There are a few times in your life when you encounter people of such character and ability who end up doing amazing things and yet you are not surprised to learn it. Derek Prohar, MMV, MSM, CD is one of these people.

We went to high school together at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, SK. He was very athletic, intelligent, a natural-born leader and had an engaging personality. To make matters worse, he was a really nice guy, and treated everyone with due respect and friendship. While it was definitely interesting to find out that he later created a successful career in the Canadian Armed Forces, ending up as commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and then as Chief of Operations to 3rd Canadian Division, I wasn't shocked.

Nor was I overly surprised to learn that he'd been decorated with the Medal of Military Valour, one of the highest decorations a Canadian can achieve through combat. If anyone could have accomplished that, it would be Prohar.

At the end of it all, it's good to know he's still the same guy, displaying his trademark humility, full of good conversation, and generous in his interest of others. We talk about his career in the military, raising kids, and life as we both know it now. I'm already looking forward to our next meeting. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Theme music "I'm Not Satisfied" provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.

Darcey Jerrom and I both started blogging about 15 or so years ago, and he became one of my first online friends. He's the kind of guy who quickly and easily developed friendships among colleagues, due to his friendly disposition and willingness to talk about pretty much almost anything.

In our first conversation since at least 2008, we catch up about where our lives have respectively gone. We talk about recent losses to close relatives, our families, and our respective faith journeys. As with many conversations with long-lost friends, this conversation started off unconventional, but it ended with an introspection of the role of God in and how every act of our lives becomes a ripple upon unknown shores.

Theme music, "I'm Not Satisfied" provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.

Trent Lalonde talks with me about his life as a trucker. He's trying to make the road more safe by advocating that trucking becomes a trade, which would hold truckers, transport companies, customers and consumers of goods all responsible for the safe deliveries on the highways and byways of this great country.

You can find Trent at Rants From The Road on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClFYZtsoiKRs5pmNMUqWaew/featured

Theme music courtesy of Brent Tyler.

This episode's featured guest is Denise Cornish, CSEP certified clinical exercise physiologist, wife, mother of three and your favourite health and fitness coach.

Denise was one of the very best people I met in university. She was friendly, kind and simply a wonderful person to be around, and I always enjoyed running into her.

Since we last met, she's gotten married, moved around the country, worked in a variety of roles promoting health and active lifestyles. She is also a devoted Christian, and is always mindful of participating in God's plan.

In this conversation, we catch up on old times, discuss her Fit Tip Friday videos featured on Facebook, and how her faith integrates with her family, work and community.

Theme music provided courtesy by Brent Tyler.

While at the rink a few times over the past year, I happened to hear parents talk about how great this Ryan Vanjoff guy was as a kids hockey coach. I thought that was pretty cool as, being a hockey coach, I always want to know how to do better.

It was also cool that Ryan happened to be a friend of mine. I knew I had to get him on this podcast. In our conversation, we first discuss the importance of volunteerism and participation in civil society, but then get down to brass tacks. Why do we coach? What did we appreciate from our coaches when we were kids? What do kids want or need from coaches? What's better: half-ice or full-ice games? Where do you find good coaching drills?

I shouldn't be surprised, as Ryan is a great coach, but I learned a lot from our time together. I hope you do too.

Theme music provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.

Ernie Schan is one of my favourite people. In addition to being a loving father and grandfather, he is well regarded as as a hard worker, a dedicated sportsman, and a tireless volunteer in his community.

I have had many uncles in my life, but few ever made me feel so comfortable to be around. He has always been so kind and friendly with those of us lucky enough to be his nephews and nieces, despite the age differences. Uncle Ernie is also a great storyteller with a sharp memory.

In this episode, I get to learn a little bit about his childhood, his relationship with my grandparents and his siblings, and I get a glimpse to the beginnings of his long career with BC Hydro. He's promised me another storytelling session in the near future, which I look forward to.

Theme music, "I'm Not Satisfied," is courtesy of Brent Tyler.

Laurie Thomas is a friend of mine who has gone through an experience that none of us ever dare to imagine: losing a child. Her son, Evan, was a player with the Humboldt Broncos when, in 2018, when his team suffered a horrific bus crash.

The shock of the event shook the entire country, the sport of hockey, and countless others. Laurie, along with her family and the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the crash, all had to go through the traumatic grieving process while millions of people watched and sought to share their own grief.

Being the type of open and honest person that she is, Laurie was gracious enough to talk with me about this journey, about the struggles that she has to continue to experience while trying to move beyond tragedy. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this conversation, but it opened my eyes more to how one lives with grief through the gifts of grace, courage and love.

Theme song is provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.

Katie Andrews is a screenwriter who happens to be a friend of mine. Currently based in Copenhagen, Katie moved on from her journalism career with the CBC into writing screenplays for television and web series and, now, feature films.

We talk about how our lives intersected and what we've been up to over the past decade since we last met. We also discuss story creation, writing, physics, family, Jungian psychology, Game of Thrones and making a movie in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Katie is one of the sweetest, kindest people I've ever known, and this video really brings that aspect of her to light.

Her latest project, Between Waves, will make its Canadian debut at the Whistler Film Festival on December 12, 2020.

http://www.betweenwavesfilm.com

http://www.whistlerfilmfestival.com/

Theme music for this podcast, "I'm Not Satisfied," provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.

https://brenttyler.bandcamp.com/album/love-myself

Tanis Bryson is a fitness enthusiast and a dear friend of mine. Back when we hung out together in high school, she was just your everyday fun-loving teenager. Having reconnected with her only recently, I discovered that she has become a huge fitness fanatic. She's run marathons, competed in iron man triathlons, and now stays healthy through her cross-fit regimen. Hers was a remarkable transformation.

We talk about her journey toward better fitness, how she's staying active despite the lockdowns, and how to find one's spark in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

She's pretty awesome. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

Theme music provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.

Matt Gore, a.k.a. the Ginger Ninja, is an international award-winning magician originally from South Africa, and now calls Saskatoon, Canada home. 

He's one of the coolest people I've ever met. He's funny, entertaining, athletic, supremely talented and, worst of all, an absolutely wonderful guy.

We talk about how a guy decides to become a magician, how he ended up on completely the opposite side of the globe from his childhood home of Cape Town, and how he's managing to continue his showbiz career in the time of COVID-19.

You can follow @mattgoremagic on all the hip social media sites, or visit his webpage https://mattgore.com to learn more.

Theme song "I'm Not Satisfied" provided courtesy of Brent Tyler.