Soul Forge Podcast

Shawn's brother Robin has moved in, and now it is up to Shawn to be his brother's keeper. Robin is undergoing a complete reboot and overhaul of his life. It is up to Shawn to guide and nurture Robin on this quest. On this recording, the brothers discuss their new endeavour. They discuss the new living situation as well as what it is going to take to put Robin back on the right track. Robin talks about what went wrong in his life to bring him to this point. He analyzes what he has left behind him. He talks openly and with candor about what he needs to do, and what he wants in the way of help from his brother. Listen in as Robin tells you about the jobs he has lost, and the reasons for this. He will explain his ways of thinking. Robin explores his passions and his hopes and dreams. He may have hit rock bottom, but he has not given up hope, and he is not alone. Shawn and Robin explore what it is going to take to make a success out of what they have been given. This week's podcast promo: Pod Casserole

Stacey Arrowsmith lives a minimalist life in her van. For many years Stacey lived a typical, traditional life. She had a husband, children, a four bedroom house with a garage. And lots of things. She had so much stuff. Then she got a divorce and started downsizing. This is the story of how a person can go from a traditional life to a minimalist life. But this isn't the story of minimalism. This is the story of how Stacey found her happiness. Stacey works for Canada Post as a Route Measurement Officer. We discuss a little bit of what this job entails, but mainly we find out how she lives her life on the road in her van. We learn how to downsize your possessions quickly and efficiently. We find out where and how to store your extra belongings if you have any. Also, the necessity of a physical address even if you do not have a physical, stationary location. When living in a van, you must pay close attention to the weather and to the temperature. It can be a lot to adjust to, both physcially and mentally. Ther

My transgender friend Crystal opens up about her life. Coming to terms with who you are as a person is often a difficult process. It can be even more difficult when you are a trans individual. This week, our story begins with In The Turn, a documentary about the Vagine Regime, the queer Roller Derby collective. Crystal's story, and the Vagine Regime story intersect in a fascinating and unique way. Crystal was a fun loving and confident child. Then the school decided she wasn't allowed to play sports because they couldn't figure out which team to place her on. This naturally lead her to withdraw from a lot of life's activities. Many people in her life were afraid she was suffering from a mental illness of some kind. The doctor suggested that Crystal's mother buy her a dress. The dress unlocked a massive change in behaviour. Crystal felt whole. "Skirts don't cure mental illness." Also in this episode we learn about the reactions people have towards Crystal, as well as the amount of intolerance she faces. Sh

It's time to pitch a tent, because camping season is upon us! On this week's Soul Forge podcast, Shawn and Deidre share some of their camping memories. What is camping anyway? We looked up a definition just to be funny. According to Wikipedia, Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home in a shelter, such as a tent. Typically participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more natural ones in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment. To be regarded as "camping" a minimum of one night is spent outdoors, distinguishing it from day-tripping, picnicking, and other similarly short-term recreational activities. We touch on a lot of various topics including Deidre's time in both Girl Guides and Pathfinders. Shawn briefly talks about his time at Air Cadet camp. Of course, we also talk about the regular camping stuff such as fires and marshmellows and getting rained out. You'll hear about the time Shawn went hiking with his brothers and how that turned out to be a dis

We all experience or receive signs from the universe. However, not all of us are open to such signs/signals/messages. Most surprising of all, the universe doesn’t always make these things totally obvious, or even always easy to see. But if you start paying attention, you will realize that the universe is sending you signals all the time that show you where you need to go and what you need to do to create the life of your dreams. This can all seem a little bit 'out there' or even a bit 'woo-woo.' We've often asked ourselves if there really is a universal force guiding us on our journey. Or, are we simply imposing our thoughts, feelings and desires on the situation at hand? If this universal force does indeed exist, you may choose to call it God, Allah, the Great Maker, or some other similar concept. There is no way to know if a higher power exists, and yet, these signs do seem to come from somewhere. In this episode, Shawn and Stephanie discuss and explore this topic with examples from their own lives. 5

