Ramblings From the Little Shed

Episode Summary Author and podcaster Randi-Lee Bowslaugh joins the show for a warm, funny, and surprisingly moving conversation about her five cats, three dogs, and a barn full of horses she volunteers with, and how all of it feeds her writing. The conversation moves from naps and horse personalities into her children's books, her mental-health-focused podcast The Write or Die Show , and the deepl...

Episode Summary Holly sits down with fellow Canadian Craig — creator of the hit podcast Canadian History Ehx , just days before he sets off on the trip of a lifetime: a 17,000-km, 52-day journey across Canada from just outside Edmonton to Nova Scotia, out to BC, and back home again. Along for the ride is his rescue dog Berton, a 102-lb Great Pyrenees/Saint Bernard cross named after Canadian legend...

Episode Summary Welcome back to Games from the Little Shed ! This week Rogan and Holly technically set out to review Spirit Island... and then immediately don't. Instead, buckle up for tech glitches, a Toronto Pride/soccer-mob bridge standoff, a coffee bean that caused an unscheduled 10pm jog, a Nespresso breakup, and a very earnest pitch to become the podcast's first-ever coffee sponsor. In this...

Episode Summary Holly B. sits down with author, product designer, and self-described chicken-obsessive Paige Cody for a warm, winding chat about anxiety, animals, and the accidental birth of a writing-tools business. Paige opens up about hatching silkie eggs as a way out of social anxiety, how that flock grew into geese, ducks, and a full hobby farm, and how the whole menagerie became the emotiona...

Episode Summary Rogan's mid-FIFA-chaos and Holly's fresh off Olympic weightlifting in this quick, punchy catch-up. Holly gives a hometown shoutout to her weightlifting coach and previews an upcoming guest doing a small-town tour across Canada. Rogan vents (respectfully!) about tournament crowds turning his commute into an obstacle course. Plus: Holly debuts her new needle-felting hobby with an ado...

EPISODE OVERVIEW Host Holly B. sits down with author, podcaster, and animal lover Zoe Michaels for a warm and candid conversation about pet loss, creative healing, and the unexpected ways our furry companions shape our stories. Zoe shares the heartbreaking journey of losing her beloved Norwegian Elkhound Luna to lymphoma, and how adopting Moses, a Scooby-Doo-esque mastiff mix in need of rehoming,...

Episode Summary In this cozy, wide-ranging conversation, host Holly B. and co-host Rogan sit down with award-winning Christian fiction author and artist Ruth A. Douthitt. Ruth, who writes suspense, women's inspirational, and fantasy fiction from her home base in Arizona, opens up about life as a prolific author having just completed her twenty-seventh book. And, as a mental health advocate, Ruth u...

Episode Summary Holly and Rogan sit down with Emily Gardner, the talented, wool-obsessed artist behind The Flannel Couch, to explore how a lifetime spent in the forests of Northern Ontario shaped her unique needle-felting practice, her whimsical animal creations, and an upcoming book that’s been quietly brewing at the back of her studio.   About Emily Gardner •       Needle felting artist and foun...

Episode Summary  What do theme parks, a Jack Russell mix named Birtie, and a drag queen career have in common? They're all part of Ryan Allen's wildly creative worldview — and this episode is packed with all of it. Ryan is the founder of Little Birdie Consulting , and he brings 20 years of live experience design from Disney, Holland America Line, and Carowinds to a surprisingly simple thesis: the...

Episode Summary This week Rogan and Holly B. stagger back from 80 kms on the Bruce Trail — blistered, ticked, and somehow already planning to do it all again. They decompress over electrolytes, pickled cherry tomatoes, and the eternal question of summer flannel. Plus: a frank conversation about renting in expensive cities, spite as self-advocacy, and why Wednesday puns are a sacred work ritual.

Episode Summary Holly chats with author J.M. Shaw as they cover a range of topics including weather, pet influence on creativity, writing process, and emotional connection to movies. Jennifer's love for writing and creativity is evident throughout the conversation, and the influence of her dog, Glamour, on her creative process is a key theme.   J. M. Shaw is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction wh...

Episode Summary Host Holly B. sits down with author and collage artist Carrie Birde — yes, Birde — for a warm conversation about catbirds, collage, and why letting go of fear made her book better. Carrie is a poet, fiction writer, artist, photographer, and author of the debut novel, “A Small Tale of Uncommon Grace”. She is a voracious reader of a wide range of genres, with a particular interest in...

