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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: September, 2016
Sep 27, 2016

What we cover: In 2006, my husband Chad was preparing for his first Ironman event when someone gave him a copy of a documentary called The Distance of Truth. The Distance of Truth fast became Chad’s favourite go-to during long rides on his trainer. The film chronicles ultra-runner Ferg Hawke on his quest to complete Badwater, which at 135 miles or about 216 kms, is said to be the toughest foot race on earth in the hottest place on earth: Death Valley, California. To have Ferg as a guest on this episode was a full circle moment for us; he represents for Chad the start of his belief that we really can redefine who we are and who we want to become. The first North American to finish the gruelling Marathon Des Sables across the Moroccan Sahara in the Top Ten, Ferg is also a two-time second-place finisher at Badwater, coming in closely behind legendary runners Dean Karnazes and Scott Jurek. Bt he wasn't always this guy. Once overweight, he dropped the pounds and changed his lifestyle, reinventing himself along the way. Today he is an avid adventurer currently training to trek up to Everest Base Camp, and volunteers as a run guide on Youth Expeditions with the organization Impossible to Possible.

Sep 20, 2016

What we cover: When you’re set to have tea with an 86-year-old nun, it’s a good idea to have things like cream, sugar, and perhaps crustless cucumber sandwiches on-hand. But of course, I did not. (#EpicFail) However, Sister Madonna Buder is not your typical 86-year-old nun. Dubbed the Iron Nun – as depicted in the recent Nike commercial that debuted during the 2016 Olympic Games – this force of nature has completed over 45 Ironman events, countless marathons, and more than 400 triathlons. As active and as energetic as any athlete a quarter her age, Sister Madonna chats with me about defying age, trying new things, and recalls with tremendous emotion the special relationship she shared with her grandparents as a young girl, and how she risked it all with her decision to join the convent. All told, this is a conversation that reveals the woman behind the legend; she’s likeable, endearing, engaging, and without a doubt, inspiring. #UnlimitedYouth

 

Sep 13, 2016

What we cover: Every once in a while, you chat with someone who is truly unstoppable. And Tanner Gers is one such person. After a March 2004 car crash left him entirely blind, rather than resort to his former lifestyle, he completely reinvented himself. He weeded the Friendship Garden, he redefined and re-evaluated his priorities, and he carved out a life that included being a world class athlete. In fact, he would go on to represent the USA in the London 2012 Paralympic Games in long jump. Today, he’s the host of the uber-popular podcast, The Creative Success Show, a much sought after speaker, an author, and founder of The Athlete Summit, a membership-based online resource that lassos dozens of this planet’s foremost coaches who share insights with athletes. A fan of the late Jim Rohn, Tanner reminds us that we are the sum total of the habits of the 5 people we spend the most time with, and if that isn’t an important Titan-specific message, I don’t know what is. And remember: No matter how bad things get, they could always be worse. Thanks, Tanner. (I agreed with everything he had to say, except for how to handle the raccoons on my studio roof.)

Sep 5, 2016

“No need for sight. When you have a vision,” says Lex Gillette, four-time USA Paralympian and world champion long jumper. (Yes, this is a guy who can jump nearly 7 metres.) (Cross my heart.) But the thing of it all, is that by the age of just 9, as a wee boy, Lex lost his sight entirely. Did that stop him from living a big life? Not a chance. Inspired by the force that is his mom, Verdina, and the guidance of a very awesome teacher, Brian Whitmore, Lex was introduced in High School to the idea of competing in a more meaningful way in athletics, when Mr. Whitmer let him know there was a world out there that he could conquer. In the years since, Lex has represented the USA in Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, and most recently, in Rio in 2016. In this epic chat, we discuss his life philosophy and his belief that “sight is the enemy of vision”, and the refreshing fact that – unlike too many people on the planet today -- he has little use for self-doubt. After all, as he tells it, when you overcome the loss of your sight, you know you can handle anything that comes at you.

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