The Heroic Minds Podcast

Kirstie Ennis’s was a US Marine Arial Gunner when her helicopter went down in Afghanistan. During her recovery there was a breaking point where she tried to end her life but was saved. Her father said to her “the enemy couldn’t do it so you’re going to do it for them?!” That tough love re-routed her onto an extraordinary journey. After more than 40 surgeries, speech therapy, reconstructing her jaw...

Revolutionizing the global conversation on climate change, Dr. Yimin Wu (PhD in Materials from the University of Oxford) and his team created an artificial leaf that replicates photosynthesizes. Taking in light and CO2 and turning it into fuel/energy. Just like NASA and TESLA are trying to figure out Dr. Wu’s team has found an answer to the CO2 issue. He makes it very clear that his work is not ju...

William is a World Record Freediver. William set a historic first on June 1st, 2007 by becoming the first man to dive the 60-meter deep and 30-meter long passageway known as the Arch in the Blue Hole of Dahab, Egypt, without fins and on a single breath of air. In 2013 William broke the Classic Constant Weight World Record, descending to a record-setting depth of 94 meters. That same year he challe...

Robin is a doctoral candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Waterloo.  He left his job as an Occupational Therapist to make an impact in a different way. Today he is researching the psychological impacts of urban design . Over the years he has worked to enhance the mental wellness in every community he has been a part of. He has launched many community building initiatives, rangin...

Victor Assaf is an Adaptive Crossfit athlete/coach and motivational speaker from Ecuador. In 2012 he was driving home from a strongman competition and lost control of his motorcycle on a bridge. His body slammed into a light pole. The crash damaged three cervical vertebrae which left him in a coma. When he awoke after 10 hours of surgery, lucky to be alive, the doctor told him he would never do Cr...

Zach Wigal is the creator of Gamers Outreach , a company that motivates, supports and entertains those in hospital fighting for their lives. How? by bringing video games to hospital rooms in over 200 hospitals in the US and parts of Canada. This entrepreneurial journey is fuelled by passion. What started as a video game tournament has evolved into a company helping thousands of sick or injured you...

Mike Farwell lost two sisters to Cystic Fibrosis. In 5 years he raised half a million dollars with his bare hands. No business plan, no waivers, no incorporation, to charitable status… just pure passion and the will to fight a disease. During his time away from Radio (his full-time job and expertise) Mike started a hobby/project doing chores for people in return for donations to Cystic Fibrosis Re...

Lyle Thompson is arguably the best lacrosse player in the world. He plays for the Georgia Swarm in the National Lacrosse League along with his three brothers, Jeremy, Haina and Miles. Lyle is growing the game of lacrosse through his heritage and beliefs as a Native American. He has and continues to make such a big impact in and out of lacrosse that he became a Nike sponsored athlete in 2015. The o...

Corey is a comedian and author from Georgia touring around the United states. Whether on stage by himself or with his “ wellRED ” tour group Drew and Ryan, he is always mixing comedy with social and political issues. Corey doesn’t reinforce prejudices in his work but rather challenges and normalizes difference. I came across Corey in a Huffington Post Article about a guy that opened up his home/ya...

Dr. Norman Farb studies neuroscience of human identity and emotion at the University of Toronto. His focus is on how cognitive biases shape emotional reactions that determine well-being. For example, some people seem to shrug off stressful encounters, whereas others cannot let them go. In this episode we talk about the narrative thought and the experiential thought in our mind. We even talk about...

Jean-Paul ran the Toronto Marathon 6 times in a row. Why you might ask? Because running is his tool for wellness, power and resilience. Jean-Paul was sexually abused at a young age and didn’t tell his family until he had been married 25 years and had a son in his twenties. Jean-Paul is a remarkable writer and speaker. He wrote a book called, Running Into Yourself - unlock your strength, heal your...

Ricky Manetta is a head co-ordinator working world wide with the UFC the ultimate fighting championship. Ricky is also the Founder and senior instructor of MMA KRAV MAGA. He is 50 years old and had his first taste of martial arts when he was just 9 years old. Stay tuned for the conclusion when we talk about Ricky and the top MMA competitors today. Ricky went from the victim of bullying to being th...

