Podcasts about leblanc

This episode features "Oh Time Thy Pyramids" written by Ann LeBlanc. Published in the May 2025 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine and read by Kate Baker. The text version of this story can be found at: https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/leblanc_05_25 Support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/join/clarkesworld?

Joining us for a fascinating interview is Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, one of the most successful and innovative "disruptor brands" to emerge in the past two decades. Neil shares the brand's origin story, what makes Warby Parker remarkable, why they've aggressively invested in brick-and-mortar locations, the critical interplay between digital and physical, and a whole lot more.As usual for our encore episodes, we open with Steve giving us an update on the progress Warby Parker is making on their business. About NeilNeil Blumenthal is a co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a transformative lifestyle brand that offers designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses. In 2015, Fast Company named Warby Parker the most innovative company in the world.Prior to launching Warby Parker in 2010, Neil served as director of VisionSpring, a nonprofit social enterprise that trains low-income women to start their own businesses selling affordable eyeglasses to individuals living on less than $4 per day in developing countries. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. He serves on the board of RxArt and on the United Nations Foundation Global Entrepreneurs Council. A native of New York City, Neil received his BA from Tufts University and his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Neil lives in Greenwich Village with his wife, Rachel, the founder and CEO of Rockets of Awesome, and their two children. Here is a 10% off code for the CommerceNext Growth Show exclusive to Remarkable Retail listeners: REMARKABLE. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In this episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis begin with a news segment covering recent market developments, notably the "tariff turmoil" between the US and China. They discuss how the US has partially de-escalated its stance, with tariffs dropping from a proposed 145% to 30%, creating a 90-day window for retailers to import products. However, they emphasize that smaller retailers remain disproportionately affected due to limited resources compared to giants like Home Depot.The hosts also cover recent retail earnings reports, including Walmart's strong comp store sales growth despite withdrawing Q2 guidance, and their strategic pricing approach to tariff impacts. Other earnings news included On Running's impressive 40% sales growth, while American Eagle, JC Penney, and Burberry reported significant losses. Additional news touched on refinancing challenges at Kohl's, potential bankruptcy concerns at Saks, and Dick's Sporting Goods' surprising acquisition of Foot Locker.The featured interview with Stephen Yalof, CEO and President of Tanger, explores his extensive career spanning retail real estate, including roles at New Plan Realty Trust, Gap, Ralph Lauren, and Simon before joining Tanger in 2020 – humorously noting he arrived when "every one of their 3,000 stores was closed" due to COVID.Yalof provides a fascinating historical perspective on outlet centers, explaining how they evolved from manufacturers' sales of returned items and factory seconds to a strategic retail channel. He details how the Tanger family themselves were shirt manufacturers who realized they were "selling more stuff out the back door than out the front door" before creating the first outlet center in Burlington, North Carolina.The conversation explores how vertical retailers like Gap transformed the model, creating consolidation stores for excess inventory before establishing dedicated outlet locations. This evolution progressed from pure excess inventory management to serving aspirational customers who understand brands but can't afford full price – what Yalof describes as bringing customers "into your ecosystem."In response to competition from online and fast-fashion retailers, Yalof explains Tanger's strategy shift from purely "power shopping" to full-service experiences with improved food, entertainment, and amenities. He compares this to how stadiums have evolved despite at-home viewing advances, stating, "We're the general merchandise managers of our shopping centers... it's about picking the right uses, right experiences, the right amenities."The interview concludes with insights into Tanger's digital engagement strategies, including how they leverage customer data to create targeted marketing campaigns and provide stackable discounts through retailer partnerships, guided by their vision of "using customer insight to inform the future of shopping." Here is a 10% off code for the CommerceNext Growth Show exclusive to Remarkable Retail listeners: REMARKABLE. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In this exclusive episode of The Voice of Retail podcast, host Michael LeBlanc interviews Karl Haller, Partner at IBM Consulting and leader of their retail and consumer products center of competency, ahead of his highly anticipated keynote presentation at Retail Council of Canada's STORE2025 conference on June 3rd.With nearly 30 years of retail experience at brands including Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, and Karl Lagerfeld, Haller brings unique insights at the intersection of retail business and technology to one of Canada's premier retail events.Haller, who will take the main stage following fellow keynote speaker Ira Kalish, positions AI as "the biggest transformation that any of us have seen in our careers," comparing its significance to the advent of computing in the 1970s. While acknowledging the hype surrounding AI, he maintains that we're in the early stages of a fundamental shift in how retail operates—a message he'll expand upon at the STORE2025 conference.When discussing strategy during uncertain times, Haller advises retailers to focus on action rather than extensive planning: "If you've got a million dollars to spend, spend a million dollars on 100 MVPs. Don't spend a million dollars on an AI strategy project because it's going to be out of date by the time you've done it." He recommends scenario planning with clear indicators that can guide decision-making in unpredictable environments.Looking at retail formats, Haller notes that success isn't determined by format alone but by how retailers innovate within their sector. He highlights Walmart's nimble approach to technology implementation, PepsiCo's management of their extensive logistics network, and innovative approaches from companies like Unilever and Kroger.The conversation culminates with Haller identifying four under-appreciated retail technology trends:Expanding AI beyond words, pictures, and code to work with numerical data like SKU forecasting, potentially reducing forecast error rates to low single digitsIntegrating AI with other technologies like computer vision, IoT devices, robotics, biometrics, electronic shelf labels, and retail mediaDeveloping an "operating system for AI" to manage the projected billion new applications by 2028Most critically, bringing people along on the technology journey through comprehensive training and continuous learningAttendees of STORE2025 can expect Haller to dive deeper into these insights during his keynote presentation, providing retail leaders with actionable strategies for navigating technological transformation while balancing innovation with practical implementatio Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In this insightful episode of The Food Professor podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois explore Canadian food politics and industry developments before sitting down with Adam Grogan, President and COO of Maple Leaf Foods, for a revealing conversation about the company's evolution and future.The episode begins with a discussion of Canada's new Liberal cabinet, focusing on Heath MacDonald from PEI as the new Agriculture Minister replacing Kody Blois. The hosts express mixed feelings about the appointment, noting MacDonald's farming background as a positive sign. They also analyze Chrystia Freeland's surprising role as Transportation Minister and its implications for agricultural logistics.Another highlight includes the new interprovincial trade deal between Manitoba and Ontario, which aims to reduce trade barriers. Charlebois emphasizes that such provincial initiatives will drive meaningful change, not federal promises, potentially opening new markets for small and medium-sized food producers currently limited by licensing requirements.The hosts then discuss American food inflation dropping from 3% to 2.8% despite tariffs, questioning why U.S. consumers haven't experienced price increases despite trade restrictions with Canada, China, and Mexico.The feature interview with Adam Grogan reveals Maple Leaf Foods' transformation beyond being merely a protein company. Grogan describes the organization as a "CPG powerhouse" with numerous brands, including Tender Flake lard, Sunrise, Larson, Burns, Mitchell's, Schneiders, Prime poultry, and Greenfield natural meats. He also discusses their $1 billion investment in processing facilities in London, Winnipeg, and Brampton to enhance global competitiveness.On plant-based proteins, Grogan shares a nuanced perspective, noting they are "the largest share of refrigerated plant protein in North America" with three dedicated brands and manufacturing plants. While acknowledging recent market challenges, he remains optimistic about the future, citing changing consumer preferences and Canada's position as the world's largest producer of pulses and legumes.Sustainability forms a cornerstone of their strategy, with Grogan stating, "Animal production is one of the largest emitters of carbon anywhere, and big food needs to do more." Maple Leaf Foods was the first Canadian company to align with science-based targets from the Paris Agreement and the first major food company to declare carbon neutrality in 2019.The episode concludes with discussions on Newfoundland's ineffective sugar tax, which has collected $30 million without changing consumption patterns, and the controversial government-funded Aspire Foods cricket farm in London that recently entered receivership despite $9 million in public funding.This episode offers valuable insights into Canadian food policy, sustainable protein production, and the evolution of one of Canada's largest food companies under progressive leadership. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In this episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis begin by dissecting the week's most important retail news, highlighting the Trump administration's UK trade deal. They discuss the more consequential negotiations with China befor examining how Chinese e-commerce giants Temu and Shein are experiencing sales drops of 17% and 23% respectively after implementing pricing changes.April's surprising 7% jump in US core retail sales indicates consumers are pulling forward purchases ahead of expected tariff impacts. The hosts discusss positive earnings news from Tapestry (Coach's parent company), which increased profit guidance despite economic uncertainty, and Warby Parker, which delivered its first profitable quarter in its history. They conclude the news segment with Skechers' unexpected $9 billion acquisition by private equity firm 3G Capital, noting that the footwear giant operates in 180 countries with 5,300 stores.The interview segment features Josh Friedman, Senior Vice President of Digital and E-commerce at Ulta Beauty. Friedman brings extensive experience from previous roles at Dell, JCPenney, and Neiman Marcus. He discusses Ulta's 35-year journey and upcoming expansion into Mexico and the Middle East, emphasizing their mission to be "all things beauty, all in one place."When asked about Ulta's success factors, Friedman points to three key elements: comprehensive brand assortment, their powerful loyalty program with 44 million members, and Ulta's collaborative company culture. Personalization is a major focus for Ulta, built on their loyalty program foundation. Friedman explains how Ulta leverages search and virtual try-on technology to help deliver relevant customer experiences. Under new CEO Kecia Steelman Ulta is recalibrating its structure and focus. Friedman shares details about their upcoming curated marketplace launch, emphasizing it will be invitation-only and focused on carefully selected beauty and wellness brands that complement their existing offerings. The marketplace will allow Ulta to test new products and extend into additional categories while maintaining quality control.  Here is a 10% off code for the CommerceNext Growth Show exclusive to Remarkable Retail listeners: REMARKABLE. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

