Très Flavoured

I love music. I love witnessing women doing what they love, regardless of their sex. Men dominate the music industry. Regardless of which part of the music industry being considered, the percentage of women in music is low, anywhere from 20 percent down to 5 percent in music production. I am convinced that there are effective ways to see more women in the industry. My opinion on how to do this might surprise you. Have a listen and see what you think. Thanks for being here. Bless, Natalie

A quick little message from me: I'm Back! I hope you are still there. COVID hit me hard but don't worry, she's back and full of fun ideas and stories to share with you. Stay tuned and subscribe NOW!

Maybe you are very connected to nature. Maybe you spend a lot of times in the outdoors. Maybe you are a city slicker always surrounded by cars, people and buildings (like myself). I actually take joy in being a city girl, but I don't forget the feeling I get on my morning runs, or when I get to take in fall colours against a blue sky background. The feeling is not like anything I get when I am in my city life. I need that feeling. I need nature. We all need nature. This is how I figured it out...Enjoy! (better if you're listening to this in nature ;)).Cheers, Nat G

What is your opinion on graffiti? My guess is, considering where society stands, you don't see it as all too harmful or bad. But there was a time when it was frowned upon. What changed? We are often scared to change our minds and our beliefs because it implies questioning what we've believed to be true up until now. The thing is that when we hold so strongly to our values, we sometimes create judgemental thoughts in our head. This sometimes plays out on our treatment and behaviour towards others, usually strangers. Consider: road rage. Have a listen to my thoughts on context and how it can rid us of our judgement. Let me know what you think by subscribing and liking this episode. Check out my blog here: https://unconventionalclassrooms.blogspot.com/

Early Mornings. Running. Staying Motivated. These are things that you either dread or enjoy and embrace. Either way, you can relate to the idea that finding motivation is tough because it's usually involving something unpleasant and undesirable. It involves disrupting peace and calmness in your life. It usually means you have to experience pain and/ or suffering to some extent. And well, that kinda blows. Regardless, here is a little story on how I found my initial motivation to wake up early and go for a run. Essentially it came down to feeling a sense of desperation and also creating an environment that made it easy to be "successful" in. Creating "good" habits and breaking "bad" ones is no easy feat, but there are some very simple principles and I have discussed a few here. Have a listen, let me know what you think. Subscribe as well to my blog here: https://unconventionalclassrooms.blogspot.com/.Thanks for tuning in.Happy Habit Making & Breaking!Naty G

We all know it. At one point in our life, we've hated that alarm clock. Okay, probably many more times than one. But it's a reality of life. Deal with, right? I am here to share a few thoughts on why it is so hard to wake up in the morning and get out of bed. I also have a few tips on what you can do to make yourself more effective at doing so, and hate it less. It's not really that you will hate it less, it is just that you will shift from suffering to a little bit of pain. Enjoy this one, really! It has helped me immensely in my morning wake up routine. Enjoy, subscribe and like if you do!Also, check out the blog post of this topic here :).

Man, why does everything great require so much damn patience. It's true. Tell me a time when you didn't have to wait for something great, and it turned out for the better? Okay, maybe when your ran out to buy a tub of ice cream, a whole pizza, sodas and some cookies. But let me guess, you felt like crap afterwards??? That's it. Good things take patience. The problem is that we barely know what this means anymore. Well, I am here to break down what patience is, feels like and how we can incorporate it more into our life. Check it out, enjoy & SUBSCRIBE.Check out the blog version of this podcast here!

Hey Gang,We've all been going through a lot with this coronavirus pandemic/ COVID-19 situation. It's taught us a lot about, well, a lot! We have learned all about social distancing, quarantines, self-isolation, being boring, waiting in lines, dealing with worldwide emergency situations and toilet paper shortages. While we have been learning this the hard way, there are some cultures and countries who already knew what this felt like, pre-COVID-19. I lived in one of them, Cuba, for almost 5 years. Here is why I think they are killing it at the coping-game!Enjoy & Subscribe or SHARE this episode.Also, check out the matching blog post for the visual learners in the house!

