Chatter that Matters

What does it take to be exceptional? Why haven't we closed the gap if diversity has proven to create a more robust and resilient culture and greater profitability? Does that mean others must stand down if you stand for diversity and inclusion?   How can you create or contribute to a culture of excellence if the people you count on work remotely?   How can an individual make a difference in a world...

"We, as a society, do not talk about childhood abuse, and worse, many children between the ages of 5 to 18 go through some abuse." — Deenah Patel [00:33:41 → 00:33:52]   Note: We don't share any details of the abuse; what Deenah shares is her path back. Deenah Patel has twice joined me on Chatter that Matters to offer advice to help small business owners. When the microphone was turned off, Deenah...

We have a surprise twist in this week's Chatter That Matters. Mark Ferrier steps in as guest host and interviews Tony Chapman on his journey.   Mark is a natural; the banter between them is like listening to two close friends, and you will uncover many parallels between their lives and I am guessing yours. Tony shares a childhood where their family had to deal with emotional uncertainty and dire f...

Unveiling a Heartfelt Journey: Love, Family, and Resilience in Military Life. This week, we honour Remembrance Day by shedding light on the selfless commitment and sacrifice of military spouses. My guest is Vicki Cody, author of here memoir "Army Wife: A Story of Love and Family in the Heart of the Army," Vicki shares her experience as an army wife as well as a leader to many in her community. Our...

Hello everyone, With so much negativity flooding our feeds and, with it a growing sense of impossibility manifesting into a mental health crisis, I encourage you to listen to this episode to uncover ways in which you can help. This isn't a show about committing suicide; it is about preventing it from happening.  Some sobering facts: for every death by suicide, there are 20 attempts.  And with ever...

Today's episode marks my 200th episode of Chatter that Matters.  My guest is the marvellous Myra Sable, who, in her eighties, continues to build her gourmet food company, Sable and Rosenfeld, while being a warrior for a better world. And stick around as I introduce her Grandson Julien Sable Alvarado later in the show. Julien is taking over the business. Mark Twain once said that age is an issue of...

  In front of a live audience at the Convenience Industry Council of Canada's National Summit, I sat down with Jean-Franc ̧ ois Archambault. JF is a beautiful human being devoting his life to fighting food insecurity.  It is also a powerful love story between Mother and Son and how her ten-year unsuccessful battle with cancer took JF to a crossroads, offering two very different paths. The first wa...

I titled this episode of "Chatter That Matters" "Forever Young" and recorded it live at the Toronto Hunt Club. The idyllic setting alone adds a unique backdrop to a conversation that erupts with laughter and spontaneous applause. The man at the center of it is the master storyteller, the iconic Canadian editorial cartoonist and painter Andy Donato. Andy Donato is not just an artist; he's a force o...

The story begins when Mark Ferrier's father robs a bank, is arrested, and, in his sxites is put in Millhaven Maximum Security Prison to serve a five-year term. For decades, Mark buries this reality and wraps himself in a veneer, masking his insecurities and imposter syndrome with a persona of confidence and swagger. Mark gets married, raises two beautiful daughters, and is wildly successful as an...

Step back in time to 1984. It's a pivotal year in the history of Canadian television — it's the year Much Music was born. In this episode of Chatter that Matters, we look at its fascinating journey and Canadian content that competed with the best in the world.   Much Music was one of the first Canadian specialty channels; this ground-breaking concept emerged from the vision of two trailblazing ind...

As a father of two wonderful girls, I have always asked - Why aren't more women in power? Only 10 percent of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies are women, and only 27 of the 193 countries in the world are led by women. I believe that if more women were in power, there would be less conquest and a dramatic shift in spending from the military to what matters - healthcare, humanity, education, fiscal resp...

Arthur Smith shares excerpts from his book Reach - Hard Lessons and Earned Truths from a Lifetime in Television. Arthur talks about what it was like to work with Gordon Ramsay on Hell's Kitchen (excellent) and to try and convince Donald Trump to be part of a show. (not so excellent). Arthur also talks about his surprise hit American Ninja Warriors and many other behind-the-scenes stories, includin...

I loved talking with Deepa Mehta. I could have listened to her for hours, and I wish she could be my friend for life. Deepa is a citizen of the world, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose work is celebrated internationally and has played at every major film festival. Deepa has worked with George Lucas, yet often has turned down Hollywood to create emotionally resonating, award-winning cinema that ma...

