One Woman’s Unmapped Journey
Allowed Circumstance and Serendipity to
Take Her Right Where She Needed to Be
Story by Matthew St. Amand
Photography by John Liviero
It is only in hindsight that the signposts of serendipity can be identified. Observed individually, they often appear as obstacles or obstructions. These signposts take many forms. In the case of author, songwriter, performer and health enthusiast, Molly Ferdinand, the first face of the most recent round with serendipity took the form of a surly guard at the border crossing between New Brunswick and the state of Maine. Taken together, these signposts—since the fall of 2023—have led Molly to a new home, to artistic acceptance, to a place where she finds the support and encouragement she has always sought: Windsor, Ontario.
“I come from two families: my father and mother’s families, both were very musical,” Molly says. “I played piano at age four and always had something in my hands to play, whether I could or not! Family gatherings involved a lot of music. It’s just in me.”
In her late teens, Molly transitioned from piano to guitar as her instrument of choice.
“When I was nineteen, I picked up the guitar and committed to it,” she recalls. “A friend had a guitar that was collecting dust and I decided to teach myself. It wasn’t long before I started doing a few gigs in Nova Scotia.”
The vicissitudes of life took Molly back and forth from Nova Scotia to Alberta through her life.
“I was twenty-four and living in Alberta when I started doing this,” Molly says. “I had a full-time gig in a fine dining restaurant, played the Mountain Shadow Music Festival, performed at charity events. People were perking up and saying, ‘Have you thought of doing Big Valley Jamboree?’ and other venues around Calgary. I didn’t know what was happening at the time, but I realize now the look in their eyes said: ‘You know, you’ve got talent.’ But something about it scared me—turning what I loved into ‘work.’ I was not ready. I could sing and play well, but I was not yet an artist.”
She continues: “By 2017, I had been living in Alberta for several years, running my health and wellness company—I’m a personal trainer, yoga instructor—and I was not happy. I dissolved my business and returned to Nova Scotia. I had just put money down on an apartment when I had a knee-jerk reaction and thought: ‘I’m not ready to come home and live this life!’ I felt there was still more adventure ahead for me.”
And there was.
Molly’s brother and his family had relocated to New Zealand a few years ago and traveling halfway around the world seemed to be just what Molly needed.
“I sold my car and jumped on a plane. No plan,” she says.
The process of personal growth continued with Molly trying out a career in real estate while in New Zealand. Each time she turned away from spending her life making music, it was as though Molly was stress-testing her inner musician to see if she were for real. She was and she wouldn’t be denied.
Not one to belabour a point that couldn’t be made, Molly realized she was not happy in real estate. After spending the better part of two years in New Zealand, she returned to Nova Scotia in 2020.
“When I came back from New Zealand, I had a bit of a breakdown,” Molly continues. “I came to a point where I realized my whole life was a lie. I slowly came to understand my own motives. I had an epiphany and wrote my book, which I titled The Break Down. At the same time, I started a YouTube channel and posted covers songs I performed. Pretty soon, people were saying to me: ‘Why aren’t you doing this?’ And I finally agreed with them.”
Following a performance in October 2023, Molly was approached by a couple from Pennsylvania who were vacationing in Nova Scotia.
“They really enjoyed my performance and they said to me: ‘You’ve got to go to Nashville!’”
They gave Molly their contact details and invited her to visit them if she ever decided to go. It wasn’t long before Molly heeded their advice and set out for Nashville.
That’s when serendipity got in the way.
Attempting to cross into the U.S. at the New Brunswick/Maine border, Molly was turned back.
“That I was not expecting,” she says with a laugh.
Undaunted, Molly kept driving until she found herself in Guelph. It was then that a friend named Doris, whom Molly describes as her guardian angel, telephoned her to ask if she was all right. Doris lives in Windsor and invited Molly to stay with her.
“Within three days in Windsor I had a photo shoot and landed a gig,” Molly says. “The first bar I went to was the Peacock Lounge. When I said I was a musician, the manager asked me: ‘What are you doing Friday? You’re playing here!’ They wanted me to have merch. I’m an author and sell my books on Amazon. ‘You need to have prints!’ they said: ‘To sign!’ Next thing I knew Doris told me a friend of hers was a photographer and I did a photo shoot.”
Windsor may not be Nashville, but it appears to be the place Molly needs to be right now.
“I love the size of Windsor,” she says. “It’s easy to get around, but still a city. I’ve taken this stance: ‘Why not Windsor? Why can’t the story happen here?’ The universe was very much: ‘This is where you’re supposed to be!’”
Serendipity, however, doesn’t mean “smooth sailing.” Molly’s working every day.
“My booking agent calls me his ‘secret weapon’ because I can fill-in when he has cancellations. I’ve played in Toronto, too. I work hard. I’m serious about what I’m doing. If you want to go for it and make the most of it, I feel that I have all the right stuff to take it far.”
Molly is currently recording an album and releasing songs on Spotify as she completes them. Learn more about what Molly’s doing, where she’s playing by visiting mollyferdinand.com or check her out at www.youtube.com/@MollyFerdinand.
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