Drew Butterworth actually started the Original Uber and realized the power of customer experience when bagging groceries as a kid… but before we talk business, we talk real-life, death, masculinity, relationships, and then business.  Drew, entrepreneur and creator of GoodVibesJuice lost his grandmother, father and dog in grade 9 within the span of 3 months. Drew makes some powerful points in this...

Pro Snowboarder to Counsellor. Ryan was in the middle of what he thought to be a snowboarders dream life; professional athlete, cars, money, sponsorship, parties, travel… He started to realize he really didn’t have much. Everything he had didn’t make him happy anymore. The lifestyle didn’t make him happy. He was doing things for a lifestyle he thought he should want. He looked in the mirror at 6’4...

Emily is a former inmate at a federal prison. She was dragged into an illegal drug trade. Before that experience Emily was a very successful marketer downtown Toronto and used drugs recreationally as a form of celebration and to help in being the life of the party… like many people do today. Drug use became a coping mechanism for a family issue. She was then dragged into a one time, harmless, no c...

Greg is the President & CEO of Sutton Special Risk insurance company that insures thousands of professional athletes. Beyond that Sutton Risk offers insurance for disability, critical illness, war & terrorism, kidnap, ransom, and professional sports to name a few. We begin this episode with a powerful conversation about how to build long-term, substantial business relationships that go beyond the...

Ex-Marine and police officer Brian Murphy was supposed to have the day off on August 5th, 2012. Instead he found himself in the middle of a gun fight at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. In a total of a minute and fifteen seconds he was shot 15 times. He was then dragged into a police car by his partner, vest cut off with a knife and loaded into an ambulance. The first bullet that hit him in...

  Shawn Matthias played 10 incredible years in the NHL. But what happens when you move on from playing? When you have to redefine yourself and find out who you really are? An enlightening conversation I never thought I would have with a 10 year NHL vet, one year out of playing. We touched on a couple things to say the least... - 10 years in the NHL - How the ego is the enemy - Wake-up calls from a...

On December 14, 2012, Scarlett Lewis experienced something that no parent should ever have to endure: she lost her son Jesse in an act of unimaginable violence after a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School. This conversation is about how to face the impossible, how to find courage when you think you have none, and how to choose love instead of anger, fear, or hatred.  We can live in a...

  Craig Towler is a bilateral amputee. On July 4th, 2016 he was struck by an impaired driver which resulted in the amputation of both of his legs. He leads a life knowing nothing can take away his happiness and will to succeed. In this episode we talk about dealing with the anger, the value of reflecting on the past to assist us in the future but not dwelling too long in the past that it takes awa...

The audio from the first ever Heroic Minds Live Event held at the University of Waterloo on March 20th 2019. 6 guests and myself had an interactive conversation with the audience. Guests: #2 - Nik Knezic | Stay Weird And Live In The Moment #4 - Amber Shewfelt | Accept What You Can't Control #9 - Ryan Martin | Acceptance Breeds Resilience #29 - Nichole Robertson | We Create Limitation #34 - Chris M...

On July 17, 1989 Angie was sitting in a police interrogation room, her world crashed down as she listened to two detectives tell her that her husband had coordinated and carried out the murder of his father. Angie has lived out the heroes journey through and through. She has totally figured out how to stop living life in defence mode, how to totally rationalize mistakes to the point that they are...

We run away. Mike runs toward. Internationally acclaimed Filmmaker and photographer. Storm chaser. Emmy winner. Published author. Husband and father of three. For Mike, a passion turned into a life-changing career with Mother Nature. We talk storms, we talk philosophy, we talk life and more. From what mother nature has taught Mike about life, to how it can change people, to the beauty of differenc...

Two bioethicists. Maria is an independent consultant in privacy & health law. Melissa is a neuroscientist. A career of high level decision making under pressure. Taking into account and prioritizing a collection of philosophical, social, legal and ethical concerns with the goal of maximum benefit to patient and caregiver. A very heroic duty. This episode has two parts: In part one we talk about ma...

Haley is a South Florida native who was diagnosed with autism at age three. Upon receiving her autism diagnosis, her family was told that she would be fortunate to make a friend, graduate high school, or obtain her driver’s license. Haley has defied the expectations set forth within her initial diagnosis. Haley attended the University of Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology...