This week we sit down with Aaron Dawson, the founder of the Abbotsford Film Society and movie savant. We discuss what's happening with the Society, as well as the current state of the industry and some of our favorites.

Find out more on Instagram @abbotsfordfilmsociety

This episode was recorded on May 12 2025

This week we are joined by Miranda, a local book enthusiast and avid reader. We discuss her life journey and how she got to now, then we dive into our favorite books and our mutual love of reading.

You can follow her on Instagram @miranda.the.book.lady

This episode was recorded on March 11th 2025

This week we sit down with Claire, a local art enthusiast, t-shirt maker, model, and so much more.

You can find her on instagram @clairerozek

This episode was recorded on February 20th 2025

This week we sit down with Ania Bula, a researcher at UFV on fish DNA and culturing. We discuss her research as well as other topics like autism, activism, and Neo-Nicotinoids in our waterways. Her book "Young, Sick, and Invisible: A Skeptic's Journey with Chronic Illness" is available on Amazon.

This episode was recorded on February 17th 2025

This week we are joined by Shivalika, a poet, writer and mental health advocate. We discuss her life story navigating physical and mental health challenges as well as the medical system and her writing journey in hopes that these lived experiences can help others.

You can find out more on Instagram @byshivalika

This episode was recorded on November 14th 2024

This week we sit down with Taylor Hinton from @hintonation_coaching where he helps millennials create a systematic approach to weight loss while eating dessert every night.

This episode was recorded on October 30th 2024

This week we sit down with local coach and technical director of Tzeachten FC, Ryan Critchley. We briefly discuss his work with weeds then segue to soccer. He explains the club, its origins and ideals, as well as the coaching models and techniques that works for the club. He then discusses his personal coaching philosophy and what's next for Tzeachten FC.

This episode was recorded on October 1st 2024

This week we sit down with local stylist and artist Jillian to discuss her life and share some wild stories. We dive into her life moving across western Canada, her trusty machete, her worst hair horror stories, and what drives her to passion everyday.

This episode was recorded on September 25th 2024

We start off season 3 with an appropriately scary episode to coincide with the Halloween season! In this episode we welcome back one of our favorite horror writers and local creative Kellyn to discuss issue 2 of "The Local Crypt" an online horror zine he edits alongside co-founder, creative director, and graphic designer Skylar Frances. We also touch on horror in media before we dive into his writing and the deeply personal connection that comes with it. https://issuu.com/thelocalcrypt/docs/thelocalcrypt_issue001 This episode was recorded on September 12th 2024

This week we sit down with Dan Verbeek to discuss a wide range of topics. We touch on AI and the fears surrounding instant gratification as well as community and skill loss. We then discuss media, social experiments and tech. We end the conversation with Dan's experience as a teacher and what he has tried to instill in others to leave his version of a legacy.

If you have any questions or comments you can email us at themodernrusticpodcast@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram. We are available on Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. This episode was recorded on March 18th 2024.

This week we sit down with Harlan Havig, a community minded individual who works with the Mission Farmers Market as well as operates the Mission Makers Group. We dive into Harlan's life experience after a stroke, as well as his faith journey as a Jehovah's Witness. We discuss community development, local issues around plants and trees, AI tools, audiobooks, neuroscience, and the passion behind Harlan's community involvement.

If you have any questions or comments you can email us at themodernrusticpodcast@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram. We are available on Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. This episode was recorded on March 15th 2024.

This week we sit down with Jerome Carretas, a personal trainer at OPEX Fitness and Wellness in Abbotsford. We discuss fitness, training, and what healthy really means. We chat about jiujitsu, determination, discipline and professional Kizomba dancing.

If you have any questions or comments you can email us at themodernrusticpodcast@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram. We are available on Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. This episode was recorded on November 27th 2023

This week we sit down with Daryl Rolleman, a regular on the show and someone with unique perspectives on life. We dive into a lengthy discussion on dentistry, parenting and babies, and then Daryl opens up about his past and how it changed him for the better. We touch on the evolution of AI and media, our love of audiobooks, and finish up with a conversation about pushing ourselves to be more disciplined in our daily lives.

If you have any questions or comments you can email us at themodernrusticpodcast@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram. We are available on Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. This episode was recorded on February 22nd 2024

This week we sit down with teacher and entrepreneur Dereck Dirom, the creator of Makerspace and Gearbots in the Fraser Valley. Gearbots is a program designed for kids to embrace their inner innovator and promote applied and hands-on learning.

You can find out more at gearbots.org or @gearbots on Instagram

If you have any questions or comments you can email us at themodernrusticpodcast@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram. We are available on Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. This episode was recorded on November 6th 2023