Soul Forge Podcast

Official diagnosis - depression! That sounds fun, doesn't it? Apparently about 10% of people suffer from depression. Of course, they always say suffer from. I suppose they aren't going to say that 10% of people enjoy depression. Perhaps some folks do, but that seems unlikely to be the case. So, this is a rather short episode of the podcast. Most of it is a retelling of my recent visit back home. I was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, but have been living in Timmins for nearly 19 years. My brother noticed I was not acting like my usual self. He invited me to stay with him for a week. I almost never travel in winter due to the long snowy drive. However, I needed a break from Timmins. So I went. The week was fantastic. I needed some good quality family time. Getting away from my regular life showed me a few things. I'd been living in a state of depression without realizing how bad it was. The change of scenery opened my eyes. Calling my doctor and explaining my feelings to him was a huge help. His officia

Andrew and Shawn are the original geek twins! Ok, maybe not the originals, but they have been geeking out together since the late 1980s. And this is an episode where they join forces to record their first podcast together. They met back in 1987 during the sixth grade. Their bond over all things geek was, if not immediate, long lasting. With birthdays only 7 days apart, how could they not have a lot of interests in common? Both Andrew and Shawn and huge fans of pop culture. They spent many hours together playing video games and watching television. And talking about girls. So many hours spent walking or biking or hanging out at the mall. The television they enjoyed was quite diverse. Well, mostly it was science fiction. Star Trek and Babylon 5 were two of their favourite shows. Robocop The Series was another favourite. Action figures are another area of interest that both of these original geek twins enjoy. We are talking about high school. And the stores we used to go to. Remember Zellers, K*Mart, and Con

Here are my 22 tips to help you win at life in 2022. I searched the internet, I scanned my memory, I looked everywhere, and these are the tips, tricks, rules and guideposts for the year that is 2022. We have likely abandoned our New Year's resolutions at this point. However, it is not too late to make the most of the year. There is always time to win at life in 2022! You must take these tips in stride. I am only here to be your guide on this journey we call living. I'm not a professional or an expert, but I do have a pile of life experience. In this episode, I give you the tips and tricks. Then I expand on the ideas with worldly examples, or stories from my own life. Do with this information as you see fit. I'm only here to try to help! Find me on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCataaeTRQltObb7n1GHW_qw Rusted Robot Toys on Etsy can be found at: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/RustedRobotToys This week's podcast promo: The Flopcast

Toys, games, cartoons and more are all a part of Nate's nostagia tour. Join the Soul Forge podcast as we dive deep into Nathan's world of collecting! I've known Nathan for about 15 years. We worked at The Home Depot together. We bonded immediately over toys and tattoos. Both of us are toy collectors. This is Nathan's story. As far back as he can remember, Nathan has been a fanboy and a collector. As is typical, his mom tossed out much of his childhood collection. In his mid twenties he began to collect those lost items. And many more besides! We discuss the joys and pitfalls of re-collecting your childhood. There is the danger of overpaying for that piece you simply must have. Shipping costs can also be a barrier to collecting. Buyer's remorse is another factor to consider. Something unique to Nathan is his method of display. Every month he picks a new theme and puts out his collection in that category. He cleans and packs away the previous month. This system allows him to display many more things than in

It's a new year, and that means it is time for a new episode. It has been a few weeks since the Soul Forge released a new episode. Well, here it is! I hope you enjoy this latest offering of tidbits from my brain! In this week's episode we explore multiple topics. Firstly, we have to talk about all the crazy weather we have been experiencing lately. The cold has been so brutal I suffered from brain fog the other day while out delivering the mail. My shipment from Eaglemoss finally came in last week. I placed the order in October and it took 2 months to arrive. And the order was not complete. How rude! The Etsy shop is going well as of late. Rusted Robot Toys made the Star Seller list for January! There's also a story about the sign I sold. This was the sign my mom saw during our last visit. Let's talk about sleep. More specifically, the lack of sleep. Puppy life is exhausting. Good thing I have a week off soon. I need to catch up on my beauty rest.1 Motivation Destination is the new Facebook page I create

How to start a podcast was originally titled, Wanna Start A Podcast? The original release date was June 6, 2019. This is a rare repeat episode while I try to get my mental health back on track. If you want to know how to start a podcast, or at least what I did to start mine, this is the episode for you! If you wanna start a podcast, there are some things you gotta know! Okay, so, here it is; I'm going to tell you the basic outline on how to start a podcast of your very own. I'll be going over some of the basic facts, and I'll be sharing my story and what I have learned from my five and a half year journey. Keep in mind that this is my own perspective and other people have gone about things in different ways. The first thing you will need is an idea to base your show around. In this episode, I tell you what went into my thought process. What knowledge did I already have that would help me to create a show that I would enjoy producing week after week? Remember that the name of your show is extremely importan

