Excuses to Connect

By Richard Lee-ThaiEducation Self-Improvement

Excuses to Connect episodes

October 18, 202246: Helping Students to Thrive through Individualized Education with Evelyn Shaw Corley
Evelyn Shaw Corley is the founder of Thrive International Academy, an organization which provides learning outside of the traditional school setting. Having been a teacher herself, she has seen some of the flaws of the educational system and aims to create an environment where each student gets individual support so they can thrive. Evelyn is also the recipient of the Meta’s 2022 Changemaker of the Year Award to recognize the amazing work she is doing!
Timestamps
[1:52] What is your personal mission in 1 sentence?

[2:40] Receiving the 2022 Meta Changemaker award

[4:18] The story behind Thrive International Academy

[10:23] Accessibility and affordability of education

[14:29] Success stories from the program

[17:38] Childhood experience of bullying in school

[25:14] Choosing who to spend your time with

[30:29] Tip for connecting: Push yourself to do something that makes you a bit uncomfortable every day

[33:49] What's it like in Athens, Georgia?

[37:30] Where to connect with Evelyn

[38:46] Final takeaway: Live fearlessly, be bold
Resources Mentioned
Contact Evelyn: Facebook | Website
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
42 min
September 06, 202245: Generating Wellness through a Human Connection Movement with Pete Bombaci
Pete Bombaci is the Founder of the GenWell Project, which is a Canadian-led not-for-profit organization focused on generating wellness through connection. Their mission is to make the world a happier and healthier place by educating, empowering and catalyzing Canadians around the importance of human connection for their health, their happiness, their longevity, and the betterment of society. In this episode, we do a deep dive on the topic of connection, why it’s important to our wellbeing, and what we can do in our own lives to be more connected.
Timestamps
[2:01] What is the GenWell Project?

[4:02] What was the catalyst behind starting this?

[9:31] The importance of social health in the context of mental health

[11:35] Is it stigma that surrounds loneliness, or misunderstanding?

[18:20] What are your personal experiences of loneliness?

[21:32] Nearly 50% of all Canadians reported feeling lonely - what do we do about it?

[28:56] Connection is important to our health, but what do you do if you’re shy?

[33:27] Technology is only a supplement to human connection

[38:32] How to make connections in the workplace post-pandemic

[44:18] Creating the Canadian Social Connection Guidelines

[49:04] Where to connect with Pete

[50:31] Final thoughts: The power of talking to strangers and taking baby steps to build connections
Resources Mentioned
Contact Pete: LinkedIn

GenWell Project: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

2022 Canadian Social Connection Survey
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
54 min
August 23, 202244: How to Play & Rediscover Your Inner Child with Prasanna Karur
Prasanna Karur is the Founder of the PlayGround podcast where he interviews people about their childhood and rediscovering their inner child. He is passionate about making others feel belonging and living life authentically according to your own values, rather than other peoples’ expectations. This mission extends to his academic studies as he is going into medical school, with a focus on Narrative Medicine. Don’t know what that means? Neither did I - but you will learn about that and many more fascinating stories about play, authenticity, belonging, and joy.
Timestamps
[2:06] What was the motivation and story behind starting your PlayGround podcast?

[11:04] Why is it important for adults to rediscover their inner child?

[15:58] Childlike wonder and curiosity in adulthood

[20:48] Authenticity and owning who you are

[23:35] Social anxiety and worrying about what others think of you

[32:10] Incorporating play into workplaces

[37:39] Why Prasanna is passionate about “narrative medicine”

[43:43] Systemic issues of burnout and bureaucracy in medicine

[49:23] Where to connect with Prasanna

[49:56] Final thoughts: finding joy in the small things
Resources Mentioned
Contact Prasanna: Instagram | Linktree
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
54 min
June 22, 202243: Livestreaming on Twitch to Create Community with Brady Simpson
Brady Simpson is a Master’s Graduate from the University of Lethbridge and a Twitch streamer. Don’t know what Twitch is? It’s a livestreaming platform where people stream themselves playing video games, playing music, hosting talk shows, and much more. Brady specifically streams Guild Wars II, a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). In this episode, we talk about the challenges he had to go through to complete his Master’s degree, as well as the amazing international connections that he’s built through streaming on Twitch, including a number of his viewers coming to watch his thesis defense!
Highlights & Takeaways
Brady being diagnosed with ADHD in the middle of his Master’s program and how his perception on ADHD shifted from it being some horrible thing to how it’s something extremely common and normal.

When Brady messaged his professor saying he was quitting, he received this message: “I support you either way, but I want you to know that I hope that someday you see in your yourself again, what I see in you.”