  We are continuing our series of podcasts called “Pediatric Sport Medicine Profiles.” We all know there have been some significantly instrumental individuals who have been influential in this landscape whether it be training many of us, people who have completed critical research, those who […]

01.Another Soul - The Last Horizon (Outro & New Beginning) [Calisto Records] 02.Leblanc - Girei (Pain's Theme remix) [LeBlanc] 03.HumanEgo - Between Here and Wherever You Go (Original Mix) [Protagonist Recordings] 04.Eklektone - Breath (Original Mix) [Polyptych Limited] 05.Triart - Memoria (Original Mix) [widerworks] 06.ENØS - Celesta (Original Mix) [Sequence Music] 07.James Trystan & Steve Glass - Equilibrium (Original Mix) [Siona Records] 08.Y do I - Carmina Burana Remix (Techno of the Opera) [Trippy Code] 09.Fireblast - Black Sky (Original Mix) [Freegrant Music] 10.Mila Journée, Hoax (BE) - Vengeance (Original Mix) [Simulate Recordings] 11.TH;EN - Canicatti (Original Mix) [Simulate Recordings] 12.Mariz - Together (RIKO & GUGGA Remix) [Transensations Records]

  We are continuing our series of podcasts called “Pediatric Sport Medicine Profiles.” We all know there have been some significantly instrumental individuals who have been influential in this landscape whether it be training many of us, people who have completed critical research, those who have been leaders of major organizations, or were just trailblazers in the profession. Today I'm excited as we are profiling our first woman in this series on the podcast and someone with a unique practice.    Connect with The Host! Subscribe to This Podcast Now!     The ultimate success for every podcaster – is FEEDBACK! Be sure to take just a few minutes to tell the hosts of this podcast what YOU think over at Apple Podcasts! It takes only a few minutes but helps the hosts of this program pave the way to future greatness! Not an Apple Podcasts user? No problem! Be sure to check out any of the other many growing podcast directories online to find this and many other podcasts via The Podcaster Matrix!     Housekeeping -- Get the whole story about Dr. Mark and his launch into this program, by listing to his "101" episode that'll get you educated, caught up and in tune with the Doctor that's in the podcast house! Listen Now! -- Interested in being a Guest on The Pediatric Sports Medicine Podcast? Connect with Mark today!   Links from this Episode: -- Dr. Mark Halstead: On the Web -- On X  -- Dr. Claire LeBlanc https://www.mcgill.ca/peds/claire-ma-leblanc -- American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness https://www.aap.org/en/community/aap-councils/council-on-sports-medicine-and-fitness/   Calls to the Audience Inside this Episode: -- Be sure to interact with the host, send detailed feedback via our customized form and connect via ALL of our social media platforms! Do that over here now! -- Interested in being a guest inside The Pediatric Sports Medicine Podcast with Dr. Mark? Tell us now! -- Ready to share your business, organization or efforts message with Dr. Mark's focused audience? Let's have a chat! -- Do you have feedback you'd like to share with Dr. Mark from this episode? Share YOUR perspective!   Be an Advertiser/Sponsor for This Program!     Tell Us What You Think! Feedback is the cornerstone and engine of all great podcast. Be sure to chime in with your thoughts, perspective sand more.  Share your insight and experiences with Dr. Mark by clicking here!   The Host of this Program: Mark Halstead:  Dr. Mark Halstead received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. He stayed at the University of Wisconsin for his pediatric residency, followed by a year as the chief resident. Following residency, he completed a pediatric and adult sports medicine fellowship at Vanderbilt University. He has been an elected member to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and the Board of Directors of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM). He has served as a team physician or medical consultant to numerous high schools, Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, Washington University, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Athletica, and St. Louis Rams. He serves and has served on many local, regional and national committees as an advisor for sports medicine and concussions. Dr. Halstead is a national recognized expert in sport-related concussions and pediatric sports medicine. — Dr. Mark Halstead on Facebook — Dr. Mark Halstead on LinkedIn — Dr. Mark Halstead on X — Learn Why The Pediatric Sports Medicine Podcast Exists...   The Guest Featured Inside this Program: Claire LeBlanc Dr. Claire LeBlanc completed her undergraduate education at the University of Kings College and received her medical ...

Assistant très jeune d'OsamuTezuka, « le Dieu du manga », Shôtarô Ishinomori porte quant à lui lacouronne de « roi du manga ». Pourquoi ? Parce qu'il est ledétenteur -Guiness Book Record- du plus grand nombre de planches de BDdessinées dans une vie (il a créé 770 séries, qui dit mieux ?) et que ce génie,décédé prématurément à l'âge de 60 ans, en 1998, a touché tous els genres dumanga : la SF, le Shojo, le Seinen, la BD documentaire, innovant souventdans ces domaines : on lui doit aussi bien un précis d'économie en Mangaqu'une Histoire du Japon ou un biopic du peintre Katsuhika Hokusaï. ClaudeLeblanc, déjà l'auteur d'un ouvrage sur la revue Garô très remarqué, nousraconte tout cela dans ce podcast et cela donne furieusement envie de lire seslivres, publiés par le label IMHO.Une production ActuaBD.com - Interview : Kelian Nguyen -Montage : Merwan Bouchouari — Photo : Kelian Nguyen - Musique : We March Together — Courtesy of Patrick Patrikios — Youtube Audio Library

In this timely episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc welcomes back frequent guest and audience favorite Ira Kalish, Chief Global and US Economist for Deloitte, who is set to deliver the opening keynote address at Retail Council of Canada's STORE2025 conference on June 3rd. This conversation offers listeners a valuable preview of the critical economic insights Canadian retailers can expect from his highly anticipated keynote.As LeBlanc notes in the introduction, "I'm very excited that you're going to be here in person," highlighting the significance of Kalish's upcoming role in kicking off RCC's flagship event during this period of economic uncertainty. The episode serves as an essential primer for conference attendees and provides crucial analysis for all retail professionals navigating today's complex trade environment.Drawing on his deep economic expertise, Kalish reveals that average US tariff rates have skyrocketed to approximately 27% - levels not seen since 1903. This represents a dramatic increase from the previous 3-3.5% rates and has triggered significant financial market volatility, supply chain disruptions, and growing concerns about economic downturns - all topics he'll address more extensively in his STORE2025 presentation.The conversation tackles three major justifications for the new tariff approach: shifting from taxes to tariffs for revenue generation, rebalancing global trade priorities, and re-shoring manufacturing. Kalish systematically challenges these rationales, providing a preview of the economic framework he'll expand upon during his conference keynote.Particularly concerning for retailers planning to attend STORE2025, Kalish highlights data showing container shipments from China to the US are down 45% year-over-year, as importers either find tariffs too prohibitive or wait for potential policy reversals. This disruption threatens empty store shelves and significantly higher consumer prices in the immediate future - urgent challenges that will undoubtedly be central to his opening address.Continuing themes he'll develop further at the conference, the discussion also explores non-tariff barriers, currency manipulation accusations, and the possibility of regional "fortress" trading blocs. While Kalish doesn't foresee complete regionalization of trade, he notes that many countries are now working to reduce US trade dependence by liberalizing trade with each other.On a more optimistic note, the conversation concludes by examining how this trade crisis might catalyze positive economic reforms in Canada - a topic that will resonate strongly with the Canadian retail executives gathering at STORE2025.Listeners are encouraged to follow Kalish's weekly economic updates on Deloitte's thought leadership website at deloitte.com/insights, while also making plans to attend his must-see opening keynote at Retail Council of Canada's STORE2025 conference on June 1st, where he'll provide expanded insights on these rapidly evolving economic developments.  Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

On the phone-in: Bird expert, Diane Leblanc, answers listeners' questions about birds in the Maritimes. And off the top of the show, we speak with the CBC's Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon. She provides an update on the so-called mystery neurological disorder in NB. Some new research concludes some patients suffered from other known diseases.

