BumfCast: Recent Episodes
Rob Huck
Rob Huck is just a guy from Saskatoon getting to know his friends again. He's been a tree planter, a student activist, a security guard, a geophysicist, a blogger, a musician, a political campaign strategist, a technical communications specialist, a cinephile, a Game of Thrones enthusiast, a community-service leader, and even a pandemic planner.
Through it all, however, he's been a storyteller. He's found that many of his friends and colleagues have interesting or compelling stories. These are the stories being shared with you.
Iban Anglada is my friend from Barcelona. We attended Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, and we hadn't seen or spoken to each other since 1994. Growing up in Barcelona, one wouldn't expect him to be a lifelong hockey fan and player, but he somehow managed it, and that's what brought him to Canada.
He was a great guy to know. We lived in the same dorm, but he had a knack of making friends from all over the school. I was very happy to see that he hasn't changed at all!
We talk about what it was like growing up in Barcelona, his travels and work career, our shared friendships, and how we hope to see each other again really soon. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
(Theme music is courtesy Brent Tyler.)
Ted Uchacz is a good friend of my university and tree planting days. He's made a career in nursing, but his passion lies within the arts.
He is an accomplished sculptor, working in the mediums of clay and metal, usually at the same time. He often uses reclaimed metals to create his works, including his latest series using discarded discer blades from local farm machinery.
Having been juried by the Saskatchewan Craft Council, you can find his works at the SCC Fine Crafts Boutique in Saskatoon and the Traditions Handcraft Gallery in Regina, and elsewhere.
Ted's a great guy and I really enjoyed catching up with him. Check us out or, better yet, check out his art on the following websites or on Instagram.
https://teduchacz.art
https://saskcraftcouncil.org/project/ted-uchacz/
https://www.instagram.com/teduchacz/
(Theme music courtesy of Brent Tyler)
Michael Couros is a good friend of mine I met through the insane world of political social media. He's a political commentator, a part-time radio show host on CKOM and CJME, a one-time ring announcer for the Sask Rush lacrosse team, and a man with a knack of pissing off the right people.
We discuss his recent (and wise) exit from Twitter, the current political divisions in Canada, and how the ancients understood us better than we understand ourselves.
(Theme music courtesy Brent Tyler)
Andrea with the Bangs is a vintage fashionista and a fascinating interviewer. Her YouTube channel and She Wonders Why podcast features conversations with some of the leading personalities who are exploring the interactions between religion, psychology and culture. We namedrop a number of these people, including Jonathan Pageau, Paul VanderKlay, Benjamin Boyce, Sean Carroll, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick (host of Amon Sul and The Lord of Spirits podcasts, among others) and the incredible Neil DeGraide of Dirt Poor Robins.
We also talk about reading the Bible in a Year, raising kids, the role of the feminine in both myth and culture, and how to produce a viral YouTube video (hint: make an ambiguous statement on Jordan Peterson).
She's always been a fun and engaging conversationalist, and this discussion is no exception. It was a blast!
https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreawiththeBangs
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/she-wonders-why-by-andrea-with-the-bangs/id1456695004
Theme music provided courtesy of Brent Tyler:
https://www.youtube.com/user/brentylermusic
https://brenttyler.bandcamp.com/album/love-myself
Billie Rae Busby is one of my favourite artists. Her hard-edge painting technique has created some incredible striking abstract images of the prairie skies and mountain views that surround her home of Calgary. In addition to her work being featured in galleries and exhibitions across Canada, she has been commissioned to produce works of art for the public, including public murals and street installations, as well as a specially created carpet installation at Canada House, home of the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom.
Billie and I talk about our shared experiences from our time at the University of Saskatchewan, her transition from a marketing and communications professional into a full-time artist, as well as the role of producing her art has contributed to her mental wellness.
Follow her on Instagram (@br_busby).
You can also purchase available art pieces from her website:
www.billieraebusby.com/home
James Hancock is the host and co-founder Wrong Reel, the most bitchin' film podcast you can find online, where he covers everything from Jean-Luc Goddard to Jean-Luc Picard. In addition, his YouTube channel, Geekin' with James Hancock, offers reviews on movies and shows, and features original productions, including audio versions of Lovercraft and Poe short stories, as well as short films sure to delight the typical film nerd.
James is also one of my favourite people I've ever met online, and he was gracious enough to provide a glimpse into his life and work. We discuss film, books and the like, and throw a few shout-outs to some of his fantastic Wrong Reel co-contributors.
