My First Season

My guest today is from Vancouver and we worked together in Club Med Buccaneer’s Creek in Martinique during the 1998/1999 season, which was her first season as an Aerobics G.O. She arrived at the village in November 1998 while it was undergoing a labor dispute. Everyone, please help me give a warm welcome to Cherine! Cherine gives a detailed account of her first season and what it was like starting...

My guest today hails from the Garden State and is the author of the book “Sex, Surf and Sunburn-My Life Inside Club Med”. His first season was in Club Med Turks & Caicos in the Summer of 1999 as a Scuba G.O. Please help me welcome to the podcast, V.J. “Padre” Mochel! V.J. recounts how he went to Club Med twice as a G.M and that is where he got bit by the Scuba bug. He did not have an interview...

I’m very excited about my next guest, as he’s the first person on the show who worked for Club Med back in the 1970s. Originally from Montreal, when he applied to Club Med, he was sent straight to Europe for his very first season (I know, right?!). He started at Club Med Porto Petro in Majorca, Spain, in 1978 as a Sailing G.O. Everyone, please welcome Tim Purcell! Tim completed about eight seasons...

My guest today is the only EXGO I know and worked with who became a commercial pilot after Club Med. He has been on the show before, so please welcome Frontier Airlines First Officer, Nick Margellos! Nick takes us back to when he first thought about becoming a pilot and the many steps, hours and dedication it took to eventually becoming a commercial pilot. He started his journey to becoming a pilo...

My guest today and I started Club Med in the same year, but only met years later at an EXGO Reunion in Cancun. Her first season was in Club Med Punta Cana in October of 1994 as an Archery G.O. Everyone, please help me welcome, from Toronto, Ontario, “Sunny”! Sunny probably has the best G.O. interview story I have ever heard and that is because of the lengths she went to, to get a job in Club Med....

My guest today had his first season in Club Med Cancun in July of 1995 as a Sailing G.O. He is from Miami, Florida and before Club Med, he had a summer job teaching Hobie Cat sailing in Biscayne Bay. Everyone, please help me welcome, Larry Katz! Larry had his interview in Florida and then was sent to Cancun at a time when not many G.O’s were sent to Cancun for their first season. He tells a not-so...

My guest today and I met in Club Med Coral Beach in Israel in  2004/2005 after her two-year stint in the Army. Her first season was in the French Alps, in Club Med Avoriaz in November 2002 as a Mini-Club G.O. Everyone, please help me welcome, Maude! She started going to Club Med as a child in the Mini-Club, so it was like a full-circle moment for her. Before she started working at Club Med, Maude...

I had the pleasure of working with my guest today in Club Med Cancun in 2004/2005, which was her first season as a Boutique G.O. I was beyond shocked to hear that Cancun was her first season, because if you had met this person that season, you would have sworn she had been a G.O for about five years-she was just that awesome. Everyone, please help me welcome, Shannon (What!!What!!)! Shannon gradua...

My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Paradise Island in 2003/2004 where she was the choreographer, but her first season was in Club Med Sandpiper in October of 2001 as a Reception G.O. Everyone, please help me welcome, originally from New York and Montreal (yes, I’m claiming her) and now living in Las Vegas, Gabrielle LoRe Seidenberg! Gaby had quite the journey to Club Med. She was wor...

My guest today and I have worked together before in Club Med Cancun in 2004/2005 and he is someone you all know or have heard of. Everyone, from Vancouver, please help me welcome Jenner! Jenner has had quite the career in Club Med. Before Club Med, Jenner completed an undergraduate degree in Physiology at UBC and then obtained a Masters degree in Applied Physiology (department of Kinesiology) at S...

My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Turks & Caicos in Summer of ’94 (my first season), but his first season was in Club Med Playa Blanca in 1993/1994 as a Scuba G.O. He is originally from Minnesota and now lives in Denver. Everyone, please help me welcome, JohnnyScuba! Before Club Med, Johnny served in the United States Navy as a Gunner’s Mate aboard the U.S.S. New Jersey, an Iowa-cla...

My guest today is Derek Baron, the creator of the popular travel website called “Wandering Earl”. On December 25th, 1999, Derek left the USA for a three-month, post-graduation trip to Southeast Asia. The idea was for him to backpack around Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and then return home and start a career in the sports industry (He wanted to be a Sports Agent). When Derek landed in Bangkok, he...