In Season 5, Episode 35 of The Food Professor podcast, co-hosts Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois deliver an information-packed episode with significant developments in both personal and industry news.Sylvain Charlebois opens with a major announcement about joining Texas A&M University on August 1st to lead their #1-ranked Masters in Agribusiness program while maintaining his position at Dalhousie University. Speaking from Saskatoon, Sylvain shares insights about his keynote on AI in the food business and briefly touches on the political climate following recent Canadian election results.The second Canadian Food Sentiment Index reveals continued concerns about food inflation, with many consumers pessimistically expecting double-digit inflation rates. The report highlights growing consumer trust in independent grocers, likely driven by the strengthening Buy Local movement. Sylvain notes that grocery retailers like Loblaw are becoming more transparent about strategic challenges they face.The featured interview showcases an in-depth in-person conversation live at SIAL Canada between Sylvain and Gilles Froment, Senior Vice President of Government Relations at Lactalis and President of the International Dairy Federation (IDF), marking the podcast's first solo interview by Sylvain in five years.Froment, only the third Canadian to head the IDF in its 120-year history, explains the organization's role in establishing global dairy standards through its network of 1,200 experts worldwide. The discussion covers critical industry topics including the challenges of plant-based alternatives using dairy terminology, global dairy demand outpacing supply, and the projection of a significant global milk shortage by 2030—potentially equivalent to three times Canada's annual production.Both experts agree this shortage represents a missed opportunity for Canada due to supply management limitations, despite the country's excellent reputation for dairy quality and safety standards. The conversation also explores sustainability challenges facing the dairy industry, with Froment detailing his four-pillar approach: economic sustainability, social impact, environmental responsibility, and nutritional value.Climate change initiatives discussed include carbon sequestration research, genetic selection for lower methane-emitting cows, and the controversy surrounding feed additives. Froment emphasizes the need for carbon measurement at farm level and incentive-based approaches rather than punitive taxation.The episode concludes with Michael and Sylvain discussing Weight Watchers' bankruptcy filing—attributed to the rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs—and Tim Hortons' new partnership with Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, debating whether this celebrity endorsement will effectively attract their target demographic of younger women to the coffee chain.. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In the latest episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis continue their conversation with retail media expert Andrew Lipsman, founder and chief analyst at Media, Ads and Commerce, exploring the evolution and future of retail media networks.The episode kicks off with an in-depth news segment covering significant economic developments. The hosts discuss the recent GDP drop in the US, which they note is primarily driven by increased imports and inventory buildup as retailers front-loaded inventory ahead of tariff implementations. They analyze the recent disconnect between poor consumer confidence numbers and actual retail spending patterns. The hosts also examine tech company earnings, with most reporting strong results except for Apple, which is facing challenges related to tariffs and China exposure. Apple's response to tariffs—shifting manufacturing to India and Vietnam rather than the US—highlights unintended consequences of the trade policies. The news segment concludes with a discussion of Amazon's earnings and the surprising termination of Kohl's CEO Ashley Buchanan over an improper vendor relationship.In the interview segment with Andrew Lipsman, the conversation centers on the mechanics of successful retail media networks and future trends. Lipsman explains his concept of the "retail media flywheel," noting that when this flywheel takes off, it produces exponential rather than linear growth. He emphasizes that while Amazon pioneered this approach, other retailers can build their own flywheels tailored to their specific assets.A significant portion of the discussion addresses concerns about whether retail media might compromise customer experience. Lipsman acknowledges this concern but believes it can be managed with thoughtful execution and relevant advertising. He points to Trader Joe's as an interesting counterexample—a retailer explicitly rejecting retail media to focus on merchandising excellence.For retailers considering or developing retail media networks, Lipsman advises realistic expectations, particularly for mid-size and smaller players who may benefit more from joining aggregated networks rather than building walled gardens. He cautions that many retailers overvalue their first-party data and underestimate what's needed to monetize it effectively.Looking to the future, Lipsman predicts that while on-site search advertising will continue to drive significant revenue, the big growth opportunities lie in streaming TV advertising and in-store media. He estimates in-store advertising represents a potential $20-40 billion opportunity, noting that physical stores account for about 5% of all media time spent but currently capture only 0.1% of ad spending. While acknowledging implementation challenges, he points to successful examples outside the US, particularly in the UK and Asia, as evidence of the model's viability. YouTube episode Photo by Nathan Cima on Unsplash Here is a 10% off code for the CommerceNext Growth Show exclusive to Remarkable Retail listeners: REMARKABLE. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Who would have thought our jokes about everyone being LeBlanc would end up being so...accurate? At this point, we all just need to admit The Loreheads are amazing at predicting the future. We're loving LeBlanc as a villain here and can't wait to see how much she's gonna mess up Runeterra. At least some of her plans aren't failing! -------- WE HAVE MERCH!bit.ly/loreheadmerch Twitter! twitter.com/loreheads Discord! https://t.co/o21E0W4C8z?amp=1 Twitch! twitch.tv/loreheads Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leagueofloreheads Song Title | Dragon Trainer TristanaArtist | League of LegendsCourtesy of Riot Games https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/news/community/riot-music-creator-safe-guidelines/Image by Yuri_B from Pixabay - book with sparkles

Author and returning guest, Toby LeBlanc joined me to talk about his collection of short stories. Set 50 years in the future, in Louisiana. We spoke about place, culture, geography, the past and more. Enjoy!Find out more about Toby here:https://www.tobyleblancauthor.comIf you like what we do, you might consider buying us a coffee. You can do so here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/booklovercom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/bookcompanion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ You can also support us via Paypal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bookcompanion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/bookcompanion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us: Web: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://book-lovers-companion.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/book_companion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ez.fiction.7/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/book_companion/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6vyAyrh3zzsxNeexfyU0uA⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Feedback is always welcome: bookcompanioncontact@gmail.com Music: English Country Garden by Aaron KennyVideo Link: https://youtu.be/mDcADD4oS5E

In this episode of The Moss Report, Ben Moss sits down with Dr. Ralph Moss to explore the science of resveratrol, a powerful plant compound found in these two everyday foods. Discover why low doses may be more effective than you think, how synergy between natural compounds supports health, and what the latest research says about cancer stem cells. Listen now and pour yourself a glass of insight. “Fill up that self-help space with scientifically documented ways to reduce your cancer risk.” – Dr. Ralph W. Moss

n Season 5 of The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois take listeners inside the bustling SIAL Food Innovation Show in Toronto, bringing fresh insights on global food trends and the shifting dynamics of agri-food trade. The episode kicks off with their live reflections on the show floor, surrounded by global exhibitors from Brazil, Peru, Jamaica, and Italy. They note a growing demand for diverse flavors and ethnic cuisines, as well as a strategic pivot by companies to balance foodservice and retail sales post-pandemic.Sylvain highlights how COVID reshaped supply chains, pushing businesses to avoid overreliance on single sectors and prompting innovations that blur lines between restaurant and retail offerings. They discuss ongoing tariff challenges, food inflation stabilizing, and the complex impact of retaliatory tariffs on Canadian importers and exporters.Shifting gears, the duo analyze Canada's post-election political landscape, unpacking what Mark Carney's new government could mean for agri-food policy, carbon taxation, and Canada's trade relationships with the U.S. and Mexico. They speculate about potential reforms to supply management and agri-stability programs, while exploring Western Canadian frustrations over political representation and federal agricultural policy.The second half features an exclusive interview with Martin Lavoie, President & CEO of Groupe Export Agroalimentaire Québec-Canada, Canada's largest agri-food export association. Martin shares how his organization supports over 450 Quebec food exporters through trade shows, market intelligence, and export services. He explains how diversification strategies are evolving amid global tariff volatility, why intra-Canada trade holds untapped potential, and how government procurement could boost domestic food producers.Martin also addresses the challenges of breaking into international markets like Europe, where food economies remain hyper-local, while noting rising demand in Asia and Mexico. He underscores the importance of reducing interprovincial trade barriers to unlock growth and reveals the criteria behind Group Export's annual Export Gala awards.Wrapping up, Michael and Sylvain reflect on Michael Medline's upcoming retirement from Sobeys, discussing his leadership legacy and impact on the grocer's national growth and industry advocacy. They also celebrate T&T's continued U.S. expansion and the launch of Loblaws' Maxi stores outside Quebec.Tune in for expert insights on the evolving agri-food export landscape, retail's competitive shifts, and the policies shaping Canada's food industry future. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In Season 10, Episode 16 of the Remarkable Retail Podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis open with a deep dive into the latest turbulence in the retail world. They tackle the U.S. administration's wobbly trade policies, slowing home sale, and rising inventory risks stemming from ongoing tariffs. They also dissect challenges facing the luxury sector, with Kering posting disappointing numbers and growing concerns around the Saks/Neiman Marcus deal amid financial instability. Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble bucks the trend, announcing 60 new stores in 2025, reinforcing that physical retail remains far from dead.The second half of the episode features a compelling live interview from Shoptalk in Las Vegas with Neil Tenzer, Vice President, Customer Loyalty, Insights and Engagement at Tractor Supply Company (TSC). Neil provides a masterclass in building a robust loyalty program with real impact. He shares his unique journey—from a Nordstrom associate to a strategy consultant to a senior executive at TSC—and how these experiences shape his approach to customer engagement.Neil walks through the evolution of Tractor Supply's Neighbors Club, which now boasts over 39 million members and accounts for 80% of company revenue. He highlights how spending time on customers' properties—understanding their lives firsthand—informs everything from reward program design to personalization strategy. Neil also discusses how TSC thinks differently about loyalty economics: rather than banking on reward breakage, they aim for full reward utilization to deepen customer engagement.Listeners get a firsthand look at TSC's approach to micro-segmentation, omnichannel loyalty, and personalization efforts that bridge online and in-store experiences. Neil offers insights into experimental tactics, the application of agentic AI for personalization, and the cultural commitment at TSC to putting the customer first—literally in every loyalty and personalization decision. The episode closes with Neil's advice to fellow retailers. About NeilNeil Tenzer is Vice President of Customer Loyalty, Insights & Engagement at Tractor Supply Co. where he is privileged to lead the Neighbor's Club - one of the largest and fastest growing loyalty programs in retail! With 38+ M members and $12+ B in sales, the program leverages robust analytics and data science to connect each customer with the most compelling marketing and uniquely relevant offers. Neil has 20 years of experience employing data and analytics to lead multinational organizations through growth and turnaround strategy across the healthcare, consumer, and retail spaces. Neil holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Economics from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Oxford. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

