The Quiet Riot Show - Men's Mental Health Podcast · SuverMedia

"Forging a New Path" with Justin Lamoureux

·1 hr 26 min·5 clips

Justin Lamoureux quit his teaching job to forge knives, facing financial uncertainty but finding freedom.

This episode of The Quiet Riot Show features host Tommy and guest Justin Lamoureux, a former teacher turned full-time bladesmith and president of the Manitoba Blacksmith Guild. They explore Justin's career transition and the mental health challenges tied to work-life balance and entrepreneurship. Justin explains he left a 13-year teaching career because he felt socially disconnected and unhappy despite the steady income. He was inspired to pursue bladesmithing after watching the TV show *Forged in Fire* and has been selling custom knives for about four to five years. The conversation details his three-year journey as an entrepreneur, including the financial uncertainties and the creative satisfaction of the craft. Justin describes the Manitoba Blacksmith Guild as a community focused on education and promoting blacksmithing as an art form, hosting events with demonstrations and collaborative projects. A key insight is Justin's description of the improved dynamic with his wife after leaving teaching, as he now has more mental capacity to listen to her work stories. He contrasts his previous tendency to suppress stress and avoid conversations about teaching with his current receptiveness. The hosts and guest share personal check-ins about their current mental states, with Tommy rating himself a four due to quitting drinking and smoking, while Justin fluctuates between a five and an eight. Justin reveals the hardest part of entrepreneurship is financial restraint, particularly when wanting new tools, but the best part is the constant creative learning. The episode highlights the importance of setting boundaries between work and home, especially when working from a home shop, and the value of finding a male-oriented community, which Justin has through his guild and online connections. The tone is casual and conversational, with humorous banter and candid admissions about personal struggles woven into an interview format. Listeners interested in career changes, craftsmanship, or men navigating work-related stress and family dynamics would appreciate this episode. Those seeking highly structured advice or disinterested in personal anecdotes about teaching and entrepreneurship might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A plainspoken look at work strain, family boundaries, and what gets left over after a long day.

The episode looks at what happens when work spills past the end of the day and leaves less for home. Its strongest stretch is the plain talk about teaching, feeling worn down, and seeing how that drift reaches a marriage and family life.

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Why you'd press play

Play this if work stress keeps following you home.

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