PARLAY Podcast

Walt Bleser isn't one for titles, although he has a few - President, CEO, athlete, but the most important to him are father, husband, leader, and survivor. A few years ago, Walt narrowly avoided an almost always fatal type of heart attack called the “widow maker” – he was a competitive cyclist and barely into his 40s at the time. Walt was also Type A, in a demanding job with an equally matched travel schedule, and had just welcomed his first child. Needless to say, there were warning si...

Sometimes the most brilliant ideas originate from the most unlikely places. This happens to be the case with B Yoga, or the B Mat to be precise. A long-time lover of yoga after discovering the practice while obtaining her MBA in Australia, Andrea had spent several years in marketing and business development before joining her family’s fifth generation manufacturing and technology business. A chance encounter with product they were reviewing ignited a spark that led to that start o...

For a woman who “…never thought I would be an entrepreneur – ever!” Kristi Stuart has most definitely proved herself wrong several times over. A competitive dancer as a child, Kristi had planned to travel the world dancing on cruise ships until a car accident majorly altered her course.Fast forward to a degree in molecular biology and biochemistry, a successful career in pharmaceutical sales, marriage, and motherhood, which leads to Barre Belle Studios's creation. “Lightening in a...

After immigrating to Canada, via Fiji and Australia, Saawan Logan quickly fell in love with the land and an idea started to percolate after drinking from a natural spring during a hike. That idea is now North Water, a Canadian company bringing fresh, clean, alkaline spring water to the rest of the country, as well as a message of sustainability and responsibility. Going “all in” just prior to the start of the pandemic, Saawan shares a refreshingly positive account of how they not ...

Ginny Barker is an East Coast girl, living in a Western Canadian world who is simultaneously killing it in the corporate communications world while pursuing her passion of becoming a certified Herbalist. Growing up on an organic farm in small-town New Brunswick, Ginny didn’t realise how much of an impact this would have on her. She left for the beckoning “city lights” and has built a successful career in advertising and corporate communications. Like many of us, Covid brough...

This episode has been in the making since essentially before the podcast began. My dear friend, Adam Hoffman, is President of Vesta Wealth Partners Ltd., a single-family office, and an Investment Fund Manager democratizing access to private equity. Based in Calgary, his mission is to empower entrepreneurial families to thrive for generations.We sit down to discuss many things, but mainly his passion for finding your purpose. With interests in business, law, tax law to be exa...

In the span of two short years, Dr. Kate Hunter has found a way to, not only challenge how the medical system works but create retail spaces, practices, and communities to support it. Join my conversation with Dr. Kate as we discuss how the pandemic brought to light the faults in the system and her unknowing contribution to it. And, how she personally sought further societal and cultural education and corresponding actions to rectify those traditionally excluded in the wellness sy...

“See the good” is the motto for Sphere Optometry, Dr. Danielle Gordon’s Westman Village practice in Calgary. Considering she opened not too long before the pandemic, one could say this was fitting. Dr. Danielle’s journey to opening Sphere is both endearing and entertaining, involving a pub in Ireland, a tandem cross-country drive with walkie-talkies, and stumbling across the perfect location to bring her vision to life. Join me in finding out why this is not your typical off...

I met Tara Simonton about 5 years ago. We lived in the same neighbourhood, had kids the same age, went to the same gym, and had lots of friends in common. I instantly liked her; she had a special lightness and warmth. Little did I know the journey she had been on to become the person she is today.After an adventurous start together in Europe, Tara and her husband were excited to start a family. After years of struggling with infertility, and a near-death experience for...

Saying that today’s guest wears a few hats would be an understatement. Dr. Ingemaud Gerber is a long way from her native South Africa, and the journey to Canada is a story in and of itself. Fast forward several years later and she is now a key member at Inliv Medical in Calgary, as well as Mom to three busy young ladies. Her passion for medicine brought her to become certified as a Functional Medicine physician through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, while also ...