So we're a bit behind on coming up with predictions, but at least this way we have a jumping off point. Do we think most of these are going to happen? No, but I'm confident that at least one will. The void event! obviously. -------------- WE HAVE MERCH!bit.ly/loreheadmerch Twitter! twitter.com/loreheads Discord! https://t.co/o21E0W4C8z?amp=1 Twitch! twitch.tv/loreheads Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leagueofloreheads Song Title | Dragon Trainer TristanaArtist | League of LegendsCourtesy of Riot Games https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/news/community/riot-music-creator-safe-guidelines/Image by Yuri_B from Pixabay - book with sparkles

In this compelling episode of The Voice of Retail, I sit down again and catch up with Emma May, Founder of SophieGrace, a Calgary-based fashion brand transforming professional womenswear with modular, machine-washable designs. With a diverse background spanning law, politics, and real estate, Emma shares the origin story of SophieGrace, born from her frustration with the lack of cohesive, high-quality wardrobe options for professional women.Emma discusses how her brand serves an underserved segment—professional women who want elegant, coordinated, and comfortable clothing without the hassle of traditional shopping. She highlights how SophieGrace's clean design ethos and product quality have created an extremely loyal customer base across North America, including legal professionals, political leaders, and C-suite executives.We dive into the business model, including the online-first strategy supported by two physical showrooms in Calgary and Vancouver and Emma's growing interest in experiential retail through pop-ups and client-hosted events. She details how organic, word-of-mouth growth—amplified by strategic community events like wine-and-shop nights hosted by senior partners and wealth managers—has been central to building the brand's reputation.Emma also opens up about the operational and strategic challenges of manufacturing. Originally sourcing from China for scalability, SophieGrace explored Canadian production, only to be forced to return offshore after losing a key domestic supplier. Despite these hurdles, product quality and innovation remain front and center—stretch silk blouses and capsule drops ensure her customers return again and again.The conversation turns to current trade policy headwinds. With 30% of sales once coming from the U.S., Emma unpacks how the elimination of de minimis exemptions and looming tariffs—potentially exceeding 100%—have derailed her expansion plans. The result: a pivot back to Canadian growth and exploring new frontiers, including potential wholesale opportunities and a European launch.Emma's journey is a masterclass in entrepreneurial grit, customer-driven design, and navigating global trade complexity with agility. Whether you're a fashion entrepreneur, policy wonk, or retail strategist, this episode delivers a wealth of insights into building a brand with purpose and scalability in 2025's challenging retail environment. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In Season 5, Episode 33 of The Food Professor Podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois deliver a dynamic episode split between urgent food policy news and an in-depth interview with Jake Karls, Co-Founder and Chief Rainmaker of the powerhouse better-for-you brand Mid-Day Squares.Kicking off with the news segment, Sylvain and Michael break down Canada's approaching election and the glaring lack of meaningful agricultural policy across party platforms. While the NDP pushes for price freezes and a windfall tax on grocers, the Liberals and Conservatives offer little in the way of innovation or supply chain resilience. The hosts also tackle the impact of Ottawa's retaliatory tariffs, which drive food inflation and force Canadian grocers to de-Americanize sourcing. This effort comes with significant costs to consumers. They also discuss the potential discontinuation of the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup and the increasing scrutiny of petroleum-based food dyes like Red #40, calling science and public perception into question.The second half features an electrifying interview with Jake Karls, who updates listeners on Mid-Day Squares' journey since his last appearance. From humble condo kitchens beginning to producing over 130,000 chocolate bars daily, Jake shares how building an in-house manufacturing facility—rather than relying on co-packers—enabled product consistency, brand authenticity, and rapid scaling. He dives into the challenges of being a media-first company, the evolution of its storytelling strategy, and its pivot into new product categories beyond chocolate.Jake opens up about battling cocoa price surges, securing supply chains, and staying BRC-certified. He also previews Mid-Day Squares' upcoming expansion to triple output capacity, pushing the brand toward $225 million in potential revenue. The conversation closes on a powerful note about the importance of storytelling in entrepreneurship and building brand trust at scale.Whether you're a CPG entrepreneur, policy wonk, or retail trend-watcher, this episode offers an unfiltered look at macro-level food system dynamics and the bold entrepreneurial journey reshaping the snack aisle across North America. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In the latest episode of the Remarkable Retail podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis deliver a powerhouse episode split between urgent retail news and a highly anticipated interview with returning guest Andrew Lipsman, Founder & Chief Analyst Media, Ads + Commerce, one of the world's foremost authorities on retail media networks.The episode opens with a comprehensive review of the week's most pressing economic developments. The retail industry faces mounting challenges as tariffs continue to disrupt supply chains and pricing strategies. Cross-border tourism is in sharp decline—down 37% from Canada alone—impacting major cities like New York, Miami, and San Francisco. Chair of the Federal Reserve Jay Powell warned that proposed tariffs could trigger slower growth and higher inflation, further rattling markets.The retail response? Stockpiling. Sales of big-ticket items like furniture and autos are surging as consumers rush to beat looming price hikes. Shein and Temu are already raising prices and cutting back on U.S. advertising, signalling early effects of lost de minimis exemptions. Meanwhile, luxury brands such as Hermès are increasing prices. The news also covers Ulta's paused Target expansion, sluggish leasing activity in retail real estate, and IKEA's increasing bet on small-format stores.Shifting gears, the second half of the episode features the first part of an in-depth conversation with Andrew Lipsman, who offers a masterclass on the growth and complexity of retail media networks. Andrew traces the emergence of retail media as the “third wave” of digital advertising—following search (Google) and social (Meta)—and explains how closed-loop measurement and first-party data are transforming the economics of media buying.He explores how retail media isn't just stealing share from traditional platforms but unlocking new advertiser segments, particularly among third-party sellers and challenger brands. Andrew also tackles common criticisms, including the effectiveness of point-of-purchase ads and the often-misunderstood ROAS metric.With retailers like Amazon and Walmart now generating billions in high-margin revenue through media, Andrew argues that retail media is not just an ancillary channel — it's fast becoming a core growth engine.This episode is a must-listen for retailers, marketers, and media professionals seeking clarity on the headwinds of today's economy and the structural shifts reshaping the future of retail. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In this episode of the no BS podcast, we explore the intersection of co-living and short-term rentals with guests Cliff Johnson and Atticus LeBlanc. The discussion delves into the benefits of co-living, the flexibility and financial empowerment it offers, and its role in addressing affordable housing issues. Atticus shares his journey into creating PadSplit, including his experiences with real estate investment and the evolution of the co-living model. Cliff adds insights from his extensive background in vacation rentals and highlights how co-living can complement the short-term rental market. The episode also covers regulatory challenges, the potential for commercial property conversions, and the community support PadSplit provides to both investors and residents.PadSplit https://www.padsplit.com/Episode Highlights:00:00 Introduction to the No BS Podcast00:57 Diving into Co-Living and Short-Term Rentals02:31 Atticus LeBlanc's Journey and Vision07:19 The Birth of PadSplit13:10 PadSplit's Impact and Future20:41 Challenges and Misconceptions21:33 Regulatory Clarifications and Affordable Housing24:15 Addressing Misconceptions About Co-Living26:15 Making Co-Living Easy and Effective28:19 Community and Peer Support in Co-Living34:31 Scaling and Future Prospects of PadSplit35:29 Innovative Housing Solutions and Conversions40:34 Empowerment and Community Impact41:39 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

