Six Months on the Porch: A Look Back at an Incredible Journey
Albert Einstein said "time flies when you're having fun." It's true.
I couldn't believe it when I realized that six months have passed since I sat down with Bernie Leahy to record our first podcast on August 27, 2025. That was episode one of season two — Bernie had dabbled in podcasting in late 2021 and early 2022, but dust had gathered on the equipment in the interim.
The Civic Election
We began an extensive series of podcasts about the civic election in early September, with a visit from Jim Groom. We welcomed 39 candidates to the Porch in roughly six weeks leading up to the October 20 vote. That included all 6 candidates for Mayor of Medicine Hat, 25 of the 39 council hopefuls, 4 public and one Catholic school trustee candidates, one council candidate in Redcliff and 2 from Cypress County.
What Now?
When the election was over, we wondered "what now?" As it turns out, we didn't have to look far or twist any arms to have people come in as guests.
We've heard stories of young immigrants to Canada, the work of community groups like the Core Association, Redi Enterprises, the Medicine Hat Women's Shelter, Saamis Immigration and Employment, and the Sanare Centre. We spoke with members of the Medicine Hat Police Service and the City of Medicine Hat Economic Development department.
Education and Innovation
Nicole Neubauer introduced us to plans for the Yuill School of Agriculture in the Prairie Rose School System — a wonderfully innovative idea to assist students in making a career in agriculture.
We also began a partnership with the Medicine Hat College to showcase their amazing trades and apprenticeship programs. Shawn DeGreeve invited us to collaborate with his marketing and design class where students helped with ideas to grow the podcast before taking part in an actual interview at Medicine Hat College.
Community Events and Celebrations
Bring Back the Porch has helped spread the word about special events in Medicine Hat, including All Shook Up! — the musical presentation at Crescent Heights High School.
Rob Pape shared the story of the annual Tongue on the Post Music Festival, and Willy Taillon told us about a documentary to be shown at the Monarch Theatre in April featuring last year's Rise Up Balloon Festival.
Other guests brought word of the 2026 Medicine Hat Special Olympics in August, the calendar of events planned for the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede, PJ's for a Purpose, the Coldest Night of the Year, and the Polar Plunge.
Sports
The Porch also dipped our toes into the sports world with a visit from Greg Morrison of the Medicine Hat Mavericks, who spoke about his personal connection with both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers as they battled in a memorable World Series.
Terry Ballard, manager of Athletics and Recreation at the Medicine Hat College, dropped in to talk about the success of the Rattler Women's Hockey team, qualifying for the ACAC playoffs in just their third season.
History and Heritage
Wes Krause, curator of the Regimental Museum South Alberta Light Horse, helped tell the story of Pete Robertson — a Medicine Hat resident who died in the battle of Passchendaele in World War One and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroism.
We also began production on a new episode of the historical series Stories from Our Town. Watch for the story of St. Theresa's Academy to be published this month.
Powerful Personal Stories
Some of our most powerful conversations included a visit from Josi Doll, who told Lynnette Schneider about her motivation for writing a book about how her family coped with the tragic death of their 15-year-old son Christian.
Nadine Niba shared her story of arriving in Calgary from Cameroon with a suitcase and $100 dollars — going hungry for days, sleeping on a bare floor, working 3 jobs while studying at SAIT — to becoming a best-selling author and speaker in Canada.
We learned about the Slow Movement, and how parents and their children need to make time away from their screens and activities to simply breathe.
Mark Miller shared the remarkable story of his father Joe and his quest to find out his true identity after growing up as a street child in India.
We met Robert Weissman, a stained glass craftsman in Medicine Hat responsible for the restoration of stained glass windows in several churches in the city, as well as restoring stained glass windows removed from St. Theresa's Academy in 1973 for inclusion in the new Holy Trinity school under construction in Crescent Heights.
Bring Back the Porch also introduced the husband-and-wife team of Luke and Tia Heinrichs, who could have set up practice anywhere, but chose Medicine Hat to live, raise a family, and share their medical expertise. Dr. Heinrichs specializes in orthopedic surgery, while Tia is a nurse on the neonatal intensive care unit at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital and a partner in the Mama Coach franchise in our city.
Our Most Viral Moment
Perhaps our most eye-raising visit was when Kelli Ireland from the Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services shared the story of a local woman who fell asleep while charging a device under her pillow, only to be awakened with her hair on fire. That short clip from the full interview has garnered over 300 thousand views.
The Numbers
That's probably the most amazing and endearing thing about our first six months — the mind-blowing attention our work has received.
In addition to the full-length podcast, our work is trimmed into shorter reels for social media consumption, with others condensed into 3-to-5-minute segments.
In total, we have produced 86 full-length episodes in six months, and they've been viewed in their various formats more than 1.5 million times. The episodes have been downloaded more than 5 thousand times.
Our audience is all over the globe, including Singapore, Australia, and the USA. YouTube also translates our episodes into 23 languages.
We are also pleased to partner with Rogers TV, who will share our work on their community network across Alberta.
What's Coming in March
As we look ahead to March, we will be taking our podcast outside of the studio.
On March 19, we will be interviewing noted local artist Jim Marshall in an event at the Monarch Theatre on behalf of the Medicine Hat Historical Society. We will videotape the evening for a future Bring Back the Porch presentation.
Our team of Lynnette and Bob Schneider and Curtis Nash will set up in the Archives Reading Room of the Esplanade Arts and Heritage building for a podcast with assistant archivist Jenni Barrientos on March 26. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.
Looking back, we packed a lot into the first six months — and remember, if you missed an episode or want to watch it again, you can find us anywhere you get your favourite podcasts.