Hey there, Naty G here with another valuable life lesson from an "unconventional classroom." Today we go to the kitchen while doing a chore that some of us despise and some of us don't actually mind. Regardless, we have all probably done it once and have found it to be quite time-consuming. That's what is so interesting: most things that lead to greatness do take time! Listen in to hear the other life lessons that I have learned from doing my dishes by hand (you might just be convinced)! Enjoy, share and subscribe if you are curious about what other crazy and wild "Unconventional Classrooms" I reveal along the way. Enjoy, Subscribe & SHARE!Also, you can check out the written blog post version here!

Well, we don't know exactly where we sit/ stand/ isolate right now. We are sort of making progress, but not because the little COVID-19 virus-things are much less prominent in our lives, simply because we are trying, as a society, to make progress. It's strange because it's not really safer, but we're acting like it is. Well, aside from all of that, I think one or two of us have spent the last few weeks & months pacing our houses asking ourselves things like, "What is my purpose in life? Where do I go from here? What do I need to do to truly be happy?" Big life questions like that, no? Well here are my 7 biggies to ask yourself, and don't worry, it's not too late to do so, you still have years to figure it all out ;).Happy Quarantine-ing!

Hey Guys, Naty G here with another reflection, not from a place of expertise, from a place of growth. I am right there with you in trying to become a greater version of yourself. This is something that came into my radar recently regarding where my head goes when convincing myself to do something. I usually have a very dramatic, "What If," reaction to the idea. And well, here's a little thought that might challenge me in these moments. Have a listen, see what you think & if you can relate. This is all about challenging us to push ourselves to become better communicators. It's usually hardest with the ones we love the most. Have a go! Enjoy ;)

I made a decision today. Now, I just have to prepare my story for 2 or 3 years down the road when I say, "and then one day, I just decided to change." Then again, I have done this all before, you know, made a decision and then committed to it for like a week or even a few months. Somehow, this decision feels different. Although I have also said that before. However, the reason this decision feels different is that it's not really a decision to have a different end goal, like it usually is (I want to be more successful in my business, I was to lose x lbs, I want to find a boyfriend, I was to finish y project, etc). It's actually a decision to get more okay with and involved in the process of how things all play out in my life, not just the end goal. I will give you a summary of what I did today to prove to you that this is not just hocus pocus and that I am for real.- I ran. I didn't feel like it, it wasn't my normal routine, but I didn't have a better option for a workout given the situation, so I did it. It felt okay, good actually.- I started my email marketing. This has been DAUNTING me for so long because I imagined it to be so difficult. You know what, it wasn't! It wasn't easy, there were a couple of loop holes, but I did it. And the process was actually really rewarding. - I bought groceries and odds and ends from Canadian Tire. It seems easy, but the "yesterday me" would have found a reason not to do it when I was there and put it off. But I did it. Felt good. The list could go on, but I think you get the idea. Have a listen, give me your thoughts. I am sure the process of improving my podcast isn't going to be an easy one, but somehow I feel more prepared than yesterday, so bring it on!

Meet Craig Martin. I sat down with a guy that I met and connected up with somewhere between serving him his double allongé espresso to back-and-forthing on Instagram. Then I realized something. This guy, is just like all of us, trying to live his best life, and make it something meaningful. For him, that means being in a healthy relationship with his wife, pampering his cats, spending an appropriate amount of time on social media sassing on others accounts, cooking, and well being a good friend to me. I think you will enjoy taking sometime and getting to know Craig, and who knows, you might just find that you have somethings in common with this complete stranger. Go and follow him on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thugbrutsen/Follow me while you're at it, here (personal): https://www.instagram.com/la.flavourista/ or my cookie business here: https://www.instagram.com/tresflavoured/Enjoy and please subscribe! Also, let me know if you would like to be featured and share your "flavourful" life story, or at least part of it!

Today I woke up to a snowstorm, and a pretty legit one at that. Two things went through my head: not a good day to uber & an excellent day to uber. I went for option 2. In the end it was both. It was not a good day cause the roads were slick AF but an excellent day because demand was high, and life lessons were to be learned. So I went out, and persisted through, and ended up with a lot more in my head than I bargined for. Here's my take on ubering in a snowstorm....Enjoy!

