Soul Forge Podcast

There are a lot of decisions that need to be made when looking at buying a new car. In fact, new car decisions can be some of the most stressful kinds of decisions. In this episode of the Soul Forge Podcast, we look at some of the factors that come into play when looking at a new vehicle. Before looking at my new car options, we go over the vehicles that I have previously owned. My first car was a 1985 Chevrolet Citation. I bought it in 1999. Even now, I still miss that old beast. In fact, I have a recurring dream where I find it again, and try to get it running. So, the first half of the episode is me remembering my old cars. The second half of the show is all about the 2 new vehicles I am thinking of getting. The current choices are between the Tesla CyberTruck and the Volkswagen I.D. Buzz. Both are electric vehicles. And neither one is yet available. The Tesla should be out by the end of 2021. The VW is looking at a 2022 release date. My current car may not last that long without putting some serious mon

When I Was Your Age is the episode where my son asks me a series of questions. His mom thought it would be a great idea. This way, he has all these answers for posterity. And when he looks back ages and ages hence, he will know who he was at 14, and who his dad is and was. We talk about my childhood, silly things I did, items I collected, and some inquiries about my love for Star Trek. It's a real fun episode where my 14 year old son asks some questions about what it was like when I was his age. This week's podcast promo: Thunder Talk

Don't Mask Your Passions is a companion piece to episode 312 of The Rusted Robot Podcast. While recording episode 312 we got into a really in depth conversation about the nature of fandom and how one goes about displaying that passion. The chat was so good and so long it needed to be its own show. Voila! We have episode 177 of Soul Forge! Everything started by talking about Dave, an artist who paints pop culture into old paintings. By repurposing something, nothing goes to waste. This got me thinking about wearing your passions loud and proud. I often find it difficult to display my affections for everyone to see. However, at other times, I have no embarassment. Perhaps I still get stuck in the 1980s mindset of hiding your inner self. Growing up in the 80s was difficult because bullying was so prevalent. And yet, it is no longer the 80s. People can't hurt you for what you like. And so, the podcast covers many topics this week. We're talking about crazy fans, toxic fandom, and watching shows that aren't age

You remember brother Robin and his trials and tribulations. In this episode, Calm, Coull & Collected: Robin Goes Home - 176, my brother opens up about where he has been, and where he is now. His journey has had many ups and downs, but it appears he may be on the right track now! Robin moved in with his brother in Spring of 2019. He had hit rock bottom with no where left to turn. For more than a year and a half, his brother watched over him. At long last, it was time to return home and resume his life. We are talking about vending machines and masks. There are several ways Robin tries to make a living. Refurbishing vending machines are one such way. Making custom order masks are another such method. We also devoted an entire episode of Soul Forge to Robin's attempt at becoming a life coach. Well, he has finished the course. Listen to find out where he is now with that endeavour. Finally, we talk about his new job. Robin hates authority and people telling him what to do. However, making masks does not pa

Awkward dates, technology and the art of being emotionally unprepared. My original plan for the episode was a conversation with an avid Trump supporter. The hope was to have an open and honest chat with the goal of getting to the bottom of why this man supports someone that most people cannot stand. However, due to scheduling conflicts, that episode was not to be. The next thought was to talk about being unprepared emotionally. Winter is coming and I'm never ready for it. At least, not ready in my soul. But alas, it comes every year around the same time. There is no choice but to get ready. This episode then moves into talking about the best time in the world to be born. Naturally I only have my own perspective. I do believe that my lifespan and era is the best of all possible times. You see, I was born before technology took over so I can appreciate life without being dependant on apps and smartphones. Yet, I'm young enough to appreciate what they bring to the table. And I want to be a cool grampa who wea

Perhaps True Crime is the way to go if you want to be a successful podcaster. It certainly appears to be the most popular podcast genre, and True Crime fans are the most vocal and passionate. Should the Soul Forge switch to a True Crime format? But True Crime is not the only thing we are talking about on this week's episode. Oh no, my friends, it is not. We are also talking about podcast success in general. And happiness. As well as friends. Oh, and also new rules and restrictions and work. Other stuff too! So many things to discuss in this episode. Did I mention this episode is an 'on the go' type of show? That's right. I'm recording an episode as I walk and deliver the mail. You get to hear dogs barking, mail box lids squeaking, and oh the traffic noises you will hear. So exciting! Happiness and the year 2020. This has been an unprecedented year in the history of modern humanity. Truly awful for many people. Surprisingly enough, it has probably been my best year in a very long time. Listen to the episode

Julie joins me for a chat about effective communication. Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place, person or group to another. Every communication involves (at least) one sender, a message and a recipient. This may sound simple, but communication is actually a very complex subject. The transmission of the message from sender to recipient can be affected by a huge range of things. These include our emotions, the cultural situation, the medium used to communicate, and even our location. On this episode, Shawn and Julie talk about their communication styles, their limitations, the progress they have made, and goals for the future. Talking about communication with Julie is a fun, light-hearted episode with some complexity underneath. This week's podcast promo: We Be Geeks

