Look for Strength

Michael Wejchert, a climber and award-winning writer, spoke with me about the perils and thrills of climbing through his experience in the mountains and his stories.  His book, Hidden Mountains, is about a climbing accident and rescue on an untouched peak in Alaska. He’s also written opinion pieces for the NYT and many other publications. “I try to write stories that obsess me,” Michael told me. ...

Aysha Emmerson didn’t want to be defined by her illness. But she realized that by staying silent, she was fuelling the stigma. So Aysha shared her story. She founded the SELF.IE camps to empower young girls, addressed over 18,000 We Day Vancouver participants in 2017, and recently graduated with a degree in resilience studies from Harvard University. We talked about her recent work in policy-makin...

Sean Silcoff is a technology reporter at the Globe and Mail, and Queen’s Comm ’92. He co-authored the book, Losing the Signal with Jacquie McNish. Losing the Signal is about Blackberry’s rise and fall, and has recently been turned into a movie. Sean was the first reporter to uncover the story of what happened to the company.  We chatted about how he first formed a relationship with Jim Balsillie t...

Taylor Swift fans can ‘Shake It Off’ all night with TSwiftDanceParty Canada.  Since last summer, Miri Makin and her team at TSwiftDanceParty Canada have raised over $100k for charity.  Miri came on the Look for Strength podcast to discuss starting the company, mental health, and Taylor Swift's role in her life. Check them out @tswiftdancepartyca. Sounds from Zapsplat.com/ music from Tunetank.

Known as the LA Triathlete on Instagram , Carolyn Carter has almost 50k followers. A professional triathlete based in California, Carolyn has completed over 11 half Ironmans, two full Ironmans, and various other shorter races – all while balancing a full-time marketing career. We’ll be talking about training, triathlons, grit, and her role as an influencer. Sounds from Zapsplat.com/ music from Tun...

Microsoft Canada’s National Technology Officer John Weigelt speaks on foreign cyber threats, personal security, layoffs in the Tech industry, and Chat-GPT. You’ll hear about how what he calls a “serendipitous” path to his role, which started with computer engineering at RMC. He’s also worked with various organizations, aiming to eliminate gender-based cybercrime.  Sounds from Zapsplat.com/ music f...

In this episode, I’ll speak with Cyndi Teulon, an environmental advisor at RSK . We’ll dive into challenges and environmental trends pertaining to her work in Iraq.  Cyndi ensures projects stay on track and works with local stakeholders to conduct environmental and social impact assessments, or ESIAs.  RSK's goal is to help clients re-build Iraq after various wars in a more sustainable and re...

Donna Abu Nasr, journalist and bureau chief at the Associated Press and for Bloomberg, has been a part of documenting history– as a reporter of some of the Middle East’s crucial news stories. She writes with humility and altruism, sharing stories that shed light on people's lives in war-torn countries. From conflict on the ground to the culture and people of the cities hit by war, she's...

Today I’ll be speaking with professional basketball player, coach, and author, Alex Owumi.  He wrote his autobiography, Qaddafi’s Point Guard , after playing for Al Nasr, the Libyan basketball team owned by Qaddafi’s family.    He joined the team right before the Libyan Civil War broke out in 2011. When the conflict escalated right outside, Owumi was forced to stay in his apartment without food or...

Today I’ll be speaking with professional basketball player, coach, and author, Alex Owumi.  He wrote his autobiography, Qaddafi’s Point Guard , after playing for Al Nasr, the Libyan basketball team owned by Qaddafi’s family.    He joined the team right before the Libyan Civil War broke out in 2011. When the conflict escalated right outside, Owumi was forced to stay in his apartment without food or...

Eleni Giokos is a CNN anchor and correspondent, based in Dubai. Born in Greece and raised in South Africa, she has more than 15 years' experience working across TV, digital, radio and print media. One of CNN's most versatile correspondents, she joined the network in 2015. Giokos has interviewed heads of state including former South African President, Jacob Zuma and former Nigerian Presid...

On today’s podcast, you’ll hear from Michael Bonacini.  Michael is an icon in the culinary world- as a world-renowned chef, the co-founder of the Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants across Canada, and a judge on MasterChef Canada. The Oliver & Bonacini restaurants are stylish, innovative and the epitome of fine dining. Michael is head of the culinary program and is at the forefront of developing...

On today’s podcast, you’ll hear from Michael Bonacini.  Michael is an icon in the culinary world- as a world-renowned chef, the co-founder of the Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants across Canada, and a judge on MasterChef Canada. The Oliver & Bonacini restaurants are stylish, innovative and the epitome of fine dining. Michael is head of the culinary program and is at the forefront of developing...

In this episode, I spoke with William Keliehor, the Chief Commercial Officer of Interac Corporation! He has diverse experience across the globe, and in leading teams, as he leverages innovative thinking and problem-solving skills and is a catalyst for evoking transformational change. Will’s international perspective and experience will be a central theme of our discussion, from how he navigated at...

This podcast features SHINE Strength and Confidence Inc., which aims to “redefine what it means to be a fitness company, and what it means to exercise”. With classes streamed online and held in Kingston, Toronto, and the GTA, SHINE aims to create a community of acceptance and take a stand against the unrealistic standards promoted by the Fitness Industry.  I have the privilege of speaking with Jes...

Today’s podcast features SHINE Strength and Confidence Inc., which aims to “redefine what it means to be a fitness company, and what it means to exercise”. With classes streamed online and held in Kingston, Toronto, and the GTA, SHINE aims to create a community of acceptance and take a stand against the unrealistic standards promoted by the Fitness Industry.  I have the privilege of speaking with...

In Karen Adams' experience working in C-Suite positions across industries and countries, she consistently constructs dynamic teams by inspiring employees and developing leaders. Having spent the majority of her career internationally in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, her first role as a CEO was with HSBC in Jordan and Palestine. She's currently the President and CEO of Fundserv, a te...

Today’s podcast shows how the strength of taking social responsibility, can save a life. I’ll be speaking with Marcus Schmidt, an Austrian Physiotherapist and Osteopath at Praxis-13 in Vienna.  It happened on the 20th of January, at around 11:15 am when he was taking the U-bahn, or underground train to a client. The train was one minute away, and he was the only one on his platform. He turned arou...

Welcome to the Look for Strength podcast, where we share exceptional stories from around the world, to exceptional listeners. It’s on-the-move journalism, squishing in powerful stories into under 20-minute segments. I’ll be talking to individuals who started companies, who have saved lives, and who have overcome adversity. Today’s podcast is just a bite-sized minicast, where I’ll explain what Look...