On this episode of No Coaster Needed, I sat down with my brother, Jarrett McCourt. He is the Principal Tuba at the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida.

Jarrett’s playing was recently called “warm, romantic and seamless” by the South Florida Classical Review. He has performed with a number of different high-level ensembles, can be heard on several recently released CDs and has either won or advanced at ten competitions in the past five years. Most notably, he won the top prize in the brass category of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal’s prestigious Standard Life Competition in 2014, becoming the first tubist to do so in the competition’s 75-year history. Jarrett is also currently on faculty at New World School of the Arts at Miami Dade College.

On the show, we talk about how Jarrett got into music, what he took away from his time working at a crisis hotline, his TSA struggles, being an Canadian in Miami Beach and all of the anecdotes in between.

Jarrett plays with the New World Symphony. To follow their work, check out NWS.edu. If you want to follow the work that Jarrett does, you can check out his website at JarrettMcCourt.com or follow him on Instagram @JarrettMcCourt. He’s also a photographer and posts his photos on Instagram @jmccourtphotography.

Interview Notes:

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.

On this episode of No Coaster Needed, I sat down with Maureen Lucas. She is both Past President & CEO of LucasWorks and an Entrepreneur-In-Residence with the University of Windsor’s EPICentre.

Maureen has been recognized for many years on the Profit W100 List for Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs and the company she founded, LucasWorks has been on the Profit 500 List for the last 7 years consecutively. Maureen is also a proud Rotarian and a founder of 100 Women Who Care Windsor-Essex, a group dedicated to giving large contributions to local community causes and who are committed to community service.

On the show, we talk about Maureen’s start in the hospitality industry, founding, growing and selling a business, adjusting to changes in the market and her own company, her work outside of work and all of the anecdotes in between.

If you want to follow the work that Maureen does, check out these organizations and causes:

Finally, if you wanted information about the company that she founded, LucasWorks, you can check that out at LucasWorks.ca.

Interview Notes:

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.

On this episode of No Coaster Needed, I sat down with Irek Kusmierczyk. Irek is both the Director of Partnerships with WEtech Alliance and a Windsor City Councillor For Ward 7.

Irek has a PhD from Vanderbilt University in the United States and a Master Degree in Government from the London School of Economics. Irek sits on multiple boards including Essex Regional Conservation Authority, Transit Windsor and Windsor Public Library. He is also a proud Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

On the show, we talk about Irek’s move to Canada from Poland, returning to Europe to study, interviewing for a Rotary International scholarship halfway across the planet in the early 2000s, being in Nashville during the 2008 election, snakes and all of the anecdotes in between.

If you want to follow Irek or see his full Windsor City Council voting record, you can visit his website at irek.ca. You can also follow him on Twitter @Irek_K.

Interview Notes:

1:40 Being born in Poland, becoming political refugees and a one-way ticket to Toronto

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.

On this episode of No Coaster Needed, I sat down with Zain Ismail. Zain is a Senior Consultant, Strategic Support Services at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan.

Zain was named the Positive Professional Of The Year by the Leamington Chamber of Commerce in 2015 and was recently named one of Leadership Windsor/Essex (LWE) 40 Leaders Under 40 for 2018.

On the show, we talk about Zain’s first hope to be in hospitality, his "ah-ha" moment, adding impact as an intern at Leamington District Memorial Hospital, his role with the Henry Ford, the various initiatives that he works on in his downtime and all of the anecdotes in between.

If you want to follow Zain’s blog, you can do so at ZainIsmail.com. He also shares a lot of great stuff on his Twitter @IsmailZain.

Interview Notes:

1:40 Hope in hospitality

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.

On this episode of No Coaster Needed, I sat down with Nuha Elalem. She is a Windsor-based filmmaker and photographer who at 24 already has credits for The Card, The Tiger Hunter and others under her belt.

On today’s show, we talk about her move from Libya to Canada at a young age, working as a Producer for the first time on The Card, going to Los Angeles, moving on to bigger projects like The Tiger Hunter and all of the anecdotes in between.

If you want to follow Nuha's work, you can go to NuhaElalem.com or follow her on Instagram @PhotosbyNuha. The Card, a film where she was the Producer and Assistant Director, is available for viewing on YouTube or at TheCardShortFilm.com.

Interview Notes:

1:40 Nuha’s move from Libya to Canada

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.

On this episode of No Coaster Needed, we spoke to Emilie Cushman. Emilie is the Co-Founder & CEO of Kira Talent. Kira Talent is a Toronto-based company building software to make it easier on Universities and Colleges to assess their applicants.

Emilie is a past recipient of the HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow Award and was named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2012.

On the show, we talk about her first dream of being an astronaut, getting into the Next 36, co-founding Kira Talent, how her role evolved and changed over time and all of the anecdotes in between (like how she gave up coffee).

To see updates about Kira Talent, you can visit KiraTalent.com and @KiraTalent on all major social media platforms.

Interview Notes:

1:35 Emilie's Upbringing

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.

On this episode of No Coaster Needed, we travel to Toronto to talk with Foad Karimian. Foad is a Community Capacity Builder - Youth Leadership at the Yonge Street Mission.

Foad has dedicated his life to helping youth. He started this journey through an initiative he started called the Odette High School Leadership Initiative. The program created at the University of Windsor's Odette School of Business helps high school students develop key leadership skills.

He now leads a similar program at the Yonge Street Mission called Our Voice Out Loud. Foad is a recipient of the Ontario Volunteer Service Award for continuous years of commitment and dedicated service to an organization and the Mayor's Youth Leadership Award in Windsor.

On the show, we walk through Foad's upbringing, his move to the University of Windsor, starting the Odette Leadership Initiative, his job with the Yonge Street Mission and all of the anecdotes in between.

To see updates about the Odette High School Leadership Initiative, you can search for OHLI.Windsor on Instagram. To see Foad's work now, find O.V.O.L on Instagram. This account shares updates from Foad's Our Voice Out Loud program.

Interview Notes:

1:30 Foad's Upbringing

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.

No Coaster Needed is a collection of intimate conversations with incredible people.

Everyone involved in Season 1 has ties to the Rose City (Windsor, Ontario) and the first piece of the series launches Thursday, February 15th.

It's casual, positive and I can't wait for you to hear it.