Digging through the archives of my family history. I found my grade 2 report card. In fact, there were very many things I found inside this box. This box has been in my possession for several years. It belonged to my grandparents. For quite some time I was hesitant to look inside. Finally, a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and look at what was there. Musty and dusty, the box of papers has traveled with me for some time. I couldn't put it off any longer. I found all kinds of things. There was everything from greeting cards to bank statments, and court documents to old newspapers. At first it was overwhelming and full of history. And then I found my grade 2 report card. That was the only thing in the box that belonged to me. On this episode, I share some family history and read the comments on my report card. This is a fun and fascinating look at what I was perceived as at the age of 7. How much of my early development can be seen in who I am today? This week's podcast promo: Nerdlant

Mahogany Clark, is a poet, author, and U.S. army soldier from Miami Florida. She just recently turned 21 years old, and has written two books Self Love & A Cup Of Family Tea, Her third book was written to encourage young children to always feel loved, because proper nurturing is a huge aspect of growing up, and there were times as a kid where she felt unloved, and it is important that children across the world know they are loved, so they can grow and go on to love their own children. We sat down over Skype to chat about her life, her writing and her upcoming book Somebody Always Loves You. You can follow Mahogany on all the social media links in these show notes, as well as order her books from these links. Her newest book will be available October 14, 2020. https://m.facebook.com/mahoganywritez/ https://www.amazon.com/Self-Love-Mahogany-Clark/dp/1099940109?fbclid=IwAR2s0191nnjdMzkZ6BnmgeDOxtxYTWmvr6wGJrxL5AKtECGKZl3gAIztTfs https://borntosoar81.wixsite.com/somebodyalwayslovesy?fbclid=IwAR0zKa1KMp9-z

Moments that define a culture or a generation...these are our cultural touchstones. The term ‘cultural touchstone’ has been credited to Matthew Arnold in his 1880 piece “The Study of Poetry.” In short, Arnold suggested that in order to determine how much praise a new piece of poetry deserved, it should be compared to older poetry that still received the same high praise.  So, in essence, a cultural touchstone is something that defines an era. For instance, a huge movie in the life of my Rusted Robot Podcast co-host, is The Land Before Time. That film defines her generation. I have not seen it, and several people have now suggested I must watch it. This got me thinking about things that define eras and cultures. That is this episode. Some of the topics covered in this episode include: the 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast, JFK's assassination, the Olympics, the Titanic, Star Wars, Star Trek, songs, television shows (episodes or moments), 9/11, the MCU, #metoo, and so many more. The monologue at the end

March Break is finally over. Summer time fun is at an end. You're going back to school in 2020. It's a weird time in the history of humanity. Never has a society shut down like it has this year. In this episode, we remember back to school rituals. The coming of another school year always meant back to school shopping. In merchandising, back to school is the period in which students and their parents purchase school supplies and apparel for the upcoming school year. At many department stores, back to school sales are advertised as a time when school supplies, children's, and young adults' clothing goes on sale. My girlfriend's daughter joins us on the show for a brief chat about her first day back. This week's podcast promo: Metal Geeks, ESO Patreon

Jeramy from the Fandom Squad Podcast comes by to chat about his rough childhood. We start by learning about Jeramy's early childhood. His parents divorced when he was fairly young. As a result, he lived with his mother who moved around quite a bit. She also choose men who may not have been suitable for her or Jeramy. There were many such men in her life. Because Jeramy did not have a stable home life, he turned to food. Eating become something he could control. Over eating led to him becoming the chubby, poor, outcast kid. He was bullied. Abandoned by his mom at age 11, he went to live with his sister and her family. From ages 11 until 21 he had a somewhat stable home life. However, because of his past, and his feelings of abandonment, Jeramy engaged in self-harm, had low self esteem, and felt unlovable. Through counseling, Jeramy learned about forgiveness. He was able to re-establish old relationships. He now has a relationship with both his mother and his father. Credit for a lot of his healing must als

In Witchcraft for Beginners, Tracy takes us on her journey into the spiritual side of things. On this episode, we go over how she become interested in witchcraft, and what she has learned so far. Tracy started with an interest in Reiki, and began to learn about the crystals and the chakras. She followed this up with the practice of meditation. Watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch on Netflix, and reading about witchcraft brought Tracy to where she is now. I first noticed Tracy's interest in the spiritual side of things when she asked to smudge my new house. I had heard of smudging, but hadn't seen it performed. As for smudging, most people use white sage to remove negative energy. You can also use sweet grass, cedar sticks and other plants for differing purposes. In Witchcraft for Beginners, we also learn about using and trusting your intuition, speaking with spirits, and the difference between witchcraft, Wicca and paganism. Witches were once much-loved healers in communities. Various circumstances turned t

