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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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Apr 25, 2017

What we cover: "Everything is perspective." -- Jennifer Heil

A few months ago, my friend Susanne Biro, Guest Titan Episode #6, put together a dinner party of six people who didn’t necessarily know one another, but who she all thought would hit it off. And guess what? It worked! Jennifer Heil was one of the people seated at the table, and I instantly fell in love with her. She’s a three-time Olympian – both a gold medalist and a silver medalist – and she’s wise and humble and approachable. I obviously pounced on her and begged her to be a Guest Titan. Better still, turns out, she lives not far from me at all – so getting her here was all the easier. She walks us through the chronology of her time getting to Salt Lake in 2002, Italy in 2006, then Vancouver, in 2010 and the life lessons she picked up along the way.

 This is a conversation about focus, about commitment to the process, about the power of visualization, about getting back up when you’re going through times in your life when the way you feel emotionally and psychologically might instead dictate you’d rather curl up on the couch. It’s about having the tools to know that if you want something bad enough, it’s up to you figure out how to make it happen. It’s about being grateful in the moment, and experiencing joy in the moment. It’s about pushing yourself beyond what you ever thought was possible for yourself -- Jenn is truly one of the most driven, accessible, inspiring, intelligent, big thinking people I’ve ever spoken with.

To this day, she is the only skier to have completed the Skiing Grand Slam, winning every title in her sport. Yes, she’s a gold and silver medalist. But she’s also a four-time world champion, she’s had 58 World Cup podium finishes, and she’s won five overall World Cup Championships. She knows what greatness is – and she gives us a candid, behind the scenes look at the psychology behind what that takes.

MJDionne.com

 

Apr 18, 2017

What we cover: A few years ago, a friend of mine made me a mixed CD. One of the songs was Snow Patrol’s “Just Say Yes”, and it resonated the most for me on that playlist.

“Just say yes. Just say there’s nothing holding you back.”

We are so conditioned, as planners, and as a Type A list-makers, and as do-ers with goals and full daytimers, to say “no” when something we hadn’t necessarily seen coming is presented to us. If it is going to require exertion we hadn’t planned on having to exert, or thinking we hadn’t planned on having to think, or making plans we hadn’t planned on having to plan, we say “no”. We come up with reasons why it won’t work or why we can’t.

I’m not talking about having the ability to avoid biting off more than we can chew. When you say no to things that do not serve you, when you say no to that which depletes you, that is a whole other story. That is to be commended.

I am talking about having an ear that is so finely tuned it can tell when the sound you hear is opportunity knocking, and the time to answer the knock with a “yes!” and not a “no” is now. Because sometimes that happens – sometimes something so big, so exciting, so ginormous lands in our laps, only we’re too caught up in the weeds to notice the potential for the blossoms. We say: Oh, how can I possibly squeeze that in?! How can I possibly go along with that?! How can I possibly, with all I have going on right now, make room for that?!

Our job, however, as they say, is not to ask “how?” our job is to say “yes”.

Like Snow Patrol. Just say yes, just say there’s nothing holding you back.

So, when a dear friend of mine, called me on the weekend and spontaneously let me know of an opportunity that had presented itself, my first reaction – on a visceral, gut level – was to think “no, this isn’t the right time for me.”

That opportunity? Well, due to the last minute cancelation of a fellow participant, one spot had become available for one person to join a group of approximately 20 entrepreneurs and thought leaders for a week of big thinking and unforgettable life experiences on Sir Richard Branson’s private estate, Necker Island. Did I want the spot, she asked me? If I did, she would put my name forward to the decision makers, but I needed to act fast. 

When I talked about it with Chad, and we quickly identified the logistics of what we’d need to solve for me to take off to an exclusive and remote locale in the British Virgin Islands, Chad said something that changed it all for me. Knowing that I’d love to do a trip of this nature “someday”, he said: “Jo, you’re not getting any younger.”

Ugh.

Now – I know for a fact he didn’t mean it in a derogatory way. Neither of us begrudges or bemoans the aging process, it’s a privilege denied to many. But he meant it in a way to remind me that time is finite. Maria Beyon Ray says: “Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in an eternity. We have only this moment. Sparkling like a star in our hand. And melting like a snowflake.”

So, in just a few weeks, I’ll be boarding a plane to Dallas, and from there, one to San Juan, and from there one to Tortola, and from there, a small boat will zip me through the Caribbean Sea to Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island, where for one week, I will be surrounded by a group of the most formidable do’ers and dreamers: The change makers and rule breakers and forward thinkers – those people who know what the German poet Goethe said is all too true: “Anything you believe or think you can, do it. Boldness has genius, magic and power in it.”

So, this weekend, one a weekend equated with rebirth for so many, Easter Weekend, no less. I made like Snow Patrol, and I just said yes. Because there’s nothing holding me back. 

MJDionne.com

Apr 11, 2017
What we cover: "The cave you fear to enter, is the one that holds the treasure." -- Joseph Campbell
 
A few years ago, Chad and I were with another couple at the Vancouver attraction called Playland. We were in our ‘20s and we thought that going on the famously rickety old roller coaster would be a good idea. And it was,… until, about 90% of the way through the ride, the engine – or whatever it is that lies at the heart of a roller coaster’s propulsion – broke down, and we were essentially stranded on the tracks. If I had to estimate today, I’m pretty sure we were only there for about 10 minutes or so. And thankfully, we were right-side up, and not suspended, head-down in some sort of horrible inversion when this happened. Nonetheless, I suffered a debilitating panic attack.

In that moment, everything for me changed. I went from being the kind of person who felt completely free to try anything and do anything, to the kind of person who first needed to consider how long I might be in an enclosed space without the ability to take my exit at a time of my own choosing. Because what happened on the roller coaster turned out not to be a one-off. Rather it would be the first in a long-line of what I can only call panic attacks, because I’ve never figured out what else to call them.

What I have endured all these years, isn’t claustrophobia, per say. If I am in a small space and know I can come and go as I please, there’s no anxiety. If I’m in the same small space and someone else is left to decide when I can leave – it’s a significantly different outcome. I have an irrational fear of being “stuck”.

Last week, when Chad and I were in Mexico, we made the decision to experience what is called a Temazcal; a beautiful and ancient spiritual ceremony conducted by a shaman in a sweat lodge type environment. A Temazcal is meant as a purification process: Purify the body, purify the mind, purify the soul. The Temazcal is essentially a cave – it’s like a circular dome – and hot volcanic rocks are placed in the centre with participants seated around the rocks. Leading up to the ceremony, in my mind, I was sort of prepared for a 90-minute sauna, perched above the ocean, on a backdrop of native Mexican drumming. When we arrived, I casually mentioned to the shaman that I certainly meant no disrespect but I might need to come and go a few times throughout the ceremony, if I were to experience any panic.

This woman, who exuded all the calm and wisdom of the ages, gently and lovingly and firmly explained to me that what we were about to experience was a very intricately designed healing ritual. It was important for me to feel and acknowledge the negative emotions, not to run from them. When I run, I give those feelings permission to return. In short, in many ways, she was inviting me to stare my panic down. I trusted her – nothing about this setting was physically unsafe. The Temazcal was expertly constructed, this wasn’t just some makeshift structure sort of thrown together at a whim – for all intents and purposes, it was a miniature church -- and the heat itself would not be unbearable. The only obstacle I might face would be the darkness of my own mind.

And sure enough, there it was. As soon as the doors closed – that awful wave of dread. The thought of sitting there for 90-minutes in the pitch black, unable to leave was too much. In the quiet, before the ceremony even began, I said: “I’m so sorry, I can’t do this. I have to leave.” And while I most assuredly could have, I wasn’t being held against my will, and there were no locks on the doors, she instead invited me to stay: “Breathe through what you’re feeling. Inhale and exhale. Focus on your breath. And remember,” she said: “Fuerza! Fuerza! Fuerza!” Strength, strength, strength.

Every once in a while, the perspective shift hits when we least expect it to and when we most need it to by a trigger we just didn’t see coming. For me it was “Fuerza! Fuerza! Fuerza!” Suddenly I was in a staring contest with this monster that I had allowed to follow me for the last 18 years, and I knew I was going to win.

Strength, strength, strength…

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Joseph Campbell said: “The cave we fear to enter is the one that holds the treasure.” And here I was, not in a figurative cave, but in a literal one, experiencing a miraculous shift from the height of anxiety to the height of euphoria.