On this encore episode, I sit down with a colleague from back in my work on the brand side, Craig Baxter, Group President of Techtronic Industries Canada Inc., part of a global 13 billion dollar powerhouse tool house of brands that includes Milwaukee, Ryobi, andHoover. In a wide-ranging and engaging conversation, Craig talks about radical innovation, retail go-to-market strategy, leadership for growth, and the epic come-from-behind marketplace win for his Milwaukee brand of power tools as the sixth horse in a five-horse race.  About CraigSixteen years ago, I was given the opportunity to become the president of TTi Canada; a world class leader in design, manufacturing, and marketing of power tools and accessories, outdoor product equipment and floor care for consumers, professional and industrial users in the home improvement, repair, and construction industries.Since then, I have had the privilege of working alongside a team of outstanding performers who share the same belief in setting audacious goals and holding ourselves accountable to deliver those goals while continuing to cultivate a best in class working environment.Along with our unrelenting strategic focus on powerful brands, innovative products, operational excellence, and exceptional people, we strive to continuously build upon a corporate culture where our employees can realize more and more of their abundant potential. What inspires me, is seeing people striving to do great work and growing into the best version of themselves. By continuously improving our culture through all of our success we have further leveraged our biggest differentiator as a company, and that is something I am very proud of.“Show class, have pride, and display character. And if you do, winning takes care of itself” – Bear Bryant Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

The episode kicks off with breaking economic news: while Canada's overall inflation slowed to 2.3% in March, food inflation surged to a staggering 3.2%—a monthly jump not seen since 1983. Sylvain attributes the spike to Ottawa's counter-tariffs, rising ingredient costs, and shifting sourcing strategies as Canadian grocers de-Americanize their supply chains. This backdrop leads into a discussion on recent Caddle research indicating that 61% of Canadians are willing to pay more for local products—an unprecedented level of national loyalty that presents both opportunity and urgency for domestic producers.Listeners also get a sneak peek at the upcoming release of the Canadian Food Sentiment Index, sponsored by MNP, which shows growing trust in Canada's food industry. Michael and Sylvain then pivot to the controversial topic of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, raising critical questions about childhood obesity, pharmaceutical influence, and the implications for food industry giants like Nestlé and Mondelez.The second half of the episode features Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech Invest and host of two sustainability-focused podcasts. Elysabeth unpacks how her ETF invests in publicly traded companies that are accelerating food systems transformation—emphasizing impact, liquidity, and innovation over startup hype. She shares candid takes on the realities of lab-grown meat, the risks of insect protein, and why countries like Singapore and Israel are leading the charge in food security and innovation.Elysabeth also weighs in on the role of policy, pointing to rising geopolitical instability and trade tensions—especially in the U.S.—as a catalyst for investment in food innovation. From precision fermentation to biosecurity risks, she outlines why now is the time for bold moves in food tech and ESG investing.With both news and expert insights, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the forces reshaping what we grow, invest in, and consume.About Elysabeth Elysabeth Alfano is the CEO of  VegTech™ Invest , the Advisor to a publicly traded Food Innovation ETF.  Run by sector experts, VegTech™ Invest drives capital to those companies innovating for a resilient, sustainable and less damaging food supply system through its educational tools and financial product. It, thus, positively impacts Climate Change and biodiversity loss.Elysabeth is an expert in investing in food systems transformation and speaks internationally on the intersection of investing, sustainability, and our global food supply system. She has spoken at the U.N. Global Leaders Compact Summit, the United Nations Climate Change Summit, SXSW, COP27 and COP28, Yale University and Northwestern University, several Bloomberg Intelligence events and has done a myriad of TV interviews including Bloomberg TV and Ameritrade TV. Elysabeth began her career with Kellogg Company working on Special K and Frosted Mini-Wheats before acting as Chief Investment Officer for a small family office. A graduate of Northwestern University and the Thunderbird School of Global Management, Elysabeth consults and advises C-Suite Executives on the sustainable food industry landscape, direction and whitespaces.  Lastly, Elysabeth hosts the  Plantbased Business Hour , a podcast which features the CEOs and business leaders in the industry.  The Plantbased Business Hour is considered “The Gold Standard” for those who want to understand, participate in, and capitalize on the growing Plant-based Innovation sector. She is the voice of sustainability in the invment community hosting the Upside & Impact: Investing for Change on Advisorpedia.Elysabeth contributes to ESG Clarity, WGN Radio, Vegconomist Magazine, CAIA, ETFCentral.com Advisorpedia and FinTechTV on a regular basis. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre's Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In Season 10, Episode 14 of the Remarkable Retail podcast, co-hosts Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc deliver a jam-packed episode that blends sharp commentary on today's global retail turbulence with a thoughtful five-year retrospective on Steve's landmark retail strategy book, Remarkable Retail.The first half of the episode centers on the mounting global trade tensions, specifically the deepening tariff war between the U.S. and China. Steve breaks down the financial ripple effects of Trump's temporary tariff pause, from bond market volatility to persistent inflationary pressure. Despite a temporary reprieve, tariffs remain four times higher than pre-war levels, impacting major retail players like Nike, RH, and Lululemon. Smaller retailers are particularly vulnerable, lacking the scale and capital to weather uncertainty.The hosts also tackle other pressing news stories: consumer confidence plummeting, the fallout from the looming de minimis policy change affecting Chinese factory-direct models like Temu and Shein, and the ripple effect this may have on Canadian exporters to the U.S. They highlight luxury retail turbulence as Prada acquires Versace and Saks Global—parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus—faces vendor shipment cutoffs and empty shelves as seen in a Las Vegas store visti. A brief silver lining emerges in Dallas, where a threatened Neiman Marcus flagship gets a temporary lifeline.The second half of the episode is a deep dive into Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption, five years after its original release and four years since the COVID-updated second edition. Steve reflects on what inspired him to write the book—observing the collapse of retail's middle and the rise of bifurcation—and how the Eight Essentials framework continues to shape thinking in the industry. He shares which essentials remain relevant, which are now mere table stakes, and why “radical” as a term can be misinterpreted.Steve and Michael explore whether new tech, especially AI, can level the playing field—or merely amplify the advantages of already powerful retailers. Steve hints that if there were ever to be a third edition, it would put more emphasis on human-centered retail and leadership adaptability. The episode closes with reflections on the podcast's role as an evolving extension of the book, helping retail leaders stay agile and ahead in a rapidly shifting marketplace.Here is a 10% off code for the CommerceNext Growth Show exclusive to Remarkable Retail listeners: REMARKABLE. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

'The Reality of Being First on Set for The Handmaid's Tale' with Burton LeBlanc – 3X Emmy | 4X Guild | MET Fashion Award Nominated Makeup Artist | Dept Head | Designer for The Handmaid's Tale

'Looking Back on the Early Days of The Handmaid's Tale' with Burton LeBlanc – Makeup Artist | Dept Head | Designer for The Handmaid's Tale

The corrupt Boston Media, know your rights at public meeting, former Methuen Town Manager  Bob  Leblanc arrested for Child rape, the bogus scandal in Lawrence about the mayor supposedly threatening a firefighters job, more!

Nick Leblanc joins us to talk about meet and beat prep, just casually rebuilding a th400, breaking ax15, sm465 and gets Graham going. Just a casual reminder the Trail trash meet and beat is only 3 weeks away.

