With over 20 years in in the music business, Doug Romanow has got a healthy list of credits to his name. On top being a Record Producer, Mixer and Songwriter he’s also the Musical Director at the Canadian Country Music Awards. 

He’s worked with Justin Bieber, Johnny Reid, Chantal Kreviazuk, Divine Brown and Tyga just to name drop a few artists.

You don’t survive being in the music business for 20 years by not being good at what you do. Doug is an in demand panelist at music conferences, including Canadian Music Week, the Western Canadian Music Awards and Canadian Country Music Week. 

I know him to be a really intelligent guy with a dry sense of humour who isn’t afraid to discuss the meaning of life. He proudly lives in Toronto, Ontario, with his wife and two daughters. Doug lives No Ordinary Life.

Where you can find him:

Web: http://www.douglasromanow.com

Twitter: @douglasromanow

Instagram: @douglasromanowmusic

When I first started this podcast my goal wasn’t to be an advertisement for Muskoka Woods. My goal was to find people who were living interesting lives and making interesting decisions. Naturally the low hanging fruit for me was to reach out to my friends. As I made my list of people I wanted to interview, there was a large number of friends from Muskoka Woods over the years who just happened to be living really interesting lives.

I figured I would start with them and like anything you have in common with friends the subject of the camp came up – every time. Leading me to start calling this the Muskoka Woods Series.

I thought it would be great to cap off the Muskoka woods series with the CEO of Muskoka woods John McAuley and have him speak to his own story but also the stories of the former staff members making an impact outside of camp.

I’ve known Johnny for over 30 years now, he was my counsellor as well as an occasional adversary to my desire to “bend” the rules at camp. But he saw something in me and eventually became a mentor of sorts for me over the years.

Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, John McAuley began his career as a Counter-Terrorism police officer in the Royal Ulster Constabulary before moving to Canada in 1987. For over 25 years, John has served as the President & CEO of Muskoka Woods, a Christian youth development organization that operates a in the Muskoka region of Canada.

John’s passion is the mentoring, coaching and spiritual direction of those in the throes of leadership. He has been married to Lori for over 25 years and they are the proud parents of Jake and Kasi, as well Tux the Wonder Dog.

Jeff Roach is a global brand consultant and strategic planner specializing in brand management, digital marketing, and marketing strategy. With over 20 years in advertising and marketing communications, Jeff has touched hundreds of brands. A veritable who’s who of big companies… with work for 3M, Alcatel, BlackBerry, Boost Mobile (Sprint), Blizzard Entertainment, Bubblicious (Cadbury), Coca-Cola, Coors, Coty, DC Comics, Durex, Energizer and the list goes on and on

And while that’s all very impressive to say the least I know Jeff more as the skater kid who played guitar all the time at camp during the summers.

Jeff is also is a 20 year veteran of the marriage game – married to his wife Priscilla and a father of 3 teenage girls.  

Jeff started in a small town, moved to the big city of Toronto and eventually landed in the even bigger city of Los Angeles.

I hope you enjoy my latest guest Jeff Roach and his No Ordinary Life!

Where you can find him:

Web: www.wearescs.com

I had the privilege of sitting down with Andrea Jacka at her kitchen table this week to talk about her life and the decisions she made to achieve no ordinary life. I discovered that she’s a genuine bad ass! I had no idea she had been in the military and then off course she hitch-hiked from BC to Alberta as a teenager! Seriously the things you learn about people!

Andrea really is the energizer bunny. Honestly, I have never met anyone like her and her husband Rick. They are the most encouraging people I’ve ever met, and they’re support and belief in me and my wife Michelle is humbling to say the least.

From army boot camp, to dental hygienist, owing her own business, to real estate agent. Andrea proves that she can tackle it all.

You can find her at:

web: andreajacka.com

FB/IG: @andreajacka

email: [email protected]

Tad Munnings is an entrepreneur that has focused most of his life and career on filmmaking and telling stories through visual means.

Living in Africa at young age was definitely fundamental in shaping his worldview and how he told stories to others.

Starting off as a young filmmaker with dreams of making an impact on the world he quickly met the realities of what it means to be an artist and filmmaker but also a husband and father of 5 kids.

Eventually he was able to not only combine his artistic sensibilities with his monetary needs but at the same time tell the stories that were important to him with Africa in particular coming back to him as an adult and now experienced filmmaker.

From Toronto to Chicago – where he had a stint as a taxi driver – to Africa and then back to Toronto. Tad is now able to manage both his career and life on his own terms. 

Tad Munnings is wearing Black t-shirts and living No Ordinary Life.

You can find him at:

storystream.com

@tadmunnings

Julie is a busy mother of 4, a doula, pre-natal educator, counsellor for young moms as well as a wife.

If anyone I know has had ups and downs in their life it has been Julie. From overcoming drugs to surviving a suicide attempt along with watching her first born daughter endure 25 surgeries before 18 years old!

She's an inspiring and charismatic woman who gives hope and encouragement to others and we hope this podcast will do the same for you!

Mark Dowds is the co-founder and chief strategy officer of Trov Inc, one of the world's fastest growing Insurtech companies and co-founder of tech hub, Ormeau Baths in Belfast Northern Ireland. Mark is as a serial entrepreneur as well as a super connector.

I wanted to dig in to Mark’s mindset over the years after initially leaving Ireland to move to Canada for ministry,  to San Francisco for business and most recently moving back home to Belfast. 

He’s made money, lost money, started companies and shuttered them. He’s won a California Amateur Ultra- Marathon.

If you think that Mark Dowds sounds like an interesting cat – I’d say you're right. Listen in and you will see that Mark has No Ordinary Life.

Links:

https://www.trov.com

https://twitter.com/markdowds

Iain Lovatt is the newly elected mayor of Stouffville, a small town about 50 km’s north of Toronto, Ontario. He has also been a friend of mine for over 30 years. I’ve always known him to be not only an entrepreneur but also a creative. Ian is a charismatic leader with a great sense of humour and an energy to get things done! He and his wife Mary and their 3 children have lived in Stouffville, , since 2007.

He has over 25-years of experience in youth work, charity and business management. While he grew up in Ontario, his career began in British Columbia, where co-founded a number of technology companies that focused on youth marketing, internet radio and entertainment. Including an amazing idea that is remarkably similar a little thing called social media.

Iain returned to his Ontario roots in 2002 when he joined the Muskoka Woods management team as Director of Marketing and the Director of Business Development...   And true to his entrepreneurial roots, with some friends also started a bakery in Stouffville, the Main Street Bakehouse. Which is a very popular spot with my family.

Iain first ran for office in 2010 and was elected as Ward 5 Councillor in 2014 where he served as an active member of council and sat on 6 town committees. In 2018, Iain was successful in being elected Mayor. 

There are lots of twists and turns in Iain’s story, proving once again my opinion that are no straight lines to get to where you are.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with my friend and Stouffville’s new mayor, Mayor Iain Lovatt.

I speak with my good friend Dallas James from James Family Farms. Dallas has been a singer, traveler, mom, business woman a sailor and now entrepreneur. Join me for my interview with Dallas to see how she and her family are living @no_ordinarylyfe.

Instagram: @jamesfamilyfarm 

Website: www.jamesfamilyfarm.ca

Welcome to the debut podcast of No Ordinary Life. 

NOL explores the success stories that we don’t actually get to hear about but should!  Especially because it isn't a straight line between where you were, where you are and where you're going to be.

Stories about ordinary people living extraordinary lives. People you may know but had no idea about the types of choices they’ve made in order to get to where they are. The risks that that they have taken and the decisions that they have made, so that they could live No Ordinary Life.