MJDionne.com

Apr 4, 2017

What we cover: “Surf the cosmic wave.” – Nancy Johnston

Not long ago, I had an email from a good friend in London, Jennifer Cameron, letting me know that her good friend, Nancy Johnston, would be coming to Vancouver for Vancouver Fashion Week. And that not only did she have an incredible story – one that would shape her as someone who can rise time and again in the face of adversity – but that she is the creator of a brand that is literally knocking the fashion world on its socks. (Mixed metaphor?)

Before we get into the awe-inspiring brand, Tengri, we get into what makes Nancy – Nancy. With a past straight out of an Oscar winning movie, she is the personification of self-made. Her family fled Vietnam in the mid-1970s, taking up in a Malaysian Refugee Camp for a full year just before she was born in Los Angeles when the family first arrived in the United States. 

Her life in LA wasn’t easy – she and her siblings didn’t have toys, violence was right outside the front door, high school stabbings weren’t unusual. And in her early years, when her parents couldn’t secure childcare but still had to earn a living, Nancy was brought to the sweatshop where her mom was employed and she too was put to work on the factory line. But as she tells it, even at the age of 4, she was excited to be there – to earn her own money. This is a woman who gets the notion of owning her perspective. It’s this perspective, this taking life by the horns, this propensity for not looking back but for instead just focusing on moving forward, on being a do-er, that has bode her well. And, after initially pursuing an education in pre-med, landing instead in pharmacy, then ultimately in social work and in the charitable sector, and making her home in London with her British husband, she acknowledged a long-time pull to the vast and desolate terrain of Mongolia. She arrived as a traveller, and soon, the idea for Tengri was born.

So, what is Tengri? 

Well, you’re going to love the concept. While staying with a nomadic yak herding family in Mongolia, she saw firsthand their struggles. She understood that combed yak fibre was a commodity that was simply not being utilized in the way it could be. She knew she had to do something so that these combings, these fibres, typically considered “waste” could be deemed of value in the fashion and luxury goods supply chain. 

So she got to work and created a brand. Launched in 2014, Tengri is a London-based globally-conscious company that creates sustainable luxury knitwear and yarns from the Mongolian yak fibres. It’s as soft as cashmere, it’s breathable and hypoallergenic. Yet it just wasn’t being used to the degree it could've been. 

Today, Nancy and her team work directly with more than 4,500 nomadic herder families in Mongolia, and with the best designers back in the UK, and the result is a 100% transparent supply-chain process. 

Tengri has been listed as one of the Top 100 businesses in the Sustainai100 guide. Tengri fashion pieces are now carried in Selfridges. The brand has a presence on Saville Row, which is pretty much as big as it gets. And Nancy herself was listed as one of 20 Women in Luxury to watch as well, as presented with the Asian Women of Achievement Award in the category of entrepreneur. 

When I ask her which of her pinch me moments feels most surreal – having a window in Selfridges? Designing luxury bedding for The Savoy Hotel? – no, it’s none of that. It’s seeing the lives of these 4,500 yak herding families in Mongolian improve dramatically. 

That’s the kind of person Nancy is. She’s self-made, and she’s bringing thousands of others along on her rise. And she’s not even 40-years-old.

MJDionne.com

 

Mar 28, 2017
What we cover: "Have the courage to have the courage." -- Melissa Haynes
 
Melissa Haynes knew from the age of six exactly who she was. She was a writer and an adventurer. She cut out the pages of the National Geographic and carried them around with her in a little basket. She wrote stories about elephants and lions. However, at a very young age, after a humiliating experience of sharing her young ambitions and feeling belittled, she put the dream aside – buried it deep where it would, essentially, fester for decades to come. She embarked on a corporate journey, and ultimately was a key player in the planning of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games and when that all wrapped, she took a good look in the mirror and asked herself some really tough questions. In particular: Where had the dream gone? Offered another gig as a corporate big shot, one most of society would drool for, she instead boarded a plane and committed to many weeks living alone in a tent on a Big Five Game Reserve in South Africa. Where, alone in the quiet she was able to dig deep and confront the resistance – the ghosts -- that had plagued her for so many years. When she came face to face with a cheetah, she knew she was not only living her childhood dreams but she was slaying the fear she had let stop her for so much of her life. Her book, Learning to Play with a Lion’s Testicles – the African slang for having the courage to have the courage – is what came out of that rebirth. It’s a celebration of the understanding that so many of the answers to life’s questions exist in nature – but we’re too busy to notice.

Melissa is a wonderfully insightful, joyful and just all round warm person. Because she’s meticulous, she followed up with me as soon as we wrapped our chat, because she wanted to clarify what the five animals are in a Big Five reserve. They are lion, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, and leopard. (Not unicorn or mermaid, as I had suspected.) You can drop that wee bit of 411 at parties and sound extra smart – and be sure to thank Melissa when you do.

This is one of my favourite talks ever. By the time we finished, I wanted to kidnap her and have her as my new best friend. Although, holding someone captive typically backfires when it comes to accumulating new friends. We talk a lot about this idea of ghosts – preconceived ideas, usually false, that ultimately haunt us, until we do what it takes to slay them once and for all. And she most assuredly has. This is a woman who, when in a starting contest with a cheetah, made a decision in that moment to be fearless – and I think it’s time we all do a little bit more of that. Cheetah or no cheetah.

How you can learn more:

MJDionne.com

Mar 21, 2017
What we cover: To say that guest titan Shaun Frankson and his business partner David Katz are thought-leaders would likely be one of the bigger understatements of our time. With the launch of their company The Plastic Bank in 2013, they have essentially turned plastic into funds and in doing so – by monetizing a resource that was once only considered garbage to millions of people living in impoverished conditions – they are not only preventing plastic from building up in our oceans, but are creating a global opportunity for collectors to earn an income and alter the trajectory of their lives. 

Their goal is to reach and impact 1 billion people – people they call recycling entrepreneurs – positively. They have launched The Plastic Bank in countries like Haiti, for example, where 75% of the population has no power, where 12,000,000 people live in dire poverty. They are helping these people take back control over their own destinies. And it’s working. 

In simple terms, how The Plastic Bank works is like this: a collector, or a recycling entrepreneur, collects the plastic from off the ground and in the waterways and brings it in to one of The Plastic Bank’s recycling centres. From there, the collector is given access to things like cash, or cooking oil, or the ability to charge their phone – which may seem insignificant to those of us who have a charger, but we have power to do that, right? (In Haiti, when you’re making $2 a day in some cases, and spending upwards of 30- to 60-cents just to charge your phone, you’re spending 30% of your income on this pricy task. So The Plastic Bank is changing that.) But they haven’t stopped there. They are in the process of digitizing a currency, so that collectors won’t have to put themselves in the dangerous position of carrying cash, which can be risky. The Plastic Bank is enabling collectors to house their families, feed and clothe families, and even pay for tuitions – they are changing lives and they are changing the world.

I saw Shaun speak at a recent TED event here in Vancouver, and I knew I had to reach out to him. He is one of the neatest guys I’ve had the good fortune of connecting with. This is a guy who is fully sleeved, the most impressive tattoo artwork I’ve ever seen up-close. But it’s not like bad guy tattoo-ness; instead he’s plastered in his positive life affirming philosophies. Create, inspire, strategize. And in case he deviates, he’s got the 7 habits of highly effective people tattooed on his arms to serve as his guideposts.

One of the things Shaun said in his TED that really struck me was that caring for our planet and caring for the people on it is not a hippie thing, it’s not a millennial thing, it’s a human thing. Yes, being a responsible consumer is a human thing. 

And how do we do that? 

Well, for starters, Shaun made a really cool distinction for me when I asked him why plastic is ‘bad”? It’s not that it’s bad, it’s that our habits around it are bad. Yes, we need to recycle, but we also need to reach out to the brands we love and ask them -- demand of them, really -- to use #SocialPlastic, which is ultimately what The Plastic Bank’s team makes with the plastic that’s being kept out of water ways when it is amassed by collectors. 

Go ahead: Hop on Social Media and directly address the companies and brands we most use and say: "Hey @place brand here, here’s hoping you’re considering the use of #SocialPlastic."

Shaun will inspire you to think big -- really big -- there's just no way around that simple fact.

