Bombshell Brunches Podcast

Get ready for waves of laughter as we sit down with the queen of the sea, Crystal Richards. We go ALL over the place with this one - from leaving University to live a “Life in the Hills”-esque summer to moving on from the “dream” corporate job in order to design her perfect life. Crystal has DONE. IT. ALL.

But between the laughter and ocean puns we talk about the importance of making space for your creativity, how you don’t need to be a massive company in order to gain coverage and how to start living a life where your passions take the front seat in your life. Learn how to get your business into leading online publications such as, Forbes, Cosmo, GQ, Business Insider and more through her Digital PR School and see what can happen when you dive in and fully champion your dreams. 

About Crystal Richard:

Crystal Richard is the award-winning entrepreneur and publicist behind Crystal Richard & Co., a global digital PR company helping entrepreneurs get the dreamy media coverage they deserve. She’s also the creator of Digital PR School and coaches business owners on how to rock their own media outreach. Crystal has secured media placements for her clients in leading online publications such as Forbes, Cosmo, the Globe and Mail, GQ, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Inc., Chatelaine Magazine, and more. She is also the Founder of travel and lifestyle brand East Coast Mermaid. Crystal donates a portion of her profits to various ocean conservation organizations annually, including the Campobello Whale Rescue Team

References: 

Crystal’s PR Business: click HERE

Crystal’s Lifestyle Brand: click HERE

To connect with Crystal: click HERE 

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

Thank you to our incredible BB Team: 

Kristie Chan: Lead Audio Engineer (to connect with Kristie, click HERE)

Bosco Li: Audio Engineer (to connect with Bosco, click HERE)

Hannah Gorton: Production Coordinator (to connect with Hannah, click HERE)

The language we use is intrinsically linked to our identities; our culture, our thought processes, our history, and our futures. We talk to actor and creator Carmela about her own journey from the Philippines, through a successful acting career, and into artist residency to translate and adapt a new play into her mother language. We dive in and around the evolution of language, the impact of cultural movements on identity, and the need for connection amidst communities that are experiencing marginalisation. Sit back, bring your best bubble tea, and enjoy this heartfelt episode!

About Carmela:

Carmela is a Filipina-Canadian artist privileged to live and work on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She graduated from the University of Alberta’s BFA Acting program in 2010 and has since been fortunate enough to work in theatre, film & television in many capacities. She is currently working on Lasa ng (nung) Imperyo, a Tagalog adaptation of A Taste of Empire by Jovanni Sy. Her comfort food is her mom’s lugaw, which is Filipino congee, and prefers bubble tea over cocktails. Siren, Riverdale, Altered Carbon.

REFERENCES:

3.7% Initiative: click HERE

Playwright’s Workshop Montréal: click HERE

A Taste of Empire by Jiovanni Sy: click HERE

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

To connect with Carmela: click HERE

Thank you to our incredible BB Team: 

Kristie Chan: Lead Audio Engineer (to connect with Kristie, click HERE)

Bosco Li: Audio Engineer (to connect with Bosco, click HERE)

Hannah Gorton: Production Coordinator (to connect with Hannah, click HERE)

We are telling you, you’re going to want your notepad ready for this one, babes. Jen Murtagh is an award-winning C-suite executive with 20 years experience leading organizations in both corporate and not-for-profit. If you have that unshakeable gut feeling that you were meant for something bigger, this episode is for you. Here’s the secret, though: you can’t become yourself by yourself. 

Old top-down leadership is out. Jen drops all the gems on how to become the leader you were meant to be, from a curious, compassionate and confident center. Whether you feel like you are at the peak of your career or are just starting out - this episode has the insights you need to know.

About Jen Murtagh: 

As someone who believes deeply in my clients’ limitless potential, I help to nurture that potential from them with compassion and accountability. Ultimately, I support women in shattering their inner glass ceiling to transform the way they live and lead.

As an award-winning C-Suite executive with 20 years of experience leading organizations in both corporate and nonprofit, I pride myself on being a connector and vibrant community champion. I have been  recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 and am a recipient of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Women of Promise award.

I thrive most when collaborating, co-creating a Bigger Picture with high performing women, consulting leaders and speaking on stage. When I’m not working, you can likely find me saying hello to every person I meet on my daily runs and accidentally coaching my children with endless questions — much to their chagrin.

