Season 2 Episode 1 begins with guest, Morgane Michael. Her podcast, Kindsight 101 is the first one I ever listened to and one that inspired me to take steps to begin my own journey as a podcaster. Her latest venture is an amazing new book, From Burnt out to Fired Up by Solution Tree. It will inspire and encourage people looking for some insight, and it gives a fresh outlook for those who are feeling a little (or even a lot) burnt out. I read her book from digital cover to digital cover and I loved it. It provides readers, leaders, and teachers with a little spark when you feel like you might be on your last match. Her practical suggestions are straightforward and clear, giving a framework for those people in the world who have felt like they are stuck and burnt out. So here is a question--what if "burnt out" was your next stepping stone?

I would say that looking back on March 2020 to March 2021, I have realized that there is some clutter in my life that I need to deal with. I have spent some time over this last year, and even over the last couple of months figuratively “dumping out my purse.” What I noticed was that until I dumped it out, I didn’t even know what was all in there. I have carried around some loss, some loneliness, feelings of failure and defeat, and even in all of that clutter, I found some things that I’m keeping. Some things that remind me that the hurricane of the global pandemic changed me, and in some ways I am so thankful. My guests today are Pam Ukrainetz, a care ministries director at a local church learning about spiritual directorship and my teenage daughter, Amy Van Roon learning about the practice of gratitude. Friends, what are your snapshots of these last 365 days?

In this podcast, I am more than thrilled to interview George Couros, author of The Innovators Mindset, and co-author of Innovate Inside the Box with Katie Novak. He calls himself a learner first, but he is also an author and speaker. You can check out his blog on www.georgecouros.ca and listen to his podcast, The Innovator’s Mindset. He is passionate about staying curious and open to new learning. I love that he has inspired me to stay curious about my own learning and be willing to embrace change. I think educators and all listeners will find his view on innovation refreshing. He is positive about change motivating us to do something creative and amazing in this world, and he has reminded me to stay curious and keep asking questions—to keep creating and to keep on learning. In the spirit of sharing and learning, teachers-this one is for you! 

I am honoured, excited, and so grateful to be sharing this podcast episode with my new friend, Laurie McIntosh. She has inspired teachers all over Alberta. She has been a speaker alongside Dr. Jody Carrington, and is soon to be a published co-author of Teachers These Days. Laurie McIntosh is down to earth, she’s good at encouraging, and she notices the sparkle in her students and the friends around her. She has a unique ability to shine a light on what she does in the classroom and share it in such a way that if you followed her on Instagram, you would want to be a part of anything and everything she is doing. She’s creative, she’s fun, and she is full of kindergarten teacher energy...she is an advocate for community kindness—sharing it, showing it, and calling it part of the way you live. I am so lucky that our paths crossed. I think she has so much to offer students, teachers, and the community when it comes to kindness with no strings attached. Giving it away with no guarantee of getting anything back. Wow, she is a gift. Hold up, naysayers…today is about shining a light on the leaders around me who are influencing, inspiring, and doing some really great things in this world. And just like Laurie says in this podcast…hop on board. Let yourself shine.

Listeners, here are the stories from business owners finding their way through a pandemic and a young teenage runner who pushed himself beyond what he thought were his limits…they all have a message of passion, resilience, and grit…and you don’t learn these things when you are sippin’ lemonade. You learn these things when you are staring at the lemons…when you are asking yourself, what am I going to do with you, lemon?

In this episode, Shawn and Erin Pinder of Runners Soul store in Lethbridge, Alberta share their story of "running" a business through a pandemic, and my teenage son, Carter Van Roon shares the story of his most memorable run to date from one hot July day in 2020.

Building Culture in Disruptive Times is about building community, even in times of disruption. In this episode, I interview Sandra Asuchak, owner and team leader of Kinetic Indoor Cycle and Fitness in Lethbridge, Alberta. Sandra, alongside her team, has built more than a business at Kinetic…it truly is a community…it was like that before the global pandemic, it was like that in the middle of the pandemic, and it will continue to build relationships beyond the pandemic. It is clear how much Sandra values community. Leaders like this are hard to come by – she is both supportive and inspiring. She crushed it in 2020. She had less than a few days to pivot to online fitness classes after the sudden disruption of covid-19 restrictions, but she jumped in with her whole heart and dug deep when she needed to. Listeners, please meet Sandra.

In this podcast, I interview friend, spin and fitness instructor, ultramarathoner, and soon-to-be running coach Chantelle Erickson of Lethbridge, Alberta. If you are thinking about your goals for the new year and want to have a little inspiration, check out this episode of the Plan B Leadership in Life podcast. This is a great way to kick off 2021! It's a good podcast for all ages, and is sure to infuse some inspiration into your day.

In this podcast, I interview my husband, a current leader in the community. We talk about disruption both personally and professionally and link some of our shared story of 2006--when I was diagnosed with cancer--with the global pandemic of 2020. What do leaders do when disruption comes their way? Today we share some practical examples...it's all about having a plan b.