Welcome. I’m Kevin A. Parido — a learner-guide of Jesus, a coach, and a maker.
My work lives at the intersection of formation and craft. I spend my days practicing two sacred disciplines: helping make lives and making knives. At first glance they may seem separate, but for me they’ve always belonged together.
Before the forge, I was already walking alongside people in seasons of transition — pastors, leaders, and others carrying more than they were meant to carry alone. I watched burnout happen not because people were weak, but because they had lost touch with their worth, their limits, and the kind of life they were trying to sustain. Coaching taught me that real change doesn’t come from slogans or hustle. It comes through faithful, daily practice, over time.
Knife making came later, but it fit immediately. Steel tells the truth. You can’t rush it or fake it. Heat, pressure, rest — applied in the right rhythm — shape something that can outlast you. That honesty drew me in.
Shepherd’s Forge was born from that same conviction: that tools matter because lives are lived around them. I make knives that are practical, durable, and faithful — meant for real work, daily use, and long lives. Some are fully forged from raw steel, shaped one at a time by fire, hammer, and hand. Others are maker-designed and hand-finished at the workbench using proven forms that serve consistently and well. The difference is how the steel begins its journey; the commitment to craft is the same.
I don’t believe heirlooms are made by hiding things away. They’re made through use — through meals cooked, work done, and hands changed over time. A good knife carries a story because it has been present for one.
That same philosophy shapes A Forged Life, my coaching and formation work. The forge and the coaching room are not separate worlds for me. Both are places where formation happens. Both ask the same questions: Who are you becoming? What are you willing to practice? What kind of life will endure?
I also co-founded the WorthPlace Collective, a community committed to helping people recognize their worth and craft lives of meaning. Through the Collective, I host a podcast and offer coaching, cohorts, and retreats that invite reflection, courage, and grounded action.
I live on my family’s farm in Kentucky with my wife, Sarabeth, and our four boys. When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me outdoors, training, hunting, or watching a good documentary or film.
Whether I’m at the anvil or sitting with a client, my aim is the same:
to do faithful work, at a human pace, and to help people — and tools — become what they were meant to be.
Built with care. Used with intention. Worth passing on.
Keep forging forward,
