Soul Forge Podcast

We're better! We're healed! We are our best selves. The forging of souls is complete. Welcome to the final episode of the Soul Forge Podcast. It's been a crazy 7+ years, but we made it. This week, Shawn is joined by his brother Robin, to say goodbye to the Soul Forge faithful. There is plenty of memories, and a few new tidbits to entertain all of you out there in Podcastland. Robin talks about a few of his favourite things. Shawn thanks everyone for their support over the years. Whether you were a guest, a subject, sent an email, commented on a post, shared a link or just thought of the Soul Forge, we are grateful. Although this is a bittersweet time, all hope is not lost. Soul Forge was created in the fire of the Rusted Robot Podcast which also lasted just over 7 years and had 331 episodes. Soul Forge is ending at episode 339. But out of its ashes, a new podcast is born. The Have Coffee Will Travel Podcast shall continue on the work that Shawn started in 2014. Shawn and Leah invite you all to join our new ad

Why we collect is often as interesting as what we collect. A collection can offer life-support over time, a means of trading, a basis for community and communication, a stockpile of wealth, and a mechanism of self-identity. The gathering of resources for survival, health, comfort, or economy is a defining characteristic of life. Collecting is a rather curious behavior that seems to defy easy explanation or analysis. In the popular mind, collectors are often viewed as individuals with more money than sense. They drop huge sums on rare artifacts while displacing them from their supposed rightful locations. They are often seen as mildly disturbed cranks who have an inexplicable need to gather large numbers of items few others deem interesting, invariably cluttering their lives or minds in ways that are unhealthy.  The paradox of collecting. It serves multiple purposes, from the deceptive to the inspirational. Collecting is viewed in many different and often competing ways depending on the position of the viewer.

Comic books and feedback on episode 337 of Soul Forge Podcast. A brief history of comics...the first modern American style comic book, Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics, was released in the U.S. in 1933. This was a reprinting of earlier newspaper humor comic strips, which had established many of the story-telling devices used in comics. The term comic book derives from American comic books once being a compilation of comic strips of a humorous tone. However, this practice was replaced by featuring stories of all genres, usually not humorous in tone.  Timely Comics is the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman. This is the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. The first printing was in October of 1939. Marvel has become the unquestionable king of the superhero and comic book industry. The company grew throughout the Golden Age and exploded into the mainstream throughout the Silver Age. Here, heroes like Spi

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the 9th film from Quentin Tarantino. As Hollywood's Golden Age is winding down during the summer of 1969, television actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth endeavor to achieve lasting success in Hollywood. They meet several colorful characters along the way. The film was released in the summer of 2019. This week's episode of the podcast is a rambling catch-up show. So much is going on in our lives these days, it can be difficult to find the time and energy to record a new episode. Therefore, it's a quick solo episode. The main event occurring in our lives these days is the ongoing sale of our house. We have had a huge quantity of viewings, but the offers have been few and far between. Mid-October is when we take possession of our new place. Many other things are taking up our time. In addition to packing for our move, we have also just launched our new podcast. The Have Coffee Will Travel Podcast is similar to Soul Forge, but has a bit more structure and research.

What the truck is my brother Robin up to these days? At one time, Robin made regular appearances on the Soul Forge Podcast. Because it has been so long, it felt like a great time to catch up on his latest happenings. 2024 looked like it was going to be a great year for Robin. However, the universe had other plans. For the previous year, Robin was the only full-time appliance salesman at Best Buy. February 7th was his birthday so he naturally took the day off. On his return the next day, he received a letter informing him that his position was redundant and he was being let go. The letter was dated on his birthday. This news hit him hard. After a month or two, he decided it was time to find a new job or career. Robin took himself to Sault Community Career Centre. In association with Better Jobs Ontario Robin was enrolled in a course for AZ License training. This meant that once he completed and passed the course, he would drive transport trucks, dump trucks and other heavy machinery. Robin spent the summer tak

