From tragedy to podcast sensation
Ashley King never imagined her life story would first appear in a medical journal rather than a magazine. The Mount Royal University alumna pictured herself gracing glossy pages with her vivacious spirit — not being the subject of a study on methanol poisoning that left her blind at 19.
When tragedy struck, King faced a profound choice: let the worst chapter of her life define her or reclaim her story on her own terms. She chose the latter, transforming her pain into art — first through a stage play and now as a chart-topping podcast.
Her podcast, Static: A Party Girl’s Memoir, has resonated with listeners around the world. The four-episode series premiered on Nov. 15, 2024, with new episodes released weekly. It quickly climbed the charts, reaching No. 1 in Apple Podcasts’ “Personal Journals” category in Canada in the second week of December 2024, while also attracting fans in Denmark, Australia, and beyond.
Equal parts heart-wrenching and hilarious, Static invites audiences into King’s world, where humour and humanity shine through even the toughest moments. The story doesn’t dwell on loss. Instead, it serves as an open exploration of resilience, independence and the bond between a mother and daughter.
Though the story may be called inspiring, King rejects the label — opting instead to highlight the messy complexity of her lived experiences over tidy, overwrought narratives
“I was able to take the most horrific thing that's ever happened to me, and turn it into something that I can be proud of and that I could use to make people laugh and bring them joy,” King says. “Methanol poisoning is a really devastating thing that happens.
“But with this play, and podcast, I hoped to bring joy to people in the way that tragedy doesn't often bring joy to people. I wanted to reclaim my narrative — and have fun with it.”
From 'bad dream' to reality
The story starts off in 2011 with King embracing the carefree lifestyle of a party girl on a gap year, chasing endless summer nights in Australia. Her voice brightens in the first episode as she recounts the allure of adventure and freedom.
Later on, one fateful night in Bali's bustling party district changed everything. That’s when she unknowingly consumed a drink laced with methanol, a toxic substance often found in bootleg alcohol.
At first, King shrugged off a supposed hangover and continued with her travels, unaware of the danger brewing inside her body.
Over the next 36 hours, her health began to unravel as the poison took hold. By the time she sought medical attention in Christchurch, New Zealand, her condition was dire, and doctors scrambled to save her life.
Returning home to Calgary with lasting visual impairment as a result, King faced months of isolation, battling depression and grappling with her new reality. Yet, her tenacity and her mother's unwavering support pulled her through.
Her podcast spares no details in recounting these events, including her long journey to finding purpose in the face of trauma.
“I thought this was all just a bad dream I was going to wake up from,” King recalls in the podcast. “But then those weeks turned into months and nothing was changing.
“It was like my own Groundhog Day hell. Every day I'd open my eyes, hopeful that something had changed, hopeful that I had gotten my eyesight back — but I didn't get it. I could see in my dreams — perfect colour, vivid images — but I’d open my eyes, remember where I was, back in hell.”
Finding success at MRU
In 2013, King joined Mount Royal University to hone her voice and share stories like her own. As a journalism student, she thrived in MRU’s close-knit community, seizing opportunities like a field school in India and publishing articles with the Calgary Journal.
“I did love my time there,” King says. “I loved all my professors.
“I loved all the small classes. I loved getting to know everyone in my classes. The small classes make such a big difference in getting to know your professors and having lifelong relationships and connections with everybody.”
After graduation, King would find a new MRU connection — albeit a professor she hadn’t come to know during her student days.
Picking up Static
That person was Meg Wilcox, associate professor of journalism at Mount Royal University and seasoned audio creator.
Wilcox had discovered King’s story through Calgary's Inside Out Theatre while seeking subjects for her doctoral project. At the time, the accessible theatre company was adapting King's autobiographical script into a stage show in collaboration with Chromatic Theatre.
Recognizing the potential for the story to reach a wider audience, Wilcox proposed turning the script into a podcast, allowing for deeper exploration through interviews and rich storytelling elements.
“I know Ashley hates using the ‘V-Word’ but she was very vulnerable in sharing her story,” Wilcox says. “Thanks to her journalism training, she also knew to pick the right examples that hit all of the right notes for people to relate to — even if they hadn't lost their eyesight.”
Their collaboration was a blend of mentorship and partnership, with Wilcox offering technical expertise while ensuring King's voice remained central. Together, they crafted a podcast that fuses dramatized scenes with candid reflections, each episode starting with a performance section before diving into the back story.
The podcast features interviews with key figures from King’s life, including her mother, Carolina, her mentors, and the Kiwi physician who treated her during the crisis and later published her case in the prestigious Emergency Medicine Journal.
Behind the scenes, Michelle Brandenburg — a fixture in Calgary’s arts community and a Mount Royal alumna — played a key role as the podcast's voice coach in ensuring the story's emotional authenticity came through.
Brandenburg wasn’t the only Mount Royal theatre program alum involved in the podcast.
The show’s first guest, Mount Royal alumnus Bruce Horak, shared how he and his partner were early supporters of King and offered insights as a fellow visually impaired artist.
“I often hear that from people who are losing their vision, or perhaps in some visual trauma, that it feels like the world is collapsing in on them, and there's a great deal of fear,” Horak says in the podcast. “And, leaving the circle of comfort — art can be a great way to push that boundary open a little bit further.”
Looking ahead: What’s next for King, Wilcox
Today, King is focused on amplifying her story and its impact. She's been raising awareness about methanol poisoning, especially in light of recent tragic incidents in places like Laos. She hopes the stage play version of Static will land on the Fringe circuit and attract interest from other theatre companies, with the podcast's success paving the way.
“I'm an actor at heart, and so being on stage is truly what I love,” King says.
For Wilcox, the podcast is another exciting chapter in her academic journey. While it forms part of her doctoral thesis, she's also diving into other research interests in the ever-growing world of podcasting, including ways that assigned listenings can be used in the classroom.
She’s working to advance MRU’s Community Podcast Initiative, seeking funding to bring veteran audio creators to Mount Royal. Serving as “Podcasters-in-Residence,” the idea is for experts to work with students and spark fresh, innovative storytelling.
Creating the Static podcast meant staying sharp in a fast-changing industry while demonstrating MRU’s commitment to hands-on learning.
"What's really distinct about MRU is its focus on connecting doing to learning,” she says. “Students are not just sitting in a classroom and learning theory — they’re actually getting to do the work.
“Being able to work with your professors, pitch projects and create things that get published — whether through the Calgary Journal or other platforms — makes the experience so much more impactful. It also connects students with the community, giving them the opportunity to engage with others and better understand the world around them."