STRONG LIKE a GIRL

Angela Heck rolled into Tanya's life in 1995 driving a hand-painted VW bus, and she never stopped moving: the National Film Board, CBC, the Whistler Film Festival, award-winning documentaries, and now the Executive Director's chair at Jazz Winnipeg. Thirty years of friendship later, the two sit down for an honest conversation about building a creative career, the creeping ageism facing acc...

What happens when a woman decides, somewhere around 40, that she is not going to shrink as she gets older? She gets wilder. That is the heart of this episode of STRONG LIKE a GIRL, where Tanya sits down with Treena Innes, the self-described Life Fun Expert, author of Mind Doodles: This Is What I Know, and host of The Finding Fun Experiment podcast. Treena built an entire movement around one idea t...

Amy Doerksen ran for her local hockey board, lost, and decided she did not need permission to build the thing she wanted to see. That thing became Fierce Female Hockey, a camp in Brandon, Manitoba where everything is designed for girls. In this episode of Strong Like a Girl, Amy and Tanya talk about crossing over from ringette to hockey, the difference between being invited and being welcomed, why...

Grief shows up in almost every story we tell on Strong Like a Girl, so this episode we sit down with someone who has spent years walking people through it. Shelley Wray is a grief seminar counsellor and certified funeral celebrant who found her calling as the counsellor at CFB Shilo during the Afghanistan war. We talk about why "what happened" beats "I'm so sorry," why ritu...

Willie Van Lankvelt was 21 when she packed up her life in the Netherlands and crossed an ocean to start over in rural Manitoba. She didn't speak much English. She'd never grain farmed. She was leaving seven siblings behind. None of that stopped her, and 46 years later she's still here, still building, still showing up. In this conversation Tanya sits down with Willie to trace a life th...

Lyndsay Seafoot didn't grow up loud. She grew up watching. Born in a small town on the northeast tip of Scotland, raised in rural Manitoba alongside eight siblings spread across three continents, she learned early that quiet kids notice things other people miss. Two decades later, that habit became the foundation of an HR company. Lyndsay sits down with Tanya to talk about how her family roots, he...

Debi Cost-Finn raised her son alone on food stamps, built a career bringing therapeutic music into hospitals, was diagnosed with breast cancer 85 days after her wedding, and flushed her medication down the toilet rather than lose herself. Her story is proof that strength isn't about holding it together. It's about what you do when you can't. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: - Coro (therapeut...

Tami Rae Rourke is the kind of person who makes everything look effortless. A career that spans telecommunications, real estate, financial advising, and board leadership. A telecom company she co-built from the ground up that sold for over $50 million. Chamber of Commerce president. Honorary Lieutenant Colonel. The resume reads like someone who never had a bad day. But that's not the full stor...

What if the strongest leaders are not the loudest in the room, but the ones who quietly keep building when nobody is watching? In this Season 2 kickoff of Strong Like a Girl, host Tanya sits down with her aunt, Lyn Radford, for a deep conversation on leadership, service, and legacy. Lyn shares how she moved from being labeled as a homemaker in boardrooms to leading major community initiatives, inc...

In this episode of STRONG LIKE a GIRL. host Tanya reflects on the first season of the show, sharing insights and memorable moments from each of her guests. Each guest brought unique stories of resilience, courage, and authenticity, highlighting the diverse experiences of women in various fields. Revisit these episodes: https://www.stronglikeagirlpodcast.ca/episodes/

In this episode of Strong Like a Girl, Tanya LaBuick interviews Susanne Dandenault, an accomplished athlete and lawyer. Suzanne shares her journey from being a national champion weightlifter to a successful legal career, discussing the challenges and triumphs she faced along the way. She emphasizes the importance of mentorship, community involvement, and the need for passion in one's pursuits. The...

In this episode of Strong Like a Girl, host Tanya LaBuick interviews Michelle Cummings, a dynamic leader in experiential learning and team development. Michelle shares her journey from humble beginnings in Kansas to becoming the founder of Training Wheels and co-founder of Personify Leadership. The conversation explores the importance of experiential learning, the challenges of team dynamics, and...

Host Tanya LaBuick welcomes a member of Team Strong and marketing strategist, Kyla Cottom to explore the intersections of creativity, leadership, and personal growth. From their serendipitous meeting to collaborating on impactful projects, Tanya and Kyla share insights into the world of marketing and the power of storytelling. The conversation delves into the complexities of planning major interna...

Host Tanya LaBuick reconnects with her high school friend Karen Lam, an accomplished filmmaker known for her work in the horror genre. They discuss Karen's journey from a small town in Manitoba to becoming a celebrated director, exploring themes of cultural identity, representation, the feminine edge, and the impact of grief on storytelling. Karen shares her insights on the role of empathy in horr...

In this heartfelt conversation, host Tanya LaBuick and colleague-turned-friend Amy Hyatt explore their deep friendship, the challenges of navigating life after their work together during the Salt Lake City Olympics, and the profound impact of grief and loss in her life. Amy shares her journey of caregiving for her husband Ben, who faced mental health challenges and ultimately succumbed to cancer,...

Host Tanya LaBuick speaks with Sarah Peto, a trailblazer in the Brandon, Manitoba fire and emergency service. She shares her journey as one of the first women in the fire and emergency service in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, discussing challenges faced by women, the evolution of gender dynamics, and the importance of mental health and support networks. Sarah highlights the impact of her community wo...

In this episode of Strong Like a Girl, host Tanya LaBuick speaks to Heather Stefanson about her journey in politics, discussing the challenges women face in the male-dominated field. They touch on the importance of mentorship and health challenges and how they intersect with her leadership role, advocating for women to prioritize their health and well-being. They reflect on their experiences in th...

In this episode of Strong Like a Girl, host Tanya LaBuick sits down with Janet McMahon, the first female CEO of Sport Manitoba, for a powerful and inspiring conversation about leadership and the transformative power of sport. Janet shares her journey to her groundbreaking role as CEO, reflecting on over 40 years in sports. She offers insight into the challenges and rewards of sports management, he...

In the inaugural episode of the Strong Like a Girl podcast, host Tanya LaBuick shares her journey, career highlights, and the inspiration behind the podcast. Inviting her producer Sarah Burke along for the conversation, she speaks about working with community programs and managing large-scale events, including the Olympics. Tanya reflects on her personal challenges and the lessons learned througho...

STRONG LIKE a GIRL is a podcast hosted by a girl named Tanya LaBuick - an entrepreneur, a powerhouse C-suite leader who's led teams on the world stage, and scaled start-ups into multimillion-dollar companies. STRONG LIKE a GIRL will explore how we uncover the wisdom gained through adversity—and the tools used to overcome it . We’ll unpack it, sit in it, likely cry about it, and hopefully laugh a l...