Advice for aspiring writers! Do you want to write a book, a series of books, or some poetry? Do you need some motivation to get started? If you answered yes, or even maybe, to any of these questions, this is the episode for you. And if you answered no, listen anyway. You will always learn something new on the Soul Forge Podcast! For this episode, we dive deep into the back catalogue. This episode originally aired in the Spring of 2018 as episode 37. There are some great timey-whimey throwbacks as this was recorded 6 years ago. I believe this was the first conversation I ever had with Daniel Peter Hitch. Since that time, he has become my friend and co-host on two other podcasts. To start with, we begin with a bit of background on Dan's early influences. Every writer begins by falling in love with the works of another author. This brings the conversation to the topic of the motivation and desire to write. We learn what makes Dan tick. But of course, monotony and distraction are the writer's enemy. How does one

Have Coffee, Will Travel is the brand new podcast from the hosts of the Soul Forge Podcast. What you are about to hear is the first episode. It's all about Disney adults and the recent D23 Expo. Subscribe to Have Coffee, Will Travel is all of your favorite podcast apps! Show notes: Everything Disney! Shawn and Leah start their brand new podcast with the pop culture behemoth of Disney. Mike from the ESO Podcast Network join them as their first guest.This recording used Streamyard. What is a Disney adult? A Disney adult is an adult who is a devout fan of The Walt Disney Company. Common hobbies of Disney adults include visiting Disney theme parks, collecting Disney merchandise, cosplaying Disney characters, and consuming content on the Disney+ streaming service. Practices associated with the phenomenon, such as Disney weddings, date back decades to the 1990s. Our conversation moves on to this year's D23 Expo. D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, also known as Disney D23 or simply D23, is the official fan club for

Bypassing Camus Two! What does that mean? Is there a deeper meaning to this odd podcast episode title? On this special episode of the Soul Forge Podcast, Shawn and Leah travel a few hours for the weekend. They find themselves in Sudbury, Ontario to visit someone Shawn has known for more than half of his life. Who is this mysterious man named Cory? You are about to learn all that and more on this exciting episode. Shawn and Cory met in the late 1990s. Cory was dating Laura, whom Shawn already knew, and they moved to Shawn's hometown of Sault Ste. Marie. Shawn and Cory hit if off as friends immediately. This episode tell us the story of Cory. The Cory story, if you will. We learn where he grew up, some of the places he has lived, a few of the jobs he has held, and a girlfriend or two along the way. Why do fruits and veggies figure so prominently in this story? Shawn and Cory share a love of pop culture. Movies have always been a big deal for both of them. Relationships have never been easy and because Cory suff

The 7 Year Itch is here to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the Soul Forge Podcast. Shawn and Leah cover a variety of topics this week, while also marking this monumental occasion. Come celebrate 7 years with us. Our first topic of conversation is all about new beginnings. After a fun preamble about 7 years of forging our souls, and more than 10 years of podcasting, we are talking about new ideas. Soul Forge began as a way for Shawn to heal from years of loss and trauma. The podcast became a place to talk about the things and ideas people generally avoid. Shawn and Leah want to slowly retire Soul Forge. They wish to create something new. Something that belongs to both of them from the very beginning. They are workshopping ideas and names for this new podcast. If you have any ideas or suggestions you can email them at soulforgepodcast@gmail.com Speaking of new beginnings, Shawn and Leah are looking at buying a house together. A house that is theirs together without any previous history. Their house is up f

What about Bob Newhart and Shannon Doherty? These are two of the major celebrity deaths the world experienced recently. Back when Shawn was hosting the Rusted Robot Podcast, each episode began with that week's famous deaths. Although that pop culture podcast ended more than three years ago, it is never far from Shawn's memory. This week, Shawn and Leah jump from topic to topic. There is a lot on their minds. Since two weeks have passed since the last episode, they have a lot of catching up to do. Minor topics include the end of the LCBO strike (which means we can buy our booze again), and the 55 year annivery of the first moon landing. Mike and Judy sent Shawn and Leah some wedding gifts this week. A huge thank you goes out to this amazing couple for their kindness. For those who don't know, Mike is the head of the ESO Network. Leah and Shawn are getting more familiar with their Jeep. They took part of the roof off and drove around in style. There is more that can be modified, but that is all in good time. Pr