You can find him at @wrongreel or @gknout, on all podcast distributors, at the Wrong Reel home page, and his YouTube channel
https://wrongreel.com
https://www.youtube.com/c/geekinnyc
Connie Herman is a parenting coach, the coordinator for Nobody's Perfect Parenting Program in Saskatchewan, and the founder of Parenting Potential. She's also a friend of mine who happens to be doing great things in ensuring parents have the proper tools to help raise their own kids.
As parents, we're blessed with the most wonderful creatures the world can provide. Unfortunately, Mother Nature does not bless us with an instruction manual on how to care or these creatures. People like Connie are an amazing resource for parents as well as for other parent coaches. The success of her program, Nobody's Perfect, has recently been recognized by the World Health Organization for their work in parental mental health, positive parenting, and support for early learning. Connie was also instrumental in getting this program online during the COVID pandemic, to great success.
After we catch up on old times, Connie and talk about some of the tools parents can use to help their kids, such as stress recognition and emotional regulation, modelling behaviour, and the role of fathers.
Visit Parenting Potential at the website https://parentingpotential.ca or through Facebook.
Visit Nobody's Perfect Parenting at https://nobodysperfect.ca/home/
Theme song, "I'm Not Satisfied," is provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Ludovic Piejos is a bon vivant. Working in finance during the daytime, he's been involved with more extracurricular activities than pretty much anyone I've know.
We met in our local Toastmasters club, where I got to learn about his upbringing in France. He also served us crepes. Since then, instructs newbies on French pastries and Caribbean cuisine at The Local Kitchen restaurant, he dances salsa competitively and teaches Latin dance, trains for fitness at a kickboxing school, and he's a runner. He's also one of the friendliest, most social people I know.
We talk about his various activities, about his family, and dealing with stress and anxiety during COVID. He's just such a pleasure talking with him.
Theme song, "I'm Not Satisfied", provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Hannah Rajput is the local champion for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library here in Saskatoon. Dolly's Library was established in 1995 as a book-gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.
Hannah was recently inspired by Dolly Parton to bring this wonderful service to Saskatoon.
During our conversation, I get to learn more about Dolly's Library, how a young woman was able to get it started in my own community in such a short period of time, and how giving books to young kids can change not only their educational future, but to bring families together.
Sign your child up to get books every month, or donate to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Saskatoon on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/imaginationlibrarysaskatoon
You can also donate to the Saskatoon affiliate for Dolly's Library through Read Saskatoon's website and receive a CRA tax receipt. Make sure to indicate your donation goes to Dolly's Library. https://www.readsaskatoon.com/donate.html
As well, for the month of March 2021, donate to the Kinsmen Foundation and write "Rob Huck" in the message box, and the Kinsmen Club of Saskatoon will match all donations up to $500 to be sent directly to Dolly's Library in Saskatoon. (Donors will get a CRA tax receipt.) https://saskatooncommunityfoundation.ca/funds/kinsmen-club-of-saskatoon-foundation/
Paije McGrath is an environmental engineer and business consultant who has a confession: she built her dream home, but the path she took was far from dreamy. In her recently published book, "Dream Home Confessions," she relives the years, money, sweat, anxiety and fortitude she somehow found in finally creating a vacation home. The book is both a how-to guide as well as a soul-baring memoir of an effort taken to create a work of sustainable beauty, to secure a long-term base for her family to thrive, and to undergo a personal transformation.
Paije and I start off talking about our shared history together, first as friends and then as family. Then we move into the crazy wonderful world of custom home building. We pass on some lessons that others seeking a similar dream should take to heart, and we have more than a few laughs along the way.
Visit www.dreamhomeconfessions.com to learn more.
Her book is available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08R5HGS4N/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_985QB9VK60B8766F66GK
You can also rent this wonderful home by visiting their AirBnB site:
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/37830510?locale=en&_set_bev_on_new_domain=1614563697_NTc2NDdiZWJjOGM1&source_impression_id=p3_1614563700_b4KQVXIwPpkUd9fE&guests=1&adults=1
There are a few times in your life when you encounter people of such character and ability who end up doing amazing things and yet you are not surprised to learn it. Derek Prohar, MMV, MSM, CD is one of these people.