This is technically Episode 19, but for the sake of paying respects to the Black Mamba, we'll call it episode 24. This is a post about what excellence really encompasses. Why are we so scared of being excellent? Or perhaps, it's a disconnect between our mind and our actions. Whatever it is, it seems to be the very reason that we are inspired by people like the late Kobe Bryant. He portrayed excellence in his words, his actions, his sport and his life, in general. It is with these ideas that I have taken a moment during my morning drive to reflect on this recent unfortunate event. He is really something great. Guess what, you are too. Life is about living up to YOUR full potential, whatever that is. I say, "Go For It!" Cause tomorrow is not a promise...

Salut à tous,Aujourd'hui je lance mon premier episode en français! C'est exciting, c'est horrible, c'est drôle, c'est toute ça. Le weekend passé j'ai voyage à Toronto pour une petite visite. Quand j'était là, je suis allée au resto, "Ma Yve Grill" que j'ai connu pour un video de Serge Ibaka, jouer de basket sur l'équipe Toronto Raptors. La soirée on a passé super, en jasant de beaucoup de chose: les entreprise, la nourriture, la cuisine congolaise, les saveurs du monde, le social media, etc. Anyways, voilà, juste un petit "taste" de notre conversation. J'éspère que vous le aimeriez. À la prochaine!Oui ça doit être "de" Calgary, pas "du" Calgary. All part of the charm, folks!

Hey there,Today I feel the urgency to share this recording that I made from back in the summer. This was some one-on-one time that I spent with githo, which is what we call "grandpa" and the term comes from the Czech, which is where his roots lie. My githo isn't doing so well these days. He is uncomfortable, with a number of medical problems and feeling the unimaginable feeling of getting near the end of his life, and having to deal with it emotionally and physically. Regardless, a few months back he was in slightly better condition and so I wanted to share the chat during the time I spent with him. Family is family. Love them or hate them, they are there, in your life, to teach you lessons, to be with you, to support you, to frustrate you, etc. All of that is important. Try to realize the importance of family in your life, that's what I have to say.

Hey there,Posting this on a bit late. It was on a day where everything seemed to be going wrong, and yet everything went right afterwards. Life is that. It's good and it's bad. The quicker you can turn the bad into a necessary addition to the good, the easier you can manage it. My thoughts.

Hey there, I'm back and this one was a pretty big moment of reflection for me. I started adding up all of the moments when I was feeling really awesome and motivated while pursuing my business. It seemed that they all had to have this one thing in common: I was all up in my "jam." In other words, just doing my thing and having fun with it. Here I explain a little big of what I mean by that. I hope you can relate, take something away from this or at the very least, enjoy you next 7 minutes listening to this.

Hey There,Today's Takeaway From Yesterday is all about me being self-aware and reflecting on my daily habits. I have been re-reading the book by Charles Duhigg called, "The Power Of Habit" and consequently have been reflecting on my habits, particularly those that I want to rid. Then it happened: I caught myself in the act! I was preparing some cookies for my cookie business and I realized that I was talking myself out of working hard. Alas, I recognized that in fact, my train of thought in itself has become a habit. Talk to myself and convince myself that what I have set out to do is too hard/ difficult/ time consuming. The moment I realized that, it was cool. I saw it as a habit and not so much of a negative personality trait, making it much more manageable to overcome. So I wonder, what behavioural or mental habit do you want to tackle, and rid yourself of? And have you caught yourself in the act?

Hello People. This is what's up. Online dating, dating apps and GHOSTING, are real things. They have been for a while and as we close out 2019, they will continue to be a thing. It's the way of the world. I don't totally love it, but I accept it. If you are new to the world, don't know what 'ghosting' is, or feel shocked when you online conversations are left high and dry, check this episode out. Full Disclaimer: Yes, I do believe I have also 'ghosted' someone before. It happens, we are all human. Check it, enjoy it, share it, subscribe to it.Cheers...Nat

Yesterday, during a conversation with an Uber rider, I realized HOW MUCH inherent value there is in starting a simple conversation with someone. Asking where they're from, inquiring into what they do, asking where they got that cool jacket from. It can really start (and end) anywhere. And why do you have to know where it will go? It's pretty liberating when you stop worrying about knowing the destination of a conversation and just get into it. Thus is life, actually. I have learned, little by little to be more comfortable starting conversations with people, cause YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. Maybe the conversation will go nowhere. Or maybe, just maybe, it will....Hope you enjoy this short clip on putting yourself on the line a little bit.