In this enlightening episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc interviews Anabel Maldonado, Founder and CEO of PSYKHE AI, a company at the forefront of using psychographic intelligence and generative AI to transform the future of e-commerce merchandising. With a rich background that spans neuropsychology and luxury fashion—having worked with the founding team of Net-a-Porter—Anabel brings a unique perspective to the conversation about personalization, retail AI, and customer behavior.Anabel describes how PSYKHE AI solves a persistent problem in digital retail: ineffective, one-size-fits-all recommendation engines. Traditional AI personalization relies heavily on transactional history and assumes repetitive buying behavior. PSYKHE AI instead integrates the Big Five personality traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism—to determine what products emotionally resonate with users. The result is a real-time, per-user merchandising engine that reorders product pages based on deep learning and aesthetic psychology.Anabel explains that these psychographic insights allow PSYKHE AI to move beyond surface-level recommendations. Rather than bombarding consumers with lookalike products or static best-sellers, the platform dynamically surfaces items that feel uniquely “them”—even across unrelated categories like fashion, fragrance, and home décor. The system learns from user behavior and product interaction without relying on surveys or manual input, enabling meaningful personalization that adapts over time.The platform is particularly suited for large-scale, multi-brand retailers where product discovery is a challenge. PSYKHE AI delivers significant improvements in metrics such as conversion rate, time to transaction, and revenue per visitor, reporting uplifts between 17% and 35% through continuous A/B testing.Retailers with at least 50,000 monthly unique visitors and a product catalog with depth (four or more pages in key categories) are the ideal partners. As AI adoption accelerates, Anabel urges retailers to close the cultural gap between tech teams and merchants by embracing tools that reflect the emotional complexity of consumer decision-making.For those looking to stay ahead of the curve in retail innovation, this episode offers a compelling look at how emotional intelligence and AI can come together to redefine product discovery in e-commerce.   Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

On today's episode, Kyle and Jillian sit down with former Union II Head Coach Marlon LeBlanc. They discuss his early influences in coaching and his transition from Penn State to West Virginia University. His importance of development as a means to winning. He also reflects on his recent experience coaching the U18 national team in Spain and his son Kellan's journey and development in soccer.Make sure to subscribe or follow, and please interact with us; we love to hear from you!• Twitter: @totwag• Facebook/Instagram: theoneteamweagreeon (all one word)• We are now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.• Check out our website: www.theoneteamweagreeon.com#DOOP #SOCCER #MLS #MLSOCCER #PHILLY #PHILADELPHIAUNION

In this episode I had a really cool and interesting chat with Joey LeBlanc from Louisiana. Joey went on his first African safari back in 2024 and decided to opt for the unconventional way of hunting by taking his handgun on the trip.   Although not new to the industry, handgun hunting in South Africa is still relatively uncommon amongst first time hunters to Africa. Joey is a really cool guy and he shared everything about his adventure from setting up the correct loads for his gun, too practicing on the range and finally putting it all to the test in Africa.   Below is the link to Joey's article where you can learn a little more about his adventure to the Dark Continent.   Joeys Article ----> https://handgunhuntingafield.blog/2024/09/26/the-stars-align-by-joey-leblanc/   If you are enjoying these episodes, do me a favor and leave a Review & Rating on Apple Podcast and Spotify.   Cheers    

The episode, recorded live at Shoptalk in the Berns Communications Group media room, opens with Steve Dennis and Michael LeBlanc surveying a broad sweep of headline-grabbing developments in the retail world. They highlight continued uncertainty around recently imposed tariffs and resulting economic ripples, as major international trade disputes stoke inflationary concerns. Stock market volatility factors heavily into the conversation, with the co-hosts noting how certain retail sectors—particularly home furnishings and high-end goods—may feel the pinch as shoppers tighten budgets.  Target's declining foot traffic draws focus as the hosts weigh whether brand controversies or stiff competition might be to blame. Next meet Barrie Scardina, President, Americas Retail Services at Cushman & Wakefield, who brings a fresh perspective born of decades in the retail industry. Her vantage point on commercial real estate challenges the traditional narrative of a “retail apocalypse.” She explains how, despite headlines about store closings, overall U.S. vacancy rates are incredibly low—largely because new construction has slowed and new types of tenants (from wellness providers to entertainment concepts) are snapping up available space. Barrie describes a rising tide of “experiential” retail, with everything from boutique fitness and medtail services to immersive brand pop-ups fueling a renewed sense of purpose in physical locations. She underscores how mixed-use developments and adaptive reuse—especially of outdated mall anchor spots—are revitalizing communities and increasing foot traffic. By blending residential, office, dining, and retail, these centers offer a lifestyle-oriented experience that resonates with modern shoppers. Ultimately, Barrie's insights challenge conventional wisdom, suggesting that success in retail real estate hinges on tapping into evolving consumer demands, fostering a community connection, and creating spaces that balance function with memorable experience. AboutBarrie Scardina joined global real estate solutions firm Cushman & Wakefield as Executive Managing Director and Head of Retail Services, Americas, in November of 2019, leading brokerage teams to deliver optimal solutions to retailers and brands. In 2022, Barrie was elevated to the role of Regional President, Northeast, leading brokerage and services across all service lines. In 2023, she took on the challenge of President of Americas Retail Services, Agency Leasing and Alliances, partnering across office, industrial and retail to provide nuanced client solutions. Barrie is consistently focused on delivering value to clients by serving as a trusted advisor and incorporating data, analytics, and business valuation as part of her strategies. This unique approach to client relationships ensures that the firm delivers against client goals, optimizing outcomes and mitigating risk. Barrie is results-oriented and remains focused on transforming the real estate landscape by strategically driving revenue, identifying operational efficiencies, and growing profitability. Prior to her appointment at Cushman & Wakefield, Barrie spent three decades leading vital retail initiatives across a variety of world-class organizations, including Polo Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne, The Children's Place and Tory Burch. She brings more than 15 years of executive experience to her current role with the firm, including expertise in creating long-range strategies, business forecasting, omni-channel inventory management, and system implementation and integration. Most recently, Barrie was with Calvin Klein, where she led the company's North American Retail Division as President, setting strategic direction for merchandising, consumer experience and operational improvements. Throughout her career, Barrie has focused on mentoring and developing talent and creating cultures that foster collaboration and equality. She is the executive sponsor for Cushman & Wakefield's Women's Integrated Network and serves on two diversity committees focused on improving the employee experience.AffiliationsGraduate of the Wharton School of Business' Philips Van Heusen Global Leadership Program (2017)Board Member of Safe Horizon (2017-2019)Member of Women's Retail Leadership Circle (WRLC)Member of the International Council for Shopping Centers (ICSC)Member of CHIEF Private Women's NetworkExecutive Sponsor of Cushman & Wakefield's Women's Integrated Network National ChapterMember of CREW NY; Participant at National levelRecognized by Globe St. as a Woman of Influence (2020) About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In the latest episode of The Voice of Retail, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Phil Wahba, Senior Writer at Fortune, to explore the ever-evolving landscape of retail leadership, consumer behavior, and strategic transformations. Wahba reflects on more than a decade covering retail bankruptcies, leadership shifts, and innovation, highlighting that while consumer desires have remained relatively stable—good value, seamless experiences, and quality products—retailers often struggle to meet these expectations consistently.Wahba shares insights into how some of the biggest names in retail excel by focusing on core strengths. He points to Costco and Walmart as prime examples of companies that continue to thrive by relentlessly pursuing operational efficiency, value pricing, and consistent store execution. In contrast, many department stores have downsized or disappeared because, as Wahba puts it, they “chased the wrong rabbits”—pursuing short-term gains over long-term brand definition. Dillard's stands out by maintaining steady store counts and focusing on a solid merchandising strategy, proving that success hinges on knowing your customer and offering them a clear reason to shop.The conversation then shifts to Hudson's Bay and its recent struggles, which Wahba attributes to a lack of focus on fundamental retail principles and a greater emphasis on real estate extraction. He also touches on the broader implications of retail real estate vacancies, noting that large anchor-store spaces often require creative repurposing—whether converted into smaller retail footprints, medical clinics, or mixed-use developments.Looking ahead, Wahba anticipates a future where technology plays a more backstage role, with the spotlight on operational improvements such as inventory management, demand forecasting, and smoother omnichannel experiences. Shoppers do not seek flashy tech for its own sake; rather, they want frictionless pathways to purchase. The episode also explores how retailers like Foot Locker and Gap might engineer turnarounds under new leadership, taking cues from successful transformations at brands like Abercrombie & Fitch.Wahba underscores that retail “winners” will be those that evolve with shifting consumer expectations while staying true to foundational principles: consistently fair pricing, well-curated inventory, and reliable customer service. The conversation wraps up with a look at up-and-coming brands and international retailers—including Uniqlo—that could make bigger U.S. expansions in the coming years if they adapt carefully to the market's nuances.Whether you're watching for the next big turnaround or seeking to understand why some iconic names falter, this episode offers deep insights into the interplay of leadership, strategy, and consumer loyalty—critical elements shaping the future of modern retail. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Michelle is the owner of OH Style, an  internationally recognized styling destination for transformational outcomes in confidence, personal and professional growth. Michelle's ability to reach clients' needs and concerns with her dedication and attention to detail is unmatched. Her styling services deliver all the tools you need to look good in everyday interactions without stress or waste of time. Find out how OH Style's customized journey will help you reconnect with yourself, your partner, your friends and take on anything your heart desires.In this episode we ‘get into it' with MIchelle about:-Dressing the  part-Clothing and confidence-Finding your unique style -Buying clothes that fit your current body-Using a style coach and moreFollow Michelle on IG, LinkedIn or visit her website. Do you have a story to share? We are currently recruiting for our next book and speaker series. Catch clips of the last one on YouTube or apply for the next one today .

