Tea with Mike

Brandon Stone joins me to kick off 2026 with a fast-paced, honest conversation centered on the past, present, and future. In this episode, we ask each other random questions that spark reflection, real dialogue, and authentic storytelling. One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is the importance of doing what you genuinely enjoy. Rather than getting caught up in making everything perf...

Mike drinks tea with Nicholas Lavere. Nick is the CEO of the National Ability Basketball League and is committed to creating more opportunities in the athletic world for neurodivergent individuals. Nick thinks society doesn't do enough for neurodivergent individuals and wants to change this.  The theme of Nick's story was learning how NABL had progressed since we last chatted in May 2021....

Mike drinks tea with Kayla Williams. Kayla describes herself as a yacht-pop songstress and a full-time seasoned musician and vocal coach. A 2021 Red Deer Emerging Artist winner, you may have seen Kayla perform at the 2019 Canada Winter Games on TSN.  The theme of Kayla's story was learning about how she got started in music and understanding what a yacht-pop songstress is. Kayla shared how she...

Mike drinks tea with Suzanne Hermary. Suzanne studied music and completed the Theatre Studies – Performance diploma program at Red Deer College. She then went to Sheridan College, Ontario, and graduated with Honours from their Bachelor of Musical Theatre Performance. Living in Toronto and Paris, Suzanne developed a passion for fine arts, architecture, food, history, culture, music, and literature....

Mike drinks tea with Ben Fuller. In 2022 Ben decided to follow his passion and switched from a career in engineering to becoming a Web 3 Strategist in the motorsport and gaming industry. Ben works for Velcoe, a leading racing, gaming, and lifestyle media platform.      The theme of Ben’s story was learning about his career switch from engineering to working in Web 3. Ben shared how he got started...

Mike drinks tea with David Dionne. After working for nearly a decade in the energy sector, David decided it was time for drastic change. Searching for healthy ways to manage his mental health, he spent three months out in the Canadian Rockies camping and exploring and decided to share his love of the outdoors with others. David joined the Mission Overland Trailers team for three years before becom...

Mike drinks tea with Noah Stauffer. Noah was once an intern for Gary Vaynerchuk’s One37pm brand and has since started Arc Creative. Outside of work, Noah loves to play sports and spend time working out at the gym. The theme of Noah’s story was learning about his childhood and how he first became interested in sports and graphic design. Noah shared some lessons learned and skills developed from int...

Mike drinks tea with Lindsay Recknell. Lindsay is a Calgary-based speaker, facilitator, and mental health advocate who teaches you how you can make your future can be better than today by taking action over the things you can control and using the Science of Hope. Lindsay is a Certified Psychological Health & Safety Advisor and also hosts two of her own podcasts, one of which is Hope Motivates...

Mike drinks tea with Sleeprlo founder Kris Nowak. Sleeprlo is an e-commerce sleep accessory brand that makes comfy and high-quality sleep products to help entrepreneurs and working professionals sleep better so they can live their best lives. The theme of Kris's story was learning about his move to Canada from Poland and his interest in business and entrepreneurship. Kris shared the story behi...

Mike drinks tea with John Guiterrez. John is the owner of Whadafunk. Whadafunk is a clothing brand made in New York that sells internationally across the US, Canada, and countries like the Philippines. John does a live YouTube show, which has 1.47 K subscribers. John creates weekly content around his brand that you can see across the company's social media channels.      The theme of John'...

Mike drinks tea with Mitch Fraser, a Film and TV Professional. As a Director of Photography, Gimbal Operator, Drone Pilot, and Remote Head Technician. Mitch has worked on shows such as Riverdale, Supergirl, Lost in Space, Nancy Drew, Heartland, Joe Pickett, Fraggle Rock, and Fargo. He has been a Director of Photography and Camera Operator for brands including Walmart Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart, CB...

Mike drinks tea with Craig Scott, a Retail Sales Leader at Mars Wrigley Confectionery Canada for the last 12 years. Previously, Craig worked as an Area Manager and Trainer at Parkland Industries. Craig's hobbies include playing sports in the summer and spending time volunteering with Central Alberta Theatre. The theme of Craig's story was learning about how he got a degree in history befor...

