Founded in 2002 the University of Guelph-Humber (UGH) is a collaboration between the University of Guelph and Humber College.
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This week on CounterSpin: Donald Trump has declared that the U.S. is going to “take over” the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinians who live there will be “permanently” exiled. Asked whether Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza under his scheme, Trump said “no.” But even those corporate media who aren't actually endorsing this illegal, inhumane plan still can't seem to find it in themselves to call it what it is: ethnic cleansing. Media critic, activist, and teacher Gregory Shupak has been looking into big media's systematic refusal to use appropriate language about the human rights crimes unfolding before our eyes in Palestine. He teaches English and media studies at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto and author of the book The Wrong Story: Palestine, Israel and the Media, from OR Books. There is a deep, if muddled, sense that the U.S. tax system is unfair. The little guy pays too much and rich folks and corporations find loopholes and offshore accounts. And then, on a different page, there's a story about how “we” as a country just don't have “enough resources” to allow school kids to eat lunch, because that would mean the dreaded higher taxes! Media outlets that fail to make meaningful connections — between those clever offshore accounts and the supposed inability to fund school lunch; between cutting funding for the IRS and doubling down on people who use the Earned Income Tax Credit — are certainly not the ones to look to for an understanding of the racial impacts of supposedly neutral tax policy and practices, however demonstrable those impacts may be. We'll talk about that with Portia Allen-Kyle, interim executive director at Color of Change and author of the report Preying Preparers. The post Gregory Shupak on Palestine Ethnic Cleansing / Portia Allen-Kyle on Tax Unfairness appeared first on KPFA.
In this episode of the ECE Classroom Podcast, host Susie Beghin interviews ECE Professor, Christine Zupo, about the Science of Happiness and its relevance to early childhood education.Christine explains the principles of positive psychology, the sustainable happiness model, and how educators can influence children's emotional well-being. The conversation delves into intentional strategies for fostering happiness, the distinction between joy and happiness, and the physical effects of positive emotions.Christine emphasizes the importance of intentionality in creating positive experiences and the significant role educators play in shaping children's baseline of happiness.Chapters 00:00 Introductions02:21 What is the Science of Happiness04:24 The Sustainable Happiness Model09:26 Intentional Strategies to Achieve Happiness16:12 Influence of Educators on Children's Happiness20:17 Physical Effects of Positive Emotions25:57 Susie's Reflection and TakeawaysAbout Christine ZupoChristine Zupo is a professor at the University of Guelph-Humber and Humber College in the Early Childhood degree/diploma and Electives programs, bringing over 35 years of experience working with young children andfamilies in a variety of Early Learning and Care settings.Christine has been teaching post-secondary education for over 18 years, holds a Master of Arts degree and is a passionate advocate for social justice issues.Christine's research interest is studying the effects of positive emotions on the subjective sense of wellbeing to better understand how post-secondary institutions can build initiatives that create a culture of mental wellness.About The WorkshopsPlease check out this link for more details about her professional development workshops.https://www.canva.com/design/DAGbYWfTKKI/KUsvEReTZ1wmaZOBk1jLJg/edit?utm_content=DAGbYWfTKKI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebuttonMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/fortune-cookie/golden-summer-lenny-bLicense code: STFPDU3XL7ZR4CHA
The genocide in Palestine continues, as does a widening of war in the Middle East in Lebanon, Iran, Syria and other places. Establishment media has been responsible for inciting genocide and war through "atrocity propaganda." They've also been responsible for attacks on critics of U.S. and Israel policies related to the genocide. In our latest, we talk with return guest Greg Shupak (@GregShupak) about the U.S. media's incitement of Israel's violence against Palestinians and other parts of the Middle East. Bio// Greg Shupak teaches media studies at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto. He's author of "The Wrong Story: Palestine, Israel and the Media." ------------------------------- Outro- "Green and Red Blues" by Moody Links// + Greg Shupak: How American media incited genocide (https://bit.ly/3NTmyB5) + ‘Genocide Can and Should Never Be Just a Normal Story' (https://bit.ly/48B2w7S) Follow Green and Red// +G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast +Our rad website: https://greenandredpodcast.org/ + Join our Discord community (https://discord.gg/uvrdubcM) +NEW: Follow us on Substack (https://greenandredpodcast.substack.com) Support the Green and Red Podcast// +Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast +Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR Our Networks// +We're part of the Labor Podcast Network: https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ +We're part of the Anti-Capitalist Podcast Network: linktr.ee/anticapitalistpodcastnetwork +Listen to us on WAMF (90.3 FM) in New Orleans (https://wamf.org/) This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). Edited by Scott.
Welcome to The Alex Pierson Show Podcast! The place where you can catch all the stories and interviews you might've missed when they first aired. On this episode, Alex first starts off focusing in on the crisis that is rising debt and delinquent mortgage payments, which passed over $ 1 billion for the first time in the province's history! Ron helps to break down why he believes this is just the start of a very major problem, and why he belives the Capital Gains Tax will literally only make things worse. Next, in light of Apple announcing it will incorporate ChatGPT and other AI into its IOS Alex sits down with media and tech consultant Mohit Rajhans with ThinkStart.ca. Mohit and Alex explore just what this AI is supposed to improve, and what you might be sacrificing for it...and hint hint...it might be A LOT more than you bargained for. Afterwards, after Green co-leader Elizabeth May read the unredacted NSICOP report and said "She wasn't worried about MPs committing treason" many people are confused as to why she was able to read this before other opposition parties. So we can all learn why, Alex speaks with the Parliamentary Reporter for the National Post, Catherine Lévesque. Catherine breaks down why May was able to read the report first, who else is acquiring security clearance and when the public MIGHT expect some answers. And finally, Alex speaks with a Guelph professor who has been suspended for publically supporting Israel and denouncing Hamas, Paul Finlayson. He shares why he was suspended from teaching at Guelph-Humber, and his upcoming legal battle Legend: Ron Butler (0:13) Mohit Rajhans (7:04) Catherine Lévesque (14:04) Paul Finlayson (22:46) Ron Butler, Broker with Butler Mortgage X(twitter): @ronmortgageguy Website: https://www.butlermortgage.ca/about-us/ Mohit Rajhans, Tech and media consultant with ThinkStart.ca X(twitter):@mohitsmovies website: https://www.thinkstart.ca/about-mohit Catherine Lévesque, Parliamentary Reporter for National Post X(twitter): @CathLvesque website: https://nationalpost.com/author/calevesque/ Paul Finlayson, Guelph Professor Suspended for Denouncing Hamas LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-finlayson-2b54822/ website: https://www.freedomtoffend.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Show notes It's coming up on five months since Paul Finlayson, a business instructor in the Toronto area, was suspended from teaching at the University of Guelph-Humber, in Nov. 2023. Finlayson, who is not Jewish, is the subject of an internal investigation after several students and staff members filed complaints in the aftermath of Oct. 7. They told the university they felt unsafe on campus after seeing one of his personal social media posts on LinkedIn, in which Finlayson sided with Israel and denounced Hamas's murder of 1,400 Israelis, saying they want a “barbaric primitive Islamic caliphate and hate all post-enlightenment values.” He suggested that someone who said “From the River to the Sea” was a Nazi, wants dead Jews and supports Hitler. Finlayson took his LinkedIn post down in a matter of days, but a week later, the school suspended him. The complaint—led by a Palestinian colleague—said the professor's words incited hatred, Islamophobia and possibly even physical violence against Muslims, adding that his post “dehumanized Palestinians”. On today's episode of The CJN Daily, host Ellin Bessner sits down with Finlayson to find out why he is still fighting for his rights to free expression, despite a climate where “Zionist” has become a dirty word on Canadian campuses. What we talked about: Read more from Finlayson and follow his Substack, called “Freedom to Offend” See LinkedIn posts made by complainant prof. Wael Ramadan Credits: The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here. Hear why The CJN is important to me.
In Episode 156 I had the honor to speak with Garett Tomasek, U.S. leader of Best Buddies. Garett was introduced to me and the Unstoppable Mindset by accessiBe's own Sheldon Lewis, also a past guest on the podcast. Sheldon also introduced me to an incredible woman who is a Best Buddy in Canada. Meet Jessica Rotolo who is a talented and fearless 25-year-old model, artist, self-advocate, actor and dancer, who has a passion for performing on film and stage. Jessica was born with Downs Syndrome. I empathize a great deal as my parents, like Jessica's, were told that she would be a burden on them. As with my parents, Jessica's parents, especially her mom, fiercely opposed the idea that their daughter could not grow up to do whatever she wanted with her life. Along the way, Jessica was introduced to Best Buddies Canada where she met one of her pier buddies, Lauren Abela. Under the Best Buddies program, a Best Buddy like Jessica gets a new “pier buddy” every year. These people are volunteers who choose to become friends and mentors for persons with development or intellectual disabilities. In the case of Lauren and Jessica, their relationship flourished, and they became and still are clearly best friends, and Jessica's mom, Dorlean is also part of the team. Mom refers to herself as Jessica's Momager and prefers to work behind the scenes. However, she clearly is a significant part of the conversation you get to experience on this episode. Clearly these three are an unstoppable force. Lauren is a leader in Best Buddies and Jessica is an international ambassador for the program. Check out this episode and be ready to be inspired and encouraged. About the Guest: Jessica Rotolo Jessica is a talented and fearless 25-year-old model, artist, self-advocate, actor and dancer, who has a passion for performing on film and stage. Jessica was born with Down syndrome and is a role model for her community as well as an Ambassador for DramaWay, Best Buddies Canada and Best Buddies International. As the recipient of several awards, Jessica has also been recognized in the Ontario Legislative Assembly and the Canadian House of Commons for her outstanding international commitment in advocating and fundraising for her Down Syndrome community. She has performed in several musical drama productions throughout her career at DramaWay, a Toronto drama company serving the All-Abilities community. She has been a guest on several Canadian News Stations and Talk Shows. She has appeared in numerous campaigns for the Canadian Down Syndrome Society and a Documentary called “Employable Me Canada” not to mention a number of other fashion shows and photo shoots, including the Fashion Arts Toronto show and with designer 3ndolith. Dorlean Rotolo As her “Momager,” Dorlean is committed to supporting her daughter, Jessica, in all aspects of her career of modeling, acting, dancing and her advocacy for Best Buddies Canada, Best Buddies International and the Down syndrome community at large. Lauren Abela Lauren is a recent psychology graduate and now Student Recruitment Officer at the University of Guelph-Humber. She was first introduced to Best Buddies in high school at St. Jean de Brebeuf in Vaughan, Canada. Lauren fell in love with the atmosphere and purpose of the organization, and soon took on greater leadership roles including co-founding her own chapter with Jessica and becoming Canada's first Global Ambassadors for Best Buddies together. Because of Jessica, Lauren chose her thesis research topic to be called, “Down Syndrome Acceptance: Changing Attitudes Through Interventions.” Through her research, she found a positive relationship between disability education and inclusionary attitudes. Lauren is grateful to have attended university on a full scholarship as a Founders' Academic Merit Scholarship recipient, and made the most of her last 4 years as an active member in the community. Upon graduating, she received her school's top graduation awards, including Gold Medallion for Leadership Excellence and Michael Nightingale Community Enrichment Award. Presently, Lauren plans to pursue further education to become a Registered Psychologist and continue her research assistantship with her former professor's non-profit, Teaching & Learning Research (TLR) In Action, studying the accessibility of post-secondary classrooms for the visually impaired. In the meantime, she travels around Ontario promoting her school, encouraging students to apply for scholarships and consider joining Best Buddies. Best Buddies taught her that friendships are not something to be taken for granted, and the power of giving kindness to someone who needs it most holds immeasurable impact. Ways to connect with Jessica, Dorlean & Lauren: Best Buddies Canada Instagram: https://instagram.com/bestbuddiescanada?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Best Buddies Canada Website: https://bestbuddies.ca Jessica's Instagram: https://instagram.com/jessica.rotolo20?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Jessica's Linktree Website: https://linktr.ee/Jessica.Rotolo20 Shop Jessica's Cards: https://kidicarus.ca/product-tag/jessica-rotolo/ 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 also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. 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 once again and welcome to unstoppable mindset today we get to do something a little bit different, something we haven't done a lot, although when we do it. It's kind of fun. And that is we have more than one guest on the podcast today. Several months ago, we had a guest on Garrett Tomasek, who is involved with best buddies in the United States. And if you listened to that episode, you had a chance to learn about Best Buddies. And he was introduced to us by Sheldon Lewis here at AccessiBe well. Along the way, Sheldon also introduced us introduced us if I could talk I'd be in great shape but introduced us to Jessica Rotolo and Dorlean Rotolo and Lauren Abela. Lauren is a best buddy Jessica is a best buddy of Lauren's. And we also have, as I said, other people involved in this whole thing specifically Darlene, who is Jessica's mom, she prefers to be called her momager. And we're going to talk all about that. But Jessica is involved in a lot of different events. Jessica is a model, she's an actress, she does a variety of different kinds of things. And she was born with Down syndrome. So we're going to talk about all of that. And we're going to talk about best buddies and do whatever it is that we need to do to make this a fun time. So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. And I think I'm going to start with Jessica and say welcome to unstoppable mindset. How are you? **Jessica Rotolo ** 03:00 Yes, I'm great. I'm great. I go. ahead, go ahead. I am 25 years old, and I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and I was born with Down syndrome. And right here is a buddy of mine, a pure buddy who I love. **Lauren Abela ** 03:21 Lauren. Jessica is hugging me right now. I'm Lauren. **Jessica Rotolo ** 03:24 And my mom who I live with **Michael Hingson ** 03:29 Hug your mom too. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 03:30 And I'm getting hugs right now. **Michael Hingson ** 03:33 Okay, just checking for **Dorlean Rotolo ** 03:35 being just as mom is the amount of hugs we get. Well, that's kind of I once said on a documentary she did that she she would be a professional hugger. **Jessica Rotolo ** 03:45 And that was called employable me. And that was when I was looking for a job and they helped me actually get a job at Navara the costume rental store. And well, so they do and they also helped me get my art and to Christmas cards. **Michael Hingson ** 04:04 Oh, so do you have a job today? Today? **Jessica Rotolo ** 04:07 I do. I actually work at my preschool. Centennial. Jobcentre. Ah, okay, I am a path forward classroom assistant there because I went to Centennial when I was a kid, a baby, a baby, a **Michael Hingson ** 04:27 baby. Well, that's kind of cool. Well, Lauren, let's welcome you also to unstoppable mindset. How are you? **Lauren Abela ** 04:34 I'm doing good. I'm nervous but excited. **Michael Hingson ** 04:38 Don't be nervous. No need to be nervous. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 04:43 You don't bite do you? **Michael Hingson ** 04:45 Never anxious. Just food. And humans are not food. So no. Well, Lauren, tell us a little bit about you kind of growing up. Why don't you start us off with that. We learned already a little bit about Jeff because she's 25, and she was born with Down syndrome, we'll come back to that. But tell us about you, Lauren. Yeah, **Lauren Abela ** 05:05 so I was born, normally developing, I have a twin brother and two older sisters, born and raised here in Ontario, Canada. And I first got involved in high school with best buddies in the 11th grade. So halfway into my career, and I haven't left since. So **Michael Hingson ** 05:24 how did you discover Best Buddies? **Lauren Abela ** 05:26 So I know that the club had a presence around my high school. And they would often host events and have tables set up during club fairs, and they would have big sales. So within those first couple years, I was getting familiar with the organization. And then finally, in the 11th grade, they were recruiting people for to join the Club. And then after that, I was like, you know, why not? What's, what's stopping me from joining and just and making new friends. So that was why I wanted to go and join and was that hope of making new friends and here I am today, so incredibly blessed to have my truly lifetime best friend Jessica? **Jessica Rotolo ** 06:06 Yes. And I started best buddies in grade nine of high school. And I've been in Best Buddies for 10 plus years. And it's been a fun ride through it. Oh, **Michael Hingson ** 06:24 well, how did you discover Best Buddies? We heard how Lauren did. But Jessica, how did you discover Best Buddies? **Jessica Rotolo ** 06:30 I actually heard about it from a teacher in class that Emily Chang was an is her name. And she told everyone about it. And I said, oh, oh, join. And I heard of I joined and I loved it ever since. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 06:57 Now. How to highland park. **Jessica Rotolo ** 07:00 Yeah. To Highland Park High School. Yeah. How **Michael Hingson ** 07:05 close in age are you to learn and Jessica? **Jessica Rotolo ** 07:08 Well, I'm 25 and Lauren is 22 turns.Okay, four months? **Michael Hingson ** 07:13 Yeah. All right. So, so you and how old? How old? Were you, Jessica, when you were in the ninth grade and started voting and best? You were four. Okay. My gosh. Okay. So, you started well, before Lauren, how did you guys meet and become best buddies. **Jessica Rotolo ** 07:31 So we met when I went to Humber College, when I went there. And I, she called Best Buddies, Canada. And she wanted to join, she wanted to start up a Best Buddies group up there. And I called Best Buddies, Canada. And I said that I want to start up as buddies up there as well. So best buddies, Canada basically. put us together. And we met first at Humber, at the Starbucks there, and we decided to start up a Best Buddies chapter. **Lauren Abela ** 08:14 And, Michael, just to add on to that, if you're not, if, you know, just to share some background information that's based Canada is quite a small leadership team. So we had reached out to different people within the organization. And then in office, they're like, Hey, someone from Hungary reached out. Yeah. Someone from the University of Guelph Humber reached out. So it was the team over at the space Canada. Deanna and Vicki who connected Jessica and I together. Yes. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 08:40 And the university and the college are right beside each other. They are Yeah, so. **Jessica Rotolo ** 08:46 So the Humber College actually went to 12. Humber University University. **Michael Hingson ** 08:50 Right. So did you get a college degree, Jessica? **Jessica Rotolo ** 08:57 Well, I was in the sea ice program there. And that is a two year program for people with special needs, like me and other people who have autism and other any **Michael Hingson ** 09:14 special special special needs. Yeah, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 09:16 it's a two year program. Yes, **Jessica Rotolo ** 09:18 a two year program. And I was in person for a little bit and then COVID happened. And I was online, which I did not like. Yeah, yeah. But I also did a documentary in 2018 called employable me. And that's when I got the job and the cards, but they also said that I was eligible to graduate two years before 2015. And that meant that if I graduated, then I would have gone to Humber College in person all throughout **Dorlean Rotolo ** 09:56 Europe, but then I don't think you'll remember Lauren. Yeah. Yeah, I meant to be, **Jessica Rotolo ** 10:01 but it was meant to be. But I went, I deferred it for a year and then an orphan. Yeah. Worked out. **Michael Hingson ** 10:08 Yeah. Sodid you go back to college and finish or? **Jessica Rotolo ** 10:12 Well, I defer it for a year. And they went to Humber what engineering. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 10:18 She got accepted. But then she deferred the acceptance for one year because I had a number of things she was doing. So then she went to college for the two year program. Okay. The second year was COVID. So yeah, she was **Lauren Abela ** 10:31 Jessica. I can't imagine what if you had beat me to starting the chapter? Chapter. Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 10:40 So after COVID, so you haven't gone back and finished your second year yet? No, **Jessica Rotolo ** 10:45 no, I'm done now. Oh, no, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 10:47 you finished? She finished it online, **Michael Hingson ** 10:49 online. Okay. Okay. And I **Jessica Rotolo ** 10:51 graduated online as well. Cool. **Michael Hingson ** 10:55 So you virtually walked across the stage and got here. So Dorlean, tell us about you a little bit, kind of your life growing up, and then certainly having the opportunity to be with Jessica, and being a mom and all that. This has obviously been different for you than probably what you expected? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 11:20 Oh, absolutely. I grew up in Saskatchewan and rural farming community. My father was a farmer, my mother, a nurse and, you know, had a lovely life in not in Saskatchewan, and then move to the mountains. And then after when I was living in Banff, I decided I wanted to move out to Ontario, so moved here and luckily met my husband. And you know, we had Jessica and it certainly was a shock like most families when you have a surprise that you weren't expecting, and but we wouldn't change Jessica in any any possible way. She is a force to be reckoned with. Yes. And the Down Syndrome has not stopped her from leading an unbelievable life. I **Jessica Rotolo ** 12:06 do anything anyone else can do. Yeah, she's **Dorlean Rotolo ** 12:09 very, very accomplished, young lady. And we're incredibly proud of her. And my first time that actually I went to a hotel to a, an event in Vaughan, which is north of Ontario. And I didn't know it, but it was a Best Buddies event that was being put on. And I remember having a t shirt from it that I eventually just gave away because I'm like, I don't know why I have this t shirt anymore. And then lo and behold, when Jessica, signs up for Best Buddies, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I should have kept that T shirt. Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 12:46 Yeah. Well, so do you have other children? Yes, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 12:49 we have one daughter. Her name is Bobby. And she's doing her PhD in Waterloo, Ontario, and very proud of her. She started her PhD when she was 22 years old. And that's in public health. And yeah, she's doing very accomplished younger woman as well. **Michael Hingson ** 13:05 Jessica, are you gonna go get a PhD? **Jessica Rotolo ** 13:08 I don't know. Yeah. To a makeup course. So I want to learn everything to know that is about makeup. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 13:20 Well, when you go into her bedroom at Sephora. **Jessica Rotolo ** 13:26 She's got a makeup to **Michael Hingson ** 13:29 what to tell people a little bit about Jessica. Jessica is a model. She's an artist, self advocate, actor, and dancer. And you have performed in a variety of different kinds of things that I do want to get to all that. But the point is that you are definitely doing a lot of stuff. So maybe a PhD isn't in your future, and that's okay. Or you might decide down the line that you want to be more of an academic, but that's probably a whole lot more boring than being an artist and a dancer. And especially, I speak from experience being a self advocate. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so you **Jessica Rotolo ** 14:08 I am a self advocate for Down syndrome and Best **Dorlean Rotolo ** 14:12 Buddies and alopecia and alopecia because **Jessica Rotolo ** 14:15 in 2014, I was on a pill for sleep disorders and I caused alopecia. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 14:25 Yeah, target all patients. **Michael Hingson ** 14:28 Tell us about that. Tell us what that is. How **Jessica Rotolo ** 14:31 alopecia is hair loss. So I was completely bald from head to toe. Like hair, eyebrows, lashes everywhere. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 14:42 And then so we after nine months from the pill Jessica passed out. So we took the took her off the pill and then within eight months her hair started growing back. Yeah. But then there were still patches that were not coming back. So Jessica was would go to Sandy Brooklyn. hospital. Yes. And every three months is hollow just **Jessica Rotolo ** 15:03 there. We did 50. So it is a 50 steroid injections and my head and eyebrows. And that did not work **Dorlean Rotolo ** 15:14 every three months. And then very luckily Pfizer came out with a trial test pill, which Jessica was accepted to three and a half years ago. And so she's been going to a dermatologist and she's on that. And it's grown her hair to 32 inches long. **Jessica Rotolo ** 15:30 Wow. And growing and growing. And going with the pill. Yeah. **Jessica Rotolo ** 15:36 And now we're doing a documentary on my hair grow hair loss and hair growth journey. And I'll be cutting my hair off shoulder length, and I'll be donating my hair as a wig to someone who has **Dorlean Rotolo ** 15:58 alopecia. So continental hair is where Jessica bought a number of weeks when she had her hair loss. And they are graciously part of the documentary with Sunnybrook Hospital. And they will, Michael Suba. His name is and he will be donate making a way out of justice hair that will be donated to a young woman who is suffering from alopecia. **Michael Hingson ** 16:22 Oh, that's that's pretty cool. Yeah. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 16:25 And she's getting her hair cut when I started taping this weekend. **Jessica Rotolo ** 16:31 We can Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 16:32 What's the new documentary **Dorlean Rotolo ** 16:33 gonna be about? Well, Jessica's hair loss and regrowth journey. Okay. And **Michael Hingson ** 16:38 when will that be released? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 16:42 For spring, spring? Because we'd like to enter into Tiff and all the film festivals, and then also put it into the educational system. Yes. So it'd be a 12 to 15 minute documentary. Yeah. So we're very excited about it. We have a wonderful director named Scott drecker. Who is, is doing all the filming will **Jessica Rotolo ** 17:02 love him. Yeah. I also did a couple of public service announcements. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 17:09 And that's how we know him. Yeah, that's how we did that was for the Down Syndrome. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 17:15 Society. That's right, **Michael Hingson ** 17:16 so. So Dorlean, what is best buddies meant for you? Clearly, and I know that Jessica and Lauren have thoughts about that, and we can talk about that. But I'm curious, what does it really mean for you? 17:32 Well, the biggest thing for me was friendship. When Jessica joined, the friends that she made, and still has connected with is unbelievable. They are women that now our doctors are going to medical school. They are all very accomplished young women, and they still keep in touch with Jessica. So to me, it's friendship, this is what best buddies really is. For our family, and but also it's the, it's to the it's given just so many unbelievable opportunities to become a leader, they they have given her so many different ways where she can just shine and and and be that leader that we knew was in there. Because she hasn't gotten it from other other places, associations, but Best Buddies has just let her shine. I've been to two **Jessica Rotolo ** 18:29 leadership conferences in Toronto, Canada, twice. One was a sleepover and when was a day thing? **Michael Hingson ** 18:39 And what were the leadership conferences about or what did you accomplish there? **Jessica Rotolo ** 18:44 Um, basically how to make new friends and learning how to speak in front of large crowds. 18:54 Well, there you go. And be an advocate. Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 18:58 So Lauren, do you go to on any of these events with Jessica? **Lauren Abela ** 19:04 Yes. So my first one similar to justice story was in high school. So before we had met, but you know, just over the summer, we went to the International Leadership Conference. **Jessica Rotolo ** 19:13 We did and that was our first one in person. Yeah, first, where was that? Indiana? 19:21 Oh, it's an Indiana **Jessica Rotolo ** 19:23 in the US. **Michael Hingson ** 19:24 I have. I have close friends. So we live in Bloomington. It's beautiful. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 19:29 Believe how stunning it was just loved every minute because Joe and I went as well. Yeah. And we had a mini vacation while they were off working and getting up at six and **Lauren Abela ** 19:42 made sure I was up on time. Mondays but so memorable. **Michael Hingson ** 19:48 This is where I know Best Buddies is is a miracle organization because there's never a day that just go get up at 6am **Michael Hingson ** 19:58 Well, you know that's how actresses are They like to sleep late. Oh, **Michael Hingson ** 20:01 yeah. Yeah, I like to sleep in and then they party till 1111 30 at night so or later. **Michael Hingson ** 20:10 Sleep. So So Jessica, you are doing a lot of different things with acting and art and so on. Why and how did you start all of that? And how young were you when you started that? **Jessica Rotolo ** 20:24 I believe I started this. My art and everything. When I was like four, I think what, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 20:34 John who taught you how to do so Jessica signature has a heart tell them? Yes. **Jessica Rotolo ** 20:38 My heart is Madras signature. And my my aunt, my aunt, Auntie Bev taught me how to make an M first, and then a V at the bottom and connect it and connect them make a heart like a heart. But now, I do it all myself. Yeah, yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 20:59 So what kind of art do you do? Hearts, our hearts. **Jessica Rotolo ** 21:04 Make hearts and then also people, female and male. And **Michael Hingson ** 21:11 what kind of art is it? Is it just drawing or painting or what? **Jessica Rotolo ** 21:15 Painting Manet? Okay, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 21:19 you're one of Jessica's pieces **Michael Hingson ** 21:20 of art? Well, for those who can see the podcast, because a lot of people are going to be listening to this, but if you want to show one, I don't see a problem. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 21:30 Well, you know, the the unique thing about Jessica is Hearts is that she divides them into little squares and colors. And so they're very, very colorful, and, and very **Jessica Rotolo ** 21:41 intricate. I would say it **Dorlean Rotolo ** 21:44 takes her about 40 to 50 hours to do one of **Michael Hingson ** 21:46 her I was just gonna ask that. Yeah, so 50 hours to do one, huh? Are you do you do oil paint or what? **Jessica Rotolo ** 21:54 No acrylic paint acrylic. Okay. Yes. So like on the canvas. Now, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 21:58 when she first started out, it was crayons. It was like a pencil crayon. Yeah. And then I introduced her to the acrylic paint when she got older. And yeah, they're they're a work of art. And she's Yeah, our prime minister has one dancer and mentioned national has one while we gave 24 away to a World Down Syndrome Day event that we did on March 21st. So many people have just because wonderful heart and **Jessica Rotolo ** 22:26 then when I started acting, I believe it was 15 I think with drama away, or your 14 when you thank you. I was 14. And I loved it ever since that **Dorlean Rotolo ** 22:48 you call them your second family. Yeah. And what do you do with drama? Where **Michael Hingson ** 22:51 does the classes tell us about trauma? **Jessica Rotolo ** 22:54 Our drama, winter or is like a group B? This is Mississauga, West Scarborough east, everywhere. Number of classes for drama. There is songwriting, which I love the most. That one is where you write your own songs. As a group as a group. Yes. And then dance. Dancing. I love dancing and dancing. I started when I was 1616. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 23:34 Yeah. But when with drama when you didn't when you were young boy. But how **Jessica Rotolo ** 23:39 old? Were your little? Oh, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 23:40 yeah, you started like with ballet. You were three years old. **Jessica Rotolo ** 23:44 Three years old. I started dancing. Wow. **Michael Hingson ** 23:47 So you've been doing it a while needless to say, which is certainly cool. And you've been dancing. So drama. What kind of drama do you do today? **Jessica Rotolo ** 24:00 Um, we do a lot of plays. Like, um, the last play that we did was the very first play that drama we ever did. Wizard of Oz such **Dorlean Rotolo ** 24:12 as 22 years ago. Yes. And I was **Jessica Rotolo ** 24:15 the what keepers of the West. **Michael Hingson ** 24:20 And did you say the big line? I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too. **Jessica Rotolo ** 24:26 I did not. Really? I was going to and what **Dorlean Rotolo ** 24:33 did you say instead? **Jessica Rotolo ** 24:35 I don't remember. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 24:37 You don't remember your line. **Michael Hingson ** 24:42 Oh, what what was her line? **Jessica Rotolo ** 24:44 Yeah, for God. **Michael Hingson ** 24:47 Don't talk to her about forgetting lines. **Jessica Rotolo ** 24:51 But that was the past play that we just did. **Michael Hingson ** 24:56 You just did that one, huh? Yeah, we **Jessica Rotolo ** 24:58 just did that one. Now. **Michael Hingson ** 24:59 I I'm curious. Are plays like that recorded? Do this? Anybody make videos on them? Are they available? **Jessica Rotolo ** 25:07 Yeah, yes. They're all recorded and you can get them online. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 25:11 Yeah and drama. Wait, drama way.com Yeah. And there because it's everybody, everybody that is in an actor all everybody has special needs. And **Michael Hingson ** 25:23 I'm just gonna say Yeah. Then from verbal to **Dorlean Rotolo ** 25:25 nonverbal. And Danielle stir nod who is the **Michael Hingson ** 25:29 executive producer, director and co founder. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 25:33 She? She has that everybody has an amazing role. And the costumes the props are very fun. believable. Yeah. Her staff. What do you think about the staff have drawn love **Jessica Rotolo ** 25:45 them? Yeah, I miss a couple of them. Because some of them are to move on how to move. Yeah, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 25:53 but it's an incredible organization. Yeah. Yeah. And so last year for drama. Wait, I **Jessica Rotolo ** 26:02 am yeah, I'm also an ambassador for jumbo i Tell **Michael Hingson ** 26:05 me about that. Please. **Jessica Rotolo ** 26:08 I love being an ambassador for jumbo I just because I have these a car for being an ambassador. And I can just give one out to any any for if Danielle **Dorlean Rotolo ** 26:25 needs a spokesperson, or anybody who wants to be entered interviewing about drama, wait, just because asked to represent drama. Wait. **Michael Hingson ** 26:36 So Lauren, how are you and Best Buddies involved with what Jessica is doing with drama? Where are you? Other than obviously supporting? Yeah, **Lauren Abela ** 26:48 so actually really had an amazing time watching just because played the Wizard of Oz this year. It was spectacular. So I really, really enjoyed just showing up supporting, watching, it was really a really nice time because all the laughs and how serious everyone takes their role. Like it was a honestly professional production. Needless to say, so. That's the reason generally, they don't have a direct connection at the moment. But nothing that we can't start today. There's anything I've learned from Jessica is that, you know, if you want to do something, go ahead and do it. **Jessica Rotolo ** 27:26 We did a lot of other plays. And actually, some of them were copied onto DVD guns, instead of like online, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 27:36 and there are other actors or performers that are part of the best buddies. organization as well. Yes, yes. But Best Buddies has been incredible. Especially, you know, the way you can tell them what were you with you and Lauren, the first Canadian? **Jessica Rotolo ** 27:52 Oh, yes, we actually we are the first Canadian buddy best buddy pair to be a to be the best buddies global ambassadors. And our kids, this is the top **Lauren Abela ** 28:11 are the ambassadors I'm wearing a purple collared shirt that they gave us at the International Conference this year, which **Dorlean Rotolo ** 28:17 says Best Buddies ambassador. Yes. And then Jessica, you're wearing which **Jessica Rotolo ** 28:21 shirt? I'm wearing my best buddies Canada talk. **Lauren Abela ** 28:25 And it has the logo in white, or a solid red t shirt. **Michael Hingson ** 28:29 What is the logo look like? If you would learn Oh, **Jessica Rotolo ** 28:32 it's actually the logo is two people putting their arms like this around each other on each other. **Lauren Abela ** 28:42 Like, like **Michael Hingson ** 28:43 this doesn't work very well just to go because most people aren't going to see this. They're going to hear it **Jessica Rotolo ** 28:48 actually I got this talk at the 20th year Leadership Conference. **Michael Hingson ** 28:57 Cool. So for you, Lauren. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 29:01 Might may say the the gentleman that he his name is Keith Haring and he's a contemporary artist in the world and he create created and donated the best buddies logo for Anthony Kennedy Shriver Wow, they weren't went to university together. Uh huh. Huh. So that's who does that develop the logo? Yes. **Michael Hingson ** 29:25 So Lauren, what is your favorite thing about having Jessica as a as a best buddy and a best friend? **Lauren Abela ** 29:31 Do I have to pick just one Michael like really? Possible to **Lauren Abela ** 29:42 certainly the key one that like stood out as soon as we met the first day, it was just your confidence. Yeah. And how you approach life and it's definitely learned a lot from you. Still learning each day is a how you can just Jessica how you can just take on challenges and be like You know what, I deserve to be here and I'm gonna own it, whatever you're doing. If you're standing in front of 100,000 people, you're gonna own it. I believe that. So definitely just Well, **Jessica Rotolo ** 30:10 I actually did something called motion ball. I know I for Special Olympics, Canada, I auditioned with a really. I did an audition tape, which I technically really didn't need to, because I was in already. But I auditioned, like, my little skit, and then I won. And I'm much I didn't plan on. And I got to perform at the guard and find out how many people 2500 2500 People **Michael Hingson ** 30:55 did you start? Yeah. **Jessica Rotolo ** 30:58 And I loved it. I don't get nervous whatsoever. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 31:04 And a very interesting fact. Is that, so Anthony Kennedy Shriver started special started. Best Buddies. Yeah. In like 1989. And his aunt and mother started Special Olympics. Right? So he comes from a fabulous lineage of people that just give to the world. And especially people with special needs. So they're extra special. They have an extra special place in our heart, don't they? Yeah, they really do. **Michael Hingson ** 31:37 Well, I think Lauren, you've probably kind of answered this, but I'm going to ask it anyway. What has Jessica taught you that you can take away as a life lesson? Yes, **Lauren Abela ** 31:46 so something I've been sharing with different high schools I've visited for my school. As that's my new job. After graduating from university, I now go around to different high schools in Ontario, recruiting people for the University of Guelph Humber, and include this part of my speech, because I really want others to have a similar friendship story if they can, if they can join best buddies or start their own chapter. And that's that, you know, how to be accepted for who you are. Because Jessica accepts me for who I am. And how to love with all of your heart. So I really, really appreciate Jessica for those two very big. Well, **Michael Hingson ** 32:29 Ken, I think that's extremely important. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 32:32 What do you say they're a very big hug right now. **Michael Hingson ** 32:34 What do you think? What? What do all of you think that best buddies can teach the world? And how can we get more people to pay attention to the lesson? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 32:46 Well, from a parent's perspective, sure that my child can do anything like anybody else, it may take her a little bit longer, but she can do anything. And she just needs to be given the chance from a job to being a friend. Just give them the opportunity because they deserve it. They're part of our planet. And, and they're, you know, we were made by all made by our you know, who we believe in, if you're, if it's God, it's whoever you believe in, we are all made together to live on this planet, and we each deserve. You know, that opportunity just to live a wonderful, wonderful life and Best Buddies. Absolutely. Does that. It does. Yes. **Michael Hingson ** 33:31 Well, well, Jessica and Lauren, in their various ways are ambassadors. It sounds like so are you do you go out and give speeches and talk to the public? No, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 33:39 no, I don't. I don't **Jessica Rotolo ** 33:42 know. She goes on the documentary. Unbelievable. Me with me. Yeah, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 33:45 yeah. So but no, I don't I just I'm behind the scenes making sure that when just because they're, everything's done for her or we work together to do it. Yeah. You know, I'm, I'm her taxi. I'm her. **Jessica Rotolo ** 34:00 With us now for us. Yeah. Yeah, it was awesome. For us. That's the **Jessica Rotolo ** 34:04 same for worldwide Down Syndrome Day. 2023 **Dorlean Rotolo ** 34:08 was yeah, just it was, you know, helped me don't do it for me, help me. Let me let me show you that. I can do it too. I may need help. But just and that's, you know, his World Down Syndrome days. Again, their theme. Yeah, it was wonderful. And **Jessica Rotolo ** 34:22 I was also bullied in the past like, as a little baby and as a little kid and now Best Buddies really helped me make new friends. Yeah. And **Michael Hingson ** 34:38 that's real accepted. That is clearly great and a good thing. And and having a good friend like Lauren is always a valuable thing I think for for anyone, Lauren, you got your degree in psychology. You're going to continue on and go further with that. Yes, **Lauren Abela ** 34:57 I do want to pursue further Education, hopefully become a psychotherapist and and maybe a psychologist down the road. But you know I haven't shared yet but just to come and our friendship influenced my thesis topic thesis research paper. For my fourth year I just wrote it. And that was on Down Syndrome acceptance, changing attitudes through interventions. So it was measuring, quantitatively whether a short video, just sharing more about people with Down syndrome of all different ages, genders in jobs and careers, and how capable they are. And it did find a positive relationship between education and acceptance attitudes. So if there is any advice that I can give people, it's to be open to learning, and to ask questions, and approach people with a positive and open heart. You know, there's enough hate in this world don't spread more from yourself. **Michael Hingson ** 36:03 There's too much hate in this world, actually. But yeah, well, you know, so we've, we've heard a lot about Jessica's leadership and so on, and mom in the background, but you've taken on leadership roles and Best Buddies and elsewhere. Why did you do that? And what what was the inspiration to make that happen? **Lauren Abela ** 36:22 Yeah. Well, I know, I mentioned to you how I joined the student union with my university Ignite. And that was wanting to make clubs more accessible for students to join, seeing the positive impact of Best Buddies on the school. And I just wanted to give back in that way, and like Jessica, Tommy take action, you know, don't wait for someone else to do it. If there's something you want change, and then be that difference you want to see in the world. So that's how I approach these leadership opportunities. And it's certainly, you know, really definitely a credit, Jessica to many of my accomplishments, including the the award that my school gave me. Yes, yeah. Because we were. **Michael Hingson ** 37:11 Now when when you're a best buddy with someone, so Jessica is your best buddy. And and probably more relevant to ask it this way. Do you have more than one best buddy? Or do you stick with one person and devote all your time to that? **Jessica Rotolo ** 37:27 I have lots of money. I have like eight buddies now, since high school. **Michael Hingson ** 37:39 But how many do you have at one time? **Jessica Rotolo ** 37:42 I'm one at a time, one at a time. **Michael Hingson ** 37:45 So Lauren, same for you. **Lauren Abela ** 37:47 Yes. So the beauty of the organization is that for each year or semester, depending on how the chapter organizes it, you are matched with just one person typically hoping, hoping that the numbers do line up. And the goal is to during that one year of commitment, foster friendship to last a lifetime. So that's what happened to Jessica. So **Jessica Rotolo ** 38:10 the mean, yes, but when I was in high school, yes. It was like I had four buddies. From that chapter one **Michael Hingson ** 38:22 each year. Yeah, yes. Yes. Or what? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 38:27 years because you were there for seven years. Yeah. **Jessica Rotolo ** 38:30 Yeah. So I actually know the names as well. Tiffany so Ha, Chloe, Grace, Lauren, Mary Louise from Tmu. And Lisa, and now Priyanka from the Tim you, so? **Michael Hingson ** 38:49 So if you and so the two of you, Lauren and Jessica, are not in the organization's definition. Best Buddies, your best buddies for life anyway. But you have you have different Best Buddies says Best Buddies in the organization. Yes. Yeah. **Lauren Abela ** 39:07 So how it is organized is that students with intellectual or developmental disability are classified as a best buddy. Yeah, and those without an IDD is a pure body. Yes. So those one pure buddy is matched with one best buddy each year. And you know, you can request to be with a person sometimes it really it differs Chapter Two chapter. Yeah, we actually **Jessica Rotolo ** 39:33 requested I requested her to be the the first by developer chapter **Dorlean Rotolo ** 39:40 and the unique thing is Humber is that you have to be a student to be in the in the organization, the chapter, but it Tmu **Jessica Rotolo ** 39:50 Tim, you the buddies don't have to be a student. Yeah. And the pair bonding is have to be a student. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 39:57 Yeah, yeah. And community To be living has come where they are us t Fs okay? **Jessica Rotolo ** 40:03 Yes FST has come in helped us find the bodies and bodies. So **Lauren Abela ** 40:11 different Best Buddies chapters, especially at the university slash college level will partner with the community organization to recruit the best buddies from whereas we at Humber, we're very lucky to have students in the CIC program that we could recruit directly from, **Jessica Rotolo ** 40:27 which I helped with because I was in that program, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 40:31 which has helped you became the largest club and yeah, at the school, didn't you? I **Lauren Abela ** 40:36 want to believe so. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 40:40 You have amazing amount of people come is wonderful. Yes, yeah. Yeah, there's so many great events. **Michael Hingson ** 40:49 So what kind of events? I think we've heard some of the things that the Jessica has done well, but, and obviously, Darlene, but Lauren, what kind of events have you done with this buddies? Or is it sort of similar to what Jessica has already told us? **Lauren Abela ** 41:04 I think the events I just mentioned here are just all of her personal accomplishments. I can't top that, Michael ask someone else. **Michael Hingson ** 41:15 Trying to top it, it's **Dorlean Rotolo ** 41:17 been very shy here, because without Lauren, it was it was a group that, you know, an effort between the two of them, there are partnerships so without each other, that clubs certainly would not have been successful, no as it was, but also the support that best buddies Canada gave them was really wonderful. Deanna is just **Lauren Abela ** 41:40 amazing. And some of the events that Deanna allowed us to participate in include the Ascot, yes. Which was an annual fundraiser so just Can I volunteered with that event? We've gone to the Blue Jays game. Free tickets from Best Buddies, Canada. Yeah, PJs **Dorlean Rotolo ** 41:56 Care Foundation went into the box and sat in the box. **Lauren Abela ** 41:59 Yeah, we're also we've got watch the champions movie and in the feeder in Toronto. Yeah. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 42:04 And that's you've also could, you've had dance evenings at the at the school you've had friendship walks, right? Yeah. Yeah, **Jessica Rotolo ** 42:16 we did. You guys did. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 42:19 Talk to your Yes. That was best, buddy. Yes. **Jessica Rotolo ** 42:22 We also did the friendship dance. But that was my high school. Yeah. And I came in second in a dance off. **Michael Hingson ** 42:34 So Jessica, do you do social media at all? Yes. **Jessica Rotolo ** 42:40 Well, we both do, actually. And what do you do for a zoo? **Michael Hingson ** 42:43 Tell us about that. Hi, sorry, sad again. **Jessica Rotolo ** 42:48 We do Instagram lives together. Tell us about that. It's really fun. **Lauren Abela ** 42:53 Yes, maybe I can share how it started, which came about because of COVID. It was hard to connect with people. And I'm not sure it was a service. But it's Canada that reached out to me. They reached out to us. And they suggested that we go live on their Instagram just sharing a skill. And it became almost a weekly thing for us. **Jessica Rotolo ** 43:14 I believe our first we did a makeup tutorial we **Lauren Abela ** 43:18 do. Yeah. So we've done anywhere from makeup to baking. Cooking. walks outside. Yeah. Fashion. Yeah. And **Jessica Rotolo ** 43:27 also the conference. Yeah, **Lauren Abela ** 43:31 we went live at the conference too. For those that couldn't make it as it was quite far. We wanted to have Sharon in our experience so highly, highly recommend every person to go to a leadership conference at least once in their life. Yeah, **Jessica Rotolo ** 43:44 well, I did three **Dorlean Rotolo ** 43:46 who were some of the people throughout the conference in Indiana. Famous people that you got to meet **Jessica Rotolo ** 43:52 Miss T Miss USA Miss Teen USA, Garin **Jessica Rotolo ** 43:57 flowers? Yes. Getting flowers **Jessica Rotolo ** 44:01 in the Champions cast, the movie of champions, the cast there, but a couple of them our best Windows ambassadors as well. So **Dorlean Rotolo ** 44:13 yeah, yeah, it was one. That was wonderful. You guys had perfect weather. **Jessica Rotolo ** 44:17 Yes. Perfect weather. It was so nice. It was so hot out there. It was. **Michael Hingson ** 44:25 So I'm Darlene, are you strictly behind the scenes? Are you an ambassador for Best Buddies? Or do you take on any kind of roles **Dorlean Rotolo ** 44:33 on behind the scenes Michael? **Michael Hingson ** 44:36 be out in the open at all? Huh? **Michael Hingson ** 44:38 No, I'm behind the scenes. I'm the momager. And yeah, I just make sure that, you know, whatever Jessica needs, you know, from whatever, you know, helping her with what she's going to wear for any event to getting her there safely, making sure she has, you know, nourishment and drinks. Yeah, Let's, I'm just Yeah, strictly behind the scenes which I is for me. One **Jessica Rotolo ** 45:06 time. Enjoyable me. Yeah, why not? That's **Dorlean Rotolo ** 45:08 what we're best buddies. Studies. I'm just when Jessica, when Jessica **Jessica Rotolo ** 45:15 except for my Hayden Park chapter for that she was a part of it as well. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 45:25 Yeah. So what I did with when Jessica was at Hayden Park Secondary School with GE, all girls school in the public, the Toronto District Public School Board. **Jessica Rotolo ** 45:36 Yeah. And we had an attacker with another school UTS UTS. Yeah. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 45:40 And so they were a distance away. So I would drive with our van and I would take two trips for the girls to load into the van and drive them over. So they didn't, because it was too far for them to walk. So it was really nice that they got to go to the other school instead of always having an event at their school or school. Yeah, **Lauren Abela ** 45:59 yeah. Yeah, one thing to jump in, that parents can do, in terms of supporting Best Buddies is actually to advocate to the staff at their school if there isn't a chapter to ask for them to be started one. Yeah. So that's one thing that we want to encourage family members and supporters. So if you know, of a friend or your child who has a disability, and there isn't a best buddy chapter to reach out to the President, the principal, the vice principal, and to see if one can be started. Yeah. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 46:33 And then they just need one of the teachers would be, you know, be the contact with with the school, but it depends if it's at a high school versus a university level. Yeah. Because if it's a university level, did you need a teacher University? No, yeah. No. **Lauren Abela ** 46:51 Students just ourselves. Students. **Jessica Rotolo ** 46:57 In high school, it **Lauren Abela ** 46:58 was an elementary level. So we do our best buddy chapters in elementary as well. Same **Michael Hingson ** 47:04 process in the US and Canada. **Lauren Abela ** 47:09 Well, similar, so you just reach out to your state's supervisor in terms of the States or in Canada, reach out to Best Buddies Canada office, and they will be able to provide support on next steps and how to move forward. **Michael Hingson ** 47:23 So since it's come up, we might as well deal with it if people want to reach out how do they figure out where their local Best Buddies offices are reaching out to their state or whatever? How do they do that? **Jessica Rotolo ** 47:37 You can go online at best buddies.com. Yes, yes. **Lauren Abela ** 47:43 And then there you can find contacts, and what chapters are currently available to be joined. based on your geographic location? Yes. **Lauren Abela ** 47:56 Your work there. Very **Dorlean Rotolo ** 47:57 good. So what is it **Jessica Rotolo ** 47:59 best buy this for? us.org.org? **Michael Hingson ** 48:02 Yeah, that makes sense. This would be a nonprofit. Yeah, yes. Yeah. And do all Best Buddies chapters, pretty much do the same thing with the same kinds of people. So you deal primarily with intellectual disabilities, not all physical disabilities. **Lauren Abela ** 48:17 So there are intersecting disabilities. However, the best buddies main audience are those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It doesn't exclude anyone, everyone is welcome to join. It just depends on on the the matching system, but there's also the Associate Member position where you don't have to be matched. You can just attend events as you please, to enjoy and the fun and make people meet people across the whole chapters. And that's what **Jessica Rotolo ** 48:44 we are right now. **Michael Hingson ** 48:48 How large is best buddies in Canada now? **Jessica Rotolo ** 48:55 A shop there was in 1993. And that was the York University campus. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 49:05 Yeah, Cam doctor, but how many there are in the in Canada? I really don't know that number. **Jessica Rotolo ** 49:11 Me neither. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 49:12 But it's there's a lot of chapters lots. **Michael Hingson ** 49:16 And you say a started in 1993? Yes. Your, **Jessica Rotolo ** 49:20 your character University was the first ever chapter. It's **Dorlean Rotolo ** 49:23 just north of Toronto. Uh huh. **Lauren Abela ** 49:25 So I can give overall statistics. Best Buddies programs now engage participants in each of the 50. United States. And we're in Canada as well and in over 47 countries impacting over 1.3 million people worldwide. Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 49:41 So it is pretty substantive, although I don't generally hear much about it, but I'm glad that we've been able to do this, but I haven't really heard a lot about Best Buddies outside of being introduced to Best Buddies, people by Sheldon, which I really am grateful to We'll be able to do, because I like the message you clearly send the message that I think I and other people with disabilities, sin, which is we're as capable as anyone else stop limiting us with your own attitudes and beliefs. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 50:19 And one very interesting fact about what is happening right now with Best Buddies International, it is. They have its National Disability Employment Awareness Month, right. N D. A. M, in India, and is basically to have people you know, just trying to get everybody employed. It's a very big part of the best buddies in the US is to they have wonderful programs. Do **Michael Hingson ** 50:49 you know what the unemployment rate among people with Down syndrome is? No, I don't have that statistic either. Yeah. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 50:57 We have. We have many families whose children or young adults are at home and do not have employment. Like when, as Jessica mentioned, when she was in the last documentary, they helped her get a job at a place called Malabar the costume rental store. And she absolutely loved, loved, loved it. But then COVID happened, it was close down. And then yeah, it was closed for good after that. So she lost her job. He loved it. **Michael Hingson ** 51:24 When he just wanted to go try on costumes. **Jessica Rotolo ** 51:29 Oh, I also I also got to meet a celebrity that came in. He was an actor. From the show victorious. He played back on the show. **Lauren Abela ** 51:54 On the topic of employment, just wanted to quickly mention, I was an ambassador for the Discover ability network. So any viewers listening in from Ontario, this is a free service paid for by the government, for employees with disabilities to connect them to employers looking to hire inclusively. So discoverability network, feel free to check that out later. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 52:14 And Jessica with fcb, Canada, she did a public service announcement. And they one of the things they helped create was a What would you guys create on? Oh, **Jessica Rotolo ** 52:29 we pretty wanted to be employable. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 52:38 employable? Yeah. Yes. And employable. And so they created the first LinkedIn, LinkedIn network for people with Down syndrome. **Michael Hingson ** 52:46 Yes. Ah, now what organization is, again? 52:50 FCB. Canada. What **Michael Hingson ** 52:51 is FCB? 52:52 It's just one of the advertising agencies in I'm not sure what FCB stands for. I was wondering, yeah, I'll look that up. And then with the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, so it doesn't say FCB it just says FCB. Canada. Yeah. Wonderful, wonderful people. And, yeah, so the employable. So anybody who has Down Syndrome who would like to connect to it, it is a LinkedIn page, specifically for people with Down syndrome. Yes. What does it stand for? Long name? Yeah. Oh, yeah. **Lauren Abela ** 53:30 Full service, integrated marketing and communications agency with offices in Toronto and Montreal? Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 53:36 Well, there you go. Yeah. Well, that is cool. Well, let me ask, Jessica, what are your long term plans? I mean, so you do art, you do modeling and a number of different things. Do you just want to continue that? Do you have any kind of long term goals in life? **Jessica Rotolo ** 53:55 I do have one 54:03 guy in this house. Yeah. That's the problem. You know, Michael is yes, Jessica wants to move out of her house. But you know, it's financially she would never be able to that's the unfortunate thing because she doesn't have the income to be able to move out of her home or home. So she is forced to live with us until, you know, maybe we could while we're trying to get a business going with for Jessica with her with her heart design. And, and her cards are soft. I **Jessica Rotolo ** 54:33 am till five. Yeah. I wouldn't move out. Yeah, I don't live on my own. **Lauren Abela ** 54:39 You know, some people would blame the economy, so I can't really blame the economy. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 54:44 Yeah, it's very expensive to live in Toronto. So champion champions. **Jessica Rotolo ** 54:49 Want to move closer to my work, and your My vigor score for my drama classes around that area. Well, **Michael Hingson ** 55:00 you might, you may find as time goes on, you'll be able to make more of a career out of some of the things you're doing, which would really be exciting. No boys in your life I gather, huh? No, **Lauren Abela ** 55:11 not Yeah, that **Michael Hingson ** 55:12 was a pretty definitive answer. **Jessica Rotolo ** 55:14 I don't want to I don't want any. No, no. No, boy. **Lauren Abela ** 55:24 Are we gonna dance at each other's wedding? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 55:29 They're gonna dance at each other's weddings, but she's got to find a guy first. **Michael Hingson ** 55:35 Seems like a reasonable thing to do. And, you know, I'm, I'm one of those people who's of the opinion there is somebody for everyone. So you just never know, Jessica. 55:44 Yeah. You'll never know. **Michael Hingson ** 55:48 We have Well, we've already got Dorlean addressed. I mean, she's got a guy. So that works. Yeah. So Lauren, what about you? What are your sort of long term goals and guys, and all that? **Lauren Abela ** 55:58 Definitely looking into buying a house in a few years, hopefully. Definitely working because I just started working after just graduating this year. So I want to find a salary position. Some pretty good. And again, yeah, do a master's, become a psychotherapist, maybe do some more research. You know, start a family, get married first. Goals and happy and healthy and make a difference in the world? **Michael Hingson ** 56:28 Have you found the right person to get married to yet? Um, **Lauren Abela ** 56:32 I hope so. I think so. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 56:36 He's our favorite. **Michael Hingson ** 56:37 He's a keeper. No, mom, mom blesses. So that's a good start. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 56:42 He's an extraordinary young man. Very nice. **Michael Hingson ** 56:45 So for each of you question, what advice do you want to give to the world? And we've talked a lot about different things. And I know, we've probably addressed some of the issues. But as we kind of bring this to a close, this has been going for a while it's almost an hour, can you believe it? But **Dorlean Rotolo ** 57:04 what kind of what kind of interviewer? What kind **Michael Hingson ** 57:07 of advice and suggestions? Would you like to leave people with what kinds of thoughts? Let's start with Dorlean? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 57:15 Well, My Messages to Young families, when Jessica was in my arms in the hospital, the doctor that came into the room to assess Jessica basically told me that I would grow to love her, which just absolutely broke my heart. Yeah. And so to all the young families, you know, yes, it's a shock at the beginning when you when you're holding your, your child, and you know, the diagnosis, but life will be incredible. We could not ever imagine our life without Jessica, but also the people she has brought to our lives has been a true blessing. It's been a blessing for us, you know, meeting people like Lauren, Peter, and just all of Jessica's friends in the mothers that I've met and fathers, they're just beautiful people. So it'll be okay. That's, that's my message. It'll be okay. **Michael Hingson ** 58:09 Have you ever had the opportunity to go back and see that doctor who said that? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 58:15 No, no, I don't know what I'd say to him. And especially days later, when we went to back to the hospital, and then he used Jessica as a specimen for a fellow doctor to show the fellow Doctor all the signs of that it's a baby with Down syndrome. Basically, I had a break down for a couple of days, because, you know, that's Is this the way my daughter was going to be perceived by the world? And, you know, we certainly have shown that No, she's not. She's a perfect person in our eyes and everybody's eyes that No, sir, yeah, yes, surely so. **Michael Hingson ** 58:52 So I don't, I don't want to do a lot of preaching myself this week. But I will make the comment that we've got to get beyond this idea that disability means lack of ability, because it doesn't mean lack of ability at all. It's a characteristic and everyone has it. But you know, I hear what you're saying. My parents were told that they should send me away when it was discovered that I was blind and the same thing and they rejected that. And I wish more parents would, would take that step to not just go by what science says just because somebody is different. Yeah. 100%. So Jessica, what kind of advice do you have for the world? How do you want to leave people thinking about you this week? **Jessica Rotolo ** 59:38 So I would say be yourself and just don't be afraid to leave your friends. **Michael Hingson ** 59:47 Yeah, yeah. And it's all about, as you said, being yourself and having the courage to be yourself and don't let people talk you into something that isn't true. Yeah, yeah, it is. and **Jessica Rotolo ** 1:00:00 don't let anyone tell you different. **Michael Hingson ** 1:00:03 Oh, yeah. That's the real key, isn't it? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 1:00:06 Yes. You know? Yeah. **Michael Hingson ** 1:00:10 And if you don't know what you want, figure it out and use your best buddies and your friends but figure it out. Because you can certainly want things just like anyone else. Yes. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 1:00:22 And you know, people don't have to be alone. And if you are alone, contact Best Buddies. **Dorlean Rotolo ** 1:00:27 They will help you. You don't have to be alone. It really is an amazing organization. Yeah, right. **Michael Hingson ** 1:00:33 And Lauren, and Lauren, you what kind of thoughts do you want to leave everyone with? **Lauren Abela ** 1:00:37 Yeah. If you can choose to be anything, be kind. That's it and everything that you do. And if you are unsure how to be kind, research, ask questions, you know, and if you're thinking that you want to learn more about Best Buddies, then go to the website, reach out to us on Instagram, we are very happy to share more and and consider things that you can do in your everyday life that are simple, simple things that to spread that kindness and to make that best buddies impact of friendship and inclusion and whatever workplace you're in. Yeah, **Michael Hingson ** 1:01:15 speaking of Instagram, do you guys still do the live Instagram? Yes. **Lauren Abela ** 1:01:20 It's been a few months, maybe a year, but we will do more we promise **Dorlean Rotolo ** 1:01:25 crazier with you guys put on the love means event, World Down Syndrome Day event. Now the documentary him really has been advocating in different areas. Yes, very, very busy. Which is wonderful. So wonderful life. **Michael Hingson ** 1:01:39 Yeah, I want to just go do it. Yeah, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 1:01:45 exactly. Just make that phone call. Well, I **Michael Hingson ** 1:01:48 want to thank all of you for being with us today. On unstoppable mindset. Clearly, you're unstoppable. All three of you, especially as a team, but individually as well. And I want to thank you all for being here. And if you know other people who we ought to bring on as a guest on unstoppable mindset, please let us know. And for all of you listening out there and watching, we would love to hear your thoughts about any other guests that you'd like to have as well as we'd like your thoughts. And I know Jessica, Lauren. And Dorlean would like your thoughts also about this podcast? And actually, let me ask that question. If people want to reach out to you all directly, can they do that? And how would they do that? **Dorlean Rotolo ** 1:02:28 By email, or your Instagram or so **Jessica Rotolo ** 1:02:31 then what **Michael Hingson ** 1:02:32 what is your Instagram address or handle or how do people find you? Mine **Jessica Rotolo ** 1:02:39 is Jessica dot Rotolo 20 and rotala **Michael Hingson ** 1:02:43 was R O T O L O yes. So Jessica dot Rotolo 20. **Lauren Abela ** 1:02:48 Yes. And mine is L A U R E N A B E L A Three. **Michael Hingson ** 1:02:58 So you're the third Loren Abela. Jessica is the 20th Rotolo so **Dorlean Rotolo ** 1:03:10 on Instagram, so everybody have to reach me through Jessica. Yes. **Jessica Rotolo ** 1:03:15 Well, sorry, my email. No, **Dorlean Rotolo ** 1:03:21 I just like it too many emails. No, yeah, they can reach out to Jessica's Instagram. Do **Michael Hingson ** 1:03:26 it on Instagram. That's fine. Well, I hope people will reach out to you guys. We really appreciate it. And I want to thank everyone again for listening. We really appreciate you being here and listening with us. It's been a fun hour. And that's one of the main goals on a stoppable mindset. It's not just for us to have fun, but I hope that all of you listening had fun as well. I'd love to hear your thoughts, please email me at Michael m i c h a e l h i at accessibe A C C E S S I B E.com. Or go to our podcast page www dot Michael hingson H i n g s o n.com/podcast. And wherever you're listening, please give us a five star rating. We value greatly your reviews and we love those five star ratings and really appreciate you giving those to us. So please do so and reach out. We'd love to
Every day the US falls more out of step with the world in its support for Israel's violent assault on Gaza. As International human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber said, US vetoes of ceasefires in the UN Security Council, after which thousands more were killed, mean the US is directly responsible for those deaths: “Complicity is a crime.” Many in the US press seem divorced from the idea of US responsibility, and somehow we're seeing more of the opinions of random TV actors than of groups on the ground in Palestine, and international human rights and legal bodies. We get some update on this unfolding nightmare from author and activist Gregory Shupak, from the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto, and from Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. The post Greg Shupak and Trita Parsi on the Assault on Gaza appeared first on KPFA.
Creating a positive and inclusive work environment goes a long way toward business and organizational success. Companies that implement mindfulness strategies and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) create environments where individuals feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best work. This not only enhances employee well-being, retention, and productivity, but is also a strategic advantage in today's competitive business environment Leigh Mitchell is a Gender Equality Advisor. She works for York University and the University of Guelph Humber and is the founder of Bee Happy HR & Mindfulness Co and Women in Biz Network. Bee Happy Mindfulness Programs integrate social-emotional skills into sport, education and workplaces using secular and mindful-based practices including customized programs with the Jays Care Foundation, YMCA, PDSB and TDSB. In this episode, we discuss tips and strategies for mindfulness, DEIB, and how they lead to positive work culture and business success, the impacts of COVID-19 on intention and purpose, the Working for Workers Act, and more! 02:00 - Intro03:38 - How Leigh helps07:42 - Women in Biz Network11:43 - The Impact of COVID-19 on intention / purpose / mindfulness 14:11 - Tips / Strategies for Mindfulness18:06 - DEIB strategies 27:16 - Working for Workers Act41:10 - Where to find LeighConnect with Leigh - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchellleigh Bee Happy HR (Resources) - https://beehappyhr.com/downloadresourcesnow/Women in Biz Network - https://www.womeninbiznetwork.com/…Hosted by Hilda Gan - ca.linkedin.com/in/hildagan Visit us at - peoplebrightconsulting.comFollow usLinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/pplbrightTwitter - twitter.com/pplbright Facebook - www.facebook.com/pplbrightInstagram - www.instagram.com/pplbright/ Hilda Gan is a sought-after expert on effective HR strategies, work culture enhancement, and employee engagement. Unique among HR consultants, Hilda combines over 25 years of HR expertise with business acumen and business owner experience.People Bright Consulting is an award-winning HR Management Consulting firm that helps leaders of companies build the foundations for successful hiring, healthy and inclusive work culture, and engaged staff. It starts with listening to our clients and finding pragmatic customized business solutions to HR problems.#mindfulness #diversity #equity #inclusion #DEI #HR #HumanResources
This week on CounterSpin: US corporate news media's initial response to Israel's terror campaign against Palestinians, unleashed in the wake of the October 7 attack by Hamas, was characterized largely by legitimization, a rhetorical blank check for whatever Israel might do. Israel, the New York Times editorial board said, “is determined to break the power of Hamas, and in that effort it deserves the support of the United States and the rest of the world.” We're more than three months into that “effort.” The death toll for Palestinians is, conservatively, as we record on January 18, over 24,000 people. The UN secretary general calls Gaza a “graveyard for children.” So how does the Times' assertion that “what Israel is fighting to defend is a society that values human life and the rule of law” stand up now? We talk this week with media critic, activist, and professor Gregory Shupak. He teaches English and media studies at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto and is author of The Wrong Story: Palestine, Israel and the Media, from OR Books. First, Janine Jackson takes a quick look back at some recent press coverage of immigration. The post Gregory Shupak on Gaza and Genocide appeared first on KPFA.
