Lister-Jones. Lauren’s short film Zero Recognition, which she co-wrote and co-starred in with actor Ben Lewis. The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and was a Vimeo Featured Staff Pick. Their follow-up short film, Apart From Everything starring Emmy-winner Tatiana Maslany, was shown at dozens of festivals including LA Outfest and New York Newfest. The duo’s first feature film script, More Than A Friend, was selected for the CFC Comedy Lab and the prestigious BlackList Live Read at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast?

Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast

TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast

YouTube Video Episodes & more!

Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com

Host - Amanda Pereira: IG @hotcoldspicy

Guest - Lauren Collins: IG @laurenfcollins

In today’s episode Amanda is joined by her friend Rosie Dempsey. Rosie is a musical comedian and writer, best known for her work as one half of the British musical comedy duo Flo & Joan. Flo & Joan has performed to audiences around the world including the Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Glastonbury, and their own international tours. They’ve also written songs for West End musicals, film, TV and radio, and have their own comedy special on Amazon Prime called Alive on Stage.

Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast?

Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast

TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast

YouTube Video Episodes & more!

Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com

Host - Amanda Pereira: insta @hotcoldspicy

Guest on this episode – Rosie Dempsey: IG @floandjoan

Click here to submit a prompt for “Never Have I Ever”

Thanks to Flying Monkeys Brewery for supplying the delicious beverages for this series!

Drink featured in this episode: Island of Imaginary Friends Sticky Mango DIPA

The music used in this episode is thanks to HookSounds. Check them out for your projects too! www.hooksounds.com

In today’s episode, Amanda drinks some Caesars with comedian and actor Sarah Hillier to discuss motherhood, her dream career, and reality TV (a lot of it). Sarah is a comedian and actor currently based out of Toronto. She has been awarded multiple Canadian Comedy Awards (including Best Female Improvisor) and was also awarded Best Female Improvisor by NOW Magazine. Sarah has written and starred in 2 award-winning mainstage shows at the Second City Toronto and her comedy album with comedy partner Inessa Frantowski titled Inessa and Sarah Get Your Through The Day is available on iTunes and Spotify through Howl and Roar Records. You may recognize Sarah’s acting and voice acting from credits like Odd Squad on PBS, Transformer’s BotBots on Netflix, and The Amazing Gayl Pile on Amazon and CBC. Her new podcast The Funny Thing About Ghosts - a comedy podcast about ghosts and all things paranormal - just had its premiere yesterday, so check that out wherever you get your podcasts!

Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast?

Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast

TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast

YouTube Video Episodes & more!

Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com

Host - Amanda Pereira: insta @hotcoldspicy

Guest - Sarah Hillier: insta @thesarahhillier

In today’s episode Amanda is joined by her friend Nicola Dempsey. Nicola is a musical comedian and writer, best known for her work as one half of the British musical comedy duo Flo & Joan. Flo & Joan has performed to audiences around the world including the Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Glastonbury, and their own international tours. They’ve also written songs for West End musicals, film, TV and radio, and have their own comedy special on Amazon Prime called Alive on Stage.

Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast?

Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast

TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast

YouTube Video Episodes & more!

Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com

Host - Amanda Pereira: insta @hotcoldspicy

Guest on this episode – Nicola Dempsey: IG @floandjoan

Click here to submit a prompt for “Never Have I Ever”

Thanks to Flying Monkeys Brewery for supplying the delicious beverages for this series!

Drink featured in this episode: Quantum Hugs Cold IPA

The music used in this episode is thanks to HookSounds. Check them out for your projects too! www.hooksounds.com

In today’s episode, Amanda drinks some margaritas with actor and producer Tamara Almeida to discuss how Jane changed her life, how to nail an audition for a Hallmark movie, and everything Taurus energy. Tamara is a bilingual actor and producer currently based in Toronto. You can catch Tamara’s acting in series like Jane and the reboot of Ghostwriter (both on AppleTV+) and in films like Lifetime’s Secrets at the Inn, Hallmark’s Entertaining Christmas and, most recently, starring in Lifetime’s What We Do For Love alongside co-star Jake Epstein. You can hear Tamara’s voice acting in numerous acclaimed animated series including PBS’s Let’s Go Luna and the upcoming reboot of Total Drama Island coming out on HBOMax. In addition to acting, Tamara works behind the camera as a producer, writer, and editor.

Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast?

Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast

TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast

YouTube Video Episodes & more!

Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com

Host - Amanda Pereira: insta @hotcoldspicy

Guest - Tamara Almeida: insta @tamararubyalmeida

In today’s episode Amanda is joined by her friend Shannon Burns. Shannon is a radio show host and podcaster based out of Toronto. She currently hosts the midday show on Virgin Radio and is an Entertainment Contributor for iHeartRadio Canada. At work, Shannon interviews some of the top musical artists like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Megan Trainer, Sam Smith, Miley Cyrus, and more! Alongside friend Paulina Nicole, Shannon also hosts the podcast Pop For Thought, a fun and informal approach to pop culture discussion.

Looking for more of The Liquid Courage Podcast?

Instagram: @liquidcouragepodcast

TikTok: @liquidcouragepodcast

YouTube Video Episodes & more!

Reach out at www.liquidcouragepodcast.com

Host - Amanda Pereira: IG @hotcoldspicy

Guest on this episode – Shannon Burns: insta @itsshannonburns / TikTok @itsshannonburns

Click here to submit a prompt for “Never Have I Ever”

Thanks to Flying Monkeys Brewery for supplying the delicious beverages for this series!

Drink featured in this episode: Spaced Born Unicorn Hard Seltzer

The music used in this episode is thanks to HookSounds. Check them out for your projects too! www.hooksounds.com