Boobs, burgers and beer! These are three things that almost everyone loves. This episode tells you all about the upcoming fashion show hosted by Amore: For Your Pleasure. On this episode of the Soul Forge Podcast, your host Shawn goes on location for a chat with Gaelyn, the owner of Amore: For Your Pleasure. For those not in the know, Amore is the premiere adult toy store in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Shawn and Gaelyn discuss the upcoming fashion show. This is the ultimate sexy lingerie fashion show. There have been four or five previous shows. Every year, the event gets bigger. Starting from humble beginnings in the store, the event has now moved to the parking lot across from Jay's Piston Broke Pub. Boobs, burgers and beer is the theme of the fashion show. The event is a twofold event. Partly to help celebrate pride week, it is also a customer appreciation event to give back to Amore's customers. The fashion show is held on Wednesday (hump day) and runs between 3 and 10pm. This event is rain or shine. The B

What we leave behind is not nearly as important as what we take with us. At least, when it comes to moving or down-sizing. This is nothing to do with the legacy of our lives. This week the podcast tackles the topic of finding a new home. Leah's dad is moving. Gord currently lives about a 20 minute drive from his wife. The wife is in a nursing home as her health is poor. Every second day Gord drives 20 minutes down the highway to visit. Gord is 78 years old and his health is also deteriorating. Luckily, Gord's wife owns a home only minutes from the healthcare facility she lives in. We are moving Gord to his wife's old house. Arranging this move for Gord has been a long process. First, we had to let the tenants know it was time for them to go. Convincing Gord to leave his current home has also been quite the event. Now, we are painting and repairing the new place for him to stay in. Gord and his wife are big time smokers. Three packs a day is not uncommon. All of their possessions are smoke-filled damaged. Ther

The Chicken King presents Grampy D's original recipe. This week the Soul Forge Podcast crew is on location. We find ourselves at Bruni's Fine Foods for a taste testing. David Poluck from Northern Jewellery and Crafts is the Chicken King. He has created a unique chicken coating mix. The event and subsequent interview are detailed in this episode. In David's own words, the idea for a deep fried coating mix began with a conversation: "In a world saturated with fast-food chains and pre-packaged coating mixes, it all began with two friends who found themselves in a discussion about something more when it came to fried chicken. Dissatisfied with the limited options available whether it was the greasy offerings from chain restaurants or the uninspiring coating mixes he found at his local grocery store I made a decision to take matters into my own hands and embark on a journey that would eventually lead to the creation of Grampy D’s original Recipe’s" David tells us about his childhood influences and the cooks in his

Food, History, television shows, work, feedback and more on this week's episode. No topic is too obscure for us to cover! The weather is our first mini topic. A veritable heat wave has descended upon us. From hail to humidity, no one is safe from these extremes. Some days it feels as though we are sitting here melting. We had our yard sale this last weekend. Turns out we prefer going to sales, rather than hosting them. There is a lot of prep work involved. Pricing items is quite important, and having an organizational system is key. Item placement will affect your sales. Keeping your items in line of sight is crucial. Leah goes to a work leadership conference this week. She and her co-workers will exchange ideas, and talk about having difficult conversations. There will be skills fair full of differing booths. This is one of the very few times where Shawn and Leah have been apart for a few days. Richard from Australia provides feedback on our restaurant review episode. This leads to a discussion about The Blo

Taking care of dad for our Father's Day episode! We start this episode with a brief history of how Father's Day began. Did you know this holiday is not much older than a century? In fact, Father's Day was introduced in 1910. Naturally, it was a response to Mother's Day and soon became associated with retail and commerce. You will learn even more in this episode. Shawn and Leah discuss their fathers. They each have dads, fathers-in-law, as well as stepfathers. Shawn talks about being a father and a step-father. An important aspect of this discussion is their feelings towards these dads. What happened to the step-dads in their lives? Taking care of dad is a major part of the episode. Both Shawn and Leah's fathers are in their 70s. Age brings many things with it, including loss of ability, forgetfulness and wounded pride. Imparting their wisdom also becomes important as dads age. Shawn must help his dad do the things he once took for granted. Leah is helping her father move closer to his wife. Pop Culture and Da

