🎙️ I Love Kelowna

Sonia Riediger is one of those rare individuals who is ambidextrous, and equally skilled on her analytical side as well as her creative side. She makes amazing custom jewelry of many varieties. She truly loves what she does and she's fantastic at it! Her business is called Sonja's Vision . We discuss the ins and outs of success in doing something you love to do; balancing the business as...

Don DeGagne and Brenda Marie Hamilton together run a super cool group called Okanagan Experiential Tourism . Seeing sights is no longer enough. Visitors seek to venture beyond the “tourist attractions” and want to dive deeper into authentic local culture while connecting with people from other cultures in meaningful ways. Experiential tourism involves stimulating more of the senses and making conn...

I got to experience Cheryll Gillespie 's style and grace first-hand, when Kara Rogers and I visited her home office and studio. What an extraordinary and talented individual she is! Cheryll runs Rock House Style – Canada's leading luxury interior, fashion and life design firm – with her daughter Sam Shakura . We talked about scouting undervalued properties and the work of transforming th...

It's hard to imagine that Stephen Jacob James was ever cut from a sports team. He is a young lawyer with Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP . Stephen has an amazing amount of energy; he's not just a busy lawyer, he's also a director with United Way of the Central and South Okanagan / Similkameen , a co-leader of November Project Kelowna , and he both plays and volunteers his ti...

I had a great conversation with Sheldon Gardiner from Do Some Good . We talked about his innovative use of technology to connect local businesses with charitable organizations in and around Kelowna. We discuss the fact that as citizens, our health, happiness and security depend on the strength of our community. Businesses who demonstrate a strong commitment to the community should be recognized fo...

I had a great conversation with Karen Bowen of Managerknowhow regarding her consulting business and the key factors between the success and failure of any venture. We discuss different management styles and how self awareness is the first step towards optimizing a team's performance, no matter how large or small the enterprise.  I Love Kelowna is now available everywhere. You can listen to Ep...

Kara Rogers and I met with Kim Prost of Classy Cat Cuts to have our cat Henry completely shaved! I never knew this was even a thing, but there are 4 great reasons to consider grooming your cat (Kim grooms dogs also): 1. Especially in our hot summers, cats with thick and heavy coats like Henry can become extremely uncomfortable. 2. Henry used to swallow and cough up hairballs several times a week!...

Kara Rogers and I sat down with Ron McMillan for a conversation on a cold rainy morning, outdoors under an old wood shelter. You can hear the rain falling throughout the recording, as well as some surprise guest appearances by some farm animals!  Ron is the owner of McMillan Farms and he truly loves what he does. The farm has been in the family now for three generations, or four counting Ron'...

Dr. Rhonda Nelson from Starbright Children's Development Centre is a passionate and committed director who has been serving the needs of developmentally challenged children and their families for many years now. We discuss how to recognize whether your infant or toddler may be facing challenges, and where to seek help. There is a wide array of resources available to such children and their fa...

Gabriela Zaga from Zaga Home Decor and Staging immigrated from Mexico to Canada in the 1980s. First she lived in Montreal, where she learned English and then Spanish. When she arrived in Kelowna almost 2 years ago she immediately felt "this is home" and decided to move here with her sons. We talk about how the country of Mexico has changed so dramatically over the years, especially recen...

Michelle Dupuis from Lifeblood Marketing and Realty Labs is a great person, who unexpectedly relocated here from Alberta 9 years ago. We talk about dealing with homesickness, and learning how to build a great life from scratch in your new hometown, by making connections and building friendships that last a lifetime. The struggle to find, and then finally settling in to a profession that really sui...

Meghan Carr from Get Organized with Meg sat down with me, for a great conversation about starting a new business, in a city where she had just relocated to and barely new anyone. We discussed how decluttering and organizing not only frees up physical space, but also mental and emotional space. You can listen to Episode 31 (and see detailed Show Notes) of the I Love Kelowna Podcast right here: Appl...

Cindy Finnigan is such a creatively talented and all-around wonderful individual! I learned about her passion and the creative process in making spectacular cakes. Not only do they taste AMAZING – Cindy brought me a deep chocolate with salted caramel filling and Mexican vanilla buttercream cake for the interview – many of Cindy's cakes are visually stunning. You should definitely check out he...

