Élise Page and Teri-Lynn Friesen met teaching at a local dance studio. One random conversation changed everything. Now they run Fête Ice Cream & Coffee, one of Winnipeg's most loved scratch-made ice cream shops.In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Élise and Teri-Lynn share:

• What Covid did to their numbers and their biggest lessons learned
• Getting into retail stores like VitaHealth
• The hardest parts of being young mothers and business owners
• How they complement each other as a duo

They thought everybody made their own ice cream. Turns out, almost nobody makes their own base. But these two business owners with zero culinary experience are doing it right here in Winnipeg.

He started a landscaping company in his early 20s. One year later, he was diagnosed with stage three melanoma.

Matt Bell is the founder of Gellers — a luxury design-build landscaping company in Winnipeg — and co-owner of Shelmerdine Garden Centre.

In this episode, Matt opens up about:

• Going from mowing lawns to running a 200-person company
• Being diagnosed with cancer at 25
• Beating stage four melanoma and having a son, doctors said would never exist
• Why he acquired Shelmerdine Garden Centre
• His people-first culture and why a 97% staff retention rate is no accident
• How clinical trials literally saved his life and why giving back is non-negotiable

What started as $15 lawn cuts is now a 200-person operation.

But the business story isn't the only story here.

Matt shouldn't be alive. His son shouldn't exist. And somehow, through all of it, he built a company where his people come first, every single time.

She started with $40… and a candle kit in her kitchen after surviving an ectopic pregnancy.

Three months later, her product was in the Grammys and Oscars swag bags.

Amanda Buhse didn’t set out to build a business but what started as a small side project turned into a fast-growing brand, Coal & Canary — a hand-poured candle company known for bold scents and storytelling.

In this episode, Amanda shares:

• How she went from $0 to national exposure in 90 days

• The reality behind rapid growth (and what broke)

• How she rebuilt after her partner left

• Building a business after an ectopic pregnancy

• Getting her Instagram hacked — and buying it back from “white-hat hackers”

You don’t need to be ready.

You just need to start.

Katie Hall Hursh walked away from law just three years in.
Not because she couldn’t do it — but because she wasn’t fulfilled.

Today, as Board Chair of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation, Katie is helping drive real healthcare innovation across Manitoba, including surgical robotics and advanced technology that are improving patient outcomes, reducing recovery time and helping people get home faster.

In this episode, she shares:

• Why she walked away from her law career
• How innovation is changing healthcare in Manitoba
• How investing can shape stronger communities
• How she balances motherhood and leadership

From raising $40K as a teenager for cancer care to now helping lead major healthcare and investment initiatives — inspired by her own mother’s battle with cancer — Katie’s story shows how small actions can turn into real impact.

She’s biking 7,500 km across Canada for cancer.

Mady Kennedy spent over 10 years building a makeup brand and growing an audience, then walked away from everything and never posted again as the “makeup girl.”

For two years, she felt lost. Then she got sober.Started training.

Now she’s biking across Canada. Starting this May.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why she’s doing it and how
• Losing 30,000 followers and starting over
• Getting sober and rebuilding her life
• Training for an Ironman in just 4 months
• What her life looks like now

At 21, Maddie Thompson dropped out of architecture school. Today, she runs MAD Social Agency with a team of 30+ and works with 400+ brands.

We sit down to talk about:

• The moment she decided to drop out

• Why taking risks is easier when you’re young

• How she went from $80/month clients to $5,000/month

• Why personal brand and outbound is the “cheat code” for growth

• How she built a fully remote team based on trust

• Why emotional content is what actually drives views and sales

🎙️ Watch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Kevin Dandewich started in construction at 15.

30+ years later, he’s leading operations at Gator across Manitoba and Saskatchewan — helping grow the Winnipeg team from 1 to 20 in under 2 years.

He’s worked on major builds like the Selkirk Hospital and built his career by learning on site.

He’s also the kind of leader who will run to the store if his team needs something. No ego. Just gets it done.

Outside of work, he’s a hockey dad and coach.

Kevin shares his career in construction, lessons from big projects and his thoughts on change orders.

Meet Jasmin Laine:

Former Winnipeg morning radio host (Energy 106) turned independent political commentator.

When things didn’t go as planned, Jasmin Laine had to make a career pivot.

Most people would’ve been terrified to talk about politics publicly, especially as a conservative woman.

She did it anyway.

In this episode, Jasmin shares:

• What it really takes to grow online
• How she broke into a male-dominated space
• How she lands interviews with high-profile politicians in Canada and the U.S.
• How she became a speaker at the 2026 Conservative Convention
• What’s happening right now in Canada’s political landscape

Watch and see how a Winnipeg voice is making waves nationally.

Weeks after being told he had a fatal brain disease with no cure, Garett Wong nearly drowned in a boating accident.

Two close calls forced a bigger question:
What do you do with a second chance?

Most people would finish the PhD.Garett quit six months before graduating and bought a bankrupt $4,600 duplex in Winnipeg’s North End.

Today he’s the founder of Upper Edge Property Management and Systemize My Biz, helping investors and businesses build systems that scale.

In this episode, Garett shares his first deal, writing offers on car hoods, scaling from one duplex to a real estate portfolio and why systems beat hustle every time.🎧 Full episode on Careers Under Construction

What actually makes a great leader — and why do so many get it wrong?

Allana Schmidt began her career in clinical social work, working directly with individuals and families before moving into business, operations and organizational leadership.

Over the past two decades, she has led large-scale workplace transformation and global people strategy across complex, people-intensive industries, including healthcare and technology.

Today, as Vice President of Global People Strategy & Solutions at IntouchCX, Allana leads people strategy for 35,000+ employees across 14 countries. She’s also the author of The High-Performing, Human-Centered Workplace, where she stresses that leaders don’t have to choose between performance and work-life balance.

If you care about becoming a better leader — or working for one — this episode is worth your time.