REFERENCES:

Jen’s Website: click HERE

Claire Zammet: click HERE

Ocean Bloom’s Podcast: click HERE

Elizabeth Gilbert: click HERE

The Second Mountain by David Brooks: click HERE

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks: click HERE

Playing Big by Tara Mohr: click HERE

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

To connect with Jen Murtagh: click HERE

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada (and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the USA). In the wake of the countless hate crimes against the Asian community, it has been difficult to find the words to underline the need for us to be kind, to be human first, and to always, always learn. Here, we decided to share with you the inimitable story of one immigrant’s journey to Canada. 

Welcome to a fantastic tale of warriors, war-torn countries, revolutions, and evolutions. Of love, and family, bribes and bravery, across generations and seas. This is a one-off, one-on-one special with one of the most special people to me in the world. 

REFERENCES:

About Asian-Canadian Heritage Month: Click HERE
About Chinese Canadians: Click HERE
A Year of Racist Attacks (Study): Click HERE
Vancouver: Anti-Asian Hate Crime Capital of North America: Click HERE

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE
To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE
To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

Thank you to our incredible BB Team:
Kristie Chan: Lead Audio Engineer (to connect with Kristie, click HERE)
Bosco Li: Audio Engineer (to connect with Bosco, click HERE)
Hannah Gorton: Production Coordinator (to connect with Hannah, click HERE)

 Additional Dates & Info: 

• 1931 – 1937 Japan in China
• 1937 Nanjing Massacre
• Sept 1 1939 – sept 2 1945. WORLD WAR II
• Dec 7, 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbour
• 1947 Independence of the Republic of INDIA
• 1949 Founding of the People’s Republic of China
• 1957 Construction of Akasai Chin Highwar India China dispute
• 1959 Tibetian uprising against Chinese Rule failed
• 1962 – 10 Oct – 20 Nov Sino Indian War 
• 1962 Dec India passed the Defence of India Act 

THE LEGEND OF FAT MAMA: About Chinese in Calcutta and Deoli camp: click HERE 

• 1922 Ah Yeh YUK QUAN (Ah Kung’s father, )went to India to work
• 1929  Ah Yeh cohabited and had 2 sons - Gowrie and Roger
• 1891 – 1954 Yuk Quan Ah Yeh HoiChu Lao’s father – my grandpa  birth and death
• 1894 – 1981 Lao Chun HoiChu Lao’s mother – my granny birth and death
• 1924  AH KUNG (Nana Nina’s father) went to India? Don’t have birth dates
• 1939 aged 18  Hoi Chu LAO (Venietia’s father) went to Assam  India Via HongKong building aerodrome for the British for 5 years during the war.
• 1928 Jan 16 HUANG YEN CHUN (nana Nina) born in Kurseong
• 1944  March 17 – declared Married LAO hoi chu to IN KWAN and moved to Calcutta. Declaration made as there was no marriage registry records.  The married in the Chinese tradition I think.
• 1974 Jan 14 Loo family Sook Kung and Sook Pho and cousins to Toronto

Do you run towards your goals, or away from your fears? We all want the freedom to choose our best selves on the daily, and Grace Lindsey has found the perfect intersection of life coaching and personal training to help with that. 

From her own personal journey of dis-ease with her body, Grace candidly shares her journey through discovering her passions, navigating setbacks, and developing a thriving mindset through mood-based movement. If you’re a high-performing, ambitious and, let’s face it, burnout-prone babe, this one is for YOU.  

About Grace:

Grace is a Wellness Coach committed to helping women find their version of happy. From a cripplingly anxious self-deprecator to a passionate self-love enthusiast (and everything in between), it is her personal mission and duty to help heal, guide and empower in any way she can. Grace combines life coaching with fitness, harnessing the power of physical movement to better our mental health. She strongly believes that it is within our relationships with exercise, food and our bodies that our true freedom lies. Grace started out as a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor before founding her first brand Diva Train - an exercise class she brought to universities, gyms and schools across London, England. She is now based out of Toronto, Canada where she is currently building her new business Mood Workouts.

REFERENCES:

Tony Robbins Unleash the Power Within: click HERE

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

To connect with Mood Workouts: click HERE

To connect with Grace: click HERE

Thank you to our incredible BB Team: 

Kristie Chan: Lead Audio Engineer (to connect with Kristie, click HERE)

Bosco Li: Audio Engineer (to connect with Bosco, click HERE)

Hannah Gorton: Production Coordinator (to connect with Hannah, click HERE)

Want to know how to be a (take) action hero? WE GOT YOU BABES.
This episode was SUCH a blast. Join us as we talk to Kate Green, Producer, Director and  fierce champion of female storytelling. Kate is the change that we want to see, with a grace and passion that is second to none. We talk Zombie Westerns, full circle friendships and collaborations, and how running for your dreams can lead you to even bigger ones.