 

MJDionne.com

 

Mar 14, 2017

What we cover: “If we all create a daily habit of giving? Holy Hell, we’ll change the world.” – Jacqueline Way

On her son, Nick’s 3rd birthday, Jacqueline Way decided to consciously turn her back on the idea of wrapping up a bunch of “stuff” and adding to piles of toys, and instead came up with an idea for she and he to embark on a one-year challenge: Every day, for 365 days, they would commit to one simple act of giving. Long story short, she blogged about the experience, about watching her son develop and hone his innate desire to do for others – an innateness that too many of us, both adults and kids alike don’t tend to tune into nearly often enough today. And what started as a beautiful journey between mother and son has snowballed into the beginnings of a global movement. The 365give program and what it stands for has been adopted by both individuals and schools around the world; it’s not uncommon for Jacqueline, based in Vancouver, to get emails from as far away as countries in Africa, Europe, and beyond – from people who have been touched by 365give, as either an inspired giver or a grateful receiver.

I recently had the extreme good fortune of listening to Jacqueline speak at a recent TED event, and I knew when I heard her that hers is a voice the world needs to hear more of right now. Right now, at a time of great division politically in so many parts of this planet – we need to set politics aside and just be nice to each other.

One give. One person. One day at a time.

As Jacqueline says: Hey, it’s so easy, even a 3-year-old can do it.

MJDionne.com

 

Mar 7, 2017

 

What we cover: “No matter what happens, I have me.” – Jody Vance

I have loved Jody Vance for the better part of a decade. She was instrumental in introducing me to my first regular role in an on-air segment with a Vancouver radio station, the ShoreFM where she was host of The Jody Vance Show.

From there, she would go on to become the 5-year co-host of this city’s morning show, Breakfast Television, where she had me on as a guest in the realm of animal welfare, at least half a dozen times. And when my mom, Sheila, donated a kidney to my husband’s mom, Jane – yes, you heard that right – it was Jody who interviewed Sheila on-air.

But her career certainly goes back a heck of a lot further than just the years since I’ve known her.

She is as accomplished as they get in this country’s media world. In fact, for many years -- and in many ways this continues today -- her name was synonymous with our national obsession: Hockey. Yes, Jody Vance was the first woman in Canadian history to host her own sports show in primetime.

What I love most about Jody and her story though isn’t her success -- while that’s of course admirable -- it’s her hustle. If she wants something, she goes for it. She aims high. She embraces change. She gets prepared, and when opportunity presents itself – she strikes. So you don’t have to be a sports-fan or a broadcast buff to love Jody and this chat; the themes are universal. (Best of all, she metaphorically “leaps” knowing unshakably that the figurative net will appear, because -- as she tells it -- she knows she is her own net.)

She’s had a fascinating career. She tells some heart-warming stories about the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Dan Aykroyd, Eric McCormack, and her #1 guy, Gord Downie. All in, this is a conversation that’s full of insights and inspiration, and it’s uplifting and fun.

MJDionne.com

 

Feb 28, 2017

What we cover: “You cannot synthetically produce passion.” – Brent Johnson

Part Two in a Three-Part Series

Every once in a while, you have a conversation with someone who is legitimately hilarious. Legitimately insightful. And legitimately fascinating. And you want to bottle it and crack the formula and then multiply it and sell the patent. But since you can’t, instead you pop it onto the cyberwaves and you call it a podcast episode.

Brent Johnson.

There aren’t a lot of names in Vancouver that are more, or even as, synonymous with greatness, with leadership, and with humility than his.

So of course it was my dream to get him to sit down and chat with me. And, because he’s as generous as they get, when I reached out to him, he responded in under two minutes with an all-caps ABSOLUTELY. Brent, just so you know: I am framing that email.

Brent is about as respected an athlete as they come. The Vancouver Sun once said of Brent: “He is humble, polite and straight-shooting by nature. He was not a football player whose validation and self-worth were tied up in his job, or whose ego contained lopsided control over who he is.”

As an 11-year key member of the CFL team The BC Lions, Brent has lots of shiny hardware to his name. He has two Grey Cup wins. He was presented with The CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award. He’s been named a CFL All-Star more than once. He was the recipient of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. And, most recently, he was inducted into the BC Lions Ring of Honour, the highest honour they can give a player.

But despite all of this, this is not a conversation about football. At least, not in the traditional sense. Of course it comes up – it’s the thread. But more than anything, this is a conversation about life. About vulnerability. About commitment. About what Brent identifies as “giving yourself over to something entirely.” It’s a conversation that is ripe with insights.

He talks openly about what he sees as being his role as a dad when it comes to guiding the opportunities for his own young son. He talks openly about the loss of his mother, in a tragic car accident, when he was just 12-years-old, and how that event, in many ways, impacted him. He talks openly about the intensity of 5-years playing with Ohio State, his stint with the NFL, and ultimately his journey to an impressive career with the BC Lions. He talks openly about the “if onlys” – those events in all of our lives that make us pause and take stock. And more than all of this, it’s a conversation about what it means to be passionate – what does that look like, and how do we tap into it. Because, as he says, passion cannot be “synthetically” produced. It needs to boil and bubble and generate from deep within.

This conversation is fast-paced and super-charged – because that’s what Brent brings to the table. He’s warm and witty and charming and, to be honest, when we eventually wrapped up three hours – yes, really – three hours after he arrived, I swear I was vibrating at a higher frequency for a few days after.

Catch all three parts of this awesome chat, one where we continue the drill down into greatness and what that means to Brent. It just so happens, he’s got a lot of unforgettable thought-provoking perspectives on the matter.

MJDionne.com

Feb 22, 2017

What we cover: “You cannot synthetically produce passion.” – Brent Johnson

Part Two in a Three-Part Series

Every once in a while, you have a conversation with someone who is legitimately hilarious. Legitimately insightful. And legitimately fascinating. And you want to bottle it and crack the formula and then multiply it and sell the patent. But since you can’t, instead you pop it onto the cyberwaves and you call it a podcast episode.

Brent Johnson.

There aren’t a lot of names in Vancouver that are more, or even as, synonymous with greatness, with leadership, and with humility than his.

So of course it was my dream to get him to sit down and chat with me. And, because he’s as generous as they get, when I reached out to him, he responded in under two minutes with an all-caps ABSOLUTELY. Brent, just so you know: I am framing that email.

Brent is about as respected an athlete as they come. The Vancouver Sun once said of Brent: “He is humble, polite and straight-shooting by nature. He was not a football player whose validation and self-worth were tied up in his job, or whose ego contained lopsided control over who he is.”

As an 11-year key member of the CFL team The BC Lions, Brent has lots of shiny hardware to his name. He has two Grey Cup wins. He was presented with The CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award. He’s been named a CFL All-Star more than once. He was the recipient of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. And, most recently, he was inducted into the BC Lions Ring of Honour, the highest honour they can give a player.

But despite all of this, this is not a conversation about football. At least, not in the traditional sense. Of course it comes up – it’s the thread. But more than anything, this is a conversation about life. About vulnerability. About commitment. About what Brent identifies as “giving yourself over to something entirely.” It’s a conversation that is ripe with insights.

He talks openly about what he sees as being his role as a dad when it comes to guiding the opportunities for his own young son. He talks openly about the loss of his mother, in a tragic car accident, when he was just 12-years-old, and how that event, in many ways, impacted him. He talks openly about the intensity of 5-years playing with Ohio State, his stint with the NFL, and ultimately his journey to an impressive career with the BC Lions. He talks openly about the “if onlys” – those events in all of our lives that make us pause and take stock. And more than all of this, it’s a conversation about what it means to be passionate – what does that look like, and how do we tap into it. Because, as he says, passion cannot be “synthetically” produced. It needs to boil and bubble and generate from deep within.

This conversation is fast-paced and super-charged – because that’s what Brent brings to the table. He’s warm and witty and charming and, to be honest, when we eventually wrapped up three hours – yes, really – three hours after he arrived, I swear I was vibrating at a higher frequency for a few days after.

I’m releasing each of the Brent-episodes as part of a three-part series. And because, at the time, I didn’t know this is what I would be doing, I had to strategically edit each episode at a place where I could subtly, or not-so-subtly fade out, that would leave you wanting more — by just gradually sort of easing out at a natural place of transition to the next life chapter.