What if your health and even life was a matter of choice, not chance? Yuri Elkaim dreamed of a pro soccer career until his health deteriorated. Chronic fatigue and hair loss, followed by a seven-year search for answers, forced Yuri to make his health a matter of choice, not chance. As a teenager, Yuri Elkaim fixated his gaze and even touched on a professional soccer career due to his tireless work...

This week on Chatter that Matters, Sheri Segal Glick talks about her memoir: 'The Skinny: My Messy, hopeful fight for full recovery from anorexia." Sheri's journey unfolds with unflinching honesty as she unmasks the hidden truth of eating disorders. Sheri takes us to the depths of her addiction, what she did to game the system, her lonely and even life-threatening hospital stays, her obsessive wor...

  A 120-foot fall free-climbing almost cost Dov his life but freed him to pursue his calling. The search for meaning has been an obsession of Dov Baron from his earliest days. He was born in Northern England in abject poverty, surrounded by crime, violence, and addiction, and knew there must be more to life than suffering and abuse. Dov left his destructive environment to travel and study with som...

The Many Lives of Mama Love. A memoir of lying, stealing, writing and healing. This story will become a blockbuster movie or a must-watch Netflix series.  My guest today is NY Times Best Selling author Lara Love Hardin, and her book The Many Lives of Mamma Love is her story.  From the worst beginnings, and then addiction, and then theft and jail, is someone who ends up breaking bread with Oprah, m...

Biologist Dr. Manrique Prada and thought leader John Stackhouse joined me this week in an episode I titled two conversations with Mother Nature. Dr. Manrique Prada, a Ph. D. in biological science, stands as one of South America's most esteemed environmentalists. In his new book Voices of Mother Earth, Manrique shares his experiences living among the Xavante people—an indigenous tribe who lives off...

Peter Weissman. A journey marked by trauma, resilience, advocacy and two brothers.  Two weeks ago, I shared the story of Eric Weissman who battled addiction to become an advocate for people experiencing homelessness. Today we celebrate his brother's inspiring journey. Peter Weissman's life turned upside down at four when his Mom left home to pursue her dream of becoming an artist, something she su...

Would you remain optimistic if the cards of life are rarely dealt in your favour? This week's inspiring guest is Lindsay Ireland, who spent idyllic childhood summers in Vermont, riding horses, playing detective with her cousin, and living with her famous aunt and uncle, Jill Ireland and Charles Bronson, the action star of his day. Lindsay's world changed at age eleven when she noticed blood in her...

Let me introduce my guest and his powerful story about transformation and triumph. Eric Weissman was a child living in a home marked by turbulence, trauma and aggression. Eric developed an insatiable appetite for consuming and selling drugs until addiction consumed him. He spent six years living nomadically and even on the street. Few break this cycle. He didn't just break it; Eric Weissman, PH.D....

Kevin Newman: Learning how and where his son sought the truth was harder than finding the truth. Alex Newman:   Finding answers in chat rooms versus the family room (felt safer). Until he came out to his family.   This is one of my favourite interviews of all time. It brought back memories of my relationship with my father, which I describe in the opening. As I introduce my two guests, you will in...

In 1967 Canada was the world's ninth largest economy; today, it is seventeenth. Regarding income per person, we've fallen from third to fifteenth. What kind of Canada are we leaving our children? How do we avoid falling further behind?    Join us for a special Canada Day podcast recorded at the prestigious Toronto Hunt Club.  I interviewed three authors who wrote "Everybody's Business: How to Ensu...

Nicole Bourque-Bouchier's journey from humble beginnings to RBC's 2022 Women of Influence - CEO Excellence Award Winner . Hailing from a lineage of trappers, Nicole Bourque-Bouchier claims her indigenous and entrepreneurial roots to be a role model to her family and community while building Bouchier into one of the largest indigenous-owned companies with revenues of $150 million, 1000 employees an...

Being a father was the most magical thing in Garry Junkuhn's life. He could never have imagined that he would lose contact with his two sons for over three years when his girlfriend moved in with him. His pain was akin to four wild horses tearing him apart. Garry's life unravelled further when he learned from a school email that his older son had changed his last name to his mother's surname. Howe...