The Pie Boy Podcast

Reflections and connections about Mom traumas, ultraviolence and the grace of a bestfriend. Some people may ask me why I shared this or get mad at me for doing so. All I can say is, you should not have made the choice to hurt me. This is my story and I can tell whoever I want. The truth hurts and maybe you shouldn’t have done what you did.

Reflection and Connections about a family tradition, called the Pig Pile. My Dad and his brothers didn't invent the pig pile or the dog pile depending on what circles you run with, but they did master it and make it a household tradition in the Swain family. 

Reflections and connections about music, hearing it played loud on vintage stereo systems, metal and rap making a imprint on me and Lumpy being a walking talking juke box. He provided the sound track to many adventures and fun parts of my life. 

Reflections and Connections about what it means to be a Pie Boy, origin stories and nicknames that stick around. 

Reflections and connections about my childhood nicknames, origin stories and the tradition of nicknames. This episode takes a deeper look into my alter ego of Sparky and the magic in the name.

Reflections and connections about finding a Voodoo Doll in our house and making bad decisions with it. God bless us. God help us. 

Reflections on my best friend and neighbor "Lumpy" aka Cary Hosey. This is the story of how he earned his nickname and became my biggest ally.

Reflections and connections about mental health, a road trip to see Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Mom being arrested in the yard, life transitions, family trauma, nicknames, healing relationships and music as medicine. When life takes something away from you, let it go, no matter what it is. It may take time, but your heart and soul will heal. It was taken away for a reason, so keep it moving o...

Reflections on one of my Mom's terrible boyfriends, seeing her being arrested in the yard, a road rage memory, The Dope Game, Bad Behavior, and how my Mom is tougher than yours.

Reflections on music class, The Beatles and rockin' at home with my Gram. Music has always been my medicine.

Reflections on books and their connection to my life. Books have been my light in the attic and helped me come into bloom. Books, magazines, books on tape and comic books were launch pads and a boost to my knowledge, curiosity, creativity, and academics. 

This episode dives into my traumas and challenges with learning early in my life. I reflect on the the knowledge lost and gained by living through these traumas and them coming full circle. It’s strange, but becoming a teacher in the end of all of this has giving my story validation and strength, but most importantly something to share with others in the hope to lift them up.

Reflections on some of my favorite foods and stories associated with my Gram and Gramps. Gram has cooked her arse off for over 60 years, exposed my whole family to all types of cuisine, snacks, grub, culture and is an old foodie hipster at heart. Gramps was the food conosur and Grams biggest fan.  

Reflections on my name and it’s origins. From teachers and coaches thinking I’m named after KC and the Sunshine Band, Teachers pronouncing it wrong, troubles explaining how it’s spelled, being spelled with periods, a lost birth certificate, all the different ways to spell it, true and bs stories about who I’m named after, song associations, people saying I have a movie star name, nicknames, and ev...

This episode reflects on taking chances, facing fears, finding courage, getting up when we are knocked down and taking action on ideas. We never know what will happen in the end, but not taking action on those creative inspirations, dreams and our ideas is a recipe for regret and frustration. In theses stories I learned that being different is a harder road to follow, but that journey is worth it...

This episode details the story of hearing Rap and Hip Hop for the first time and its effect on my life. It also includes reflections on street knowledge, what it means to be gangster, the artists and their influences on me, having soul, the validation of my story and using this music as fuel to overcome the traumas in my life. This is my love letter to Rap, Hip Hop and The Culture.

This episode includes the story of my leprechaun trapping adventures along with reflections on imagination, creativity, growing up, family support, and Saint Patrick Day traditions from the past and present.

Reflections on taking things personally, feeling lost, bullies, not trusting counseling or counselors, not being heard, shame, looking within myself and finding a way to overcome the layers of problems in my life.

Reflections and revelations about the bullies in the first part of my life. From boys, to girls, cops, teachers and administrators, bullies appeared in my early life in different forms, but they all left the same traumas in my mind, body and soul. This story speaks to those energies and my journey to let them go. This type of pain can teach you a lot about who you are and how to overcome it. Thank...

This episode takes a deeper look at physical trauma, my experience spending the night in the hospital, scares, acts of kindness, being sneaky, and learning life lessons the hard way.

Reflections on being left with people that couldn’t be trusted, fear, the loss of innocence, a higher power, divine intervention, neighbors, friendship, Dairy Queen and keeping it real.

This episode tells the story of my time workin, enjoying and surviving Wildcat Valley. This was a fictional town in our school where we learned about life, work and citizenship. Just like in real life, things that happened were not all unicorns and rainbows. This story reflects on bad behavior, self-esteem, taking things personally, revenge, insecurity and other social traumas.

Stories and thoughts about two families that were good to me. We had so many adventures. This episode includes reflections on friendship, family and growing up.

This episode reflects on the trauma and fear of being left with strange people and wanting to go home. It also takes a look at the balancing act of trauma and grace in my life during the Dope Game Era through music and adventures to the Oregon State Fair for my first concert.

Reflections and lessons on fear. This episode includes the stories: Learning to Fly, Conferences and Mac &Cheese. Fear was my friend back then and it taught me so much about who I was and what I could do.