Parenting. It's living life in the fast lane. This week's Soul Forge brings you a look behind the parenting style of Rene, a father of 3 boys. Rene is the father of a 13 year old boy and 11 year old twin boys. On this episode, he discusses his parenting strategies. He talks about the sacrifices he has made to raise his family. We will go behind the scenes and learn about some of the things he has done to give his children a healthy life. We will also learn about the challenges he has faced. What did he learn along the way? Rene talks about priorities, going with the flow, hockey, and so much more. Please fill out the survey Rene needs for his class project by following this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5IwSiOPCa12mJHq_p3iTKR4uVb-dsIpxIm3gMtL8RachM4g/viewform This week's podcast promo: Earth Station Who

This week the Soul Forge brings you an author interview with Unique'ka. Her self-published book is called The Glow Up. It's a self help book based on the journey of her life.  Sit back and listen to a tale as unique as Unique'ka. Coming from an abusive childhood shaped many factors in Unique'ka's life. She and her brother were both sent to foster care. Her anger issues and feeling of abandonment caused her to run away several times. However, the one constant in her life, was her love of reading and writing. After dropping out of high school, she began stripping at the age of 17. In time, she had a son and wanted to do better for him, and for herself. Unique'ka began a life-long journey of self reinvention. Reading self-help books and living her life by their principals is what really helped her turn her life around. She used these books and the lives of people like Oprah as a kind of guidance counselor. We end the podcast with the story of Unique'ka finding her birth family. We also learn about how the bo

In the life coach session episode, Shawn talks with his brother Robin about his latest endeavour. Robin has decided to pursur a career in life coaching. On this episode, we learn about the reasons why Robin is pursuing this new direction, and we learn a bit about what the course entails. Robin admits he has no specific talents. However, he is pretty good at finding the talent in others and encouraging them. He feels that by becoming a life coach, he should be able to unlock the potential in others. Life coaching is not therapy. Therefore, you do not need to have your own life in perfect order to be able to help others. Although every decision Robin has made has been the wrong one, he still feels as if his experiences can help others. A life coach can help you through many problems or issues. These can range from relationship issues, to decisions about career or family, and many other topics. The best part about being a life coach is that you can set your own schedule and work whatever hours you choose. Thi

Advice from your future self is not something you can get. But, you can get advice from people older or wiser than you. On this week's episode, we celebrate 3 years of podcasting. We also have 30 pieces of advice that a 30 year old wishes he had when he was 20.   Struggle Is Good Don’t Complain Spend Time With People You Love Don’t Start A Relationship If You’re Not In Love Exercise Daily Keep A Journal Be Grateful Don’t Care About What People Think Take More Risks Pick An Industry, Not A Job Lead The Way Things Are Not What They Seem Money Is Not The Most Important Thing Be Nice Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable Learn Every Day Rest Before You Are Tired Don’t Judge Think About Others Give Without Expecting Something In Return There’s No End Game Enjoy Small Things Don’t Take Yourself Seriously Don’t Blame People Never Look Back Too Long Avoid Negative Situations And People Invest In Yourself Rely On Yourself Create Something Take Action   You can email the show at soul

Okay so this week we will be discussing a few aspects of the Virgo star sign. Starting off with a brief discussion of topic ideas, we move into a general overview of astrology. This is definately going to be a half-assed zodiac episode.   We are coming up on our 3 year anniversary next week. Would love your feedback, comments, concerns, suggestions...anything really...to know that you care or are paying attention.   Get ready for this crazy episode.   This week's podcast promo: DragonCon Report

What are your favourite things? We are going for a more light-hearted tone this week on the podcast. We have had some heavy subjects as of late. Some levity never hurt anyone before. So, this time, I am going over some of my favourite things. As an added bonus, you get to hear clips of dialogue from movies, and pieces of songs that I enjoy. Talking about favourite movies, songs, artists and bands, video games, books and authors, quotes and memes, toys and collecting, and rabbit hole conversations that make you think. I also talk about my girlfriend Julie at the end of the show. This week's podcast promo: Cigar Nerds podcast As an added bonus, there is a trailer and discussion of the Pink Cloud Nine podcast.

Who are you? What makes you, you? How do you know if you're really real? Are we living in a natural world or some kind of a simulation? This week, we take a deep dive into some rather dense topics. First, we look at the concept of 'you' as an individual. Every person you encounter has a different version of who you are in their heads. How do we reconcile all these versions? Technology is progressing at a rapid pace. Are we heading towards the singularity? Are we there now? Perhaps we are in some type of simulation. Is this the Matrix? We touch on the concepts of androids, cyborgs and robots. The Turing test is explained. And we touch on the 3 laws of robotics. Replicas, starring Keanu Reeves is investigated. After a spoiler filled review of the film, we discuss just how possible something like this is. Replika is a new app. It is your AI chatbox; your new best friend; perhaps your lover. We review the app and talk about some of its features and how it relates to the topic. This week's podcast promo: The