Catch all three parts of this awesome chat, one where we continue the drill down into greatness and what that means to Brent. It just so happens, he’s got a lot of unforgettable thought-provoking perspectives on the matter.

MJDionne.com

Feb 16, 2017

What we cover: “You cannot synthetically produce passion.” – Brent Johnson

Every once in a while, you have a conversation with someone who is legitimately hilarious. Legitimately insightful. And legitimately fascinating. And you want to bottle it and crack the formula and then multiply it and sell the patent. But since you can’t, instead you pop it onto the cyberwaves and you call it a podcast episode.

Brent Johnson.

There aren’t a lot of names in Vancouver that are more, or even as, synonymous with greatness, with leadership, and with humility than his.

So of course it was my dream to get him to sit down and chat with me. And, because he’s as generous as they get, when I reached out to him, he responded in under two minutes with an all-caps ABSOLUTELY. Brent, just so you know: I am framing that email.

Brent is about as respected an athlete as they come. The Vancouver Sun once said of Brent: “He is humble, polite and straight-shooting by nature. He was not a football player whose validation and self-worth were tied up in his job, or whose ego contained lopsided control over who he is.”

As an 11-year key member of the CFL team The BC Lions, Brent has lots of shiny hardware to his name. He has two Grey Cup wins. He was presented with The CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award. He’s been named a CFL All-Star more than once. He was the recipient of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. And, most recently, he was inducted into the BC Lions Ring of Honour, the highest honour they can give a player.

But despite all of this, this is not a conversation about football. At least, not in the traditional sense. Of course it comes up – it’s the thread. But more than anything, this is a conversation about life. About vulnerability. About commitment. About what Brent identifies as “giving yourself over to something entirely.” It’s a conversation that is ripe with insights.

He talks openly about what he sees as being his role as a dad when it comes to guiding the opportunities for his own young son. He talks openly about the loss of his mother, in a tragic car accident, when he was just 12-years-old, and how that event, in many ways, impacted him. He talks openly about the “if onlys” – those events in all of our lives that make us pause and take stock. And more than all of this, it’s a conversation about what it means to be passionate – what does that look like, and how do we tap into it. Because, as he says, passion cannot be “synthetically” produced. It needs to boil and bubble and generate from deep within.

This conversation is fast-paced and super-charged – because that’s what Brent brings to the table. He’s warm and witty and charming and, to be honest, when we eventually wrapped up three hours – yes, really – three hours after he arrived, I swear I was vibrating at a higher frequency for a few days after.

I’m releasing this episode as part one in a To Be Continued series. And because, at the time, I didn’t know this is what I would be doing, I had to strategically edit this episode at a place where I could subtly, or not-so-subtly fade out, that would leave you wanting more – by just gradually sort of easing out at about the one hour mark. Just as he’s getting ready to embark on an intense 5-year stint playing football with Ohio State, where he played in front of crowds of, get this, 110,000 fans. (There are cities with smaller populations than the number of people who would come to cheer at Brent’s games.) So, that’s where we conclude this week.

Next time: we’ll continue with his days at Ohio State, his experience with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, and his eventual journey to the CFL. Of course we also continue the drill down into greatness and what that means to him. And, just so happens, he’s got a lot of unforgettable thought-provoking perspectives on the matter.

MJDionne.com

Feb 7, 2017

What we cover: “Don’t let age get in your way.” – Betty Jean McHugh

Betty Jean McHugh was born in 1927 in small-town Canada, never knowing that after a childhood that took place in the depression, teen years that took place during World War II, a career that began in Toronto as a nurse, and then after raising four children on the west coast, that – in her 50s, strictly out of the need to kill time while her daughter’s swim team trained, she would quite literally stumble into life as a runner. At the age of 55, she ran her first marathon, and today, 35 years later, she’s a multi-time world record holder in her age group. In 2016, at the age of 89, she ran the Honolulu Marathon, beating the previous world record by an astonishing 92 minutes. And, like so many people preparing to celebrate their 90th birthday this year, she’s doing it the traditional way – by running the Honolulu marathon yet again, and likely setting one more world record along the way.

This is a woman who exudes energy and happiness and optimism -- and I like her a lot. Above all, Betty Jean is a shining example of the fact that how we live our own lives isn’t just about ourselves as individuals, it’s about being a beacon of light – of what’s possible for others as well.

If you don’t find this chat completely inspiring in terms of serving as a reminder that we can find our bliss and our purpose and our sense of true joy at any age, and that that how we interpret our biological age is entirely our call, then I don’t know what – if anything – will ever serve as so blatant an example.

Visit: MJDionne.com

Jan 31, 2017

 

What we cover: In the seven months that this series has been my Labour of Love – my Love Child – we’ve been fortunate to chat with a number of those fine human specimens who fall under the “Olympian” banner. What I love about these conversations, is that these people undeniably rank as the best of the best. There is no question; it’s not up for debate. But in sitting down for tea with each of them, they’ve all proven one thing: Beneath the shiny hardware and accolades and the glory, are people. People with struggles, people with sometimes negative self-image issues, people who suffer from the famous “imposter” syndrome. People who are, in fact, just people. For me, someone who is your everyday participant in life – I will never stand on a podium while they play my national anthem – I get more comfort from these connections than I can possibly articulate. And today’s talk takes the proverbial cake. (The proverbial gluten-free, sugar-free, nut-free, organic free-range-egg cake. Because more and more that’s just what cake today looks like.)

She’s a two-time Olympic rower. She’s a silver medalist. She’s supermodel gorgeous. She’s fit and smart and funny and author of her awesome and inspiring new book “Beyond the Finish Line: What happens when the endorphins fade”. She’s Krista Guloien. But despite her success, what I love best is that she’s a self-professed “functioning hot mess”. And she admits it all: That in her life, she’s occasionally been plagued with self-doubt, times of insecurity and uncertainty, times of not knowing who she is and who she’s meant to be. But she shows up. And she shows up. And she shows up. And when she falls, you know what she does? She gets back up – stronger than before.

This could very well be one of the most relevant conversations I’ve been blessed to be part of.

She reminds us all that how we see ourselves is not how others necessarily do. Krista has a life philosophy and it’s three simple words. “Find a way.” If something matters to her – and this is a beautiful reminder for us all – she will find a way. Because in applying this one simple mandate, she’s been able to identify what is no longer serving her. If she finds herself making excuses, saying she’s too busy, simply put – not finding a way to make it happen, she knows it’s because it’s not really a priority for her. When she shared that with me, I nearly fell off my chair. Find a way. Those words are going to live on my fridge for the next 60 years of my life. (Since I intend to live to 104, that math does work.) As Krista says: “When you really want something, you show up. You find a way.”

 

 

Jan 24, 2017

What we cover: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?” – Marianne Williamson

Michelle Tremblay is poised and zen and calming and self-assured. But she wasn’t always this way. She was once shy, uncertain, insecure, and scattered – as she puts it. Then, after the tragic suicide of her fiancé, an event that clearly sent her reeling, she sought out the comfort and meaning and the guidance that awaited in martial arts. And she did the work – she peeled back the layers of pain, the layers of hiding, and the layers of limiting beliefs. Today she is a 2nd degree black belt in Karate, and she’s made a life for herself – both professionally and personally – as an empowerment advocate, through her company MPower Lives. That’s a capital “M” and the word power. M for Michelle. M for Martial Arts. M for Mindfulness. M for Meditation.

As principal of MPower Lives, she is a speaker, a workshop facilitator, a coach, a teacher, and she’s a frequent visitor to both schools and the workplace -- places that may be suffering the ill affects of bullying, harassment, and toxicity – she comes in from a place of peace and openness, and she and her clients get to the bottom of the issues of fear and aggression and their opposites, love and inclusivity – together. She’s worked with more than 8,000 people in this capacity.

Today’s chat is lovely and enchanting and warm and – at times – very emotional. It’s a bit of a departure from the past. This is not a conversation strictly about achieving authenticity in the ways that we typically address the topic -- through hard work and tenacity. This is an episode dedicated to forgiveness and love and empowerment and of dusting ourselves off when we fall, in a more caring, mindful, and fully engaged way. It’s about being present-minded. About being grounded. And about embracing the slowness.

More than anything it’s a dialogue about empowerment. Being empowered from a place of compassion and empathy, and not one of belittling others in order to feel bigger. Being empowered from a place of lifting others up, not tearing them down. Being empowered from a place of showing our vulnerabilities – understanding that there is, perhaps, no stronger act than the one of sharing our weak places and asking for help.

