Heroes in our Midst

Today’s episode is all about professional football player DJ Lalama and it is also, all about a partnership that “Heroes in our Midst” is enjoying with ProPrep Academy. DJ is one of the founders of ProPrep and this podcast series is about more than just being an athlete. No question, the journey DJ’s been on in football has been a challenging one, but the human behind every step has never wavered....

Welcome to the very first “Part 2” of an episode on “Heroes in our Midst”. Last week I had the pleasure of introducing you to Dr. Curt Tribble. If you missed it, he’s at the University of Virginia School of Medicine as Professor of Surgery and the Associate Program Director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency. A highlight from Part 1 of Curt’s and my chat was how, before surgery, whether a heart tra...

This is a first for “Heroes in our Midst”!! We are sharing today’s episode in 2 parts. Dr. Curt Tribble had so much to say and so many great stories to tell that we couldn’t fit it all into one episode. So, we decided to split it into two… this week and next. Honestly, this guy has done so much in terms of all that he’s studied, all that he’s done, all the lives he’s saved and changed forever and...

If there was a coach you should look forward to hearing from, it’s Tim Frick. Not just because he’s the winningest team coach in the history of the sport of wheelchair basketball and not just because he’s the only Paralympic coach inducted into the Canadian Sport Hall of Fame but because he’s a people’s coach… he loves his players… the people that they are. People like Terry Fox and Rick Hansen to...

Welcome to another episode of “Heroes in our Midst” and also, another in our partnership with ProPrep Academy. This episode is all about hockey. Actually, it’s all about a pretty incredible human whose goal was to play hockey at the highest level. No question – he was relentless and time and time again, he was in a position where the coaches said, “We have our ‘pen’ guys, you’re in ‘pencil’. We ca...

“We are Canada and we better win,” If you think there isn’t pressure on our Canadian curlers to perform, think again. We are good at that game and someone like Reid Carruthers knows that as well as anyone. In today’s episode, we’re going to get to know Reid and I can hardly wait to share his story with you. Reid is a world champion, is pursuing his dream of representing Canada at the Olympics AND...

Today we are getting to know mental performance coach Craig Brown. Craig seems to be one of those guys who never wants to stop learning so that he can keep figuring out how to help others be better. He grew up in Jamaica, loves all sports, and has an even greater passion for the athletes who play them. He completed a Masters in Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba, w...

When I think about the story we’re going to hear today, “love of the game” stands out for me. Paul Dyck grew up in Steinbach, Manitoba and started playing hockey when he was 9 and he begged his parents to sign him up and obviously, it was a good idea! Paul went beyond the borders of his small town to pursue the highest level in his sport that he could and has now, found his way back home and gives...

“You own the key to the kingdom”. That’s what Glenn Bruce tells his athletes all the time. It’s theirs to use and ProPrep Academy provides the team they need to reach excellence. Glenn is part of that team and he’s worked with the best of the best. We’re talking NFL, NHL, CFL, MLS, U-Sport and a whole lot more. Welcome to Episode #5 in our ProPrep series. Today we are in for a treat. Glenn Bruce i...

Well, here we go again, another great story to tell. Today’s episode is a really special one for me as I get to share the story of someone I work with every day in the Morning radio business. Someone who grew up in the same small town as I did… graduated from the same high school, the same year and lives here still… Steinbach, Manitoba. Now, for more than 20 years, Corny has performed as Elvis acr...

Today’s episode, takes us back to the front lines. Gord MacInnes has worked for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service since 2006 and he’s a Senior Firefighter with the Winnipeg Fire Department. He’s seen things and arrived on scenes that most of us can’t even imagine. He also, like all fire fighters, runs INTO the burning buildings when the rest of us run away. Away from the fire hall, Gord is marri...

“For us, not being prepared or not being ready for that moment could mean someone gets hurt or even dies.” Jeff Schirr said that. Constable Jeff Schirr. A member of the RCMP Emergency Response Team here in Manitoba and truly a hero. With every call that he answers, he puts his life on the line for us all. When situations are at their worst, Jeff and his team step in and do their best to resolve it...

Today’s guest is one of our Canadian National Softball team’s pitchers, Morgan Rackel. No question, Morgan is an Olympic level athlete but as you will hear from Morgan herself, she is NOT an Olympian. Out of 15 players named to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic team roster, she was #16. Now, being named as the first alternate, Morgan even travelled to Japan with her team, until the day the team took their bu...

When you first meet Matt Johnston, today’s guest of course, I think you’ll be taken by his easy going nature, the humility surrounding everything he’s done and has yet to do and his laugh. The way he talks about his golf, you’d think he wasn’t really that good, but he was! And his travels and journey through his sport and all of the challenges and successes that went along with that, have shaped w...

It is a distinct pleasure to introduce you to today’s guest. Kathryn Dzikowicz is a small business owner in the fitness industry right here in Manitoba and she has quite a story to tell. Kathryn has been involved in the fitness industry for the past 30 years. Kathryn began her career in Workplace Health and Wellness with Canadian National Railway, she has served on the Board of Directors for the M...

“There’s only one true success and that’s to live life in your own way.” Ace Burpee’s sister said that, and he sure did take it to heart. Ace is as unapologetic and human as anyone I have ever met. He lives in Winnipeg, he’s the Morning Show GUY on Hot 103 Virgin Radio and is happy about it.  I would consider Ace a return guest because he’s been here before. He helped us wrap up Season 1 by a...

Rick Henkewich has spent almost 60 years immersed in the sport of football. Whether as a player or coach, he’s been involved at every single level of the game, with a dedication to never stop learning. He was the first commissioner of the Winnipeg High School Football League that wasn’t an educator and throughout his time, he’s continued to grow the game and mentor the next generation.

In every episode of “Heroes in our Midst” I just know there’s something for each of us to take away, to learn from and to be inspired by. Many of our guests have been Olympians. Fitting since the 2021 Olympic Games is set to begin in just a few days. Our guest’s dream was to be an Olympian and he almost met his goal. Kevin Geyson was a world class diver. In fact, he spent 11 years on the Canadian...

Every week, I feel like I’m sharing the best episode yet. Well, here we go again. Dr. Cristina Fink is an Olympian AND now a performance psychologist that works with Olympic and professional athletes. Her involvement in sport from so many perspectives has given her a wisdom on performance and on the humans behind it that is beyond most of us. So, that’s why we invited her to share her story. She c...

At “Heroes in our Midst” our focus is to find the human behind every story we get to share. We recognize how essential it is to be OK with what IS on the inside. Today’s guest is Lorne Korol. Lorne is a man of faith first. He works as a chaplain with a Christ centered organization called “Athletes in Action” and I am excited for you to get to listen to him share, from the heart, the love and compa...

Today’s episode highlights a guy they call “The Coach Doc”. Dr. Wade Gilbert. He is an internationally renowned coaching consultant and award-winning professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University – Fresno. He has taught and studied coaching and talent development at the University of Ottawa, UCLA, and Fresno State and is the author of the highly acclaimed book “Coaching...

We couldn’t be happier to introduce our guest for today’s episode, broadcasting great, Ron Maclean! Yep – Canadian sportscaster extraordinaire and yet, the guy we all feel like we know. Ron interviews, Ron collects stories, and Ron digs into the background of extraordinary humans himself but now, it’s OUR turn to find out all about HIM! Ron also sat next to Don Cherry on “Coach’s Corner” for over...

When Tyler Hodgson first enrolled at Grant Park in middle school, football wasn’t the first thing on his mind. Instead, he went there for the performing arts program. Hodgson had no previous experience with the sport until grade nine when his buddies convinced him to try it out. The rest is history. Originally a defensive back in grades nine and ten, a then 5’11” Hodgson shifted to playing both si...

Sometimes you know you need to talk about something as soon as possible and mental health seems to be top of mind right now. So, as we have shared the stories of some of our mainstream, frontline healthcare workers in the last 2 weeks, we thought it would be fitting to address mental health too. A former volleyball teammate and very special personal friend of Michelle’s, Lorriann Ludwig works at t...

There was once a thought that by May of 2021 Covid would be a thing of the past. As we know, it is far from over and so it’s fitting that our focus in this episode is once again on our front-line medical workers in this challenging time. Now, the fact that Dr. Chau Pham is an Emergency Room Physician at the Health Sciences Centre during COVID alone, would make her a hero – add to that, she’s the U...