Safe Brave Stories

Mark Edgar is a people-centric, strategic and innovative Chief People Officer and community builder with global experience developing and delivering impactful and business focused people strategies across a range of sectors. He has over 25 years’ experience building HR solutions across the broad HR agenda including transformational change, talent management, engagement and organizational effectiveness.

 Mark has run his own consulting Goat Rodeo Project designed to help organizations avoid train wrecks. He currently works for Wajax as Chief People Officer where he is excited to be building a people-first company. An enthusiastic collaborator, he is the co-founder of future foHRward – a community for HR professionals to build their capabilities and confidence in leveraging the opportunities that come from the new world of work. This includes a weekly newsletter and co-hosting foHRsight the podcast. Mark lives in Canada with his wife and has two grown up daughters. He spends his time enjoying soccer – or what he calls football – and his RV Ramsay!

 A great friend, a kind heart, and an impactful leader. This episode is fun and filled with practical and powerful tips for all of us on our journey towards and our ability to enable safe brave spaces. To learn more about Mark follow him on LinkedIn  at https://www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/ and to learn more about Furture foHRward go to https://www.futurefohrward.com/

Haze Schepmyer is a Life Event Transitions Mediator,dedicated to activating FlowXible Approaches Across Physical, Emotional and Mental Experiences. With an authentic blend of compassion and expertise, Haze helps to guide accountable individuals through some of life's most challenging transitions, by empowering them to navigate change with grace and resilience.

As a listener, learner, and encourager, Haze excels inhelping clients acknowledge themes and patterns in both joyful and difficult times. Her approach is rooted in the belief that every experience, whether happy, healing, or hard, offers valuable insights for personal growth. By fostering a deep understanding of these patterns, Haze then works to enablethose clients to shift from feeling stuck to experiencing positive momentum and stronger direction. My (Greg) personal experience in her presence has enhanced my confidence, my openness, and my courage plus as my first Yoga teacher, she has awakened my physical wisdom and flexibility.

This episode, which I personal have already listened to a number of times, is so packed with powerful wisdom in both personal growth and how we can better show up with each other.

Haze is available for speaking engagements and private consultations, working with individuals, small groups, and large organizations alike. She can present talks across the array of boardrooms, classrooms, workshops, and conferences as afacilitator, speaker, keynote speaker, or workshop leader. To learn more about Haze or connect with her, please consider reaching out to her [email protected], check out her website at https://hazeschepmyer.com/ or follow her on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/hazeschepmyer/.

Shab is a communications and engagement strategist with roots in digital marketing, media sales, and community engagement - known for designing inclusive experiences and aligning messaging across diverse audiences.
She is also co-founder of YourFriend, a Toronto-based events and engagement studio that designs emotionally resonant experiences for brands, communities, and teams. They specialize in epic intimate events; gatherings that feel personal, purposeful, and unforgettable.

Whether designing engaging events, shaping internal messaging, ideating marketing solutions or facilitating community conversations, Shab helps communities and organizations build trust, clarity, and connection.

She blends strategic planning with emotional intelligence, always grounded in values of equity, belonging, and purpose - resulting in stronger stakeholder alignment and impactful
communication.

To learn more about Shab and her work you can connect with her on LI at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shabbaharyeh/ or at the YourFriend site - https://www.your-friend.co/ 

After a life-altering motorcycle accident, JeromeMugambi defied the odds. With broken bones and months of recovery ahead, he promised his former director: “Give me ten days. I’ll walk across that convocation stage.” And he did!

Supported by sheer determination and the cheers of his MBET classmates, Jerome crossed the stage at his convocation at the University of Waterloo’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship & Business University of Waterloo
In this amazing episode, Jerome shares his journey ofcreating safe brave spaces within himself, within the communities he supports and most recently his new start up. From reframing failure to leading with empathy, his learnings became fuel for OpenUp, the mission-driven startup he founded.

