Now For Someone Completely Interesting

Trevor Kotowich was that kid who always wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up.  And he did!  As the Chief of the St. Paul Fire Department for over 13 years, Trevor shares his story of how he got into the firefighting business and some of the challenges he's faced as a member and leader over his 35-year career.  A guest that's been long overdue for this podcast, Trevor brings a bit of humor and candidly shares some of the mental and physical health challenges that comes with a long career as a firefighter.  But probably the best part is one of his proudest moments that he experienced, just a few short weeks ago. Calm, cool and always a pleasure to talk to.

You may have heard his name mentioned in my other podcast, 2 Guys 1 Rant. Now we get to hear from Correspondent #3 himself!  Jeremy Blanchette, though quiet and reserved, is very passionate and active in our community.  From his involvement with the Rec Board, to his 10 year career as a volunteer firefighter with the St Paul Fire department.  We get the scoop on what motivates Jeremy to keep giving back to the community where he was born and raised!

Gladys has become a good friend over the last 10 years, but also a deep rooted member of our community over the last 25 years.  Learning about her career as a dietary technician, to meeting her husband, Duane to her journey into becoming a very talented potter, Gladys shapes a great story with a few side anecdotes that give us a glimpse into someone completely interesting! 

From having top "Street Cred" on the mean farm near Dewberry, to not fitting in at the mean schools of Edmonton, Lionel Romanchuk really only every wanted to work with horses.  His reprieve from city life came when he got a job as a teenager at the horse racetrack.  Eventually returning to his rural roots, Lionel live his childhood dream of riding the rodeo circuits.  A life that would give him skills in Saddle making and eventually developing a love for public speaking as the Voice of Haying In The 30s!  Plus a lot of fun stories in between that make him Someone completely intersting! 

When Bruce Foerester was 16, he was becoming a very good baseball player and had an opportunity to play with the best team in Albert, for summer ball.  There was one small problem.  League rules at the time didn't allow the team to draw from players living outside the Medicine Hat area.  His parents did the only logical thing.  They sold off their recently built home and business and moved down to accommodate the rules!  Bruce is not only a fantastic athlete, he's a phenomenal story teller who takes us through his early years growing up in St. Paul to playing ball throughout the US while earning and Undergraduate and Masters degree in Kinesiology.  Looking back fondly on his playing days, Bruce is still doing what he loves, coaching and strength training through his own gym down in Medicine Hat.  He also shares his appreciation for everyone who helped him in this Completely Interesting episode.

It's a tough job being a hockey referee.  From players and coaches to the fans, more often than not, most of your decisions are being criticized ... harshly.  So why do it for so long?  Danny Gadowski shares his reasons and how he arbitrarily decided he wanted to ref hockey!  Besides reffing, Danny is a regular with volunteering and taking part in a wide variety of sports and social events in the community.  Even though we've had our moments during various hockey games where we didn't see eye to eye, he's still a completely interesting guy!

My "little" cousin, Josee Joly, not only achieved her goal of becoming a nurse, but has gotten the opportunity to experience that profession in other countries.  Josee shares her experience and views of how very different health care is around the world.  If her career wasn't enough, this mother of 3 young children, including newborn is currently pursuing her masters for to become a Nurse Practitioner and is training to run 100km in the upcoming Iron Horse Ultra 100.  Go big or go home!   

My youngest nephew Nick Marland is my first Kid Bit Guest!  An exciting year for this 12 year old from Houston Texas!  He took in his first live Premier League Soccer Match in Manchester, England that came with a huge surprise and a win for his Man City team.  Nick also got to see his favorite hockey team, the Edmonton Oilers during their playoff run when they took on the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final.  A fun little storyteller with a great gif of gab!

From a small prairie town, this shy, introverted, annoying Sister has gone on to live on the opposite side of the world, eventually settling down and raising her family in one of the largest cities in the United States!  Rosanna Marland, formerly Rosanna Poulin, talks about how she stepped out of her comfort zone that led her to an unforeseen adventure.  From the Canadian Prairies to the Maritimes, to Malaysia and finally arriving in Huston Texas in the middle of a hurricane!  My once annoying sister has ended up with a pretty interesting life ... so far!

Author, broadcast journalist, Kids Help Phone volunteer, psychiatric nurse and die-hard Edmonton Oilers fan, Eileen Schuh has an eclectic array of interesting, and she brings a lot of it to this podcast!  Growing up on a farm near Tofield Alberta, Eileen always wanted to be a writer but didn't quite get around to it until her kids were grown up.   How she navigated her life to finally achieve her childhood dream with a couple detours is all here in this episode!