In the spirit of giving back, we revisit one of our most unique and impactful partnerships, Mission Possible, to explore how they have strategically integrated coaching into their employment readiness program to support those who are marginalized and experiencing poverty through a transition to gainful employment. On this episode, Chris Ward, Manager of Momentum, Nicolas Tellez-Espana, Community Engagement Coordinator, and Jess Ebbers, Cohesion Specialist each join us to share their experiences and learnings using coaching on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside - one of the most poverty stricken neighbourhoods in Canada.

About Mission Possible:
Mission Possible is a community economic development agency in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Since 1992, Mission Possible has walked alongside people challenged by homelessness and poverty. Through its employment readiness program and social enterprises Mission Possible is transforming lives by helping people experience a renewed sense of dignity and purpose through meaningful work.

Mission Possible currently runs two social enterprises, MP Maintenance and MP Neighbours, that employ an average of 70 individuals per year in transitional jobs.

Links and Resources:

https://www.mission-possible.ca
https://essentialimpact.com/ei-podcast-10-infographic/

The Essential Impact Podcast
The Essential Impact Podcast is an original program hosted by MCC and Founding partner, Marj Busse. In each episode, esteemed guests join Marj to explore the world of coaching and the unique impact it has on their lives, leadership and well-being.

Stay Connected!
If you liked what you heard don’t forget to subscribe! The EI podcast is available on your favorite platforms.

Original theme music written and performed by the Lovely Ladies of Company B Jazz Band:

https://www.companybjazz.com/

Time stamps:
[1:42] Chris Ward, Manager of Momentum and Mission Possible Coach
[37:34] Nicolas Tellez-Espana, Community Engagement Coordinator
[53:25] Jess Ebbers, Cohesion Specialist and Mission Possible Coach

Kathryn Oliver invites Marj up to the 24th floor of Joey Restaurant Group’s head office in Vancouver BC to discuss both how Kathryn has supported creating a coaching culture at Joey’s as well as her personal journey with coaching.

Kathryn Oliver
As the former Manager of Training and Development for the JOEY Restaurant Group, Kathryn worked with the company through exciting growth, as it doubled in size and reached 5000 employees across North America. Kathryn’s expertise lies in the hospitality industry, including over 7 years experience in leadership development. In Kathryn’s experience, Coaching has been the access point to stronger relationships, higher levels of organizational performance, and is arguably, one of the best tools available for unleashing potential in others.

Upon completing her MBA in 2019, Kathryn moved to London, England, to gain further experience in a global market and to continue her career in People Development.

Kathryn continues to be inspired by organizations with fast paced and technical environments.

About Joey Restaurant Group:
Like most of JOEY management, CEO Jeff Fuller started his remarkable journey flipping burgers, washing dishes and sweeping floors. It’s called paying your dues, learning from the ground up and understanding what success takes. “If there’s a secret,” he says, “it’s hard work, unwavering commitment to the customer and assembling the very best people.” Jeff absorbed valuable lessons from his family’s successful businesses before striking out on his own with a brand new concept in upscale casual restaurants. The first JOEY opened in 1992 and, as word spread, plans for a second location were quickly in the works. Today there are JOEY Restaurants across Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Seattle and California. Our model isn’t to repeat formulas but create spaces perfectly suited to the locale and its clientele. Each JOEY restaurant is unique, but they all have plenty in common: great food, lively environments, exceptional dining experiences.

Essential Impact’s coaching initiative with JOEY Restaurant Group began in 2008 when they identified the need to develop leaders. The turnover rate was more than 200%, while a rapidly expanding market was projected to grow 30% over the next three years. Since putting the coaching program in place, JOEY Restaurant Group has been recognized for five consecutive years as one of Canada’s greatest places to work and received an International Coach Federation Global Prism award for excellence in coaching.

Links and Resources:
https://joeyrestaurants.com/
https://essentialimpact.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Choice-Magazine-JOEY-ICF-Global-Prism-Award.pdf

Mission Possible’s Executive Director and Chief Empowerment Officer Matthew Smedley joins the podcast to discuss his journey partnering with Essential Impact and integrating coaching into his organization’s work on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Matt explores his personal journey with coaching and the learning he’s experienced along the way empowering economic development in one of Canada’s poorest regions.

Rev. Matthew Smedley
Rev. Matthew Smedley grew up in rural Pennsylvania and trained as a pastor.  He currently serves as the Executive Director & Chief Empowerment Officer of Mission Possible in Vancouver, BC. Since 2007, Matt has helped Mission Possible become a leading community economic development organization in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.  He has experienced the impact of coaching in his own life and has worked hard to see that others have the same opportunity, especially those marginalized by poverty.  He is passionate about people recognizing their own abilities, self-worth and capacity for growth, and loves to see the way that can change the trajectory of one's life.
He is the husband of the amazing and talented Kadee Smedley, who is his partner in raising their daughter, three sons and a cat.

About Mission Possible:
Mission Possible is a community economic development agency in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Since 1992, Mission Possible has walked alongside people challenged by homelessness and poverty. Through its employment readiness program and social enterprises Mission Possible is transforming lives by helping people experience a renewed sense of dignity and purpose through meaningful work.
Mission Possible currently runs two social enterprises, MP Maintenance and MP Neighbours, that employ an average of 70 individuals per year in transitional jobs.

Links and Resources:
https://www.mission-possible.ca/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdsmedley/

Former Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategic Officer of CGIS Industrial Specialties, Lisa Woods joins the podcast to reflect on her experiences in leadership and how coaching has supported her along the way.

Lisa Woods

As a self described Jack of all trades and master of none, Lisa Woods began her career at the bottom of the ladder with CGIS Industrial Specialties, a global supplier of the highest performance valves, controls and automation. In a highly male-dominated industry, Lisa climbed all the way into her role as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategic Officer where she was 12 years providing leadership through a period of significant growth. Along the way, Lisa has been supported by coaching and continuously been challenged to learn and grow.

Ed Temple, PCC joins the podcast to share his journey into becoming a coach and facilitator and a few of the lessons he has learned along the way. Ed explores how adopting a coaching mindset has helped him overcome limitations, build stronger, supportive relationships and address conflict in business, life and at home with his wife and three children.

Ed Temple
Ed is the Co-Director of Alberta SEEDS program for Essential Impact. Ed is an experienced executive and fierce servant (higher purpose) focused on developing leaders across many sectors. For Ed, it is all about helping people and organizations collaborate through social enterprise, social impact and corporate charitable partnerships. Coaching and coach training are opportunities to tap into a leader's values, strengths and passions and release them for greater team effectiveness, organizational transformation and improved bottom line results. Ed's diverse background with his coaching and facilitation skills provides an optimal combination for clients and leaders learning coaching skills to thrive!

Links and Resources:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-temple/
https://triconpeopleandculture.ca/

Stay Connected!
If you liked what you heard don’t forget to subscribe! The EI podcast is available on your favorite platforms!

Original theme music written and performed by the Lovely Ladies of Company B Jazz Band: https://www.companybjazz.com/

In this Episode:
Essential Impact Founding Partner and Master Certified Coach (MCC) Carollyne Conlinn joins the podcast to discuss how coaching as applied to her life, leadership and well-being.

Carollyne Conlinn
As a Master Certified Coach, Carollyne brings over 25 years of business experience at the executive level to her clients. Since leaving her role as Vice President HealthCare Operations, she has been helping organizations create a corporate climate that allows individuals to excel and teams to achieve exceptional results. In 2005 one of her clients, the University of British Columbia, was awarded the first Vancouver ICF Prism Award for excellence in integrating coaching into their organization. Carollyne was named Canadian Coach of the Year (2008-2009), and has been included in “Who’s Who in Canadian Business” since 1995. As a pioneer in the coaching field, Carollyne co-founded Essential Impact when coaching was first seeded in the business world. Carollyne is Associate Faculty with Royal Roads University’s ICF accredited Graduate Executive Coaching Certificate program.. She inspires others with her personal story of transition from corporate executive to executive coach, which is published in the anthology, Roadmap to Success. Carollyne is an avid globe-trotter, is fluent in French, and loves to sing as a member of the Lions Gate A Cappella Chorus. She is the proud mom of two similarly creative children as well as a lovely daughter-in-law and recently her greatest title of Gramma.

Stay Connected!
If you liked what you heard don’t forget to subscribe! The EI podcast is available on your favorite platforms!
Original theme music written and performed by the Lovely Ladies of Company B Jazz Band: https://www.companybjazz.com/

In this Episode:
Author Tracee Andrews, sits down with PCC coach and Essential Impact founding partner Dave Busse for a one-on-one coaching session. Dave helps Tracee focus and navigate through some of the challenges of publishing her book, Whispers on the Ocean, which tells the heart-wrenching story of how institutionalized bigotry has shaped Canada’s relationship with its First Nations Peoples. After the session, our host Marj Busse, MCC, joins in to conduct a detailed debrief of Dave’s coaching.

Tracee Andrews (The Coachee)
Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Tracee graduated from the Justice Institute of BC's Paramedic Academy and spent the majority of her fifteen-year medical career working in the challenging environment of Vancouver's infamous Downtown Eastside. A career-ending injury sent her back to university where she focused on psychology and the First Nations studies that later inspired her first novel. Following this she worked as a traumatic stress counsellor and was a founding director of the Canadian Foundation for Trauma Research and Education. Tracee's experience as a veteran first-responder in Canada's poorest neighbourhood, coupled with her understanding of traumatic stress, gave her a unique perspective to write Whispers on the Ocean.

Dave Busse (The Coach)
Dave is one of Essential Impact’s founding partners and Executive Coach who brings a values-based approach to business. He has strong values around building people, family and excelling. Coaching in Dave’s world isn’t about fixing problems: it’s about identifying opportunities and capitalizing on them in a way that makes sense from a personal and business perspective. Coaching is a deeply rewarding and trusting relationship for Dave. He excels at capitalizing on great opportunities, making tough decisions, and working with leaders who are striving for their next level of greatness.

Links and Resources:
Tracee’s Website: TraceeAndrews.com

Purchase her book, Whispers on the Ocean:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42593053-whispers-on-the-ocean?from_search=true
https://booklocker.com/books/9713.html

Stay in touch:
https://www.facebook.com/Tracee.M.Andrews.Author/
[email protected]

Stay Connected!
If you liked what you heard don’t forget to subscribe! The EI podcast is available on your favorite platforms: (ITUNES) Etc. (Insert links to all streaming platforms)
 
Original theme music written and performed by the Lovely Ladies of Company B Jazz Band: https://www.companybjazz.com/

In this Episode:
Marj Busse is joined by Renee Ritskes - A women who despite being considered profoundly deaf since she was a young child found a way to shift her perspective and recognize how she could consider her lack of hearing a strength. Renee is a red-seal chef, a mentor and a coach who has built a reputation as being an intentional listener.

Renee Ritskes:
Deaf from childhood, Renee has had to learn to communicate in new ways, honing her listening skills through people watching, body language, and intuition. This has given her the building blocks that mentoring and coaching have built upon, using them to grow her own story and also the stories of others. Through her life, change and transitions have been a constant factor and she believes in developing safe and creative environments for people to explore greater levels of effectiveness through change. Over her thirty plus years of experience, she has developed a distinct coaching style, and over the past ten years, she has enjoyed public speaking, teaching, and coaching leadership teams in the non-profit world through organizational change and growth helping them live out their fullest potential.

Stay Connected!
If you liked what you heard don’t forget to subscribe! 

Original theme music written and performed by the Lovely Ladies of Company B Jazz Band: https://www.companybjazz.com/

The Essential Impact Podcast is an original program hosted by MCC and Founding partner, Marj Busse. In each episode, esteemed guests join Marj to explore the world of coaching and the unique impact it has on their lives, leadership and well-being. 

In this Episode:
Marj Busse sits down with Essential Impact Associate Partner, Bruce Swan - a man of many talents. Together, they explore how taking a coach approach has influenced Bruce’s experiences in life and leadership. Bruce even shares the story of how he got Margaret Trudeau on the dance floor!

Bruce Swan
With over thirty years Senior Executive experience as President and CEO, Bruce utilizes the coach approach to leadership. Today fulfilling the role of interim CEO for organizations he has seen and supported firsthand, leaders stepping up to the plate to fulfill the roles of the positions they hold title to. Bruce is a Professional Certified Coach with an undergraduate degree in Commerce, a Graduate Diploma in Hospital Administration and Graduate Diploma in Executive Coaching. In addition to being an Associate Partner of Essential Impact, he owns and operates his own leadership coaching and consulting business and is a qualified coach and facilitator of the LEADS in a Caring Environment Capabilities Framework through the Canadian College of Health Leaders and LEADS Canada. 

Stay Connected!
If you liked what you heard don’t forget to subscribe! 
 
Original theme music written and performed by the Lovely Ladies of Company B Jazz Band: https://www.companybjazz.com/

In our pilot Episode Marj Busse, sits down with Essential Impact’s Director of SEEDS BC and Founding Partner Dave Busse to explore Essential Impact’s growing SEEDS program. This program was designed with the bold idea of embracing the social enterprise model to provide corporate, charitable and non-profit leaders with top-rate International Coach Federation accredited training in an environment that would be affordable and inclusive to all. Imagine a program where a Bank Manager, Addictions Counselor, Church leader and Human Resources representative all sit down at a table together to learn and practice coaching skills with one another. Robert and Dave dive deep into their journeys with this program and the impact its had.

Robert Gray

An accomplished background with more than 5 years’ of coaching involvement, specifically in the not-for- profit world, Robert’s energy is focused on helping people connect their skills and experience to their passions and purpose. He has 20 years’ experience in local church pastoral ministry both in the UK and Canada and is skilled and practiced in teaching; the facilitation of learning, coaching, leadership development, culture and organizational change management, sales and continuous human improvement. He is skilled in public speaking and working with small groups and individuals.

Dave Busse

Dave is a one of Essential Impact’s founding partners and Executive Coach who brings a values-based approach to business. He has strong values around building people, family and excelling. Coaching in Dave’s world isn’t about fixing problems: it’s about identifying opportunities and capitalizing on them in a way that makes sense from a personal and business perspective. Coaching is a deeply rewarding and trusting relationship for Dave. He excels at capitalizing on great opportunities, making tough decisions, and working with leaders who are striving for their next level of greatness.

Time Stamps

Intro [00:00]
Podcast Start [00:21]
Welcome [01:20]
Thanks [1:08:42]