Co-hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis return from ShopTalk brimming with insights on the rapidly shifting retail environment. They kick off by breaking down the rollercoaster of consumer confidence, spurred by persistent inflation and ongoing uncertainty. The conversation touches on potential reverberations from looming tariffs that could drive up costs and shake consumer sentiment. Headlines from major brands paint a mixed picture: Lululemon's cautious optimism contrasts with H&M's ongoing struggle to redefine its place in fast fashion, while Dollar Tree's dramatic divestment of Family Dollar underscores the perils of poorly integrated acquisitions. Meanwhile, Chewy's robust earnings provide a bright spot.Also fueling industry chatter is the arrival of French department store Printemps in Lower Manhattan, sparking excitement among those who see it as a bold venture amid broader department store decline. The conversation pivots to Canada's retail landscape, where Hudson's Bay's long-anticipated liquidation underscores the challenges legacy retailers face in a hyper-competitive era.  The second half of the show features a conversation with Lowe's SVP Product and Technology, Data and AI, Chandhu Nair, who outlines the home improvement retailer's sweeping digital transformation. Aware that their category historically lagged in technology adoption, Lowe's has accelerated its efforts, focusing on delivering customer-centric solutions while modernizing decades-old infrastructure. With the newly launched MyLow application, shoppers can receive instant project advice, seamless product recommendations, and integrated how-to guidance. For professionals, speed, in-stock reliability, and tailored credit remain top priorities.Nair emphasizes that data and AI make up only 30% of the equation, with the remaining 70% tied to organizational change and process reengineering. The discussion highlights Lowe's approach to fostering innovation: start small, iterate quickly, and focus on core customer needs rather than novelty for novelty's sake. In addition, immersive experiences such as the Lowe's Style Studio for Apple Vision Pro build on years of research and strategic experimentation. By proactively partnering with leading tech companies and harnessing new capabilities like generative AI, Lowe's aims to stand out in a competitive retail market. Ultimately, Nair's insights underscore a cultural shift where failing responsibly is integral to success, and where the ability to adapt quickly defines a retailer's future. About ChandhuAs senior vice president, data, artificial intelligence and innovation, Chandhu Nair leads Lowe's AI transformation office, data and analytics, and AI products and platforms teams. He also leads Lowe's Innovation Labs, focusing on emerging technologies and technology investments, and is responsible for the technology enabling marketing, Lowe's Media Network, personalization and loyalty experiences. He joined Lowe's in 2020.Chandhu has more than 20 years of experience in technology transformations. In a prior role at Lowe's, he was vice president, technology, omnichannel marketing and digital customer engagement, and spearheaded best-in-class technology product launches including Lowe's Pro loyalty program and media network. Before joining the company, he served as CEO and co-founder of Cognitive Retail Inc., a computer vision AI technology company providing U.S.-based retailers with advanced data analytics. He was also a managing partner and co-founder at Merkatus Partners, a strategy consulting firm focused on emerging technology investment services. Before that, he held global e-commerce and technology leadership roles at Staples Inc and Infosys. Chandhu earned a master's degree in general management and operations from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in engineering – information technology from Bharathiar University, India. He serves on the Board of Industry Leaders at the Consumer Technology Association, as well as the advisory board for United Planet, a non-profit organization connecting volunteers in the areas of education, health and environmental sustainability with opportunities in more than 30 countries. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Pierre-Édouard Deldique reçoit dans Idées sous le thème de la philosophie de Merleau-Ponty : Anne-Lorraine Bujon, la directrice notre revue partenaire Esprit et Guillaume Le Blanc, philosophe, professeur de philosophie politique et sociale à l'Université Paris-Cité, et auteur d'un essai «Les passions dangereuses» publié chez Albin et Michel. « Comment penser un avenir de la nature qui ne soit pas compromis par la frénésie humaine ? Ce dossier, coordonné par Guillaume Le Blanc, montre que face à la crise environnementale contemporaine, la philosophie de Merleau-Ponty offre des ressources pour articuler à nouveaux frais les actions humaines et les milieux de vie. L'homme est en effet, pour Merleau-Ponty, toujours au-dehors de lui-même. »La Revue Esprit : Merleau-Ponty à l'âge de l'anthropocène.Les passions dangereuses, de Guillaume Le Blanc. Programmation musicale :- Abel Selaocoe & Manchester Collective, L.B. Files Concerto (Compositeur : Giovanni Sollima)- Ballaké Sissoko & Lorenzo Bianchi Hoesch, Sene (feat. Emile Parisien)- Sonita Alizadeh, Bad girls

GMoney welcomes Craig LeBlanc, also known as “The Doorman”, for an insightful and heartfelt conversation on the philosophical underpinnings of Bitcoin as a continuation of the Ron Paul revolution. From personal awakenings and the legacy of 2008, to the spiritual and societal implications of decentralization, Craig shares why he believes Bitcoin is the ultimate tool for sovereignty, freedom, and love. If you've ever wondered what connects Austrian economics, martial arts, and memes, this one's for you.

In the latest episode of Remarkable Retail, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis kick off with a roundup of the week's most impactful retail news. They dive into the potential liquidation of Hudson's Bay Company, examining the challenges the iconic retailer faces amid financial turbulence. With speculation swirling around the sale of HBC's heritage Stripes brand and the struggle to find buyers for prime real estate, the hosts analyze the ripple effects on Canadian retail.They also discuss Forever 21's second bankruptcy filing and probable liquidation, attributing the fast-fashion giant's downfall to a combination of fierce competition from digital disruptors like Shein and Temu, as well as a reliance on traditional mall-based retailing. Another key story involves Wayfair's decision to expand its physical retail presence despite years of online focus. Opening its second large-format store in Atlanta, Wayfair seems to be testing the waters of omnichannel retail, blending digital convenience with tangible customer experiences. The episode also touches on earnings updates from Nike, Williams-Sonoma, and Five Below.After covering the latest retail news, the hosts continue their engaging conversation with Jason “Retail Geek” Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis. Goldberg dives into Amazon's ongoing challenges in breaking into the grocery market despite the tech giant's e-commerce dominance. Amazon Fresh stores, while improved, still lack a clear competitive differentiator against industry leaders like Walmart. Goldberg notes that despite Amazon's long-term strategy and willingness to experiment, their grocery ventures remain more experimental than groundbreaking.Goldberg also explores the evolution of social commerce, with a particular focus on TikTok Shops. Unlike past social selling failures on platforms like Facebook, TikTok Shops have managed to build momentum, but only for specific product categories. Goldberg argues that social commerce's real value lies not in direct sales but in product discovery. Brands need to adapt by creating content that fosters discovery rather than pushing for immediate transactions.The conversation also covers the rise of retail media networks, with Goldberg emphasizing Amazon's transformation into a high-margin ad powerhouse. By monetizing third-party seller ads, Amazon has outpaced traditional retail models in profitability. While Walmart and others are catching up, Amazon's ability to leverage its marketplace for advertising revenue puts it in a unique position. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Most of Mel's lore is in Arcane, which we've already talked about, just, so so much. But Riot also released more and more Noxus lore, so here we are again to dive in! Of course Noxus means Leblanc, and Leblanc means we get weird and gross for some reason. Maybe that's just us? Who knows! That's clearly what y'all are here for. ------ WE HAVE MERCH!bit.ly/loreheadmerch Twitter! twitter.com/loreheads Discord! https://t.co/o21E0W4C8z?amp=1 Twitch! twitch.tv/loreheads Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leagueofloreheads Song Title | Dragon Trainer TristanaArtist | League of LegendsCourtesy of Riot Games https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/news/community/riot-music-creator-safe-guidelines/Image by Yuri_B from Pixabay - book with sparkles

Joining us in this episode is someone who has been making waves in the affordable housing space. He is a returning guest, previously appearing on Episode 92 of Living Off Rentals in 2021. Atticus LeBlanc is the founder of PadSplit, the country's largest co-living marketplace, which helps property owners increase cash flow while providing affordable housing for thousands of residents. Since launching in 2017, PadSplit has housed more than 42,000 people and has grown to over 17,000 shared housing units across multiple U.S. markets.  An entrepreneur since 2005, Atticus was an affordable housing developer and contractor before founding PadSplit. Listen as he shares more about how PadSplit works and discusses how he converts living spaces into bedrooms to create massive cash flow. Enjoy the show! Key Takeaways: [00:00] Introducing Atticus LeBlanc and his background [03:47] How PadSplit works? [11:22] Type of property that best works for PadSplit members [17:10] The fractionalization of real estate by time versus the fractionalization of real estate by space [26:25] Managing the challenges of bureaucracy and zoning issues [33:53] How to manage different personalities under one roof? [49:05] Connect with Atticus LeBlanc Guest Links: Website: https://www.padsplit.com/hosts  Show Links: Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals  Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast  Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals  Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/  Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals  Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals   

