Now For Someone Completely Interesting

Trevor Kotowich was that kid who always wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up.  And he did!  As the Chief of the St. Paul Fire Department for over 13 years, Trevor shares his story of how he got into the firefighting business and some of the challenges he's faced as a member and leader over his 35-year career.  A guest that's been long overdue for this podcast, Trevor brings a bit o...

You may have heard his name mentioned in my other podcast, 2 Guys 1 Rant. Now we get to hear from Correspondent #3 himself!  Jeremy Blanchette, though quiet and reserved, is very passionate and active in our community.  From his involvement with the Rec Board, to his 10 year career as a volunteer firefighter with the St Paul Fire department.  We get the scoop on what motivates Jeremy to keep givin...

Gladys has become a good friend over the last 10 years, but also a deep rooted member of our community over the last 25 years.  Learning about her career as a dietary technician, to meeting her husband, Duane to her journey into becoming a very talented potter, Gladys shapes a great story with a few side anecdotes that give us a glimpse into someone completely interesting! 

From having top "Street Cred" on the mean farm near Dewberry, to not fitting in at the mean schools of Edmonton, Lionel Romanchuk really only every wanted to work with horses.  His reprieve from city life came when he got a job as a teenager at the horse racetrack.  Eventually returning to his rural roots, Lionel live his childhood dream of riding the rodeo circuits.  A life that would g...

When Bruce Foerester was 16, he was becoming a very good baseball player and had an opportunity to play with the best team in Albert, for summer ball.  There was one small problem.  League rules at the time didn't allow the team to draw from players living outside the Medicine Hat area.  His parents did the only logical thing.  They sold off their recently built home and business and moved do...

It's a tough job being a hockey referee.  From players and coaches to the fans, more often than not, most of your decisions are being criticized ... harshly.  So why do it for so long?  Danny Gadowski shares his reasons and how he arbitrarily decided he wanted to ref hockey!  Besides reffing, Danny is a regular with volunteering and taking part in a wide variety of sports and social events in...

My "little" cousin, Josee Joly, not only achieved her goal of becoming a nurse, but has gotten the opportunity to experience that profession in other countries.  Josee shares her experience and views of how very different health care is around the world.  If her career wasn't enough, this mother of 3 young children, including newborn is currently pursuing her masters for to become a...

My youngest nephew Nick Marland is my first Kid Bit Guest!  An exciting year for this 12 year old from Houston Texas!  He took in his first live Premier League Soccer Match in Manchester, England that came with a huge surprise and a win for his Man City team.  Nick also got to see his favorite hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers during their playoff run when they took on the Dallas Stars in the Weste...

From a small prairie town, this shy, introverted, annoying Sister has gone on to live on the opposite side of the world, eventually settling down and raising her family in one of the largest cities in the United States!  Rosanna Marland, formerly Rosanna Poulin, talks about how she stepped out of her comfort zone that led her to an unforeseen adventure.  From the Canadian Prairies to the Maritimes...

Author, broadcast journalist, Kids Help Phone volunteer, psychiatric nurse and die-hard Edmonton Oilers fan, Eileen Schuh has an eclectic array of interesting, and she brings a lot of it to this podcast!  Growing up on a farm near Tofield Alberta, Eileen always wanted to be a writer but didn't quite get around to it until her kids were grown up.   How she navigated her life to finally achieve...

From growing up in rural Australia working on a sheep farm and playing Ausie rules football, to running ultra marathons and having his own sheep farm in rural Alberta.  Adam French has successfully run 100 miles 16 times in the Iron Horse Ultra 100 and has become a staple for this event.  But of course, as we always learn on this podcast, there's always more than just ultra running that makes...

From growing up on the banks of the Rideau River south of Ottawa to adventures in rural Alberta, Penny Fox paints a fantastic picture of her life with enthusiasm and charisma that has endeared her to the people who know her in St. Paul and around the Lakeland.  Her love and enthusiasm for this area is part of what makes her the perfect person to manage an organization like Community Futures and a...