Kate is an unapologetic leader of a ride or die crew. She embodies how to harness and use her unique feminine power to create a squad of epic proportions.

P.S. Key to winning life: don’t be a dick.

About Kate Green: 

Kate Green is an award-winning director and producer whose rare storytelling ability captures audiences with its honesty. As a female leader in entertainment, Kate works tirelessly to carve a path for other women within the industry. Kate is the creator, director and producer of the Canadian Screen Award nominated “NarcoLeap” a sci-fi web series that first aired on TELUS OptikTV, CBC GEM, and Air Canada and has sold internationally as well. "NarcoLeap” season two was one of the first female lead, indie, BC-based projects to go back to production after COVID and recently released on Highball TV to enthusiastic audiences. It is currently being developed as a television series.

Kate has also worked on numerous programs in lifestyle and factual television as a producer or director. Her work has aired on various networks such as HGTV, W Network, CBC, History, Fuel TV, and Slice. Kate’s is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker, having produced and directed two documentary shorts; Not A Stranger and Melting Stars. Kate’s latest short film, a zombie western titled Murphy’s Law, recently aired on CBC and CBC GEM.

Kate is a proud Alumna of Women in the Director’s Chair Story & Leadership Program, the National Screen Institute of Canada, Reykjavík International Film Festival Talent Lab, Vancouver Island University, and the University of British Columbia.

Bombshell Brunches would like to extend special thanks to Morgan at MPR for the introduction, and to Olivia Cheng for the referral! 

REFERENCES:

About Kate
Watch Narcoleap

To connect with Kate: click HERE

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

Thank you to our incredible BB Team: 

Kristie Chan: Lead Audio Engineer (to connect with Kristie, click HERE)

Bosco Li: Audio Engineer (to connect with Bosco, click HERE)

Hannah Gorton: Production Coordinator (to connect with Hannah, click HERE)

Today we sat down with Lauren, a social justice warrior and passionate activist who founded Give a Beat. A jaw-dropping 45% percent of Americans have had an immediate family member who has been in the correction system (sagepub). That’s almost HALF the population. The stigma surrounding people who have been through the system not only impacts those who have been incarcerated but their friends and family members. The system is broken, with high numbers of juveniles being sentenced to life in prison at ages as young as 15. Through this inspiring talk we learn how art can rehabilitate and heal even in the darkest hours. Lauren is a perfect example that we can all be the change that we want to see. It starts with us, babeses! 

About Lauren Segal: 

Lauren is the co-founder of Give a Beat. A passionate activist, Lauren spent 10 years addressing the AIDS orphan epidemic in Africa with her first nonprofit, before switching her focus to the enormous domestic injustice of incarceration. A longtime member of the dance music community, Lauren launched Give a Beat in 2014 and has since engaged DJs, music technology companies, festivals, and event promoters in the fight against mass incarceration. In addition to Give a Beat, (can leave this in our take out: Lauren also owns and operates a souvenir shop and custom printing business in Laguna Beach, which her family established 40 years ago. The store is tagged "the t-shirt shop with a conscience” through it’s social good initiatives and the supporting non-profits as well as local artists and craftspeople.

About Give A Beat

Give a Beat’s mission is to reduce the harmful effects of incarceration through music production, DJing and other education programs that transform individuals and inspire communities to take action. Through music education and mentoring programs in juvenile halls, schools, our Prison Electronic Music Program, and in our new reentry program, we engage the music industry to help widen the pathways for people to thrive, tackle systemic racism, and contribute to the transformation of the US criminal justice system. To learn more, please visit https://www.giveabeat.org.

REFERENCES

• Give A Beat
• Prose of a Con: Laws of Correspondence, by Russell Wardlow (poem read at the end of the podcast)
• 45% of Americans statistic
• The Justice Arts Coalition
• Trench Art 
• Equal Justice Initiative

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

To connect with GiveABeat: click HERE

=“Wow, you look so good for your age!” 🤮. We bust that tired myth that after 25, you’re an old dustbag that needs to quietly disintegrate in a dark corner of an old creaky cabin. Raquelle and Kristina sip on their respective tea and wine for a hilarious account of ageist moments that shaped them. We’re sure you can relate to some, whether you’re 20, 50 or 120 (if you’re 120 please contact us so we can revel in your dustless glory). 