We went to high school together at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, SK. He was very athletic, intelligent, a natural-born leader and had an engaging personality. To make matters worse, he was a really nice guy, and treated everyone with due respect and friendship. While it was definitely interesting to find out that he later created a successful career in the Canadian Armed Forces, ending up as commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and then as Chief of Operations to 3rd Canadian Division, I wasn't shocked.
Nor was I overly surprised to learn that he'd been decorated with the Medal of Military Valour, one of the highest decorations a Canadian can achieve through combat. If anyone could have accomplished that, it would be Prohar.
At the end of it all, it's good to know he's still the same guy, displaying his trademark humility, full of good conversation, and generous in his interest of others. We talk about his career in the military, raising kids, and life as we both know it now. I'm already looking forward to our next meeting. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
Theme music "I'm Not Satisfied" provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Darcey Jerrom and I both started blogging about 15 or so years ago, and he became one of my first online friends. He's the kind of guy who quickly and easily developed friendships among colleagues, due to his friendly disposition and willingness to talk about pretty much almost anything.
In our first conversation since at least 2008, we catch up about where our lives have respectively gone. We talk about recent losses to close relatives, our families, and our respective faith journeys. As with many conversations with long-lost friends, this conversation started off unconventional, but it ended with an introspection of the role of God in and how every act of our lives becomes a ripple upon unknown shores.
Theme music, "I'm Not Satisfied" provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Trent Lalonde talks with me about his life as a trucker. He's trying to make the road more safe by advocating that trucking becomes a trade, which would hold truckers, transport companies, customers and consumers of goods all responsible for the safe deliveries on the highways and byways of this great country.
You can find Trent at Rants From The Road on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClFYZtsoiKRs5pmNMUqWaew/featured
Theme music courtesy of Brent Tyler.
This episode's featured guest is Denise Cornish, CSEP certified clinical exercise physiologist, wife, mother of three and your favourite health and fitness coach.
Denise was one of the very best people I met in university. She was friendly, kind and simply a wonderful person to be around, and I always enjoyed running into her.
Since we last met, she's gotten married, moved around the country, worked in a variety of roles promoting health and active lifestyles. She is also a devoted Christian, and is always mindful of participating in God's plan.
In this conversation, we catch up on old times, discuss her Fit Tip Friday videos featured on Facebook, and how her faith integrates with her family, work and community.
Theme music provided courtesy by Brent Tyler.
While at the rink a few times over the past year, I happened to hear parents talk about how great this Ryan Vanjoff guy was as a kids hockey coach. I thought that was pretty cool as, being a hockey coach, I always want to know how to do better.
It was also cool that Ryan happened to be a friend of mine. I knew I had to get him on this podcast. In our conversation, we first discuss the importance of volunteerism and participation in civil society, but then get down to brass tacks. Why do we coach? What did we appreciate from our coaches when we were kids? What do kids want or need from coaches? What's better: half-ice or full-ice games? Where do you find good coaching drills?
I shouldn't be surprised, as Ryan is a great coach, but I learned a lot from our time together. I hope you do too.
Theme music provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Ernie Schan is one of my favourite people. In addition to being a loving father and grandfather, he is well regarded as as a hard worker, a dedicated sportsman, and a tireless volunteer in his community.
I have had many uncles in my life, but few ever made me feel so comfortable to be around. He has always been so kind and friendly with those of us lucky enough to be his nephews and nieces, despite the age differences. Uncle Ernie is also a great storyteller with a sharp memory.
In this episode, I get to learn a little bit about his childhood, his relationship with my grandparents and his siblings, and I get a glimpse to the beginnings of his long career with BC Hydro. He's promised me another storytelling session in the near future, which I look forward to.
Theme music, "I'm Not Satisfied," is courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Laurie Thomas is a friend of mine who has gone through an experience that none of us ever dare to imagine: losing a child. Her son, Evan, was a player with the Humboldt Broncos when, in 2018, when his team suffered a horrific bus crash.
The shock of the event shook the entire country, the sport of hockey, and countless others. Laurie, along with her family and the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the crash, all had to go through the traumatic grieving process while millions of people watched and sought to share their own grief.
Being the type of open and honest person that she is, Laurie was gracious enough to talk with me about this journey, about the struggles that she has to continue to experience while trying to move beyond tragedy. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this conversation, but it opened my eyes more to how one lives with grief through the gifts of grace, courage and love.
