The Connector Next Door with Lisa Gareau

Send us Fan Mail Grant Assenheimer grew up as a farm kid, worked as an engineer, travelled the world as a humanitarian worker, and landed as an executive leader. His drive to find solutions is backed by a deep value of different perspectives and the patience to discover root causes, leading to sustainable, systems-level outcomes. Grant has had an outstanding career as a water engineer, previously...

Send us Fan Mail Tracy Folorunsho-Barry is a Career Strategist and Founder and CEO of Grow Women Leaders, helping immigrant women get hired and advance their careers. She is a passionate advocate for women's empowerment, with a focus on immigrants and BIPOC women.    In 2017, through GROW Foundation, she launched Project150: Accomplished Immigrant Women in Canada and the Speak Out Women serie...

Send us Fan Mail Richard Lee-Thai, doesn’t feel he’s a “natural connector” but is fascinated by people and has learned - over some lonely years - how to connect in authentic, meaningful ways! These learned skills have helped him to both connect meaningfully with others and has helped him become an advocate and friend to those that want to learn to do the same. Richard Lee-Thai is a TEDx Speaker, C...

Send us Fan Mail Karla Combres is a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant, ceremony guide, facilitator, and speaker.  She helps people to honour and celebrate life’s big moments – the joyful beginnings, difficult endings, and everything in between. She believes in the transformative power of meaningful, authentic, story-based ceremonies to connect and inspire us as we move through life’s transitions.  Af...

Send us Fan Mail I first heard of – and became curious about – Samantha Alexander in her role as the President of the Western Carnival Development Association, which produces the Cariwest Festival in Canada’s “Festival City”, Edmonton, Alberta. She integrates her life in Edmonton with her frequent travels to the Caribbean. The combination has made her a dynamic leader for this vibrant, long-runnin...

Send us Fan Mail Riaz Meghji is a human connection expert and author of the book “ Every Conversation Counts: The 5 Habits of Human Connection That Build Extraordinary Relationships ”. After one conversation led him to take a dramatically different career path that changed his life for the better, he became dedicated to exploring the ways that authentic human connection can change lives and organi...

Send us Fan Mail Brandi Morpurgo is the co-owner of Daisy Chain Book Co ., and she runs two bookstores in Edmonton and Beaumont, Alberta and has worked hard to create a vibrant community of readers. In a previous life she was a Social Worker and Foster Parent who had the wild idea to start Alberta’s first book truck - a bookshop on wheels. That wild adventure took her all through central Alberta a...

Send us Fan Mail 'Segun Olude is a Graphic Design Professional, Design Educator, Storycrafter, Author, and my good friend. 'Segun is a certified professional graphic designer who has developed brands and identities for professionals, businesses, and institutions.  He is a Professional Member of Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (CGD Certified), with a range of skills in Graphic Desi...

Send us Fan Mail It’s Jaclyn Falkenberg ’s calling in life is to support people to be successful. This is most evident in her career that has stretched over 20 years working as an Administrative Professional in various sectors including youth justice, charity, and finance. As a Senior Executive Assistant, she has supported five C-Suite Executives at TriWest Capital Partners, one of Canada’s leadin...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Victoria Burns, Ph. D. , is an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. She lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband Hervé and Pinot, their grumpy poodle-bichon. As a registered social worker, educator, researcher, and engaged activist she has invested her energy and expertise in the homelessness and addiction-recovery sphere for over 15 years. She comes to her work...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Rebecca-Jane McAllister is a lifelong learner who lives out her leadership through service to others. As an evidence-based chiropractor she provides exceptional and quality care to her patients through manual treatment, education, and rehabilitation exercises. Since we first met, I have been intrigued and inspired by Dr. Rebecca’s focus on collaboration with both patients and...

Send us Fan Mail Sharayah and Journee are deep thinkers, thoughtful connectors, and are sisters who have been through thick and thin together. They are two of the most intriguing and inspiring people I know ... and just happen to be my daughters. If you have been following my journey as I have built my business over the last 14 years, it’s almost guaranteed that you have seen snaps of my girls or...

