My next guest is Janine Vangool of Uppercase Magazine.

I first met Janine at Art Central where we both had Studio & Galleries. This was a fantastic place in downtown Calgary with three floors of creativity!! This is where Uppercase Magazine started.

Janine actually started her career at a very young age….I used to make pretend notebooks, put them in my carrying cases that I made for them. I then had people sign out books from my library and my magazine was called “Kraft.”

“Fortunately people like what I do”

Janine has been publishing books since 2007. Her first book was the Shatner Show. 76 illustrations about William Shatner. Seriously!!

Uppercase Magazine was started just before Janine was pregnant in 2009….Finley was born in 2010 and Uppercase was well on its way. Luckily Janine has an amazing husband, Glen Dresser, who became a stay at home Dad. And so Uppercase became a family affair.

“Is Glen your rock?” I asked Janine, “I wouldn't use that description. I'm the rock, Uppercase is the rock, we tend the rock. His involvement is part time. Or we try…”

Glen is a writer and board game designer. His board game Palooka Precinct was 2017 Winner of the Ion Award for best strategy game at the Salt Con board game convention. Cool!!!

Janine is building a book and magazine empire!! Or at least a little cool niche empire. It’s full of tangible wonderful books and magazines that will make you feel good all over. My favourite is the Encyclopedia of Inspiration!

We had a whole conversation about artistic fear and how to manage it, I'm sure you will love it! Please welcome Janine Vangool to Awesome People.

Welcome to Awesome People Sandi Somers.

Sandi was born in Cape Breton and if you listen closely you can hear her accent….no Keith's was consumed during this interview….She came to Calgary in the 80's after finishing College with a degree in Theatre Design. 

Sandi was the resident designer for One Yellow Rabbit until 1992. She then jumped...and flew...pursuing her career as an independent film maker. She has made over 70 films including “Lock up your Daughters” her Lesbian Porn project, that was funded, believe it or not, by the NFB.

Sandi was the catalyst for a much needed change in the 90’s..."“personal politics has its time and this was our time, I just happened to be a part of it.” 

Her favorite film director is the one and only Kathryn Bigelow.

We talk about so many incredible things: hands on hands off funding, community standards, equal rights, bomb scares, politics of identity, supporting something without interfering with it, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, and practical decision making…..

This is an hour and a half of incredibleness. If you have a curiosity for Lesbian Politics in the 90’s in Alberta then listen up! This interview will make you laugh and quite possibly make you cry…

Please welcome Sandi...

My next interview is with James. Sometimes called Big James….

James was born in Saskatoon and remained there until he was 19 when he moved to the thriving metropolis of Regina! It wasn't necessarily a better place but it was certainly Uglier!

James was married for 17 years and had 4 children. He always knew he was gay but became a first Generation Christians as Fire insurance.. "I was looking for a way to not go to hell.”

James and his Wife both knew he was gay. Being gay was solvable and they decided on the Reparative therapy approach. If you live as a straight person you become a straight person…..

Of course we know this never works…..James came out at 41. This was his Coming Out Tour! It was his Point of 'Being and Living Authentic'.

He maintained a friendship and respect outside of marriage with his ex wife and eventually they became good friends…..

We talk about religion, atheists, kids and home...This interview is wonderful! Whenever I’m around James I feel calm and cozy. He oozes contentment and authenticity and I can't wait for you to feel it too in this amazing half hour…..

with love, lisa

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to Awesome People Jacq Kemp, Winemaker at Moraine Winery and winner of many awards…..

Moraine Estate Winery produces one of my favorite wines….a Malbec that is spectacular AND they are located on the Naramata Bench just 7.2 K from my home. How lucky am I!!?

Jacq Kemp is the winemaker for Moraine Estate Winery and is the focus of this incredible podcast. Meeting Jacq this past summer was a gift. Not only was I introduced to a wine that has become my absolute favorite but Jacq is incredibly knowledgable and luckily for me and you, loves to teach….

This podcast is full of….and I mean full of all things wine. My learning curve was like that of a rock climber...straight up and steep. The process of dirt to vine to the bottle is humbling to say the least. The work involved is beyond what I thought and one must have an incredible passion to want to work so hard…..Jacq is that person.

Now before you start thinking i'm being biased here are a list of awards that Moraine Winery has won...and this is just the past 2 years….

2016 Gewurztraminer - Double Gold in the all Canadian Wine Competition.

2016 Gewurztraminer - Bronze in the International FIngers Competition.

2016 Cliff Hanger Red - Silver in the International FIngers Competition.

2016 Riesling - Gold in the International FIngers Competition.

2015 Pinot Noir - Double Gold in the International Pinot Noir Competition.

2015 Red Mountain - Bronze in the BC Wine Awards

2015 Cliffhanger White - Silver BC Wine Awards

2015 Syrah - Bronze BC Wine Awards

2015 Viognier - Silver all Canadian Wine Championship and the BC Wine Awards

2015 Malbec - Bronze all Canadian Wine Championship and the BC Wine Awards

Jacq grew up in England, Brussels and New Zealand so her accent is spectacular! There are many great things about this interview but having her pronounce Deck is definitely a highlight. But it's not just the wine and all it's glory that impressed me so much….or her accent…. It was Jacq herself…..“Talking about what you're doing wrong is super important. It helps you move a step forward towards right.” This honesty exudes from her and is by far one of the features that made this interview so enjoyable. It's an incredible way to live one's life…..a humbling life lesson we can all strive for.

