Elisabeth & Scotty Lund: Art Through the Fire
In this Circuspreneur Podcast episode, host Shenea Stiletto sits down with Scotty & Elisabeth Lund — a powerhouse creative duo whose 6-year battle with cancer transformed not only their lives, but their artistry.
Elisabeth, a former professional Cirque performer (aerialist, acrobat, handbalancer), later moved into stunts and creative movement direction. Scotty began as a touring drummer with legendary bands like Agent Orange and artists including Rihanna and Drake, before expanding into writing, producing, and scoring music.
Together for 13 years, they turned their most painful chapter into a groundbreaking aerial + live drum act and keynote concert — a testament to resilience, creativity, and partnership under fire.
How did the issue of healthcare access shape your journey during Scotty’s cancer diagnosis, and what do you want artists to understand about navigating medical crises?
Elisabeth: Healthcare access for artists is extremely inconsistent. Early in my circus career I went years without insurance simply because I couldn’t afford it. Later, once I joined SAG-AFTRA, we finally had solid coverage—but even “good” insurance barely scratches the surface when a single chemo treatment costs $20,000–$30,000. During Scotty’s treatment, I was the only one working while raising his young child. Even with coverage, the emotional, financial, and logistical strain was overwhelming. Many artists still live without traditional healthcare, and that vulnerability is very real.
Scotty: I survived because of two things: medical intervention and my family. At my worst, I was 40 pounds underweight, barely able to breathe, and the tumor had grown to the size of a dodgeball. Obamacare helped for a while, but later we relied on SAG-AFTRA’s insurance. Still, the costs were crushing. What truly saved us was community. Elisabeth convinced me—despite my pride—to allow a GoFundMe. The donations and loving messages from friends and strangers were as impactful as the financial help. My advice to artists: ask for help; let people love you. Community is everything.
As artists, partners, and freelancers, how did you learn to communicate and support each other while navigating cancer and instability in the entertainment industry?
Scotty: Communication was something we had to build intentionally. Three months into dating, I broke up with her because I panicked. Her calm, honest response made me realize she communicated differently than anyone I’d ever dated. That moment became the foundation of our marriage—honesty without drama. Over 13 years, we’ve learned to call for “the referee” (a trusted mentor/coach) when miscommunication gets too heavy. Sometimes you need a neutral voice to help translate each other’s emotions.
Elisabeth: A relationship only works if both people commit to doing the work. In entertainment, we’re constantly dealing with ego, stress, unpredictable schedules, and freelance instability. Since we both come from artistic worlds, we understand each other’s chaos—leaving the next day for a gig, months without steady work, and the post-strike slowdown in Hollywood. But we also know when one of us needs support and when we need space. What keeps us stable is a mix of respect, honesty, and a shared willingness to keep choosing each other, even when life gets messy.
You recently competed to become “America’s Favorite Couple.” What inspired you to participate, and what did you learn from the experience?
Elisabeth: The competition was hosted by Jeff Goldblum and his wife Emily, whom I’ve worked with in the past. We saw a post about the contest and entered just for fun—not realizing over 200,000 couples would apply. We made it all the way to the semi-finals, ranking third in our group. What started as a lighthearted idea became a month-long exercise in creativity and consistency. We were traveling in Italy for part of it, so we used our adventures to create fun content and connect with people.
The best part? The competition benefitted L.A. Food Bank and Oceana, raising nearly $4 million. Even though we didn’t win, we felt proud knowing our involvement helped support those causes.
Scotty: We personally raised around $6,000. It stopped being about “vote for us” and became: “Help us contribute to something meaningful.” And reconnecting with Emily backstage at Jeff’s show afterward felt full-circle.
What inspired your keynote concert, and how does your performance weave circus, music, and your personal story?
Scotty: Before cancer, I was shifting into music production and scoring. After I got sick, a mentor invited me to speak at a conference. Sharing my story moved the entire room to tears—and something clicked. I realized I wanted to combine storytelling with music in a keynote concert format. Soon after, a program teaching artists how to structure keynote concerts landed in our inbox, and it felt like fate.
We wrote a keynote about resilience, creativity, partnership, and survival. But before launching it, I relapsed. I didn’t feel authentic telling a “comeback story” while still fighting cancer—so we paused.
Elisabeth: In the meantime, we built a powerful opening act: an aerial-and-drum performance paired with original music, narration, and facts about cancer. It dramatizes Scotty’s decline, the support that carried him, and his re-emergence into life. It’s symbolic, emotional, and honors the truth that healing is communal. Ultimately, the keynote isn’t meant to be tragic—it’s about hope, perspective, and choosing life before crisis forces clarity.
How can people support your work, collaborate, or follow your artistic journey?
Elisabeth: Our creative home is Cake Without Candles, which is both our production company and our artist brand. We produce music across genres, score for film/TV, create custom compositions, perform live, and continue growing our keynote and circus-based performance work.
Find us at cakewithoutcandles.com or on any social media platform under the same name. Our Linktree on Instagram is a hub for everything—composer reels, stunt reels, music releases, and upcoming keynote material.
Scotty: Whether you’re a music fan, need original scoring, want to collaborate, or are interested in booking the keynote, reach out. We love creating with others.
Key Takeaways
Healthcare costs for artists are overwhelming, even with insurance.
Community support—financial and emotional—is essential during crisis.
Asking for help is necessary; pride can be harmful.
Strong communication is the foundation of their partnership.
Freelance artist couples survive through flexibility and mutual support.
Their “America’s Favorite Couple” run helped raise millions for charity.
Their keynote and aerial/drum act turn their cancer journey into a message of resilience and hope.
Cake Without Candles showcases their creative work and invites collaboration.
Listen to this Episode on:
Spotify / Apple Podcasts / YouTube
Shenea was also a finalist on America’s Got Talent and has continued to be a featured artist with prominent circus entertainment companies worldwide.
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Editor's Note: At StageLync, an international platform for the performing arts, we celebrate the diversity of our writers' backgrounds. We recognize and support their choice to use either American or British English in their articles, respecting their individual preferences and origins. This policy allows us to embrace a wide range of linguistic expressions, enriching our content and reflecting the global nature of our community.
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