Journeys with the No Schedule Man

When I first heard about a guy who invites musicians into his car so that he can conduct a quick interview, have them perform a song, and then create a video episode of each encounter, I was immediately intrigued. I also had a lot of questions about how he got the idea and how he was making it happen.

Jeff Boudreau is the creator and host of the fabulously creative web video series, "Jeff's Musical Car." Based in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Jeff has produced over 250 episodes at the time we recorded this podcast, ranging from local artists from the Moncton music scene all the way to Internationally renowned talents such guitarist, Jesse Cook. Jeff has chauffeured a few of the musicians that easily fall into my top ten of any list of my favourite music, including Colin & John-Angus MacDonald from The Trews, David Francey and The Fortunate Ones, though I've yet to see an episode where I wasn't impressed by the musicianship of Jeff's companion for that particular video.

What does a NASCAR-style pit crew changing tires have to do with high-performing business culture? Quite a lot, as it turns out, and Bob Parker is the man who puts people – quite literally – into the action to discover that for themselves.

Bob is a Speaker, Experience leader, Management Consultant & Facilitator and Author of "The Pit Crew Challenge: Winning Customers Through Teaming." The "Pit Crew Challenge" also serves as the name of Bob's benchmark program for the last many years, a metaphorical learning experience that builds high-performing cultures leading to greater efficiencies. He does this by bringing an actual late model (NASCAR-style) race car to people.

Kevin reflects on the process that led to beginning the podcast and how it's evolved in the first year. He talks about some of the people he's met, what he's learned, what some of the "aha" moments were that have shaped the evolution of both the podcast and Kevin's personal and professional journey, and he shares what it all could mean to help you in getting started with something you've been thinking of doing for yourself.

Jim Cressman is a professional baseball umpire and retired sportswriter. He still umpires and has been doing so for over 50 years. I know Jim best as a sportswriter. For decades, Jim covered sports for the London Free Press, the daily paper in the city where we live. He was responsible for all kinds of topics, including the old London Tigers baseball team we had here for a time (an Eastern League AA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers), the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, all kinds of major league sporting events, and even auto racing coverage out at the stock car track near here called Delaware Speedway, where I worked in various capacities for about a decade and where I got to know Jim best.

Listening to Jim talk about how they used to get stories written and submitted is a whole lot of fun. If you have any interest at all in news media, journalism or reporting, you'll love it. Umpiring, on the other hand, took Jim to the Olympics and other international events, as well as through baseball's minor leagues. Had work visas been more readily available, Jim may never have been a sportswriter to begin with, as it's likely he would have ended up as an umpire in the major leagues.

Sometimes a book comes along with exactly what you need to hear precisely when you need to hear it. Every now and then, the contents of such a book can become a permanent part of your journey, personality, and thought process from that point forward.

With that in mind, I decided to do a podcast on five books that have had that effect on me and to share my personal stories of why they've meant so much. My hope is that it will eventually help someone else, and possibly even save them from some of the personal challenges I've been through.

Jennifer Farmer is an intuitive, medium and spiritual teacher whose greatest passion is empowering you to embrace joy and inner peace through the deep healing of spiritual readings, teachings and guided meditations. I first learned of her work a couple of years ago by way of one of her guided meditation videos on YouTube.

Amidst my early exploration of a higher level of awareness and at the time I was first dipping my toes into the pool of an initial practice of meditation, I somehow found Jennifer voice, approach, and energy rather soothing and appealing. I have been a fan of her work ever since and am truly grateful that I got the chance to connect with her for this conversation.

Kim Von Berg is a long-time love coach, is passionate about transforming the lives and relationships of singles and couples - and has owned and operated Thriving Loving Relationships since 1997. She is a certified singles and couples coach, a communication specialist, a credentialed teacher and holds a master's degree in Humanistic Psychology. In addition, she is certified in Neuro-Linguistic Programming and about to certified as a Calling in the One Coach.

Michelle Dutro is the host of The Game Changer Podcast and creator of InnerNorthStar.com. She describes herself as being inspired by people who are willing to risk it all to pursue their dream, stand up for what they believe, or go above and beyond to help another. Like me, she has a natural curiosity about the mindset of these kinds of people and she loves to discover what sets them apart. She refers to these kinds of people as "Game Changers" and by reaching out to them, she's able to share the stories of their challenges, their successes and most importantly their "why" behind what they do.

Sue Curr is a Speaker, Empowerment Coach & Author who prides herself on being able to inspire others to Fear Less & Live More by adopting the practices of forgiveness, gratitude, mindfulness & positivity as part of their daily lifestyle choices. Sue has 15-year background in the fields of education and social healthcare specializing in Mental Ill Health Awareness. She works tirelessly with people of all ages, enabling them to achieve their full potential and instilling in them the confidence to live life in their own way. S

Gair Maxwell is an International Speaker, Author of the critically-acclaimed book, "Nuts, Bolts & a few Loose Screws," and a Reinvention Strategist. With a background in Broadcast Journalism, Gair himself has been reinvented, long ago transitioning into a life of speaking, coaching and creating, which led him to being recognized as TEC Canada's "Speaker of the Year" in 2012. G