After surviving the agonizing loss of Randall, a man who she now is able to recognize wore masks in order to hide his own personal battles with hardship – battles we will all know at one time or another – Michelle became committed to encouraging others who are in pain to reach out. She has a message for us all and that is this: Do not be ashamed. And for those of us who may love someone who is going through a difficult time, she reminds us to be on the lookout for the signs of depression. Not a short-term sadness, but a deep, ongoing one. We may think someone is simply “stressed” or “struggling” and that they’ll “get over it”. But often, we only realize how bad it was when it’s too late. I want to thank Michelle for her incredible openness, the sharing in this episode is deeply admirable. And I am grateful to you for it, Michelle.

Learn more at: MJDionne.com

 

Jan 17, 2017

 

What we cover: For those of us who watched the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and sat glued to our television sets for the Opening Ceremonies of the 31st Olympiad, there was a feeling -- just like there is at every Games -- that what we are seeing is a collection of the world’s beautiful people. The fittest, shiniest, most glowing versions of human potential anywhere on the planet march through one arena under one roof carrying hundreds of flags – all at one time. There’s an excitement in the air, to be sure. And if I’m being entirely honest, there can almost be a sense of envy. Look at them, having the time of their lives, celebrating the full actualization of their biggest dreams – while I am here on the couch eating rice crackers, only hypothesizing what that might look like for me. That said, make no mistake, on my end, the envy is more than out-balanced by the sense of inspiration. It’s sort of like, 2% envy, 98% inspiration, really.

However, today’s guest met my envy-honesty head on. She swiftly debunked the mythology of the flawless Olympian and pulled the curtain back on what’s really going on behind the scenes. Behind the toothpaste-ad smiles and the sports gear-endorsement television spots, and behind the magazine cover photoshoots. She pulls it all back. And I love her for it.

For as superficial as it may sound, she’s stunningly beautiful and, as an Olympic runner in 10,000 metre, she’s undeniably kooky fit. So, without meaning to emit it, there’s a vibe of: Well some people are just blessed, I guess. However, after the heart to heart, she and I shared, I am truly ashamed of myself for being so shallow. There, I said it.

Not only is she super likeable, turns out, like the rest of us, she’s also very human. And, as we all know, being human comes with its fair share of downward spirals. She talks about the anxiety she has had to contend with, the insecurities, the injuries, the heartache, the frustrations of waiting more than a year to get the email confirming whether or not she even had a spot on the Olympic team… and having to train everyday in spite of this great unknown. All of us non-Olympians are going to go through times of incredible angst and fear of the unknown and even times of deep sadness. Tasha talks candidly about her journey, and how she had to work through the sometimes debilitating downs, then get back up, dust herself off, and then represent her country – Canada – as she performed on the world stage.

This is a woman who can run a 1 hour 11 minute half-marathon. True story. She can run a 2 hour 35 minute full marathon. True story. But for as surreal as those times are on paper, this is also a woman who has overcome a tremendous amount of pain in her personal life and made the decision to run not exactly from it, but through it. Her 2013 divorce sent her reeling, and so she made the conscious choice to use the hurt and the anger and to dig deeper and run faster. The week of her separation, she ran the fastest 8km run by a woman in Canadian history with a time of 25 minutes 28 seconds. She took her hardships and made them work in her favour. And don’t we all have the power within us to do that? No matter what our difficult times look like, and no matter what our goals may be.

The reason I love this chat so much, is I think as an everyday person, which is the camp I fall into (I have said many times I’m a participant not a racer. Nothing ever has come really naturally for me when it comes to those Greek God and Goddess like skillsets and attributes. And hey, I typically have kid barf in my hair or down the back of my shirt at any given time. A;; told, I’m just a normal person.) I think we can feel perhaps discouraged at times. Almost like there’s a “them” and an “us.” A “them” who slips on a pair of short shorts and makes a bee-boppy high ponytail and then has to fight off all the people who want to pay for their proseco on a night out. And an “us” who find ourselves curled up in the fetal position rocking back and forth because it can feel so hard just get it right some days. Turns out, we’re wrong. There’s not a “them” and an “us.” There’s an “us” and an “us.” And I love Tasha because she sits down and tells it like it is.

Runner or not, you’ll love her too.

 

 

 

Jan 10, 2017

What we cover: The one thing we all have in common is that no one is immune. We will all go through periods of adversity. That fact is the great equalizer. What sets us apart however, is how we choose to handle the adversity.

 

Today’s episode might just be one of the most important conversations I’ve had. Not just in terms of this podcast, but in the bigger picture as well. We all have a choice – every day – to be the kind of person who squeezes the juice out of the gift of life that we have all been given. Or we can be a moaner and a groaner and a grumbler and a victim.

Roy McBeth is joyful and happy, and he spreads optimism. He isn’t a complainer. And yet, for many years he was growing increasingly ill on account of kidney disease. He saw members of his family succumb to the same disease, and rather than use the possibility of this eventual fate as a crutch, the reason for him to opt out of life and be miserable, he chose to use it as the opposite. It catapulted him forwarded. He is an elite cyclist and an unbelievable triathlete. He’s also a detective with the Domestic Crimes Unit with a police force in the Vancouver area, about an hour outside this city, in Abbotsford. And he talks to us about he maintains perspective in a job that is obviously heartbreaking at times. And, of course, after being the recipient of a healthy new kidney, a gift that altered the trajectory of his future, today he’s avid organ donor advocate.

This is not the episode for people who may be suffering from kidney disease. Or who may be in need of a donor. Or who may be thinking about becoming a donor. This, quite simply, is the episode for every one. Literally, the demographic of today’s episode is absolutely anyone on the planet. Because, as I said, we are all going to go through hard times. And we would all do well to heed Roy’s life philosophy. To suck the marrow out of each day.

When Roy was so so so sick, he was the living embodiment of what is possible even in our darkest days. He took off to Asia, with only 16% kidney function, and qualified for the XTERRA off-road triathlon World Championships in Maui. Today, on the other side of a successful transplant, he is the living embodiment of living big – of making each day count when you’ve been given another chance. Which is something we’re all given. Each morning when we wake up, we’re given another chance.

Roy’s is a story that exemplifies the best of humanity. It showcases just how important the living donor program is, and what kind of person actually steps up to save someone’s life. We hear all about Kevin, the hero of this story; the colleague who changed Roy’s life when he basically said: “Here, you can take one of mine. I don’t need two of them.”

On January 14th, we say Happy kidney-versary, to Roy and Kevin. And at the same time, I will say a Happy 1-year kidney-versary to my mom, Sheila, and to my mother-in-law, Jane, who share a similar story to Roy and Kevin, when my mom donated a kidney to Jane last November 30th. See? I am surrounded by greatness.

There’s a lot of sniffling in this episode. While I do live with two toddlers who’ve had colds for the better part of the last couple months, the sniffling is because often I just couldn’t hold back the tears.

Despite the beauty and emotion in this episode, the part I just adore above and beyond the obvious, is an added plus. For anyone out there -- we’re at the start of a brand new year -- who might have a goal they want to achieve but who feels it’s bigger than they are, Roy walks us through what it was like to be someone who couldn’t swim one length of a 25-metre pool and then go on to clock a kooky fast 1 hour 6 ironman swim just 11 months later. He walks us through the psychology of that transformation. The net take-away? We are all capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.

Wherever you are listening from -- today we have people joining in from nearly 50 countries – please let your family know your intentions to be an organ donor. Sign the back of your drivers license. Or, take that act of heroism a step further and pop into your local hospital to learn more about how you can become a living donor. Like Kevin. And like my mom, Sheila.

Unrelated, but every bit as important, Roy and I talk about his role in Domestic Crimes. If you are experiencing an unhealthy relationship, and a growing sense of isolation, please reach out to someone as soon as you can. Do not suffer in silence.

Keep in touch with me at MJDionne.com. And check out the Podcaster tab for all things pertaining to Roy and in particular, how you can learn more about organ donation.