Mike drinks tea with Ben Arthur, an operations and sales professional for a national roofing distributor. Ben owns his own renovation business and spends time volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Red Deer Highland Games. The theme of Ben’s story was learning about how he got started in the operations and sales industry. Ben shared his story of moving from Scotland to Canada and how h...

Mike drinks tea with Rylan Nilsson, an award-winning stage, screen, and voice actor based in Calgary, Canada. Recently, he has received both critical and commercial acclaim for his dramatic role in the film, The Nobody Prayer. You can watch Rylan's work on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. The theme of Rylan's story was learning about his work in theatre, film, television, and voiceovers. R...

Mike drinks tea with Kyle Ball, a horror filmmaker from Edmonton, Alberta. In 2017 he began a web series called Nightmares that became popular worldwide. Kyle recently finished post-production on his first feature-length horror film Skinamarink. The theme of Kyle’s story was learning about how he became interested in film directing. Kyle shared the story behind his journey through film and the cre...

Mike drinks tea with Promise Rhodes, a real estate agent who also happen to have an interest in entrepreneurship and the outdoors. A fun fact about Promise is she can play the guitar and happens to be an amazing singer. The theme of Promise’s story was learning about how she got a Bachelor of Science at Mays Business School. Promise shared the story behind using Covid as an opportunity to obtain h...

Mike drinks tea with Alysia Rissling, a former Olympian athlete; who won a bronze medal for Canada in the 2-man Bobsleigh in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and is one of the only people in the world that has piloted three types of bobsleds, a monobob, 2-man, and 4-man. She is now the director of partnerships with the Canadian Hockey League, a public speaker, and has created and coached a Vison Board wo...

The modern-day Smokey Nagata part two Mike drinks tea with Bo Yang, a mechanical engineer graduate from Metro University. Bo started Sevenk Wheels, now known as SKForged, a custom wheel company. Bo also assists with operations and marketing for Rocky Mountain Robotech. With a vision for the future, Bo describes himself as the modern-day Smokey Nagata. In the second half of the episode, Bo talks ab...

Mike drinks tea with Bo Yang, a mechanical engineer graduate from Metro University. Bo started Sevenk Wheels, now known as SKForged, a custom wheel company. Bo also assists with operations and marketing for Rocky Mountain Robotech. With a vision for the future, Bo describes himself as the modern-day Smokey Nagata. The theme of Bo's story was learning about his family and the sacrifices they made f...

Mike drinks tea with Greg Shannon, a radio and TV show host for over 30 years all over Canada. Greg co-created, co-wrote, and hosted the nationally syndicated radio show Craven a Today Country. Greg has also worked in the Community Relations Department of Red Deer College and has recently returned to being a daily radio host on Edmonton CFCW Mornings with Stella Stevens. The theme of Greg's story...

Mike drinks tea with Cory Singer, a social media and TikTok influencer. Cory promotes positivity by inspiring others with his unique brand, music, and personal experiences with his autism. Cory is also on the board of directors for the I Am Able Foundation and an ambassador for the Sound Mind Network. The theme of Cory's story was learning about how he inspires others through his brand, music,...

Mike drinks tea with Maxwell Ivey, who went from being a blind failed carnival owner to a respected amusement equipment broker, award-winning author, motivational speaker, and online media publicist. The theme of Maxwell's story was learning about how he went from being a failed carnival owner to being a public speaker, podcast host, and award-winning author. Maxwell gave insight into living with...

Mike drinks tea with Jo Phillips, CEO of corporate social media agency Jo(e) social media, Executive Director of the JYC, a public speaker, and a Youth Resilience Coach. The theme of Jo's story was learning about how she got a degree in phycology before setting up Joe Social Media along with co-founder Jo Whitbread. Jo, an award-winning public speaker in schools, spoke about the work she and Joe W...

Mike drinks tea with Karissa Jaeckel, an inspiring film producer. Karissa's hobbies include pageantry, volunteering, and collaborating with local photographers through modeling. The theme of Karissa's story was learning about how she got an associate degree in digital media and how she became interested in film production. Karissa spoke about her experiences in the film industry so far and shared...

A great conversation with my friend and podcast host Eric Chow talking about when to start a podcast, when to end a podcast and how having a podcast can lead to creating professional opportunities. Find Eric Chow through: Website: https://lu.ma/ericchow Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericchowreal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericchowreal Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericchowreal Insta...