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Tea with a Titan: Conversations Steeped in Greatness |Achievement | Olympics | Olympians| Success | Athletes | Entrepreneurs | Actors | Authors | Philanthropy | Business | Artists

Tea with a Titan is a weekly podcast during which seasoned interview-buff Mary-Jo Dionne speaks with those people who have one thing in common. The quest for authentic greatness. Be it entrepreneur, athlete, entertainer, artist, philanthropist, thought-leader, or difference maker, if the target is greatness -- even in the face of hurdles -- Mary-Jo will be having tea with them.
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Tea with a Titan: Conversations Steeped in Greatness |Achievement | Olympics | Olympians| Success | Athletes | Entrepreneurs | Actors | Authors | Philanthropy | Business | Artists
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Now displaying: October, 2017
Oct 25, 2017

What we cover: “Boom! Gratitude.” —Mike Shaw

This week’s Guest Titan – Mike Shaw — is beyond inspiring. I have thought about our chat daily since it happened. He is just that impressive. I don’t want to give too much away, his story is incredible, and it’s best if I get out of the way – and let you hear it from his vantage point. Hear what it was like to be at the top of his game as a freestyle skier and coach, and to one day, in the moment it takes to snap our fingers, experience a fluke crash and the subsequent horror of feeling nothing from the neck down – to know that there is a very good chance that he would spend his life as a quadriplegic. This is a story of grit, determination, self-identity – and above all else, gratitude. I caught Mike’s TED Talk in Vancouver, and I knew I had to meet him. And I did, and we drank Vega shakes together, and he wowed me. Every day his feet touch the ground in the morning, he says: “Boom! Gratitude. Boom! Gratitude.”

His TED Talk is amazing – he is amazing – and it’s posted here, please check it out. While you’re here, Red Bull did an astounding documentary, called The Healing Agent, on Mike’s recovery – I’m not kidding, it’s one of the most unforgettable half-hours I’ve watched… the moment of Mike’s crash is captured, there is footage of that game-changing, life-altering moment, and it’s hard to watch, really hard, actually. His recovery and his unbreakable focus are also captured, and serve as a reminder that if we want something badly enough, this level of commitment is what it takes. Rehabilitation and recovery became Mike’s full-time job. And, it worked.

The reason I started this series, is so that my two daughters, Majella (who we call JouJou) and Burgess (who we call Birdie) will have an inventory of inspiring conversations with paradigm-busters to draw upon for those times in their lives when they feel stuck. Each conversations give me the gift of at least one perspective shift – a new way of looking at the situation. I want to thank Mike for so much – for reminding me to be grateful for the little things. Today, as I was leaving the library, I stepped up over the curb and I thought of Mike. Of those weeks following his accident – when to step up over a curb was an unthinkable privilege. We are all living someone’s version of an unthinkable privilege. Whether it’s having the ability to see, or to hear, or to walk, or just to be alive – those are privileges. Thank you for that special reminder, Mike.

Oct 17, 2017

What we cover: Reinvention.

I have been calling myself a writer since I was 5 years old. I’ve had a fun and memorable career as an ad copywriter in agencies in Vancouver, as an editor, as a features writer for various magazines. I’ve written my one-woman show and am currently working on the sequel. I wrote my own comedy material in the days I did standup. But for me, the dream is to one day get that screenplay written – that’s the dream. I’ll be honest, though, for some reason, it’s scary to me. It’s a new format, and a new thing, and despite the fact that I’ve read countless books on screenwriting, and have taken half a dozen screenwriting courses, I continue to fall into the category – in this one area of my life – where I talk the talk, but I don’t yet walk the walk. That is my thing – my block. What’s yours? What’s that one thing you want to rock on, but instead you continue to stand in your own way? Because that’s what it is – it’s just ourselves -- getting in the way.

Terri Tatchell, of course is the Oscar-nominated writer of the 2009 blockbuster film District 9, which was directed by Neil Blomkamp, who also happens to be her main dude in life – her husband, in fact. So this is a woman knows a thing or two about filmmaking. I re-watched District 9 to prepare for our chat, and if you haven’t watched it lately – do so. I’m not sure how it’s possible, but its themes are somehow more relevant today. I actually felt sick to my stomach watching – themes of oppression, poverty, segregation. It’s all just a little too close to travel bans and walls and terror.

However, this isn’t just a talk about writing, and it’s not just a talk about filmmaking, it’s a talk about reinventing -- because she wasn’t always a screenwriter. She wasn’t one of those 18 year olds, fresh out of high school who makes a bee-line to LA. She was on another track altogether. She was a corporate gal, when she made what was arguably a 180, even going to so far as to both metaphorically and literally purge her closet of 33 of her office suits… knowing that in her new life as a writer, she would no longer be needing them. She made a fresh start. She hit the reset button, which is actually something we can all do. It just takes guts. And commitment. It takes what she calls: Hand-cuffing herself to the process.