How he grew his Twitch livestreaming audience from 0 viewers to averaging over 75 viewers regularly

He ended up meeting some of his viewers in-person when he travelled, and how they became close friends that supported him during his challenges

“You'll find your people. You'll find your tribe. The number one thing is to not let that fear hold you back and understand that you're gonna get rejected sometimes. But every rejection is getting you one step closer to building that community and finding those connections and then ultimately stay consistent.”
Resources Mentioned
Contact Brady: LinkedIn | Twitch | Twitter
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
50 min
June 16, 202242: What I Learned Talking to Strangers: Street Connect NYC with Janille Hill
Janille Hill is the creator of Street Connect NYC, where she is capturing meaningful conversations between strangers in NYC. She shares these conversations on her Instagram page and she is making the world smaller one connection at a time. In this episode, she shares about her process of talking to strangers, stories that have stood out to her, and the responsibilities that come with storytelling. We also chat about being a connector of colour and how systemic racism has played out in all walks of life, including in the connection space. I loved this insightful and fun conversation with a fellow connector!
Highlights & Takeaways
Vulnerability inspires vulnerability - Janille always lets the other person ask her any question first, before she asks the other person.

“Everybody has a rich, beautiful story.” Our stories and experiences are what connect us, and lately Janille has been asking people about their deepest pain, because we can all connect to it.

How approaching strangers we may not find ourselves initially drawn to can be extremely transformative and mind-expanding.

Sonder - The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Storytelling is a foundational part of the lives of people of colour.

There is a beauty in being present with others and connecting with strangers has a ripple effect.

“Say yes to what’s in your soul.”
Resources Mentioned
Contact Janille: Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World

Humans of New York
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
1 hr 1 min
June 07, 202241: How Loneliness Can Lead to Mass Murderers with Unni Turrettini
Norwegian-born Unni Turrettini is a best-selling and award-winning author, international speaker, and loneliness and connection expert. Her work is about helping people find deeper connection and belonging, so that they can thrive in their personal and professional lives. She is the author of “The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer”, which examines Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik and focuses on what we can learn from that tragedy to prevent rampage killings spurred by loneliness. In this episode, we talk about the conforming culture of Norway, and how she found many similarities between herself and a mass murderer, in terms of the pain of being excluded.
Highlights & Takeaways
Regardless of the color of your skin, your religious beliefs or your political leanings, we are all human beings and we all want to feel seen, heard and valued.

We are worthy as people despite our failures or successes, the way we look, or how other people perceive us.

“This is the pandemic. This dysfunction, disconnection is really the fastest growing pandemic in our world today. And it's making us sick, it's making us violent, it's polarizing us, and all the things that we don't want.”

Connection is crucial and there can be extreme consequences resulting from a lack of connection and the loneliness and lost sense of belonging that results.

“I don't recognize myself in the actions of this man. But I knew I understood how and why he could come to that conclusion, how he could come to that extreme, because I had felt that as well.”

HOPE - Help One Person Everyday
Resources Mentioned
Contact Unni: Website | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer: Anders Behring Breivik and the Threat of Terror in Plain Sight

The Making of a Lone Wolf Killer TEDx Talk
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
48 min
June 01, 202240: How to Be Present for Youth Adults with Cancer with Abby Westerman
Abby Westerman is the Co-Founder and CEO of the b-present Foundation, which was established in memory of her daughter Kirsten, whose battle with cancer inspired her to improve the experience for both young adults with cancer and their supporters. They are working to provide the resources that they wish they had as part of the support network and ignite a movement among young adults to amplify the importance of presence. This has been one of my favourite episodes I’ve recorded so far and there’s so much important information in here about what good communication sounds like, how to be there for others, and connecting with people as people, rather than treating them like a patient.
Highlights & Takeaways
The b-present Foundation has 2 key programs: b-aware and b-there, which provide the information and tools that empower the social support network to be present from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond

“The interesting thing with a cancer diagnosis is that it makes communication just awkward and hard. You know, we're very careful about what we say. We don't want to hurt feelings. We don't want to ask for help. We don't want to be conveying a sign of weakness.”

“The thing that Kirsten appreciated most was when people came into the room and treated her like a human being first, and as a patient second.”

How being authentic and matching the other person’s energy are key components of being present

The story of Abby attending EDC, an electronic dance music festival that Kirsten had purchased tickets for, and how it was an transformative experience
Resources Mentioned
Contact Abby: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
34 min
May 18, 202239: How to Be Your Authentic Self with Kristina M. Holle
Kristina M. Holle is the author of "The Authentic You: Unleash Your Leadership Potential". She is a business leader that has had a career in Human Resources for over 20 years. She has worked in numerous companies and industries focusing her time on strategic and operational HR activities, centering on employee engagement, talent branding, and driving a culture of wellbeing. Nowadays, she's been very focused on helping people to discover their authentic selves. In this episode, we discuss what are the components of authenticity, how to be more authentic, and the shifts in culture that need to occur in organizations.
Highlights & Takeaways
Authenticity starts with connecting yourself and doing the inner work of examining your past. Can you release the shame of your past stories and own a new narrative where you’re the hero of the story?