Prince Khan is all the above. Although he started out quite slow in school, he flourished in college. As he will tell us, in college, he decided to master his own lack of self-confidence and work at succeeding. He says it was his “unstoppable mindset” that saw him through. Prince refers to his personal unstoppable mindset many times during our conversation. This is not something I even knew he was planning. You will hear for yourself that he believes we all can develop an unstoppable mindset and he will tell us how we can make this happen. After college, Mr. Khan began working for a company first briefly in sales and then in other more business-related capacities. As he will describe, in college he discovered not only that he had an aptitude for business, but he actually liked the subject. After working at a company for five years he began teaching entrepreneurial concepts to others, especially in the small business arena. You can hear the passion about this in his voice. Prince offers us many invaluable life lessons we can all use in our business, life and personal worlds. About the Guest: Prince Khan CITP|FIBP is a Business Consultant with the Halton Region located out of Oakville, Ontario. Collectively over the past 10 years, Prince has worked for a small business, run his own business, and advised countless small businesses on strategies on how to improve their operations, marketing, financials and more. He currently works for the Halton Small Business Centre/ Global Business Centre, where he provides advisory services on business start-up, domestic expansion, along with supporting companies look at opportunities to scale their business globally. In terms of education, Prince is currently in the final stages of completing his Master's Degree at the University of Waterloo in Canada where he is pursuing his degree in the Master's in Economic Development and Innovation program. Prince went into this program with a passion for wanting to grow local economies, and understanding how the world can develop sustainable communities which drive local jobs, and investment. Joining the school of environment, and this program was a big step for Prince, who struggled academically early in his life. He proved himself and overcame his self-doubt by finishing with an 88% GPA in the program. In September 2021, Prince joined the University of Guelph-Humber out of Toronto, Ontario as a Sessional Lecturer teaching courses on entrepreneurship to third year business students pursuing their business degree. Prince has always had a passion to teaching, and mentoring others and is consistently looking for ways to help those in need. Becoming a lecturer at a University was a big dream he had in his late 20's. After being rejected for a number of programs in the Masters of Education program, he thought his dream was over. Luckily for Prince, he was able to connect with an individual who he had a lot of respect for who offered an opportunity to teach at Guelph-Humber without a Master's degree, and help his dream become a reality. In his free time, Prince loves to volunteer for local not-for-profit groups and present on various topics of interest. He has a passion for helping others succeed, and does this by motivating and inspiring others to develop a mindset that can help them overcome the mental barriers that hold them back. Ways to connect with Prince: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecdevprince/; Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecdevprince/ 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 also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. 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, Hi, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, our guest is Prince Khan, who lives up in Canada. In Ontario, as I recall, he is a business professional, he helps a lot of people who are in the business of being entrepreneurs or who want to be entrepreneurs, and does a lot of interesting things from what I've read. And I'm not going to give it away because it's more fun to let him talk about it. But Prince, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. And thank you very much for being here. Prince Khan ** 01:54 The pleasure, Michael, thank you so much for having me. Michael Hingson ** 01:56 So I love to start by asking people to do something that you had suggested that you wanted to do anyway. And that is to tell us about the younger Prince growing up and where you come from and all that sort of stuff. Absolutely. Prince Khan ** 02:10 So we emigrated to Canada in 97. I remember it's August and it was early August, around I think I was fifth or sixth. And we had come to Canada with about $10,000 in our pocket. And where did you come from? We came from Pakistan. Okay. Yeah. So we thought about the Canadian dream. And my dad had really had high ambitions of coming to Canada and finding a job in engineering, which he specialized in back in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, as well as Proxxon. We came here and we were struggling. And we were living in poverty like conditions for the longest time. And my dad was struggling to find a job we ended up my parents ended up working in factories, my brother ended up having to move further out to try to secure some rent for the family. So it was challenging times when I was younger. And one of the things that I remember is, we couldn't afford to really focus on my education, or like my entertainment. And majority of the time, I was really just on put on the side. And I really struggled growing up and going to school. I know if I was in grade six, I was reading reading at a grade three level. And it was quite the challenge and growing up, it's it was so difficult. But now that I'm 32 years old, I've actually completed my master's, I teach at a university. I also provide a lot of small support to startups and entrepreneurs within the local community in Ontario. And I've really come far from where I really thought it could have been when I was younger. Well, what Michael Hingson ** 03:54 do you think the reasons were that when you all came over from Pakistan, and clearly with some very high hopes? Why was it such a struggle? In the beginning? Do you think the Prince Khan ** 04:06 thing is, I think coming to a new country, the integration piece of new immigrants and even refugees, it's quite difficult because a lot of people don't see your experience from back home as relevant experience in the country that you come to. So when my dad came here, even though he had years and years of engineering experience, they still didn't take him because number one, his age, he was over 50 years old. And two, they didn't see his international experience as relevant Canadian experience. So the problem was that because they didn't see that he couldn't integrate well into society. So we ended up doing a lot of labor jobs. My mom never worked in her life, but she had you under working in a factory alongside him just to make things meet up the or make our financials meet at the end of the month and pay our rent and try to just survive. Did Michael Hingson ** 04:55 he eventually or did they eventually kind of break through the barrier and did he ever get it? tends to go back into engineering. Prince Khan ** 05:01 No, he did. And unfortunately, he ended up doing security until he retired. But fortunately enough for his kids, me, my brother and my sister, my sister became really big in real estate, my brother ended up working for a large bank for about 25 years now. And I teach now I worked for the government. So the kids were able to get established. And there was an interesting point one of my co professors made when I had a conversation with him. He said, um, generation 1.5 generation that doesn't get all the benefits, but still get some reward from the aspirations of the first generation. Michael Hingson ** 05:38 Your brother and sister are older than you. Absolutely, Prince Khan ** 05:41 yeah. 11 or 12 years old, my sister is 10 years older. Michael Hingson ** 05:47 Yeah, it seemed like they were older since he's been in the banking industry for a long time. And she's been successful in in real estate, but you're getting there too, which is also important. But it is so sad that you had to experience or your parents had to experience not having any real level of acceptance for their international experience. And it's not exactly the same. But I know for me as a person who is blind, we get when you can either say diminished or demeaned or just negated a lot, simply because people think that eyesight is the only game in town. And it's so unfortunate that, that people do that. And I have yet to really figure out how to break through that. I think we're, we're talking about it more. And I think that's part of the conversation. And I would hope that people in Canada might think of future immigrants as being a little bit more able to be part of the culture, then maybe what happened was your father's generation. Correct. Prince Khan ** 06:54 So there is a little bit of better education now that's coming across. In Canada, specifically, they're they're certifying engineers a lot more quickly. Doctors, same thing. So they realize that they brought in all these people with all these expertise, but they're all doing labor jobs. And unfortunately, we have all this talent, but that talent is going to it's not it's going to waste at the end of the day. So the Kenyan government has kind of figured it out that let's let's try to certify these individuals as soon as possible so they can get into the workforce and add to our professional economy. Michael Hingson ** 07:28 Yeah, that's really the issue. And if there are certifications and programs that they have to go through, then Okay, great. But let's do it correctly. Yeah. And well, so again, I hope that in the future, maybe we've learned some lessons. I know, we've heard down here some news about some of the struggles of, of indigenous personnel up in Canada, whose children were sent to schools and taking completely out of their homes and all the challenges and horrible things that happened with that. We've, we've all had very funny illustrations and examples of where people aren't really using their vision or their imagination very well. I mean, vision in the sense of intelligence and imagination. Prince Khan ** 08:19 Correct? Yeah. So at the end of the day, you have to realize that there are, there's more to society than just what's out there. You need to be inclusive, and understand the diversity of what makes your country so unique. And make sure that you're accounting for everybody that lives within society. Why Michael Hingson ** 08:39 did you have a lot of challenges with reading and so on? Growing up, do you think? Prince Khan ** 08:45 Number one, I didn't have interest. I didn't care. I remember, I don't tell my grade six teacher this, but I remember read a lot of my books. He read the books, he did the analysis. And, you know, whenever we would have these reading circles, I would have no idea what's going on. Because I didn't read those books. I didn't write my papers. So I really tried to wing it in the sense that I tried to fake it till I make it. And I realized that I failed at that relatively quickly. Because when we came into those group circles, and we were talking about, you know, what was the main message that we received and the chapters that we had to read, I would never really have any response. And the teacher would get us like, Did you not get the book EQAO or any of those, those sort of things where we were tested. I was always a C to D student and never could get B's. If I was lucky, I may get one or two b's. But majority of the time education was just not my priority. And I always found it to be at the very end of of whatever I like to do. And I was like to hang out with my friends. And that's all I wanted to do. It might have come from the fact that my parents couldn't really give me that education or that that handholding because they themselves were struggling Michael Hingson ** 09:59 what turned into Around Prince Khan ** 10:02 the unstoppable mindset. So I realized eventually, once I graduated high school, that I had to make something of myself because at a certain age, you reach a point where you have to make these life decisions. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life doing absolutely nothing? Or do you want to spend your life making something of yourself. So when I got into college, that was my first drive and my first ambition. And as I told you, I struggled with education. But in college, I was able to get a good, good grades, and I was able to actually succeed, it got better. And my undergrad even though I was still scared and nervous, I still found it to be challenging, I still came out with a high ranking in terms of my grades. And then recently, I just did my masters. So I just completed the full 360 In terms of education. And I got the best grades in my master's program only because I learned from those pillars that I had built. And it was that unstoppable mindset, I knew I could do better and better and better each time. So I built those pillars of success and eventually get to get where I am today. Michael Hingson ** 11:09 So what degree did you get for your Bachelor's in your masters? Prince Khan ** 11:13 So in my Bachelor's, I did my undergrad in business, more specifically management. And then in my master's I did in an economic development and innovation, where we look to support communities in terms of investment, attraction, expansion, retention, as well as entrepreneurship and small business. Michael Hingson ** 11:30 What made you decide to go into business? Prince Khan ** 11:34 Initially, I didn't really see much skills for myself, like, I'll be honest with you. I like I didn't really see myself in sciences, I didn't really see myself in art. I think I almost failed art in grade nine. So I realized very quickly that art was not my thing. But business was something that was more generic. I was like, Okay, let me go in. Let me let me try it out. See how I'll do. I was very nervous because going from high school to college, in any capacity is very nerve wracking. But I went there, and then ended up enjoying I took finance when I went to college. And then once I graduated MT University, took business there in terms of management. But what drove me there was the fact that it seemed like an easier option, compared to a lot of other things out there. And I just wanted to explore it to see if it's something I liked. And fortunately enough, it was something I really thrived in. And I ended up doing as a full time thing in terms of my career. Michael Hingson ** 12:32 Did you think that maybe business was just going to be sort of slam dunk and easier to do not approach it that way at all, compared to like science and so on? Because obviously, it sounds like you had some fears and some concerns and so on? Did you just think business was going to be easier? It's just, you were nudged to go Prince Khan ** 12:50 that way? Yeah, so my mentor, originally was my brother. And he said, You know what, the entire family has been in business, my brother's been at the bank isn't once you just try it. If you don't like it, then you can always pivot and change afterwards and get into something else. So I was like, Sure, why not. So I just gave it a shot. And I realized, once I took the finance program at the College, that business was something I actually was good at. I failed in school, in high school and middle school and elementary because most of the courses I was taking weren't really related to what I enjoyed. So when I got to college, I actually enjoyed studying because it was more related to some of the things that were specific to something that excites me, something that's a little I'm a little bit more passionate about. And that went into university as well as my mat and Master's program. Michael Hingson ** 13:40 So you really liked the theory, it just really clicked with you. And there you are. Prince Khan ** 13:47 Exactly. And if it didn't click with me, then I would have realized very quickly that I need to pivot into something else. But I really find it exciting, I really found it to be something that I could use in my practical life. So that's why I decided to pursue it. And Michael Hingson ** 14:00 that's really the important thing, right? I mean, it's all about finding something that you not only discover that you're good at, but you discover that you really like and that you can make practical use of which is always a good thing. It doesn't really get a whole lot better than that does it? Prince Khan ** 14:18 Yeah, you have to enjoy what you do, right. And you have to enjoy what you study if you're taking a degree just because your parents are telling you to take a degree. And you don't really want to do it because it's just not something you're passionate about or you really enjoy, then you shouldn't be getting into something that you're not going to find value in the future. But if you genuinely enjoy it, if you genuinely want to learn at that point, education becomes a huge piece and then you try to figure out what is it that you really enjoy as an individual? Yeah. Michael Hingson ** 14:47 So you went ahead and you got your business degrees. And did you have any thought as to exactly what you were going to do with them while you're going through it? Your whole college program or what? Prince Khan ** 15:03 I had no idea. So when I finished my finance diploma, I'm like, Okay, I'm gonna get a job in accounting somewhere. And I remember I was being hired for a job by this entrepreneur named Steve Ostrovsky. He was he became a great, he became a great friend of mine. And I remember during the interview, he's like, okay, you've been, we've called you in for the council receivable Accounts Payable position, but I just want to let you know that the position has already taken, here's a sales job, you go do it if you enjoy it, and you can stay with the company. So it was a complete pivot. But you know, one thing I really admired about Steve was that he led me into the company, I did a job that that I hated for three to four months, only to get promoted to being the central person of that company, and then being able to really learn about entrepreneurship. And that's where a spark really came for small business. And when I worked at my company, and in Milton, Ontario, it was just so fascinating to learn about all the different facets of business from logistics, supply chain, Accounting, Finance Administration. And at that point, I knew that entrepreneurship was something that I really wanted to pursue. Michael Hingson ** 16:11 And what exactly does that mean? What did you want to do with it? Prince Khan ** 16:16 Coaching, advising, or running my own business, I knew I never wanted to work for a large corporation, I knew I didn't want to work for a big five firm of any sort. I wanted to work for a smaller company, because I knew smaller companies face a lot more challenges with respect to sustaining the organization, and always wanted to be that pillar that could come within an organization and help them grow to the level that they want to. So when I joined the city, and I joined the region, from a government perspective, the services we provide, they're absolutely free. And I'm able to go out there and support all the entrepreneurs and all the small businesses. And the benefit I get from it. It's not a monetary, it's more the respect and the passion that I see from these individuals. And I absolutely love what I do just because it drives me everyday to see their success. And Michael Hingson ** 17:05 the the emotional rewards have you actually seeing success in your success comes from seeing at least in part success of others. Absolutely. Prince Khan ** 17:17 That's what I enjoy more than seeing myself grow, to be honest with you, I love seeing others succeed, because allows me to be that back bone when I say you know what I was able to help them get to where they want to be. So in a way, it's kind of like life coaching, but for small business. So I've thoroughly enjoyed it. And from when I did my masters, I realized that I was in the right field, I knew I found my passion. And I knew I found what I was driven to do in my life. Michael Hingson ** 17:43 Now you had an interest, I believe in wanting to be an educator, and that didn't work out well. For you. Initially, Prince Khan ** 17:50 yeah. So I remember back in 2017, I applied to a number of different masters of education programs, because I wanted to be a teacher. And I struggled initially, because a lot of the programs rejected me. And I remember I used to sit at the table and look at the projection paper and say, No, I don't think this dream is ever going to become a reality I don't think I'm ever going to be able to teach. This is coming from someone who absolutely hated education, to going to loving education to the point that he wants to teach. So when I was staring at that rejection letter, I'm like, No, this, this rejection means I gotta try harder. And eventually, I got an opportunity to teach, but it was through a referral. And we were able to make it work. And I was able to find my passion. But if I decided to just give up and say, You know what? Teaching is not for me, people keep rejecting me, I would have probably not taken another opportunity. But even though all the odds are stacked against me, I still decided to do it. And I proved myself over and over again and now have become a solid pillar in this the institution that I teach and where do you teach? So I teach at the University of Guelph located out of Toronto, Ontario. Michael Hingson ** 18:57 Okay. But the but the issue is that you, you got into it in a sense and a little bit different way, because you went to work for a company, you developed a lot of experience at that company, you learned about entrepreneurship. And somebody finally saw that, well, maybe Prince has really got something that we need. Yeah. Prince Khan ** 19:22 And he doesn't need a master's of education to do so. Right. Prince has got that drive. Michael Hingson ** 19:28 He got a master's and it's in a different field, which makes it all the more valuable in a way. Yeah, Prince Khan ** 19:33 the Masters came after. That's the funny thing, right. I didn't have my masters when I started. Yes, no, it came afterwards. And it was really because one thing that I want to let everyone on the podcast know, the more you give back, the more you see in return. So students were a part of this program called DACA, which is basically a business competition for students. And I was heavily involved in the DACA competition with the students and mentoring and training a lot of these students at the University and a lot I then went on to win top three placements. And then the program had saw this and you know, he was like, wow, like, when are you going to come and teach? Are you able to teach? And I said, Absolutely, if you give me an opportunity, I will. So we figured a way around it. And even though I didn't have my masters, I was able to get into it. So if I had just said, You know what? I don't want to help anybody, I am so rejected I, I don't care about getting my masters anymore, I would have given up, right? But that's not me. I'm the type of person that's going to figure a way around it. So my way around, it was how do I volunteer my time? How do I give back to the community? How do I show myself my self worth to the people and the right people that will get me in positions where I need to be? Michael Hingson ** 20:45 And to yourself? And to myself? Exactly. Which is definitely a part of it? Because if you're really not convinced about yourself, then how are you going to convince anyone else? Prince Khan ** 20:56 Absolutely. So the confidence factor has to really be strong. And you have to be confident that you can pull through regardless of how many times you get rejected, or how many people say no. Michael Hingson ** 21:07 Do you have any notion of why you got so many rejections? Did you ever ask anyone or try to get some feedback about what was really going on? Prince Khan ** 21:16 No, because rejection is you know, when when people get rejected, they, they automatically assume they're not good enough, right? And I realized to actually over the over the past two, three years, that rejection is sometimes a good thing. Because it makes me realize that it's not that you're not good enough, it's just you maybe have made a mistake, or maybe you didn't live up to that expectation of what they were expecting, right. And I'll teach you to be more humble. Because if you think that you can get any job you can, you can get into any position because of all your the experiences and the knowledge that you have. There's people out there, they're always going to be better than you. Right and getting rejected doesn't mean that you're bad, it just means that somebody out there was better than you. So you just want to learn from those experiences. So nowadays, what I'm doing is I'm going back and saying, No, that's perfectly fine that you rejected me, I'm happy that you found someone that you know, fits your organization, or fits what you're looking for. Where did I go wrong? How can I improve myself? So I've learned to become more humble, through rejection. And that's one of the key skills you need. Rejection is actually becoming a skill for me now. Because with rejection, you learn and you learn and then you succeed. And Michael Hingson ** 22:29 that's why I asked the question, I was just curious what you do, because you have grown a lot if you went back to investigate with any of those people, what their thoughts were, whether they would even remember about why they rejected you. And clearly, if you have faith in the system, you're going to believe that they've rejected you for reasons. But sometimes knowing those reasons can be valuable to absolutely, Prince Khan ** 22:56 and I encourage everybody who's ever been rejected to find out why don't take it personally, but find out why. And I've learned recently, like I said that, to find out why you failed, or why you struggled or why you didn't get something that you really wanted. There's no harm in that. Right? You're you're learning from that experience, and then you're going to take it and you're going to move on. And then you're gonna do better next time, because you've taken that knowledge of why you struggled or why you didn't do the way you want it to do. So. Michael Hingson ** 23:26 There you go. So the fact is that we focus too much on this whole concept of failure. And I agree with the people who say failure isn't really not only isn't a bad thing, but failure is just an opportunity for you to learn how to advance and grow and maybe do it better the next time. It's not a bad thing at all. And we shouldn't consider it a failure. You know, for years. It's a little unrelated, but I've been using Guide Dogs for well, it'll be 60 It'll be 50. Well, it is now 59 years. Wow, I got my first guide dog on I think like about the first to July of 1964. So what's over 59 years. Anyway, for years, the dogs that didn't make it work, all failures, and they were rechecks and all sorts of terms. And somebody at one of the schools finally realized what an unfair label to put on the dog because the reality is less than half of the dogs will make it as guide dogs. And that's because, like with any job in any one, you're not necessarily cut out to do that job. There are so many things that go into being a guide dog, like not panicking at sounds not not being distracted easily. So many different things, learning to really focus on all that. And what they learned is they should call them career changed, which is a much more appropriate term. Some of Don't go on to do other careers, they will work at us as service dogs elsewhere. Some have gone to police departments, some have gone to be seizure detection dogs or cancer detection dogs. And some just go back to their puppy raisers and become well trained dogs in someone's home. But regexes is really the wrong term. And we, we allow ourselves to dwell on that way too much in our own lives, it seems to me, Prince Khan ** 25:24 absolutely, we all have our own special skill sets our own special way of doing things, and we can't white label everybody to be the same. Regardless of how close you are with someone or how competitive someone is in terms of their skill set with you, you have to learn that there are decisions that are made, it's not because you are bad, just like guide dogs, right? It's because maybe you were meant to do something different and something more unique. Michael Hingson ** 25:54 And it can be the trick, but the opportunity is really to find out what it is you're good at, or in the case of a guide dog that is career change, and doesn't become a guide dog, what their real role ought to be. And they're not as much involved in other than by demonstrating their talents, what that decision will be. But we certainly can and we should look at what are we good at? What do we really want to do? And then go after it. Like he said, you have Prince Khan ** 26:25 to enjoy what you do. Right? So some dogs may not enjoy being guide dogs because they're more outgoing, and they want to have a lot of energy. Right? That's one option. Yeah. Yeah. If you're the type of person that has a different personality, explore who you are, right? Don't assume that because society is labeled you as somebody who who's not capable, or, or whatnot. don't presume that who you are. That's what society thinks you are. But you can always create something of yourself by actually finding your passion and finding really what, what, where you will thrive. Michael Hingson ** 27:00 And it's also true that society may view you in a way that you don't want to be viewed as, or in a way that's inappropriate, which really are to call you to look at what messages Am I sending that makes them think that? Right? Prince Khan ** 27:14 So self reflection becomes a huge piece of that? Yeah. Michael Hingson ** 27:20 And it's important to really deal with that and grow. Absolutely, you know, I wanted to be a teacher, a different job came along, so I never had a rejection sort of thing. But I also learned along the way that when the other job came along, what did I end up doing more than anything else, teaching, the dealing with technology, and so on. And then I was put in a position where I had to choose to either be laid off from a company or change from more of a scientific research job that I was doing to go into sales, because the company didn't have enough revenue producers. They had moved me back from California to Boston to join the company. And I chose to do that, right. And then this VP of Marketing called me in and said, We gotta let you go, because we don't have enough revenue producers. And what you do is great, and you're doing well, but you're not a revenue producer, unless you want to go into sales. And I love to tell people, I lowered my standards and went from science to sales. But the reality is, once again, what I learned and I had the opportunity to really get some incredible sales training. What is sales? Sales is really teaching and counseling and advising and learning. So you get to be a student and a teacher if you're doing it, right. Correct. Prince Khan ** 28:44 Yes, sales is one of the key skills you need in life. And I run a program for students that's funded by the government of Ontario, where they get a grant of $3,000. And I always educate my students on when you're when you're going door to door, you know, how are you going to do that pitch? How are you going to reach out to those customers and entice them to make a purchase? Right? So instead of going to the conversation of, Hi, my name is so and so and I clean cars, you walk up to the door and say that's a nice car outside? Do you maintain it? Or does someone that you know that maintains it? Or do you want someone to help you maintain that car going in with a different conversation? That's That's what sales it's it's it's a it's an art at the end of the day, and that art is very valuable in your life, because it'll help you get further in life, because people will believe what you have to say, more than if you're just talking about facts and fiction. Michael Hingson ** 29:38 Yeah, I think it's both an art and a science there. There are components to both but you're absolutely right. Well, why is it that you hated sales early on? I gather you don't really hate sales anymore? Prince Khan ** 29:50 Yeah, absolutely. So I was never the phone type of person. So when a company in Milton, Ontario, I used to pick up the phone and I had to do cold calls. cold calling. And there were all outbound calls. And I would talk to my wife every day. And at the time, she was my girlfriend, and I said, I hate my life, I hate my life, I hate my life, over and over again. But you know, that took a lot of courage. And no one said, sales is easy, you're gonna get things shutter speeds, you're gonna get people saying, No, you're gonna get people yelling at you and screaming at you, and making you feel degraded. But at the end of the day, if you can come overcome those challenges, and the hate that you get, it makes you a stronger person, you're not going to be scared when you go into a conversation, and someone says, Well, I don't want it. At that point, you're gonna be like, Okay, that's fine. And then you learn to maybe improvise in terms of your sales tactic, or if the person is really hesitant on making a purchase, then you move on. But sales is the core of core of this world, because how do companies generate revenue? It's the sales department sales Michael Hingson ** 30:58 bar. And a lot of times when people are hesitant, or just say they don't want it, it's also appropriate to say, tell me more about that, what's the issue? Because a lot of times, people are in the habit of saying no upfront, and then you've got to and should explore it, which doesn't mean you're going to try to force something down their throat. But it's important to understand it. And I have found that when people say not interested, I will ask, well tell me more about why that's an issue. Because you're working for a company, I've seen many like what you do, and you need, or ought to have this kind of a product, tell me more about it. And you develop a relationship, you still may not make the sale, but you'll learn more, and you may make friends that will help you later on. Prince Khan ** 31:50 Absolutely. Because it's it's a process. And you're right, it's getting someone to know you getting them to like you gain them to trust you, and then getting them to buy from you or at least refer you out to someone else. Sales is not about going in with the intention of selling sales is going in with the intention of building that relationship. And you've hit it right on the mark with those comments. Michael Hingson ** 32:10 The best salesperson I ever hired. told me when I asked him, What are you going to be selling for our company, he said, The only thing I can really sell is myself, and my word. And I would expect you to back me up. The rest of it is stuff. The products are stuff, I can talk to you all day about the products. But that's not really what I'm selling, I can only sell me in my word. And he was right. And he's the only person in the number of people that I ever interviewed who was wise enough to say that, but he was absolutely right. And it was always the answer I was looking for. So needless to say, it was not a challenge to want to hire him. And I did. And he was the best sales guy I ever had working with me. Because I also believe that the other side of that is being a boss. And a boss shouldn't be a person that goes in and just tells people what to do. I always told him and everyone that I ever hired that as your supervisor, my job is to add value to what you do. And what you and I need to do as a team of two is figure out how I best add value to enhance you. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know, and again, the people who got that did flourish, and used and learn the talents that I brought to them that could help them which is part of what it's all about. Prince Khan ** 33:32 Exactly, right. It's really built on a value when people don't buy products they buy they buy people are what is the representation of the people in your organization, the culture of that organization, or the sales team. Right? So absolutely, the value has to be so so strong from not just a product perspective, but the people perspective as well. It's a it's a juggling game at the end of the day. But the people are what essentially make that sale happen. Yeah. Michael Hingson ** 34:03 My favorite sales story is Oh, I was traveling to Pittsburgh to see a customer. And we were supposed to be shipping some product to him. And it was supposed to arrive the day that I was going to meet him and I'd never met him before I talked on the phone a lot. And he called while I was in the air the day before and reached one of my colleagues. And she went and investigated and discovered that the product hadn't shipped. And he said, Well, wait a minute. I supposed to be meeting my kingsun tomorrow. And what's the deal? He said he saw it on the dock. And of course she immediately started laughing because she knew I was blind. And he said What's so funny and so she told him he said I didn't know he was blind. And he said, What do you mean he saw it on the dock so when he he finally met me he was he was fine. But of course he had to give me a hard time. What do you mean, you saw it on the dock, I said to see in the dictionary is not necessarily to be able to just use your eyes as to perceive, I went out and touch them. What's the deal? Well, they didn't ship. And so I called and found out that our president did something that he shouldn't have done, but he reallocated it, which was unfortunate. And we went, we worked through it and all that. But what, what he learned out of that was that when I say that I, I saw it on the dock, I went out and touched it, and made sure that the labels were right. And I had no control over what the president did, which is unfortunate, but it actually enhanced our relationship, which was cool. Yeah, Prince Khan ** 35:37 let's see a scenario like that. It's, it was that relationship that you built from that conversation, that are probably was able to help you secure that, a client or just the product. Michael Hingson ** 35:49 And years later, after September 11, I happened to be doing a presentation, the speech in Pittsburgh, he had retired and he came. And he said, I just had to come and renew acquaintance and say, Hello. And that was great. And he's you know, it's always kind of cool. When I talked about teaching, I did do student teaching. And some of my students, even years later, have come up to me. And of course, I now have voices that are a lot different than when they were in eighth grade in high school. But they remember me and boy, you know, that's as good as it gets them when they say kind things that's about a teacher, that's always good. Well, that's the way I've always felt about my teachers as well. So I appreciate it. Yeah, Prince Khan ** 36:34 it's a very humbling experience. It's more of giving back as a teacher, because you really become a history and the students life and their journey for that year or two years, or however long they take you. Right, then once that journey is over, and they've moved on, they're going to remember you and if you leave a good impression, they're going to come back and respect you for everything that you've done for them. If you need a bad impression, it's going to be a different story. Right? So you always want to be that humble individual that can build a solid brand. For not just yourself but the community around you. Yeah. It's Michael Hingson ** 37:09 it's so important to do that. We just don't need to be too full of ourselves. Prince Khan ** 37:14 Yeah, yeah. And that's the worst thing you can possibly do. People love talking about themselves. But at the end of the day, you also want to learn about who's on the other side of the fence? Yeah. Michael Hingson ** 37:25 And it's important to learn about them, too. That's part of the whole science and art of understanding people. Well, when you got your mat, well, you got your bachelor's and so on, you said you went to work for a company, you worked there for six years, was it? Prince Khan ** 37:39 So I worked at the City of Brampton for about five years? Michael Hingson ** 37:44 And then what did you go off in? Are you I guess, you went off to do what you're doing now, which is teaching. Prince Khan ** 37:49 So it's part part and parcel of it is teaching. But I've grown into becoming a business consultant at one of the regional level organizations at in Ontario. And what I do is I provide a lot of pro bono free consulting for companies that can just start their business, we go through budget forecasts, market research, marketing, and I work with mainly startups to really get them off on the right foot. Michael Hingson ** 38:14 And that's really the time to work with companies because the inertia hasn't become so strong that you have to break through a lot of things. As difficult as it can be, as opposed to having people who at least hopefully are a little bit more open to listening to what you have to say, Prince Khan ** 38:30 yeah, when you get to the larger corporations, they have a set structure. And if you come in with a different mindset, it's hard for them to change. And I watched this really neat video by a guy named Stephen Rossella back, and he talks about innovation and how smaller companies can innovate because they're very agile. But larger corporations can't because they have these set structures, and for them to create discovery and discover new innovation, it's hard for them. So it startups, they enjoy getting the feedback, taking it implementing it. And then if they succeed, great, they can sell that idea or grow that idea. If they fail, they move on with a large corporation, you have large stakeholders involved, and shareholders even that will hold you accountable if you have any sort of failure. So it gives startups more ability to really expand a lot faster. And it gives them more autonomy in terms of the control that they have. So that's what I really enjoy is coming up with a new idea, expressing that idea and then making a viable business out of it as well. And, Michael Hingson ** 39:34 again, it goes back to establishing those great relationships. Prince Khan ** 39:39 Absolutely. And all the clients that I deal with, it's always I make them my priority. I make sure that they get all the information that they need. And then they remember me I had one client reach out to me, I'd say a year later, and he said Prince, you helped me last year. I'm so thankful for everything that you did for me. And there was a long email and I was not not expecting it. But at the end of the day, it's the people to people relationship that you build, that's going to be in other people's mind. So the relationship you build with the people that you talk to, that's how they're going to remember you. And you have to remember to create a brand that is going to be memorable, but also a brand that people are going to respect. So I do that with a lot of my clients, I train them to the best of my ability, let them fly. And they always come back and always know, thank me for all the things that I've been able to do for them. And that's the biggest reward for their job that I do is they come Michael Hingson ** 40:35 back sometimes and say, here's where we are in the scheme of things. Can you help us even grow more? Prince Khan ** 40:42 Absolutely, I've had those situations and situations where they need employees, or they're struggling with revenue numbers, and they're trying to figure out new revenue streams. So we strategize all sorts of different things to try to figure out how can we really improved the bottom line for this company? How can we change their mindset to maybe think about not just hiring an employee, but maybe they need other resources, that may be able to supplement sort of some of the things that they're offering already? So it's really a holistic approach that I take? And, yeah, absolutely, I do get clients all the time that come back and say, I've reached my peak, can you get me to the next level? What Michael Hingson ** 41:16 do you do to really work to make yourself the best that you can be every day? Prince Khan ** 41:21 The best I can be, is based on a positive and unstoppable mindset. Right, going back to this podcast, I know that the individuals that I work with are there, because they're facing challenges, they're facing a barrier, they have a problem that, you know, they need to start a business because they can't afford to live on EMI anymore, or they want to turn their life around, or they have a business idea and they want to run with it. You're going to come up with all sorts of situations, some clients and good situation of the clients and positive or negative situations, but you always have to have that positive mindset and teach them that the value of entrepreneurship and where it can really take you and teaching them that. And when you start to run your own business, it really is that unstoppable mindset because you have to be consistently ambitious, consistently taking risks, and consistently having this positive attitude as well. So what keeps me up in terms of my job is having that positive energy and making sure that the people around me also feed off that energy to really help them scale and grow their company. So Michael Hingson ** 42:27 even with all the confidence in the other things that you are experiencing, which is always a good thing, do you occasionally still have times that you end up facing challenges that you're not sure how to solve? Prince Khan ** 42:41 Or a business perspective? Absolutely right. I'm not I'm not a master of anything. There are certain times where I don't have the answers. And unfortunately, you know that that happens. And we're human beings, and we're not digital technology, obviously, I mean, AI is out there now. But you have to look at other resources on how this person can get that same level of support is there someone else I can reach out to another network in my community that I can say, hey, I have this contact. And I generally do that if there are problems or barriers that I'm facing, I look out to external resources. And I'll be honest with you, because I've built such a positive relationship with the people around me, they're more than willing to just say, Prince, I got you, we're Prince happy to help you out. That's the type of person you want to be. And that's the type of person I am. And it's helps my clients because then they are able to get connected to the resource that can help them. What Michael Hingson ** 43:32 gets even more exciting is the time when you have to reach out to someone who you don't even know. But you you are courageous enough, as some people would probably put it to reach out. And you get to build a whole new relationship, which is so cool. Prince Khan ** 43:48 Yeah, I've done that many, many times. And there are contacts I'm thinking about in terms of our center and all the services that we offer for small businesses. And I see a contact and I just, for example, reach out and say, Hey, I'm seeing all the great things you're doing on social media or I see your profile, would you be open to just a quick 15 minute conversation so I can learn more about you. I build that relationship and a lot of these clients or these individuals that I meet, they end up actually becoming a great resource to the center. And I become sort of like a pillar of becoming that relationship builder within our center in our in our community. And I feel proud of that, right. It makes me feel better because our community has just gotten some more community champions that are able to support one another. Michael Hingson ** 44:34 It is so fun. It's always fun to grow. It's always fun to learn and, and to try to do better and make yourself better because the more that you do, the more you can help others. Prince Khan ** 44:48 Absolutely. The more you learn, the more you should get back. That's my mantra. I mean, I had mentors but I also did a lot of things on my own. You know, put myself up there constantly and I Learn from a lot of different failures in my life. So I want to make sure that people that do face similar barriers in life. No, I'm open to meeting them and just having a chat with them, telling them sort of the things that I went through some of the things that they can implement to have a better life and not have to struggle the same way that I was struggling, because a lot of us go through these, these periods of time where there's problems and problems or problems, and it just doesn't seem to end. But how do you overcome that? Right? So you sometimes need that individual to just say, it's gonna be okay. And yeah, it's, you're gonna overcome it. Michael Hingson ** 45:34 Yeah. Well, you mentioned mentors, tell me if you would about some of your your mentors, your favorite mentors, and maybe some things that that they helped with along the way? Yeah, I bet you have stories. Prince Khan ** 45:48 So Steve was actually my favorite mentor. So Steve was the person that first party for his small business. So there were a retractable awning company out of Milton, Ontario. And Steve taught me a lot of life lessons. So I used to sit next to him. And every time I would pick up the phone call, it was his company. So every time I've a blunder, or there's some sort of problem with what I'm saying, he'd always try to encourage me to use different words or use different languages. And every time we would have a conversation, he also gives me tips and advice. So I remember one time I was sitting down with him, and I was just asking him, how did you make such a successful business? Like, how did you come up with this idea? And he said, Prince, you know, there's the time is money, but cost is a constant. And I'm like, What do you mean by that? He said, either you have a lot of money to make the business successful, or you're going to be spending a lot of time trying to make it happen. And sometimes, you at the end of the day, you're going to actually end up having cost either way, because either it's either costing you your time or money. He said in his case, he was able to get an investor and the investor was able to support him. But if he didn't have that, then he'd be spending a lot of time trying this product out there. Yeah, and he was always looking for that customer, customer need versus sorry, the market need versus the customer need. So there's these things, these candidates that he still tells me to this day, and I'm still in contact with him, even though I don't work for the company anymore. So Steve was one of my favorite mentors. And then I had a couple of other mentors, Daniel Bishan, Jennifer Vivian, who were also great mentors of mine, when I worked at the City of Brampton, they really pushed me to become who I am, they really encouraged me to be more entrepreneurial, create events, do things out of the box, think like an entrepreneur, rather than just think, as a corporate individual. So they really became my good friends and colleagues. And they also pushed me to actually explore who I really am. And from that team, I learned that entrepreneurship was definitely for me. And I really enjoyed helping others and doing what I do today. Michael Hingson ** 47:48 When you talk about entrepreneurship, what exactly does that really mean to you? Prince Khan ** 47:54 The term means? Well, it could it can go a lot different ways. But that's why I asked. Yeah, so the three characteristics would be number one, someone who takes moderate to high levels of risk, someone who's ambitious, and someone who has the mindset of consistently trying to solve a problem. So when I define an entrepreneur, it really falls under these three categories, because entrepreneurs need to have that, if you're the type of person that's going to give up really easily. Entrepreneurship is not for you, if you don't have the ambition for what you're doing. Entrepreneurship is not for you, if you don't have the mindset of knowing that failure is going to happen. Entrepreneurship is not for you. People think it's easy. They're like, Okay, I'm going to start my own company, and I'm going to make it very successful, but you're working long hours, don't assume that you're going to work 40 hours a week, you're gonna work maybe 6070 hours a week, just become your baby. And people have to now start calling you constantly to get sales or get your products. And you're always going to face these barriers. And who's going to manage that you are a team member. But you're constantly on the call at that point. So entrepreneurship is not for everyone. It's for certain people that are willing to take that leap of faith knowing that your life will completely change if this product or service becomes successful, and you're going to be spending a lot of hours making it happen. Michael Hingson ** 49:17 And that's fair. And as long as you understand that as the entrepreneur, then and accept it, then you should be able to be comfortable in your skin and move forward. Prince Khan ** 49:29 Absolutely. And sometimes you do it and then you realize, hey, you know what, this is not for me. And that's perfectly fine. Right? Now, like like we were talking about earlier, you can white label everything that you do in your life. It's, you know, maybe you're passionate about it and you realize that it's not for you. That's perfectly fine acceptance of things in this sort of nature. When it comes to small businesses, especially it's perfectly fine, you look to move on and get into something a little bit more comfortable. And Michael Hingson ** 49:57 yeah, the other part about it is that you may We face challenges. And they may cause you to doubt your self worth. And you have to really take the time to analyze that and see what's really going on. Because it may very well be a process that you need to address, rather than you're really not good at it, or you're not really an entrepreneur or it could be the other way as well. But too often, we don't really spend time every day, just in an introspective world, thinking about what went on, and how do we make it better and what's going on in our lives? And we really ought to do that. Prince Khan ** 50:35 Absolutely. Michael Hingson ** 50:38 There's, there's always time to think and we, we oftentimes I hear it so often want to busy, I don't have time to do that. Of course you do. You just don't want to make that a priority. And hello, let's talk about the challenges that you're facing. Prince Khan ** 50:54 Yeah, so in terms of my personal challenges? Michael Hingson ** 50:57 Well, I mean, anybody? Yeah. Prince Khan ** 50:59 Yeah. The Michael Hingson ** 51:00 general you not use specifically. But you can talk about you if you want. That's okay. Prince Khan ** 51:05 No, no, that's fine. I know. I mean, a lot of people Yeah, you gotta learn about your own personal challenges and the problems that you're facing, and how do you overcome those? Yeah, Michael Hingson ** 51:16 it's, we need to, I think it's good to think about ourselves all the time. Where are we going? How are we getting there? What do we need to do to make tomorrow better than today? Right? It's okay, that's fair. Well, where do you see yourself in five years? I'm going forward. Yeah. Prince Khan ** 51:36 So once I took my economic development and innovation program at Waterloo, I realized that economic development is some it's a space that where I really want to be. And I really see myself being a director in a company in the next five or 10 years. And I'm ambitious, I'm 32 years old, Director at 32 years old, it's happened in the past. And in the next five years, I'm going to make it a goal to actually get to a higher post, and really achieve that goal. So I want to set some milestones for myself in terms of things I want to achieve, and things I want to accomplish in terms of my education and additional certification that I might need. Or my end goal in life is to reach a high post within a government organization. Michael Hingson ** 52:21 I would only say Don't ever forget that. Almost first and foremost, you're still a teacher. Right? And I think that's, that's really important to be able to do. So. I'm curious, you've used the term and I appreciate it a lot. Unstoppable mindset, a great deal. How does somebody gain that mindset? And for you, personally, how did you overcome a lot of the fears and so on, that really got you to have an unstoppable mindset and recognize it, which is, I think, very important. Prince Khan ** 52:53 Yeah, so I didn't really talk about it in the session today. But I deal with a lot of mental health issues, or depression, anxiety, I've had a little bit of add as well. I've realized through all the challenges I faced in my life, that no matter what you do, life is not going to stop for you. No one's going to stop for you and say, Hey, let's rewind time and make a new decision based on what we've done in the past, because maybe we do want prints or maybe we do want to work with prints, I realized that you have to set your own path, and you have to set your own destiny. But if you don't commit to doing it every single day, you're not going to get where you want to be. It's just like going to the gym, if you go to the gym once for one time, and then you go there for about eight, nine hours, you're not gonna get fit, you're not gonna get no, you're not gonna get the muscles that you want. But if you commit yourself 30 minutes every day, you're gonna get somewhere, you're gonna eventually get the body that you want. It's the same thing with your mindset. Once you set your goal in terms of where you want to be. You want to make sure that your mind and your heart are driven to achieving those goals and you try to find ways to get there. No matter how many times you fail, you keep picking yourself back up, because eventually, someone's going to give you that chance that somebody's going to take the leap of faith in you and your abilities. Michael Hingson ** 54:22 I think that one of the things he said though, that is extremely important is to always be humble, have humility. And when you're dealing with goals, when you're dealing with what you want to do make sure that it's something that's not only going to benefit you but I think it's important that it benefits other people too. Prince Khan ** 54:40 Humility is probably an empathy are two of the most important skills are not skills, per se, but more assets that you need to own as an individual. It's fine. If you if you don't have humility, then you're not going to get the same level of respect. And then you're not going to get that same sort of record. Question from the people around you? Michael Hingson ** 55:01 Can anyone develop those traits in themselves? Prince Khan ** 55:05 They can, but they have to do a self reflection to figure out, are they doing things the right way? Do when they talk to people? Are they feeling apathetic? If a student is failing in a course, or if a client is struggling? Are you going to say, well, this, this person is crazy, or, you know, this person doesn't work hard, or you do try to find a problem, and then try to figure out how can I help this person achieve the results that they want to achieve? Anyone can do it, it comes down to the mindset of what you think you have versus what people think you have, and then trying to find that gap in between of what the optimal solution to that unstoppable mindset really is. Michael Hingson ** 55:47 What kind of challenges do you still face every day that you have to work to overcome? Cuz I'm sure there are some. And you know, you probably don't talk about them because you work on them. And maybe it's become so automatic, but But you, you, you clearly probably have them. Yeah, Prince Khan ** 56:03 surprisingly, I struggle a lot with confidence. And I've struggled with it all my life, I used to get made fun of when I was younger. To this day, it still haunts me, I've gained a lot more confidence. Now. However, it's still something that when something doesn't go my way, I feel like I let myself down. And I feel like I'm the one solely responsible. But then I pick myself back up and say, You know what, keep moving, keep moving. Let's let's try it again. It's a, it's a problem. But it's also one of my driving factors. If confidence is something I'm struggling in, I'm trying to figure out a way to make myself better. And it only comes down through self reflection that I say, Forget what my mind is thinking, let's move on, let's go to the next job is going to the next interview, let's go to the next student, whatever the situation is, we try to really hone in on how can I do better next time, and then try it again. So even though I struggle a lot with confidence, I'm always trying to make myself try again, until I really will feel comfortable, hopefully in the next coming years. And myself. Michael Hingson ** 57:11 And that's really the key is you've made the decision, although you have to constantly work to to maintain it like anyone should. But you've made the decision that when something happens that doesn't go just as planned, you're going to pick yourself up and move on from it and evaluate yourself and see what you need to do. Exactly. Prince Khan ** 57:33 And if you can do that, as a human being, you're gonna go really far, i
In this episode of Negotiating Happiness, your host Adriana introduces Helen Filipe, the Founder and Executive Director of Azul Education Services. We delve into topics about: ✨Careers ✨Personality Dimensions ✨Emotional Intelligence and more! Helen has over 25 years experience in education, training, career development, academic advising, and program development. Helen has helped thousands of students and job seekers as they face career transitions, from secondary school to post-secondary, and as they progress in their career advancement. She has worked at Canada's top schools, including the University of Toronto, Humber Institute for Technology and Advanced Learning, University of Guelph-Humber. On a contract basis, she has facilitated training sessions for provincial and federal departments, developed programs for social service agencies and delivered custom workshops and seminars for corporate clients. Helen completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Ethics, Society in Law at the University of Toronto, and Master of Arts in Education from Central Michigan University. She is certified in Personality Dimensions and an Emotional Intelligence Facilitator. It will be great to touch on biz, parenting, what makes us happy and life hacks! 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! We will be responding to comments and questions as well! Follow us on all streaming platforms or keep up with additional posts on Instagram and Facebook!
In this episode of Negotiating Happiness, your host Adriana introduces Helen Filipe, the Founder and Executive Director of Azul Education Services. We delve into topics about: ✨Careers ✨Personality Dimensions ✨Emotional Intelligence and more! Helen has over 25 years experience in education, training, career development, academic advising, and program development. Helen has helped thousands of students and job seekers as they face career transitions, from secondary school to post-secondary, and as they progress in their career advancement. She has worked at Canada's top schools, including the University of Toronto, Humber Institute for Technology and Advanced Learning, University of Guelph-Humber. On a contract basis, she has facilitated training sessions for provincial and federal departments, developed programs for social service agencies and delivered custom workshops and seminars for corporate clients. Helen completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in Ethics, Society in Law at the University of Toronto, and Master of Arts in Education from Central Michigan University. She is certified in Personality Dimensions and an Emotional Intelligence Facilitator. It will be great to touch on biz, parenting, what makes us happy and life hacks! 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! We will be responding to comments and questions as well! Follow us on all streaming platforms or keep up with additional posts on Instagram and Facebook!
Jenny worked as an Advanced Care Tactical Paramedic for the Region of Peel. After 22 years on the job, she was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of her exposure to cumulative trauma. She has remained a strong advocate for first responder mental health and continues to openly share her personal story of post-traumatic growth and recovery. She has participated as a public speaker at various fund-raising events in an effort to continue to raise mental health awareness, encourage a shift in the current emergency services culture, and contribute towards ending the stigma associated with PTSD and OSIs in the workplace. In 2021, she began a retraining program through the University of Guelph-Humber, where she is currently obtaining a Bachelor of Health Sciences Degree, with a focus on health, wellness, and holistic nutrition. Jenny is passionate about creating health and wellness strategies that are rooted in healthier nutrition, movement, breathwork, writing, nature, and a supportive community – and most recently, cold plunging! She is a certified Sherpa Breath & Cold Instructor. Outside of her advocacy work and her focus on obtaining her degree, Jenny is a wife, mother, and seasoned musician. For the past 8 years, she has been working alongside her husband as the lead singer of their acoustic duo. She has also joined a new project, lending her talents as a back-up singer and percussionist in a signed Canadian band. Their record is projected to be released later this year. Instagram: @jenni_fromthe_blok Instagram: @jennyhowesduo Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenny.howes.5/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennyHowesMusic/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-ralph-8aa3b1235/ Sponsorship: @southwest_fire_academy Editing: @bradshea Marketing: @premiummixmarketingco Administration: @haileyfirefit
Today with us on the Incite Change Podcast, Coach Mauro sits down with Jose Valenzuela. Jose, like many others, did not have a clear-cut path to his career. After completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Psychology at the University of Guelph-Humber, he further increased his knowledge by taking the Fitness & Health Promotion program at Humber College and becoming certified as a personal trainer by the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology (CSEP). His knowledge in psychology does not go unused in the fitness industry as it helps him to understand and connect more with his clients to provide them with a well-rounded treatment plan. Jose is a firm believer that knowledge should be constant and welcomes new knowledge as he continues to build his career and increase his clientele. Episode Timestamps ● [01:27] Who is Jose Valenzuela? ● [12:19] Jose as a kid ● [20:25] Applying the Knowledge ● [24:02] Gaining Experience ● [32:08] Range of Motion ● [37:27] Top 3 Workouts for Joints ● [43:05] Mobilising your Joints ● [48:18] Tackle the Problem ● [53:39] Treating Injury ● [01:01:03] The Stigma behind RMT schooling ● [01:06:05] Before Reaching Out Resources Mentioned ● Instagram: @josevalenzzuela ● Book with Jose Quotes [Jose] “Have an open mindset and trust.” [Jose] “I am here to help you” Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next week for another episode! Contact us! If you would like to get in touch, leave us a comment! Visit our website - www.healthyincite.com Follow us on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/incitecoaching/?hl=en Follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/healthyincite?lang=en Like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/incitecoaching/
This episode of Guerrilla History is a continuation of our Sanctions As War miniseries. In this important episode, we bring on Greg Shupak to discuss the history and impact of sanctions on Syria, and how these sanctions continue in their brutality despite the ongoing humanitarian disaster unfolding. Get the word out and share this with comrades involved in the anti-sanctions movement. Greg Shupak teaches English and Media Studies at the University of Guelph-Humber and is the author of the book, The Wrong Story: Palestine, Israel, and the Media (OR Books, 2018). You can follow him on twitter @GregShupak. Help support the show by signing up to our patreon, where you also will get bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/guerrillahistory
George Bragues, an associate vice-provost at the University of Guelph-Humber in Canada, discusses FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud case and the future of cryptocurrency.Kristy Klein Davis, the president and CEO of the Healthcare Georgia Foundation, discusses how a $9 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott will be used to improve and advance the health and well-being of all GeorgiansPlus, Officials say Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest. Hamlin collapsed mid-game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night. Jordan Tucker, a freelance sports analyst and former UNC offensive lineman, and sports broadcasting veteran Mark Lassiter discuss the latest. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On today's episode of the Entrepreneur Evolution Podcast, we are joined by Shelby Taylor, Founder and CEO of Chickapea. Shelby Taylor is an entrepreneur on a mission to create good for the world through nutritious, organic meal options. As a young mother and health food store owner, Shelby recognized the challenge of putting a healthy meal on the table that everyone would enjoy, so she turned a family favorite (pasta) into a superfood. In 2016, the company officially launched the organic pasta made from only chickpeas and lentils in the Canadian marketplace and then expanded into the US less than a year later. In 2017, Shelby and her husband welcomed their second child into the world — just two days before signing her first venture capital deal with District Ventures Capital, Arlene Dickinson's fund for innovative food and health brands. Shelby remains committed to using her business as a force for good and, in 2019, Chickapea was ranked in the top 10% of all Certified B Corporations on the planet—a reflection of the company's commitment to meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Now with about seven years of experience as an entrepreneur, Shelby continues to live outside her comfort zone, stand firm in her values, overcome challenges and embrace failures, and she tries to help others to do the same. As a certified women-owned business, Shelby is passionate about helping other women bring their dreams to life. Shelby holds a Bachelor's degree in Media Studies and Journalism from the University of Guelph-Humber. Today, Shelby is the CEO of Chickapea in her hometown of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada where she lives with her husband and two children. To learn more about Chickapea, visit Chickapea.com We would love to hear from you, and it would be awesome if you left us a 5-star review. Your feedback means the world to us, and we will be sure to send you a special thank you for your kind words. Don't forget to hit “subscribe” to automatically be notified when guest interviews and Express Tips drop every Tuesday and Friday. Interested in joining our monthly entrepreneur membership? Email Annette directly at yourock@ievolveconsulting.com to learn more. Ready to invest in yourself? Book your free session with Annette HERE. Keep evolving, entrepreneur. We are SO proud of you! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/annette-walter/support
This week on Open Sources Guelph, the municipal election coverage continues, except this week we take it literally to the next level. Kicking off our slate of mayoral candidate interviews, we've got two of the political newcomers who are staking their claim for Guelph's highest political office. In the first half we've got a professor and in the second half we've got a private eye. Who will mayor best? You tell us on October 24 (and after next week's show)! This Thursday, October 13, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss: Grill Bill. A lot of politicians say they're not a politician, but William Albabish is one of the three mayoral candidates who really has no previous experience running in a Guelph election. Albabish is a professor at the University of Guelph-Humber, but he's now seeking political office on an outsider ticket. Can he do it? Scotty will talk to Albabish about being the scholastic face of the local mayor's race, why he's focused on infrastructure, and why he decided to run a sign-less campaign? John of the Spread. If you're a security conscious voter, perhaps a mayor with a background as a security consultant and private investigator might be of interest. Our second mayoral candidate on this week's show is John Edward Krusky, who traces his family back to the earliest days of Guelph, and he now wants to see us through to the city's 200th birthday. Adam will ask Krusky about his new political interest, how we reduce taxes per his platform, and balancing growth and the environment. Open Sources is live on CFRU 93.3 fm and cfru.ca at 5 pm on Thursday.
