Holly and her son Rogan welcome a surprise third guest, Cash the dog, who immediately takes over the show. They catch up on Holly’s trip to Newfoundland, Rogan’s week dog-sitting, and Sully the anxious dog’s sweet breakthrough. They also cover a new espresso machine, a possible barista career, and the one-year anniversary of the podcast. Plus: the invention of a brand-new drink.

Holly B. is joined by Michael Perzel and Rick Mowat. They start with fall leaves and travel, including Michael finishing all 50 states, then Michael’s beloved golden retrievers, Pearl and Derby, and how his early dog paintings.

The conversation turns to how two friends from Morton’s Steakhouse in Philadelphia found each other again during COVID. Michael had stories he’d never written down. Rick, with decades in screenwriting, directing and producing, pushed him for emotion and honesty, even on painful chapters about his father and his brother. The result is a book that is by turns tragic and hilarious.

They also cover the audiobook production (Michael narrates, Rick voices the characters, and the editor, who has worked on 2,500+ audiobooks, said it was one of his most challenging because he kept laughing), marketing a book through podcasts, Rick’s upcoming film Last Pint and why Ireland is a filmmaker’s dream, and the format of their new podcast, with a tongue-in-cheek first-episode topic.

Buy the book!

Livin' It: True Story of a Bad Kid from Philly Who Defies the Odds

Michael's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_j_perzel/

Rick Mowat: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0610250/

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Holly B. and Rogan are back for a cozy catch-up. They talk about finishing the Caledon Hills section of the Bruce Trail, the hikers who somehow finish an hour ahead every day, the legendary chip, Coke and candy checkpoint, and the best apple Holly has ever eaten, picked straight off a tree deep in the bush. Plus: Rogan’s Valheim relapse, why he’s officially over university parties, Holly’s seven-more-Mondays countdown to retirement, and her brand-new 30-day podcast.

JOIN IN
Give us your best (family-friendly) title for a mother-and-son Bruce Trail book!

Tell Rogan what to do with 12 apples!

Write a letter to or from your pet and send it to Holly. She’ll read it on In Real Life with Holly B and dedicate it to you.

👍 Like, subscribe and comment. We read them all!

Much in the same way Farm Dog Coffee started on a road trip, our hikes started with a conversation in a coffee shop. Now we get to bring our favourite coffee on the Bruce Trail with us - Farm Dog Coffee.

And if you'd like to buy us a coffee, you can do so here:

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Episode Summary

Host Holly B. sits down with author Seth Panitch for a warm, funny conversation about the dogs who shaped his life and the creative process behind his novels. Seth shares the story of rescuing Hamish, what it was like to bring a puppy home when his dogs were already old, and how his current dog Moses forces him to take the breaks his writing needs. They then dig into his unusual “plot it all, then throw it away” method, the moment of quiet that sparked his debut novel Antique, and the joys (and humbling moments) of a book tour.

Topics Covered

• Seth’s household: Moses, the three cats (Allie, Sophie, and outdoor cat Sephora), and the late Hamish
• How a tiny, terrified shelter dog named Hamish chose Seth
• Alvy, the dog who got Seth through grad school, acting in LA, and the move to New York
• Why a puppy for an older dog didn’t work out for Seth, and what he would do differently
• How Moses acts as a “palate cleanser” between writing sessions
• Hamish sneaking into Seth’s second novel, Harmony, disguised as Moses
• Seth’s process: idea document, character document, 50 to 60 page outline, then abandoning it mid-scene
• The Antiques Roadshow moment that inspired Antique: “What am I worth?”
• Cornelius Carter’s advice: you can’t hear your next project until life is quiet
• Capturing ideas on pads, in the shower, and while running (and the 20% that make no sense the next day)
• Drafting habits: about 100 pages a month, overwriting, and trimming down
• Novel adaptation: why book three suits film and books one and two suit TV

How to connect with Seth

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5812333/?_ssoLoop=1&newac=true

Website: https://sethpanitch.com/all-about-seth/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sethpanitchauthor/

Episode Summary

Holly B. is joined by Natalie Labrie, an energy worker and spiritual healer from the East Coast of Canada, for a relaxed evening chat about animals, intuition, and healing. Holly joins fresh off a three-day hike on the Bruce Trail with her son Rogan, and the conversation drifts naturally between dogs, horses, nature, and the stories that shape us.

Natalie shares how a career-ending hockey injury sent her into a dark stretch of life, and how getting a puppy gave her a reason to get outside, care for another being, and slowly find joy again. That dog set her on the path toward the work she does today. She also talks about growing up as the only girl in a family of five kids, sensing the world as a child, and how those abilities went quiet during her hockey years before returning, and frightening her, when she was around 21.