Strategies to do inner work, such as meditation and journaling. Kristina shared an exercise of putting a timer for 5 minutes and just writing about how you’re feeling, without thinking about it or taking your pen off the paper.

“Authenticity for me is being in a place of truth, love, and joy. So when we're standing in a place of authenticity, that means that you are living in your own personal truth.”

“E-motion. Energy in motion. Your emotions are energy. If you block your emotions, they get stuck.”

Kristina says that if you want to make a real impact: “Stop looking externally for all the answers. Take the time to reconnect with yourself. Take the time to know who you are. Accept all of it. Get to the point where you can accept all the parts, the parts that we perceive as broken, the parts that we don't think that are serving as well. I promise you, they are.”
Resources Mentioned
Contact Kristina: Instagram | Twitter | Website

The Authentic You
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
51 min
May 11, 202238: From Birth to Net Worth
Jesse Stanton is from Alaska, and he is a motivational speaker, podcaster, business coach, real estate investor & creative finance ninja. He is the host of the Birth to Net Worth podcast, where he details how he is approaching parenting and teaching his kids to live a life of freedom from the constraints of scarcity, both in terms of mindset and financially. He is the first guest I’ve had where we’ve talked extensively about the connection between parents and children. He shares many great stories of how his kids have absorbed lessons through books and seeing how their father interacts with others. We also chat about the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who push us to grow, rather than drag you down.
Highlights & Takeaways
How Jesse’s kids have gotten to see the work that their dad is doing in real estate investing and making an impact on others, which has sparked their curiosity to learn more

“What's been really neat is to teach these to my kids at such a young age where they're just like sponges, right? Because I'm not having to change 20, 30, 40, 50 years of somebody thinking a certain way.”

Living in Alaska is extreme, where there’s long periods of darkness, harsh weather, and high suicide rates. At the same time, everybody is really generous and caring for each other.

“When it came to my mindset in terms of what I'm capable of, surrounding yourself with those people and having the right conversations is going to be one of the biggest things that aid in your success.”

The “crabs-in-a-bucket” mentality where other people are trying to drag you down once you start trying to make a better life for yourself and climb out of the bucket

“You hang around five competent people. Guess what? You become the sixth. You hang around five millionaires, you become the sixth. It's a universal truth.”
Resources Mentioned
Contact Jesse: Instagram | Facebook

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
45 min
May 04, 202237: Spreading Happiness, Love and Positive Vibes 24/7 with Syrine Bellafi
Syrine Bellafi is the creator of a project called “Spreading Happiness, Love and Positive Vibes 24/7” where she provides doses of positivity through videos, quotes, and inspiring discussions. Living in Tunisia, she shares how she was able to connect with people from multiple countries through an app called WeWorld. She believes in choosing kindness, even towards others who may seem mean or not approachable. It can seem like the world is full of hate right now, but this episode will leave you feeling energized by optimism.
Highlights & Takeaways
Syrine grew up in a community where there's a lot of hate, criticism and hypocrisy, so she wants to spread happiness. This is so people don’t focus too much on the negative side, and instead try to live together with kindness and learn from one another.

“If you have the choice between being right and being kind, choose being kind”

The story of Syrine connecting with a girl from Turkey, and ended up meeting with her when she traveled there for a summer trip. “She was literally one of the best people I met. She was very nice, very warm and welcoming. And she was open to conversations to talk about everything.”

How Syrine was able to befriend someone who was initially didn’t like her

“We just listen because we want to answer and that was very profound. I mean that hit me because at some point I felt like I was like that as well.” Syrine really emphasizes the importance of listening carefully to others in order to connect with them
Resources Mentioned
Contact Syrine: Instagram | Facebook

Spreading Happiness, Love and Positive Vibes 24/7
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
28 min

About Excuses to Connect

From the publisher's feed

Have you ever wanted to connect with someone, but you stopped yourself? Excuses to Connect is a podcast about actively creating the conditions that make meaningful connections easier. In other words, you can make excuses to connect. Join me, Richard Lee-Thai, as I have conversations with experts, friends, and strangers on their struggles and successes when it comes to human connections. As a listener, I hope that you can take these insights and find excuses to connect with people. You never know how any one connection can transform your life.

Share Excuses to Connect

Sign up to save your podcasts

Excuses to Connect

Excuses to Connect episodes

About Excuses to Connect