Are you a fan of Christmas music, Celine Dion, singing in your car, or simply really value family and the time you spend with yours? Yesterday, it happened. I got in the Christmas spirit BIG TIME, legit. I turned on Celine Dion's These Are The Special Times album and oh man, was I in it! That album gave my Tesla's surround sound speakers a run for their money. So as I was listening, I started wondering why it is that I LOVE this album so much. Is it because I am a huge Celine Dion fan? Maybe. Is it because I just love Christmas music so much? Perhaps. Is it because singing in the car, while blasting the tunes is one of my favourite pastimes? Also possible. But more likely than not, it is because this album takes me back to my childhood and youth when I was really happy to be around family and enjoy the Christmas mood. Yes, that is why. Hope you enjoy and take something away from this chat about family.

Hi there, I had an interested day yesterday, full of overpriced quotes. What?! Perhaps it seems obvious to some of you, but what I realized is that when you decide to get "fancy" and buy fancy things, etc., you will surely get f-ed. I understand, people who make more, can pay more, right?! I guess I have somewhat entered into this "fancy" world with my new car purchase, a Tesla Model 3. But honestly, I am not that. I didn't buy it for the reasons of being fancy. Alas, I am learning some very interesting things from being in this "world." Here is my takeaway from yesterday: prepare to get f-ed. Thanks for listening. Cheers, chao!

Here's another "Takeaways From Yesterday" episode coming at you LIVE! Yesterday, my biggest take away was all about taking care of myself and being in touch with what I really needed. It's hard when we live a life full of habits and routines to step away from those. However, sometimes it's necessary. My day was totally off my norm. In the past, that has really gotten me down, but yesterday I just took it in, adjusted and most importantly, was okay with it all. Hope you enjoy and can relate to this need of just doing you and self-care!

I want to talk about a different kind of flavour. The best way I can summarize it in a few words is by calling it "Daily Flavour." It's the stuff that goes on in our lives everyday, and usually we just consider to be daily occurrences. However, I have started seeing it as "flavour" that somehow makes our life meaningful, exciting, frustrating, rewarding, and everything in between. In order to be in tune with these daily happenings, I am going to start reflecting and sharing them the day afterwards. Thus, I present: Takeaways From Yesterday. Here I will share my reflections on the "daily flavours" from my day before. I hope you can relate or connect to some of my experiences.

Back with another interview. This guy really got me curious about his life. Imagine being born in Fez, Morocco, a city full of history, chaos and charm, and before you know it, finding yourself in Quebec, being raised with a father working in somewhat of a mysterious field. In speaking with Tahar, I really got a sense of how much his hardworking dad influenced his lifestyle and career choices. He is as ambitious as he is cool, calm and collected. Here we chat about his father's career (4:00), childhood building his character (7:30), influence of friends and social networks (10:00), joining the army (12:00), returning to Morocco and life/ travel there (17:00), transition to Montreal and changing jobs (23:45), being an accountant (27:30), why buying a Tesla is a deal (33:05), creating a business by seeing a need in society (43:00), maintaining a balance in an entrepreneurial lifestyle (52:15), surviving struggles and having a partner by your side (56:15). If you are interested in seeing more from Tahar check out his LinkedIn profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toudghiri/?originalSubdomain=ca or on his website at: https://postable.ca/en/start/. Thanks for listening!

Hey there,It's me, Natalie, checking in again with you after my relaunch of my cookie business. I have now decided to create one umbrella brand, which will include all of the things that I am "tasting" on this entrepreneurial journey. That being said, I have been reflecting a lot these days on the personal growth side of this process, and how I am being affected by everything as an individual, a human being, if you may. And here is what I am experiencing: being an entrepreneur is a lot less social than I had the image of in my mind, at least my process is such. And TBH, I think it's okay. I mean, if I really wanted, I could be attending all these social small business events and schmoozing session. But somehow I find them to be a waste of my valuable time. And we all know that is hard to come by in abundance. That being said, there are more personal and intimate social things that I have realized I am missing out on, and some are handle to swallow than others. Have a listen and see if any of this resonates with you, or someone you know and are close to. Let me know your thoughts! Also, check out my new website which features my delicious cookies, as well as my music picks, blog page and more!Cheers,Natalie