The unboxing of my time capsule of first year university memories. After my first year of school in 1995-1996, I boxed up a bunch of stuff I thought would be significant. I haven't opened the box in 23 years. On this episode, I take everything out, and tell the story of each item. There is no real message or moral to this episode. It's meant as a fun look back at who I was. Following is the list of things found in the time capsule box. Listen to the episode to hear the stories... Time Capsule Items: Coors Light beer can Alberta Pure Vodka cup keychain star shaped candle holder NU keychain squeeze light condom holder small rock with a face on it Crown Royal velvet bag with bottle inside assorted pens frosh week hat ID holder Toronto Blue Jays jewelry book of matches metal mind teaser puzzle friendship bracelet student handbook fireworks glasses Juicy Fruit gum random papers, notes and phone numbers pub night flyer baseball ticket stub holographic hockey card course schedule Ken Griffey

Water is life. You wouldn't think we could make an entire episode about water, but Deidre is back to show us how it's done! Water is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's streams, lakes, and oceans, and the fluids of most living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients. We are not talking about the hydrologic cycle, the boiling point, or the fact that water turns to ice by freezing backwards in relation to how everything else freeezes. 8 glasses a day? The Canadian Food Guide says so, but Deidre thinks we should double that amount, depending on how age and activity level. Water activates our cells, keeps us healthy. We are all dehydrated. Lack of water is responsible for our migraine headaches, high blood pressure and cancers. We're also eating too much processed sugar - but there are alternatives. Coffee! Drink 2 glasses of water for each cup of coffee. Doub

This week’s Soul Forge Podcast deals with, you guessed it, existential loneliness. What is that? Good question! It is the fundamental basis of human life, or human existence. But, we are having fun with this deep, dark topic. We are not dwelling on the morose. This is a fun episode about something not so fun. Loneliness is something we all experience and can relate to. In this episode, we are going to cover the types of loneliness, and tell personal stories relating to each type. Existentialism is the philosophical study that begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual. Loneliness is a complex and usually unpleasant emotional response to isolation. Loneliness typically includes anxious feelings about a lack of connection or communication with other beings, both in the present and extending into the future. As such, loneliness can be felt even when surrounded by other people. The causes of loneliness are varied and include social, mental, em

We look at the ideas of jealousy and envy. Recent comments and observations have prompted the hosts to discuss their feelings in regards to these emotions. Thus, we have the ideal topic for this week's podcast episode. Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, concern, over relative lack of possessions. It can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. Envy (from Latin invidia) is an emotion which "occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it" After listening to several recent episodes of Soul Forge, co-host Tracy is feeling inadequate. Recent guests, Deidre and Stephanie were eloquent and intelligent and well-spoken. Tracy feels as though she lacks these qualities. Heather (a guest on several episodes) sends us a text with her thoughts and feelings on this topic. As we get deeper into the subject we ask ourselves if envy co

Are you the best guy she knows? Shawn's best friend from university, Stephanie, comes for a visit and a chat about the old times. Steph tells Shawn why she thinks he is the best guy she knows. Stephanie came for a weekend visit and guest hosted on Shawn's other show, The Rusted Robot Podcast. To hear her podcast debut, check out episode 235 of that show. Some of her opinions were in direct contrast to those of Shawn's co-host Josh. A good time was probably had by all involved. Shawn and Steph begin this episode by talking about their past and how age has caught up with them since they were in their 20s. There is some chatter about the history of their friendship, and where they stand with each other now. They remember the good times and the bad times. And they remember the last times they saw each other. Stephanie talks about some of the reasons as to why she thinks Shawn is the best guy she knows. What happens when you realize you're in love with your friend? You try to hide it. And you write some cheesy

February is Black History Month, and for this episode the Soul Forge has a special guest sharing her experience as a black woman living in the north. Deidre is not an ambassador for her race. This is her story - one perspective out of many. Deidre was born in Winnipeg and moved to Timmins about 10 years ago after a career in Paramedicine. Working as a flight medic allowed her to travel around Canada and the United States, while also exposing her to many different cultures and ways of life. This community involvement not only allowed her to experience other cultures, but also enabled her to see the similarities between these many different peoples. In her working life, she has seen racism first hand. There is blatant racism, but there is also passive racism, or the kind that is harder to pinpoint, but is real nonetheless. Corporate policies and biases in the workplace and in the school system are still an ongoing concern. From subjective as opposed to objective reports on her work performance, and from schoo