Join the 4-H Ontario communications team as they discuss all things social media as it relates to the promotion of 4-H. In this episode you'll learn tips and tricks for understanding your audience and leave with some ideas for content creation as a 4-H association, volunteer or parent looking to share their 4-H story. Interested in joining the 4-H Canva account to gain access to branded templates that can be used to promote 4-H in your area? Sign up using the form on our website. Learn about each of the 4-H Ontario communication team members: Laura Goulding, Manager, Communications Over her three year tenure with 4-H, she has developed a great understanding for effective communication and marketing strategies. She comes to 4-H with a degree and diploma from the University of Guelph-Humber with a specialization in public relations and experience in community engagement within Indigenous communities across Ontario. Nitasha Asnani, Coordinator, Communications Nitasha earned her degree and diploma in media communications, specializing in public relations from the University of Guelph-Humber. She is a passionate storyteller with a love for helping people and experienced in all things communications. Rachel Woolsey, Communications, Assistant Rachel earned her Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Guelph in Marketing Management and Sustainable Business. She is driven by her passion to communicate with people and make all communications accessible. She also loves the outdoors and being an active participant in her local community.
This week's guest is Dr Natalie Evans. Natalie, who also publishes as Natalie Thomas, is an adjunct faculty member in philosophy at the University of Guelph and in Media Studies at University of Guelph-Humber in Canada. She is the author of 2016's Animal Ethics and the Autonomous Animal Self, published by Palgrave Macmillan, as well as the editor of Palgrave Macmillan's new collection Animals and Business Ethics. We talk about her chapter in that volume, which is entitled ‘Gene editing, animal disenhancement and ethical debates: A conundrum for business ethics?', and was co-authored with Adam Langridge – but we also talk about the book more broadly. This episode of Knowing Animals is brought to you by AASA, the Australasian Animal Studies Association, which you should join today. It is also brought to you by the Animal Publics book series at Sydney University Press. For more, see https://sydneyuniversitypress.com.au/collections/series-animal-publics.
This week, I want to give a warm welcome to our guest, Rick Frank, one of my dear colleagues and law school peers. He completed his undergraduate program in criminal justice studies at the University of Guelph-Humber, and then his Juris Doctor at Osgoode Hall Law School. Rick is currently a criminal defence lawyer at a firm in Toronto called Foda Law, where he serves his clients in serious criminal cases, including homicide, gun and gang, and drug charges. Rick is a board member at Fair Change Community Services, which works with underhoused and homeless clients facing provincial charges. He has two cats, Matilda and Max.Rick shares with us his journey to and through law school, his experience during the application process, and beyond. His previous experiences and traumas with racism, discrimination, and police harassment have shaped his goals to becoming a lawyer and to promote justice in the world. Through his work and his knowledge about the law, he empowers others and helps them to navigate the criminal justice system. For all you potential law school applicants, undergrad students, and anyone who is interested in the legal system, this one's for you! This episode goes into an in depth discussion about the law school application process and law school student experience. Listen here to learn more about: Rick's personal journey in academics and his professional career in criminal law, and how his experiences form the foundation of his ideas of justice and helping others The efficacy of reflective and mindful work during the application process to create your own personal statement that authentically tells your story, aspirations, and goalsInsights into completing law school and the skill set learned over time - We delve into various discussions on growth vs. scarcity mindset in the context of law school, our experiences in first to third year of law school, and the skills we developed over time such as earning to write summaries and contracts. The importance of making mindful and purposeful choices in law school - It's important to really reflect on your own goals, aspirations, and the kind of work that you want to do in order to define your own trajectory and avoid burnout. The importance of mental health and health consciousness in law school and one's law career, particularly in the field of criminal law. If you want to connect with us at Apply Yourself: The Advancement Spot and continue this discussion on law school and the application process, you can always email me personally at hello@applyyourselfglobal.com. You can also DM me on Instagram @applyyourselfglobal - Let me know about your law school plans and/or other academic and professional aspirations! >>> Calling all applicants! It's time!! Our signature course, Mastering Academic Applications: From Scratch to Submission is OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT! Are you with me? Ready for your application development over the summer! Adrienne's Enrollment Calendar is now OPEN! Book your strategy call HERE to enroll now! Want to learn more about how Adrienne can help you advance strategically? Book your Strategy Call In just 12 weeks, with this course and my live group coaching, you'll have all of the tools to develop the skills that you need to create, develop, and complete your professional, polished applications to graduate and professional schools. Enrollment is now OPEN for a program start date of July 11, 2022. This is the LAST opportunity for enrollment for those of you who have October or November deadlines for law schools and medical schools.
In today's HRchat episode, Bill is joined by Leigh Mitchell. Leigh has successfully built a career as a diversity-driven Recruiter & Marketer, Brand Consultant, Diversity & Inclusion Trainer, and Talent Strategist, as well as a Marketing Professor at the University of Guelph Humber. Leigh is committed to equality and belonging in workplaces and founded Bee Happy HR & Marketing Co. to improve diversity and inclusion results within organizations committed to making a difference but not sure where to start. Bee Happy HR is a full-service brand management and diversity-driven HR company. Leigh supports business owners, busy recruiters & HR departments to provide a variety of HR and business branding services with a certified team of experts in her Bee Happy HR Hive. Leigh is also the founder of Women in Biz Network, she coaches clients, speaks with influential guests on her Time to Thrive Podcast, curates mentorship initiatives, promotes Women in Biz Network's vetted diversity-driven career board, and delivers skill-building events to a variety of audiences. Questions:What trends do you see coming out of the great resignation in relation to employer branding and reputation management? Why is having inclusive hiring practices and a strong diversity and inclusion plan of action good for business? How can brands attract more diverse applicants?We do our best to ensure editorial objectivity. The views and ideas shared by our guests and sponsors are entirely independent of The HR Gazette, HRchat Podcast, and Iceni Media Inc.
Adjoa Atuahene is one of the young individuals who are redefining the way we do business. She is an experienced marketing and events professional who is well-versed in fashion, sports and entertainment. The Toronto-based marketer earned a bachelor's degree in Communications and Media Studies from the University of Guelph-Humber. Adjoa has a passion for creating compelling brand stories through public relations. She has worked with some of the best companies across fashion, sport and entertainment. Brands like Nike, Live Nation, OVO have entrusted Adjoa to help bring their vision to life. She also worked with the Jordan Brand and the NBA All-star 2016. In 2020, Adjoa founded the Canadian Black Standard which is Canada's premier networking and advocacy platform created with the aim of creating an answer to systemic racial barriers that exist in the business landscape as well as ensuring inclusion of Black Canadian women in the sector of marketing. Adjoa was named in Bay Street Bull's 30X30, class of 2021 list which showcases Canadian leaders who are redefining the way we do business and championing their communities. She also volunteers as a mentor for Monday Girl Social Club, Canada's leading career platform for professional women. This conversation was recorded in April-May 2021. www.isoken.ca
Dr. Shawna Coxon is the Deputy Commissioner of An Garda Siochana, Ireland's National Police. Shawna served with the Toronto Police Service, where she served for 26 years and rose to the rank of Deputy Chief where she led three commands at different times. Most recently, she was in charge of the Human Resources Command, which is comprised of three functions: People and Culture, Corporate Risk Management and the Hearings Office. This Command is responsible for driving the progressive hiring, training, discipline and development of Service members. Prior to that, she led the Priority Response Command followed by the Communities and Neighbourhoods Command. There she oversaw the reactive and proactive policing response of all 16 police divisions in the City of Toronto. These two commands include all front-line policing, community and neighbourhood policing, as well as the investigation functions at Toronto's police divisions. They also include the Service's Operations Centre, 911 Communications, Traffic Services, the Parking Enforcement Unit and Court Services. Deputy Coxon has had a diverse career working in many areas of policing including child abuse, sex crimes, human rights, professional standards, community response, vice, intelligence and national security. She was a proud member of the Transformational Task Force and is also well known for having implemented Service's inaugural Computer Cyber Crime (C3) Section. She was chosen for both of these initiatives because she has led numerous enterprise-wide innovation projects. Shawna Coxon has a B.A.(Hons) in Psychology, an M.A. in Criminology, and a Ph.D. in Law. from the University of Leicester in the UK. She has published and lectured extensively around the world. She has been an adjunct professor at the University of Guelph-Humber for fourteen years. As Depuy Commissioner for the Garda, Shawna is responsible for Governance, Transformation, and Strategic Planning.
The A/C study is a comprehensive mixed methods project developed by a team of mostly black researchers and service providers. As part of the team's core values they made certain that people from ACB communities played leading roles in all aspects of the project. It was clear to the team that there was a lack of reliable data about race and ethnicity to fully understand the prevalence of HIV in African Caribbean communities in Ontario. The A/C study now has the foundational evidence to fill this gap and speak to the root causes of HIV vulnerability. Host James Watson sits down with two key members of the research team Fanta Ongoiba and Pascal Djiadeu to discuss the issues and impacts. Fanta Ongoiba is the Executive Director of Africans in Partnership Against AIDS (APAA), and a leader in the African community. She has worked in a number of capacities related to human rights and humanitarian causes, including treatment information exchange counselor at CATIE (Canada's source for information about HIV and hepatitis C) and as a community health promotion worker at the francophone center of Toronto. Pascal is a part-time assistant professor at McMaster University, in the department of health research methods evidence and impact, and a lecturer at Humber College/University of Guelph Humber. Pascal is also a research analyst and methodologist consultant at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He teaches Applied Epidemiology in the BHSc program in the faculty of health sciences and wellness at Humber College. His research focuses on HIV implementation sciences and, health inequities and disparities. Full episode detailsVisit the pozcast episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about the guests featured on the show. Click here for the full audio transcript.
Our guest on this episode is Dr. David Danto, who is the Head of Psychology at the University of Guelph Humber. Dr. Danto's clinical and research interests include Indigenous wellness and culture-based approaches to addressing intergenerational trauma in local and global contexts. David is involved in allyship and decolonization efforts within the discipline and the academy. Dr. Danto has worked in psychiatric hospitals, counselling centers, private practice, and correctional facilities in Canada and the United States. In partnership with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, he developed a field course on Indigenous Mental Health, which he has delivered in Mushkegowuk Territory along the James and Hudson Bay coast for the last ten years. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), he recently chaired the CPA Task Force on Responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, and he currently Chairs the CPA Standing Committee on Reconciliation. In this episode Sally and Dr. Danto talk about the early experiences and influences that brought David to this work. We also talk about David's work learning alongside his students from the people in the Mushkegowuk territory in Northern Ontario. David shares his thoughts about how far we have to go toward achieving justice and true reconciliation, and how the first step is to learn the truth of the experience of Indigenous people in Canada and connecting in a spirit of humility and openness with Indigenous people. “Learning isn't enough. A genocide has happened here. I think there is a growing awareness that is just really beginning. And despite that, there is such a great warmth of spirit, generosity and resilience within the indigenous community, which is, according to some research, one tenth of the population of indigenous people that existed pre contact. That needs to be understood, respected and appreciated.” Resources: Indigenous Knowledge and Mental Health: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-71346-1 Psychology's Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Report: https://cpa.ca/docs/File/Task_Forces/TRC%20Task%20Force%20Report_FINAL.pdf Thank you for listening to Impact Conversations with Lynn Fergusson & Sally Fazal . Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: https://socialimpactadvisors.ca
In this installment of Full Court Press with Boni and Felix, the Toronto duo conduct their first guest interview starring Leticia Lopez. She's a graduate from the University of Guelph Humber, a former Loyalist and Humber women's basketball collegiate player, and a certified personal trainer. Tune in as Leticia talks about her close and intimate relationship with basketball and how she was able to find and navigate her way into becoming a personal trainer. References: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie - No Promises Full Court Press with Boni and FelixShop with our partners at hoopn:https://hoopnbrand.com/ and use code "FULLCOURT" for 15% off your orderFollow us on Instagram: @fullcourtpress.to / @hoopnbrand / @leticia.lift
Theo Fleury is perhaps best known for his time as a former professional ice hockey player, but off the rink, his life once carried the markings of a troubled childhood, abuse and coping with emotional pain through addictive and self-destructive behaviors.Today, Theo defines himself as a victor over trauma and addiction, and a facilitator to those still trying to find their way. His best-selling books, Playing with Fire and Conversations with a Rattlesnake, encourage open sharing and provide practical tools that people seeking help can personally use. As a motivational speaker, Theo tells his story to reach more people and to raise awareness of abuse and childhood trauma for the purpose of destigmatizing shame.Theo has been awarded the Canadian Humanitarian Award and the Queen's Jubilee Medallion. He is a Siksika Nation Honorary Chief and recipient of the Aboriginal Indspire Award. He also holds two honorary doctorates – one in Science from the University of Guelph-Humber for outstanding contributions to the mental health of Canadians, and another in Laws from Brandon University for his work in combating child abuse and promoting healing and recovery.In the Adjusted Reality podcast, well-known athletes, celebrities, actors, chiropractors, influencers in the wellness industry, and other podcasters will talk with host Dr. Sherry McAllister, president, F4CP, about their experiences with health and wellness. As a special gift for listening today visit f4cp.org/health to get a copy of our mind, body, spirit ebook which focuses on many ways to optimize your health and the ones you love without the use of drugs or surgery. Follow Adjusted Reality on Instagram.Find A Doctor of Chiropractic Near You.
Ari Sooriya is a man of many talents; he is a technologist at the University of Guelph Humber, and in the Tamil community he's more famously known for being the host of TamilCulture.com's "TC on the Street" show. He joins Ara on the latest episode of The Tamil Creator podcast to discuss relationships, his views on the 9-5 lifestyle, the question Ara is notorious for asking when he meets someone for the first time, how the book ‘Freakonomics' shaped the way Ari thinks today, being ashamed of eating Tamil food back in the day, and much more.Follow Ari - https://www.instagram.com/heythereari/Timestamps:00:53 - Ara introduces this week's guest, Ari - the modern renaissance Tamil man03:35 - Ara and Ari discuss friendships and what makes a successful relationship08:15 - Ari opens up about his upbringing, and family life; his mom having Parkinson's disease, his Dad's outgoing personality, and more13:00 - How Ari has navigated the COVID pandemic14:22 - Ari speaks on his profession as a technologist specialist, as well his freelance endeavours, thoughts on the 9-5 lifestyle18:16 - The ultimate job that Ari is looking to secure in the next 3-5 years20:56 - Who pays on the first date?22:06 - Some of the most important lessons Ari has learned; avoiding complacency, being consistent, and more26:42 - Receiving support from your loved ones when it comes to pursuing your passions31:53 - Most impactful books/podcast Ari has come across; freakonomics 34:46 - What beliefs/behaviours/habits have help improve Ari's life for the better; planning for success36:12 - How does Ari want to be remembered by friends and family?37:47 - Ari introduced Ara's wife to Bubble Tea38:45 - The impact of the Toronto Tamil community on Ari42:30 - Ari's inspirations from the Tamil community45:44 - Advice Ari has for other aspiring Tamil creators47:56 - Would You Rather57:02 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan
In today's episode, we will be joined by Matt McKeever, CPA CA, CEO of OREC Events and Control Your Property, as well as a real estate investor, YouTuber, conference organizer, and angel investor. After graduating with distinction from the University of Guelph-Humber, Matt worked for 5 years at BDO Dunwoody while obtaining his Chartered Accountant designation. Matt then worked at Tribute Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded pharma co as the sole financial controller. Tribute underwent multiple mergers and acquisitions and grew from a market cap of 10 million to over 250 million while Matt was working there. At age 31 he left Tribute to focus on his real estate portfolio which consists of over 60 rental units. He also started a YouTube Channel on real estate investing that has now over 40,000 subscribers and averages 5-10K views per day. Matt also founded the Ontario Real Estate Conference (OREC). Tune in now and learn tips that will allow you to increase rents, your equity, and your cash flow! Highlights: [01:24] Matt's Transition from Corporate World to Real-Estate [08:49] Matt's journey from where he was to where he is today [13:19] Why does Matt want to have a Massive Impact? [15:30] How does Impactful Night works? [16:15] Matt's Business Relationship with Adam Martin [19:11] Giving Baby Boomer Business Owner's Options [22:29] Matt's BRRRR Strategy [30:10] Why Unit Turnover is the Biggest Factor [33:47] Strategic Way in Financing Deal [39:17] How Matt builds his Apartment Portfolios [41:36] All About Exit Strategy [42:54] How Matt contacts Property Owners Links: Website: www.controlyourproperty.com www.cashflowtribe.com LinkedIn: Matt McKeever Linktr.ee: m.mckeever Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattmckeever85/ Instagram: @mattmckeever85 Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattmckeever85/ Youtube: Canadian Real Estate
The Career Planning Show went through a hiatus for two and a half months, but now we're back to help you plan and develop your career. On the 24th episode of the podcast, we feature the interview we conducted with Mark Federman earlier this summer. We walk through Mark's career journey, talk about Marshall McLuhan's work, discuss career development scenarios and strategies, and reflect on what effects you may want to create in the world. An experienced coach, mentor, organizational therapist, educator, and author, Mark has developed a unique understanding of individuals in their workplaces, and of organizations seeking to find ways to bring out the best in their people. Mark enables the possibility of an alternate future for leaders, organizations, and individuals. Mark completed a PhD specialized in Adult Education and Community Development at University of Toronto, and, in addition to his private practice, he is an adjunct professor at University of Guelph-Humber in the Psychology department, and at Schulich School of Business at York University. Before Covid, Mark was a West Coast Swing, Salsa, and Blues dancer and a Salsa dance instructor, and the co-host of Sidewalk Salsa, a free, open-air dance party in midtown Toronto through the summer. About Mark Federman: ReengagementRealized.com On LinkedIn On Facebook On Twitter Resources mentioned in the interview: “Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man” by Marshall McLuhan “Mcluhan For Managers” by Mark Federman and Kerckhove De The McLuhan Centre for Culture and Technology at the University of Toronto OISE at the University of Toronto ReinventionProject.org “The Road to Character” by David Brooks SideWalk Salsa in Toronto Master of Supply Chain Management at York University Psychology program at University of Guelph-Humber This episode of The Career Planning Show is sponsored by Staples Studio. Do you have a career planning-related question? Reach out via Rascanu.com/TheCareerPlanningShow. Access additional free career planning resources at Rascanu.com/Career.
I spoke to Theo Fleury on June 30, 2021. It was a blessing to learn about how his life has been intuitively lead and doing the next thing and also surrendering and finding spirituality can be so healing. His connection to the indigenous communities and how their teachings have been so huge in his healing process. I am blessed to have this conversation with Theo and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. BioTheoren Fleury: Former NHL All-Star, Stanley Cup winner and OlympicGold MedalistTwo-time best selling author of Playing with Fire andConversations With a RattlesnakeHealing motivatorPerson of great life experienceKnowledge in the field of relational traumaWhile Theo does enjoy his hockey memories and accolades, he feelshonored and blessed in what he does today.Theo's mission statement is to help as many people get to where they wantto go. It has taken shape in many forms, whether meeting people for abrief moment on the street or as a dynamic inspirational speaker with theintention of creating healing through conversation. He loves people, theirstories and their journeys. He is committed to daily transformation throughpersonal growth through self-reflection, mindfulness and new action. Hiscompassionate spirit allows others to feel safe and whole throughexperiencing his vulnerability.Theo has been awarded the Canadian Humanitarian Award, The Queen'sJubilee Medallion, he is an Honorary Chief and recipient of the AboriginalIndspire Award. In 2014 Theo was awarded with an honorary doctorate inScience from University of Guelph-Humber for outstanding contributions tothe Mental Health of Canadians. Most recently Theo was bestowed with asecond honorary doctorate in Laws from Brandon University in recognitionfor his contributions combating child sexual abuse and for his outstandingefforts to promote healing and recovery.Theo pursues excellence in all areas of his life.https://theofleury.lifeSexual Abuse & Assault of Boys & Men | Confidential Support for Men (1in6.org)
In this episode I interview Fabian Rayne. Fabian is the President and CEO of FabYourLife Inc., a multidisciplinary health and wellness company in Markham, Ontario. Fabian graduated in 2000 with an Honours Degree in Kinesiology At Western University. Fabian has been practicing as a Registered Kinesiologist with the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario since April 2013. Recognized for his leadership and dedication to his field, Fabian has served on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Kinesiology Association. Fabian is also bringing his knowledge to the classroom as an Instructor at the University of Guelph-Humber. In this episode, we talk about playing in the CFL, wanting to own a business and looking at Kinesiology as a continuum. Show Notes 01' - Wanted to always own a business 03' - Playing in the CFL and starting a business at the same time 05' - Starting the business out of my parents basement's 06' - Having a strong business but even stronger network 09' - Role as a Kinesiologist and owner in the clinic 12' - Looking at Kinesiology through a continuum 15' - Love of Kin tied back to being an athlete 21' - The future is bright for Kins 30' - Stop competing so much LINKS Spencer's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spennyraposo/ Making Kinnections Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakingKinnectionsPodcast/ Making Kinnections LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/making-kinnections/ Making Kinnections Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingkinnectionspodcast/ Fabian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayne-fabian-207a2311/ FabYourLife Website: https://fabyourlife.com/ ----------------------------- Episode Presented by Kinformation Writing the next COKO Exam? Don't know where to start? Take our FREE COKO Prep Course to help you get started. This course will guide you on how to study for the exam and create your own study guide in the process. This course is ideal for those just starting to study for the COKO exam. https://kinformation.teachable.com/p/how-to-study-for-the-registered-kinesiologist-r-kin-exam-in-ontario ENROLL NOW
We are back with another episode of Ways of Working (WoW) podcast with a highly successful Canadian Entrepreneur - Shelby Taylor! Shelby Taylor is an entrepreneur on a mission to create good for the world through nutritious, organic meal options. As a young mother and health food store owner, Shelby recognized the challenge of putting a healthy meal on the table that everyone would enjoy, so she turned a family favorite (pasta) into a superfood. In 2016, the company officially launched the organic pasta made from only chickpeas and lentils in the Canadian marketplace and then expanded into the US less than a year later. In 2017, Shelby and her husband welcomed their second child into the world — just two days before signing her first venture capital deal with District Ventures Capital, Arlene Dickinson’s fund for innovative food and health brands. Shelby remains committed to using her business as a force for good and, in 2019, Chickapea was ranked in the top 10% of all Certified B Corporations on the planet—a reflection of the company’s commitment to meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Now with about six years of experience as an entrepreneur, Shelby continues to live outside her comfort zone, stand firm in her values, overcome challenges and embrace failures, and she tries to help others to do the same. As a certified women-owned business, Shelby is passionate about helping other women bring their dreams to life. Shelby holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Journalism from the University of Guelph-Humber. Today, Shelby is the CEO of Chickapea in her hometown of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada where she lives with her husband and two children. ----- Looking to learn more about enabling business agility? Book a discovery call today!