The latest Remarkable Retail podcast delivers a compelling mix of current market news and expert analysis from returning guest Jason "Retail Geek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis.Hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis kick off with the week's headlines, spotlighting the chaos caused by shifting tariff policies. They note that consumer confidence has plummeted amid economic uncertainty, creating leadership challenges across the retail landscape. Steve reflects that while the COVID crisis taught resilience, today's volatility requires leaders to embrace agility as "the New Black" while avoiding recklessness.The retail news segment highlights several struggling players, most notably Kohl's with its disastrous twelfth consecutive quarter of sales decline. The hosts detail how new CEO Ashley Buchanan is pivoting back to private labels after previous leadership had emphasized national brands, while also apparently abandoning the once-touted Amazon returns program. Steve recounts visiting Kohl's stores filled with heavily discounted merchandise, describing them as "a train wreck" requiring both strategic and executional overhauls.The hosts continue with Ulta Beauty posting modest growth, signaling a slowdown in a category that had performed exceptionally well post-pandemic. Dick's Sporting Goods delivered strong quarterly results but projected significantly slower future growth, reflecting a broader trend of caution across retail.In what the hosts call the "wobbly unicorn corner," they examine former high-flyers facing existential challenges. Allbirds has lost nearly all its market value since IPO, with declining revenue despite shifting from direct-to-consumer to wholesale. Meanwhile, Stitch Fix shows modest signs of recovery under CEO Matt Baer's strategy of focusing on core customers rather than casting too wide a net.When Jason Goldberg joins the conversation, he identifies three dominant client concerns: retail media networks (which he views skeptically), artificial intelligence (both transformative and overhyped), and economic uncertainty creating both challenges and opportunities.Goldberg then provides illuminating analysis of retail market data, revealing that a small handful of giants—primarily Walmart, Amazon, Costco, and Chinese newcomers like Temu and  Shein—capture the vast majority of all growth. While e-commerce growth has slowed from pandemic highs, it still significantly outpaces brick-and-mortar retail.Most significantly, Goldberg explains retail's "bifurcation" between digital winners and losers, and between two successful business models: massive "everything stores" and highly curated specialty retailers. The traditional wholesale model caught in between—particularly department stores—is struggling regardless of execution quality or market position.The episode ends with a teaser for part two, promising Goldberg's insights on the future of wholesale, Amazon's grocery ambitions, social commerce, and TikTok Shops—compelling reasons for listeners to return for the continuation of this insightful conversation.Links:https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevendennis/2017/12/04/retail-reality-its-death-in-the-middle/ About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

In this episode of Remarkable Retail, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Steve Dennis break down a high-stakes week of retail headlines before reprising a conversation recorded two years ago with Canada Goose President, Carrie Baker. Carrie touches on the brand's unique positioning, DTC growth strategy, sustainability initiatives, and product line extensions.Retail News Breakdown:Tariff Whiplash – The Trump administration's latest on-again, off-again tariffs are leaving retailers scrambling. What's the real impact on pricing, inflation, and supply chains?Walgreens Goes Private – Sycamore Partners is taking over the struggling pharmacy giant in a $10 billion deal, but is this a turnaround or just a temporary fix?Retail Earnings Mixed Bag – Target unveils a $15 billion growth plan, Best Buy braces for tariff-related costs, and Macy's fights for relevance. Meanwhile, Nordstrom posts its last earnings as a public company.Revisiting Canada Goose: Then & NowAfter the news, we rewind to an insightful conversation with Carrie Baker, President of Canada Goose, recorded at ShopTalk two years ago. At the time, Canada Goose was expanding its direct-to-consumer strategy, battling counterfeit products, and rolling out immersive store experiences like the Cold Room. She also touches on their store expansion plans, resales intiatives, and product-line extensions.By blending past insights with today's updates, this episode offers a unique look at retail strategy in motion. Whether you're tracking market volatility, retail M&A, or long-term brand positioning, this episode connects the biggest industry shifts with lessons from one of Canada's most iconic brands.Subscribe, listen, and stay ahead of retail's twists and turns!********************Steve will be back on stage at Shoptalk coming up in Las Vegas at the end of March. Listeners can save on registration by using our discount codes below:For Retailers & Consumer Brands go here and use code RBREMARK549For General Admission go here and use code GAREMARK1399Steve's 2025 Retail PredictionsAbout CarrieRecognized as a dynamic and collaborative leader with an entrepreneurial spirit, Carrie is responsible for Canada Goose's global commercial business, driving the company's growth and customer engagement. She oversees the Regional Business units, Marketing & Experience, Public Affairs & Communications, Merchandising & Pricing, and Corporate Citizenship. In her previous role as President, North America, she established a high-performance team and led the region's significant business acceleration. Carrie has also served as Chief of Staff and Chief Communications Officer, helping lead the company through critical initiatives including its successful IPO and development of its industry-leading Sustainable Impact Strategy. Prior to joining Canada Goose in 2012, she was a Senior Vice President at a North American communications agency specializing in coaching executives and building the brands of some of North America's largest retail, technology and consumer goods companies. Carrie was named WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women Canada in 2019 and serves on the Board of Directors of Trillium Health Partners Foundation. About UsSteve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada's Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael's cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.

Latest Google Chrome Update Encourages UBlock Origin Removal The latest update to Google Chrome not only disabled the UBlock Origin ad blocker, but also guides users to uninstall the extension instead of re-enabling it. https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2025/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1j2ec76/ublock_origin_is_gone/ Critical Kibana Update Elastic published a critical Kibana update patching a prototype polution vulnerability that would allow arbitrary code execution for users with the "Viewer" role. https://discuss.elastic.co/t/kibana-8-17-3-security-update-esa-2025-06/375441 Certified PrePw0n3d Android TV Sticks Wired is reporting of over a million Android TV sticks that were found to be pre-infected with adware https://www.wired.com/story/android-tv-streaming-boxes-china-backdoor/ SANS.edu Research Paper Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) are among the most challenging to detect in enterprise environments, often mimicking authorized privileged access prior to their actions on objectives. https://www.sans.edu/cyber-research/identifying-advanced-persistent-threat-activity-through-threat-informed-detection-engineering-enhancing-alert-visibility-enterprises/

This week, we're discussing the mysterious disappearance of Dail Dinwiddie, who vanished after a U2 concert in 1992. We'll cover her background, the immediate search efforts, the ongoing investigation, and the emotional toll on her family. Additionally, we'll explore various leads and suspects over the years, including a serial killer, while ultimately highlighting the unresolved nature of the case and the enduring hope of Dail's family for answers.   Thank you to this week's sponsors!   Give yourself the luxury you deserve with Quince! Go to Quince.com/moms for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.    It's time to get your own personal stylist with DailyLook.  Head to DailyLook.com to take your style quiz and use code MOM50 for 50% off your first order.  Right now, IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQBAR products, plus get FREE shipping. Text MOMS to 64000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Now's your chance to change the way you sleep with Boll & Branch. Get 15% off, plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/moms. Exclusions apply. See site for details. Shop easy breezy with Thrive Market! Make the switch at Thrivemarket.com/momsadmysteries for 30% off your first order plus a FREE $60 gift! Check-out bonus episodes up on Spotify and Apple podcast now! To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://www.advertisecast.com/MomsandMysteriesATrueCrimePodcast.  Listen and subscribe to Melissa's other podcast, Criminality!! It's the podcast for those who love reality TV, true crime, and want to hear all the juicy stories where the two genres intersect. Subscribe and listen here: www.pod.link/criminality    Check-out Moms and Mysteries to find links to our tiktok, youtube, twitter, instagram and more.   Sources: “Missing in America…”, Dateline, 4 December 2014 Connor, Eric, “Vanished in Five Points…”, Greenville News, 1 April 2019 Flach, Tim, “25 years later…”, The State, 24 September 2018 Hinshaw, Dawn, “Dinwiddie case…”, 22 November 1992 Parker, Kathleen, “25 years later…”, The Washington Post, 22 September 2017 Parker, Kathleen, “Dail Dinwiddie still…”, The Washington Post, 25 September 2012 Flach, Tim, “You never, ever…”, The State, 22 September 2017 Leblanc, Clif, “Dail Dinwiddie case…”, The State, 25 September 1997 Staff, “Dail Dinwiddie…”, Herald-Journal, 2 October 1992 McConchie, Brian, “Authorities release age…”, WACH Fox 57, 13 August 2012 “Missing Person 30 year…”, Columbia Police Department, 24 September 2022 Hayes, Hallie, “Dail Dinwiddie…”, Carolina News & Reporter, 28 September 2020 Livingston, Mike and Stuart, Bob, “We won't stop until…”, The State, 25 September 2020 “Dail Boxley Dinwiddie”, The Doe Project Gyee, Gregory, “Missing 25 years…”, The Post and Courier, 14 September 2020 Staff, “UPDATE: Family of…”, 12 NBC 26, 12 August 2016 Rivera v. State (2007) Lewis, Kimathi and Burris, Roddie, “Local family says…”, The State, 18 October 2000 N/A, “Officials: man may…”, Associated Press, 29 January 2004 N/A, “Separating fact from rumor”, FITS News, 21 March 2021 “Dail Dinwiddie - 9 of Diamonds, South Carolina”, The Deck Podcast