One Million Years Of Joy

As the host of the Sparks of Gratitude podcast and a lawyer, Randy Sparks shares the power of a daily gratitude practice, forgiveness, self-awareness and hope. Discover why he loves being an estate lawyer, what led him to start his podcast, and his secret to a long a joyful marriage.

In this moving conversation, George Reinitz shares his journey of surviving Auschwitz, rebuilding his life in Canada, and finding meaning after the war. Now a great-grandfather, he reflects on what brings him joy, the power of love, and the secret to staying young at heart.

Helene V. Gagnon is the Chief People and Sustainability Officer at CAE Inc., and she has been appointed to more than 25 Boards of Directors. Helene is recognized in the top100 most powerful women in Canada by the Women's Executive Network in 2007, top 50 best Corporate Executive in Canada by the Global and Mail Report on Business in 2022 and top 100 Chief Sustainability Officers in North America i...

Helmy Abouleish is a prominent figure in the field of sustainable agriculture, particularly known for his pioneering work in biodynamic farming in Egypt. As CEO of SEKEM, Helmy has grown and transformed the organisation founded by his father into a global leader in sustainable agriculture, and the company was awarded in 2024 the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. Discover his journey, what the Economy...

Loretta Turner is the founder of Do Good Leadership Collective, and is a 2024 Leadership Luminary by One Million Years of Joy. In our conversation, she shares her journey of self-discovery through yoga and meditation, emphasizing the importance of self-love and connection. She discusses the transformative power of moving across the country and how it has shaped her perspective on life and work. Lo...

Peter Mandeno is a human connectivity expert and founder of “Wok & Wine.”  In our conversation, he shares insights about the importance of serendipity in fostering meaningful connections, and the significance of curiosity in creating connections. Peter also highlights the conditions necessary for human connectivity, the role of vulnerability in forming deeper relationships, and the impact of d...

Lisa Witter is a serial entrepreneur, author, speaker, and counselor to CEOs, philanthropists, Nobel Peace Prize winners, government officials and politicians. She co-founded and serves on the board of Apolitical, that is recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in the World. Besides her role at Apolitical, Lisa is the CEO and co-founder of the Apolitical Foundation, an organi...

Neill Duffy is the CEO and Founder of 17 Sport, and his mission is to inspire the sports sector to serve as a catalyst for positive change. He works with athletes to inspire change, broadening the access to girls in sports, while redefining benchmarks for purposeful engagement with sport brands. Born in South Africa, and now living in Paris, discover the stories that bring him joy, the dark side o...

Kensington Tallman is a young American actress celebrated for her dynamic performances across television and film.  In 2024, Kensington lent her voice to the character Riley Andersen in Disney and Pixar's "Inside Out 2", an Oscar-nominated film with the highest-grossing revenues in 2024. She also starred as Lucy in the international series "Home Sweet Rome!" which highlighted her many talents. Ear...

Bradley Hook is the author of Start With Values, and founder of the Values Institute, and a writer for Entrepreneur Magazine. With a diverse background in resilience research, action sports media, innovation, and entrepreneurship, he is also the host of The Brad Hook Podcast and Resilience Podcast. With a passion for surfing, he founded Surfd Magazine, and directed the documentary Waves of Freedom...

Daphne E. Jones is the CEO of The Board Curators and author of the book Win When They Say You Won’t. As a former Chief Information Officer, she has navigated a remarkable career across organizations like IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Hospira (now part of Pfizer), and General Electric. She exemplifies the transformative power of resilience and ambition, having turned early societal constraints into a...

Christoph von Toggenburg is global leader with 15 years of experience across multiple organizations and countries. His leadership journey spans humanitarian missions in conflict zones with the ICRC and UN, strategic engagement with key decision-makers at the World Economic Forum and serving as CEO of World Vision Switzerland for three years. Christoph has led numerous humanitarian expeditions, usi...

Melissa Cohen is a LinkedIn Top Voice who helps individuals develop their personal brand, and craft their thought leadership. She is also the co-author of the book Your Career Resilience Blueprint, and is a board member of Her Move Next, a charity dedicated to empowering girls and young women through chess, community, and competition. In our interview she shares how she reinvented herself after a...

