SIWIKE “Stuff I Wish I Knew Earlier”: the podcast

On this episode, we are joined by Brian Bachand. Brian is a priest turned chief evolution officer who has started a career coaching company "evolutionevolution" that helps individuals evolve within their professional and personal lives. #SIWIKE #careercoach #careerpodcast He speaks about: 00:49 His company Evolution evolution 02:05 Brian as a kid 06:03 First time in New York 07:52 Grew up catholic...

Nora and I dive into HR to talk about some of the domain areas. #SIWIKE #humanresources #hr101 We speak about 03:21 Recruiting and Talent acquisition 05:53 1 HR practitioner for every 100 or so employees 08:40 Recruitment as a competitive role that mimics sales cycle 09:35 External agency vs internal recruiting 13:09 Compensation and pay, Payroll/Benefits/Labor relations 15:07 HR generalist roles...

Sherina and I speak about tutoring. We chat about myths and misconceptions. We chat about her experience being tutored as well as as a tutor. She shares tips on being a good tutor. And making the most out of being tutored. Listen to the episode for more details! Watch the episode here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6oHQMHu_8w Special thanks to https://www.instagram.com/lincolnalexanderthe2nd/ fo...

Anu is a computer information systems grad turned project manager who has started a program to empower gen-Z with leadership skills. She shares being 01:54 Quiet Not motivated to learn as a kid 02:42 Loved the performing arts, though stuck with computer science as "That's where the money is" 05:09 Decision not to be a doctor, engineer 06:33 University she decided this (computer science) was right...

Mintikah and I chat about self-love. Not the narcissistic kind, but the kind where you accept yourself for who you are and not want to constantly change yourself. We talk about: 00:57 An appreciation of one's own worth 02:09 Being very insecure and getting bullied for acne 03:55 Using humour as a way to suppress inner feelings 05:42 Surrounded by people who appreciated her 07:40 Turn flaws into a...

Nora and I speak about Diversity and Inclusion. 00:39 What is diversity and inclusion? 01:05 Diversity = Organization has diverse representation 01:11 Inclusion = every person can be authentic selves 01:40 Interest began back in university 07:15 Enterprise Resource Groups and the Benefits of ERGs 11:24 Culture and engagement events 14:45 Education = the awareness, Entertainment = the connections 1...

Alex is the co-founder of SWOB (swipe-job - think Tinder for job applications) http://swobapp.com with his sister. He shares his journey as a regular kid who like sports to becoming a co-founder of an app. 04:39 Playing outdoors, hanging out with friends, with school/homework last 05:38 Found a passion for sports marketing 11:04 How he thought he would be a teacher and picking marketing instead 14...

Jenn is a Certified Health and Career Coach. She shares her transition from an environmental career to starting her own workplace health/wellness business. 02:28 As a kid she was always passionate about being active 04:46 Found a passion for environmental 05:41 She no longer felt like she was growing within her role 06:42 Decided to visit a career counselor who suggested she should start a busines...

Deron is a corporate lawyer in private practice. He shares some of the challenges from switching from accounting in his undergrad. 02:28 How he became interested in accounting and choice of "mathy" careers after not being interested in the science path 07:43 How law came afterwards as he didn't have many lawyer role models growing up 09:38 Choosing his undergrad wanting work experience from coop a...

Dan is an IT infrastructure support analyst at the CRA Canada Revenue Agency He shares how he took interest in gemology to roles in high end jewelry sales. From hating English in high school to joining a writing group while playing an online game and now in the process of writing a book of his own. The start of his undergrad in computer science then ultimately switching to English literature. Then...

Mintikah (Minti) is a senior motivator at Good Life and an aspiring YouTuber. This is a great video to watch if you're looking to start becoming a personality on YouTube or elsewhere. She shares how she started off as a shy girl with insecurities that never seemed to fit in. She used humour as a way of coping and has embraced that with the goal to be an entertainer. She is gradually finding her vo...

Ellie and I chat about what else you can do with a biology degree. The typical options for a biology degree would be to go to med-school do research in academia and become a professor We learn how she found out about industry and other potential areas of interest.. We also get some networking tips on how to connect with. Ellie is is a Regulatory Affairs Associate at GSK who is completing her Maste...