You can buy me flowers, but you can't buy me love. This week, the Soul Forge Podcast explores the commercialization of love in our 2019 Valentine's Day Special. Let's talk about the kinds of expectations we have of ourselves and our partners on February 14th. Is there too much pressure from society on how we express our love and affection? Do we really need over-the-top displays of affection to prove our love? Why do we put ourselves through this each and every year? Just who was this Valentine anyway? We will explore a brief history of his life. We are pounded and pulverized by advertisements telling us how to show our love. It really is no wonder that we are all stressed out and feel inadequate when we compare ourselves to others. A brief guide on how and what to buy as a gift for a man on Valentine's Day. So you put a lot of thought and effort into your gift. That's great, except they don't like it. Now what do you do? In this part of the episode, we talk a bit about what to do and how to avoid feelin

Sometimes you just gotta get over yourself. What does that mean, and how does one accomplish such a lofty ideal? Glad you asked! That is the subject of this week's Soul Forge Podcast. We start with a discussion about the nature of existence and who we are as people. Is everyone around us a simulation put there for us to interact with? Are we a simulation in an alien lab? Could our memories be newly implanted and each day we awake for the first time? We feel as if we are the centre of the universe, but this is not really the cast, unless we actually are the only true person in existence. So, if we are not the centre of the cosmos, but merely one speck among many, it stands to reason that not everything that happens is about us. Everything is not our fault. We have no way of knowing what other people are going through. With all that being said, Shawn tells the tale of a text from an old friend. They haven't spoken in years. However, the friend has now broken up with his girlfriend and is free to socialize ag

The Crush List is a return to form in the classic style of the Soul Forge Podcast. This week, Shawn talks about the many crushes he had during his school years. The depth of memory is an amazing thing! We start by examining where the idea for this topic came from. Credit goes to Britney Spears, with a special shout-out to the Spice Girls. Did you have a favourite Spice Girl? After talking about attractive singers of the 1990s, we delve into early childhood crushes beginning with Kindergarten. We then move onto grades 6 through 8, and finally into high school crushes. As a special treat, Shawn reads his first year university Crush List. What is a crush list? You must listen to the episode for all the details. Finishing off the story, listeners are treated to a reading of the poem, Encounter At The Terminal. Feedback is always appreciated. Please email the show at soulforgepodcast@gmail.com This week's podcast promo: Metal Geeks Podcast

Bell Let's Talk is a wide-reaching, multi-year program designed to break the silence around mental illness and support mental health all across Canada. The more we speak up and share what we're going through, the more it will help others talk about it too. Let's keep talking all year long.  In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada experience a mental health issue. 8% of all adults will experience a major depression at some point in their lives. 49% of people do not seek help. One of the biggest hurdles for anyone suffering from mental illness is overcoming the stigma.  For every text message sent by Bell Canada, Bell Aliant and Bell MTS customers, Bell will donate 5¢ towards mental health initiatives. Shawn, Tracy, Heather and Tanya sit down for a conversation all about mental health. We explore our personal stories, and talk about ways of helping others in need. Topics include: the trap of guilt (good guilt vs bad/learned guilit), the 5 minute rule of motivation, negative core beliefs, and how to see si

Christina is 6' 5" and she's got tall girl problems! Having a height advantage can be a wonderful thing, but too much height can cause unique problems. On this episode of The Soul Forge Podcast, Christina shares some personal experiences regarding being a woman of a certain stature. As far back as she can recall, Christina had to adapt to her surroundings. She has always had to endure comments and 'witty' observations. She had to balance out the composition of school pictures. Many people of height slouch and become wall flowers. Tall people have many common personality traits that they develop to get along in a world that was not designed for them. Perhaps this is why they created the International Tall Club. Christina talks about the way in which many men relate to her. She shares wonderful stories about how people have reacted to her. There is a wonderful Klingon story, and a terrific story about working as security in a bar. It turns out that extreme height can be seen as a disability of sorts. Her h

Cape Fear! Not the movie, nor the remake, but a state of mind. Cape fear is what occurs when you are not comfortable in a particular style of clothing or fashion. The Sunday Morning Coffee Club is a rather new experiment in socialization. The club was founded by your ever-present host, Shawn. Through the club, new friends are made, and interesting conversations are had. Coffee club has lead to several ideas for Soul Forge topics. Cape fear is just such a particular topic. Fashion confidence is a big deal. You may think you can wear anything, but clothing will put you in a certain state of mind. Not everyone can feel free to wear every item of clothing. We are sure there are items in your closet that you never wear. Shawn wants to bring back the cape as a fashion item, but he has a fear that people will laugh and make fun of him. He does not have the confidence to go out in public wearing a cape. Except, of course, for Halloween or costume balls. Looking back at the trench coat incident, his reluctance is u