Theme song is provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Katie Andrews is a screenwriter who happens to be a friend of mine. Currently based in Copenhagen, Katie moved on from her journalism career with the CBC into writing screenplays for television and web series and, now, feature films.
We talk about how our lives intersected and what we've been up to over the past decade since we last met. We also discuss story creation, writing, physics, family, Jungian psychology, Game of Thrones and making a movie in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Katie is one of the sweetest, kindest people I've ever known, and this video really brings that aspect of her to light.
Her latest project, Between Waves, will make its Canadian debut at the Whistler Film Festival on December 12, 2020.
http://www.betweenwavesfilm.com
http://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/
Theme music for this podcast, "I'm Not Satisfied," provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
https://brenttyler.bandcamp.com/album/love-myself
Katie Andrews is a screenwriter who happens to be a friend of mine. Currently based in Copenhagen, Katie moved on from her journalism career with the CBC into writing screenplays for television and web series and, now, feature films.
We talk about how our lives intersected and what we've been up to over the past decade since we last met. We also discuss story creation, writing, physics, family, Jungian psychology, Game of Thrones and making a movie in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Katie is one of the sweetest, kindest people I've ever known, and this video really brings that aspect of her to light.
Her latest project, Between Waves, will make its Canadian debut at the Whistler Film Festival on December 12, 2020.
http://www.betweenwavesfilm.com
http://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/
Theme music for this podcast, "I'm Not Satisfied," provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
https://brenttyler.bandcamp.com/album/love-myself
Tanis Bryson is a fitness enthusiast and a dear friend of mine. Back when we hung out together in high school, she was just your everyday fun-loving teenager. Having reconnected with her only recently, I discovered that she has become a huge fitness fanatic. She's run marathons, competed in iron man triathlons, and now stays healthy through her cross-fit regimen. Hers was a remarkable transformation.
We talk about her journey toward better fitness, how she's staying active despite the lockdowns, and how to find one's spark in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
She's pretty awesome. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.
Theme music provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Matt Gore, a.k.a. the Ginger Ninja, is an international award-winning magician originally from South Africa, and now calls Saskatoon, Canada home.
He's one of the coolest people I've ever met. He's funny, entertaining, athletic, supremely talented and, worst of all, an absolutely wonderful guy.
We talk about how a guy decides to become a magician, how he ended up on completely the opposite side of the globe from his childhood home of Cape Town, and how he's managing to continue his showbiz career in the time of COVID-19.
You can follow @mattgoremagic on all the hip social media sites, or visit his webpage https://mattgore.com to learn more.
Theme song "I'm Not Satisfied" provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
I've had few friends I've known longer or better than Denise Chapman.
Raised on a small Saskatchewan farm, she grew up to become an amazing athlete, a talented musician, a terrific engineer, a lovely wife.and a devoted mom. Lucky for me, she's still a great friend.
We discuss our shared childhood experiences, her late mother, Marlene, her participation in elite athletics, being a women in the environmental engineering field, and other stuff.
Theme music "I'm Not Satisfied" provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
In this episode, I get to reach out to the Godfather. Dennis Schwab is my first cousin, and I have the privilege of being his godson. After a childhood mostly in Saskatchewan, he trekked out with his huge family to Prince George, where he became a contractor. He gradually built his business into industrial contracting and eventually moved into land development.
I haven't really stayed in touch with him over the years, only running into him at one of our extended family's large and boisterous reunions. He's always been very generous and kind to me and, for that, I've been quite appreciative of our personal connection. I'm so happy I reached out to him.
He currently resides in beautiful downtown Vancouver with his lovely wife, Leslie, and lives and works close with his kids.
In this episode, we talk family as well as how a entrepreneurial business career can grow and develop over time.
Theme music provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
Kendal Netmaker grew up on an impoverished First Nation to become one of Saskatchewan's most promising young entrepreneurs. After building successful business, the lifestyle brand Neechie Gear, in his twenties, he branched out to become a well-regarded motivational speaker, consultant and business coach. He's been recognized as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40.
He also happens to be my neighbour and a heck of a nice guy.
In this episode, we discuss fatherhood and marriage, storytelling and building brands, mentorship and what it's like being a role model for Indigenous entrepreneurs.
You can buy his book, "Driven to Succeed", as well as inquire into his coaching and consultancy services at www.kendalnetmaker.com.
Theme music for this episode, "I'm Not Satisfied," is courtesy of Brent Tyler.
