The Second Act Podcast

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, we veer off a little bit from our beaten path and sit down with a gentleman who has battled depression and came out the other side armed with some knowledge that he wanted to share with the world.  Stephen Irizarry (@isnt_it_iri on IG) participated in a Menzleague Man-Talk-Monday earlier this summer & I reached out to him and we discussed how we...

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, we sat down with Victoria BC morning radio personality, ex-stand up comedian and current underground punk rock biographer Jason Lamb.  In between being a father and husband, Jason finds time to entertain the residents of Victoria on their way to work, produce a 60min punk rock show on Friday nights and is writing the definitive oral history of the se...

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, we sit down with one of the survivors of the Humboldt Bronco's bus accident to talk about what the aftermath has held for him.  Ryan Straschnitzki (@rstraz_) has been one of the more visible survivors, chronicling his therapy, sharing milestones and embarking on a sled hockey career.  In this episode, we talk about the things we don't see on the...

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, we sit down with Saskatchewan Country Music legend Donny Parenteau.  Donny shares the story of the genesis of his passion for music, when he thought he could do it for a living and when he knew he couldn't do it, that way, any longer.  From a backstage audition for a position that didn't exist to quitting his dream gig on the back of a tour bus,...

Moms.  What can you say about moms that hasn't already been said a million times?  Mine is no different, she has always been a huge supporter of *most* things I have tried in my life and I felt like no "Supporting Act" edition is complete without an appearance by her. Of course, she is positive and optimistic, but she also provides the little tidbits that help me understand why I gravita...

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, we sit down with a gentleman who, other than my wife, probably had the most impact on my decision to start this podcast.  Jason Jackson and I worked together for a number of years and our discussions were always very influential on my point of view of any situation we were mulling over.  We don't always see things the same by any stretch, but we...

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, we sit down with a podcaster and addiction support champion. He has lived it all, is on the other side of the tunnel and has devoted his new lease on life to helping others with their addiction and recovery with his pucksupport.com website.  His name is Brady Leavold and I first heard him on the Shaun Newman Podcast (episode #176) and I was riveted b...

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, I take an opportunity to call upon someone I worked with in my career whose resume couldn’t possibly state how involved and varied his life experiences were to that point.  Bill Down has enjoyed a long successful career in the oilfield that was preceded by a long and successful career in the restaurant industry.  He shares the genesis of that ch...

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, we have an opportunity to shine the light on a hard fighting rodeo cowboy who suffered a traumatic brain injury and all of the work that he has put into his recovery.  His name is Curtis Anderson and he is a motivational speaker, cowboy poet and all around inspiration to anyone who needs a kick in the pants to fight another day.  He is honest ab...

On this episode of The Second Act Podcast, we have an opportunity to sit down and get to know a little bit more about a badass lady named Faye Stenning. As you will hear, Faye is a professional obstacle course racer and gym owner who has taken on every challenge in her life head on and conquered almost all of them.  It hasn’t been easy or always been fun, but what she has learned has been inv...

This episode finds us chatting with an accountant-turned-entrepreneur who lives in London by way of Bermuda, a lady named Ashley Turner.  After a run in the rat-race, she quickly realized that it wasn’t going to be what made her happy, so she set about to make some changes.  It wasn’t always fun, easy or profitable but it was always worth it.  Join us for a discussion on her journey...

This week we sit down with the Toronto 6’s Mikyla Grant-Mentis, who is the current MVP of the National Women’s Hockey League. So, yeah...kinda a big deal! (my words, not hers). Mikyla talks about growing up around hockey, playing around the GTA and getting a scholarship to Merrimack in Massachusetts.  She came out and slid right into an NWHL opportunity, which she took full advantage of. &nbs...

You know that feeling when you shoot for the stars and it sticks? Well, that's what this was.  I reached out to Steve Cadigan, he of 90,000 Tik Tok followers, countless keynote addresses and a resume so varied and and steeped in hiring royalty that you have to wonder how he finds the time. Well, he found the time and he was incredible.  Going through his life, his career and the many roles he has...

This week we are fortunate to have Sam Ridgewell drop in for a discussion about her journey to becoming a professional hockey player, a place where all Canadian kids dream of being.  It was never easy, it wasn’t even always apparent there was a prize at the end of the road, but she persevered, with a ton of support from her family and supporters.  She shares the ups and the downs and talks about g...

This is a fun one! Erin has really developed a unique system for processing change.  She has endured an incredible amount of it, both imposed and self-directed and her healthy, constructive manner of dealing with it as it comes helps her not get lost in it.  In fact, I'd argue that she makes it work for her. It's a fast listen, over before I knew it and when we were done I almost needed to catch m...

On the 6th episode of The Second Act Podcast we sit down for a discussion with Vancouver Island woodworker Sam Acford to chat about how his gifts for working with his hands led him to eventually running a successful shop. He talks about working for TED Talks, his run in with Edward Snowden and how he traded some spoons for a tattoo! Sam has a unique story about how he knew he wasn’t long for the s...

Today we are sharing a brief chat with the Executive Producer, Chief Lawn Care Technician and all around good guy, my son Liam.  Liam helps with a lot of things around Second Act HQ and I thought it may be interesting to hear his point of view on the craziness that has ensued since we started on this journey.  As usual, he doesn't disappoint. He talks about his own pod, what he learned a...

Sitting down with Landon Larson to chat about all of the decisions he made and experiences he had that lead to a life of farming.  I think there are a lot of ways that can happen, but there are some misconceptions about how it actually happens.  Landon's honestly regarding the succession planning and the roles his parents play in helping him and his family be successful is critical to un...

On the 4th episode of The Second Act Podcast, we dive into the NHL career of Robyn Regehr. We talk about the Game 7 loss in 03, trades and how they actually work, a cup win in '14 and how you finally know when enough is enough.  Life after hockey isn't always easy for athletes and we talk about how Robyn managed the transition.  There is far more than meets the eye to this whole progress...

On the third episode of The Second Act Podcast, we welcome Stanley Cup Champion Robyn Regehr to the show for a long form discussion about his early life, the path (and road blocks) to making a living as a professional athlete and how those options affect a young man and his family.  Robyn is frank and open about some of the hard parts about moving away while he was young, the highs and lows o...

On the latest episode of The Second Act Podcast we are joined by Pete Beskas, a gentleman with a story that is probably more common that you think.  He was a successful engineer who was diagnosed with cancer and when him and his family came out the other side of that dreaded situation, he clearly saw that his path wasn't set for optimum satisfaction.  Some big changes were in order, and...

In the debut episode of The Second Act Podcast, we talk to a gentleman who is importing some of the finest boutique spirits, seltzers and sodas the world has to offer into Western Canada and using that platform has become a true culinary connoisseur within the vibrant #YYC restaurant scene.  Dave Murray tried his hand at hockey before getting a business degree from the U of A, and once he had...

We are very proud to announce the launching of The Second Act Podcast, aiming to share the stories of people who are doing what they love and not what they have to do, people who are learning the hard way and people who want you to know what they have learned! We aim to drop an episode bi-weekly and have a stacked line up of known and unknown entities who have journeys and experiences to share. Ho...