 

Jan 3, 2017

What we cover: On May 23rd 2016, Liz Rose became the 17th Canadian woman to climb Mount Everest, the 2nd youngest Canadian overall to summit, and she’s on track to becoming the youngest Canadian to climb all Seven Summits – which is to say she’ll aim to tackle the highest peak on each of the seven continents. She’s surprisingly humble, not at all arrogant, and just generally likeable and accessible, and very human. And at just 25 years old, she is already most-assuredly a titan.

This is a conversation steeped entirely in greatness – ripe with metaphor – cause really, what’s more figuratively perfect for the rest of us to glom onto than the idea of finding our own Everest? It doesn’t have to be that each want to climb Everest – all that matters is that we each have our own Everest. Along the way, there will be the proverbial frozen oxygen mask – something Liz actually experienced on her climb -- for us all. But one step at a time, and before we know it, we’re on top of the world. Liz shares epic stories of what it takes to reach the top, and just how harrowing the way down really is. And she also lets us know what's coming up for her in the next six months. To paraphrase what the bear in the childhood song might have experienced: "She saw another mountain, she saw another mountain, she saw another mountain, was all that she could see..."

 

PS

Liz, I owe you one rescue puppy called Summit. 

 

Dec 27, 2016

What we cover: What's it like to transform from a non-athletic background as a serious punk rocker with multi-coloured hair in the 1980s to a trailblazing visionary in her adult years? What does that look like, what does that feel like, where does the motivation come from, what drives her?

Jenn Dawkins is a fire fighter – one of about 80 women fire fighters out of approximately 3900 career fire fighters in the province of British Columbia. She’s a mentor and the creator of the very forward-thinking Camp Ignite – intended to push girls out of their comfort zones and to reimagine what’s possible. 

She’s a non-traditional philanthropist. This is a woman who, in order to bring awareness to the horrors of the sex trade, and what it’s like for the women who are trying to leave and start their lives over, rather than post a few lines on Twitter, instead Jenn swam 22km (nearly 14 miles) in the Pacific Ocean – from Vancouver’s mainland to an island off the coast of the province. 

If I’m being totally honest, when I was formatting the conversation for today and drafting my top level talking points, it was the first time in 30 episodes that I didn’t really know where to start. Not for lack of material, but for so much material. She is admired for so many reasons, so I took a dart and threw it at the wall and landed on her career, and so we started there. She’s is so instantly likeable – and I know you will love her too. She’s open about the fact that in her 20 year career as a fire fighter, societally and culturally, the attitude has changed for the better so much when it comes to reactions overall toward women in the fire department. And let’s be honest, in 2016, we’ve had to digest a lot of recent events that might leave us feeling we are going backwards – at least politically – so it was refreshing to hear a bit of good news and progress as this year wraps up.

If you listened to the two episodes (28 and 29) we did with Chad Bentley, one of the things I talk about with him, is his lack desire for the spot light. He turns away from it, whereas I run to it. Jenn and Chad have that in common. This is a woman who will run into a burning building, who will save lives, who is constantly and continually bringing awareness to societal issues that need some TLC --- but who is uncomfortable accepting any real recognition for her heroics. So when we talk about the prestigious award she was the recent recipient of, for her role in a Women Helping Women capacity, and I ask her about that, you can hear the modesty. And I admire her for that. Among other reasons, obviously.

I loved this chat. In her candor about her own transformation and what fuels her, she gives us all permission to evolve. It doesn’t have to be – and I say this all the time – the commitment to complete an Ironman. It can be whatever pulls at you. It’s just that decision to let past limiting beliefs go – and to blossom, if you feel like you’re overdue from some personal growth. Jenn is a self-described personal growth fanatic, but she wasn’t always. Now she’s voracious when it comes to all things

While we were drinking tea and engaging in this fantastic conversation, Jenn’s gorgeous rescue dog, Emma, was chewing somewhat audibly on a buffalo femur. (No! The buffalo wasn’t with us – just its femur was.) So, you will hear Emma’s contribution to the soundtrack in the background from time to time.

Value-add: I want to invite anyone listening who may be in the Vancouver area on January 7th, 2017 – if you’re feeling inspired by Jenn – she is, no big shocker, part of the brains behind the sure-to-be-awesome evening called "Wine Women and Sport". Three outstanding panelists – an Olympic rower, a world record marathon runner who just happens to be 89 years old, and a martial artist, -- are going to share insights and tips and conversation with those of us lucky enough to be there. So you can get your tickets for that awesome evening – I will be there, moderating the fun – via MJDionne.com, under the podcaster tab. Township 7 Wines will be there too – and I love them. Jenn and I talk more about this in our chat.

 

 

Dec 21, 2016

Part Two of Two: The quest for authentic greatness may mean a complete reinvention. A close examination of your perception of self, of your belief in what you’re capable of, in who you fundamentally are. It may mean asking the tough questions: Who do you spend your time with, how do you invest the hours of your days, what do you decide to focus on? It may mean that in order to make a quantum leap in the direction of positive personal development that you leave your old self and parts of your old life behind entirely.

Today’s guest is someone I have admired for 18 years – and I’ve had a front row seat to witnessing his complete 180-degree transformation. He is someone who never craves or seeks out the spotlight, unlike his obnoxious wife. He is as close to being completely devoid of ego as anyone I’ve ever known. He is humble and unassuming and kind and driven and determined and he believes in the power that we all possess to transform our lives. To reinvent. To climb our own Mount Everest. Whether it’s from quitting smoking, giving up the consumption of fast food and meat products overall, reigning in a relationship with excessive partying and drinking, going back to school to pursue higher education, or starting on a path to see what you’re capable of when it comes to physical fitness – my guest titan has done it all. And I would know, because I am married to him.

When I met Chad Bentley in February 1999 -- on the night he grabbed my bum cheeks and slurred “I think you’re awesome” at an Irish pub in Vancouver -- I knew he was special (and not because he grabbed my ass). I saw in him a beautiful person, but a beautiful person who didn’t see it in himself yet. I’ve always said that Chad is like buried treasure, the deeper you get, the more richness you find. In the last nearly two decades, I have seen Chad transform – he was always an athlete, don’t get me wrong. He was one-to-watch during his days as a rugby player in Abbotsford before a terrible knee injury took him out of the game and under the surgeon’s knife many times – and onto the sidelines, where he went into a bit of a downward spiral. Reassessing who he was: If he wasn’t this rising rugby star, who was he? Instead, he became what he calls “the club drunk” that person who would binge drink in an effort to appear that he was having a good time, but really it was to mask his own feelings of lack of worth. It was a time of tremendous uncertainty about the direction of his own life. I met Chad on the tail end of this, on the cusp of a new beginning. Almost like the space between two paragraphs. We knew one paragraph had ended and we had no idea where or when or how the next one would begin. But we needn’t have worried. Because when you’re committed to the process, and when you ask the tough questions, the answers and the beauty reveal themselves.

Chad walked away from his old life. If there’s something tough that you have yet to contend with, I can safely ascertain he’s done it. An unsupportive social environment? Moving from sedentary to active? Smoking? Going back to school? Diet and nutrition? He’s dealt with it. He is a guy who not only went back to school, but in addition to tackling various business courses at the undergraduate level, obtained a certificate in plant based nutrition from Cornell University. Chad, who went from living on a diet of chicken wings, is today a vegetarian endurance athlete who represented Canada at the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii. Ultraman, is the equivalent of doing approximately 2 and half ironman distance events in three days – a 10km (6 mile) swim, a 420km (260mile) bike, and an 84km (52mile) double marathon.

I am excited to share Chad with the world -- we have listeners in 45 countries now. He is as inspiring as they get. And my daughters – our daughters – could not have a better role model. And for the first time ever, we have done a Two Part interview. Today’s is Part Two, and I encourage you to go back and listen to Part One.

Chad calls himself shy. I don’t feel he’s shy, I think he’s just not showy. He’s not arrogant. He’s real and calm and never that Look At Me person – and in this chat, he is open. He’s open about his struggles over the years with self-worth, something we all go through. He’s open about his one-time binge drinking. And I want to thank Chad for that – I think when people achieve greatness as he has as an athlete on an international scale, there’s a tendency for us to gloss over the hard times. To curate a life on social media for example that it’s all about the good times. And this is what makes him such a motivation to so many people. He made the decision to transform. He made the decision to walk through the dark times and the hard times and to come out on the other side.

Nature strengthens through struggle, if we look around us we see examples of that everywhere. And I am honoured to live with a titan who embodies that – Chad has struggled, and fallen (just as we all have) but he rose again, and when he rose it was a whole new him, and a whole new life. And I am so privileged to have been there to see it all.

