The Gift of Happy with Mark Kondrat

My friend and mentor, Alastair Smart, is someone who truly embodies what it means to live a full and happy life.  Born and raised in England, he began his career as a police officer before following a path that eventually brought him to Canada. Along the way, he embraced a wide range of experiences - from driving taxis to managing retail stores - each shaping his perspective on people, work, and c...

Amber Nicole Hayes is an entrepreneur and author of The Obedient Daughter — a powerful memoir about breaking silence, confronting trauma, and reclaiming your voice. After leaving the corporate world to build her own design business, Amber’s greatest transformation happened internally. At 37, after carrying the secret of childhood sexual abuse for 25 years, she faced a battle with depression that u...

Meet Mike Hanson, a devoted husband, father of four, and endurance athlete with a mission.  Happily married and raising a young family, Mike’s life changed in 2012 when his twin boys were diagnosed with autism. Confronted with the challenges of accessing resources, Mike turned his determination into action, launching fundraising efforts to support families in need. In 2017, he ran his first marath...

Meet Lisa Clemens, Owner of Kootenay Yoga School, with operations in Canada, California and Mexico. Lisa is originally from Christina Lake BC - currently residing between Joshua Tree California and Isla Mujeres Mexico.  Through her company, Lisa offers Yoga Teacher Training to aspiring teachers and has a blast doing it! On the podcast, we discuss how Lisa and her team built the Kootenay Yoga Schoo...

Meet Derek Hovinga, Founder of The Inbound Lab - helping founders and startups grow their companies. Derek's career spans a number of industries - construction, radio, television and film.  With all of the skills he’s acquired in these industries - and a knack of storytelling - he's now enjoying a successful career as an entrepreneur. On the podcast, we discuss how Derek balances his lov...

Meet Brian Thiessen, practicing labour lawyer and candidate to be Calgary’s next mayor. Brian has witnessed firsthand the boom-and-bust cycles that have shaped Calgary’s economy, and worked with clean energy, agribusiness, tech and energy businesses, as they have grown and diversified the Calgary economy.  In addition to his professional work, Brian is strongly committed to community service. As t...

Meet James MacDonald, Founder and President of the WoodridgeMTB Trail Support Foundation. WoodridgeMTB Trail Support Foundation is a registered Non-profit society in Alberta that supports Alberta Mountain Biking associations  and builds positive awareness towards the importance of Mental Health and addiction Recovery.  On the podcast, James talks about his own journey of recovery and why he chose...

Meet Alyssa Kerbel, successful entrepreneur, mentor and community builder. Alyssa is a passionate, soul-led, entrepreneur who, over the past 20+ years, has started, grown, sold and exited two companies (Alyssa Agency, a wholesale fashion agency and mini mioche, a children’s apparel and lifestyle brand).   Alyssa founded mini mioche in 2008 as a passion project and ‘side hustle’ after the birth of...

Meet Quan Ly, Founder of Evil Corporation Brewing. By day, Quan Ly is a Chartered Professional Accountant and founder of McRally, a boutique fractional CFO services firm helping small businesses across Canada. By night, he’s the co-owner of Evil Corporation Brewing, a playful yet passionate brand dedicated to “world domination through quality craft beer.” Named one of Avenue Magazine's Top 40...

I first met Rebekah in 2023 after her first amateur boxing match.  We discussed her amazing journey from being bedridden and almost having her leg amputated to competing as a boxer That first boxing match was supposed to be a one-and-done - just ask her daughter!  But Rebekah called me recently to tell me that she was making plans to get back in the ring - and I needed to know why. In this episode...

Meet Jessica Schafer, psychotherapist and founder of My Inner Harbour, a membership-based self-care space for the mind, body and spirit in Nanaimo, British Columbia. With over a decade of experience in mental health, Jessica witnessed two major challenges her clients faced: the struggle to practice meaningful self-care and the isolating effects of loneliness, which made everything more difficult....

Meet Marlo Brausse, a former Probation Officer turned entrepreneur.  Marlo opened Barre Body Studio in 2013, Calgary's first barre studio. She has won multiple awards as a small business entrepreneur and fitness instructor and launched Barre Body On Demand in 2020.  As an Integrative Somatic Therapy Practitioner and SPIRITUS Breathwork Facilitator since 2023, Marlo helps clients with nervous...

Meet Natacha Mdawar - Yoga Teacher, Public Speaker, and Co-Founder of X Path. Born in Lebanon and raised in Canada, Natacha has spent her life embracing the power of individuality and connection. Natacha’s passion for human connection and storytelling drives everything she does—whether teaching yoga, speaking publicly, or co-creating X Path, a creative hub set to launch in Montreal in 2025. X Path...

Meet Cheryl Berger, Executive Assistant to the VP of HR at Bombardier Aerospace.  Cheryl’s career journey is anything but ordinary, working in industries such as architecture and finance, to aerospace and beyond. Her life story is one of resilience, shaped by overcoming personal trauma, and a serious accident, and navigating life’s unexpected turns with curiosity and hope. In this episode, Cheryl...

Meet Jochen Fahr, founder of Brauerei Fahr, the award-winning brewery celebrated for its authentic German beers. Born in Ebringen, Germany, Jochen turned his passion for brewing into a thriving business. But in 2023, after losing both his brother to ALS and his father shortly after, Jochen found himself reevaluating life’s priorities. Determined to find a sense of clarity and resilience, Jochen be...

This week on the podcast, we are joined once again by our good friend Lochlin Cross to chat about Mark's upcoming 28-day Yoga Challenge using the new Explore84 App! After a hockey injury left Lochlin with a broken tailbone, he reluctantly turned to yoga to aid his recovery. What started as a physical necessity became a life-changing practice, and Lochlin embraced yoga for its mental, physical...

Meet Michael Allemeier - Certified Master Chef and Instructor of Culinary Arts at SAIT Polytechnic. After years of enduring painful arthritis from the demands of a high-energy kitchen career, Michael recently underwent a full hip replacement. Michael shares the physical and mental challenges that came with his journey to recovery and offers insights into how healing his body has also opened doors...

Meet Steve Rio -  spiritual coach, entrepreneur, and Co-Founder of Enfold Institute. As a key figure in the psychedelic renaissance, Steve sits on the board of TheraPsil and advises leading companies in this space. His life’s work is to raise consciousness and help people realize their full potential.  Enfold offers a unique psycho-spiritual model for healing and growth, combining psychedelic inte...

Meet Kevin Bailey, Co-Founder and CEO of Dreamfuel, a company that provides founders with mental performance coaching on par with what pro athletes receive. A three-time Inc. 500 startup founder, Kevin is also completing his master's in applied neuroscience at King’s College London. Dreamfuel’s neuroscience-based coaching platform helps high achievers eliminate mental barriers and align their...

Meet Richard Papp, a lifelong fitness enthusiast, athlete, and successful personal trainer who’s spent decades pushing the boundaries of physical potential—both for himself and his clients. Richard’s passion for fitness spans a wide range of disciplines, from gymnastics and cycling to bodybuilding, where he recently won the Alberta Open Bodybuilding Championships in the over-50 and over-60 classic...

Meet Chad Gillies, a devoted family man and spiritual explorer on a mission to reclaim mental health. A true psychonaut, Chad is all about doing the dirty work of personal transformation. In this episode, Chad shares his powerful story of how ayahuasca transformed his life. Chad’s journey with this plant medicine began over a decade ago, with healing ceremonies in Costa Rica that cured his depress...

Meet Rod Stilwell, Chief Catalyst and President of Uni-Signal Development Group. With over 30 years of experience in leadership development, Rod specializes in helping executives and teams become the best versions of themselves. After leaving a successful executive career in banking, Rod found his calling working with engineering, mining companies, and technical leaders—guiding them through the co...

Meet Shaun Caron - passionate ultra runner and Territory Sales Manager at Red Truck Beer Co. Beyond his professional life in the beer industry, Shaun is an average Joe turned ultra runner and endurance athlete. His impressive race resume includes completing four World's Toughest Mudders and six ultra marathons, with distances ranging from 50km to 161km. Shaun's journey into endurance spo...

Meet Kelsey Irvine - passionate leader and CEO of two Canadian all-natural skincare companies, Birch Babe and Birch Baby 🌱  Birch Babe is a collection of 60+ certified all-natural, plastic-free skincare and clean beauty products made in Canada. Kelsey's passion for health, sustainability, and ethical values inspired her and her sister Lindsay to rebrand their mom's company Birch Babe du...

Meet Pete Estabrooks - one of Canada’s foremost experts in personal training and fitness. With over 45 years in the fitness industry, Pete’s journey is filled with passion, dedication, and an undeniable love for helping others achieve their fitness goals. Pete’s journey began in 1979, running conditioning classes for boxers in exchange for a National Fitness Centre boxing membership. From amateur...