A born storyteller, Ryan Mossny is an intrepid world traveller and tourism entrepreneur.
Born in Ottawa and raised in Saskatchewan, he now calls Perth, Australia home.
We've been friends for more than a quarter of a century, and the guy hasn't changed a bit. He's still energetic, fun and friendly.
What I didn't realize is the extent of how he channeled his own industrious nature and his will to accept and succeed in his life's challenges into a productive and meaningful career in tourism in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
When you get the chance, make sure you book your insiders tour of Perth through Two Feet & a Heartbeat.
Theme music, "I'm Not Satisfied," is courtesy of Brent Tyler.
In what was probably my easiest episode to produce, I finally catch up with Meaghan Taylor after many years.
Meegs has had an interesting journey, to be sure. When I first met her, she was just a small-town girl at USask who was about to start laying the beats to cancer. Since then, she's taught English in Taiwan, sold textbooks to universities, and now sets up international travel trips for students while teaching communications and marketing at BCIT in Vancouver.
At heart, she's a writer and a storyteller, packaged with an engaging smile, an infectious laugh and a wicked sense of humour. How I've missed talking with her.
As always, the song "I'm Not Satisfied" was provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.
This guy is an absolute beauty. Kevin Tucker and I were dorm mates at Saskatchewan's famed Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, where it is said that Hounds Have Heart.
At Notre Dame, Tucker was a hockey player's hockey player. Since then, he's played all across North America, including a stint on the Canadian National team, and has since settled down in Calgary.
Tucker recently posted a couple videos about his recent heart surgery. I saw immediately that he hasn't changed a bit from being the great guy I knew back then, and I realized it was high time to reconnect with the Tuckshow.
As always, theme music "I'm Not Satisfied" is courtesy of Brent Tyler.
I met Thomas at the University of Saskatchewan, where he was later named as one of our school's top 100 most influential alumni (I just barely missed the cut).
He's a husband, a dad and a practising dentist & periodontist in Calgary that also happens to be one of the most highly decorated amateur pianists in the world. Among his notable achievements was winning the 2006 Paris International Competition and the prestigious 2016 Cliburn Competition.
We talked about his musical background, listening to the Rider games while practising piano, the difficult choices he had to make, his development as an artist into an international champion, and his achingly beautiful Fazioli.
You can find out more about Tom at his website, but I recommend you check out his performances on YouTube.
It was great catching up with him again. Enjoy!
Theme music "I'm Not Satisfied" provided, as always, courtesy of Brent Tyler.
I had no idea what to expect during my conversation with Addison Bell, but I knew it was going to be interesting. There's always another surprise to behold with Addy, and he didn't disappoint.
We initially talked about our shared history with the Kinsmen Club, as well as our education and careers, but somehow we ended up exploring the most profound music in our lives as well as spiritual psychological archetypes. Yeah, it was weird and fun.
Hope you have fun too.
"I'm Not Satisfied" is courtesy of Brent Tyler.
I was fortunate enough to study with some exceptional people while in university, and I certainly include Kirsten Marcia in this group. After a very interesting career as a geologist, she's now the president and CEO of DEEP Earth Energy Production, using her talent, experience and gumption to build a (literally) ground-breaking geothermal project in southeast Saskatchewan.
It's been a treat following her career as of late, and an absolute joy to catch up with her again.
The episode's theme song, "I'm Not Satisfied," is courtesy of Brent Tyler, which you can download from Bandcamp https://brenttyler.bandcamp.com/album/love-myself .
I've known Brent "Big Love" Tyler for almost 20 years, harking back to when he used to host the open mic Wednesday nights at Calgary's legendary Karma Local Arts House. For years, BT was a mainstay performer at many of the area's top pubs. He's also recorded a few terrific albums (including the theme song for this podcast).
His spiritual home is the Ironwood Stage in Calgary's Inglewood community, but now physically resides in Penticton, BC, with his lovely wife and child.
It was wonderful catching up with him again. I hope you enjoy it too.
In my inaugural BumfCast episode, I chat with Calgary-based entrepreneur and my good friend, Brad Peterson.
I've been friends with BP for more than 20 years. Not only is he one of the funniest guys I know, he's an extremely interesting person with always a new challenge being taken on.
You can find out more about his cool business at www.fieldcap.ca .
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.
"I'm Not Satisfied" theme music courtesy of Brent Tyler.