If you think Chad is someone you’d like to connect with, in 2017, Chad will be launching “Plants. Life. Sport.” coaching – dedicated to helping others transform their lives in the way he has. No, you don’t have to do an ironman to work with Chad. All you need to have is the desire to make a positive change, and he will be there for you, step by step – because guess what? He’s been there. I remember when he and I did our first 5k run together – and he remembers too. And it doesn’t matter where you live on the planet, reach out.

Dec 13, 2016

Part One of Two: The quest for authentic greatness may mean a complete reinvention. A close examination of your perception of self, of your belief in what you’re capable of, in who you fundamentally are. It may mean asking the tough questions: Who do you spend your time with, how do you invest the hours of your days, what do you decide to focus on? It may mean that in order to make a quantum leap in the direction of positive personal development that you leave your old self and parts of your old life behind entirely.

Today’s guest is someone I have admired for 18 years – and I’ve had a front row seat to witnessing his complete 180-degree transformation. He is someone who never craves or seeks out the spotlight, unlike his obnoxious wife. He is as close to being completely devoid of ego as anyone I’ve ever known. He is humble and unassuming and kind and driven and determined and he believes in the power that we all possess to transform our lives. To reinvent. To climb our own Mount Everest. Whether it’s from quitting smoking, giving up the consumption of fast food and meat products overall, reigning in a relationship with excessive partying and drinking, going back to school to pursue higher education, or starting on a path to see what you’re capable of when it comes to physical fitness – my guest titan has done it all. And I would know, because I am married to him.

When I met Chad Bentley in February 1999 -- on the night he grabbed my bum cheeks and slurred “I think you’re awesome” at an Irish pub in Vancouver -- I knew he was special (and not because he grabbed my ass). I saw in him a beautiful person, but a beautiful person who didn’t see it in himself yet. I’ve always said that Chad is like buried treasure, the deeper you get, the more richness you find. In the last nearly two decades, I have seen Chad transform – he was always an athlete, don’t get me wrong. He was one-to-watch during his days as a rugby player in Abbotsford before a terrible knee injury took him out of the game and under the surgeon’s knife many times – and onto the sidelines, where he went into a bit of a downward spiral. Reassessing who he was: If he wasn’t this rising rugby star, who was he? Instead, he became what he calls “the club drunk” that person who would binge drink in an effort to appear that he was having a good time, but really it was to mask his own feelings of lack of worth. It was a time of tremendous uncertainty about the direction of his own life. I met Chad on the tail end of this, on the cusp of a new beginning. Almost like the space between two paragraphs. We knew one paragraph had ended and we had no idea where or when or how the next one would begin. But we needn’t have worried. Because when you’re committed to the process, and when you ask the tough questions, the answers and the beauty reveal themselves.

Chad walked away from his old life. If there’s something tough that you have yet to contend with, I can safely ascertain he’s done it. An unsupportive social environment? Moving from sedentary to active? Smoking? Going back to school? Diet and nutrition? He’s dealt with it. He is a guy who not only went back to school, but in addition to tackling various business courses at the undergraduate level, obtained a certificate in plant based nutrition from Cornell University. Chad, who went from living on a diet of chicken wings, is today a vegetarian endurance athlete who represented Canada at the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii. Ultraman, is the equivalent of doing approximately 2 and half ironman distance events in three days – a 10km (6 mile) swim, a 420km (260mile) bike, and an 84km (52mile) double marathon.

I am excited to share Chad with the world -- we have listeners in 45 countries now. He is as inspiring as they get. And my daughters – our daughters – could not have a better role model. Here’s the thing, he had strep throat when we recorded this chat, and he had to dart off to the dr. So we had to keep the chat to 35 minutes or so. I thought that would be enough time, to you know, give a top-level introduction to this person, this titan, I live with and talk about so much. But we barely scratched the surface. Remember: Buried treasure, right? So, for the first time ever, I am going to do a Two Part interview. Today’s is part one, and I am going to snag Chad to sit down for a part two later this week and we will post that next Tuesday.

Chad calls himself shy. I don’t feel he’s shy, I think he’s just not showy. He’s not arrogant. He’s real and calm and never that Look At Me person – and in this chat, he is open. He’s open about his struggles over the years with self-worth, something we all go through. He’s open about his one-time binge drinking. And I want to thank Chad for that – I think when people achieve greatness as he has as an athlete on an international scale, there’s a tendency for us to gloss over the hard times. To curate a life on social media for example that it’s all about the good times. And this is what makes him such a motivation to so many people. He made the decision to transform. He made the decision to walk through the dark times and the hard times and to come out on the other side.

Nature strengthens through struggle, if we look around us we see examples of that everywhere. And I am honoured to live with a titan who embodies that – Chad has struggled, and fallen (just as we all have) but he rose again, and when he rose it was a whole new him, and a whole new life. And I am so privileged to have been there to see it all.

If you think Chad is someone you’d like to connect with, in 2017, Chad will be launching “Plants. Life. Sport.” coaching – dedicated to helping others transform their lives in the way he has. No, you don’t have to do an ironman to work with Chad. All you need to have is the desire to make a positive change, and he will be there for you, step by step – because guess what? He’s been there. I remember when he and I did our first 5k run together – and he remembers too. And it doesn’t matter where you live on the planet, reach out.

 

Dec 7, 2016

I have admired Annie Wood for the better part of a decade. She exemplifies the commitment to rising after a setback, and to continually moving forward. She’s as dedicated to the process of living an authentic life as anyone I’ve ever met -- and then some.

You may know her from memorable appearances in movies like Good Luck Chuck with Dane Cook, and My Sister’s Keeper with Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin. But when I think of Annie, I think so much more.

She’s as prolific a creative person as they get. She goes -- not stop. Her output is tremendous and admirable and head-scratching. If she were a cyclist I’m sure she’d be tested for doping – really; she’s just that good. She knows that the notion of “arriving” is a myth… that just being here is the gift. There is no “arrival”. And unless we’re celebrating all the small moments along the way over the chronology of our lives, we are missing the point entirely.

In addition to being born in Hollywood and enjoying a 30+ year career here, she’s not only an actor, but she’s a writer and a producer as well. Her YouTube series Karma’s a Bitch has approximately 2,000,000 views and was awarded Best of the Web on Virgin Airlines. She’s also an artist – you can check out her super great work on her Etsy shop (I bought one of her gorgeous tiles, and you can too) via the link at MJDionne.com, under the podcaster tab. She’s the creator of the DoGoodStuff.org, which gently reminds us to be kind. On top of all this, she’s what she calls a Mindfulness Enthusiast. In the chaos and uncertainty of the journey – and hey, we’re all on one – she knows the value of stopping to breathe.

Despite living the entirety of her life in a city known for being at times unforgiving and cut throat, this is a woman who does yoga every day – not “almost” every day, but actually every day. When her mom, Abby, a woman who fled an abusive relationship in Israel with Annie’s two older brothers, was dying, Annie set up her yoga mat beside her deathbed – in an effort to stay grounded during the hardest days of her own life. And we talk about that.

We also talk about some super cool pop culture stuff too – those stories I love, that come from peeking in the portal of another person’s life experiences. During her tenure as the host of the nationally syndicated game show host “Bzzz”, Annie was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. And come on, don’t we all want to know what THAT would be like? Of course we do.

We are all on a journey, and whether we call ourselves “creative” or not – we are all in fact creative. What could be more creative than designing an authentic life? Nothing, that’s what. And if you’re listening to this series, that’s what you’re doing, consciously or otherwise, and I applaud you for it. Anyone who decides to live more true-to-themselves, and to abandon the outside clutter, and who choses to live more courageously, more creatively, gets my full respect. So thank you. I know you will love Annie for all of these reasons.

Nov 29, 2016

What we cover: “If you don’t take a chance, you haven’t got a chance.” – Jillian Murray

 Actor Jillian Murray is an awesome example of someone on her authentic path. She knows where she wants to be, and she’s not deviating from it. One of the stars of the People’s Choice nominated CBS medical drama Code Black, Jillian’s star is shooting skyward and beyond.