What is flawed perfection? No one is their ideal self. We all have things about us that we like, and things we can't stand. This episode was the year end wrap up for 2019. Because I am not feeling like myself lately, it felt like the perfect opportunity for a repeat episode. Originally titled, Unapologetically Me, the name has been changed to Flawed Perfection. This has been done as a way to mark the passage of time, and the idea that we are all imperfectly perfect as we are. What follows are the original shownotes.... 2019 taught me a lot about myself. In fact, this has probably been the most progress I have made in a year since 2015. So this episode will detail some of the realizations I have come to. Also, this episode is filled with all kinds of media clips. I have tried to even out the sound levels and think I have mostly succeeded. My apologies if it is not perfect. However, none of us are. Some topics included in this episode are fear, love, relationships, being an introvert and my new found knowledg

Better late than never, it's an episode called Too Much Bread, Not Enough Butter. What is this episode about? It's a bit about Christmas. It's partly about mental health. There's some pop culture thrown in for good measure. Am I taking a break from the podcast? What am I doing with my life? These questions really don't have any answers. I do talk about Spider-Man No Way Home. And I mention The Wheel of Time, and The Witcher. So, enjoy this shorter than usual, later than normal episode! This week's podcast promo: Earth Station Trek

Woke, but exhausted is an episode about a lot of things. Many different topics are touched on throughout the course of this show. The original intent was to do a deep dive into woke culture. Yet, as I was researching, I realized I do not have the skills to do the topic justice. We have an update on the puppy situation. As mentioned last week, our Golden Doodle gave birth to 8 puppies. They are growing quite quickly. There are 2 femails and 6 males. They will be ready for purchase by February. Going back to work after a week off is no easy feat. Last week I lost my mail scanner. I had 2 meetings with my supervisor. Delivering the mail on foot in December is terrible. There are too many flyers, parcels and snow. This week we have to deliver phone books! To top it all off, we are breaking snow fall records. If I had my way, I would devote myself to my Etsy reselling business. I could see selling online as a full-time gig as a way to go. Unfortunately, there are not enough thrift stores in my area to make a go

New Puppies and the Wheel of Time is a long title for a really fun, yet random episode. We will be covering many different topics this week. You could say this is an update on what has been going on around the Soul Forge headquarters. As of this recording, we are marking the 80th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. It's also the week of my son's 16th birthday. And Daisy, our Golden Doodle has had her puppies. Daisy has 8 puppies which include 2 females and 6 males. They will be ready for purchase around Valentine's Day. As part of the ESO Network, it is our duty to update our promos. We usually create a new promo twice a year. On this episode, you will get to listen to the new Soul Forge promo. Snow is accumulating in Timmins. We have had snow for about 3 weeks now. As of this recording, we have gotten about 48 centimetres. Last year, for the entire year, we received about 60 centimetres. We are breaking records this year I fear. Also in this episode, The Wheel of Time television and book series are d

Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. The Movember Foundation runs the Movember charity event, housed at Movember.com By encouraging men (whom the charity refers to as "Mo Bros") to get involved, Movember aims to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths. Besides annual check-ups, the Movember Foundation encourages men to be aware of family history of cancer and to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Using the moustache as the driving symbol of the movement, Movember focuses on the three key areas of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health & suicide prevention. Since inception, the Movember Foundation has raised $837 million and funded over 1,200 projects in more than 20 countries. Since 2004, the Movember Foundation charity has run Movember events to raise

Crooked Teeth/Straight Path or how Facebook memories made me realize I am where I need to be. Crooked Teeth/Straight Path is an odd title. Yet I think it very neatly sums up my life and my journey. A longer title would say more, but brevity is sometimes good too! Before we get into Crooked Teeth/Straight Path or paths not taken, we have a few items to sum up. Last week's prepper episode brought me a good amount of feedback and discussion. Daisy the dog is about 3 weeks from having her puppies. This week's Star Trek news is that 2 episodes from 2 different series will air on the same day - this hasn't happened for 22 years! I have made 69 sales on Etsy as of today! Find the store at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rustedrobottoys/ So, Facebook memories can lead to strange thoughts and conversations. November 11th would have been my 9th wedding anniversary. This is the first year I had forgotten. I went down a crazy rabbit hole of thoughts as to where my life is now, or could have been had it followed a different

What is SHTF? Do you know anything about the survival prepping community? Up until a few weeks ago, I had no idea about any of this stuff. One random video on YouTube sent me down a rabbit hole of anxiety. SHTF: Survival Prepping is your guide to what I have learned recently. My YouTube interests have always varied greatly. Most often I watch videos about philosophy, Star Trek, history, Ebay and Etsy, and a few other things. I came across a video about guns. That video sent me on a voyage of discovery. An underground bunker is something I have always wanted to have. Being somewhat prepared for an unknown emergency always seemed like a good idea. The hosts in these videos are quite intense. And do they ever enjoy their acronyms. Do you know what SHTF means? What about MAG or EDC? In this episode, I will tell you about the supplies you may need in an emergency situation. We will talk about your everyday carry. And we will discuss your bug-out bag and your make it home bag. In a survival situation, will you t