These episodes are our chance to share the behind-the-scenes convos of two fierce friends, so put on your seatbelt and get set to challenge your own dusty (or shiny) bones in new adventurous ways.

REFERENCES:
Forbes Article on Ageism: click HERE 

World Health Organisation article on Ageism: click HERE

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

Episode Twenty Nine 

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. Fertility is something that we don’t talk about enough, or nearly soon enough. Whether you are in your teens, twenties, thirties or ANY decade, this is for YOU, for your loved ones, for your and their future. We’re joined today by two incredible individuals, Dr. Marjorie Dixon from Anova Fertility, and Carolynn Dube from Fertility Matters Canada. We talk about our physiology being at odds to the systems we live in, cultural, unconscious and society biases, and best ways to empower yourself through education. As Carolynn says, nobody is going to advocate for your health more than YOU. We are so grateful to have had the chance to speak to leading experts about uncomfortable topics that are IMPERATIVE to our sustained success. In true Bombshell style, we dish it out frankly, laugh loudly, and leave this episode with practical, actionable steps to take greater care of our families; past, present and future!

About Dr. Dixon and Anova Fertility & Reproductive Health 

Dr. Dixon is the Founder, CEO and Medical Director of Anova Fertility & Reproductive Health which opened in 2016 as Canada's newest full-service fertility and IVF centre. It is home to the first next-generation embryology laboratory in Canada and is a leader in innovation, education, and communication for high quality humanized fertility and reproductive care. Additionally, Dr. Dixon is a member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center and is also Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. She is often asked to comment on newsworthy topics related to women’s health and reproductive well-being. 

About Carolynn Dube and Fertility Matters Canada

Fertility Matters Canada (FMC) is the national organization that empowers Canadians to help reach their reproductive health goals by providing support, awareness, information and education; and promoting equal access to fertility treatments. We are Canada’s fertility resource.

Carolynn joined Fertility Matters Canada as the Executive Director in February 2015. A vocal advocate for funding of publicly funded fertility treatments, she now has three children conceived through ART. Carolynn believes in equal access and support for all those who need to build their families using alternative methods. Carolynn is a founding leader of East Coast Miracles. She holds a BSc in Human Kinetics from St. Francis Xavier University and MSc in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of New Brunswick.

Carolynn is a true believer in the in the importance of education, support and continued advocacy for the highly effective medical treatment of assisted reproductive technology (ART). She looks forward to continuing to support the 1 in 6 Canadians who are struggling to build their families.

RESOURCES
Fertility Benefits Matter: https://www.fertilitybenefits.ca/

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE

To connect with Fertility Matters Canada: click HERE

To connect with Anova Fertility: click HERE

Thank you to our incredible BB Team: 

Kristie Chan: Lead Audio Engineer 

Bosco Li: Audio Engineer 

This week, we celebrate the incredible power of community, through superwoman, Lise Berube. Lise is running her second marathon for Callenish House in May 2021, having raised over $65,000 in last year, while in treatment for stage four cancer. This episode is for all of us, through the eyes of one of the most inspiring women we’ve ever met. We talk candidly about detection, diagnosis, trusting the process. Lise moves through defiance, to resilience, into cool, calm confidence. Lise explains how Callanish helped her find the grace in balancing hope and acceptance while choosing to live her life. Lise exudes kindness, and community spirit that will get you fired up to take each day with a can-do attitude, and make the most of your beautiful life!

About Lise Berube: 

Lise was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2016 while caring for two kids at home on maternity leave from her job, when her son was 2 and her daughter was just shy of 6 months old. Lise found Callanish in the summer of 2018, after finishing chemo, radiation and most of her cancer-related surgeries, and has been a big supporter ever since. It wasn’t until she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in early 2019 that she really came to appreciate how much she relied on Callanish to hold her up and carry her through. 

Since then, Lise has helped to raise over $65,000 for Callanish through a 100-km bike ride, 240-km bike relay and a marathon with her friend Grace Lore. 

Last year, shortly after the pandemic hit, and in the midst of dealing with brain radiation and ongoing chemotherapy and progression of her cancer, Lise and her friend Grace decided to run a marathon and raise funds once again for Callanish. 

See links below to support Lise and Callanish in their efforts to support this incredible community.

 REFERENCES:

Fundraiser Website (Move Because You Can) HERE

Donate to the fundraiser HERE 

Facebook Team Page HERE

Callanish Society: click HERE

Janie Brown "Radical Acts of Love": click HERE

To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE

To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE

To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE