Podcasts about Greater Toronto Area

In Part 2 of The Dwayne Kerrigan Podcast with John Karpov, founder and CEO of Action Home Services, Dwayne and John go even deeper into the mindset and systems behind Action Home Services(AHS), a leading landscaping and exterior construction company serving Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. From almost losing his residency to scaling an $8M business while facing deportation, John shares how he built structure, leadership, and culture around his immigrant grit. He opens up about redefining fulfillment, transitioning from survival mode to leadership, and how relentless personal growth became the cornerstone of his company's 50% year-over-year growth.John reveals his leadership playbook — from reading 2 books a month to building over 1,000 SOPs and investing $1.5M in professional development for his team — and how staying humble, hungry, and human is what keeps him grounded through every phase of growth.If Part 1 was about survival, this episode is about scaling — with purpose, structure, and soul.Listen to Part 1 HEREWatch Part 1 HERETimestamps[00:00:00] — Dwayne opens with: “You can only run a business so long by running the fastest.”[00:01:00] — John's incredible story of his wife's visa approval and their shared “never give up” destiny.[00:05:00] — The immigration battle: how they nearly lost everything waiting for permanent residency.[00:07:30] — The miracle timing that let them stay in Canada and the lessons learned living on the edge.[00:10:00] — Reinvesting every dollar into the business while facing uncertainty.[00:13:00] — Scaling to $10M+ before age 25 — and not feeling like it's an accomplishment.[00:17:00] — Dwayne and John explore scarcity versus hunger — and how the immigrant mindset fuels drive.[00:19:00] — John on never feeling “done” and why fulfillment comes from helping others succeed.[00:22:30] — The breakthrough realization: happiness is in the journey, not the destination.[00:26:00] — Daily fulfillment rituals: reading, training, and prioritizing sleep.[00:29:00] — Building structure and delegation into the company's DNA — leadership by design.[00:31:00] — Creating organizational charts, head of departments, and scaling through people.[00:35:30] — Learning to lead through education: 100+ conferences and a book club culture.[00:38:00] — Investing $1.5M in personal and professional development and $40K in books.[00:41:00] — Company reading list and rewards program: from “Unreasonable Hospitality” to “Good to Great.”[00:45:00] — John's transparent leadership: open-book finances, KPI education, and growth accountability.[00:49:00] — Over 1,000 SOPs: how structure scales culture.[00:53:00] — Turning every mistake into a process and every error into a lesson.[00:56:00] — The ROI of structure: new managers finally saying, “I love that it's organized.”[00:58:00] — Why immigrants often make exceptional employees — grit meets gratitude.[01:00:30] — Dwayne's reflection on the power of sacrifice and the immigrant spirit.[01:02:00] — John's final advice: “If you need my help with your business, I'll be there for you.”Key...

Join Josh in this week's vlog as he shares updates on his busy life balancing a family law practice and co-founding a tech company in the Greater Toronto Area. Josh discusses the ebb and flow of litigation work, details his tech firm's advancements in automated immigration forms, and highlights his thoughts on the importance of niche solutions in tech development.  Additionally, he reviews the books 'Crushing It' by Gary Vaynerchuk and 'Mastery' by Robert Green, sharing insights and recommendations for readers interested in personal growth and mastery.  Never miss an update by joining the substack here: https://joshschachnow.substack.com/ 00:00 Introduction and Weekly Update 01:04 Law Firm Insights and Court Preparations 04:30 Tech Company Developments and Niche Strategies 07:58 Community Building and AI in Legal Practice 08:38 Book Reviews and Recommendations 12:44 Conclusion and Thanksgiving Wishes

At just 17 years old, John Karpov immigrated alone from Kazakhstan to Canada, barely speaking English and with no safety net. When a scam wiped out his savings and left him contemplating suicide, one phone call saved his life, and set off a chain of events that would redefine what grit and perseverance look like.In this powerful conversation, Dwayne Kerrigan sits down with John to unpack how he went from a desperate student to the founder of Action Home Services, a multimillion-dollar landscape construction company. John shares how he learned English, mastered sales by necessity, and built a thriving business one door knock at a time.This is a masterclass in resilience, risk, and the immigrant mindset that fuels unstoppable entrepreneurs. Timestamps00:00 - John reflects on fear, scarcity, and the pain that still drives him 11 years later.01:00 - Dwayne introduces John Karpov, founder of Action Home Services.03:00 - John's early life in Kazakhstan and decision to immigrate to Canada at 17.05:00 - Struggling to understand North American English and adapting to culture shock.06:00 - Losing his financial support — and falling victim to a fraud that wiped out his savings.08:00 - A near-suicidal moment and the phone call that changed everything.10:00 - Finding a commission-only job selling driveway sealing — and having no clue what it was.15:00 - Knocking doors for 8 hours with no sales — until a breakthrough changes everything.17:30 - A confrontation, courage, and earning $400 in a day — more than a month's pay back home.19:00 - What kept him from giving up — the mindset shift from failure to relentless drive.23:00 - Outworking everyone and learning the power of necessity.25:00 - Starting his first business with no money, no truck, no driver's license — and no experience.31:00 - Working 60 hours a week while in college — the early years of survival.34:00 - Transition from driveway sealing to landscaping and scaling beyond himself.38:00 - Dwayne and John break down the principles of sales: activity, energy, and hunger.41:30 - The scarcity mindset that still lingers — and how fear drives discipline.47:00 - Risk, safety, and how to protect a growing business through systems and liquidity.53:00 - Building systems, crews, and leadership while finishing college.1:03:00 - Growing past chaos: when your living-room floor becomes your job-scheduling system.1:07:00 - Bringing his wife into the business — and the promise to be home by 5 p.m.1:13:00 - Her immigration story — and how persistence beat three rejections.1:14:00 - Dwayne's closing reflections: from scarcity to abundance — and what's coming in Part 2.Key TakeawaysNecessity builds resilience. When failure isn't an option, resourcefulness becomes instinct.Work ethic beats experience. John outworked everyone — before he even knew what he was selling.Systems are survival. Growth without process leads to chaos (and lost contracts under the carpet).Scarcity can ignite hunger — but abundance sustains growth. Learning when to move from survival mode to strategy is essential.Leadership evolves. From door-to-door hustler to CEO, John learned that empowering others fuels exponential scale.John is President of Action Home Services (AHS), a leading landscaping and exterior construction company serving Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Since founding AHS in 2015, John has grown the business from a small driveway sealing service into one of the GTA's premier full-service landscaping and outdoor design firms. Under his leadership, the...

Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show.Welcome back to another episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show!This week, I'm thrilled to introduce you to Aamir Hussain, whose debut novel Under the Full and Crescent Moon is officially out in the world. This is no ordinary debut. It's a speculative historical novel that asks a bold and fascinating question: Could there be a Muslim matriarchy—and what would that world look like?The story follows Khadija, a young woman growing up in the imagined city of Madid al-Agham, where faith, politics, and the law intertwine. Over the course of 11 transformative months, Khadija becomes a mufti—a scholar and writer of fatwas. She's pulled into debates, courtroom-style conflicts, and life-changing choices, all while negotiating family ties, mentorship, and an intellectual rival who challenges her beliefs and authority.Aamir shares with us how this novel took root. Raised in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and later the Greater Toronto Area, he experienced different expressions of Islam firsthand. After 9/11, he saw the faith misrepresented online—flattened into stereotypes. That disconnect led him to years of research into Islamic history and law, and eventually into the story that became Under the Full and Crescent Moon.We talk about: ✨ The long road to this debut—from early prologue drafts in 2015 to a finished manuscript in 2022. ✨ Writing on Toronto's TTC and GO Train during his daily commute. ✨ Balancing heavy research with a compelling narrative (and how his editor, Julia Kim, helped cut 40,000 words!). ✨ The challenge of writing a female protagonist with honesty and respect—and how early readers gave him confidence in Khadija's voice. ✨ What it means to show, not tell, when weaving faith, politics, and history into fiction.What struck me most in this conversation is Aamir's hope for readers. For Muslim readers, he hopes Khadija's world reflects the richness and diversity within their own communities. For non-Muslim readers, he hopes the book challenges stereotypes and sparks curiosity about the depth of Islamic history and interpretation. More than anything, he wants readers to see that communities, like individuals, are varied, nuanced, and deeply human.On publication day, Aamir admits to feeling a little overwhelmed—but grateful. He didn't originally set out to be a writer, but the story insisted on being written. Now, he's embracing the identity of “novelist” and looking ahead with humility. Will there be another book? Inshallah—God willing.If you love novels that mix immersive worldbuilding with thought-provoking questions, you're going to love this conversation—and you're going to love Khadija.Grab your copy of Under the Full and Crescent Moon and join us for a behind-the-scenes look at how it came to be.

York Regional Police report that a Vaughan home, linked to a murdered member of the Greater Toronto Area's tow truck industry, has been targeted by gunfire twice in the past month.

Asif Khan, REALTOR and broker owner of RE/MAX Prime Properties Group of Companies in Ontario discusses the condo market, softening of sales and unusual high level of inventory in the Greater Toronto Area plus a discussion on recently shut down iPro Realty in Ontario, including likely changes in Regulatory oversight in the Province.

Heather McDonald recently stepped into her role as president and CEO of the United Way Greater Toronto, an organization focused on growth impact and operational transformation. In this conversation with Douglas Nelson, she shares how she balances their work as a solutions finder and her task of implementing new systems to integrate her values-based leadership. Heather also discusses her major takeaways as a second-time CEO, the importance of showing up consistently, and how she leads United Way in becoming a greater force for good in the Greater Toronto Area.

Join us for this conversation with Dr. Meenal Agarwal to explore how to protect and optimize your eye health in today's modern world. Dr. Agarwal breaks down the biggest contributors to declining vision, the hidden dangers of our technology use, and her practical 20-20-20 rule to help counter digital eye strain. We dive into the role nutrition plays in keeping your eyes strong, the truth about prescription glasses, and what you should know before considering procedures like LASIK or cataract surgery. She also shares insights on why poor night vision is becoming more common and what you can do about it. Tune in to learn how small daily habits can make a big difference for your long-term eye health.Dr. Meenal Agarwal is an award-winning, board-certified optometrist, entrepreneur, and host of the podcast Uncover Your Eyes: The Truth About Health & Wellness. She is passionate advocate for functional optometry, which takes a holistic approach to vision and eye health, focusing on the root causes of visual problems, and championing the connection between eye health, cognitive function, neurodegenerative disease prevention, and overall well-being. Dr. Agarwal graduated with distinction from the University of Waterloo, earning both an Honors Bachelor of Science and a Doctor of Optometry degree. At just 24, she opened her first clinic and today owns three successful practices across the Greater Toronto Area. Her clinical expertise includes laser vision correction/Lasik, Rigid Gas Permeable and scleral contact lens fittings, dry eye management, and myopia control in children. She previously served as a clinical director at TLC Laser Eye Centers and is a proud member of the Ontario Association of Optometrists. Her insights have been featured in TIME, Forbes, and Fox News. As both a devoted mother and innovative entrepreneur, Dr. Agarwal Dr. Agarwal blends science, mindfulness, and compassion to raise the bar in modern optometry.SHOW NOTES:0:39 Welcome to the podcast!3:04 Dr. Meenal Agarwal's Bio3:49 Welcome her to the show!4:58 What are the biggest contributors to declining eye health?6:56 Vision for kids & teens8:59 The biggest problem with devices11:53 Blue-light computer glasses14:15 20-20-20 Rule16:32 Red light & sunglasses22:18 Cataracts24:26 Nutrition for eye health26:59 Why managing glucose is so important28:46 *TROSCRIPTIONS*29:50 Socializing for eye health30:33 Dry eyes & hormone changes38:32 How often to see the eye doctor42:45 Do Rx glasses make you reliant?45:02 Farsightedness47:01 Astigmatism50:44 Lasik procedure54:30 Poor night vision58:44 Correlations with cognitive decline1:02:45 Neurotoxins & Vision1:04:44 What to ask for at the doctor1:05:41 Her final piece of advice1:06:37 Where to find Dr. Meenal!1:06:51 Thanks for tuning in!RESOURCES:Website: www.drmeenal.comIG: @dr.meenagarwalPodcast: Uncover Your EyesTroscriptions - code: BIOHACKERBABES to save 10%Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/biohacker-babes-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Pooja Walia is a distinguished Indo-Canadian figure renowned for her multifaceted achievements in pageantry, healthcare, performing arts, and social advocacy. Born and raised in the culturally vibrant city of Chandigarh, India, she was immersed in a rich tapestry of traditions and community values during her formative years. This foundation of resilience and cultural depth propelled her remarkable journey across continents, beginning with a relocation to Dubai following her marriage, where she established herself as a dedicated dance teacher at Dubai International School from 2006 to 2012. Subsequently, she settled in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two daughters, embracing a new chapter that blended professional pursuits with family life.As a devoted mother, Pooja Walia prioritizes familial harmony, integrating cherished rituals such as Friday movie nights and shared family dinners into her routine. These traditions serve as anchors, enabling her to maintain equilibrium amid the rigors of her career and pageant engagements. Professionally, she underwent a significant transformation from a background in human resources—where she managed client relations and workforce operations for nearly a decade—to the empathetic field of healthcare as a Personal Support Worker (PSW). In this role, she provides compassionate care to elderly residents in long-term facilities, addressing daily living needs, documenting medical records, and supporting individuals with dementia and other challenges. This career pivot, undertaken with resolute determination, reflects her commitment to meaningful service and personal fulfillment.Pooja Walia's artistic heritage is equally profound, encompassing over two decades of mastery in classical Kathak dance. A trained performer with a Master of Arts in Indian Classical Dance from Punjabi University, she has graced stages in Bollywood films and television, notably portraying the role of “Krishna Tulsi” in the acclaimed series Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and sharing the spotlight with legendary ghazal singer Jagjit Singh. Her expertise extends to contemporary contributions as a certified yoga instructor and dance teacher at Canada's danceShala in the Greater Toronto Area, where she has taught for eight years. These disciplines form the cornerstone of her wellness philosophy, integrating mindful practices into her daily life to foster physical vitality, mental clarity, and holistic well-being, thereby enhancing her overall journey of self-discovery and empowerment.In a bold foray into pageantry later in life, Pooja Walia entered the spotlight with the Mrs. Canada Globe Curve 2024-25 competition in Edmonton, Alberta, securing the title on her debut attempt in November 2024. This triumph marked a pivotal moment, infusing her with renewed confidence and purpose. Representing Canada at the international Mrs. Globe pageant in Palm Springs, California, in June 2025, she navigated intense competition across evening gown, summer wear, and personality profile segments, ultimately clinching the prestigious Mrs. Curve Globe 2025 crown. As a champion of the “Curve” category, she has emerged as a vocal advocate for body positivity, leveraging her platform to amplify messages of self-acceptance and inclusivity for women who challenge conventional beauty standards. Her poise on the global stage, honed by years of artistic discipline, underscores a narrative of graceful authenticity and unyielding determination.Central to Pooja Walia's mission is her advocacy initiative, “Golden Grace: Every Senior Matters,” inspired by the profound grief of losing her mother during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a frontline PSW witnessing the vulnerabilities of the elderly firsthand, she channels this personal loss into purposeful action, advocating for societal reforms to uphold seniors' dignity.

Send us a textJoin us as I sit down with Ben Myers, President of Bullpen Research & Consulting, for a deep dive into the real estate market, condos, rentals, and market studies. Ben shares his journey into the real estate industry, the challenges faced by the market, and expert insights into condo and rental market trends. We discuss the impact of economic conditions, the role of government policies, and the future of real estate in the Greater Toronto Area. Tune in to understand the intricacies of development, market analysis, and the importance of data-driven decisions in real estate. Deep Dive into Real Estate AnalysisEconomic Trends and Market PredictionsCurrent Challenges in the Real Estate MarketFuture Outlook and Industry ConcernsSmall-Scale Projects and Missing MiddleChallenges in Housing DevelopmentInsights from Podcast InterviewsPitching to Doug FordPrefabricated Housing and Government RoleFuture of the Housing Market For more information, please refer to RealEstateDevelopmentInsights.Com.

Discovering the Best Version of Yourself After Divorce with Bee QuammieReady to meet the woman you become after divorce? This episode will change how you see yourself and your future.Bee Quammie, multimedia storyteller and author of The Book of Possibilities, joins host Sade Curry to share raw truths about rebuilding after divorce. Bee is a Jamaican-Canadian multimedia storyteller: a writer, podcast host, TV personality, and public speaker. She's written for publications like The Globe and Mail, Men's Health, Chatelaine, Refinery29, Essence, and more. Bee is a guest host and commentator on several Canadian television and radio shows, like CTV's The Social and CBC's The Next Chapter. She's also a highly sought-after public speaker with the National Speakers Bureau, offering keynotes across North America. She writes and speaks on topics like race and culture, parenting, mental health, and pop culture — and her debut book, an essay collection called The Book of Possibilities, was published by Penguin Canada in 2025. Bee lives in the Greater Toronto Area with her two daughters.Bee breaks down the difference between being married, going through divorce, and thriving as a single woman - and why she loves the version of herself she is now most of all.What You'll Discover:Why "know the version of you that you like best" changes everything about datingHow to tell the difference between loneliness and being alone (they're not the same thing)The surprising way to reconnect with pleasure through your five sensesWhy nice guys aren't always the answer - and what to look for insteadHow to set boundaries that men actually respectThe secret to celebrating small wins on your path to thrivingBee shares her honest journey from losing herself in marriage to discovering self-love that creates armor against outside noise. She talks about solo trips to Curacao, learning to laugh at her own jokes, and why she approaches dating as fun rather than a job interview.This conversation tackles the shame around divorce, the pressure women face to follow scripts that don't serve them, and why breaking those narratives leads to better relationships with yourself and others.If you're ready to stop waiting for someone else to validate who you are and start loving the woman you're becoming, this episode is your wake-up call.Connect with Bee Quammie:Website: beequammie.comSocial Media: @beequammie (all platforms)Book: The Book of Possibilities (Penguin Canada, 2025)Ready to create your own dating strategy that honors who you're becoming? Schedule your free dating consultation call with Sade and start building the love life you deserve - one that fits the incredible woman you are today.

WHEN WILL IT RAIN!?The Greater Toronto Area hasn't seen significant rainfall in over a month and the plants are starting to show the effects of drought.Your grass is the colour of Shredded Wheat and the heat is making it a struggle to keep your plants happy.  What to do? Jack, Lynne and Matt McFarland focus on water wise plants on this week's episode of The Growing Season. Lynne has changed how she's watering her flower beds.  She describes how and the results thus far.  Maybe it's time for many of us to shift what we've been doing.What happens if a plant sheds it leaves due to drought?  Will it rebound?  Matt develops a theory on-air. Where is the driest place on earth? Many trees on our client's properties have started to shed their leaves NOW.  Is this normal?  Why would trees do this at this time of the year?A lawn can go three months without water and fully rebound so there is no need to panic.  Hedges and their extensive watering needs are discussed. Trichomes, or "plant hairs" and their functions are highlighted.  You wouldn't believe how a hairy leaf is used.Trees and the water transport systems become a focus.  How is soooo much water transported up and down in the tree's internal systems?A quick clip on drip tips...Wind, river pebbles and everything in between features. STOP CUTTING YOUR LAWN WHEN IT IS THIS DRY.   PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, STOP!Tune in. Looking to book a consult for your property?  We'd love to help.  CLICK HERE.What is a TGS Tiny Garden? CLICK HERE.Subscribe to The Growing Season podcast.  CLICK HERE.

Welcome to the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, hosted by Kripa Anand. You're listening to Tech Forward—where we spotlight the technologies driving innovation, efficiency, and growth for Canadian businesses. In today's fast-moving world, staying ahead in tech is essential for startups and businesses looking to thrive.Joining us today is Edward Skira, President of Chart Communications Inc. Edward is an entrepreneur, urbanist, and founder/publisher of UrbanToronto.ca and SkyriseCities.com. With over 30 years of experience in media and publishing, Edward revolutionized urban development news online. Today, we'll dive into UrbanToronto's evolution, the power of data in real estate, and the future of digital publishing for urban information.Key Highlights:1. UrbanToronto's Journey & Digital Dominance: Edward discusses how UrbanToronto became the go-to site for Toronto development news, attracting millions of users and page views monthly.2. UTPro: The Power of Data for Real Estate Professionals: How UTPro empowers real estate developers, architects, and urban planners with actionable data and insights.3. Spreading the Model: SkyriseCities & National Expansion: The inspiration behind SkyriseCities' national expansion and how it benefits urban development communities across Canada.4. Key Trends in Urban Development & Architecture: Edward shares the key trends in construction, architecture, and urban planning across major Canadian cities.5. Digital Publishing, The Future of Urban Information & Legacy: How technology, internet marketing, and social media are shaping urban development information and Edward's long-term vision for platforms like UrbanToronto.Special Thanks to Our Partners:RBC: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/dms/business/accounts/beyond-banking/index.htmlUPS: https://solutions.ups.com/ca-beunstoppable.html?WT.mc_id=BUSMEWAGoogle: https://www.google.ca/A1 Global College: https://a1globalcollege.ca/ADP Canada: https://www.adp.ca/en.aspxFor more expert insights, visit www.canadiansme.ca and subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Stay innovative, stay informed, and thrive in the digital age!Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as direct financial or business advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

Have you ever wondered if there's a smarter, more profitable way to rent your property—hidden in plain sight? In this episode, I sit down with Aisha Govani—a dynamic entrepreneur who turned financial rock bottom into a midterm rental success story. From living in her in-laws' basement with two young kids and zero income during COVID, Aisha and her husband rewrote their future through grit, resilience, and an entirely new approach to real estate. We dive into the world of midterm rentals, where Aisha reveals how this overlooked strategy can be your golden ticket—especially if you're battling short-term rental restrictions. She breaks down how she built a thriving platform connecting independent hosts with corporate clients, turning properties into profit through business-to-business bookings. You'll get actionable tips on everything from cold calling corporate contacts, networking with relocation agencies, to landing contracts with insurance companies. Aisha peels back the curtain on how to structure deals, vet hosts, and maximize bookings—all while building a sustainable, values-driven business. This isn't just a roadmap for better bookings—it's a blueprint for reinvention. Aisha's story will challenge you to rethink your strategy and show you what's possible when you bet on yourself. Get ready to turn resilience into revenue and learn why midterm rentals are the smart investor's next big move! HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY POINTS: [01:01] A short introduction about our guest Aisha Govani and her journey from nonprofit work to real estate entrepreneurship [06:07] Aisha recalls the tough COVID days living in her in-laws' basement, where grit triumphed over fear [09:56] The importance of commitment over hesitation, framing failure as an essential step toward mastery and fulfillment [13:30] How Aisha's own entrepreneurial evolution reshaped her view on education to empower her children with personalized, real-world education inspired by her entrepreneurial growth [17:18] Aisha talks about the intensive work behind securing B2B midterm rental bookings and how her platform simplifies access for independent hosts  [22:45] Aisha explains why cold calling often triggers discomfort and shares the key to overcoming  [25:38] Aisha breaks down how to identify decision-makers for B2B bookings and highlights the mindset and approach needed to succeed in cold calling  [30:49] How Aisha's midterm rental platform connects hosts to both B2C and B2B bookings with a focus on ease and quality of guests [32:24] Aisha + details the streamlined vetting process for hosts on her platform and highlights high-demand areas, especially in the Greater Toronto Area  [35:57] The lightning round  Golden Nuggets: “Decide and ignore the noise.” “I always choose grit over fear.” “There are days I wake up and I'm like, should I be doing this? Is this the right choice? What have I decided to do? Can I even do this? Am I capable of doing what I think I can do? And when those questions come into your brain, you're really the only one that can quiet it. So I always try to choose, one foot, one foot, one foot. Don't worry about the rest of the race.” “We have to commit to what we want first before we do anything else.” “What I would say to anyone who's trying to cold call anything is, when you call that person, you speak to them like you're providing a solution for their problem.” “It's going to be harder than you think, but networking is going to be a large part of the answer.” “If you work on your mind and your body, all else will align. This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lodgify⁠⁠⁠⁠!

“Why hit the bottom? Just go up from where you are.” A laughter leader. A worm advocate. A wellness warrior. Cathy Nesbitt is transforming stress into joy—one giggle and compost bin at a time. This episode is sponsored by my new book BRANDJITSU, helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In This Episode Cathy Nesbitt joins Michael Dargie for a one-of-a-kind conversation about joy, purpose, worms, and why laughter really might be the best medicine. From corporate secretary to compost queen to laughter yoga teacher, Cathy's journey is anything but ordinary—and totally intentional. It all started with worms. Cathy's mission to teach people about indoor composting using red wigglers began in 2002, just as the Greater Toronto Area landfill closed. But her passion didn't stop there. When the world shut down in 2020, she pivoted once again—this time using laughter yoga to help people move out of stress and into joy. This episode goes deep into personal reinvention, the power of saying yes, and how weird ideas might just be the ones that save us. Cathy shares her philosophy on business, community, media, and staying curious in a chaotic world. Plus: the art of winning radio contests, biking while laughing, and why she still doesn't have a cell phone. You'll laugh. You'll learn. You might even start a worm bin. Quotable Quotes “Laughter is the best medicine—but not everybody's laughing.” “Why hit the bottom? Just go up from where you are.” “Joy is our birthright.” “It's no for sure unless you ask.” “Without awareness, action is impossible.” “We're literally in charge of our own pharma.” “I'm not afraid to go and look ridiculous.” “Save the worms—they're as important as bees.” Episode Highlights Laughter Yoga | How Cathy discovered the science of joy Worm Composting | Red wigglers and the black gold revolution Garbage Strikes | How a Toronto protest led to her first press hit Career Pivots | From secretary to social worker to solo entrepreneur Indoor Composting | Turning food scraps into soil in your own kitchen Morning Show Limo Ride | Proof that asking really works Radio Contests | How Cathy wins big with a whiteboard and a landline Relationship Tips | When to say yes, and how to support an idea generator The Enneagram | Adventurers, researchers, and fun as a guiding light Phone-Free Living | On landlines, fruit flies, and the beauty of quiet Why Titles Don't Matter | Connection trumps status Advice for Rebels | Make joy your baseline, and ask anyway Links from the Episode Cathy's Laughter Club (https://www.cathysclub.com) Cathy on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathynesbitt/) Cathy on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559438955975) Get Your Copy of Michael's Book: "BrandJitsu™: Move Your Brand From 'Meh' To Memorable" Indigo | Barnes & Noble | MichaelDargie.com

In this episode of Negotiating Happiness, your host Adriana catches up with Danna Giroux, Holistic Nutritionist (Certified Nutritional Practitioner), a published author, an international model and the founder of Unique Balance. We delve into the topics of nourishing the mind, body and soul, getting rid of excuses and seizing opportunities. We will talk about the importance of recognizing when it's time to pivot and all the upcoming projects at Unique Balance. Who is Danna? Danna Giroux is a Holistic Nutritionist (Certified Nutritional Practitioner), a published author, an international model and the founder of Unique Balance, a private consulting practice based in the Greater Toronto Area. As a holistic nutritionist, personal trainer, wellness consultant & Tao Healing Hands Practitioner, she helps people find their unique balance of optimal health and happiness. Danna has been part of the health and wellness industry for more than 25 years. She has completed the Fitness Leadership Program at Humber College as well as CAN-FIT-PRO Personal Trainer Specialist and Nutrition Wellness Specialist certifications. Danna also obtained her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Toronto. She later attended the Institute of Holistic Nutrition where she graduated with First Class Honours. Danna is a published author. Her Professional eBook “Fitness & Mindfulness for Optimal Health. Easy Ways to Fit them in & Many Reasons why you Should “, is on Bookboon's platform. Danna has also recently co-authored for the book series Empowered in Heels 4, where the theme is strength and resilience. And she recently became the Health and Wellness columnist for BizFashion magazine. Danna has a wide range of experience working with others in groups, with private clients, in schools, in shelters, with youth sports teams, and with various corporations. Don't worry if you can't tune in live - you can always catch up later on Soundcloud or other platforms. So mark your calendars and join us for an inspiring conversation! Follow me on all streaming platforms or keep up with additional posts on Instagram and Facebook!

Welcome to the latest episode of 'This House Has a Podcast,' where we delve into the stories behind some of the most remarkable properties in East York, Toronto, and the Greater Toronto Area. This episode takes you through the journey of a unique home nestled in East York, crafted with meticulous attention to detail and an unwavering commitment to quality. Unlike typical market-ready houses, this home is a testament to the owner's vision and dedication, featuring high-end materials and thoughtful design elements. From the robust three-quarter inch plywood construction to the luxurious finishes, every aspect of this home speaks to a lifetime of comfort and elegance. Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at this $3 million dream home, complete with hidden gems like a secret bookshelf door, two spacious laundry rooms, and a top-floor master retreat. Discover how every choice was made with care, anticipating not just a home, but a lifetime sanctuary.

Tokyo Speirs is a multi-Platinum-certified Canadian record producer, audio engineer and songwriter from the Greater Toronto Area.He has worked with many charting artists via Walk Off The Earth, such as Lindsey Stirling, Lukas Graham, Phillip Phillips, Gabriela Bee, USS, and Luminati Suns. With certified gold singles such as “Fire in my Soul,” Platinum on their 2019 full-length album "Here We Go," which peaked as the #1 selling pop album in America (Nielsen's Pop Album Chart), #3 on Canada's Top Albums Chart, and debuted in the Top 5 on Billboard's Album Sales Chart, and Platinum on their latest Album “Stand By Me” which included the Platinum-certified smash hit “My Stupid Heart,” with the help of viral TikToks and creative live performances. He has co-written and co-produced the Pokémon Journeys theme song, Disney's Go Away Unicorn and Blade Runner Black Lotus. Using unconventional samples, creative lyrics and unique recording techniques, Tokyo pushes the boundaries while reigning in the weirder side of pop. Having also gained respect in songwriting and mastering, at the end of the day, he's just a friendly engineer (friendgineer?) who strives to draw intimate, captivating performances, whether that means invisibly recording or pushing talent as far as possible to get the take.He is currently working and performing with Walk Off the Earth, producing Luminati Suns, as well as dipping his toes into video production and live production.IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:Finding your niche in productionBeing strong-willed to push your skillsLetting experimentation inspire creativityWorking and writing with Walk Off The EarthTreating music as a jobThe inner workings of a successful bandSetting up roles for different members of a bandRecording unique instrumentsPrioritizing during the recording and mixing stagesKnowing when to spend time on something vs. moving onScheduling your life around musicHow he organizes his files, sessions, and ideasHow to make choruses that are hugeTo learn more about Tokyo Speirs, visit: https://www.instagram.com/friendgineer/Check out Walk Off The Earth on tour: https://tour.walkofftheearth.com/And check out their latest single: https://orcd.co/breakingmyheartLooking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/ Want additional help with your music productions?For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/ Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/ Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/ Check out our...

Tonight on the Brian Crombie Radio Hour, Brian interviews Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, a housing expert and author of "Home Truths: Fixing Canada's Housing Crisis". She is Senior Housing Researcher and Adjunct Professor, School of Cities UofT.  Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, discusses her new book on housing affordability challenges in the Greater Toronto Area and shares insights on successful housing models from other countries. She explores various solutions to Canada's housing crisis, including reforming zoning systems, reducing development fees, and learning from international examples like Finland's approach to homelessness. This discussion highlights the need for affordable housing options, secure rental arrangements, and non-market housing solutions, while emphasizing the importance of long-term policy changes to address the growing affordability issues.

Send us a textThis week on Fertility in Focus, we are joined by Dr. Sarah Zadek, a remarkable Naturopathic Doctor specializing in women's health and fertility, who sheds light on the complexities of reproductive aging. Together, we discuss the hidden intricacies of how cellular aging impacts egg and sperm health. As we navigate the often-overlooked consequences of aging on fertility, Dr. Zadek shares strategies to help maintain reproductive health. Bringing attention to the shared responsibility of both partners in conception, we challenge the outdated notion that fertility issues primarily arise from the woman's side. Our discussion highlights the essential roles both egg and sperm quality play, especially as they age. We explore how hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone, influence egg quality, uterine health and the overall viability of pregnancy. Listeners' concerns about preserving or even reversing the effects of aging on reproductive health are thoughtfully addressed, offering potential strategies for improving outcomes.More about our guest speaker: Dr. Sarah Zadek is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor in Ontario with a clinical focus on women's health, endocrinology and fertility. Sarah graduated from Nipissing University with an honours degree in biology after completing her thesis on genetics, oxidative stress and immune function.She graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto in 2014. With her own health issues unsolved by medical doctors and specialists, Sarah turned to naturopathic medicine to help solve many of the ailments she had carried for years, including endometriosis and other autoimmune conditions.Dr. Zadek uses the latest evidence-based medicine, orthomolecular medicine, botanicals and antioxidant therapies to help patients correct hormonal imbalances and immune disorders including: endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hypothyroidism, painful and/or irregular menstruation, and challenges with fertility.As well, she has a passion for empowering women and their partners to take charge of their health, assisting them on their journey to reproductive success. This includes educating women to better understand their cycles, and improve health outcomes with diet and lifestyle factors, whether they're looking to conceive now or in the future.Her working background includes 14 years in pharmacy and experience as a birth doula in the Greater Toronto Area. Sarah is an author and has written for multiple publications across North America including NaturalPath, Naturopathic News and Review (NDNR), Naturopathic Currents, and Eco Parent Magazine online.If you or your organization would like to sponsor educational episodes just like this, please contact us at podcast@fertilitymatters.ca. Follow Fertility Matters Canada at @fertility_canada on Instagram and TikTok.