The Canadian wine industry is at an exciting time in the world. We are just past the development stage and starting to be recognized as as an international competitor. Wineries like Moraine are pushing the boundaries and putting Canada on the map of really really great wine!!

This interview is such a treat and I could go on and on but really it's time to just listen….so grab your notebook and pen and enjoy….

My next guest is the one and only Cindy Hardie.

Cindy was a sailing coach and was born and raised in Saskatchewan. What! How does this happen?

I look up to Cindy immensely. She is the kind of woman that inspires all those around her. She is strong, kind, smart, thoughtful, and her knowledge of who she is and the world she belongs to is solid.

Cindy comes from a family of 8 kids, so her parents kept them busy! Sports weekends, summer camps etc. Sailing was one of those projects. She was 12 years old when she embarked on her first sailing trip at buffalo pound lake in Saskatchewan. That was the beginning of her sailing career. “Wow, I wanna do this!”

Saskatchewan has a provincial sailing team, so while at UofS she of course joined the team. This was the beginning of an incredible journey that lead her to the Olympics. This was also, one of her tipping points.

“There’s always one step forward”

Cindy has three girls that are not athletic….a shock to say the least to her and her husband. But they managed and have three amazing little artists. “We are just around to find out how cool they really are.”

This interview is full of inspiration. Cindy is a natural coach in the world, in her home and in her message. Or should I say messages….

“Don't give up and trust your instincts”

“There's very little I’m going to close the door on.”

“What works for me? Does it feel good? Keep going. Is it not working let that go.”

The one thing she could pass on:

“I never want to stand certain on what I know to be true. Each step of your life gets challenged and changes. Be open to that and don’t see it as a failure or a bad thing. Let those changes occur and accept them.”

This interview is inspiring, enjoy...

Introducing to Awesome People Amy Hef! Amy is an electrifying and dynamic musician who will inspire you with her musician Super Powers!!!

We had so much fun in this interview, we laughed as much as much as we talked. Amy grew up in the city of Fort Mac where most of her family still resides. Unbeknownst to most people Fort Mac is a city that is extremely art supportive and very community orientated. So it's no surprise that her musical career starts in Fort Mac and continues to LA and Calgary, where she resides right now….at least until she gets her green card for the US. Good luck Amy!!

Amy started playing the Drums at 11. She has a great story about how she convinced her dad to buy her a drum set. 

Our interview talks a great deal about hair, angry song writing and love songs, the only two real topics of songwriting.

We talk about the importance of support as an artist, procrastination and coming out. In many ways…..

This interview is fantastic and has a BONUS at the end. Amy’s new song…”What comes next?”

Please welcome to Awesome People Amy Hef.

I can't think of a better way to start the year than with this interview. Around Boek has been in my life for about 20 years. I have seen him in many incarnations from youth social worker to massage therapist but always with the common thread of authenticity and kindness.

Arnoud is a mad dancer and a medicine man. He is someone who has always coloured outside the lines and I’m sure this is why I’ve always been drawn to him.

As you can tell from his name, Arnoud is Dutch and with many Europeans, he speaks more than one language. Six to be exact. Dutch, English, French, Spanish, American sign language and Papiamento.

His family eventually emigrated to Canada and settled in Kelowna where they were hoping it would be a great place to raise a family. Arnoud wasn’t so sure…..

He did, however, get involved in boy scouts and was able to explore the Canadian Shield and have loads of involvement in the outdoors. This, of course, got him into climbing and hiking.

In 1996 while climbing in Vernon BC, Arnoud slipped on the path. He fell 5 stories, hit a bolder, bounced and fell another 10 and a half stories…..

He was in 37 pieces and was 18 years old….”the surgical team told me I will never walk again, never stand again. Never dance again.”

Arnoud had just started university and just came out as a gay man. He was now this active ADD child stuck in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down.

This was one of those moments in someone’s life...that make or break moment. He suddenly had a lot of time on his hands. “This time helped me process my place in the world and how i fit.“

“I had started down that path of ok my life now is in a wheelchair. But there was another part of me that said, what if it’s not.”

Today Arnoud is a Mad Dancer!! He has a holistic approach to life that has not come easy but is at the core of who he is.

“I was meant to be here today.” - Arnoud Boek

Welcome Arnoud! ( pronounced Arnout )

Amy is an incredible artist and this interview is incredible! If you’re into art or just wanting to know more about the artistic practice and what goes on inside the head of an artist this interview will be inspiring. You may want to do some painting after! Amy has an amazing way of expressing her world and what it means to be an artist and the practice and discipline involved. Cheer leaders are extremely important and she was blessed with many.

She started out at the Alberta College of Art and Design, then went to the Glasgow School of Art as part of an exchange program (in Glasgow, Scotland) and finished her degree at Mount Allison, in Sackville, New Brunswick. She has a bachelor of Fine Arts and a minor in English.

Amy and I had studio’s down the hall from each other for a few years. It wasn't where we met but it was where we became friends. Amy was instrumental in my shift in artistic directions. Her critiques on my work helped shape my new direction and the bases for the portraits on Awesome People. Thanks Amy!!

Amy took notes and studied for this interview. I was very impressed!! She put a lot of thought into the questions and when I asked her about a tipping point, or game changer, the number one response was going to Glasgow to study. “Going away helps you see yourself at a distance, it gives you a different sense of identity.”

At the end of this interview Amy does a little cameo...she felt that she needed to thank some key people that we didn't talk enough about in the interview so we did a little "add on".  Two cats were mentioned......

Thanks Amy for participating. Please welcome Amy!