Sherina is a sociology and philosophy grad that continued on to teacher's college from York University who is now working as a teacher with North York Women's shelter. She shares her journey and SIWIKE Listen to the episode for more details! Watch the episode here https://youtu.be/ZGtm7EoftLg Special thanks to https://www.instagram.com/lincolnalexanderthe2nd/ for the theme music Want more personal...

Mentor corner Nora and I chat about hiring for coop/internship and new grad programs. We walk through some of the timings and considerations for coop and new grad programs, as well as the types and number of interviews. We chat some of the resume debates (1 or 2 page, summary of objectives, fonts, etc), plus get into some of what else you can do to help your resume stand out. Nora is a HRBP Human...

Hammad is a LinkedIn coach with a background in international trade and and experience in the NGO space. He started as an inquisitive kid that was able to connect with folks and build meaningful connections. He shares some thoughts on listening and communication. He is now a LinkedIn coach and shares his knowledge and experience on leveraging LinkedIn for job hunt and career success: https://www.l...

Dominic is a health-tech customer success practitioner, aspiring product manager and professional artist She shares her journey of art. Then pursuing a path to become a doctor and starting Future Black Physicians. Then getting into the business-tech side to explore product management. And her path to cultivate her art and become and professional artist. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic...

Tiffany is a career strategy coach who previous worked as a group marketing manager at L’Oreal Canada. We chat about her journey struggling in school early on, then later on having it become a strength. She shares how she got into marketing and landed her dream job after graduating. She shares some of here SIWIKE. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-uman-career-strategy-coach/ Listen to the episod...

Marisa and I speak about success. What does success mean. Where did our ideas of success come from. How have they changed. And what might we have done differently. Marisa is an IB high school grad with a systems design engineering undergrad who went on to pursue her MBA and entrepreneurship She’s the founder of Time Transform Virtual Assistance https://www.linkedin.com/in/marisasduncan/ She shares...

Revant and I discuss learning in an online environment. He shares his experience and he provides some of the challenges and what has helped him over come them. Revant is an international student from India currently studying Business at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He shares his background and some SIWIKE as an international student. https://www.linkedin.com/in/revantmalani/ Watch the ep...

Angela Chung is a speech language pathologist (SLP) and entrepreneur who is looking to help others grow in their communication through her startup Speak Fluent https://speakfluent.ca?ref=luki (let them know you heard about them from me for some freebies). We learn more of what is an SLP, and how she got onto that path. We chat about the importance of communication. We explore confidence and develo...

Mentor Corner In this episode we walk through Eram's experience in nursing school. Her somewhat roundabout journey to nursing that she wouldn't change. We chat about not focusing on "timelines" and "timestamps" of when you're "supposed" to do things. She shares some of the hardships along the way and of course, some of the learnings and SIWIKE she had along the way Eram is Registered Nurse at Sunn...

Youth Corner Revant and I speak about First Term at university. We speak about studying, connecting with and making friends, as well as some of his SIWIKE! Revant is an international student from India currently studying Business at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He shares his background and some SIWIKE as an international student. https://www.linkedin.com/in/revantmalani/ Listen to the ep...

Ghazala and I chat about her journey to Canada. She shares some of the decisions to ultimately choose to land in Toronto, Canada. As well as some of the experiences and SIWIKE she had along the way. From not knowing when she could travel due to all of the the restrictions, to a 14-day quarantine period, to the job search. Ghazala Zaidi is a commercial credit analyst, MBA, public speaker and YouTub...

Ellie shares her career journey starting with an "understanding" that she would go to university on her way to be a doctor/nurse or researcher/professor. Then experiencing a research opportunity and a coop term that pointed to a previously unknown path in industry (pharmaceutical specifically). https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliekubisz/ Listen to the episode for more details! Watch the episode here...

Marisa and I speak about imposter syndrome. We share some of our experiences dealing with it in our lives. We haven't exactly overcome imposter syndrome, though we're getting better at coping with it. Marisa is an IB high school grad with a systems design engineering undergrad who went on to pursue her MBA and entrepreneurship She’s the founder of Time Transform Virtual Assistance https://www.link...