Who knows the meaning of the term “Business Continuity management” without looking it up? Our guest this week, Alex Fullick, is intimately familiar with the term and its ramifications. I first met Alex when we were connected as participants in a conference in London this past October sponsored by Business Continuity International. The people involved with “Business Continuity management” were described to me as the “what if people”. They are the people no one pays attention to, but who plan for emergency and unexpected situations and events that especially can cause interruptions with the flow or continuity of business. Of course, everyone wants the services of the business continuity experts once something unforeseen or horrific occurs. Alex was assigned to introduce me at the conference. Since the conference I have even had the pleasure to appear on his podcast and now, he agreed to reciprocate.   Our conversation covers many topics related to emergencies, business continuity and the mindsets people really have concerning business flow and even fear. Needless to say, this topic interests me since I directly participated in the greatest business interruption event we have faced in the world, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.   Alex freely discusses fear, emergency planning and how we all can improve our chances of dealing with any kind of emergency, personal or business related, by developing the proper mindset. He points out how so often people may well plan for emergencies at work and sometimes they even take the step of developing their own business continuity mindset, but they rarely do the same for their personal lives.   Alex is the author of eight books on the subject and he now is working on book 9. You can learn more about them in our podcast show notes. I think you will gain a lot of insight from what Alex has to say and I hope his thoughts and comments will help you as you think more now about the whole idea of business continuity.       About the Guest:   Alex Fullick has been working in the Business Continuity Management, Disaster Recovery, and Operational Resilience industries as a consultant/contractor for just over 28 years. Alex is also the founder and Managing Director of StoneRoad, a consulting and training firm specializing in BCM and Resilience and is the author of eight books…and working on number nine.   He has numerous industry certifications and has presented at prestigious conferences around the globe including Manila, Seoul, Bucharest, Brisbane, Toronto, and London (to name a few). In July of 2017 he created the highly successful and top-rated podcast focusing on Business Continuity and Resilience ‘Preparing for the Unexpected'. The show aims to touch on any subject that directly or indirectly touches on the world of disasters, crises, well-being, continuity management, and resilience. The first of its kind in the BCM and Resilience world and is still going strong after thirty plus seasons, reaching an audience around the globe. Alex was born in England but now calls the city of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, his home. Ways to connect Alex:   www.linkedin.com/in/alex-fullick-826a694   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hello, everyone, wherever you happen to be, welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet and unexpected is anything that has nothing to do with inclusion or diversity. As I've said many times today, our guest is someone I got to meet last year, and we'll talk about that. His name is Alex Bullock, and Alex and I met because we both attended a conference in London in October about business continuity. And I'm going to let Alex define that and describe what that is all about. But Alex introduced me at the conference, and among other things, I convinced him that he had to come on unstoppable mindset. And so we get to do that today. He says he's nervous. So you know, all I gotta say is just keep staring at your screens and your speakers and and just keep him nervous. Keep him on edge. Alex, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're   Alex Fullick ** 02:19 here. Thanks, Michael. I really appreciate the invite, and I'm glad to be here today. And yeah, a little nervous, because usually it's me on the other side of the microphone interviewing people. So I don't fit in this chair too often   Michael Hingson ** 02:33 I've been there and done that as I recall, yes,   Alex Fullick ** 02:37 yes, you were a guest of mine. Oh, I guess when did we do that show? A month and a half, two months ago? Or something, at least,   Michael Hingson ** 02:45 I forget, yeah. And I said the only charge for me coming on your podcast was you had to come on this one. So there you go. Here I am. Yeah, several people ask me, Is there a charge for coming on your podcast? And I have just never done that. I've never felt that I should charge somebody to come on the podcast, other than we do have the one rule, which is, you gotta have fun. If you can't have fun, then there's no sense being on the podcast. So, you know, that works out. Well, tell us about the early Alex, growing up and, you know, all that sort of stuff, so that people get to know you a little bit.   Alex Fullick ** 03:16 Oh, the early Alex, sure. The early Alex, okay, well, a lot of people don't know I was actually born in England myself, uh, Farnam Surrey, southwest of London, so until I was about eight, and then we came to Canada. Grew up in Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario, and then moved to the Greater Toronto Area, and I've lived all around here, north of the city, right downtown in the city, and now I live an hour west of it, in a city called Guelph. So that's how I got here. Younger me was typical, I guess, nothing   Michael Hingson ** 03:56 special. Went to school, high school and all that sort of stuff. Yeah, yeah, no.   Alex Fullick ** 04:02 Brainiac. I was working my first job was in hospitality, and I thought that's where I was going to be for a long time, because I worked my way up to I did all the positions, kitchen manager, Assistant Manager, cooks, bartender, server, did everything in there was even a company trainer at one point for a restaurant chain, and then did some general managing. But I got to a point where computers were going to start coming in to the industry, and I thought, well, I guess I should learn how to use these things, shouldn't I? And I went to school, learned how to use them, basic using, I'm not talking about building computers and networks and things like that, just the user side of things. And that was, did that for six months, and then I thought I was going back into the industry. And no fate had. Something different for me. What happened? Well, my best friend, who is still my best friend, 30 years later, he was working for a large financial institution, and he said, Hey, we need some help on this big program to build some call trees. When you're finished, he goes, get your foot in the door, and you could find something else within the bank. So I went, Okay, fine. Well, they called the position business recovery planner, and I knew absolutely nothing about business recovery or business continuity. Not a single thing. I'd never even heard the term yeah and but for some reason, I just took to it. I don't know what it was at the time, but I just went, this is kind of neat. And I think it was the fact that I was learning something different, you know, I wasn't memorizing a recipe for Alfredo sauce or something like that, you know, it was completely different. And I was meeting and working with people at every level, sitting in meetings with senior vice presidents and CEOs and giving them updates, and, you know, a data analyst, data entry clerk, and just talking. And I went, This is so much fun, you know, and that's I've been doing that now for over 28 years.   Michael Hingson ** 06:14 Well, I I had not really heard much of the term business continuity, although I understand emergency preparedness and such things, because I did that, of course, going into the World Trade Center, and I did it for, well, partly to be prepared for an emergency, but also partly because I was a leader of an office, and I felt that I needed to know What to do if there were ever an emergency, and how to behave, because I couldn't necessarily rely on other people, and also, in reality, I might even be the only person in the office. So it was a survival issue to a degree, but I learned what to do. And of course, we know the history of September 11 and me and all that, but the reality is that what I realized many years later was that the knowledge that I learned and gained that helped me on September 11 really created a mindset that allowed me to be able to function and not be as I Put it to people blinded or paralyzed by fear, the fear was there. I would be dumb to say I wasn't concerned, but the fear helped me focus, as opposed to being something that overwhelmed and completely blocked me from being capable and being able to function. So I know what you're saying. Well, what exactly is business continuity?   Alex Fullick ** 07:44 You know, there are people who are going to watch this and listen and they're going to want me to give a really perfect definition, but depending on the organization, depending on leadership, depending on the guiding industry organization out there, business continuity, Institute, Disaster Recovery Institute, ISO NIST and so many other groups out there. I'm not going to quote any of them as a definition, because if I if I say one the others, are going to be mad at me, yell at you, yeah, yeah. Or if I quote it wrong, they'll get mad at me. So I'm going to explain it the way I usually do it to people when I'm talking in the dog park, yeah, when they ask what I'm doing, I'll say Business Continuity Management is, how do you keep your business going? What do you need? Who do you need the resources when you've been hit by an event and and with the least impact to your customers and your delivery of services, yeah, and it's simple, they all get it. They all understand it. So if anyone doesn't like that, please feel free send me an email. I can hit the delete key just as fast as you can write it. So you know, but that's what a lot of people understand, and that's really what business continuity management is, right from the very beginning when you identify something, all the way to why we made it through, we're done. The incident's over.   Michael Hingson ** 09:16 Both worked with at the Business Continuity international hybrid convention in October was Sergio Garcia, who kind of coordinated things. And I think it was he who I asked, what, what is it that you do? What's the purpose of all of the people getting together and having this conference? And he said, I think it was he who said it not you, that the the best way to think about it is that the people who go to this conference are the what if people, they're the ones who have to think about having an event, and what happens if there's an event, and how do you deal with it? But so the what if people, they're the people that nobody ever pays any attention to until such time as there is something that. Happens, and then they're in high demand.   Alex Fullick ** 10:03 Yeah, that that's especially that being ignored part until something happened. Yeah, yeah. Well, well, the nice thing, one of the things I love about this position, and I've been doing it like I said, for 28 years, written books, podcasts, you've been on my show, YouTube channel, etc, etc, is that I do get to learn and from so many people and show the value of what we do, and I'm in a position to reach out and talk to so many different people, like I mentioned earlier. You know, CEOs. I can sit in front of the CEO and tell them you're not ready. If something happens, you're not ready because you haven't attended any training, or your team hasn't attended training, or nobody's contributing to crisis management or the business continuity or whatever you want to talk about. And I find that empowering, and it's amazing to sit there and not tell a CEO to their face, you know you're screwed. Not. You know, you don't say those kinds of things. No, but being able to sit there and just have a moment with them to to say that, however you term it, you might have a good relationship with them where you can't say that for all I know, but it being able to sit in front of a CEO or a vice president and say, hey, you know, this is where things are. This is where I need your help. You know, I don't think a lot of people get that luxury to be able to do it. And I'm lucky enough that I've worked with a lot of clients where I can't. This is where I need your help. You know. What's your expectation? Let's make it happen, you know, and having that behind you is it's kind of empowering,   Michael Hingson ** 11:47 yeah, well, one of the things that I have start talking a little bit about with people when talk about emergency preparedness is, if you're really going to talk about being prepared for an emergency. One of the things that you need to do is recognize that probably the biggest part of emergency preparedness, or business continuity, however you want to term, it, isn't physical it's the mental preparation that you need to make that people generally don't make. You know, I've been watching for the last now, five or six weeks, all the flyers and things down here in California, which have been so horrible, and people talk about being prepared physically. You should have a go bag so that you can grab it and go. You should do this. You should do that. But the problem is nobody ever talks about or or helps people really deal with the mental preparation for something unexpected. And I'm going to, I'm going to put it that way, as opposed to saying something negative, because it could be a positive thing. But the bottom line is, we don't really learn to prepare ourselves for unexpected things that happen in our lives and how to react to them, and so especially when it's a negative thing, the fear just completely overwhelms us.   Alex Fullick ** 13:09 Yeah, I agree with you. You know, fear can be what's that to fight, flight or freeze? Yeah, and a lot of people don't know how to respond when an event happens. And I think I'm going to take a step back, and I think that goes back to when we're young as well, because we have our parents, our grandparents, our teachers, our principals. You know, you can go achieve your goals, like everything is positive. You can go do that. Go do that. They don't teach you that, yeah, to achieve those goals, you're going to hit some roadblocks, and you need to understand how to deal with that when things occur. And use your example with the fires in California. If you don't know how to prepare for some of those small things, then when a big fire like that occurs, you're even less prepared. I have no idea how to deal with that, and it is. It's a really change in mindset and understanding that not everything is rosy. And unfortunately, a lot of people get told, or they get told, Oh, don't worry about it. It'll never happen. So great when it does happen. Well, then was that advice?   Michael Hingson ** 14:25 Yeah, I remember after September 11, a couple of months after, I called somebody who had expressed an interest in purchasing some tape backup products for from us at Quantum. And I hadn't heard from them, and so I reached out, and I said, So what's going on? How would you guys like to proceed? And this was an IT guy, and he said, Oh, well, the president of the company said September 11 happened, and so since they did, we're not going to have to worry about that anymore. So we're not going to go forward. Or worth doing anything to back up our data, and I'm sitting there going, you missed the whole point of what backup is all about. I didn't dare say that to him, but it isn't just about an emergency, but it's also about, what if you accidentally delete a file? Do you have a way to go back and get it? I mean, there's so many other parts to it, but this guy's boss just basically said, Well, it happened, so it's not going to happen now we don't have to worry about it. Yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 15:27 like you hear on the news. Well, it feels like daily, oh, once in 100 year storm, once in 100 year event, once in 100 year this. Well, take a look at the news. It's happening weekly, daily, yeah, yeah. One in 100   Michael Hingson ** 15:44 years thing, yeah. Nowadays, absolutely, there's so many things that are happening. California is going through a couple of major atmospheric rivers right now, as they're now calling it. And so Southern California is getting a lot of rain because of of one of the rivers, and of course, it has all the burn areas from the fires. So I don't know what we'll see in the way of mudslides, but the rain is picking up. Even here, where I live, we're going to get an inch or more of rain, and usually we don't get the rain that a lot of other places get. The clouds have to go over a lot of mountains to get to us, and they lose their moisture before they do that. Yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 16:23 yeah. We just had a whole pile of snow here. So we had a snowstorm yesterday. So we've got about 20 centimeters of snow out there that hasn't been plowed yet. So bit of   Michael Hingson ** 16:36 a mess. There you go. Well, you know, go out and play on the snow. Well,   Alex Fullick ** 16:41 the dog loves it, that's for sure. Like troubling it, but, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 16:46 I don't think my cat would like it, but the animal would like it. He'd go out and play in it. If it were here, we don't get much snow here, but Yeah, he'd play it. But, but it is. It is so interesting to really talk about this whole issue of of business continuity, emergency preparedness, whatever you want to consider it, because it's it's more than anything. It's a mindset, and it is something that people should learn to do in their lives in general, because it would help people be a lot more prepared. If people really created a mindset in themselves about dealing with unexpected things, probably they'd be a little bit more prepared physically for an emergency, but they would certainly be in a lot better shape to deal with something as like the fires are approaching, but they don't, but we don't do that. We don't teach that.   Alex Fullick ** 17:43 No, we it's interesting too, that a lot of those people, they'll work on projects in their organization, you know, and they will look at things well, what can go wrong, you know, and try to mitigate it and fix, you know, whatever issues are in the way or remove roadblocks. They're actually doing that as part of their project. But when it comes to themselves, and they have to think about fires or something like that, is now that won't happen, you know. And wait a minute, how come you've got the right mindset when it comes to your projects at work, but you don't have that same mindset when it comes to your own well being, or your families, or whatever the case may be. How come it's different? You go from one side to the other and it I've noticed that a few times with people and like, I don't get it. Why? Why are you so you have the right mindset under one circumstance and the other circumstance, you completely ignore it and don't have the mindset,   Michael Hingson ** 18:45 yeah, which, which makes you wonder, how much of a mindset Do you really have when it comes to work in all aspects of it? And so one of the things that I remember after September 11, people constantly asked me is, who helped you down the stairs, or was there somebody who was responsible for coming to get you, to take you downstairs and and the reality is, as I said, I was the leader. I was helping other people go downstairs. But by the same token, I'm of the opinion that in buildings like the World Trade Center towers, there is people talk about the buddy system. So if somebody is is in the building, you should have a buddy. And it doesn't even need to be necessarily, in the same office, but there should be an arrangement so that there is somebody looking out for each each other person. So everybody should have a buddy. I'm of the opinion it isn't a buddy. There should be two buddies, and at least one of them has to be outside of the office, so that you have three people who have to communicate and develop those lines of communications and work through it. And by that way, you you have a. Better chance of making sure that more people get whatever communications are necessary.   Alex Fullick ** 20:06 Yeah, you create your like a support network, absolutely,   Michael Hingson ** 20:10 and I think at least a triumvirate makes a lot more sense than just a buddy. Yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 20:14 you you might be freaked out, you know, nervous shaking, but with a couple of people standing there, you know, talking to you, you're going to come right back hopefully. You know, with that, the calmer, you know, stop shaking when a couple of people are there. Yeah, you a lot of times when you have the same one person doing it, usually, oh, you're just saying that because you have to. But when you two people doing it, it's like, okay, thank thanks team. You know, like you're really helping. You know, this is much better.   Michael Hingson ** 20:48 Yeah, I think it makes a lot more sense, and especially if one of them isn't necessarily a person who's normally in your work pattern that brings somebody in from someone with the outside who approaches things differently because they don't necessarily know you or as well or in the same way as your buddy who's maybe next door to you in the office, right across the hall or next door, or whatever. Yeah, yeah. I agree. I think it makes sense well, the conference that we were at a lot to well, to a large degree, and at least for my presentation, was all about resilience. What is resilience to you? How's that for a general question that   Alex Fullick ** 21:31 has become such a buzzword, I know it   Michael Hingson ** 21:35 really is, and it's unfortunate, because when, when we start hearing, you know, resilience, or I hear all the time amazing and so many times we get all these buzzwords, and they they really lose a lot of their value when that happens. But still, that's a fair question. I   Alex Fullick ** 21:53 do think the word resilience is overused, and it's losing its meaning. You know, dictionary meaning, because it's just used for everything these days. Yeah, you know, my neighbor left her keys. Sorry. Her daughter took her house keys this morning by accident. She couldn't get into her house when she got him back, and she had a comment where she said, you know, oh, well, I'm resilient, but really, you just went and got some Keith, how was that so? So I'm, I'm starting to get to the point now, when people ask me, you know, what's resilience to you? What's it mean to you? I just, I start to say, Now, does it matter? Yeah, my definition is fine for me, if you have a definition of it for yourself that you understand you you know what it means, or your organization has a definition, we'll take it and run. Yeah, you know what it means. You're all behind that. Meaning. We don't need a vendor or some other guiding industry organization to say this is, this must be your definition of resilience. It's like, well, no, you're just wordsmithing and making it sound fancy. You know, do it means what it means to you? You know, how, how do you define it? If that's how you define it, that's what it means, and that's all that matters. My definition doesn't matter. Nobody else's definition matters, you know, because, and it's become that way because the term used, you know, for everything these days. Yeah, I   Michael Hingson ** 23:30 think that there's a lot of value in if a person is, if we use the dictionary definition, resilient, they they Well, again, from my definition, it gets back to the mindset you establish. You establish a mindset where you can be flexible, where you can adapt, and where you can sometimes think outside the box that you would normally think out of, but you don't panic to do that. You've learned how to address different things and be able to focus, to develop what you need to do to accomplish, whatever you need to accomplish at any unexpected time.   Alex Fullick ** 24:06 Yeah, and you're calm, level headed, you know, you've got that right mindset. You don't freak out over the small things, you know, you see the bigger picture. You understand it. You know, I'm here. That's where I need to go, and that's where you focus and, you know, sweat all those little things, you know. And I think, I think it's, it's kind of reminds me that the definitions that are being thrown out there now reminds me of some of those mission and vision statements that leadership comes up with in their organizations, with all this, oh, that, you know, you read the sentence and it makes no sense whatsoever, yeah, you know, like, what?   Michael Hingson ** 24:45 What's so, what's the wackiest definition of resilience that you can think of that you've heard?   Alex Fullick ** 24:51 Um, I don't know if there's a wacky one or an unusual one. Um, oh, geez. I. I know I've heard definitions of bounce forward, bounce back, you know, agility, adaptability. Well, your   Michael Hingson ** 25:07 car keys, lady this morning, your house key, your house key, lady this morning, the same thing, yeah, yeah. I don't resilient just because she got her keys back. Yeah, really, yeah. Well,   Alex Fullick ** 25:17 that's kind of a wacky example. Yeah, of one, but I don't think there's, I've heard any weird definitions yet. I'm sure that's probably some out there coming. Yeah, we'll get to the point where, how the heck did are you defining resilience with that? Yeah? And if you're looking at from that way, then yeah, my neighbor with the keys that would fit in right there. That's not resilient. You just went and picked up some keys.   Michael Hingson ** 25:45 Yeah. Where's the resilience? How did you adapt? You the resilience might be if you didn't, the resilience might be if you didn't panic, although I'm sure that didn't happen. But that would, that would lean toward the concept of resilience. If you didn't panic and just went, Well, I I'll go get them. Everything will be fine, but that's not what people do,   Alex Fullick ** 26:08 yeah? Well, that that is what she did, actually. She just as I was shoveling snow this morning, she goes, Oh, well, I'll just go get her, get them, okay, yeah. Does that really mean resilience, or Does that just mean you went to pick up the keys that your daughter accidentally took   Michael Hingson ** 26:24 and and you stayed reasonably level headed about it,   Alex Fullick ** 26:28 you know, you know. So, you know, I don't know, yeah, if, if I would count that as a definition of resilience, but, or even I agree resilience, it's more of okay, yeah, yeah. If, if it's something like that, then that must mean I'm resilient when I forget to pull the laundry out after the buzzer. Oh yeah, I gotta pull the laundry out. Did that make me resilient? Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 26:52 absolutely, once you pulled it out, you weren't resilient, not until then,   Alex Fullick ** 26:57 you know. So, so I guess it's you know, how people but then it comes down to how people want to define it too. Yeah, if they're happy with that definition, well, if it makes you happy, I'm not going to tell you to change   Michael Hingson ** 27:11 it. Yeah, has but, but I think ultimately there are some some basic standards that get back to what we talked about earlier, which is establishing a mindset and being able to deal with things that come out of the ordinary well, and you're in an industry that, by and large, is probably viewed as pretty negative, you're always anticipating the emergencies and and all the unexpected horrible things that can happen, the what if people again, but that's that's got to be, from a mindset standpoint, a little bit tough to deal with it. You're always dealing with this negative industry. How do you do that? You're resilient, I know. But anyway, yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 27:56 really, I just look at it from a risk perspective. Oh, could that happen to us? You know, no, it wouldn't, you know, we're we're in the middle of a Canadian Shield, or at least where I am. We're in the middle of Canadian Shield. There's not going to be two plates rubbing against each other and having an earthquake. So I just look at it from risk where we are, snowstorms, yep, that could hit us and has. What do we do? Okay, well, we close our facility, we have everyone work from home, you know, etc, etc. So I don't look at it from the perspective of doom and gloom. I look at it more of opportunity to make us better at what we do and how we prepare and how we respond and how we overcome, you know, situations that happen out there, and I don't look at it from the oh, here comes, you know, the disaster guy you know, always pointing out everything that's wrong. You know, I'd rather point out opportunities that we have to become as a team, organization or a person stronger. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 29:01 I guess it's not necessarily a disaster. And as I said earlier, it could very well be that some unexpected thing will happen that could be a very positive thing. But again, if we don't have the mindset to deal with that, then we don't and the reality is, the more that we work to develop a mindset to deal with unexpected things, the more quickly we can make a correct analysis of whatever is going on and move forward from it, as opposed to letting fear again overwhelm us, we can if we practice creating This mindset that says we really understand how to deal with unexpected situations, then we are in a position to be able to the more we practice it, deal with it, and move forward in a positive way. So it doesn't need to be a disaster. September 11 was a disaster by any standard, but as I tell people. People. While I am still convinced that no matter what anyone might think, we couldn't figure out that September 11 was going to happen, I'm not convinced that even if all the agencies communicated, they would have gotten it because and I talk about trust and teamwork a lot, as I point out, a team of 19 people kept their mouth shut, or a few more who were helping in the planning of it, and they pulled off something that basically brought the world to its knees. So I'm not convinced that we could have stopped September 11 from happening. At least I haven't heard something that convinces me of that yet. But what each of us has the ability to do is to determine how we deal with September 11. So we couldn't prevent it, but we can certainly all deal with or address the issue of, how do we deal with it going forward? Yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 30:52 I agree. I I was actually in a conversation with my niece a couple of months ago. We were up at the cottage, and she was talking about school, and, you know, some of the people that she goes to school with, and I said, Well, you're never going to be able to change other people. You know, what they think or what they do. I said, what you can control is your response. You know, if, if they're always picking on you, the reason they're picking on you is because they know they can get a rise out of you. They know they it. Whatever they're saying or doing is getting to you, so they're going to keep doing it because it's empowering for them. But you can take away that empowerment if you make the right choices on how you respond, if you just shrug and walk away. I'm simplifying it, of course, yeah, if you just shrug and walk away. Well, after a while, they're going to realize nothing I'm saying is getting through, and they'll move away from you. They'll they won't bug you anymore, because they can't get a rise out. They can't get a rise out of you. So the only thing you can control is how you respond, you know. And as you keep saying, it's the mindset. Change your mindset from response to, you know, I'm prepared for what this person's going to say, and I'm not going to let it bother me. Yeah?   Michael Hingson ** 32:08 Well, bullying is really all about that. Yeah, people can't bully if you don't let yourself be bullied. Yep, and whether it's social media and so many other things, you can't be bullied if you don't allow it and if you ignore it or move on or get help to deal with the issue if it gets serious enough, but you don't need to approach it from a shame or fear standpoint, or you or you shouldn't anyway, but that's unfortunately, again, all too often. What happens when we see a lot of teenage suicides and so on, because people are letting the bullies get a rise out of them, and the bullies win.   Alex Fullick ** 32:51 Yep, yep. And as I told her, I said, you just mentioned it too. If it gets out of hand or becomes physical, I said, then you have to take action. I don't mean turning around and swinging back. I said, No, step up. Go get someone who is has authority and can do something about it. Yeah, don't, don't run away. Just deal with it differently, you know. And don't, don't start the fight, because then you're just confirming that I'm the bully. I can do this again. Yeah, you're, you're giving them license to do what they want. Yeah, but stand up to them, or tell, depending on the situation, tell someone higher up in authority that can do something and make make a change, but you have to be calm when you do it.   Michael Hingson ** 33:39 I remember when I was at UC Irvine, when I was going to college, my had my first guide dog, Squire. He was a golden retriever, 64 pounds, the most gentle, wonderful dog you could ever imagine. And unfortunately, other students on campus would bring their dogs. It was a very big campus, pretty, in a sense, rural, and there were only about 2700 students. And a bunch of students would bring their dogs to school, and they would just turn the dogs loose, and they go off to class, and then they find their dogs at the end of the day. Unfortunately, some of the dogs developed into a pack, and one day, they decided they were going to come after my guide dog. I think I've told this story a couple times on on this podcast, but what happened was we were walking down a sidewalk, and the dogs were coming up from behind, and they were growling and so on. And squire, my guide dog, jerked away from me. I still held his leash, but he jerked out of his harness, out of my hand, and literally jumped up in the air, turned around and came down on all fours, hunkered down and growled at these dogs all in this the well, about a two second time frame, totally shocked the dogs. They just slunked away. Somebody was describing it to me later, and you know, the dog was very deliberate about what he did. Of course, after they left, he comes over and He's wagging his tail. Did I do good or what? But, but he was very deliberate, and it's a lesson to to deal with things. And he never attacked any of the dogs, but he wasn't going to let anything happen to him or me, and that's what loyalty is really all about. But if something had happened and that hadn't worked out the way expected, then I would have had to have gone off and and I, in fact, I did talk to school officials about the fact that these dogs were doing that. And I don't even remember whether anybody did anything, but I know I was also a day or so later going into one of the the buildings. Before he got inside, there was a guy I knew who was in a wheelchair, and another dog did come up and started to try to attack squire, this guy with in the wheelchair, pulled one of the arms off his chair and just lambasted the dog right across the head, made him back up. Yeah, you know. But it was that people shouldn't be doing what they allowed their dog. You know, shouldn't be doing that, but. But the bottom line is, it's still a lesson that you don't let yourself be bullied. Yeah, yep, and there's no need to do that, but it is a it's a pretty fascinating thing to to see and to deal with, but it's all about preparation. And again, if we teach ourselves to think strategically and develop that skill, it becomes just second nature to do it, which is, unfortunately, what we don't learn.   Alex Fullick ** 36:48 Yeah, I didn't know that as a kid, because when I was a little kid and first came to Canada, especially, I was bullied because, well, I had a funny voice.   Michael Hingson ** 36:57 You did? You don't have that anymore, by the way, no,   Alex Fullick ** 37:01 if I, if I'm with my mom or relatives, especially when I'm back in England, words will start coming back. Yeah, there are words that I do say differently, garage or garage, yeah. You know, I hate garage, but garage, yeah, I still say some words like that,   Michael Hingson ** 37:18 or process, as opposed to process.   Alex Fullick ** 37:21 Yeah, so, you know, there's something like that, but as a kid, I was bullied and I there was, was no talk of mindset or how to deal with it. It's either put up with it or, you know, you really couldn't turn to anybody back then, because nobody really knew themselves how to deal with it. Yeah, bullies had always been around. They were always in the playground. So the the mechanisms to deal with it weren't there either. It wasn't till much later that I'm able to to deal with that if someone said some of the things now, right away, I can turn around because I've trained myself to have a different mindset and say that, no, that's unacceptable. You can't talk to that person, or you can't talk to me that way. Yeah, you know, if you say it again, I will, you know, call the police or whatever. Never anything where I'm going to punch you in the chin, you know, or something like that. Never. That doesn't solve anything. No, stand up saying, you know, no, I'm not going to accept that. You know, which is easier now, and maybe that just comes with age or something, I don't know, but back then, no, it was, you know, that that kind of mechanism to deal with it, or finding that inner strength and mindset to do that wasn't there,   Michael Hingson ** 38:43 right? But when you started to work on developing that mindset, the more you worked on it, the easier it became to make it happen. Yep, agreed. And so now it's a way of life, and it's something that I think we all really could learn and should learn. And my book live like a guide dog is really all about that developing that mindset to control fear. And I just think it's so important that we really deal with it. And you know, in this country right now, we've got a government administration that's all about chaos and fear, and unfortunately, not nearly enough people have learned how to deal with that, which is too bad, yep, although,   Alex Fullick ** 39:30 go ahead, I was going to say it's a shame that, you know, some a lot of people haven't learned how to deal with that. Part of it, again, is we don't teach that as well. So sometimes the only thing some people know is fear and bullying, because that's all they've experienced, yeah, either as the bully or being bullied. So they they don't see anything different. So when it happens on a scale, what we see right now it. It's, well, that's normal, yeah, it's not normal, actually. You know, it's not something we should be doing. You know, you should be able to stand up to your bully, or stand up when you see something wrong, you know, and help because it's human nature to want to help other people. You know, there's been so many accidents people falling, or you'll need their snow removed, where I am, and people jump in and help, yeah? You know, without sometimes, a lot of times, they don't even ask. It's like, oh, let me give you a hand,   Michael Hingson ** 40:33 yeah. And we had that when we lived in New Jersey, like snow removal. We had a Boy Scout who started a business, and every year he'd come around and clear everybody's snow. He cleared our snow. He said, I am absolutely happy to do it. We we wanted to pay him for it, but he was, he was great, and we always had a nice, clean driveway. But you know, the other side of this whole issue with the mindset is if we take it in a more positive direction, look at people like Sully Sullenberger, the pilot and the airplane on the Hudson, how he stayed focused. He had developed the mindset and stayed focused so that he could deal with that airplane. That doesn't mean that he wasn't afraid and had concerns, but he was able to do something that was was definitely pretty fantastic, because he kept his cool, yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 41:23 I think he knew, and others in other situations know that if you're freaking out yourself, you're not going to fix the issue, you're going to make it worse. We see that in Hollywood tends to do that a lot. In their movies, there's always a character who's flipping out, you know, panicking, going crazy and making everything worse. Well, that does happen, you know, if you act that way, you're not going to resolve your situation, whatever you find yourself in, you know. And I tell people that in business continuity when we're having meetings, well, we'll figure it out when it happens. No, you don't know how you'll behave. You don't know how you'll respond when, oh, I don't know an active shooter or something. You have no idea when you hear that someone you know just got shot down in the lobby. Are you going to tell me you're going to be calm? You sorry? You know you're going to be calm and just okay, yeah, we can deal with it. No, you're going to get a wave of panic, yeah, or other emotions coming over you, you know. And you have to have that mindset. You can still be panicked and upset and freaked out, or however you want to describe that, but you know, I have to stay in control. I can't let that fear take over, or I'm going to get myself in that situation as well. Yeah, I have to be able to manage it. Okay, what do I have to do? I gotta go hide. You know, I'm not saying you're not sweating, you know, with nervousness like that, but you understand, gotta think beyond this if I want to get out of this situation. You know, I'm going to take these people that are sitting with me, we're going to go lock ourselves in the storage closet, or, you know, whatever, right? But have that wherewithal to be able to understand that and, you know, be be safe, you know, but freaking out, you're only contributing to the situation, and then you end up freaking out other people and getting them panicked. Course, you do. They're not, you know, they don't have the right mindset to deal with issues. And then you've got everyone going in every direction, nobody's helping each other. And then you're creating, you know, bigger issues, and   Michael Hingson ** 43:37 you lose more lives, and you create more catastrophes all the way around. I remember when I was going down the stairs at the World Trade Center, I kept telling Roselle what a good job she was doing, good girl. And I did that for a couple of reasons. The main reason was I wanted her to know that I was okay and I'm not going to be influenced by fear. But I wanted her to feel comfortable what what happened, though, as a result of that, and was a lesson for me. I got contacted several years later one time, specifically when I went to Kansas City to do a speech, and a woman said she wanted to come and hear me because she had come into the stairwell just after, or as we were passing her floor, which was, I think, the 54th floor. Then she said, I heard you just praising your dog and being very calm. And she said, I and other people just decided we're going to follow you down the stairs. And it was, it was a great lesson to understand that staying focused, no matter what the fear level was, really otherwise, staying focused and encouraging was a much more positive thing to do, and today, people still don't imagine how, in a sense, comet was going down the stairs, which doesn't mean that people weren't afraid. But several of us worked to really keep panic out of the stairwell as we were going down. My friend David did he panicked, but then he. He walked a floor below me and started shouting up to me whatever he saw on the stairwell, and that was really for his benefit. He said to have something to do other than thinking about what was going on, because he was getting pretty scared about it. But what David did by shouting up to me was he acted as a focal point for anyone on the stairs who could hear him, and they would hear him say things like, Hey, Mike, I'm at the 43rd floor. All's good here. Everyone who could hear him had someone on the stairs who was focused, sounded calm, and that they could listen to to know that everybody was okay, which was so cool, and   Alex Fullick ** 45:38 that that probably helped them realize, okay, we're in the right direction. We're going the right way. Someone is, you know, sending a positive comments. So if, if we've got, you know, three, if he's three floors below us, we know at least on the next three floors, everything is okay.   Michael Hingson ** 45:56 Well, even if they didn't know where he wasn't right, but even if he they didn't know where he was in relation to them, the fact is, they heard somebody on the stairs saying, I'm okay, yeah, whether he felt it, he did sound it all the way down the stairs. Yeah, and I know that he was panicking, because he did it originally, but he got over that. I snapped at him. I just said, Stop it, David, if Rosell and I can go down these stairs, so can you. And then he did. He focused, and I'm sure that he had to have helped 1000s of people going down the stairs, and helped with his words, keeping them calm.   Alex Fullick ** 46:32 Yeah, yeah. It makes a difference, you know. Like I said earlier, you doesn't mean you're still not afraid. Doesn't mean that, you know, you're not aware of the negative situation around you. It's and you can't change it, but you can change, like I said earlier, you can change how you respond to it. You can be in control that way, right? And that's eventually what, what he did, and you you were, you know, you were controlled going downstairs, you know, with with your guide dog, and with all these people following you, and because of the way you were, like, then they were following you, yeah, and they remained calm. It's like there's someone calling up from below who's safe. I can hear that. I'm listening to Michael. He'll tell his dog how well behaved they are. And he's going down calmly. Okay, you know, I can do this. And they start calming down,   Michael Hingson ** 47:28 yeah, what's the riskiest thing you've ever done? Oh, word. Must have taken a risk somewhere in the world, other than public speaking. Oh, yeah, public speaking.   Alex Fullick ** 47:40 I still get nervous the first minute. I'm still nervous when I go up, but you get used to it after a while. But that first minute, yeah, I'm nervous. Oh, that there's, I have a fear of heights and the so the the two, two things that still surprised me that I did is I climbed the Sydney bridge, Harbor Bridge, and, oh, there's another bridge. Where is it? Is it a Brisbane? They're both in Australia. Anyway. Climb them both and have a fear of heights. But I thought, no, I gotta, I gotta do this. You know, I can't be afraid of this my entire life. And I kept seeing all these people go up there in groups, you know, on tours. And so I said, Okay, I'm going to do this. And I was shaking nervous like crazy, and went, What if I fall off, you know, and there's so many different measures in place for to keep you safe. But that that was risky, you know, for me, it felt risky. I was exhilarated when I did it. Though, would you do it again? Oh, yeah, in a heartbeat. Now, there you go. I'm still afraid of heights, but I would do that again because I just felt fantastic. The other I guess going out and being self employed years ago was another risky thing. I had no idea, you know about incorporating myself, and, you know, submitting taxes, you know, business taxes, and, you know, government documents and all this and that, and invoicing and things like that. I had no idea about that. So that was kind of risky, because I had no idea how long I'd be doing it. Well, I started in what 2007, 2007, I think so, 18 years, yeah, so now it's like, I can't imagine myself not doing it, you know, so I'm but I'm always willing to try something new these days. You know, even starting the podcast seven and a half years ago was risky, right? I had no idea. Nobody was talking about my industry or resilience or business continuity or anything back then, I was the first one doing it, and I'm the longest one doing it. Um, I've outlived a lot of people who thought they could do it. I'm still going. So that started out risky, but now I. Imagine not doing it, yeah, you know. And you know, it's, you know, I guess it's, it's just fun to keep trying new things. You know, I keep growing and, you know, I've got other plans in the works. I can't give anything away, but, you know, I've got other plans to try. And they'll, they'll be risky as well. But it's like,   Michael Hingson ** 50:21 no, let's go for it. Have you ever done skydiving or anything like that? No, I haven't done that. I haven't either. I know some blind people who have, but I just, I've never done that. I wouldn't   Alex Fullick ** 50:32 mind it. It's that might be one of those lines where should I? I'm not sure about this one, you know, but it is something that I I think I wouldn't do it on my own. I think I would have to be one of those people who's connected with someone else, with someone   Michael Hingson ** 50:51 else, and that's usually the way blind people do it, needless to say, but, and that's fine, I just have never done it. I haven't ever had a need to do it, but I know I can sit here and say, I'm not afraid to do it. That is, I could do it if it came along, if there was a need to do it, but I don't. I don't have a great need to make that happen. But you know, I've had enough challenges in my life. As I tell people, I think I learned how to deal with surprises pretty early, because I've been to a lot of cities and like, like Boston used to have a rep of being a very accident prone city. Just the way people drive, I could start to cross the street and suddenly I hear a car coming around the corner, and I have to move one way or the other and draw a conclusion very quickly. Do I back up or do I go forward? Because the car is not doing what it's supposed to do, which is to stop, and I have to deal with that. So I think those kinds of experiences have helped me learn to deal with surprise a little bit too.   Alex Fullick ** 51:52 Yeah, well, with the skydiving, I don't think I'd go out of my way to do it, but exactly came along, I think I would, you know, just for the thrill of saying, I did it,   Michael Hingson ** 52:03 I did it, yeah, I went ice skating once, and I sprained my ankle as we were coming off the ice after being on the ice for three hours. And I haven't gone ice skating again since. I'm not really afraid to, but I don't need to do it. I've done it. I understand what it feels like. Yeah, yeah. So it's okay. Have you had any really significant aha moments in your life, things that just suddenly, something happened and went, Ah, that's that's what that is, or whatever.   Alex Fullick ** 52:30 Well, it does happen at work a lot, dealing with clients and people provide different perspectives, and you just, Oh, that's interesting, though, that happens all the time. Aha moments. Sometimes they're not always good. Aha moments, yeah, like the one I always remember that the most is when I wrote my first book, heads in the sand. I was so proud of it, and, you know, excited and sent off all these letters and marketing material to all the chambers of commerce across Canada, you know, thinking that, you know, everyone's going to want me to speak or present or buy my book. Well, ah, it doesn't happen that way. You know, I got no responses. But that didn't stop me from writing seven more books and working on nine. Now, there you go, but it was that was kind of a negative aha moment so, but I just learned, okay, that's not the way I should be doing that.   Michael Hingson ** 53:34 Put you in your place, but that's fair. I kind   Alex Fullick ** 53:37 of, I laugh at it now, a joke, but you know, aha, things you know, I You never know when they're going to happen.   Michael Hingson ** 53:47 No, that's why they're Aha, yeah.   Alex Fullick ** 53:51 And one of one, I guess another one would have been when I worked out first went out on my own. I had a manager who kept pushing me like, go, go work for yourself. You know this better than a lot of other people. Go, go do this. And I was too nervous. And then I got a phone call from a recruiting agency who was offering me a role to do where I wanted to take this company, but that I was working for full time for that weren't ready to go. They weren't ready yet. And it was kind of an aha moment of, do I stay where I am and maybe not be happy? Or have I just been given an opportunity to go forward? So when I looked at it that way, it did become an aha moment, like, Ah, here's my path forward. Yeah, so, you know. And that was way back in 2007 or or so somewhere around there, you know. So the aha moments can be good. They can be bad, and, you know, but as long as you learn from them, that's exactly   Michael Hingson ** 54:57 right. The that's the neat thing about. Aha moments. You don't expect them, but they're some of the best learning opportunities that you'll ever get.   Alex Fullick ** 55:06 Yeah, yeah, I agree completely, because you never know that. That's the nice thing, and I think that's also part of what I do when I'm working with so many different people of different levels is they all have different experiences. They all have different backgrounds. You they can all be CEOs, but they all come from a different direction and different backgrounds. So they're all going to be offering something new that's going to make you sit there and go, Oh, yeah. And thought of that before,   Michael Hingson ** 55:38 yeah. So that's, that's so cool, yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 55:42 but you have to, you know, be able to listen and pick up on those kind of things.   Michael Hingson ** 55:46 But you've been very successful. What are some of the secrets of success that that that you've discovered, or that you put to use?   Alex Fullick ** 55:55 For me, I'll put it bluntly, shut up and listen.   Michael Hingson ** 55:59 There you are. Yeah. Well, that is so true. That's true. Yeah.   Alex Fullick ** 56:03 I think I've learned more by just using my two ears rather than my one mouth, instead of telling people everything they you should be doing. And you know, this is what I think you should do. And like talking at people, it's so much better just talk with people, and then they'll, even if you're trying to, you know, really, really, really, get them to see your side, they will come onto your side easier and probably better if you let them realize it themselves. So you just listen, and you ask the odd probing question, and eventually comes around, goes, Oh, yeah, I get it. What you mean now by doing this and going, Yeah, that's where I was going. I guess I just wasn't saying it right, you know. And have being humble enough to, you know, even though I, I know I did say it right, maybe I just wasn't saying it right to that person, to that person, yeah, right way. So listening to them, and, you know, I think, is one of the big keys to success for me, it has, you know, and I've learned twice as much that way. And maybe that's why I enjoy answering people on the podcast, is because I ask a couple of questions and then just let people talk,   Michael Hingson ** 57:18 which is what makes it fun. Yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 57:21 yeah. It's sometimes it's fun to just sit there, not say anything, just let someone else do all the talking.   Michael Hingson ** 57:29 What you know your industry is, I would assume, evolved and changed over the years. What are some of the major changes, some of the ways that the industry has evolved. You've been in it a long time, and certainly, business continuity, disaster recovery, whatever you want to call it, has, in some sense, has become a little bit more of a visible thing, although I think people, as both said earlier, ignore it a lot. But how's the industry changed over time?   Alex Fullick ** 57:54 Well, when I started, it was before y 2k, yes, 96 and back then, when I first started, everything was it focused. If your mainframe went down, your computer broke. That's the direction everyone came from. And then it was you added business continuity on top of that. Okay, now, what do we do with our business operations. You know, other things we can do manually while they fix the computer or rebuild the mainframe. And then it went to, okay, well, let's bring in, you know, our help desk. You know, who people call I've got a problem with a computer, and here's our priority and severity. Okay, so we'll get, we'll respond to your query in 12 hours, because it's only one person, but if there's 10 people who have the issue, now it becomes six hours and bringing in those different aspects. So we went from it disaster recovery to business continuity to then bringing in other disciplines and linking to them, like emergency management, crisis management, business continuity, incident management, cyber, information security. Now we've got business continuity management, you know, bringing all these different teams together and now, or at least on some level, not really integrating very well with each other, but just having an awareness of each other, then we've moved to operational resilience, and again, that buzzword where all these teams do have to work together and understand what each other is delivering and the value of each of them. And so it just keeps growing in that direction where it started off with rebuild a mainframe to getting everybody working together to keep your operations going, to keep your partners happy, to keep your customers happy. You know, ensuring life safety is priority number one. When, when I started, life safety was, wasn't really thrown into the business continuity realm that much. It was always the focus on the business. So the these. The sky, the size and scope has gotten a lot bigger and more encompassing of other areas. And I wouldn't necessarily all call that business continuity, you know it, but it is. I see business continuity as a the hub and a wheel, rather than a spoke, to bring all the different teams together to help them understand, you know, hey, here's, here's how you've Incident Management, you know, help desk, service desk, here's how you help the Disaster Recovery Team. Here's how you can help the cyber team. Cyber, here's how you can actually help this team, you know, and being able to understand. And that's where the biggest change of things is going is now, more and more people are understanding how they really need to work together, rather than a silo, which you know, a lot of organizations still do, but it's those walls are starting to come down, because they can understand no One can do it alone. You have to work together with your internal departments, leadership, data analysts, who have to be able to figure out how to rebuild data, or your third parties. We need to talk with them. We have to have a relationship with them our supply chain, and understand where they're going, what they have in place, if we or they experience something. So it's definitely grown in size and scope   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:27 well, and we're seeing enough challenges that I think some people are catching on to the fact that they have to learn to work together, and they have to think in a broader base than they have in the past, and that's probably a good thing. Yeah, well, if, if you had the opportunity, what would you tell the younger Alex?   Alex Fullick ** 1:01:50 Run, run for the hills. Yeah, really, no, seriously, I kind of mentioned a couple of them already. Don't sweat the small things. You know, sometimes, yeah, and I think that comes down to our mindset thing as well. You know, understand your priorities and what's important. If it's not a priority or important, don't sweat it. Don't be afraid to take risks if you if you do your planning, whether it be jumping out of a plane or whatever, you know the first thing you want to do is what safety measures are in place to ensure that my jump will be successful. You know, those kind of things. Once you understand that, then you can make knowledgeable decisions. Don't be afraid to take those risks. And it's one of the big things. It's it's okay to fail, like I said about the book thing where you all those that marketing material I sent out, it's okay to fail. Learn from it. Move on. I can laugh at those kind of things now. You know, for years, I couldn't I was really like, oh my god, what I do wrong? It's like, No, I didn't do anything wrong. It just wasn't the right time. Didn't do it the right way. Okay, fine, move on. You know, you know, don't be afraid to fail. If, if you, if you fail and get up, well then is it really a failure? You learned, you got back up and you kept going. And that's the part of resilience too, right? Yeah, if you trip and fall, you get up and keep going. But if you trip and fall and stay down, well then maybe you are   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:30 failing. That's the failure. I mean, the reality is that it isn't failure if you learn from it and move on. It was something that set you back, but that's okay, yeah,   Alex Fullick ** 1:03:41 my my favorite band, Marillion, has a line in one of their songs rich. Failure isn't about falling down. Failure is staying down. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:50 I would agree with that. Completely agree   Alex Fullick ** 1:03:53 with it. He'll stand by it. W

