Soul Forge Podcast

Total Drama Island - 139

This week's episode is kind of an update show. What has been happening in the life of your host? He has been living and working on total drama island! Actually, his personal life is going pretty well for once. Work, however, is quite another matter. Perhaps this episode reveals a bit too much about the inner workings of the post office. Maybe you will learn a few behind-the-scenes details that you knew nothing about. The main point of this episode is to catch you up with the saga of how your host is feeling towards his employment. So get comfortable, have a seat, put your feet up and grab a tasty beverage. You are about to enter total drama island!

This week's podcast promo: Pop Culture Cosmos

The Aftermath of Fame With Cory Robin - 138

Cory Robin visits the Soul Forge Podcast to talk about his brush with fame and the aftermath of the experience.

In 2018 Cory ran for a seat as city councillor for Ward 5 in Timmins.  Although he did not win a seat, he learned a great deal about how to handle loss and fame. Cory tells us about how he ran his campaign, the money spent, and the heart and soul he put into the effort.

Listen in to learn what brought him to his decision to run for council. He talks about his passion for Aboriginal First Nations issues. His political ambitions began by trying to deal with systemic racism in our city.

Other topics include the importance of feedback, living through social media and curating an image. Cory tells us about reframing his loss into something positive and he tells us the story of the vote recount.

Final thoughts include being honest and authentic, and knowing who you are. Follow him on Facebook at Robin in the City.

This week's podcast promo: Nerdlanta

About Money - 137

Money talks. Money matters. It's all about that money on this week's Soul Forge.

Join me as I discuss financial matters. I will be delving deep into my past for a look at how I grew up and how I gained my attitudes towards money. Because I grew up poor, I have always had an appreciation for money.

In this episode, you'll learn about the vehicle I'm too frugal to purchase. You will hear about my hollywood dreams. And you will learn how my bank lady is setting me up for retirement.

There's a whole lot of information here. It's funny. It's sad. It's eye opening.

This week's podcast promo: Nerdbliss

Unexpected Magic Is The Best Kind - 136

Sometimes the universe gives you exactly what you asked for. However, the universe also likes to play tricks to keep you on your toes. It will not always give you what you ask for in the ways in which you hoped it would.

This episode tells the tale of last weekend and the events that occurred. As you will recall from the previous episode, my first love, Stephanie, was having a birthday celebration in Sudbury. There were a lot of unexpected and intense moments. And as the title reveals, unexpected magic is the best kind of magic there is.

Do I reveal too much in this episode? Perhaps I do. Does it matter? I do not believe it does. When a person experiences magic, it needs to be shared. No one can ever feel what I felt, but they can know that magic is real. Do you believe? I sure as hell do!

This week's podcast promo: Metal Geeks

Love, Heartbreak & Poetry - 135

Love and heartbreak both lead to poetry. This week, we take a little trip down memory lane. I'm going through my archives and sharing some of my poetry with you. We will be thinking about love, happiness, longing, anger, acceptance, and so many other emotions.

First though, there is some feedback to share. And I have a self-help book to recommend, although I do not agree with the term 'self-help'

Sit back and relax. It is time to be nostalgic about love and heartbreak through poetry.

The 14 poems are as follows:

Acceptance?

Bitter Aftertaste

Blank Page

Cherry

Encounter at the Terminal

Everyday

Idealization

Love's Resurgence

Still

The Lone Essential Truth of Human Existence

The Muse

I'm So Happy!

Truth to Tell

The Site of our First Kiss

This week's podcast promos: the Flopcast, ESO Patreon

A Father and Son Chat - 134

My son stops by for a quick father and son chat.

What does Bishop want to do with his life? What are his thoughts about the future? We discuss what he has been learning in school. Is he actually learning anything? Well, it's hard to tell from what he says, but it does appear some things are getting through to him.

We talk about my education, my dreams of opening a bar, and what it would be like if I could start my life over. Bishop gives a definition of what success means to him, and he tells us about the kind of power he would like to have.

We round out our discussion by talking about movies and pop culture. I have been trying to round out his classic movie education, and for the most part, he has been enjoying my efforts.

This week's podcast promo: Earth Station DCU

2020 Vision - 133

Radical honesty and the future of the Soul Forge Podcast.

So we all have an idea of what our lives are supposed to be; a vision for what we want, what we need, and how we wish to be seen. This year, I've put a lot of thought into who I am, who I am becoming, and my 2020 vision for the podcast.

The plan is to focus on success stories. Past episodes have focused on mental health. That is all well and good, but this year I want to take a look at people who are already where they want to be. Not all episodes will have this focus however. There will still be the usual kinds of shows. Sprinkling success stories every few episodes will be a nice change of pace where we can all see the good that is in the world.

I am also embracing who I am. Radical honesty is a new concept for me. Previously, I have been concerned with not rocking the boat. Well, those days are limited. It is time for me to be who I really am. This may involve swearing more, showing my cynical side and who knows what else. We are all in this ride together. So get ready for a year of unexpected diversions into everything real! This is my 2020 vision.

This week's podcast promo: Earth Station Who

Unapologetically Me - 132

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 knowledge that I am, and have always been, an empath. Using various clips from music and pop culture, I try to highlight these topics in an amusing, yet poignant way.

Alternate titles for this episode could have been:

1. Laws, Lessons and Revelations
2. This Is Who I Am
3. 47 Minutes of Bullshit

This week's podcast promo: Earth Station One