Drumroll, please...!Here it is. A slightly altered name with a slightly altered purpose. I have decided to overlap my brand and the name with my other business, Très Flavoured Cookies. So, in addition to explaining my purpose, I hope this serves as a little example of those who are hustling and trying to make things work. Dip your feet in everything and anything that interests YOU, or that you think you might have skills in. I have decided to bring everything that I am working on into one family so that I can share all of my workings with all of my community. The days of specializing in ONE skill or talents are kind of over. The world and it's citizens are interested in playing in a little bit of everything. Welcome the days of a cookie company that runs a podcast, offers their music picks and has their own clothing line. Well, at least I will start with the first few!Thanks for listening.Cheers,NatalieALSO: You can check out my new brand at here: www.tresflavoured.com

Hey All,I'm back on here today with some observations from my time living in Havana, Cuba. While living there, I was fascinated by so many things, particularly in regards to transport and car culture. We can all agree that transportation is a huge component to culture "isms" wherever you are. Think about it. Everyone lives out part of their day in some form of transport whether it be a car, a bus, a taxi, an Uber, bike or otherwise. Furthermore, people can't help themselves but to get caught up in negatives and complaints about driving, traffic, parking, etc. It's an unavoidable part of life. Even those who prefer not to be in it, are affected by it. Cuba is definitely a special place when it comes to transport culture. Everyone knows that the "old American cars" are a typical Cuban image. But it goes much beyond taking some flashy tourist pictures in these iconic cars during your car tour. Here I address a few Cubanisms that I observed in Cuba that take you a little further into transport culture there. Listen in while I discuss the car and taxi life. I think I will have to follow this up with other episodes of all the other fascinating modes of transport in Cuba.I hope you enjoy!P.S. Sorry about the pre-episode rant of my Montreal experience, I felt it was necessary ;)!

In this video, I share my thoughts and experiences around the idea of focus. I would say that in general, focus is accepted as a mental skill or trait. But what happens when your mental toughness "just isn't there today?" I'd like to consider that maybe our physical toughness or physiology can kick in and do some of the focusing. Let's play with this idea a little bit. Let me know your thoughts!

This is one of my "Random Rants" which is basically a short episode of me, going on about various random topics regarding anything and everything! Today, I dive into the topic of black versus white. No, I'm not talking race here, people. I am talking about the other things in life that we chose to buy or consume. Examples: black vs. white cars, appliances, electronics, shoes, chocolate vs. vanilla, etc. There is a subconscious debate going on amongst all of these things, and in which colour they look better. I am 97% of the time on Team Black. What about you? Regardless, I dive into a strange conundrum that I've come to realize regarding THESE THINGS being black. I hate black....find out what in this episode of, "Random Rants."

For the last few days, I've been increasingly reflective of how powerful "desperate situations" are in our lives. Sure they bring us stress, negative feelings, a sense of unsettlement, but at the same time they give us something very important, something many people struggle to maintain: motivation. If you think back to your most creative moments, likely it was during a time of desperation. Remember tying to fix that door or fence? You couldn't run out to the store cause it was closed. What did you do? You found a solution! You created a lock out of some old strings or twist ties or you wedged it up with some scrap twigs and wood. Whatever sticky situation you find yourself in, there's no denying it: desperation is a great motivation. It also provides a very conducive environment for developing your creativity. So go ahead, get out there and be desperate! Embrace it.I hope you enjoy this recount of my time spent in Cuba while sharing my observation of desperate situations.

Me here. Just felt like throwing out my non-expert opinion on this hot topic of 'plastics'. I'm interested to see if this stirs the pot at all. I share of couple of my life experiences (ie. living in Cuba) and also discuss how my current work environment (Starbuck) reveals some very interesting examples of hypocrisy regarding our actions towards garbage, trash, mainly in the form of plastics. Let me know what you think. You can check out this in video form here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDXtaKHQM7QjxD3BbYNjQHw?view_as=subscriberThanks for listening/ watching!

Life's hard sometimes. But challenges help us grow, physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, etc. I am convinced that there are few things that we cannot control with the power of our mind. Here, my younger brother shares how he has worked through some challenging and interesting life experiences with his mindset and self-awareness. We discuss everything from living your own life, to traveling abroad, to being serious in a relationships, to falling under the label of a "gay wrestler." I gain so much when listening to my brother. I hope you do too. Enjoy!