Pete Bombaci is the Founder and CEO of The GenWell Project, a human connection movement he launched in 2016 to tackle human isolation. Prior to founding The GenWell Project, Pete served as the Executive Director of Movember Canada, where he led the organization to raise $142 million for men’s health. He is also a 2024 Leadership Luminary by One Million Years Of Joy. Discover why human connection i...

Heather Hansen is an accent bias and linguistic inclusion expert, a Thinkers50 Radar 2024 author of the book Unmuted, a TEDx Speaker and she is the Founder of Global Speech Academy. Discover her journey in living across multiple countries, learning multiple languages, and how she discovered the influence of accent biases, the power of conscious communications and in giving people the opportunity t...

Mike Rubin is a physician, scientist, engineer, entrepreneur and educator. He is the Founder and CEO of a science-driven venture capital firm called Northpond Ventures. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Stanford Medicine, and a visiting scholar at both Harvard (Wyss Institute) and MIT (School of Engineering). He holds a black belt in Tang Soo Do, and enjoys running marathons. Discover his key ins...

Cristina Zenato is a shark ecologist and behaviorist, who was instrumental in advancing the campaign that resulted in the declaration of the Bahamas as one of the first countries to create a shark sanctuary in 2011. She is part of the Women Divers Hall of Fame and she was awarded the Diver of the Year by Beneath The Sea in 2025. She also surveyed and created a map of the underwater Ben's Cave Syst...

Satish Kumar is an Indian British peace-pilgrim, lifelong activist, and former monk who has been inspiring global change for over 50 years. He is the world-renowned author of several books and the founder of The Resurgence Trust. Satish served as the editor of the charity’s publication, Resurgence & Ecologist, for over 40 years, making him the UK’s longest-serving magazine editor. Satish is al...

Jenn Drummond holds the Guinness World Record as the first woman to climb the 7 second summits. As a successful financial services entrepreneur, and mother of seven, a car accident in 2018 left her awestruck. Since that transformative experience, she began her mountaineering pursuits, she has published a book, and she is the host of the Seek Your Next Summit podcast. Discover her incredible journe...

Karl Moore is a professor at McGill and he has taught on executive and MBA programs at Harvard, Standford, Cambridge, Oxford, INSEAD and McGill University. He is the author of several books, and the recipient of numerous awards among which the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Awards in the Leadership Category for his research on introverts/extroverts. His work has been featured in numerous pub...

Dr. Mutshidzi Mulondo is an academic leader in the field of psychology and a global health advocate. She is the recipient of several awards among which the Global Health Award, the Zenith Global Health Award for Mental Health and Well-being, and she is a 2024 Leadership Luminary by One Million Years Of Joy. Discover more about her work in promoting inclusivity in health and education, the weight o...

Sam Sokol is the inventor of Graticube, a little game with a big heart created in collaboration with Deepak Chopra. Get a glimpse into it during our conversation, discover his view on joy and happiness, and what happened during his week at Burning Man where he remained completely silent. An episode filled with stories, laughter, reflections and insights into the discoveries of Buckminster Fuller t...

Fay Manvell is an executive and leadership coach, and a cancer survivor. Through her Equine Facilitated Learning expertise, she explores the role horses can play in unlocking human behaviour change. Discover her journey from moving away from “fitting in” and realizing that she was not invincible, to creating a life filled with learning and joy.

Maurice Philogène started buying real estate in his 20s to capture time freedom to live more. To date, he has acquired roughly USD 250M in real estate with investor partners, and has founded Quattro Capital, a private equity firm. His is also the host of Try Life On Podcast and a coach on wealth and freedom, helping people build a lifestyle they don’t need vacation from. Discover his journey and h...

Dr. Rebekah Granger-Ellis is an award-winning researcher and neuroscientist with 20 years pioneering experience spanning public and private sectors. Her expertise ranges from behavioural change to neuro-wellness. Discover key insights on how to manage stress, reduce inflammation, sleep better, navigate menopause, and increase joy through purposeful action that is good for your body and brain.