4 Brilliant kids join me on this episode!  Ryan Noel,  Abdul Qudoos Abdulsalam, Abeera Abbasi and Fatima Abbasi have all qualified for the Canada Wide Science Fair in Ottawa May 26th.  We find out about each of their brilliant science fair projects that got them their.  It's the most guest, and the youngest guest all in one episode.  It was an honor to host these incredible, intelligent kids....

Sabrina Michaud, better known as Bean, has been a friend for over 15 years and still surprises me with some of her stories.  Raised in the city of Edmonton, she's always been drawn to plants and nature.  Through her extensive travel, her love of plants was galvanized during her time in Hawaii where she lived in a tree house built in a mango tree!  From nature to her evolution as an artist, Be...

The newest member of the Poulin family, Vannessa just recently married my cousin, Clayton.  For this podcast, she made the long journey across the alley to join me.  Currently pursuing her PHD in Clinical child Psychology,  Vannessa is a busy person overall.  We find out what it takes to pursue that path and learn a lot about her research into Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  Plus her fun view on...

After I left radio, Evan Degenhardt was one of my favorite hosts on the local radio station.  Climbing the ladder rather quickly Evan is now the General Manager/content manager to for Vista radio, leading the staff in Lloydminster and Bonnyville.  Besides his radio career, Evan has a busy family life with three young boys and shares the challenges with the oldest being diagnosed with type 1 diabet...

What so interesting about the pizza deliver guy?  Just ask where he grew up and 1 hour unravels in no time!  Amine Ammar grew up in Casablanca, Morrocco.  Taught himself  English, in addition to speaking French, Spanish and Arabic.  Earned a degree in English and Greek mythology, gave surfing lessons on the side, and that was before he turned 21 and traveled the world as an employee with Quatar Ai...

Not everyone goes to a rodeo and wants to become a "clown".   And not everyone goes through "bullfighter" training and literally dodging and get mauled by bulls for 8 years to become a rodeo clown.  Except Tyson Wagner.  It all worked out for my guest in the end because he now has a job he loves as the "ice man" for the St. Paul Curling Club.  A guy that's embrac...

I've known Christin and her family for almost 15 years and this is the first time I've had a one-on-one conversation with her.  But it came at a cost!  The quiet, shy personal trainer agreed to come on this podcast if I agreed to a training session with her first.   Never one to shy away from a challenge, it was the perfect way to warm up!  Christin opens up about her career as a nurse a...

If there's a podcast everyone remembers, it'll be number 72!  On a show called, "Now For Someone Completely Interesting",  my wife, Monique Poulin has to be the top of my list!  Growing up in one of BC's most beautiful areas, to moving out to the baren prairies where she met a young, shaggy red-neck, Monique finally gets to tell her version of how we met!  A well traveled...

Of all the Dave's I know, this is one of them!  Our kids have been best friends for over 12 years and that's evolved into a bit of a bromance for us!  But even after knowing Dave Michaud for that long, I'm still learning new things about him that you can find in this episode.  From being an assistant hot air balloon pilot to working for a business man in Spain who may have had a &qu...

It's hard to think of an era in St. Paul Hockey history without Pierre being a part of it.  From player to coach to manager to skate sharpener and ultimately the historian!  Pierre joins me for some memories of his playing days and how putting together the St. Paul Jr B's hockey history has led him to another project with the St Paul Curling Club.  From the "Chez Pierre" man-ca...

Christal Brodziak is one of St Paul's newest, successful business owners, having opened The Nest Cafe and Boutique just over a year ago.  How successful?  She's just recently announced that it's going to be franchised!  From here career as a nurse to a Lactation Consultant, and how this has all been incorporated into her busy little shop.   Christal is an open book and a seasoned po...

Back for a special Remembrance Day episode! Heather Klages was close with her grandfather, a World War 2 Veteran.  While sharing a couple stories about him way back in Episode 11, Heather brings more detail and more stories about his time overseas during the worst global conflict in the history of the world.  She also shares more about a trip she took with him back to Holland and how Canadian sold...

Knowing Justin Anderson since 2009, it was inevitable he would make an appearance on this show.    When asking his 13 year old son, why he should be on a podcast about Completely Interesting People, he replied, Dad have you seen how many Jobs you've had?  Besides that, and his new side interest/passion/homebased business with freeze-dried food, Justin has always had a good story to tell. From...