Have you, or did you, ever have a chance to sit down and have a real heart to heart with anyone of your grandparents? I believe good people respect their elders. I had the chance to sit down with my grandma and have a heart-to-heart and I must say, it was a truly special moment. Here we talk about everything from: (3:20) staying in one place your whole life, (6:00) growing up in a strict family, (9:30) old-school parenting styles, (14:11) being an old person and adapting to technology and modern society, (23:30) hobbies in a time when "fun" wasn't prioritized, (33:00) being a working woman, (38:00) feminism (47:00) homosexuality, and finally (54:00) putting old age in perspective.

I just think he was out of line. But have a listen yourself, and let me know what you think...

Not caring what people think. It's supposed to just happen like that, and come so naturally. Right? Not for me, and I am pretty sure not for all of you. Running my own business has really pushed me to go outside my comfort zone, which I think can be hard, no matter what you are tackling in life. Here's my 2 cents on how I have warmed up, little by little, to caring less about what others think and more about what I am working towards. I hope this is valuable for you. Cheers!

Have you ever felt sorry for yourself for the stuff you have to put up with? Ever feel like your vacation isn't really going as you had imagined it? That's kind what I was feeling during my father-daughter trip to Jamaica. Here's a wild and crazy idea: go into the Jamaican bush, wake up before dawn and hike into the abyss with nothing more than the shoes on your feet, and clothes on your back. Okay, so it wasn't exactly like that but in my head it was. Have a listen to this true story about the time when I learned that sometimes (most often) putting up with shitty situations, pays off in the long run, and why this made my love for coffee that much greater. I hope you enjoy this story. Please let me know your thoughts!

Okay, I'm curious. Have you walked by someone on the streets waiting for spare change and either:a) avoided eye contact all together?b) treated them kinda like they didn't exists cause then you didn't feel bad for not giving them money?c) lied to them and told them you had no change?d) in your head, blamed them for their own circumstances and refused to feel bad for them?e) dropped some change in pity, or cause, why not?f) started a conversation with them, with the hopes of understanding their situation better?g) did something else?In my opinion, all of these are totally understandable reactions to the situation; we're human after all. I find the situation to be a particularly tricky one. So, I don't know what inspired me to chat with this one man that I met some months back while he was pandering for change. Perhaps it was the day of the week, time of day, my mood, a killer workout just hours before, his attitude, or the fact that I saw cheap chips on sale that I could give to him. Really, I can't remember. The point is, I decided to find out more. We chatted. Then I saw him again, and again. Then one time we remembered each other's name. Then we became friends. And now, here we are, recording an interview about nothing in particular, just life. Or as Ian says, "we are taking business."I hope you enjoy learning about this really nice guy and hearing his perspective on some things in life.

Do you ever use the words "goal" and "expectation" with the same intention? In other words, as something you are working towards. Here, I dive into the difference between the two words, or at least my opinion of it. I touch on how these play into our lives. I chat about various life decisions including meeting someone and starting a relationship, having a family, choosing or changing a career path, moving cities, etc. Basically all of the big events in one's adult life. I am interested in addressing the viability of having expectations versus having goals, and what I think is a more productive mindset to have. I am super curious to know what your thoughts, comments and opinions are on this one. Cheers!

Are you an Instagram Stories addict, or a #snapchatfilter user? Or perhaps you were you that student who, when your teacher mentioned, "Shakespeare," ran straight out to the bookstore to find the Coles Notes version? Then, this episode is for you! If you want a quick run down of what I am doing here on my podcast called, "Flavoured," check out this short clip.

Remember when you where in school, university or basically any training you have ever done, and for the beginning weeks or months, you had to go through those painful "theory" lessons because it was so important (according to your teacher) for your understanding of the rest of the content? Well, that's exactly why I welcome you here today! This is the theory behind my podcast. And by that, I mean it is me blabbering for about 8 minutes about why I think it is going to be interesting and valuable for you to continue to listen to me talk about the "simple things" in life. I hope you enjoy it. But if not, it's okay, you have the "exciting stuff" to look forward to ;).