My guest today had his first season in Club Med Sandpiper in Summer of 1990. He had a contract as an Animator. Here’s the thing though: he actually worked at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a Clown and Acrobat for two years and when he applied to Club Med three months after leaving Ringling Bros., he didn’t know Club Med even offered Circus! Everyone, please help me welcome Carlos Rag...

My guest today's first season was in Club Med Turks & Caicos in February of 1987 as a Windsurf G.O. Only here’s the thing-he wasn’t a windsurfer! I’ll let him tell that funny story, a great JoJo story, and another one involving American currency washing up on the beach one morning. Originally from San Diego and now living in La Jolla, California, please help me welcome the always-entertaining,...

My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Paradise Island, Bahamas in 2002/2003. His first season was in Club Med Sonora Bay, Mexico in June of 2001 as a Sound Engineer. Originally from Coney Island, NY and now living in Las Vegas, please help me welcome the “Coney Island Striker” himself, Ian Seidenberg! Ian recounts his first season in Sonora Bay and what it was like coming from New York...

My guest today and I were fortunate to work together in Club Med Columbus Isle in 1999/2000. Her first season was in Club Med Turks & Caicos in 1990 as a Boutique G.O. She went on to become a Chief of Animation and attend the Chief of Sports stage as well. She tells a very funny story about trying to learn to windsurf and JoJo the dolphin not wanting to let her. Originally from California and now...

My guest today and I had the pleasure of working together in Club Med Columbus Isle in 1999/2000. He became a Scuba instructor at age 18 and to date, has logged between 3500-400 dives all around the world. His first time in Club Med was as an au pair in Club Med Sonora Bay in 1993 and then he went back to Club Med as a Scuba G.O. in Club Med Cancun in January of 1998. Originally from Vancouver and...

My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Paradise Island, Bahamas in 2002/2003, which happened to be her first season as a Tennis G.O. Before Club Med, She attended Arizona State University on a tennis scholarship. Everyone, from Winnipeg, Canada please help me welcome Tannis Goulet! Tannis tells us what it was like her first season and shares an amusing story about a day trip to Exuma, $1...

My guest today did not work for Club Med, but he did spend a year working for Carnival Cruise Lines and was the only American in Carnival Cruise Lines’ thirty-year history to work a full contract in the ships’ restaurants without quitting or transferring. We’ll get into why that is such a huge deal and his first season in the travel and tourism industry and everything he experienced on the high se...

My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Lindeman Island, Australia in 2000/2001. His first season was at Club Med Chateau Royal-Noumea, New Caledonia in April of 1999 as a Circus G.O. Everyone, please help me give a big Aussie welcome to Luke “Casper” Murphy! Casper is originally from Maitland, New South Wales Australia and now lives in Sydney. Casper recounts a very funny story about his...

My guest today and I worked together in what was her first season in Club Med Playa Blanca in 1996/1997. She was a Scuba G.O. and I was Landsports. Funny story…she didn’t like me! (I can respect that). I was a huge fan of hers though and we’ll get into that and more on this episode of “My First Season”. Listen as Dana tells us what it was like going from working as a Commercial Diver and Scuba Ins...

My guest today and I worked together in Ria Bintan, Indonesia from 2001-2002. Everyone, Mr. Reggie Martin! Reggie’s first season was in the Mini-Club in Club Med Sandpiper during the Summer of 1997. Reggie takes us back to his first season where he thought he was going to be sent somewhere exotic, only to find out he was being sent to Florida! Reggie is originally from Chicago and now living in Ma...

My guest today and I have never actually worked a season together, but our paths crossed at the 2008 EXGO Reunion in Cancun. Originally from Newport Beach and now based in Atlanta, he’s been part of the Club Med family since he was a teenager in the 70s. In 1990, he officially joined the ranks as a Waterski G.O. at Club Med Sandpiper after driving down from Atlanta just to attend the in-person int...

My guest today and I have never worked together, but I did meet him a few years back and was on guest on his radio show, the EXGO Radio Show. He was sent to Club Med Sandpiper for the 88-89 season as DJ and tells a very funny story about the guy in charge of Lighting & Sound Engineers for the North American Zone trying to tank the Cats show being put on one night to test him, but I’ll let him tell...

My guest this week and I worked together in Otranto, Italy in the summer of 1997. I was Landsports and he was the Chief of Animation. His first season, however, was in Club Med Sant’Ambroggio-Corsica in the summer of 1995 as Animator. Originally from Marseille, France but now resides in California, Laurent “Jova” Minnitti didn’t actually feel that he went to some exotic location for his first seas...