Quick shots round two is the second attempt at something. Originally I called them the tactical mini. They are short mini episodes that focus on one topic. But then we string them together into a completely random show. This gives you, as an audience member, a nice mix and variety. Who knows what the next topic will be? From the show notes of episode 113: A tactical mini is an idea. It is an idea with such focus that it cannot be expanded upon. Each mini will touch on a feeling that is unable to be contained. Single ideas. Single topics. Focus. Depth. Call them quick shots or tactical minis -- the name has not been locked down as of yet. The basic idea is that something has come to my attention and is intruding upon my mind. I need to get it out of my system. Therefore, I drill down into the heart of an issue and get it off my mind, and I free my soul. These tactical minis or quick shots are only three to five minutes in length. The concept is such that the topic of the mini is too small to become an entire

Nothing to fear is freedom. Everyone feels fear from time to time. Various levels and intensities as we are all unique with a wide variety of experiences and tolerances. Someone's nothing to fear is another person's greatest fear. Nothing to Fear was originally going to be a spooky Hallowe'en episode. The idea was to have a few guests to talk about scary movies. The timing did not work out, so it has become an episode about the various types of fear. We begin the show by talking about my fear of the dark. This gets us into the topic and we delve into 4 types of fear. A huge fear that many people have is the fear of not being accepted. I give several examples from my own life. There is also the fear of failure which has held me back at various times in my own life. And then we chat about the fear of following ( or not following ) our dreams. So many people are afraid of success. We round out the show by talking about the fear of losing people we love. Nothing to fear is not the spooky episode I had in mind.

A feast for the mind in every episode of the Soul Forge Podcast! So many fun and different topics to cover in this week's episode. Every show is a feast for the mind, but this time, I actually use that phrase. Find out why when you listen to this one! La Brea is the latest show I have started watching. I find it really fun and entertaining. It had me hooked in the first 5 minutes. I'll be giving you a quick overview on the first 3 episodes. Minor spoilers are revealed, but because the show is so new, it should not matter. My Etsy shop is called Rusted Robot Toys. A recap of my last 4 months worth of sales is discussed. I also talk about how I pack my orders and ship them out. What's included in every package? You'll find out in this episode, and maybe you'll want to buy something! Find the shop at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/rustedrobottoys/ I was listening to the latest episode of the Delta Flyers podcast and one of the hosts mentioned a book. After looking into the book, I decided to purchase it. Because

The 5 love languages are 5 different ways of expressing and receiving love: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Not everyone communicates love in the same way, and likewise, people have different ways they prefer to receive love. The concept of love languages was developed by Gary Chapman, Ph.D., in his book The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts, where he describes these 5 unique styles of communicating love, categories he distilled from his experience in marriage counseling and linguistics.  1. Words of affirmation People with words of affirmation as a love language value verbal acknowledgments of affection, including frequent "I love you's," compliments, words of appreciation, verbal encouragement, and often frequent digital communication like texting and social media engagement. 2. Quality time People whose love language is quality time feel the most adored when their partner actively wants to spend time with them and is alwa

If you change your name, does that change your life? We are about to find out in the second half of the episode. First, we must talk about trees, and the Fall, and travel, and selling things to nerds. And then, change your name, change your life will be discussed, debated and deliberated upon! So, this past weekend I drove the nearly 6 hours it takes, to the Soo. That's Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada for those not in the know! About 2 hours into the drive, I turned onto a different highway. The change was immediate. The trees were popping with the brilliant and exuberant colours of Fall. We don't have colours like that back home in Timmins. I suddenly realized that this is what I miss most about living further south than I do currently. And then I was in the Soo. I was a vendor at the 3rd Steel City NerdCon. My car was loaded with totes of various pop culture items. Selling off my collection has been a goal of mine for about 5 years. Sadly, I didn't sell everything. In fact, I sold about half as much as

Fast and loud is an episode about excitement, adventure, fandom, health and more. Sit down, strap in and get ready for the thrill ride of your life! First, we are talking about the new CPAP trial that Shawn is partaking in. What is CPAP? A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is the most commonly prescribed device for treating sleep apnea disorders. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes interruptions or pauses in your breathing, often because your throat or airways briefly collapse or something temporarily blocks them. A CPAP machine sends a steady flow of oxygen into your nose and mouth as you sleep. This keeps your airways open and helps you breathe normally. The next topic is this weekend's upcoming Nerd Con event is Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. This is the third event. I have attended each one so far. My mission is to sell off as many of my collectibles as I possibly can. SideShow Toys has a new statue up for preorder. It's THE PICARD! Expected to be shipped in late 2022, this thing is hig

The Grief Portal is the gateway to nostalgia. It can also be a place to be sad, a place to wallow in self-pity if you're not careful. The Grief Portal can either be a positive place or a negative one. Everything depends on your level of healing. If you are in a place where you can reflect on your losses in a healthy way, the portal is merely a place to pause. However, if you are deep in your misery, the portal can be a dangerous and terrifying place. The choice is yours, and much depends on your healing journey. What is grief? Grief is the natural reaction to loss. Grief is both a universal and a personal experience. Individual experiences of grief vary and are influenced by the nature of the loss. Some examples of loss include the death of a loved one, the ending of an important relationship, job loss, loss through theft or the loss of independence through disability. Mourning can last for months or years. Generally, pain is tempered as time passes and as the bereaved adapts to life without a loved one, to