• Meet Natalie's pets: Mack, her 14-year-old border collie, and Lenny (aka "Lenny Pancake"), a nine-week-old mini poodle

• How Mack's "bubble" and parallel walking help the two dogs get along

• How a hockey injury led to a life-changing puppy and a new purpose

• What Natalie's energy work looks like, including her "roadmap" approach and starting each session with a single-word intention

• Natalie's childhood sensitivity to nature, animals, and other people's feelings

• The blindfold exercise in an advanced spiritual development class that changed everything

• How Natalie's dogs and cats tell her when she's out of alignment

Natalie works primarily by word of mouth and offers both in-person and online sessions. She's planning a website and online courses for 2026.

Thanks for listening. If you take three deep breaths today, we've done our job.

Episode Summary

Hosts Holly B. and Rogan sit down with authors Melanie Martilla and Matthew Del Papa to talk about the pets who shaped their lives, the realities of creative burnout and energy management, and the new anthology Super Canucks: An Anthology of Small-Town Canadian Superheroes.

Meet our Guests

Matthew and Melanie are Northern Ontario authors and longtime friends who first met at Laurentian University, where Melanie was Matt’s TA. Matt is a humorist and genre writer who co-edited Super Canucks with Andy Taylor. Melanie is a poet, short story writer, and reviewer who contributed the story “Old Crow.” Both writers appear in the anthology alongside contributors from across Canada.

Meet the Pets
Melanie introduces Torvi, her 70-pound, nine-year-old collie mix and “little Viking queen,” named after a shield maiden from Vikings (meaning “Beloved of Thor”). Matt shares a lifetime of animal companions, including Milky, the fearsome cat who vanished in the ’90s, plus Copper, Zeppelin, Falstaff, Maddie, and Katie. He also dog-sits his brother’s dog, Evie. The group also chats about how pet culture has changed from working dogs to fur babies.

Creativity & Burnout
Melanie opens up about functional burnout following a late-in-life autism diagnosis in 2021, caregiving for aging parents, and the uncertainty of a workforce adjustment at her job. She explains why being kind to yourself matters when your creative bucket is low, and how Torvi acts as her unofficial support dog.

Spoon Theory
Matt explains Spoon Theory, the energy-management metaphor for disability and chronic illness coined by Christine Miserandino in 2003, and why “just buy more spoons” isn’t how it works.

What They’re Writing
Matt writes roughly 1,000 words a day and is juggling several projects: a humorous PI novel tentatively titled Fumbled Beginnings, a local history book about Cape Breton-area research (as discussed), and sprawling fantasy and sci-fi manuscripts. Melanie reviews for the Seaboard Review of Books and has short stories waiting for revisions.

Super Canucks Anthology
Matt and co-editor Andy curated 11 stories from nearly 80 submissions across Canada, inspired by the “brain drain” and the lack of small-town Canadian superheroes. Melanie’s story, “Old Crow,” follows a woman navigating a midlife transformation with help from her best friend and her dog.

Thanks for watching and listening! Like, subscribe, and share the episode with a fellow pet lover or writer.

Episode affiliates

Podmatch - here you can find a suitable podcast to match with as a guest or a host.

Farm Dog Coffee - the owners created Farm Dog Coffee over a road trip, now you get to enjoy a great cup of coffee on a road trip!

Episode #81 Summary

In this episode of Ramblings from the Little Shed, host Holly B. chats with award-winning author and podcaster Tricia Copeland, who also writes romance as Maria Jane. Tricia writes everything from contemporary romance to fantasy and dystopian fiction. She didn’t start creative writing until her mid-30s, after a career as a patent agent.

Tricia shares how a master’s degree in microbiology led her to technical writing and then to fiction, why she switches between heavy fantasy and light romance to give her psyche a break, and how her pets keep her calm and creative. There’s also a surprise appearance from her dog, Woody!

Meet Our Guest
Tricia Copeland writes women’s fiction, fantasy and dystopian fiction. As Maria Jane, she writes contemporary romance. She is also the host of Finding the Magic Book Podcast.

Connect with Tricia: https://triciacopeland.com/

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Episode summary

Holly B and Rogan talk with Michael Hingson, New York Times bestselling author of Thunder Dog and an international keynote speaker. Michael, blind since birth, survived the September 11 attacks with the help of his guide dog, Roselle. In this conversation, he explains why guide dogs aren't pets, what pet owners can learn from the trust between a guide dog and handler, and how Thunder Dog came to be. He also challenges how we define disability, shares how he prepares for speaking engagements, and offers practical advice for anyone who wants to start public speaking.

About the guest

Michael Hingson is a New York Times bestselling author and international lecturer who gives over 100 presentations a year for groups including ExxonMobil, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross. He is an ambassador for the National Federation of the Blind's National Braille Literacy Campaign and for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.

Key takeaways

• Dogs want to know the rules and want a clear team leader.
• If a guide dog does something unexpected, Michael assumes there's a reason and follows his lead.
• Disability isn't a lack of ability. Michael argues every person has one, and sighted people are "light dependent."
• Michael prefers "blind" or "low vision" over "visually impaired."

Links and resources

• Book Michael to speak: speaker@michaelhingson.com
• Book: Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero