The Collective

The best coaches never stop being students. Experience is valuable. Expertise is earned. But neither guarantees continued growth. Andrew Siepka joins us for a conversation about the hidden danger of becoming too certain. Whether it's training, leadership, business, or life, the moment we believe we've figured everything out may be the moment we stop improving. We'll explore why great p...

Awareness matters. But awareness alone doesn't change anything. This week on The Collective, Chance and Shaun are joined by Zak, founder of MenTell, and Sachin Latti, CBSA veteran, mental health advocate, and ultra-endurance athlete, for an honest conversation about Men's Mental Health Month, community leadership, and what meaningful change actually looks like. Together, they examine the d...

Growth is celebrated. Maintenance is often ignored. We're taught to push harder, move faster, and keep climbing. But what happens when the next step forward isn't another advance? What happens when the right move is to consolidate, recover, refine, and protect what you've already built? This week, Chance and Shaun sit down with Greg Lapin and Sam Laird for a conversation about ambition...

Nearly 600 episodes ago, The Collective started with a simple idea:Bring together interesting people, have meaningful conversations, and see what we could learn. Since then, we've had the privilege of speaking with operators, athletes, coaches, psychologists, authors, entrepreneurs, and countless others who have challenged the way we think about life, performance, and growth. Today's episo...

Psychedelics are often seen as a gateway to insight, healing, and transformation—but the reality is more complicated. In this episode, we break down what these experiences actually offer, where people get misled, and why the real work begins after the experience ends. We explore:The difference between genuine insight and convincing illusionWhy powerful experiences don’t always lead to real changeT...

Travel is more than movement. It’s exposure to uncertainty, culture, risk, discomfort, growth, and perspective. In this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Christian Lane, former CBSA officer turned advocate and podcaster, and Boris Milinkovich, former Canadian military and security, safety, and preparedness expert, to discuss what it truly means to move through the world. Fr...

Most of what we think we know comes from controlled environments—practice, planning, conversation. But there’s a difference between understanding something and stepping into it. Field time closes that gap. This week, Dallas Alexander and Seb Lavoie join us to talk about the lessons that only come from being out there—where things get tested, mistakes carry weight, and you start to see what actuall...

Every decision we make begins with a line. Sometimes it’s tentative, sketched lightly in pencil. Other times it’s decisive, carved with a sword. On this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Randy Turner and Seb Lavoie to explore the act of drawing the line — when to be flexible, when to commit, and how those choices shape our path forward. We dive into:Recognizing when a line...

Color makes things easy. Black & white forces you to actually see. When color is stripped away, what remains is contrast, light, shadow, texture, and story. The fundamentals of photography become impossible to ignore. In Vet Photo Contest 6, the theme is Black & White. Veterans from across the community submitted their work, each interpreting the theme through their own lens and experience...

Simplicity is not basic. It’s disciplined. In this episode of The Collective, we examine the KISS principle — why simple systems outperform complex ones in high-performance environments. Joined by Greg Everett and Steve Gowin, we explore how complexity often masks insecurity, why elite performers return to fundamentals, and how tangible, repeatable habits solve problems that overthinking never wil...

Color makes things easy. Black & white forces you to actually see. When color is stripped away, what remains is contrast, light, shadow, texture, and story. The fundamentals of photography become impossible to ignore. In Vet Photo Contest 6, the theme is Black & White. Veterans from across the community submitted their work, each interpreting the theme through their own lens and experience...

What makes a veteran? Is it combat? Deployment? Time served? Or is it something deeper — something internal? In this episode of The Collective, we sit down with Rudy Reyes, to unpack one of the most loaded questions inside the military community:What actually defines a veteran? Many who served hesitate to claim the title unless they’ve seen war. Others believe expanding the definition weakens it....

Context changes everything. In this episode of The Collective, we examine how external situations shape behavior—and how internal narratives shape interpretation. The same action can be praised in one environment and punished in another. Without context, judgment fails. Without introspection, growth stalls. Shaun and Chance are joined by Kia Tualla to explore the relationship between environment,...

What happens to brotherhood when the uniform comes off and the structure disappears? In this episode of The Collective, we explore how real trust and loyalty are rebuilt when there’s no rank, no mandate, and no mission forcing people together. When the systems that once created proximity vanish, most people drift. This conversation asks what actually holds when everything else is stripped away. Sh...

What if the story you tell yourself about being “broken” is the safest way to stay exactly where you are? In this live episode of The Collective, we’re unpacking safe narratives — the comfortable stories we use to avoid accountability, justify stagnation, and stay loyal to an identity that no longer serves us. From “I’m too messed up from service” to “I’ll start tomorrow,” we’re calling out how th...

You objectify people every day. So do we. Tall. Short. Strong. Fragile. Well-dressed. Exhausted. Confident. Dangerous. In less than a second, your brain can turn a stranger into an object. That doesn’t make you cruel—it makes you human. The real question is whether we stay there. On this episode of The Collective, we’re joined by Chris Lee, former Green Beret turned coach, and John Vargas, firefig...

Wearables are tracking more than ever—heart rate, sleep, stress, recovery—but what do all those numbers actually mean for how you live, train, and make decisions? In this episode of The Collective, Shaun and Chance sit down with experts in biometric technology to unpack how data from your body can become real-world wisdom.​Our guests:Latha Nachiyamai – Program Manager, Biosensor Platform Technolog...

The Collective is back. In this episode, Shaun and Chance sit down after the break to talk about what they’ve been doing off‑camera, what’s changing in 2026, and where the podcast and channel are headed next.​We dig into:How the time off shifted our own priorities and habits. The vision for The Collective: deeper conversations, sharper storytelling, and more practical takeaways.​Most importantly,...

In this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun turn real-life experience into practical lessons on fatherhood, responsibility, and intentional living. This conversation overlays lived experience—from parenting and leadership to navigating complex environments—to extract action-oriented insights you can apply immediately. Rather than theory or performance talk, this episode focuses on awarenes...

Why do we sabotage the things we say we want? Why do we shrink ourselves, hesitate, or pull back right when progress is within reach? In this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Alana Stott — author, advocate, and speaker — to unpack the mechanics of self-sabotage: where it comes from, why it continues, and how we break the cycle. Together we explore:• Childhood patterns and...

Imitation to Innovation — A Conversation with Isaac Miller & Pat Miller | The CollectiveIn this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with returning guest Isaac Miller (Marine Corps veteran, tech founder) and Pat Miller (Canadian SOF veteran, armourer, and photographer) to explore one of the most fundamental forces behind human progress:Where does imitation end… and true innovat...

What does real friendship look like — especially for men who’ve spent their lives in service, leadership, and high-stress environments? In this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Seb Lavoie and Rob Farrer, two long-serving RCMP members, to explore the deeper layers of friendship: how it forms, how it changes, and why it matters more than most of us admit. This conversation g...

Why do the most skilled people make the hardest things look effortless? In this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Seb Lavoie, retired RCMP ERT Sgt. Major, jiu-jitsu black belt, performance coach, and long-time student of skill acquisition, to break down The Skill Paradox: the strange reality that mastery hides the work it requires. Together we explore the mechanics behind t...

In a time when everything can be learned or simulated online, the body remains the ultimate teacher. In this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Mark Ormrod, Josh Tyler, and Andrea Ross to explore Physical Wisdom in a Digital Age — the intersection of movement, mindset, and meaning. Together, they discuss the lessons we only learn through action, pain, and presence — and what...

What does it mean to represent Canada? In this episode of The Collective, Chance and Shaun sit down with Zak, founder of The Canadian Podcast and founder of Mentell.ca and Seb Lavoie, former RCMP ERT and performance coach, to explore Canadiana: The identity, pride, and responsibility that come with being part of this country. From quiet professionalism and humility to accountability, service, and...