New ideas are brewing at Soul Forge HQ. Shawn and Leah are bringing you more excitement and adventure. The topics are going to be vast and wide-ranging. We plan to bring our listeners an enhanced podcast experience. Stay tuned for the updated format! So, we recently got into meal prep. It seemed like a great idea to have ready-made ideas for a week's worth of dinners. An amazing meal was planned, but time got away from us. Therefore, we decided to go to a restaurant because it was too late to cook. We went to Chuck's and while we were there we discussed podcast ideas. Chuck's Roadhouse restaurant review was born! Plenty of new ideas are coming up. This episode talks about the good and the bad you may experience at a Chuck's restaurant. We're talking about tipping etiquette, half-price apps and a whole lot more. We even had dessert this week! From Chuck's website: Chuck’s Roadhouse Bar and Grill has been a beacon to road travellers everywhere since 2015. We pay homage to the traditional roadhouses by providi

We love yard sales. Hosting them. Going to them. Finding hidden treasures. There is very little not to love about a yard sale. Or should we call it a garage sale? On this episode of the Soul Forge Podcast, Shawn and Leah talk everything there is to talk about yard sales. They will soon be hosting their own. Have you ever hosted a sale? Would you do so again? What is the best thing you have ever gotten at a sale? Let us know at soulforgepodcast@gmail.com Shawn and Leah talk about some of their recent acquisitions. Leah collects and searches for vintage Disney items. Song of the South and Splash Mountain are her main focus at the moment. She also actively searches for toys from the 1980s. Shawn is always on the lookout for Hot Wheels, Star Trek stuff, movies and fodder for Etsy. Why do people collect? We break down some of the possibilities. Hosting a yard sale can be tricky. There are many things to understand and think about. Making sure you have enough change is very important. There are weather concerns as

Our wedding in Las Vegas and our honeymoon in California. Leah and Shawn flew to Las Vegas to get married. After spending a few days in Sin City, they drove to Cathedral City, California. This episode of the Soul Forge is a day by day recap of their adventures. May 2nd and 3rd: The first day was a travel day. Major delays were the main topic of conversation. Mechanical problems caused a 7 hour delay in travel. The second day was much better. The couple got their marriage license. The line was huge. The heat in Nevada is very different from that in Florida. Supper at Bubba Gump Shrimp was decent. May 4th: Wedding day finds Leah stuffed up and sniffling. The hotel mattress was uncomfortable and the temperature was all over the place. Leah had her makeup done at a beauty school while Shawn and Wyatt picked up their rental car. It was a Mustang! Shawn and Wyatt went toy shopping and picked up comics and hot wheels. Leah and Shawn were married that afternoon. Dinner was at Triple George Grill. May 5th: A full day

The wedding of the century is almost upon us. Shawn and Leah will be married in Las Vegas on May the 4th. This episode of the Soul Forge discusses their plans and the countdown until the big day! But first, we talk about smile cookies. Tim Hortons, Canada's number 1 coffee shop sells their smile cookies once a year. This is the big fundraiser that sends kids to camp for the summer. These cookies, while delicious, are not packaged up very well. There may be some drunk singing in Vegas. Leah hopes to get Shawn singing karaoke. The only evidence of Shawn singing while drunk is on YouTube. Can you find it? Other topics this week include seed planting. Leah is on a seed planting rampage. Mostly cabbage has sprouted so far. Shawn enjoyed coffee with his brothers this weekend. Many topics were discussed. Also, Shawn and Leah answer a few random questions found on TikTok. The fedora. Shawn always wanted a fedora. However, he is too self-conscious to wear one. This week he bought one anyway. He's finally reached the a

Are animals self aware? Scientific evidence supports the assumption that it “feels like something” for a fish to be caught on a hook. Shawn and Leah have a bit of a lively discussion regarding animal consciousness. They talk about their dads, wedding preparations, taxes, television shows and more! Scientists and philosophers across the globe agree it is reasonable to assume the vast majority of creatures on Earth are sentient in some way — including lobster, squid and the tiny flies that swarm over drinks left outside in the summer. The New York Declaration on #Animal #Consciousness, released Friday, was signed by 39 cognition scholars at universities from Canada to Australia. It says there is “at least a realistic possibility” that all vertebrates and many invertebrates have conscious experience. The declaration rests on recent scientific studies that show garter snakes can recognize their own scent, crows can report what they see, octopi can avoid pain and fruit flies can sleep — and they sleep best when th