When Jillian and I met at the sweet little cottage I was renting in LA, she brought someone with her, and that someone was her longtime beau, South African native Dean Geyer. Millions of fans would know him from his time on Australian Idol and then – for Aussie listeners – from his time on the TV series Neighbours. Since his move to LA, he’s been a regular fixture on series like Glee and Terra Nova he appears in Shades of Blue with Jennifer Lopez. Jillian and I were sitting at the table in the kitchen and Dean was on the couch in the livingroom. It was open-space, and occasionally we’d be talking about something and he’d yell in. So finally about half way though, I said: “Dean, pull up a chair.” And I’m glad he did, because they’re a dynamite couple and they had great banter, and it was really cool to get two perspectives on the same career and its journey. Like how they feel about auditions for one. Spoiler alert: Jillian loves them, Dean … not so much.

If you have yet to tune into Code Black, please do. The cast is insanely impressive. Rob Lowe, Marcia Gay Harden, Luis Guzman. If this cast had to bring in their combined hardware, there wouldn’t be a shelf big enough. Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, Screen Actors Guild – and these are the people who Jillian gets to work with.

One of the reasons I love to interview, and have loved interviewing since I started writing for magazines 15 years ago, is what I call the opportunity to “peek through the portal” – the chance to stick your head into someone else’s life and swivel neck around. And that was what this conversation was like for me. It was truly behind-the-scenes. What’s it like to get the call that you’re going to be a series regular on an all-star cast? What are the days and the hours like? (This is a medical drama, and Jillian, as the confident, almost-arrogant, self-assured Dr Heather Pinkney, is expected, on top of learning actual script lines and all that goodness, to master actual medical jargon and procedures.) (Side note: She’s a self-professed suture-queen as a result. She will challenge anyone to a suture-off.) All told, it’s an industry that is hard work, long days, and not as glamorous as we may think. (Despite getting to work one on one with Rob Lowe.)

This is one person’s journey – and I love that she shares so much of her story with us. And you know what? So does Dean. Really, Dean could’ve shown up and just been this random, awkward presence, but instead he was awesome. Dean and Jillian, you guys deserve all the success that is surely coming your way.

Nov 22, 2016

What we cover: “Failure doesn’t move us back. It moves us forward. Failure tells us what is no longer working.” – Jen Grisanti

 

As a VP of CBS Paramount, overseeing Current Programming, Jen Grisanti was exactly where she wanted to be, or so she thought. Then, one day, the unthinkable happened, and without warning, she suffered a big crash when her professional reality was turned on its head and she was let go. The ladder she had been climbing collapsed from underneath her. But guess what she did? She did what Aaron Spelling -- yes that Aaron Spelling -- her long-time business mentor taught her to do: She found the gold in her story. Jen’s career began working side by side with Aaron, ultimately as head of Current Programming for Spelling Television. She was instrumental in shaping many of the shows we love today – 90210, Melrose Place, Charmed, Seventh Heaven, you name it – and in this capacity, she started to see that great stories in fiction share the same qualities as great stories in life, and vice versa. We have a hero, we have a dilemma, we have a goal, we have that rock bottom moment, and we see that hero rise again. So when Jen’s career as she knew it tumbled down around her, she knew she had two choices – to be a victim of circumstance. Or to learn from it and blossom. She chose the latter.

 

Hers is by no means a story relegated to those in the entertainment industry. Not by a long shot. Hers a story that is universal. The specifics may not be the same, but the message is.

I love this episode, I love this woman, I love her story. And you know what? As a sucker for Charlie’s Angels, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, I loved hearing firsthand what Aaron Spelling was like as a person. Self-made and accessible and a lover of Pink’s Hot Dogs.

Today, Jen Grisanti is principal of Jen Grisanti Inc. She provides feedback and guidance – notes, as they say in the bizz –  to writers who are developing projects. Forty-two of her writers have gone on to sell their series as pilots, which is huge. She’s an instructor with NBC’s prestigious Writers on the Verge program. She’s an internationally sought after speaker – having spoken in Australia, Israel, London, Toronto. And she’s the author of three books: Change your Story, Change your life; Storyline: Finding the gold in your life story; and the TV Writing Toolkit. 

Our talk specifically focuses on how we can all find the gold in our own story. You may think you’ve hit rock bottom, but with a perspective shift, you will see you haven’t. Where you really are is one step away from an “a-ha” that is going to rocket you to greater heights -- if you are willing to identify it and take action. That’s the key.

Despite the fact that Jen is probably one of the busiest people in Hollywood, she made time to meet with me on a Saturday morning in LA. And it was pure perfection. She speaks candidly about the collapse of her marriage, and the fact that, had she not lost the things she thought she “needed” in order to have “arrived” that she’d never be where she is today. And that is a place of authentic arrival -- a life built entirely on her own terms, using the gifts she has accrued from a 25 year career shaping the stories that have captivated millions of people around the world. When you talk to Jen and you talk about heart ache and heart break and disappointment, you soon realize that she sees those as the gold -- the “all is lost” moment, as they say in Hollywood, when truly good things are just around the corner.

 

Nov 15, 2016

What we cover: Autumn Reeser knew at a very young age exactly who she was meant to be – an actor. But despite this clarity, she has learned to face a sometimes cruel industry -- the rejection, the heartbreak, the dashed hopes – with grace and perseverance. In the process of her journey, she has realized that the key to it all is learning, quite simply, to be kind to ourselves. You may know her as Taylor Townsend from the hit series The OC, or as Lizzy Grant from her two seasons on Entourage, or as Dr Gabby Asano in Hawaii Five-O. You may recognize her in the recently-released feature film Sully – starring Tom Hanks and Laura Linney. Regardless, there are a lot of reasons you might know Autumn Reeser. And her upcoming series The Arrangement is sure to be amazing.

Whatever of our profession or path or passions, there’s unity in the theme of our stories. We fall, we get back up. And Autumn is no different. She has a really evolved perspective on things – on what it takes to continue on our climb. For example, Autumn made the decision early on that the process of going out on auditions would be empowering, not a time of vulnerability; another chance for her to hone her chops. Hers is a message that reminds us we all own our own perspective and can shift it in a flash.

And when we do find ourselves in times of darkness, Autumn shares her “self-cleaning oven” metaphor. In other words: Take some time completely on our own. And just shut the door, and purge out the goop.

Nov 8, 2016

What we cover: Despite being groomed to take over the family business, Italy’s famed Grand Hotel of Rimini, Peter Arpesella knew life had other things in store for him. But what kind of courage does that take? To face not only your family, but more importantly, yourself – and say some version of: “Thank you for loving me. But thank you, more than anything, for respecting my need to be free.”

After getting a degree in business and finance and working as an investment banker, he would ultimately leave the life he knew, and buy a one-way ticket to the United States. Today he is an actor, a voice actor, a voice coach, a screenwriter, an author – and just an all-round truly authentic, genuinely happy person. He embodies that quality that I admire more than anything in anyone – and that is he is self-made.

Peter was raised surrounded by opulence, prestige, privilege. His parents were the quintessential socialite couple, gracing the covers of glossy lifestyle magazines. He was a little boy, running the gorgeous corridors of the stunning Grand Hotel Rimini; a 5-star destination that saw a non-stop stream of upscale guests come through its doors. It was the location of Federico Fellini’s classic film Amarcord. For his family, it was a life that was all about the quest for the appearance of perfection. And Peter never felt right about it. He knew something more meaningful was missing.

When he was in his early 20s, it was revealed that his father -- who Peter learned was living in what he calls a “castle of lies” -- was a drug addict. Despite appearances to the contrary, his father was heavily in debt and would go on to take his own life, leaving Peter and his family to band together to rebuild. Peter went from extreme wealth to extreme hardship, and he rose to the challenge. After he did what he needed to do, he got his family back on their feet, and he knew it was time for Peter to rescue Peter. And after being moved by a particularly emotional scene in the DeNiro film A Bronx Tale, Peter packed his bags and headed to the US, to be an actor.

Peter has worked with the likes of Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, and Tom Cruise. And we talk about that. Because let’s face it, who doesn’t want to know what it would be like to work with these legends of the industry? Peter's next film appearance is in Live by Night -- written by, directed by, and starring Ben Affleck -- and it opens in theatres end-2016 into early-2017.

Peter became an American citizen only about 6 weeks before we chatted. This episode is posting on Election Day, November 8, 2016, as a tribute to him. (He proudly voted for Hillary, of course.)

 

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