Sales volumes have collapsed across Canada, and Vancouver is no exception. May 2025 saw just 2,228 sales—down 18.5% from an already slow May last year, and a staggering 30.5% below the 10-year average. This marks the slowest May on record in over 20 years, highlighting just how extreme the slowdown has become. In the pre-sale market, the picture is even bleaker. Vancouver saw only 816 new condo sales in the first quarter of 2025, an 84% drop from the 5,250 sold during the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, in the Greater Toronto Area, April 2025 recorded only 310 new home sales, a shocking 72% drop from the same time last year and an astonishing 89% below the 10-year average—this is the worst April on record for new home sales in the GTA.In the resale market, the GTA is facing a flood of new listings, with active inventory reaching 30,964 in May—a 41.5% jump year-over-year and levels not seen since the 1995 housing downturn that led to decades of price stagnation. New listings surged 14% compared to May 2024, totaling 21,819—the second-busiest May on record. However, with sales unable to keep pace, the sales-to-new-listings ratio plummeted to just 28%, firmly in buyers' territory, where prices typically face downward pressure. Interestingly, despite the surge in inventory, prices in Toronto edged up 0.3% month-over-month to $1,012,800, though they remain 4.5% below last year's levels. Whether this is a sign of a bottom or just a temporary pause in the broader correction remains to be seen.Adding to the uncertainty, the Bank of Canada held its overnight rate steady at 2.75% for the second consecutive meeting, despite core inflation still hovering above 3% on a three-month annualized basis. This decision reflects concerns about slower growth and sticky inflation, which have been exacerbated by trade tensions and tariffs that threaten to prolong a period of stagflation—where growth slows but prices continue to rise. The high cost of borrowing continues to weigh on buyer sentiment and affordability, contributing to the ongoing collapse in sales.In Vancouver, the market is grappling with both a surge in listings and persistently low sales. New listings in May reached 6,640, 4% higher than May 2024 and 9% above the 10-year average, though slightly down from April 2025's peak. Despite this influx of supply, active inventory soared to 16,535—up 26% from a year ago and a massive 46% above the 10-year average—marking an 11-year high for the month. This has given buyers their most extensive selection since July 2014, yet sales volumes remain extremely low, highlighting a deep disconnect between supply and demand. The sales-to-active ratio sits at a meager 14%, indicating a market leaning towards buyers' territory. While the composite Home Price Index (HPI) dipped $7,000 (0.6%) month-over-month to $1,177,100, the median price surprisingly rose for the fourth consecutive month to $985,000, the highest reading this year—suggesting that while high-priced homes might still be selling, the overall market remains fragile. Sellers, especially those receiving offers, need to treat them seriously in this climate, as buyer hesitancy is at a peak. _________________________________ Contact Us To Book Your Private Consultation:

