The Growth Mixtape: Chasing Curiosity and Sharing Boundless Insights from Ideas that Matter

Originally recorded in the spring of 2024, my conversation with Sylvia Baffour stays with me every day.  Sylvia is a keynote speaker on emotional intelligence and has worked with leaders in 460 major corporations to help them better connect with their teams and customers.  She was voted one of the top 15 female inspirational speakers alongside Mel Robbins and Oprah.   Sylvia’s...

Today we talk to Chris Paul Rainbows, a storyteller, strategist and queer educator on a mission to make everyone feel like they belong.   Chris talks about growing up queer in a small border town, struggling with OCD and anxiety, building a successful company only to have a breakdown, and tearing it all apart to start over.  We touch on PRIDE as a mix of celebration and rebellion, w...

Todd McTavish is a songwriter and it’s all he’s ever wanted to do.  At 23, he left his small town home in Ontario and moved to LA.    And at 53, he just signed his first record deal. Todd’s an old school, rock and roll troubadour.  The stories come fast and hard.  He recorded a Christmas song with Billy Bob Thornton, had one of his songs played at the Superbowl and he owne...

Today we talk to Chris Hood — speaker, strategist, and author of Infallible , a book that challenges a lot of what we’ve been told about AI.  And Chris should know - he’s spent his career working with companies on their digital strategies — from advertising in movie theaters to helping count votes for FOX on American Idol .  I’ve been avoiding talking about AI on the pod because honestly...

In this re-released episode, we talk to Rob Carli, a multi-award-winning musician, producer and composer for film and television.  Rob has had a storied career in music from his early days touring the country in an Econoline van to most recently co-founding the Awesome Music Project - a not-for-profit dedicated to delivering practical solutions to mental health through the transformative powe...

Today we talk to Karl Allen-Muncey - a tech innovator, motorcycle enthusiast and now a real-life Instagram influencer. When I originally talked to Karl about being on the podcast, I wasn’t sure what we’d talk about.  He’s a motorcycle guy who talks about throttle therapy and the mental health benefits of riding.  I’ve never been on a motorcycle.  I was always scared, I was never tha...

The Tragically Hip documentary, “No Dress Rehearsal” recently took home all 7 of the Canadian Screen Awards it was nominated for.  We wanted to celebrate this incredible achievement by re-releasing our conversation from October with one of the film’s producers, Jake Gold. Today I talk to Jake Gold, legendary manager of the Canadian rock band, The Tragically Hip. Jake talks about the new film,...

Today we talk to Greg Boyd — a father of three, a widower, a husband, and now an entrepreneur on a mission to help others live more intentional lives. Greg shares the deeply personal story of losing his wife, Alison, to brain cancer in 2020. And yes, it’s a heartbreaking story.  And yet, this isn’t a sad conversation - we laughed more than we cried.  Greg talks about the storybook life h...

Today we talk to PrettyLynne, and in case you hadn’t guessed - that’s not her real name.  You see Lynne writes and records erotic fiction and for reasons we’ll get into, she’s asked that we keep her identity secret. Lynne describes herself as a Gen Xer in her second act who stumbled into the world of erotic fiction during a period of personal transition.  What she found was freedom, a cr...

Today we talk to Kristi Falturosso, who is a Chief Customer Officer, a LinkedIn Influencer, and CS Strategist. She’s a very big deal.  When I started this podcast, it was about talking to people from way outside my comfort zone, to talk about anything other than what I did for a living.  And that hasn’t changed.  But Kristi and I both work in very similar circles so this conversatio...

Today we talk to Stefanie Peachey, a therapist and mental health advocate about what’s been called, Trump anxiety.  Whether it’s tariffs or rhetoric around Canada becoming the 51st state, Canadians are feeling betrayed, bullied and pissed off.  And it’s taking a dramatic toll on our mental health. I wanted to have this conversation because I have dear friends in the US, customers, and pa...

Today we talk to Drew Smith – a sailor, storyteller, and seeker who just completed a six-year voyage to the far side of the world on his 32-foot sailboat. Drew set out to reach his antipode – the exact opposite point on Earth from where he was born. He’s got incredible stories, but the one that still haunts me is getting caught in a storm in 30 foot waves, 750 miles off the coast of Australia, in...

