{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Forged by the Fire","title":"Life Isn't Fair. Here's How He Dealt With It. | Swanie's Story","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3108,"description":"Life doesn't deal a fair hand to everyone. Swanie knows that better than most — but what he did with that unfairness built a philosophy that carried him through 35 years in the fire service, a union career, and some of the hardest moments a person can face.\n\"I'm not a victim of life. I'm a participant in life.\"\nThat line says everything. This isn't a conversation about what went wrong — it's about what you choose to do when it does.\nIn this episode, Swanie — a 35-year veteran of the fire service and union rep — sits down around the BBQ to talk about the philosophy that's carried him through it all: you can't always control what happens to you. But you can always control what you do next.\nIn this conversation:\n- Losing his father at 10 and why his family refused to be victims\n- The \"rock in the storm\" mindset — and why worrying about the uncontrollable is a waste of energy\n- \"1 plus 1 equals 5\" — what real teamwork actually looks like\n- The invisible bucket we all carry — and why some people's fills up faster than others\n- How 35 years in emergency services hardens you — and the scar it leaves on the people who love you\n- \"Only you have the power to stop loving the job\" — staying in love with the job when the system fights back\n- Why fairness isn't just a value for Swanie — it's the whole story\nThis one's for anyone who's been handed a hard life and had to figure out what to do with it.\nMike (Swanie) Swanson - Firefighter for 35 years, husband and father, union representative and great team player. He brings. refreshing, practical approach to life. \n..............\nForged by the Fire is a podcast built around honest conversations that happen best around a BBQ. It’s where real people sit down, share food, and talk openly about resilience, mental health, identity, and purpose—without filters or fluff.\nHosted by a firefighter studying psychology, the show brings together frontline workers, leaders, athletes, and everyday people who’ve been tested by life. Each episode...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/4Ie5sfh6GrE_EZespXc2wA19NRGO57euZ9ZEmdmEjoY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84ODM5/OGJkNzg1ODRhYmQw/MDY2ZWVlZmI2YTJk/ZjI1OS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}