Today, we're looking at a warning from TD Bank's chief economist, who says Canada is heading for a recession and forecasted 100,000 jobs could be lost in the country. Plus, President Trump announced the U.S. would be developing a "golden dome" missile defence technology — and apparently Canada is interested in joining in what could be a modernizing of North America's air-defence systems. And finally, a crime wave is whipping through the Greater Toronto Area, but the city's top officials seem to be more concerned with other issues instead of residents' safety.

Send us a textIn this episode, we sit down with David Roff, Vice President of Business Development at Cranson Capital, to discuss all things related to raising equity for residential real estate development. David explains the intricate differences between equity and debt in the context of real estate projects, covering various forms of financing such as construction loans, bridge loans, and mezzanine loans. He emphasizes the importance of working with experienced developers due to the complex nature of high-stakes projects. David walks us through the detailed multi-step process that Cranson Capital follows for evaluating projects, the legal structuring involved, and the crucial factors investors consider when raising capital. He also delves into common mistakes developers make and highlights key considerations for successful project financing. With insight into current real estate trends and the impact of government policies on development feasibility, this episode offers invaluable knowledge for both new and seasoned developers.  How To Raise Capital For Real Estate Development?What do investors look for in real estate deals?What is a good IRR for real estate investors?How much equity does a developer need to raiseUnderstanding Equity in Real Estate DevelopmentDeveloper's Experience and Project FeasibilityLegal and Financial StructuringUnderstanding Profit Splits in Real Estate Development. What is a Waterfall?How does CMHC financing work? Common Mistakes in Development ProjectsIndustry Challenges and TrendsTimelines and Processes for Raising CapitalCranson Capital is a boutique investment banking firm based in Toronto, specializing in private real estate investments and private capital markets. The firm provides accredited investors with exclusive access to development opportunities across the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.For more information, please refer to RealEstateDevelopmentInsights.Com.

In this episode of Girl, You So Random, I have the pleasure of talking with Natasha, a Therapist, Speaker, Comedian, and Author. Natasha has been supporting individuals withtheir mental health for over two decades. Currently, she provides mental health support through her private practice. Once she crossed trying stand-up comedy off her bucket list, Natasha decided she couldn't just do it once and now hasadded comedy to the many hats she wears. She is based in the Greater Toronto Area. FB/IG/LI: @natashaahallidaySpeaking website: www.natashahalliday.comTherapy website: www.emergingresilient.caVocals: Dian Sentino @belifunaFollow me on IG @drhollysfunny

In this episode of Bottom Up Shorts, Norm is joined by Saeed Vahid, a Local Conversation leader from Richmond Hill, Ontario. They talk about how he started the Local Conversation, how the group is collaborating with city officials, and how the expansion of the Greater Toronto Area has affected Richmond Hill. ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES Strong Richmond Hill (site). Norm Van Eeden Petersman (LinkedIn). Do you know someone who would make for a great Bottom-Up Revolution guest? Let us know here!