OpenUp fosters anonymous connection, emotional fluency, andreal conversations, because healing isn’t just about bouncing back, it’s about building forward. To anyone navigating recovery, reinvention, or reintegration, you’re not alone.
Jerome’s journey reminds us: when resilience meets community, anything is possible. Although still youngin his life journey, Jerome is wise beyond his years, and our conversation is packed full of practical insights and approaches wherever you are on your journey,

Want to learn more or get involved? Drop Jerome a line at [email protected] or follow him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerome-mugambi-310381114/

When I (Anna) first met Anne over 10 years ago while working together at Pelmorex, I was struck by her exceptional emotional intelligence and people-first leadership style — qualities that are truly foundational to creating safe, brave spaces.

Today, Anne is the Senior Vice President of Software Development at Propel Holdings, where she leads the scaling of engineering organizations and drives the delivery of innovative digital products . Her career spans more than 20 years in product development, enterprise architecture, platform engineering, AI/ML, quality assurance, and IT operations .

Prior to Propel, Anne held senior leadership roles at Wealthsimple and Pelmorex, where she helped modernize delivery practices and strengthen engineering foundations . She also serves as an Advisory Group Member with Accelerate Her Future, supporting the advancement of Indigenous, Black, and racialized women in tech .

Anne brings a powerful blend of strategic thinking and human-centered leadership, and I’ve always admired how she leads with clarity, compassion, and impact. I’m so excited for you to meet her and hear more about her journey and influence.

You can learn more about Anne through LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/annesteptoe/

Sam knows a thing or two about leading with impact in fast-moving, high-stakes environments. He’s  held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s most innovative companies.

Sam’s known not just for driving growth and innovation, but for doing it the right way — by putting people, culture, and purpose at the center.

Anna had the pleasure of working alongside Sam and experiencing his leadership style firsthand. She shares without hesitation that he’s one of the most impactful leaders she has ever worked with — someone who’s made a lasting impression on her both personally and professionally.

In this episode, we’re diving into a topic that doesn’t always make the leadership playbook — the power of safe and brave spaces. Why they matter, how they fuel trust andinnovation, and what it really takes to lead with both courage and care.

Marsha-Gaye, born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, embarked on a remarkable journey that led her to become a prominent
figure in the field of sports marketing and equity advocacy.  A Clinical Assistant Professor, a Public Speaker and Advocate for Women founding Black in Sport Business (BSB), an organization dedicated to connecting black professionals within the sports business industry. Through her work she has been a finalist for the GBC 5 to Watch industry awards for 3 consecutive years.

Nina is the Founder of Pure Minds Inc., a social enterprise that conducts mental wellness and mindfulness workshops for the corporate and public sector. She is the co-author of the International Bestseller Let That Sh*t Go, a no-filter, practical approach on how to find peace of mind and happiness in the everyday.

Nina has been studying mindfulness for over 20 years and practicing meditation for over a decade. Wanting to take her search for mindfulness more seriously, in 2010, she took a year sabbatical and moved to Northern California. There she took a 1-year course studying ancient wisdom and meditation. During that year, she lived in an ashram in the Redwood forest and completely unplugged.
She now follows her passion and educates on mental well-being and mindfulness across various platforms. Coming from a corporate background, she is especially passionate about bringing wellness to the workplace, to help employees find calm amid the chaos.

Find out more about Nina's work and how she can support you at www.pureminds.ca

Anna and I provide a bit of background of who we are and what are our hopes for this podcast and a broader commitment to helping curate a community to enable safe brave spaces within ourselves, our relationships and our broader communities.

Many of us are still searching for our purpose and passion late in our life, for Dennis Campbell the light went on at the age of seven while accompanying his sister on her summer job. A passion for people combined with an entrepreneurial spirit has resulted in a very special place to work in Halifax Canada. This is such a great conversation where Dennis shares some very practical approaches that have resulted in Ambassatour being voted as one of the top 10 Best Companies to Work For in Atlantic Canada. A vulnerable and inspiring leader who recognizes and activates the power of the collective organization though creating a safe brave space to release the potential of all team members. If you are interested in becoming part of this amazing team click the link https://www.ambassatours.com/join-our-team. To connect with Dennis go to LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-campbell-0055b54/