Send us Fan Mail Jessica McNaughton has learned that by chasing the things that bring her joy and that help her feel fulfilled – more would come. She now spends her days following that positive energy and engaging with those that drive her purpose forward. As the CEO, and Founder of memoryKPR technologies, Jessica is joyfully building a company committed to connecting the world through story. She...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. John Rook is a passionate servant leader who champions the belief that poverty can be solved. With a doctorate from Oxford University, he has spent years both at the front lines and in academia to gain both a theoretical and practical understanding of the issues facing people in poverty. It is this perspective that makes him a desired speaker at conferences – tackling topics r...

Send us Fan Mail Preethi Balasubramanian, MBA, ACEA, CCAP, PACE learned from an early age the value of connection. She soaked in the connection with her family growing up in India and naturally worked to bring friends together into that feeling of family as well! Preethi has grown into her life path as an award winning, certified experienced Administrative and Human Resources professional with 15...

Send us Fan Mail I had been following James Robilotta , CSP – an accomplished author, speaker, coach, and emcee – on LinkedIn over the last couple of months but it wasn’t his credentials that caught my eye – it was his keen focus on authentic connections that made me curious. When inviting him to a conversation about connection (that I recorded for you all to share in) it was cool to hear how his...

Send us Fan Mail Lindsey Sinclair is an active listener, big picture brainstormer, passionate problem solver, energetic educator, and – yes – a natural connector. Lindsey happily puts all these skills – and her ability to show up authentically – to her work as the Business Development Manager at Tourism Canmore Kananaskis . Her background in events began over a decade ago from coordinating festiva...

Send us Fan Mail Kyle Craik is a martial arts black belt, wellness community builder, and the Founder of The Wellness Dojo *. When Kyle thinks about connection he thinks about community. His journey to a black belt took patience, care, and an ability to embrace the journey. It also took a network that was ready to support him, push him, lift up him up, and – yes even knock him down (in a healthy w...

Send us Fan Mail Ever since she was young, Lucy Brazier , OBE*, has been driven to drive people together to have conversations. As one of the world’s leading authorities on the administrative profession, CEO of Marcham Publishing, specialist publishers of Executive Support Magazine , Lucy’s passion is for the Assistant role to be truly recognized as a career and not just a job. With access to the...

Send us Fan Mail Trish Tutton helps organizations and individuals learn to use mindfulness to reduce stress and anxiety so that they can thrive in life and at work. After years working in cultures where stress and burnout were seemingly the only way to success, Trish suffered a shocking loss and things became clear: stress is unavoidable, but it doesn’t have to dictate our lives. As a speaker and...

Send us Fan Mail Caitlyn Hamblin is a natural connector, creator, and podcast enthusiast. She learned from her mom – who she called the "Mayor of Truro, Nova Scotia" – how to walk up to anyone and make them feel seen, heard, and considered. Caitlyn is an Executive Assistant in Business Development and Marketing at Lindsay Construction based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia near Halifax, an Atla...

Send us Fan Mail My long-time, dear friend, Grace Gee , is a Chinese Canadian who now resides in Louisville, Colorado. Grace has lived and worked in Canada, the US and Hong Kong and has traveled widely in Europe and Asia. It was over 25 years ago that we met in Calgary, working side by side at a postal plant conveyor belt sorting holiday packages to their final destinations. We both knew our time...

Send us Fan Mail Christa Hiebert is a soulful advocate who approaches life with open arms; no challenge is too mighty. As a community builder, Office Manager and Executive Assistant at Alaris Equity Partners, and a dedicated mom of two girls, she looks at every challenge as a chance to learn, grow, and thrive. She’s an igniter and inspiring leader who serves as the volunteer President of the Calga...

Send us Fan Mail Wakefield Brewster – “Da Lyrical Pitbull” – is a proud, professional poet, spoken word artist, and Professional Poetic Interpreter™️. Since January 1999, Wakefield has been known as one of Canada’s most popular and prolific Performance Poets. He is a black man born and raised in Toronto, by parents hailing from the island of beautiful Barbados, and he has called Calgary home since...

Send us Fan Mail Evan Babins is a self-proclaimed “adrenaline junkie”, a tech savvy event producer, and event industry trendsetter. He has managed event logistics and technical event production for many world class clients like: Nissan Canada, Equitable Bank, Kia Canada, Novartis, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, just to name a few. He continues his passion for events as the new Events & Marketing Ma...