Blitz and Bloom

Jonah Tavai comes from a family where football was never just a game. It was part of the household, part of the standard, and part of the way he learned to compete, grow, and keep going. In this episode, we talk about the family environment that shaped him, the role his mom played in building that foundation, and how competition, support, and belief all lived under the same roof. We get into his N...

Episode 8 of  Blitz & Bloom  features Nathan Rourke — praised, pressured, put on a pedestal, and asked to carry more than most. But this isn’t about the throws. It’s about identity. What happens when the love for the game gets lost. What it takes to find it again. We talk the NFL journey and what it gave — and what it took. We talk expectations, perception, and being “the guy” in this country....

John Bowman built a career on consistency in a league that rarely offers it. Fourteen seasons. All with Montreal. Over 130 sacks. Two Grey Cups. A Canadian Football Hall of Fame career. But this conversation goes beyond production. From a small school at Wingate to becoming one of the most dominant defensive players in CFL history, Bowman shares what it actually takes to last — not just physically...

Episode 6 of  Blitz & Bloom  features Vernon Adams Jr. — traded, benched, replaced, doubted, and still standing. But this isn’t about touchdowns. It’s about composure. What it takes to keep showing up when the job isn’t secure. What confidence looks like when it’s lost — and rebuilt. What leadership sounds like when it’s honest. We talk Montreal, BC, and Calgary. We talk being “the rental.” We...

Episode 5 of  Blitz & Bloom  features TJ Lee III — 12 seasons with the CFL's BC Lions, two torn Achilles, released and re-signed, and still steady. But this isn’t about stats. It’s about identity. What gets erased when someone is reduced to “football player.” What leadership looks like when it’s rooted in vulnerability. What it means to separate performance from peace. We talk injuries and...

After the breakthrough. After the building. After the firsts. Episode 4 of Blitz and Bloom is about what happens when momentum collides with reality. Tanya steps into the CFL as the league’s first full-time female coach — navigating respect, isolation, and the invisible rules of professional football. She walks through learning the league from the inside, finding her edge at the Combine, and choos...

Before the system. Before the shutdown. Before everything changed again. Episode 3 of Blitz and Bloom is about creation. This is the chapter where football stops being personal and starts becoming purposeful. Tanya picks up where momentum was building — stepping into leadership, formalizing her work with the CDMFA, and helping launch Alberta’s first girls’ tackle football pathway. What started wit...

Before the confidence felt solid. Before coaching became the calling. Before building anything bigger than herself. Episode Two of  Blitz and Bloom  begins at the end of 2015 — when football stopped being something new and started demanding more. In this episode, Tanya Henderson moves from local competition with the Edmonton Storm into provincial and national football, wearing the same jersey as f...

Before the CFL. Before Team Canada. Before any of the titles. Episode 1 of  Blitz and Bloom  starts on a farm in Forestburg, Alberta — a town of 800 people, limited programs, and no obvious path forward. In this episode, Tanya Henderson shares the early years that shaped her: growing up rural, learning work ethic before having language for it, falling in love with basketball, and running headfirst...

Episode 0 opens with the question Tanya Henderson has been asked — and asked herself — more than any other:  “What business do you have talking about football?” Tanya shares how football became her career, the lessons learned across every level of the game, and what  Blitz and Bloom  is really about: growing the CFL, expanding opportunity for women in football, and exploring the deeper conversatio...