Richard Bucciarelli, R. Kin - Sports Scientist Richard Bucciarelli, MS, B.Kin., R.Kin, CSCS, CSEP-CEP, USSF “A”, is a professional fitness coach, sports scientist and coach educator, and the owner of Speed Training, a sport-specific strength and conditioning company in Toronto. Richard has worked at some of the highest levels in the sport of soccer, both in Canada and internationally, including the Canadian National Women's Soccer Teams and the Toronto FC Academy. Richard is presently completing his PhD in Human Health and Nutritional Sciences with a specialty in biomechanics of speed and acceleration training in soccer players, at the University of Guelph (expected 2021). He also works as a Professor in the Fitness and Health Promotion program at George Brown College, and in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Guelph-Humber. In this episode, we talk about the missing piece in sports science, why he still has his R. Kin designation, and how the best investment you can make in your career is education. ----------------------------------- SHOW NOTES 01' Registered Kinesiologist Since 2016 02' Worked as a soccer coach with local club during university 04' Niched in soccer fitness 06' Spark Notes of this career 08' Don't have as much money/resources as you think at the higher level 09' Missing piece in sport science 11' Pilot fitness app with university soccer team 13' Matching athletes with coaches 17' Why R.Kin Designation? 21' Investment you make in your education is the most valuable way to spend your money- invest in yourself 23' Kinesiology in a profession- important for fitness professional/kinesiology -> 1) Very important to develop entrepreneurial skills - some ability to market/sell yourself - how are you going to add value to the company - or start your own business 2) Stay up to date to technology 28' Advice for Kinesiology Students Spencer's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spennyraposo/ Making Kinnections Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakingKinnectionsPodcast/ Making Kinnections LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/making-kinnections/ Making Kinnections Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingkinnectionspodcast/ Richard's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-bucciarelli-ms-r-kin-cscs-csep-cep-49772791/ Richard's Website: https://www.soccerfitness.ca/ Richards Instagram: @richardbucciarelli ----------------------------- Episode Presented by Kinformation Writing the COKO Exam this April? Don't know where to start? Take our FREE COKO Prep Course to help you get started. This course will guide you on how to study for the exam and create your own study guide in the process. This course is ideal for those just starting to study for the COKO exam. https://kinformation.teachable.com/p/how-to-study-for-the-registered-kinesiologist-r-kin-exam-in-ontario ENROLL NOW
Dr Nikki Martyn is Program Head of Early Childhood Studies at the University of Guelph-Humber and has a Doctorate degree in Child Psychology & Early Childhood Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education-Univ of Toronto. She is the principle investigator of the research project “children’s experiences of the pandemic” found at www.childart.ca. For more information visit www.drnikkimartyn.com
Dr Nikki Martyn is Program Head of Early Childhood Studies at the University of Guelph-Humber and has a Doctorate degree in Child Psychology & Early Childhood Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education-Univ of Toronto. She is the principle investigator of the research project “children’s experiences of the pandemic” found at www.childart.ca. For more information visit www.drnikkimartyn.com
For Episode 30 of Gryph Nation Radio, we are thrilled to be joined by author Jael Richardson. Jael is a proud U of G alum and a former Gryphon student-athlete who played four seasons with our Gryphons women's soccer team (1999-2002). While pursuing her undergraduate degree from the University of Guelph in theatre studies, Jael discovered her love for writing, leading her to the University of Guelph-Humber where she completed her Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing. Since obtaining her undergrad and Masters from U of G, Jael has gone on to establish herself as one of the most important figures in Canadian literature. In 2012, Jael authored, The Stone Thrower: A Daughter's Lesson, a Father's Life, a memoir about her father, Chuck Ealey, and his coming of age in small-town Ohio during the U.S. civil rights era. The memoir also dives into Chuck Ealey's impressive tenure as a quarterback in the CFL, where he would go on to become the first black quarterback to win the Grey Cup (1972 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats). Jael's memoir was published to critical acclaim and later adapted into a picture book. Next up for Jael was the creation of a one-of-a-kind literary festival in her hometown of Brampton. She is the founder and executive director of F.O.L.D. (the festival of literary diversity) with the first festival taking place in May of 2016. It is the first literary festival devoted to celebrating underrepresented authors and storytellers. Jael has been at the forefront of actively promoting authors from marginalized communities, while advocating for greater inclusion within the publishing industry.And last, but certainly not least, is the arrival of Jael's debut novel, Gutter Child, which released in late January of 2021. Published by HarperCollins Canada, Gutter Child has been met with rave reviews from national media outlets across the country, including the Globe & Mail and the Toronto Star.Our conversation with Jael explores her days as a Gryphon student-athlete, while also diving into her literary career and of course her debut novel, Gutter Child.
In this episode, I interview Malik Carby-Corbett, Registered Kinesiologist and Founder of MalikTheKin. He specializes in athletic movement and performance optimization. Malik graduated from the University of Guelph-Humber where he accredits a lot of his skills and confidence in his career today. In this episode, Malik talks about his fascinate with human performance at a young age, how you don't get hurt on a table so you shouldn't rehabilitate there, and how Kinesiology can be a one stop shop for al things health, fitness and wellness. Show Notes: 01' - Started with a fascination in human performance 03' - Blend of practicality and theoretical at Guelph-Humber 10' - SportSide Medical Services 12' - You don't get hurt laying on a table 14' - Sport Therapist at Rugby Ontario 16' - Saying Yes to opportunities 17' - Know what your value is 18' - MalikTheKin 20' - The Future of Kinesiology as a profession 21' - Kinesiology as a one stop shop 24' - Listen to yourself to navigate where you wanna be 26' - Course that changed his practice Links: Spencer's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spennyraposo/ Making Kinnections Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakingKinnectionsPodcast/ Making Kinnections LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/making-kinnections/ Making Kinnections Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingkinnectionspodcast/ Malik's LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/malik-carby-corbett-5b9ba71a4/ Malikthekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malikthekin_/ MalikTheKin Website: https://www.malikthekin.com/index.html Reconditioning HQ: https://reconditioninghq.com/ NeuroKineticTherapy: https://neurokinetictherapy.com/ SportSideMedical: https://www.sportsidemedical.com/ ------------------- Episode Sponsor Continuing Education for Kinesiologists, visit: kinformation.teachable.com
Linda Feldman of the Christian Science Monitor describes the situation in Washington, D.C. in advance of Biden's inauguration tomorrow; Graham Petty tells about an online parenting course that starts this week called “Sidestepping the Power Struggle.”; Dr. Kelley Wright tells us about conditions within Roberta Place the long-term care home in Barrie that is suffering a serious outbreak of COVID-19; Nikki Martyn of early childhood studies at the University of Guelph-Humber is the founder of a project called 'Child Art.'. They are collecting pictures by children in hope of better understanding how they are responding to the pandemic; On this week's Ottawa Report, Jordan Press of the Canadian Press discusses Erin O'Toole's pledge to remove M.P. Derek Sloan from the Conservative caucus for receiving a donation from an know white supremacist and political reaction to U-S President-elect Biden's announcement that he will cancel the Keystone XL pipeline; New data from Statistics Canada shows a record number of Canadians have moved away from the big cities since the pandemic started. So what does this mean for Ontario's medium-sized cities and smaller communities? Shoshanna Saxe, an assistant professor of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Toronto offers her perspective; Joy McCarthy, nutritionist and author of 'The Joyous Cookbook' tells us about some 'feel good' foods that keep us healthy, upbeat and energetic.
Jamil Jivani fills-in for Evan Solomon. On today's show: Errol Mendes, a law professor at the University of Ottawa and a constitutional expert, discusses the calls for B.C. to create their own 'provincial bubble.' Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious diseases physician at the Toronto General Hospital, talks about rapid testing and COVID-19 vaccines. We take your texts and calls on the CBC-Radio executive who travelled during the pandemic. Dr. Nikki Martyn, program head of Early Childhood Studies at the University of Guelph Humber, discusses her study which examines children's artwork to assess mental health issues during the pandemic. Listeners' texts and calls on their kids mental health during the pandemic. Ontario Health Minister and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott responds to MPP Roman Baber's open letter opposing the lockdown.
Black Canada Talking™ is a live online event that provides Black Canadians opportunity to give their takes and POVs on stories that are of importance to them. On the December 13, 2020 edition of Black Canada Talking™ the guests were Nadia Stewart (Executive Director) and Brian Daly (Atlantic Director) of the Website“>Canadian Association Of Black Journalists (CABJ). Storytelling has taken Nadia Stewart from coast to coast. These days, you'll find her at Global BC, where she works as a videojournalist. She got her start at Rogers TV as a reporter, anchor and talk show host. In 2010, Nadia joined the CBC, working as a multi-platform reporter and anchor in St. John's, Calgary and Edmonton. She also spent six years as an editor and freelance writer for Planet Africa Magazine, a Toronto-based quarterly publication that celebrates the achievements of the black community across the diaspora. Nadia is also proud to be among the first graduates of the University of Guelph-Humber (2006). Off-camera, Nadia helped to relaunch the Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ). She also volunteers as a mentor in her community. During our conversation, Ms. Stewart and Mr. Daly talked about: – Some of their backgrounds and getting involved with CABJ – The state of Black Canadian media journalists today compared to when they started – CABJ's changes that they would like to see in the Canadian news industry – The impact that 2020 has had on CABJ and Black Canadian journalists – J School Noire – Their thoughts on how Black Canadians are being portrayed in the media, the need for this to change and the Canadian media profiting off of Black Canadians pain – CABJ Connects, CABJ On Campus, CABJ Media Startup Bootcamp and other CABJ services – A special moment for both of them in their CABJ journey – The help that CABJ is looking for now – Their first conference happening next year (RISE) – Suggestions for Black Canadians who want to get into journalism – Their vision for CABJ five years from now Founded in 1996, the Canadian Association of Black Journalists' (CABJ) mission is to increase representation through education and inspiration. We believe Black journalists must work together in an effort to diversify newsrooms, to increase the number of Black media professionals in management positions in Canada and to educate and inspire a new generation of young Black journalists. As the CABJ works towards extending its reach across Canada, they are focused on: – Advocating for diversity in Canadian media – Re-establishing and increasing CABJ's membership base in regions across Canada – Raising up a new generation of Black journalists and content creators – Offering hands-on workshops and other diverse professional development opportunities to Black journalists and content creators For more information about CABJ: Website Facebook Twitter Linkedin Visit The Dr. Vibe Show™ at www.thedrvibeshow.com Please feel free to email us at dr.vibe@thedrvibeshow.com Please feel free to “Like” the “The Dr. Vibe Show” Facebook Fan Page here God bless, peace, be well and keep the faith, Dr. Vibe 2020 Podcast News Award Winner – Canadian Ethnic Media Association 2018 Innovation Award Winner – Canadian Ethnic Media Association The Dr. Vibe Show™ At “The Good Men Project” One of the first Brand Ambassador's – Cuisine Noir Magazine Dr. Vibe – Producer And Co-host of Black Men Talking On WJMS Radio Dr. Vibe on HuffPost Live – August 2, 2013 2013 Black Weblog Awards Finalist (Best Podcast) 2012 Black Weblog Awards Winner (Best International Blog) 2012 Black Weblog Awards Finalist (Best Podcast) 2011 Black Weblog Awards Finalist (Best International Blog and Best Podcast Series) Black Blog Of The Day – Black Bloggers Network – June 23, 2011 Twitter Twitter hashtag: #DrVibe The Dr. Vibe Show™ – iTunes The Dr. Vibe Show™ – Spotify Dr. Vibe Media – You Tube The Dr. Vibe Show™ – Stitcher Radio The Dr. Vibe Show™ – TuneIn Radio The Dr. Vibe Show™ – Google Play Music The Dr. Vibe Show™ – iHeartRadio The Dr. Vibe Show™ at Anchor Linkedin – The Dr. Vibe Show™ Instagram The Dr. Vibe Show Facebook Fan Page
At a time when corporations are challenged with developing a new normal for their work culture, which likely includes working from home, Lululemon stands out for having already established fluidity between work and life. Meet Amie Zimon, Manager of Global Store Ambassador Program at Lululemon in Vancouver and co-founder of #100sweatysweats, who shares her experience of working at Lululemon's head office in Vancouver, B.C. for the past five years. A graduate of the University of Guelph-Humber, Amie's PR training equipped her for her communications role at the athletic-wear company, and for much more. Hear Amie's story on PR Delivered. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/andrea-tavchar/message
Alena Blanes is an example of a young Canadian who cares about the future She's heavily involved in the Zero Waste Movement, disposing of disposables and adopting reusables, despite the bait and switch of plastic companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out: Sustainability in the Age of COVID-19 & Beyond: Conversation with Alena Blanes (Multi-Hazards Podcast S02 E0Z). On Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc. With Study Guide: Click on the left where it says PDF: https://multi-hazards.libsyn.com/sustainability-in-the-age-of-covid-19-beyond-conversation-with-alena-blanes BIO - Alena Blanes Alena Blanes is a graduate of the University of Guelph-Humber’s Media Studies and Public Relations program. Originally from Coquitlam, British Columbia, she grew up deeply involved in sustainable initiatives in her school, home, and community. She infamously touts starting a recycling program at her elementary school when she was six. She later co-led her high school environment club and directed an initiative to build a greenhouse on school grounds. She was named ‘Biggest Activist’ in her high school yearbook and continued exploring sustainable concepts throughout university. Alena was an active volunteer with Humber College’s Office of Sustainability and is the former Managing Editor at IGNITE Student Life where she wrote about topics including sustainability. She wrote her senior thesis on ‘Approaching Climate Change through the Lens of Millennial and Gen Z Social Media Users.’ Today, she is the Marketing and Communications officer at Shake Up the Establishment, a non-partisan, federally incorporated nonprofit promoting intersectional environmental literacy and political climate action in Canada. When she's not writing, she loves hiking, camping, and attempting to brew kombucha at home. | @alenablanes
In this episode, I interview Alis Bonsignore, R.Kin and Exercise Physiologist at Cleveland Clinic Canada. Ms. Bonsignore obtained her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Guelph-Humber. While there, she discovered cardiac rehab during a placement and was inspired by the way that exercise and nutrition could alter the state of a disease on a physiological level and help individuals with chronic condition achieve better health outcomes. She went on to complete her Master of Science at the University of British Columbia in Cardiovascular Physiology and Oncology. A lifelong learner, she is currently pursuing her PhD from the University of Toronto in an emerging field of “cardio-oncology. In this episode, Alis tells us the number one thing to learn if you want to go into this field, imagining Kinesiologist's in a health liaison role and how you don't need to be working as a front-end therapist to be an R.Kin. SHOW NOTES 02' - College as a good foundation 03' - Heart failure in women with breast cancer 08' - Exercise Physiologist vs Clinical Kinesiologist 09' - R.Kin in hospital setting required. 11' - Exercise physiologist's in Pre- and Post- COVID world 13' - Number one thing to learn if you want to go into this field 15' - Define your role early on 19' - Volunteer ALOT 22' - Starts at education level - Master's Kin degree required for an R.Kin? 23' - R.Kin as a Health liaison 29' - Pick your area of Kinesiology you enjoy and stick through it 30' - Network and Continuing Education 31' - Don't need to be front line therapist 32' - Find programs that specialize you in a specific population LINKS Spencer's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spennyraposo/ Making Kinnections Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakingKinnectionsPodcast/ Making Kinnections LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/making-kinnections/ Making Kinnections Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingkinnectionspodcast/ Alis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alis-bonsignore-msc-phd-c-r-kin-82641926/ Cleveland Clinic Bio: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/canada/staff/bonsignore-alis Episode Sponsor Continuing Education for Kinesiologists and COKO Exam Prep Kinformation: https://kinformation.teachable.com/
In this episode of By Any Means Necessary hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Greg Shupak, media studies teacher at the University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto and author of the book, “The Wrong Story: Palestine, Israel and the Media,” to talk about his new article on FAIR, "Corporate Media Setting Stage for New Cold War With China," the ongoing attempt by the Trump administration to shift the blame for the pandemic to China and the World Health Organization, and where Mitt Romney's recent op-ed painting China as "uniquely predatory" fits into the centuries-long history of 'yellow peril' racism in the US.In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by technologist Chris Garaffa to talk about the revelation that law enforcement agencies are using a new software to crack Americans' iPhones by recording their passwords, what this means for Apple's reputation in terms of privacy rights, and how the software's developers and police departments used non-disclosure agreements to hide the technology from the public.In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Dr. Jack Rasmus, economist, radio show host, & author of 'The Scourge of Neoliberalism,' to talk about Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's comments during his recent appearance on 60 Minutes, how the rush to reopen even as the pandemic rages means a second wave of the virus is all but guaranteed, and why addressing the economic crisis is impossible until we address the ongoing public health—and healthcare—crisis.Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Brandon Sutton, host of The Discourse podcast, to talk about where the new Instagram "battle" videos fit into the wave of nostalgia many are experiencing during the outbreak, how Obama is weaponizing this unique cultural moment as many Americans—weary of Trump's catastrophic handling of the national epidemic—want to look back on better days, and how the "outsourcing" of our political history to a capitalist mass media apparatus has left so many of us vulnerable to the mythology of imperialism.
Andy MacDonald served with the City of Brampton Fire and Emergency Services for over 37 years, starting as a Volunteer Fire Fighter in 1977. After graduating from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Science degree, he began his career as a professional Fire Fighter in 1979. Andy rose through the ranks in Brampton. He was appointed Assistant Deputy in 1999, Deputy in 2003 and Fire Chief in January 2008. Chief MacDonald continued his personal/professional development throughout his career. Andy holds Queen’s IRC Certificates in Labour Relations, Advanced Labour Relations, and Organization Development Fundamentals, and he participated in the program on negotiations at the Harvard Law School. Andy also studied at York University and the Ontario Fire College. Since 2001, Andy has spent a large portion of his vacation time as a facilitator at the Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre, teaching in the Labour Relations field. Chief MacDonald retired from Brampton Fire in June of 2014. On August 1st of that same year he was appointed the Director of Fire Management Studies at the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Andy oversaw the development of two major initiatives, the Executive Certificate in Fire Services Management and a 2-year Fire Service Foundations Diploma. Under Andy’s guidance, the University of Guelph/Humber accepted the first four Fire Service students into a pilot Applied Arts Degree in Public Safety Management in September 2015. With the Humber Programs “in the can”, Andy moved on to the City of Guelph where he worked under contract for 2-years as the General Manager of Emergency Services. In that role, Andy was responsible for the Guelph Fire Department and the Guelph/Wellington Paramedic Services. Andy spends his time these days working as a consultant as the Principal Partner of the Anderin Group. One of his clients is Homewood Health where Andy is a consultant to the 1st Responder Community. His work sees Andy speaking about Operational Stress Injuries and 1st Responder Mental Health on the national stage. Throughout his life, Andy took on a number of projects outside of his professional responsibilities. In 1997, he conceived of the idea of constructing a stand-alone center for fire and life safety education. Dedicating 7-years of his life to the project; he saw Brampton’s award-winning Fire/Life Education Centre open in 2003. In 1985 he rappelled off the CN Tower to raise money for a Toronto burn unit, earning him a spot in the Guinness Book of Records. He is currently on the National Advisory Board for Camp F.A.C.E.S and is on the Conference Board of the Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation.
The Sunday Edition Chapter 1 Father's Day: Involved dads are healthier and happier Guest: Nikki Martyn, Program Head of Early Childhood Studies at the University of Guelph-Humber. Chapter 2 B.C. government ruling out Class 5 licences for ridesharing drivers despite committee recommendation Guest: Ian Tostenson, President, Ridesharing for BC Now Chapter 3 The Kids Are Alright GUEST: Daniel Fontaine, Civic Affairs Columnist with The Orca Chapter 4 Tristin Hopper: Why Trudeau's 'plastic ban' is a painfully dumb idea Guest: Tristin Hopper, National Post contributor Chapter 5 New report on possibly funneled donations to Trudeau Liberals shows need to lower donation limit to $100, as Quebec did Guest: Duff Conacher, Co-Founder Democracy Watch
In this episode Ben talks with a good friend and colleague, Peter Papadogiannis, a Sports Psychologist and Professor at York University, University of Guelph/ Humber, Sheridan College and the Sports Psychology team director of the Goodlife Toronto Marathon. Ben and Peter talk about the importance of Sports Psychology and why more athletes need to consider their mental game and training to be as important as their physical performance or training. Peter and the good people at Headset Sports have also partnered up with the Evolving Health Podcast to offer a special discount code on their app! Use the code 'Evolve30' for a 30% discount on the monthly subscription and the discount code 'Evolve2019' for a discount on their annual subscription! Support the show (http://patreon.com/EvolvingHealth)
Today you will meet Theo Fleury. NHL STANLEY CUP CHAMPION – OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST – WORLD CUP JUNIOR CHAMPION – EXPERT IN THE FIELD OF RELATIONAL TRAUMA. Theo Fleury is perhaps best known for his time on the ice. But off the rink, his life once carried the markings of a troubled childhood, abuse and coping with emotional pain through addictive and self-destructive behaviours. Today, Theo defines himself as a victor over trauma and addiction, and a facilitator to those still trying to find their way. His best-selling books, Playing with Fire and Conversations with a Rattlesnake, encourage open sharing and provide practical tools that people seeking help can personally use. These tools are also useful to those who want to lead a productive conversation, called “Real Conversations”, with anybody else experiencing trauma. Theo has been awarded the Canadian Humanitarian Award and the Queen’s Jubilee Medallion. He is a Siksika Nation Honorary Chief and recipient of the Aboriginal Inspire Award. He also holds two honorary doctorates – one in Science from the University of Guelph-Humber for outstanding contributions to the mental health of Canadians, and another in Laws from Brandon University for his work in combating child abuse and promoting healing and recovery. Today, Theo is a healthy, motivational and successful agent of change. He is committed to daily transformation through personal growth, mindfulness and new action, and his compassionate spirit allows others to feel safe and whole by experiencing his vulnerability. Theo is skillfully adept at inviting audience self-reflection during his many speaking events by creating safe environments for guests to share their own “Me Too” experiences. Without controversy or blame, Theo focuses on helping and leading others down a path of healing. Theo resides in Calgary, Alberta. Learn more about him at https://www.theofleury.life/ Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review so we can build this Maverick Revolution together! To start to capture your Maverick side, come join the membership, Maverick Life Unleashed, for a $1 14 day trial at http://bit.ly/maverickmembership To learn more about Shari and her Maverick work, head over to www.shariteigman.com
For the first time on NEXTcast, Nathan welcomes two students into the studio! Guelph-Humber students Alex Evans and Lexa Castellan join their professor, Christine Zupo, to discuss their experience participating in a TIF-funded research study.
Elena Merenda is Assistant Program Head of Early Childhood Studies at University of Guelph-Humber. Her recent article in The Conversation, "‘Momo challenge hoax’ prompts parents to help children deal with scary media" has prompted some deeper conversations about the images and stories that young children encounter in their online lives. How do parents and educators monitor not only the content, but how children are responding to that content?
After a few years of students from the second-year neuroscience class I teach at the University of Guelph-Humber asking for how they can learn more neuroscience, I decided to take some of them on as part of their placement requirements. Here we will be exploring various topics in neuroscience. This is our first formal audio meeting where we hear from them, what they are interested in and give us some idea of how to proceed for the next couple of months working together.