In this episode of The Crazy Ex-Wives Club, I sit down with empowerment coach, wellness consultant, and author Danna Giroux—who knows firsthand how rebuilding your life after divorce isn't just about moving on…it's about coming home to yourself.Danna shares how her divorce became the catalyst for rediscovering her strength—physically, mentally, and spiritually. We dig deep into the connection between divorce recovery and wellness, from using meditation to calm the chaos, to the small but mighty food and sleep shifts that rewire resilience from the inside out.We also talk about what happens when we try to numb the pain instead of feel it, and why prioritizing your own healing is the most radical (and necessary) act of self-love. This episode is your gentle reminder that you are worth the care, the calm, and the comeback.

We're in the final week of this federal election campaign and the polls are still showing that Mark Carney's Liberals remain the heavy favourites against Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives. But if the Liberals are in majority territory today, just how much of a cushion do they really have?This week on The Numbers, we delve into the national polling numbers and our (somewhat differing) projections. We also take a look at some local polling in the Greater Toronto Area and on Vancouver Island.Throughout this campaign, we'll have new episodes of The Numbers on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with the Saturday episodes being exclusively for members of our Patreon. Members will also get to suggest questions for the mailbag portion of our Saturday episodes as well as gain access to our Discord. You can get these exclusives and support our joint project by becoming a member of our Patreon.https://www.patreon.com/c/thenumberspodYou can also watch this episode on YouTube. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NBN host Hollay Ghadery is delighted to speak with Toronto area poet Stedmond Pardy about his newest book, Beached Whales (Mosaic Press, 2024). Stedmond Pardy's first book of poems The Pleasures of this Planet Aren't Enough was published by Mosaic Press in 2020 and launched his career as a boundary-pushing literary and poetic voice. His devoted readers can't get enough of his compelling YouTube and Soundcloud spoken-word performances. Stedmond lives by his own dicta: “ An artist is an instrument through which the Universe reveals itself and word poetry is for every man, but soul poetry, alas, is not heavily distributed.” About Stedmond Pardy: STEDMOND PARDY is a self-educated, left-handed poet of mixed ancestry (Newfoundland and St. Kitts/Nevis). Originally from the Mimico area of Toronto, he now resides in Dionysus knows where… He has performed his work around the Greater Toronto Area and has appeared on stages in Montreal and Washington State. About Hollay Ghadery: Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children's book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is the host of the 105.5 FM Bookclub, as well as a co-host on HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist, the Regional Chair of the League of Canadian Poets and a co-chair of the League's BIPOC committee, as well as the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

NBN host Hollay Ghadery is delighted to speak with Toronto area poet Stedmond Pardy about his newest book, Beached Whales (Mosaic Press, 2024). Stedmond Pardy's first book of poems The Pleasures of this Planet Aren't Enough was published by Mosaic Press in 2020 and launched his career as a boundary-pushing literary and poetic voice. His devoted readers can't get enough of his compelling YouTube and Soundcloud spoken-word performances. Stedmond lives by his own dicta: “ An artist is an instrument through which the Universe reveals itself and word poetry is for every man, but soul poetry, alas, is not heavily distributed.” About Stedmond Pardy: STEDMOND PARDY is a self-educated, left-handed poet of mixed ancestry (Newfoundland and St. Kitts/Nevis). Originally from the Mimico area of Toronto, he now resides in Dionysus knows where… He has performed his work around the Greater Toronto Area and has appeared on stages in Montreal and Washington State. About Hollay Ghadery: Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children's book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is the host of the 105.5 FM Bookclub, as well as a co-host on HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist, the Regional Chair of the League of Canadian Poets and a co-chair of the League's BIPOC committee, as well as the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

NBN host Hollay Ghadery is delighted to speak with Toronto area poet Stedmond Pardy about his newest book, Beached Whales (Mosaic Press, 2024). Stedmond Pardy's first book of poems The Pleasures of this Planet Aren't Enough was published by Mosaic Press in 2020 and launched his career as a boundary-pushing literary and poetic voice. His devoted readers can't get enough of his compelling YouTube and Soundcloud spoken-word performances. Stedmond lives by his own dicta: “ An artist is an instrument through which the Universe reveals itself and word poetry is for every man, but soul poetry, alas, is not heavily distributed.” About Stedmond Pardy: STEDMOND PARDY is a self-educated, left-handed poet of mixed ancestry (Newfoundland and St. Kitts/Nevis). Originally from the Mimico area of Toronto, he now resides in Dionysus knows where… He has performed his work around the Greater Toronto Area and has appeared on stages in Montreal and Washington State. About Hollay Ghadery: Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, is due out with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children's book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is the host of the 105.5 FM Bookclub, as well as a co-host on HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist, the Regional Chair of the League of Canadian Poets and a co-chair of the League's BIPOC committee, as well as the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/poetry

In this episode, we're joined by Sylvia Ho. Sylvia, the "cash damming queen", is a Mortgage Broker from the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, who has revolutionized her mortgage business after over 2 decades in the industry by exclusively focusing on rental cash damming over the past 2 years. Her transformation from a generalist to a specialist showcases how focusing on a specific niche can lead to both professional success and personal fulfillment, as she now manages to take vacations every 6 weeks, while working only 80 hours a month, and never on evenings and weekends.   Sylvia is here to discuss: → Why the focus on rental cash-damming and changing her business model, building a recession-proof business, and how turning away files helps her business.  → Transitioning from running a team to to a simplified process with 1 assistant, how she gets quality leads and protects her time, and building expertise through continuous learning and practice. → Prioritizing peace of mind over traditional business opportunities, achieving better work/life balance, and avoiding burnout.   Sylvia Ho's LinkTree: www.linktr.ee/sylviahomortgages Sylvia Ho's Instagram: @sylviahomortgages Sylvia Ho's LinkedIn: @SylviaHo Sylvia Ho's YouTube: @sylviaho7611 Sylvia Ho's Facebook Group: Cash Flow Mastery for Lazy Landlords Sylvia Ho's Cash Damming Webinar: www.cashdam.ca   To sign up for live events and coaching, visit: www.iamryanwiley.com   What is Strategy Hub? Visit here>>> https://get.mystrategyhub.ca

Josh Graham is a second-generation career firefighter with over a decade of experience in a large, fast-growing urban fire department in the Greater Toronto Area. In addition to his firefighting career, he has more than ten years of paramedic experience, having worked in both urban and rural settings. Josh spent two years in the Training Division as the Technical Rescue lead, where he developed programs across multiple disciplines to support his department's transition toward mandated certification. His programs focus on NFPA standards while ensuring crews are equipped with the necessary skills, training, and experience to operate effectively. He has also played a key role as a Lead Instructor in several Recruit Academies. In late 2023, Josh returned to the Operations Division and is currently assigned to a station housing both an Engine and a Technical Rescue apparatus. He continues to contribute to the Training Division as an Acting Training Officer and serves as a Lead Instructor for Rope and Water Rescue, Engine Operations, Search and Rescue, and Firefighter Survival. A firm believer in the historic culture of the fire service, Josh values camaraderie, craftsmanship, and the traditions that define the profession. While modern shifts emphasize safety culture and individualism, he believes that the strength of the fire service lies in its shared commitment to training, continual skill development, and the mentorship of future generations. His passion for the job is fueled by the enthusiastic passing of knowledge, experience, and tradition. Outside of work, Josh enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, as well as hunting, fishing, camping, mountain biking, and practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Josh curates a firefighting-focused Instagram page dedicated to sharing relevant training content and fire service culture. His goal is to showcase the confidence and effectiveness of aggressive firefighting, often misunderstood as reckless or dangerous—while highlighting its critical value in saving lives and property. @dumpdawg_jr Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy Editing: @bradshea Marketing: @m.pletz Administration: @haileyfirefit Partnership: @firefighternationhq

Jon Thompson is the Senior Pastor of Sanctus Church, a multi-site church in the Greater Toronto Area and online where he has served for 25 years. He joins us to give us his unique perspective on deliverance, freedom, and what the Church is supposed to be doing. Learn more about Jon: https://jonthompsonresources.com/Widow's Might on Amazon: https://a.co/d/iaXVJV1Support There is More: ⁠https://neveralonewidows.kindful.com/?campaign=1284937⁠Get 10% discount on Father's House Study with code: FH10Get the Father's House Study: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fathershousestudy.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the Spiritual Warfare Course: https://www.thereismoreforyou.org/Follow There is More Podcast on Instagram: @thereismorepodcast

Canada takes action to support housing with new immigration measures, released by on 07 March 2025   | Good day ladies and gentlemen, this is IRC news, I am Joy Stephen, a certified Canadian Immigration practitioner, and I bring to you this Federal News Bulletin from CIC news release. This recording originates from the Polinsys studios in Cambridge, Ontario. | March 7, 2025—Toronto—Immigration is essential to Canada's economic success and growth. To meet the growing demand for housing, Canada needs a strong construction and skilled trades workforce, and immigrants play a vital role in fulfilling these needs.  Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the government's intent to introduce a number of new measures to support Canada's construction industry. These measures are within the scope of the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan. They include the convening of a tripartite advisory council to assess needs in the industry and advise on new pathways to bring in the skilled workers we need, a regularization pathway for out-of-status construction workers, and support for foreign apprentices.  As our country faces a housing shortage and uncertainty in the face of tariff threats, Canada will immediately convene a tripartite advisory council comprised of federal government and union representatives, and industry leaders. This advisory council will work to identify on‑the‑ground labour needs and advise on the parameters for potential pathways that would bring in and retain the construction workers we need for the long term, with robust protections against abuse and a strong wage threshold.  In an effort to build on the success of initiatives such as the out-of-status construction workers in the Greater Toronto Area pilot, IRCC intends to create a pathway that would offer opportunities for undocumented migrants in the construction sector. These undocumented migrants are already living and working in Canada, and are contributing to the sector, and this pathway will keep them here legally so that they can continue to build the homes our economy and communities need with the proper protections.  More information about these pathways will be shared in the near future as the new advisory council meets to develop these important policies.  Finally, to support foreign apprentices in construction programs and to address the current labour market needs in the construction sector, we are also introducing a temporary measure to allow foreign apprentices to complete their studies without a study permit, effective today. By removing this administrative barrier, apprentices will be able to gain the valuable skills they need to contribute to infrastructure projects more quickly.  With these new measures, we are making immigration work for our country by bringing in the skilled workers we need to help meet Canada's housing needs while maintaining sustainable immigration volumes. | You can always access past news from the Canadian Federal Government by visiting this link: https://myar.me/tag/fed/. Furthermore, if you are interested in gaining comprehensive insights into the Provincial Express Entry Federal pool Canadian Permanent Residence Program or other Canadian Federal or Provincial Immigration programs, or if you require guidance after your selection, we cordially invite you to connect with us through

Episode Summary In this episode of the Canadian Immigration Podcast, host Mark Holthe breaks down the latest immigration measures introduced by the Liberal government, focusing on their impact on temporary residents, construction workers, and Canada's housing crisis. With a late Friday night announcement (as usual), Minister Marc Miller introduced new initiatives that aim to support the construction industry, but many are questioning whether these measures are fair to legal workers already in Canada. Mark takes a deep dive into the government's plan to expand the Out-of-Status Construction Worker Pathway beyond the Greater Toronto Area. While the goal is to address the labor shortage in housing, many legal workers—who have followed the rules—are being left behind. Mark is also joined by Miguel, a newly landed permanent resident and carpenter in the GTA, who shares firsthand insight into the real state of construction jobs in Canada. His shocking experience contradicts the government's claim that there is an urgent need for more workers. If you're a temporary resident, construction worker, or someone frustrated with the ongoing changes in Canadian immigration, this episode is a must-listen. Key Topics Discussed

Dan PetrenkoHailing from Toronto, ON, Dan is a director, playwright, and producer who has worked in theatres across Canada, the United States, and London's West End. Previously, Dan served as the founding Artistic Director of Olive Branch Theatre, a professional company dedicated to creating opportunities for next-generation artists in the Greater Toronto Area. Throughout his career, Dan produced and directed a variety of critically acclaimed musicals and cabarets, including an award-winning drama based on his family's story in the Holocaust, which toured in the United States. Dan's work has been praised for its depth and artistic complexity. Born and raised in Israel to Ukrainian-Jewish parents, Dan often gravitates towards stories exploring Jewish identity and history, particularly those rooted in the Soviet era. As a playwright, he is currently developing multiple projects for the stage that he looks forward to sharing with an audience soon. Dan is a graduate of the University of Toronto, holding an MA in Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies and an Honours BA in Theatre and International Relations. Since joining Winnipeg Jewish Theatre in 2022, Dan has co-created and directed Pain to Power: A Kanye West Music Protest and helmed the Canadian premiere of Kathrine Kressmann Taylor's Address Unknown. In 2025, Dan will direct the first Canadian production of The Band's Visit.Seth ZoskySeth is a Jewish-Canadian, multidisciplinary artist hailing from Toronto. He is a singer, actor, Juno-nominated songwriter and musician with over a decade of performance experience. Seth is a graduate of Sheridan's Music Theatre Performance degree. He is also part of CZN; a Pop/RnB/Rap trio singing group. They were chosen by Simon Cowell as the winners of Canadian Family's Got Talent and have also appeared on America's Got Talent. Theatre Credits Include: Jack in the Canadian premiere of Titanique (Mirvish Productions/Segal Centre); Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan (Drayton Entertainment); The Last Five Years (Blue Bridge Theatre); One Hit Wonders (Stage West); Blocked (TheatreWorksUSA); The Last Five Years, A Night on Jewish Broadway (Olive Branch); American Idiot (Stephenville Theatre Festival).Tracey Erin SmithTracey is an internationally recognized transformational leader and creator. She is the founder and driver of SOULO Theatre, originating in Toronto, with workshops in New York City, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Vancouver and the UK. A proud Canadian, Tracey is an award-winning teacher, solo performer, theatre director and thought leader employing personal stories for global transformation.​Tracey's work had been seen Off-Broadway and on several stages the world over where she has been awarded Best of the Fringe (Toronto and NYC), Broadway World Award (NYC), and the Audience Choice Award (NYC). She is the host and creator of the critically acclaimed documentary series DRAG HEALS (Amazon Prime, Apple TV). Tracey is excited for the release of her first book, Flying SOULO in the fall of 2024. .Pain To Power: A Kanye West Musical ProtestWhat do you do when your hero breaks your heart?CJ Capital and Seth Zosky saw Kanye West as one of their biggest musical inspirations. Now that their hero has turned against their communities, the two of them question whether it is really possible to separate the art from the artist. Featuring Hip Hop chart-toppers such as “Heartless”, “Four-Five Seconds”, “Power”, “Ultralight Beam”, “American Boy”, and “Runaway”, interweaved with Seth's and CJ's stories of family, faith, and friendship, this will be a theatrical experience you don't want to miss!

Jon Thompson is the Senior Pastor of Sanctus Church, a multi-site church in the Greater Toronto Area and online where he has served for 25 years. He joins us to give us his unique perspective on deliverance, freedom, and what the Church is supposed to be doing. Learn more about Jon: https://jonthompsonresources.com/Widow's Might on Amazon: https://a.co/d/iaXVJV1Support There is More: https://neveralonewidows.kindful.com/?campaign=1284937Get 10% discount on Father's House Study with code: FH10Get the Father's House Study: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fathershousestudy.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the Spiritual Warfare Course: https://www.thereismoreforyou.org/Follow There is More Podcast on Instagram: @thereismorepodcast

Is the GTA housing market oversupplied or just misunderstood? In this episode of Sync or Swim, host Max Steinman takes a deep dive into the purpose-built rental market with industry leaders Chrystal LeBlanc (BGO), Michelle Calloway (Fitzrovia), and Todd Spencer (Park Property Inc.). Together, they explore how their organizations are responding to shifting renter preferences, navigating condo oversupply challenges, and redefining the rental experience in the Greater Toronto Area. Tune in for expert advice on navigating Toronto's rental market, practical strategies for adapting to evolving renter expectations, and inspiring lessons from exceptional leaders shaping the future of multifamily housing. Whether you're a property pro, a curious investor, or simply interested in where Toronto's housing market is headed, this episode will leave you informed, inspired, and ready to take action!   Key Points From This Episode:   Purpose-built rental developments in Toronto: affordable, downsizer-friendly, and amenity-rich. Market insights into rental oversupply and condo saturation impacting prices and demand. Key distinctions between condos and purpose-built rentals (and why purpose-built is better!) Michelle's take on the decline in foreign student demand in Toronto rentals. Growing demand for flexible lease terms, dedicated workspaces, and personalized leasing. Insight into the customer service evolution needed to meet changing renter preferences. Strategies the panel has implemented to reduce “shopping around” and close deals faster. Hospitality-inspired practices that are key to elevating the resident experience. Reframing renting as a choice, emphasizing security, community, and modern amenities. Combatting negative stigma around renting and landlords by creating great experiences. New language, fostering renter dignity, and leveraging technology to change perceptions. The panel's reflections on the “promise of Toronto” and why they remain optimistic. Why collaboration and knowledge-sharing among industry peers is critically important. Reasons to create community “stickiness” and what it can to do reduce tenant turnover. Some of the most rewarding aspects of being in the purpose-built rental industry.   Quotes:   “We need to be better at saying why purpose-built rental is different [to condos]. We think about our residents – 24/7 – We need to work harder in the sales pitch to highlight what that means: that our service levels are higher [and] our systems are better.” — Todd Spencer [0:10:26]   “You can spend all the money on marketing in the world, but if you don't step in that front door and have a consistent experience with what you see – online, it can fall flat really quickly.” — Chrystal LeBlanc [0:13:46]   “What I always say is we don't have 500 suites. When a prospect walks in the door, we have three suites for you based on your budget, your family, what's important to you, [and we only show] suites that are right for that prospect.” — Chrystal LeBlanc [0:19:37]   “If we want to be recognized as world cities, we need to behave like world cities. In the rest of the world, renting is not a stigmatized activity. It's actually the dominant housing ecosystem in most major cities in the world.” — Todd Spencer [0:25:19]   “We need to be better at sharing insights with each other in the industry. I invite everybody to come tour my assets not because they're new and shiny but [because] I want to hear what you're doing too. That's going to raise us up altogether.” — Michelle Calloway [0:35:28]   “The [purpose-built rental] industry is changing since I joined 10 years ago. That – excites me. We still have a long way to go. We're not there yet, but I can't wait to see where we go.” — Michelle Calloway [0:40:39]   Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:   Toronto Rentsync User Roadshow 2024 Chrystal LeBlanc BentallGreenOak (BGO) Chrystal LeBlanc on LinkedIn  Michelle Calloway Fitzrovia Michelle Calloway on LinkedIn Todd Spencer Park Property Management Inc. Todd Spencer on LinkedIn Elm-Ledbury by Fitzrovia Sloane by Fitzrovia Waverley by Fitzrovia Max Steinman on LinkedIn Rentsync Sync or Swim Podcast Sync or Swim Email  

Plus: Facundo Iglesia from the Buenos Aires Herald on a crypto scandal and Argentina's leader. Also: We revisit the “Giga Pearl”. It holds the Guinness World Record as the largest authenticated natural pearl. The massive, iridescent gemstone has traveled from the Philippines to Mississauga, then to the U.S. for appraisal, and now it's back in the Greater Toronto Area for an exclusive luxury art exhibit.

Today we dive into the truth about staging. We interview Maria Saverino, a top home stager, professional photographer, and interior designer working in the Greater Toronto Area. Learn why staging works, and gains insights into the psychology behind staging. Understand what happens when you stage your home, and get insider tips on how to declutter and de-personalize your living space. Home staging has become an integral part of marketing a house or condo in today's real estate market. Maria explains how expert staging can help you to sell faster and possibly bring you a higher offer. Reach Maria Saverino at Milagro Interiors: https://milagrointeriors.ca/ 416-897-0339   #realestate #staging #sellinghomes Randy Selzer - Real Estate Agent 33 Pearl St Mississauga, ON L5M 1X1 416-433-3556 https://www.randyselzer.com/

Learn about the latest changes to mortgage rules in Canada. We interview Denise Pisani, a well known mortgage broker in the Greater Toronto Area, and discuss: 1.) the change in cap from $1 million to $1.5 Million for high ratio mortgages 2.) new 30 year amortizations for first time buyers and buyers of new construction 3.) removal of the Stress Test requirement if you are changing banks when renewing your mortgage. All three of these were announced in the fall, but came into effect in December, 2024. We cover some of the lesser known details that can help you to come out ahead when shopping for a mortgage loan. Find Denise here: https://mortgageinthecity.ca/ And a big shout out to Feedspot.com. They are a media company based in the U.S. who recently recognized my podcast as one of the top 25 real estate podcasts in Toronto, and one of the top 70 real estate podcast in Canada. Thank you, Feedspot! https://podcast.feedspot.com/toronto_real_estate_podcasts/ https://podcast.feedspot.com/canada_real_estate_podcasts/ Check out Feedspot for worldwide podcast rankings for every imaginable topic. #realestate #mortgage #business Randy Selzer 33 Pearl St Mississauga, ON L5M 1X1 416-433-3556 https://www.randyselzer.com/  

The cost of housing, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, is one of our most persistent problems. Governments have employed a lot of strategies to get the prices down, and yet, they remain stubbornly high. The city of Vaughan in York Region recently announced a new approach, and the city's mayor, Steven Del Duca, joins The Agenda to explain.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy Kuemper is the founding principal interior designer and creative director at Mabel Design Co. based in Halton Hills, which is located within the Greater Toronto Area. Similarly to the approach KRG Hospitality takes to projects, Nancy's approach to interior design is transparent, structured, bold, and client-driven. As you'll learn during this episode of the Bar Hacks podcast, she's enamored with the idea of telling the story of a client's project. You'll also hear about the phased structure Mabel Design Co. brings to each project, when to bring on an interior designer, how to maximize the relationship, design trends Nancy thinks will be popular in 2025, and more. Cheers! Notes Mabel Design Co. website: https://www.mabeldesignco.com Mabel Design Co. IG: https://www.instagram.com/mabeldesignco/ Mabel Design Co. Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/mabeldesignco/ Mabel Design Co. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mabel-design-co/ Bar Hacks IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/barhacks/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ KRG Hospitality IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/krg.hospitality/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ KRG Hospitality website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://krghospitality.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ David Klemt IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/david.ex.machina/

Victor Viggiani is a long time Ufologist from the Greater Toronto Area. For years, Victor has been part of the Canadian contingent trying to find out the stories behind the UFO secret in the Great White North. Now there's a petition out, with backing from a Canadian MP that is about to hit the ground running, to help bring Disclosure to Canada.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spaced-out-radio--1657874/support.

He is a full service Real Estate Broker specializing in residential resale homes, investment acquisitions and luxury home sales across the GTA. He and his team have become renowned as the merchants of choice for many of the Greater Toronto Area's most valuable and luxurious properties. In keeping with his extraordinary reputation, he has become a recognized leader in the distinctive real estate market north of Toronto specializing in Vaughan, Thornhill, Richmond Hill, and of course Toronto.He proudly holds the position of Broker, Owner and Managing Partner of Forest Hill Real Estate Vaughan.  Proud to boast a powerful reputation built on honesty, integrity, and repeatedly achieving great results for his valued clients, he differentiates himself by providing personalized service and treating each individual property sale as its own unique project, rather than providing a ‘cookie cutter' approach to marketing your home.Toronto's most sophisticated sellers and buyers have chosen him to represent them because of his renowned reputation, customized & creative marketing plans, and strong connections within the real estate industry.Joining me on this episode of The MindShare Podcast to talk about ' Inside the Mind of a Top Producing Real Estate Broker ' - is Special Guest –  Michael Switzer.6:31 *how long have you been selling real estate?8:23 *do you remember your first deal… what did you do to get that deal?9:39 *are you an organized person… how do you manage your days to ensure you get everything done?16:06 *do you feel it's possible to operate to a schedule in this business?16:24 *what do you say to anyone who tells you they just don't have enough time?22:24 *what are some of your non-negotiables in your day?30:49 *does most of your business come from people you know, or people you don't know?33:53 *what marketing channels do you leverage to drive repeat and referral business?34:58 *what about newsletters, do you send newsletters, and why?35:51 *how much focus do you put on social media in a day?42:03 *what about birthday cards, or anniversary cards?43:55 *when it comes to generating new opportunities… new leads as many in the industry refer to it as, what are some channels you really focus on… do you farm an area… are you sending flyers/postcards… what about bus benches/billboards… do you find them helpful?48:58 *do you believe in paying for online leads… what's your take on the whole online lead gen idea in this game… does it work, or no?49:58 *is it more important to be online, or offline when it comes to success in this game?53:39 *what's it take to be successful at farming, and what kind of time should anyone give it to truly start working… and what kind of mindset do agents need when it comes to the overall of generating new opportunities?56:55 *when shit hits the fan, either with a deal, your overall day to day, or the market is just real slow, how do you overcome a negative mindset?Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The MindShare PodCast with our special guest - Michael Switzer, as we talked about ' Inside the Mind of a Top Producing Real Estate Broker'Get your FREE gift on my homepage at www.mindshare101.com just for tuning in!I'd also be really grateful if you could take a quick second to go www.ratethispodcast.com/mindshare101 to rate the show for me.And we haven't connected yet, send me a message!Facebook: facebook.com/mindshare101 Instagram: instagram.com/davidgreenspan101Youtube: youtube.com/@DavidGreenspanLinkedin: linkedin.com/in/mindshare101

In this episode of the Craft & Character podcast, Steve Carter interviews Pastor Jon Thompson from Sanctus Church in Toronto, Canada about the importance of perseverance in pastoral ministry. Jon is one of Canada's most thoughtful and insightful shepherds and he shares about a book he wrote that unpacks 15 different observations at the halfway point about how to finish well. Bobby Clinton, the legendary Fuller Professor once said only 30% of leaders finish well. How do you become one of the 30%? Reading and mediating on Pastor Thompson's observations are definitely a gift for those starting out in ministry, at the midway point, or closing in on the finish line. BIO Jon Thompson is the Senior Pastor of Sanctus Church – a multi-site church in the Greater Toronto Area and online – where he has served for 25 years. He holds a Master of Theological Studies from Tyndale Seminary and a Doctorate of Missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary. After spending his childhood in Ecuador with his missionary parents, Jon began his ministry as the Youth Pastor before assuming his current role as Senior Pastor at Sanctus Church. Jon is married to Joanna and has three kids. EPISODE LINKS https://jonthompsonresources.com @pastorjon_t on Instagram @steveryancarter @craft_character Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, Joash Thomas and I talk about liberating faith practices and the systemic barriers that get in the way. Also Chai. We talk about Masala chai quite a bit. Joash Thomas is an international speaker, global human rights leader and justice & liberation theologian. Born and raised in India, Joash ran a political consulting and lobbying firm in the United States before joining the human rights advocacy space. Joash has a master's degree in Political Management from The George Washington University and is currently pursuing a dual master's degree in Christian Leadership & Systematic Theology. An Oblate in the Diocese of St. Anthony, Joash is also the author of ‘A Just Gospel', a forthcoming book in partnership with Brazos Press to be published in Fall 2025. Based in Canada's Greater Toronto Area, Joash can also be found on social media (@JoashPThomas) and Substack (Jesus, Justice & Joash).You can follow Joash on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter/X @joashpthomas. Join Joash's Substack community, Jesus, Justice, and Joash at joashpthomas.substack.comSupport the show

The Godfathers Of Podcasting are back with perhaps our most unique episode ever... because this week's guest ... can't talk.  He was born with Cerebral Palsy, and has always been non verbal - but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the most in-demand comedians on the scene today (thanks in large part to his ability to quickly feed Siri with whatever it is he wants to say).If this sounds familiar, it's probably because you've seen him on Kill Tony, or Joe Rogan or America's Got Talent (where he was a finalist last season).  His name is Ahren Belisle and he's one funny, and super fascinating guy.  He's in town this week to perform at Jokers Comedy Club in Richmond Hill on Saturday September 21st.  If you're in the Greater Toronto Area, go check him out!Check out the episode!  Send us your feedback by texting 437 375 2000.Please check out our sponsor Black BorkBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-godfathers-of-podcasting--4303576/support.

Today, we're looking at comments from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who took aim at the Jagmeet Singh and the Trudeau Liberals while calling for an election. Plus, more details continue to emerge regarding vetting failures in the case of a father and son duo accused of plotting an ISIS terror attack in the Greater Toronto Area. And finally, the Liberals just can't stop lying when it comes to blaming others for their failures.