Episode summary Holly surprises Rogan with his best friend, Maryanne, and things immediately spiral into a deeply charming conversation about a 10-pound Shih Tzu-cockapoo mix with an underbite, the philosophy of unfinished projects, sourdough starter feeding schedules, vinyl records, and whether Kraft Dinner ketchup is civilized behaviour. Surprisingly therapeutic. Also, yeast is alive, and that’s...

Episode Summary What happens when grief, love letters, and a frozen pizza-stealing dog collide? You get Dear Hobie: Letters to My Heart Dog — a memoir unlike any other. This week, Holly and Rogan welcome Kathy Mandell, a former travel industry executive turned memoirist, who spent a decade quietly sitting on the most heartfelt book she never planned to publish. From the chaos of Holly being dragge...

Episode Summary In this candid and laugh-out-loud episode of Ramblings From the Little Shed , Rogan and Holly B. catch up on a month’s worth of life — from a bizarre bank fraud incident and a missed CN Tower climb to a surprisingly emotional Tony Bennett moment and an exciting upcoming guest reveal. If you love real, unfiltered conversations about everyday life, family dynamics, music, and adventu...

Episode Summary Holly B. sits down with Nicoletta Chiromante, a traditional Italian fortune teller, shamanic practitioner, and medium. Her gift is generational, passed down through family, and she now runs a full-time metaphysical practice in Northern Ontario after leaving the corporate world. Nicoletta introduces us to her two cats — the grey jazz-bar stray Leonidas and the toddler terror Deimos....

Episode Summary What if an artificial intelligence could translate whale song, decode elephant frequencies, and relay a very uncomfortable message from every animal on Earth? Author Bill Wittur joins Holly B. and Rogan to explore the wild, science-backed frontier of animal communication — and how it sparked a novel. Along the way, the conversation weaves through bioacoustics, speciesism, the heali...

Episode Summary Holly joins Rogan from the big city while he holds down the fort in his little shed. This week: eerie lakefront fog, a Tony Bennett vinyl score on Record Store Day, Holly's adventure navigating Toronto transit solo, and the Toronto Indie Author Conference. Plus: slow eating, dishwashers, and a disputed chapter count. Affiliate PodMatch.com Have you considered using PodMatch.com to...

Episode Summary In this episode, Holly and Rogan sit down with Rachael Austin — dog mom, photographer, and dog-friendly travel content creator — for a warm, wide-ranging conversation about life on the road with two very spirited hunting dogs. Meet the Dogs Rachael introduces us to Willow, her eight-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer and original creative muse, and Timber, her three-year-old Vizsl...

Episode Summary   The One Where Holly Steals Nothing (But Really Wants a Puppy) Holly kicks things off fresh from the gym and yoga, while Rogan admits to a rare early Saturday wake-up. The two compare matching plaid outfits (with very different color palettes) and settle in with their drinks — Holly with a McDonald's latte, Rogan empty-handed after a last-minute errand run. Things of the Week Roga...

In this episode, Holly B. and Rogan are joined by novelist Annie Hartnett ( Rabbit Cake , Unlikely Animals , Road to Tender Hearts ) for a delightful conversation about the animals who fuel her dark comic fiction — from Harvey the Border Collie who inspired her debut, to Pancakes the death-predicting cat in her latest novel, to the brand-new puppy asleep in the next room. Annie opens up about writ...

Episode Summary Holly and Rogan kick off this episode with some warm-weather complaints (yes, even 27°C indoors counts), before diving into their favourite things of the week. Rogan shares his love of savoury French toast — a childhood staple made by his dad — and how a friend recently elevated the recipe with a goat cheese and sun-dried tomato spread. Holly's highlight? A trip to Hobby Lobby acro...

  Episode summary   This episode is a warm, wide-ranging conversation about the animals that ground us, the creative projects we're afraid to birth, and the astrology that can help us time both. Julia Portela — astrologer, reiki practitioner, theater kid, and self-described "black cat energy" person — shares the deeply moving story of her cats Sherlock, Watson, and Fig, and how each one supports a...

Episode Summary A late-night catch-up between Holly and Rogan: handmade books, miniature house plants, a very unusual coffee recipe with sugar and an egg, Rogan's belated discovery of Mulholland Drive, and a very relatable struggle to find time for the gym. Classic Ramblings energy — cozy, chaotic, and over way past Holly's bedtime. Highlights Holly made two handmade books at a weekend bookbinding...

What happens when a novelist fosters dogs and never quite stops? You get Cara Achterberg — author of 8 books, co-founder of the non-profit Who Will Let the Dogs Out , and devoted foster mom to 300+ dogs (and counting). In this cozy, candid conversation, Cara joins Holly from her famous foster cottage in Virginia to talk about the animals, the work, and the writing life that ties it all together. I...