The reason I started this series, is so that my two daughters, Majella and Burgess will have an inventory of inspiring conversations with paradigm-busters to draw upon for those times in their lives when they feel stuck. Each conversations give me the gift of at least one perspective shift – a new way of looking at the situation. And I want to thank Terri for reminding me that committing to a do-ever, throwing our proverbial hats in a whole new ring, is entirely our own choice. That we can get rid of our own version of our 33 suits – when we take the steps to make the decision to get to the heart of the answer to the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

MJDionne.com

Oct 10, 2017

This is a mini-episode. Just a wee one. It’s sort of Part Two in my chat with the unbelievably well-respected professional Ironman triathlete, Jeff Symonds Asia Pacific Ironman Champion, the year before last. But it’s also a stand-alone. So I’m not really thinking of it as a continuation of last week’s episode. By all means, go back and check that one out – but don’t feel you have to in order to really “get it”. I saved this installment, which technically is the last twenty minutes of our initial time together, because I really believes it sums up everything I believe about what makes a Guest Titan a Titan. And that is the ability to rise after a fall. The story Jeff tells isn’t just that figuratively, -- it is that literally. It’s the story of what goes on in the mind of someone with such unshakeable conviction and focus on desired outcome, that even when they crash their bike going at speeds of more than 60km/hour during the 180km ride that precedes the full marathon in his iron event – that he will get back up on his bike and persevere. So I didn’t want to largeness of his message to hide in the final quarter of our talk. I wanted it to have its own space, its own room to breathe. It’s just that important – because it applies to us all. I said it last week, and I will say it again, this is a guy who personifies all that we admire in the best of humanity – he is devoid of pretension, he personifies hard work, he is the embodiment of his life philosophy: “Get ugly.” But Jeff is anything but physically ugly – his kind of ugly is the ugly that happens when you leave it all on the line. When you let the sweat and the grime and guts of pursuit ooze from wherever it is that sweat and grime and guts ooze as you stare-down the finish line. That’s the kind of single-focused, push through the pain and discomfort “ugly” he talks about in this short story. 

The reason I started this series, is so that my two daughters, Majella (who we call JouJou) and Burgess (who we call Birdie) will have an inventory of inspiring conversations with paradigm-busters to draw upon for those times in their lives when they feel stuck. Each conversations give me the gift of at least one perspective shift – a new way of looking at the situation. And I want to thank Jeff for reminding me that the most rewarding experiences aren’t the ones where we do the best, they’re the ones where we overcome the most adversity.

MJDionne.com

Oct 3, 2017

What we cover: “A diamond is a lump of coal that did well under pressure." – Henry Kissinger

This week’s Guest Titan is flipping amazing. I have loved him from afar for many years now – not like as a stalker, dressed as a plant, hiding in a corner. But just that feeling of tremendous respect you get when you know you are around someone who is truly great. Some one who personifies all that you admire in the best of humanity – he is devoid of pretension, he is the definition of hard work, he is the embodiment of his life philosophy: “Get ugly.” But professional triathlete Jeff Symonds is anything but physically ugly – his kind of ugly is the ugly that happens when you leave it all on the line. When you let the sweat and the grime and guts of pursuit ooze from wherever it is that sweat and grime and guts ooze as you stare-down the finish line. That’s the kind of single-focused, push through the pain and discomfort of “ugly” we talk about it. It’s that kind of ugly that garnered him a 3rd place finish at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas, followed by a 1st place finish at the Ironman Asia Pacific Championships in Melbourne. 

However, like all of my best chats, this is a conversation that is universal in its nature – meaning, you don’t have to be a triathlete to “get it”. It doesn’t mater what our figurative finish line looks like, we can all glean from Jeff the inspiration required to dig a little deeper and get a little uglier when we’re face to face with adversity.

Jeff is so totally likeable, and he has a gift for story telling and for taking us right inside from within the perspective of a champion – what it feels like, in real time, to be out on the course, picking off our worthy opponents one by one— to sit with him as I did, and as you are about it, is a unique joy. I love this guy.

Jeff had a lot of great insights, and he tells one story at the end of our time together, about a time when he got particularly ugly – when he endured a bike crash, going 60km/hour, during a really important race, and how he handled the physical agony and what ultimately made him decide whether or not he would get back on his bike and resume the quest for the win, despite being horribly injured. I’ve saved it – the last 20 minutes of our time together – for a Part Two Mini-Episode, slotted for next time. Because it’s a nail-biter, and it works really well as a stand-alone. So, the good news is, you’ll get a dose – albeit a shorter dose -- of Jeff’s ugliness in Episode #59.

The reason I started this series, is so that my two daughters, Majella (who we call JouJou) and Burgess (who we call Birdie) will have an inventory of inspiring conversations with paradigm-busters to draw upon for those times in their lives when they feel stuck. Each conversations give me the gift of at least one perspective shift – a new way of looking at the situation. And I want to thank Jeff for reminding me that when you want something badly enough, it’s up to us to do whatever it takes to dig deep and to let ourselves get ugly for it. Thank you for that, Jeff.

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