Today we talk to Syd "The Jewel" Vanderpool—former boxer with a pro record of 35-4 with 23 knockouts.  He was super middleweight champion and he did what virtually no boxers do - he walked away at the top of his game.  He now owns his own boxing gym, coaches Olympic athletes and works with business leaders to take what he learned in the ring to help them build thriving businesses of thei...

Today we talk to Suzanne Kearns, a pilot, professor, and visionary in the future of aviation. I must admit, this might be the hardest intro I’ve ever had to write.  My job now is to give you 2-3 reasons to keep listening.  And no matter what I do, I can’t get it down to less than 10. Suzanne's story is incredible—she started flying at 15, soloed on her 16th birthday, and was flying helic...

Today we talk to Nic Sulsky— TV personality, tech entrepreneur, and the guy on a mission to revolutionize the sport of curling. Nic is a character.  He went from hosting a kids' TV show to conning his way onto a sports talk show, to pioneering two fantasy sports companies to his latest challenge, making curling the biggest winter sport in the world.  Now if you think that sounds a little...

Today we talk to Jim Estill, a serial entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist with an incredible track record of building and scaling companies. He grew his first business to over $2 billion, sat on the founding board of BlackBerry during its meteoric rise, and after a career in tech and having earned the right to do anything he wanted - he decided to be the CEO of an appliance company. But wha...

Today, we talk to Michelle Stainton and Mikelle Ethier, two longtime friends and founders of the This is Perimenopause podcast. Half the population will spend nearly a third of their life dealing with this.  It’s messy, confusing and riddled with stigma - and they’re on a mission to fix that. Michelle and Mikelle share their emotional and sometimes hilarious journeys through perimenopause.&nb...

Today I talk to Angie McQuillin, a speaker and coach that works with leaders to build their confidence to better connect with their teams.  Angie shares intimate stories of abusive relationships from her past and how setting boundaries helped her break toxic patterns and rediscover her self-worth.  She is a unique mix of kindness, vulnerability and 100% pure badassery. Angie talks about...

Today I talk to Diane Allen, an author and speaker that helps people find and keep their flow state. If you’re wondering what flow is exactly, you’re not alone.  In fact, Diane didn’t know it was a thing either until one day she lost it.  She shares the story of being on stage as a violinist, and she froze.  She couldn’t play.  It was that humiliation that sent her on a quest t...

Today I talk to Michelle Grocholosky, a CEO and speaker who works with leaders to build more diverse and inclusive companies.  She’s one of Canada’s top 40 under 40 and has been recognized as one of the top 100 most powerful women in the country. She’s kind of a big deal. I recently told a friend of mine that I was doing an episode on diversity and inclusion, and she said, “yeah that’s of no...

Today I talk to Clarence Cachagee, an Indigenous leader, author and founder of Crow Shield Lodge - a land-based healing center for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.   So, I don’t know how to explain this conversation and when you listen, you’ll know what I mean.  Talking to Clarence, you’re struck by how peaceful, thoughtful and hopeful he is for someone who has been through such tra...

Today I talk to Michelle Hillier, a speaker, educator and author who helps people find their authentic self by slowing down, finding their breath and re-igniting their fire. She’s also a recovering alcoholic.  I never thought a conversation about addiction, recovery and what’s on the other side could be so much fun.  She shares hilarious and sometimes heart-breaking stories of how drinki...

Today, I talk to Jake Gold, the legendary manager of the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. Jake talks about the new film The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal and the four-year process of bringing The Hip’s raw, emotional story to life. We go deep into The Hip lore with stories that have never been heard before about some of The Hip's iconic songs, their appearance on SNL, touring with the S...

Today I talk to Dr. Karen Wyatt, a renowned hospice doctor and author of What Really Matters: 7 Lessons for Living from the Stories of the Dying .  Now before you press skip, this is not as heavy and morbid as it sounds.  In fact, quite the opposite.  This conversation was fun, inspiring and hopeful.   Karen shares stories of people that learned at the very end of their lives,...

Today, we talk with Marc Hogan, a renowned speaker and psychologist with a pretty interesting path from selling missiles, drugs and cigarettes to stand-up comedy and coaching leaders. LinkedIn is a funny place.  It can be noisy and isolating like all social media is, but it can also create genuine connections - and that’s how I found Marc.  There was something about what he was saying an...