The Second Act Podcast

This is it. We are done. What a ride, if you are reading this, I am forever grateful for you. If you think you can or you cannot, you are right. Take the plunge, try something absurd. You never know how it’s going to end up.

We interviewed Kaleb Dahlgren on the the show, discussing Kaleb's early life in hockey and his experience managing type 1 diabetes, the profound impact of the Humboldt bus accident on his life and recovery process focusing on acceptance and community, his return to hockey and academic success at York University with significant support, his public speaking engagements and writing inspired by resil...

This week we interviewed Jocelyn Chugg f, focusing on her transition from traditional work to pursuing her passion for acting. Jocelyn Chugg, a fifth-generation Albertan, always desired to act but initially followed other paths before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a career change leading her to discover Calgary's vibrant film scene. We discussed balancing passion with financial realities, the...

Michelle Cameron Coulter was 1 in a blended family of 10. She didn't love the water. Yet, in 1988 she stood on the podium with a gold medal in synchronized swimming. How she got there is quite a story, but what she has done since is just as good. Michelle knows that she has what it takes to make changes and she is sharing that with the world. Join us for an incredible conversation! Check her o...

Trevor Turnbull has had success. Sometimes, just when it came, he figured out a way to make it a little tougher on himself than it needed to be, it’s funny how that works sometimes? Now, after a bunch of wins, some losses and more than a few draws, he is sharing those stories with people, helping them on their journey. From a small NE SK town to living all over the world helping folks, Trevor has...

Kiley George is a misfit swinger turned monogamous, trauma-informed somatic sex and relationship coach, digital marketer, and the voice behind The Pineapple Express podcast. With a background in sex work, a flair for the witchy, and a passion for telling the truth (even when it’s messy), Kiley is a queer menace with a heart of gold and a brain full of ADHD-fueled daydreams. She’s built a loyal fol...

Dr. Christie Vanorsdale is a lifelong educator who entered the field in an unconventional manner and has used that POV to blaze trails that most people never see. Her passion for structuring outcomes for her clients and pupils has resulted in her developing her own Learning Lab as she struck out on her own. She has an incredible outlook on how we learn, continue to learn and best learn, and this i...

Kate Reid was born right when country music got fun again! A child of the 90’s CMT era, Kate knew that country music was what she loved. Living in the Yukon was enough for her to know that she was going to have to chase her dream, so after university in Saskatchewan, she came to Alberta to make it happen! No shortage of enthusiasm will ever be an issue, as she is truly doing what she loves, both a...

If you have been with us from the very beginning, you may remember this guy. Greg German was our guest on episode #21 and was our first viral episode! He told us about how he went from being on top of a world he didn't understand to in the US Federal Penal System for 7+ yrs. His honest and raw look at the choices he made was exactly the story we wanted to tell with the show. Well, Greg is back...

Sarah Scott knew she was going to perform. From a young age, she went to camps, took every opportunity that came up to be in front of people and enjoyed sharing her gifts with anyone who cared to listen. Getting hired at a radio station in her late teens and joining the ranks of radio DJ's seemed like a natural fit. But, like all businesses, radio is tough and after a few job interruptions and...

Today we sit down with a gentleman who lived a lifetime before finding himself incarcerated for his gang-related activity. Joey Vargas Zapata grew up in the American midwest and despite all of the efforts of the people in his life to keep him out of trouble, he always found some. He ended up finding himself in jail for selling drugs, in a misguided effort to help his father and after 5 years insid...

On this, our 150th episode, we are chatting with a gentleman who was a Senior Vice President at the company I worked at prior to starting the pod. If you had told me then that I would have an occasion to sit down and chop it up with Brent Janke, I wouldn’t have believed you. But, chop it up we did. We talk about his journey to the upper levels of management in the oil and gas industry, working all...

Jeff Kolez was going through a divorce when it became apparent to him that there was no way for him to compete, let alone win. The odds were too long, everything was stacked against him and he didn’t want everyone to feel that way.  So, once he was back on his feet, he started on a path to work with others to help them understand that they had people in their corner and there was a way out. With 5...

Paul Myrehaug knew that comedy was what he wanted to do. He knew he could do it. He just had to find a way! Now, 20+ years into his career, he is closing the largest soft seat theater tour in Canada, living abroad making scores of people laugh out loud at his unique brand of humour. How a style develops, how you know something is going to work and what goes into the never ending job of creation, P...

Stacey Brown had the perfect life. House in the country, great career, beautiful family and a loving husband. But as her son struggled with addiction and mental health issues, she watched it slip away. A traumatic event ripped all sense of normalcy away from her, and she knew there was a different path for her. After a divorce and walking away from everything she knew, she wrote a book, started a...

Mariah Pettry has seen a lot. Addiction and all that goes along with it, but she knew there was more for her in this world, and she finally found it. Now, she is helping others find theirs and her story is incredible! Born in the Appalachian basin, bounced all over the USA and having settled in Georgia, she understands what it takes to stay the course. Her perspective on addiction, beating it and...

Pat Kordyback has seen success. His band Stereos took the world by storm in the early 2000’s and they played everywhere, with everyone. Not too bad for a couple of Edmonton kids hoping to play the Warped Tour! Now, after some stops and starts, he is out of the gate as Delta Sweet, a country-inspired alter ego. Still equipped with hooks and melodies, he’s trying something new and we are here for th...

Maria Palmer has lived a very unique life. The daughter of one of Pittsburgh’s most successful restaurateurs, she saw the great side of a business that almost couldn’t lose. Then, once her father ran afoul with the law and lost the business, she saw how that affected everyone around her. As she gathered stories for a book she never knew she’d publish, she eventually figured out what made her dad t...

New show this week with psychiatrist-turned-author Alice Cadd! This Perth-based practitioner turned years of human psyche understanding into a career that uses that info to make us sweat! Check it out! Co-Host & Executive Producer: Liam Kiteley gord@secondactpodcast.com

Benjamin Kintisch has had a unique career path to this point. He has, by his own admission, zigged and zagged through numerous roles in different fields, but he never stopped creating. Using his gifts to express himself was always near and dear to his heart, but it was not until he started his attempt at playwriting that he found out what he is here to do.  Please join us! Check him out here Insta...

Maria Rigapoulou knew from an early age that understanding how things worked was important to her. A career in electrical engineering seemed to satisfy that itch, until she sustained an injury that left her laid up and with a prognosis she did not understand completely. She was told that she had the bone health of an 80 year old, but she was only in her early 30’s! She has since devoted her life i...

Annae Jones has never had it easy. Born without arms, she has always had to find a way, so when her life started to allow for her to find time to express herself, it is no wonder that foot painting became her new outlet for her artistic endeavors. She joins us to talk about the community she found, the opportunities that are out there and how she has translated all of her lessons learned in life t...

Daniel Harper has seen a lot. He went off on his own path in his late teens, played and listened to every kind of music under the sun and when he got his life back on track, his wife and family were there to guide him to a blue collar job. Never one to leave anything on the table, Daniel started recording under the name Poorboy Slides and is releasing some of the most incredible music you will eve...

Logan Harland got to live out every young Canadian’s dream. Hockey at the highest level all the way along, but once he got to the top of his Jr career, the reality set in.  He talks about finding trouble, then finding himself, all while playing the game he loves.  Now, as he works towards his psychology career, he hopes to help others on the same path avoid some of the heartache.  A great show and...

Shane Kimber, aka OGR Scintilla, is an AB farmer who also happens to be a prolific producer of fire beats and parody jams that the whole country knows, even if they don’t! Shane talks about what goes into a life of creation and where he finds the inspiration to have more than a few profiles out to the world! Join us! Check him out here Facebook Youtube Tik Tok Instagram   Spotify Music furnished b...