In today’s episode, I feel very lucky to have been able to have a conversation with former National Hockey League Player, Theo Fleury. Theo, a Stanley Cup Champion, as well as a gold medalist for the Canadian Olympic hockey team in 2002, played for 4 teams over the 15 years that he was in the NHL. Most of those years were spent with the Calgary Flames, BUT he also had stints with the Colorado Avalanche, the New York Rangers, and the Chicago Blackhawks. As one of the smallest players of his generation, he had to constantly prove himself in a league that was dominated by much bigger players. However, Theo’s work ethic and endless dedication to putting in the long hours of hard work paid off as he scored over 1000 points in his 15-year career which still ranks him in 61st position in all-time points scored in the National Hockey League. Despite Theo’s huge success as a professional hockey player, off the rink, his life once carried the markings of a troubled childhood, abuse and coping with emotional pain through addictive and self-destructive behaviours. In this episode with Theo, you will hear some of the struggles he went through, what he learned about himself through those struggles, and the skills that he has been able to develop within himself in order to live a more authentic life. As well, we close off today’s conversation with Theo talking about the powerful role that music has played in his life. As a singer and songwriter, Theo has used music to aid in his own personal recovery and has produced a number of country songs. Music has been a form of therapy for Theo and he hopes that he can impact other people through his music. With Theo’s permission, I included his song “As the Story Goes” in this podcast, so you’ll be able to hear his music at the end of this show. Theo has devoted himself to helping AND leading others down a path of healing through speaking engagements and presentations, as well as personal coaching. It was a honor to have Theo on my podcast and I want to thank him for his time. As I told him, I have no doubt that he will continue to change the world one person at a time. Thanks for listening. Theo’s Bio: NHL STANLEY CUP CHAMPION – OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST – WORLD CUP JUNIOR CHAMPION – EXPERT IN THE FIELD OF RELATIONAL TRAUMA. Theo Fleury is perhaps best known for his time on the ice. But off the rink, his life once carried the markings of a troubled childhood, abuse and coping with emotional pain through addictive and self-destructive behaviours. Today, Theo defines himself as a victor over trauma and addiction, and a facilitator to those still trying to find their way. His best-selling books, Playing with Fire and Conversations with a Rattlesnake, encourage open sharing and provide practical tools that people seeking help can personally use. These tools are also useful to those who want to lead a productive conversation, called “Real Conversations”, with anybody else experiencing trauma. Theo has been awarded the Canadian Humanitarian Award and the Queen’s Jubilee Medallion. He is a Siksika Nation Honorary Chief and recipient of the Aboriginal Indspire Award. He also holds two honorary doctorates – one in Science from the University of Guelph-Humber for outstanding contributions to the mental health of Canadians, and another in Laws from Brandon University for his work in combating child abuse and promoting healing and recovery. Today, Theo is a healthy, motivational and successful agent of change. He is committed to daily transformation through personal growth, mindfulness and new action, and his compassionate spirit allows others to feel safe and whole by experiencing his vulnerability. Theo is skillfully adept at inviting audience self-reflection during his many speaking events by creating safe environments for guests to share their own “Me Too” experiences. Without controversy or blame, Theo focuses on helping and leading others down a path of heal...
Worried about your kid being disappointed by what's under the Christmas tree this year? Elena Merenda is the assistant program head of early childhood studies at University of Guelph - Humber. She explains why disappointment might not be a bad thing for kids.
Anthony Molinaro is a young, aspiring entrepreneur and real estate investor with a business degree and diploma in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management from the University of Guelph Humber. He is also the founder and former President of the Guelph Humber Real Estate Investing Club. You may be familiar with Anthony's story. He made the front page of the Toronto Star a couple years ago for his strong work ethic. While in university, he managed to also work a full-time job. No easy feat. During that time, he saved a big chunk of his paycheque to invest in real estate. Similar to my story, his story received its fair share of criticism online. In my interview with Anthony, we discuss working hard while maintaining a healthy work-life balance, real estate investing, and why younger folks shouldn't give up on the dream of homeownership. If you're interested in speaking at the Guelph Humber Real Estate Investing Club, please contact Anthony by email at anthonyfrancismolinaro@gmail.com or by phone at 905-965-3931.
Former NHL player Ray Emery was found deceased over the weekend? How do police handle cases such as this? What could have happened? Guest - Dr. Glenn Hanna, Assistant Program Head, Justice Studies, University of Guelph-Humber. 32 years of experience with RCMP.Scott chats with someone who knew Mr. Emery personally. Guest - Joe Saptuo, Ancaster Business man, CARSTAR. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met up today, and spoke briefly before their one on one meeting. Guest - Elliot Tepper, Emeritus Professor of Political science, Carleton University With yesterday's win, France takes the world cup! How did Russia do as a host? Guest - John M Hoberman, Professor, University of Texas, author of Sport and Political Ideology (1984)
Riaz Mohammed is a researcher and is currently a Doctor of Chiropractic Student at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, one of the most prestigious Chiropractic schools in Canada, and arguably the world. At CMCC he is the Vice President of the Student Canadian Chiropractic Association and sits on student council. Originally from Parkdale, Toronto, Riaz moved to Malton, Mississauga where he would discover his passion to become a Chiropractic Doctor by meeting his current mentor in the field. Before CMCC, Riaz earned both a Health and Fitness Promotion Diploma from Humber College and a Bachelors Degree in Kinesiology at the University of Guelph Humber. On this episode we talk about how life is subjective, the reality of the commitment it takes to become a doctor, and how it might not be the end of the world to take a year off before going to university or college. Riaz's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riaz.mohammed.526 Connect with Real Community Talks: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ljehipjij2ioj Instagram: http://instagram.com/realcommunitytalks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Real-Community-Talks-163630714364865 Website: http://www.realcommunitytalks.com Special Guest: Riaz Mohammed.
What goes through the mind of a police officer when presented with a situation which might necessitate lethal force? Rob talks with Glenn Hanna, assistant program head of justice studies at the University of Guelph-Humber for perspective.
In this episode, we talk to Leila Kelleher, who teaches Fitness and Health Promotion at Humber College and Kinesiology at the University of Guelph-Humber, about flipping workshops and labs.
A frustrated parent reaches out to AM640 and explains that even though the Guelph University classes are in a different building, and the instructors are in a different union, students of the university still can't go to class because instructors are supporting their college counterparts.
Back in Season 1, Meagan and Atifa gave a few names of who should be interviewed next for RelaySA. Among their suggestions was Liana Acri who works at the University of Guelph-Humber- a unique institution that combines "the benefits of both university and college programs". We met at a pub in Toronto's Blood St West neighbourhood to chat.
What follows is an edited partial transcript of my conversation with George Bragues of the University of Guelph-Humber. We discussed his new book, Money, Markets, and Democracy: Politically Skewed Financial Markets and How to Fix Them. This is his second appearance on this show, you can hear the first one here. Petersen: So your book looks at the interaction between Democratic politics and financial markets. In your introduction, you quote the Greek Prime Minister Alexi Tsipras, who claimed that "democracy cannot be blackmailed." And this was in the context of the 2015 bailout referendum that would have helped pay some of the massive Greek debt but at a cost of forcing them to adopt fiscal austerity. So, can you talk a little bit about that situation and how it played out and also what it tells us generally about the relationship between democracy and finance? Bragues: Yes, sure. That situation has its origins about a year or two after the financial crisis of 2008. The financial crisis of 2008 initially arose out of the subprime mortgage sector in the United States. It affected banks worldwide that were holding or otherwise exposed to the subprime mortgage assets. But then as one of the spillovers of this crisis we had pressure on countries in southern Europe including Portugal, Spain, and Greece. And so it all came to a head in 2010 and back then it was Nicolas Sarkozy and Merkel, Germany's chancellor---who's still around---was a player, and they came up with a framework to bail out these countries including Greece. So, as part of those bailouts, Greece had to comply with various conditions including the fiscal austerity measures that you mentioned, there was a privatization that had to be done but it didn't go so well and so in early 2015---if I remember these dates correctly---Tsipras is leading what was then a sort of outsider party, one of the two major parties in Greece. And so they thought that they would take a different approach to the previous Greek government which was to play ball with mainly Germany and instead of playing ball with Germany and trying to use measures to get their budget under control they thought that they would try to essentially threaten the breakdown of the financial system. a breakdown of the euro unless Greece were forgiven their debt or otherwise given more lenient measures. The European establishment wasn't buying into that. So this is when Tsipras went to a vote, a referendum on a bailout package. He won that vote, that is to say, the Greek people voted resoundingly against the European establishment of the time, but that ended up not really mattering. The European establishment said basically we want our debt paid, we're willing to renegotiate the debt and you have to comply with these conditions. And so that was a situation where democracy and the markets came into play. The Greek government was hoping that by creating a crisis in the markets through a democratic act, one of the most democratic acts you can imagine, which is a referendum---because in a referendum the people vote directly on a policy---that they were hoping that democracy would have its way---through the markets---would have its way. It didn't work out. So, I start my book off with that event because it nicely and dramatically---the Greek situation is still ongoing---but it nicely illustrates how politics and the markets interact. And politics today in most of the developed world means democracy and this interaction between politics and markets, while known, while recognized, I don't think its full implications have been recognized and that's why I decided to write a book. Petersen: So, with the bailout referendum---this is a massive debt---I believe it was 177% of Greece's GDP? Bragues: That's correct, yes. It's probably different now. It's probably higher now, I haven't looked at the latest numbers. Petersen: Even if they paid their entire output and didn't eat or consume anything, it would still take them almost two years to pay it off, which of course is unfeasible. And then they were trying to refuse to pay it off and I suppose they were hoping that markets would have a big reaction and then when they didn't their leverage was gone. They didn't have the bargaining power they thought they had. Bragues: That's correct. The markets the next day---the referendum took place on a Sunday---and the next day the markets were down---not down significantly, specifically those in Europe, which would be more closely impacted---and the euro which was the key financial instrument in this entire drama barely reacted at all to the referendum result. Now, part of that was because by this point---I mentioned before that this is a drama that had started back in 2010---the reason why the markets' reactions were muted by this time, much of the debt that the Greeks held were no longer held in private hands. In other words, they were not held by private market players, whether that be pension funds, commercial banks, hedge funds, and other institutional investors but they had been effectively transferred to the government, whether to taxpayers or to central banks who had started---even though this goes against the Maastricht Treaty that brought the euro into being---the Central Bank started buying European bonds, and I'm talking here specifically about the European Central Bank. So, that's how it's played out. It's still currently playing out because Greece is back in the news because part of the deal that was made in the aftermath of the 2015 referendum is that Greece would still have to comply with various fiscal policy requirements and in order to get additional disbursements from the so-called troika, and the same party is in power, Tsipras continues to be in power and they still as you'd expect they would rather pay less debt or at least pay the debt on less onerous terms. Petersen: The odd thing is that people keep lending them money when they're so resistant to paying back their loans. Bragues: Yes, and that brings up the larger question I talk about in the book which is the role of the bond markets. The bond market is it is one of the biggest of the financial markets. In the book I go through the main ones. These would include the stock market, the derivatives market, which has grown dramatically since the early 1970s, I go through the currency market, which is the biggest one, at least on a per-day trading rate. But the bond market is huge. The bond market is a lot bigger than the stock market, it doesn't get as much public attention as the stock market does. It is not the subject of a cocktail party conversation the way the stock market is, but the bond market is huge. It is a major lifeline for governments---most governments today. It's hard to think of an exception among the democracies now---most governments today do not finance their expenditures, their infrastructure, their social programs through taxes. They run deficits and those deficits have effectively become perpetual. If you go back to the early 1970s---and we can come back to the issue why the early 1970s is such a critical date---but you go back the early 1970s, you do find countries from time to time running fiscal surpluses, or running balanced budgets, but for the most part they're running deficits, and so as a result since then we've seen a sustained increase in the level of public debt as a percentage of GDP. And so we're getting close to levels that we haven't seen since World War Two among the OECD nations. So, the bond market is a key player. I argue in the book that the bond market is an enabler of the worst fiscal habits of democratic states, that democratic political systems have an inherent tendency to overspend, and that the bond market becomes a very enticing place that politicians look to in order to finance the spending that helps them get them elected. And so then the question arises why do the bond markets keep on buying the bonds of these increasingly indebted states? I'm not sure I have the complete answer to that question. That was one of the questions that really got me thinking as I was writing the book. I think tentatively the factors are these: the key one is the desire for safety that seems to be very strong in the human psyche. So, I think we have to go into psychological explanations for this. The thing about government bonds, unlike bonds that you would buy, say, from a corporation, which is the other major sector of the bond market, government bonds are backed by taxes and taxes have to be paid. They are coerced from people. You don't pay your taxes, you'll either get fined or in a worst case scenario you end up doing time. A corporation doesn't have the same ability to gather money. It has to rely on the voluntary decisions of the buyers of its products. So, if you buy a bond in General Motors, or you buy a bond in Bell Canada or something like that, your ability to get money from that bond---and a bond is effectively, by the way, a loan that an investor extends to an entity, a government or corporate entity---so you buy a bond from Bell Canada or from some other private company, you've got to rely on the fact that they're going to be able to get people to buy their goods and services voluntarily. When you buy a government bond, you have the assurance that the entity who is supposed to pay you back the money has the power to force people to give it money and so that makes government bonds safer, in general, all else being equal than corporate bonds. And since people do crave safety, they do crave security---I don't want to get too much into the depths of human psychology here---but there's a deep-seated desire to avert risk and this is well known. Among financial academics we talk about it all the time, we talk about it in terms of risk aversion as being part of the model that we used to depict investor behavior. So, this is such a powerful desire to have safety when you invest your money, to know that if you plunk 1,000 dollars now and you're promised 2% interest, you will get that money back and a 2% interest at some future point in time. So, I think that's the most powerful driver for the demand of government bonds and that demand is so strong that investors will overlook the fiscal health of the countries to which they are effectively lending to. I think the other factor is legislation. There you look at the regulations specifically pension funds but also banks and so on have to operate under, if they're required to have a certain percentage what are deemed to be safe investments in their portfolios---by the way this also includes insurance companies---and safe investments invariably encompass and tend to get restricted to government bonds and so there's a built-in legislatively driven demand for government bonds and this plays out significantly with the commercial banks because they have to show to regulators that they have a certain level of core equity in their balance sheets. You look at these regulations---these are the Basel regulations---they have traditionally incentivized banks to buy their country's bonds. So, you've got a situation where Greek commercial banks tend to own a disproportionate amount of Greek government bonds or Italian commercial banks own disproportion amount of Italian government bonds. So, you have the banking sector effectively forced through legislation to have to finance the country's debt. Petersen: So just as a part of doing business, if you're a bank, you have to show that you're safe. There was this issue during the financial crisis of these AAA rated mortgage securities and if you think about it in terms of just supply and demand and all these things, it's not clear why the rating is so important. But then when you think about needing to prove to a third party that I am safe, then what others think that your assets are worth or how safe others think they are, becomes really important. And at least there's sort of a perverse element here where if you're lending to Iceland or Greece you can maybe get a higher return while still maybe appearing safe because you say, "well I've got all these government bonds," but the fact that they're not safe is why they can give you that higher return. And if you're managing a bank you want to earn a high return but you still want to appear safe and if you lose money you want to lose money when everyone's losing money so that you can say "hey it's not my fault, not personally at least." Bragues: That's another factor too that everyone---and John Maynard Keynes, I don't agree with everything he says, but he's pretty good on this point, on the behavior of investment managers. You have a huge incentive as an investment manager to go with the crowd because if you're right with the crowd you can bask in the general adulation that all investment managers are receiving at that point in time, you're generating nice returns for folks. But if things go awry, the crowd becomes more important as a kind of protection device against criticism because you can always say---as you point out---that this is a systemic issue, I couldn't do anything about it everybody else also was adversely affected. And so that does tend to work in favor of government bonds and does tend to over inflate the level of demand for government bonds relative to what they should get if you had a truly free market, people were just free to buy whatever bonds they thought would fit their risk return preferences. I think that's a key factor as to why I believe that bond markets end up not being vigilantes. There's this line Edward Danny, a well-known analyst on Wall Street, came up with this phrase 'bond market vigilantes'. I believe it was in the 1990s and it supposedly referred to this group of people in the bond market who were always on the lookout for countries that were running fiscal deficits, that were doing the wrong things economically, and that these bond market vigilantes would pick on these countries by selling their bonds, shorting their bonds, and then putting those countries in a bind supposedly by raising the interest rates that they would have to pay any time they issued bonds again. But the reality is that the bond market vigilante---if it exists---it exists too late. You look at the history of the bond market---we're talking a couple centuries now the bond market is actually older than the stock market---you look at this market and the vigilantes only come up really late in the game when it's pretty obvious that the government in question cannot pay and so the bond market doesn't do---I would argue---the job that it advertises: namely, always keeping yields in line with risk. It does tend to underestimate the level of risk, specifically with when it comes to governments. This is a partial transcript only. For our full conversation, listen to the episode.
Hamilton City Councillor Matthew Green has hired a civil rights lawyer to represent him at a police disciplinary hearing. This is in relation to a police carding complaint he filed earlier this year. Guest: Dr. Gary Ellis, Head, Justice Studies Program, University of Guelph-Humber. Retired Superintendent, Toronto Police Service. The Ontario Energy Board says that it will not clarify the ‘global adjustment charge' on electricity bills. This comes after the auditor general recommended that they do so, estimating that 70% of consumer's electricity rates were for said charge. Guest: Parker Gallant, Vice President of Wind Concerns Ontario. Trump has chosen Rex Tillerson of Exxon Mobil as Secretary of State. What's the latest with preparing the new President Elect. Also; Guest: Michael Taube, Columnist. Stephen Harper's former Speech writer
Hamilton City Councillor Matthew Green has hired a civil rights lawyer to represent him at a police disciplinary hearing. This is in relation to a police carding complaint he filed earlier this year. Guest: Dr. Gary Ellis, Head, Justice Studies Program University of Guelph-Humber. Retired Superintendent, Toronto Police Service.
Ken Steele distills dozens of interviews on the floor of North America's largest higher ed trade show, the Ontario Universities' Fair. This week we look specifically at what new programs are attracting student attention. With more than 100,000 prospective students and parents flooding the OUF, it’s a massive market test. Unique Signature Programs:Including Carleton’s Bachelor of Global & International Studies; Lakehead’s Outdoor Recreation, Mining, Forestry and Environmental Studies programs; Laurentian’s Forensic Science, Sports Administration, and Human Kinetics programs, and new Masters in Indigenous Relations; Trent’s Child & Youth Studies and Communications programs at their Durham campus; and the Fine & Performing Arts programs in Brock’s brand new facilities. Professional Programs:Including Science, Engineering, and Commerce at Guelph; Business and new Bilingual Engineering degrees at Laurentian; and UOIT’s new Mechatronics Engineering program. Health, Medicine & Social Work:Including Biomedical and Nursing programs at Laurentian; a new Biomedical Sciences program at Trent; and a new Health Sciences program and downtown facilities for Social Work studetns at Windsor. New Law Programs:The first new law school in Ontario in 43 years opened at Lakehead 3 years ago, with a focus on natural resources, sole practitioner law, and aboriginal law. Windsor’s dual Juris Doctorate program with the University of Detroit Mercy allows graduates to practice law in both Canada and the US. Laurier just signed a 2+3+1 agreement with the UK’s University of Sussex Law School, which allows students to enroll at Laurier and wind up with a Laurier BA, a British LLB, and be prepared to pass the Ontario Bar Exam as well. Video Game Design: UOIT has a Game Development & Entrepreneurship program, which has been very popular and has quite competitive admissions. Brock has a new interdisciplinary program in Video Game Design, offered jointly with Niagara College. University/College Collaborations:For more than a decade, the University of Guelph-Humber has been a success story for large-scale collaboration, but at the program level many Ontario universities and colleges have collaborations. Lakehead is partnering with Georgian College in Orillia to offer an Electrical Engineering program, and have others in development. Trent has a strong relationship with Durham College and UOIT, and with Fleming College, which has an environmental science focus as well. Laurentian is exploring several new pathways with College Boréal and Cambrian College in Sudbury. Ken closes with excerpts from a fun video by USC Viterbi, the NAE, and Funny or Die, which explores what it would look like if the E! Network covered Engineers like celebrities: https://youtu.be/P-OBJNkCanY Remember to subscribe free to the Eduvation Loop email to get exclusive early access to upcoming episodes, and now also Ken’s “Eduvation at a Glance” visual summary of exciting developments in higher ed. www.eduvation.ca/subscribe
This episode of Economics Detective Radio features George Bragues, professor of business at the University of Guelph-Humber, discussing his work developing a distinctly Austrian theory of finance. While there have been forays into finance by Austrians such as Mark Skousen and Peter Boettke, Austrians have not yet fully developed a complete and distinctly Austrian theory of finance. George names five pillars of modern finance theory: (1) The capital asset pricing model (CAPM), (2) the Black-Scholes option pricing model, (3) the efficient markets hypothesis (EMH), (4) behavioural finance, and (5) the Modigliani-Miller theorem. CAPM is a model that derives the value of assets based on the risk-free rate and market risk, that is, risk that cannot be diversified away. The Austrian response to this model is that there is no such thing as a risk-free asset, as risk is inherent to human action. An Austrian alternative to CAPM would incorporate the Austrian theory of a natural interest rate derived from time preference. Black-Scholes, a model for pricing options—opportunities to buy or sell at a given price at some point in the future—assumes that price movements are normally distributed. Nassim Taleb has been forceful in his critique of this assumption; in his book, The Black Swan, he argues that returns are subject to so-called Black Swan events. Statistically, this implies a fat lower tail in the distribution of returns. George holds that, given Austrians’ skepticism about mathematics, there is little hope for an Austrian option pricing model. However, pricing assets was never the role of theorists, but of entrepreneurs. The efficient markets hypothesis, developed by Eugene Fama, holds that the market price reflects all available information. This view holds economic equilibrium to be a normal state of affairs. The Austrian view is that equilibrium is an abnormal state of affairs; the market is always tending towards equilibrium, but it rarely reaches equilibrium. Austrian theory holds that identifying misequilibriums and arbitraging them away is the role of entrepreneurs. Identifying such opportunities isn’t easy; it requires prudence, or what Mises called “understanding.” If you believe the EMH, then Warren Buffet is not an example of someone with great insight and prudence; rather, he is someone who has repeatedly won a stock-market lottery. Behavioural finance, developed by Robert Schiller, is a theory that argues that, contra the EMH, market prices reflect psychological factors rather than the real underlying values of the assets being traded. Behavioural finance has identified so many biases that it is essentially irrefutable. For instance, the gambler’s fallacy and the clustering illusion, yield opposite predictions. If a stock price has risen repeatedly, the gambler’s fallacy would hold that it is “due” for a correction downwards, while the clustering illusion would hold that the trend must continue upwards. Behavioural economists could thus explain a movement in either direction according to their theory, making the theory untestable in principle. Austrian theory avoids such psychological theorizing. Austrians hold that you can derive sound theory from the axiom that humans act, that they use means to achieve ends. Austrians have no particular qualm with bringing psychological factors into the analysis of economic history, but they don’t see them as part of economic theory. Modigliani-Miller is a theory of corporate finance that says that the way a firm is financed, with more debt or equity, is irrelevant to its value. M&M holds that the value of the firm is uniquely determined by its discounted stream of revenues. Austrians might contend, in contrast, that firms financed through debt are exposed to greater risk in the case that they make entrepreneurial errors. George is working towards an “Austrian markets hypothesis,” which would hold that markets are constantly endeavoring to achieve equilibrium, but never actually succeeding. Austrians can bring a greater appreciation of understanding, prudence, practical experience, and local knowledge to finance theory. These ideas have been wrongly impugned by modern quantitative finance, which has elevated theoreticians above entrepreneurs.