LLOYDMINSTER — For years, Stacey Commer was welcomed into thousands of homes every day, keeping everyone informed about the latest news and events in the area. When an unexpected announcement was made that would end her 30-plus years of journalism, Commer made an unexpected pivot in the form of a podcast, Unexpected Journeys, that still allows her to do what she loves.
Commer first became interested in journalism after visiting the radio station in Swift Current in her final year of high school. She applied to the Western Academy Broadcasting College in Saskatoon, returning to the Swift Current radio station for her practicum. During that time, she was offered a position when she was done with school, and soon her career took off.
After seven years, Commer came to Lloydminster for the first time for a few years before joining the CJWW team in Saskatoon for five years. She made a return to the border city, working in both radio and television before moving to Edmonton, Alta., to work with CTV, where she helped launch the morning show. She then got a call about a management position back in Lloydminster.
“At CTV, my day would start at 2 a.m. and was supposed to be done around 8 or 9 a.m., but I was finding myself there until late afternoon, and it was really hard to have a life. So, I decided to give Lloydminster a third shot,” said Commer. She returned in 2011 in a management position with a focus on television until May 2025.
“The owners of the station came in one day and said they were turning off the television stations as they weren’t making it financially. After 60 years of local news and my own career of 36-plus years ended in a five-minute meeting,” added the journalist.
With no other television station in the area and the other Lloydminster radio station not hiring, Commer connected with former CTV Edmonton news anchor and founder of Project Five, Carmen Leibel. She became a public speaking instructor with Project Five, offering workshops and residencies for elementary, junior and high school students, as well as post-secondary students and adults. Commer is also the media specialist with The Weekly Bean in Lloydminster.
Even with these two new ventures, Commer was missing her favourite part of her former career: interviewing people and hearing their stories. During her time with television and radio, Commer had the opportunity to interview many local and internationally recognized individuals, including astronaut Jeremy Hansen, multiple prime ministers, Rick Hansen and even David Milgard.
With the idea of creating a podcast, Commer began talking with some of her friends who have podcasts, getting a sense of what the process is like. She had a few people loan her some equipment, and she made some connections with other podcasters who helped her navigate the online world.
“I’m not a big fan of podcasts where it’s just the host’s opinion on things. I thought, who wants my opinion on anything, and I don’t want to get into political topics because that is stressful enough. So I thought, why not just go back to telling people’s stories,” said Commer. She began putting out feelers, letting her guests know she was new and didn’t have any viewers yet and asking if they were interested in telling their story.
The podcaster settled on the title Unexpected Journeys, which she said was the perfect fit for the show.
“The people I’m speaking with all have had something they didn’t plan for or are helping somebody who had something unexpected in their life. I thought it was very fitting, and it leaves it wide open for the guests to talk as well.”
In season one, Commer wanted to showcase the many resilient men and women of Alberta and Saskatchewan. She leaned into many of her prior work relationships to find season one guests. Her first guest was Mike Doll, a former colleague of Commer’s and co-founder of the Christian Doll Foundation.
“Mike and I worked together at the radio station in Lloydminster, and unfortunately in 2024 his son Christian was killed in an accident in Medicine Hat. They started a foundation in his name, and it was just at the point where they were trying to get information out about it,” said Commer. Other guests of the new podcast include 16-year-old Saskatoon entrepreneur Chanelle Chalazan, world champion amateur pool player Sharon Pahtayken of Onion Lake Cree Nation, and MuchMusic VJ and author, Bill Welychka.
Commer has already recorded season two and is in the process of interviewing guests for season three.
“Over the past week, I’ve had many emails and messages from people asking if they could be a guest. Although some of them don’t fit the format, I have had some really interesting people reach out from across Canada and the United States,” added the Unexpected Journeys host.
As episodes air, Commer hopes her listeners will enjoy hearing the variety of stories and possibly be inspired.
“I’m just telling stories. That’s what I want to do, and each person might take away something different.”
Episodes of the first season are now available on all major podcast platforms, with new episodes released every Sunday and Wednesday.
