Nearly halfway through the National Podcast Posting Month (NaPodPoMo) challenge, Holly B. skips the chit-chat to give a shout-out to fellow podcasters, then reads a listener-submitted poem: “Ode to Babas O’Rum, aka Bas” by Beth Shekinah Terrence.

The poem follows a rescue dog who becomes a protector, a “loving brother to a lonely, only child,” and the loyal companion who stays by a mother’s side through divorce, illness, and loss. It’s a tribute to unconditional love, and to the pets who hold a family together.

Want to be featured?
Holly B. is collecting heartfelt letters and anecdotes from dog and cat lovers (and other animal lovers, too). Send yours in for a future episode.

Holly B. is in the city, staying with her son, and shares a fresh reflection from an evening walk: what it’s like to be a small-town person in a big city. She talks about the quiet disconnect of walking past people who don’t look back, the challenge of making friends in 30- and 50-story buildings, and the culture shock of city driving. She turns the question over to the audience: how do you connect with people in the city?

She also shares how the city has become a retreat for her, a place to write for hours, sit in coffee shops, and reconnect with herself. The episode closes with a heartfelt listener submission from author Christiane called “So Very Sad,” a story about patience, aging pets, and treasuring the messy, loving moments while they last.

In today’s episode, Holly B. shares her first experience at the Indie Book Fusion Con in the Toronto area, then reads a heartfelt story from her friend and past podcast guest Spann Cordle about his late service dog, Finn.

Holly shares what it was like to vend at a first-annual, larger-than-usual author event. She talks about the emotional rush of walking the room before doors opened, surrounded by creative energy and beautifully designed book displays. She also describes the compliment that made her day: a reader who found her online beforehand and arrived at her table ready to buy, no pitch needed. Holly reflects on why she feels more at home at farmers' markets, vendor markets, and small-town shows, and on the costs of big events: money, time, and emotional energy. She also celebrates the friendship she made with her table partner, Larissa.

Holly reads a true story from Spann Cordle, an advocate for people with disabilities and a speaker. One ordinary morning, his service dog Finn refused to go out the French doors, no matter what Span tried. Spann eventually realized he had forgotten a step in their routine, and Finn had noticed. The two shared twelve years together, from 2005 to 2017. Have tissues ready.

Listen next: Holly’s earlier interview with Span Cordle

Season 1, Episode 63 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtBCmKAB5BM&t=3s.

Check out Ramblings From the Little Shed

https://www.youtube.com/@RamblingsFromTheLittleShed

Website: https://ramblingsfromthelittleshed.com/

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Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Episode 8 of In Real Life with Holly B., Day 9 of the 30-day November podcast challenge (she made a slight mistake in the recording)! Holly made it past the one-week mark and is keeping things light and cozy on this Sunday recording, with a fire going and rain outside.

In this episode, Holly shares the story behind her dream of hosting a book signing at one of the largest Indigo bookstores in Toronto, the one where she once saw Jann Arden promote her book. When the follow-up silence set in, Holly didn’t give up. She returned in person, asked for the right contact, followed up by email, and finally got the reply she’d been hoping for. Her takeaway: if it matters to you, follow up respectfully, and with kindness.

Then Holly introduces Cheryl Kemppainen, a chef, holistic nutritionist, and author of Food Is My Love Language: A Dog’s Cookbook. Cheryl also shares an emotional letter about her late horse, Sky, and a dream visit that brought her peace.

Call to Action

Have a letter to share between you and your pet (or from your pet to you)? Submit it to be read on an upcoming episode. And don’t forget to go hug your dog, your cat, or your favorite human!

Email it to

inreallifewithhollyb@gmail.com

Subscribe, rate, and share In Real Life with Holly B. to catch the next episode tomorrow.

On Day 7 of the 30 Day Podcast Challenge, an impromptu guest, Rogan, drops by on his way out for a run to talk about how he connects with people. The answer: shared interests, from Dungeons & Dragons to conventions to the gaming world. They talk about how hard it is to meet people in a big city once school and work no longer throw you together, the struggle to find climbing partners, and how to recharge when you’re social but need serious alone time. They close with a heartfelt letter from Anne Marie to her late dog Charlie, a reminder that connection with pets lasts long after they’re gone.

Discussion Questions for Listeners

• How do you protect your alone time when your calendar is full?
• Who is a pet (past or present) you’d write a letter to?

Call to Action
Subscribe, follow along for the rest of the 30 Day Podcast Challenge, and send in your own letter to a pet or loved one to be read on a future episode. Check out the companion podcast, Ramblings from the Little Shed.

send an email to

inreallifewithhollyb@gmail.com

Holly B. comes home tired but happy after a long travel day from Newfoundland, and she shares a few reflections on her week on the East Coast: the fish chowder, the Newfoundland accent she could listen to all day, and a flight home she got through without nerves.

Then she reads a heartfelt letter from her friend Leah, a devoted rescue volunteer, to her yellow Labrador, Nala. In eight years, Nala has welcomed 55 foster dogs and puppies and even a kitten battling feline parvo into her home. This is a tribute to the quiet patience of a pet who shares her person with so many animals in need, and to the foster dog they loved too much to let go, Darlene.

Short, sweet, and full of heart.

Holly B. Holly usually talks about reconnecting with other people, but today she turns inward. Recorded from Canada's East Coast, overlooking a bay that opens into the ocean, this episode asks a simple question: before you can connect with others, can you connect with yourself?

Holly shares how a quiet solo breakfast (with a Diet Coke, no apologies) became a small act of self-connection. She talks about learning to be comfortable alone in open spaces, why that feeling takes practice for many people, and how she’s slowly building a journaling habit. She also makes the case for handwritten letters and postcards, and mentions her Mail Club, a pen-pal-style project on her Substack.

As always, the episode closes with a pet letter. This one comes from Seven, the 12-year-old Australian shepherd, therapy dog, and Hollywood regular, as written by his person, Susan Hartzler.

This episode is dedicated to Eli and Shari.

Recording from St. John’s, Newfoundland, as part of a 30-day daily podcast challenge, Holly B shares a personal milestone: her first flight in almost two decades. After years of white-knuckled flying and clinging to kind strangers for comfort, she boarded a three-hour flight and found she wasn’t scared. She reflects on how she connected with the young woman beside her through simple, friendly small talk, without leaning on her for support, and how people-watching in the Toronto airport reminded her of the small human connections that happen in transit.

Then comes the heart of the episode: the “letter of the day,” a tribute from author Shari Lane to her beloved dog Eli. Part funny rulebook of a dog’s demands (breakfast at 6 AM, no sitting on the beach, balls and sticks are for throwing), part loving catalog of his quirks, it ends with a deeply moving final moment. Holly dedicates the episode to Eli and Shari and closes with a reminder to remember the joy our animals bring, and to think of the many animals still waiting for someone to love them.