Karen Mason is a career communicator and lifetime volunteer with a passion for supporting women and children. As executive director of Kelowna Women’s Shelter she oversees a team of dedicated, highly-trained staff to provide emergency and transitional housing, counselling support, education and advocacy for women and their children who’ve experienced intimate partner violence and abuse. We discuss...

During this interview with with Shawnee Love from LoveHR , we discuss the challenges of starting a brand new consulting business from scratch during a recession; what to expect and how to be successful. You can listen to Episode 28 (and see the Show Notes) of the I Love Kelowna Podcast right here: Apple Podcast If You Don’t Have Apple Podcast If you enjoyed this episode, an iTunes review would be...

During this interview with with Todd Embley from HorizonThree , we discuss the exciting world of Transformative Technology, which is tech that furthers the human aims of Mental Health, Wellness and Joy. We discuss the fascinating world of venture capital and small tech startups. If you're running a technology company – or thinking of starting one – and you're wondering if Kelowna is the...

During this interview with with Natasha Rosewood from Energy Dynamics Unlimited , I had both of my palms read and my fortune told! Natasha and I have an in-depth conversation about Intuitive Intelligence: How to recognize it and cultivate it within yourself. Anyone can do it with persistent effort! You can listen to Episode 26 (and see the Show Notes) of the I Love Kelowna Podcast right here: Appl...

My interview with Melissa Voth McHugh from Voth Photography . A quick and concise conversation about how to excel in customer service and the photography business. You can listen to Episode 25 (and see the Show Notes) of the I Love Kelowna Podcast right here: Apple Podcast If You Don’t Have Apple Podcast If you enjoyed this episode, an iTunes review would be SO appreciated! SHOW NOTES Melissa is o...

My first of two interviews so far with Hiilite Creative . This conversation is with Tina Walzcak , Hiilite's Chief Design Officer. We talk about how it's crucial to merge strong technical skills with outstanding creativity for your marketing to produce big results. You can listen to Episode 24 (and see the Show Notes) of the I Love Kelowna Podcast right here: Apple Podcast If You Don’t H...

I've just joined as a member with Balance Well Being. On July 13 I got the chance to sit down with BWB's Founder and President Shawna McRae and ask her all about it. We talk about the sometimes-lonely world of the Entrepreneur and the tremendous value of regularly connecting with dozens of other like-minded individuals. You can listen to Episode 23 (and see the Show Notes) of the I Love...

A deeply personal conversation with  Laurence East from Metro Community Church . We talk about the fascinating life and times of a Third Culture Kid: being raised in two distinct cultures and then growing up to create your own unique Third Culture. Surprisingly, there are Third Culture Kids all over the planet and they have a lot more in common than you might think! You can listen to Episode 22 (a...

A heartwarming chat with multi-award winning, bestselling Canadian author Alexis Marie Chute . Alexis will be launching book one – Above the Star – in her new fantasy trilogy series. She’s having a fabulous book launch party tomorrow, Saturday August 18 at Mosaic Books from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Make sure you head on downtown to Mosaic Books on Bernard tomorrow and say hello to Alexis. You can listen to...

This is a really interesting discussion with my new friend Roz Huber formerly of Moksha Yoga Kelowna. Roz is the first person I’ve interviewed so far, who was born and raised IN Kelowna. We cover many great topics including what it has been like to grow up here and see so many demographic changes, how she got involved with November Project Kelowna, and how psychology ties in with physical training...

This is a really interesting discussion with my new friend Loyal Wooldridge from Loyal Hair Therapy. He intends to run for City Council in October, and I think his platform is well-worth listening to. We cover many great topics including entrepreneurship, mentorship and Kelowna Politics. You can listen to Episode 19 of the I Love Kelowna Podcast while you're commuting, exercising or relaxing,...

This is a really interesting discussion with Stephen Maser from Raymond James! We discuss the current state of the Canadian economy and ongoing NAFTA negotiations with the United States and Mexico. You can hear Episode 15 of the I Love Kelowna Podcast right here. (LINK) If you enjoyed this episode, an iTunes review would be SO appreciated! https://tinyurl.com/y8jax3xb SHOW NOTES Stephen was born a...