In Part 2 of our season finale, the PodSquad welcomes on another awesome panel of graduating SPMA students, featuring Jess Crosthwaite, Kurtis Fischer, Ryan Hyndman, and Joseph Sayej (learn a little more about these panelists by tuning in at 4:17)! Jess, Kurtis, Ryan, and Joseph tap into the "first word" of the podcast by sharing their own unique mindsets that have driven them through four years of their SPMA tenure (7:26). They talk about the skills that they've learned that remain in their "professional toolbox" as they prepare to enter the workforce after graduation (13:20), which unexpectedly transitions into the challenges of navigating the Mackenzie Chown complex, for some reason (17:24). The panelists also talk about key things that helped their professional development outside of regular lectures and seminars (21:35).  Additionally, each panelist reflects on some standout/memorable moments during their 4 years in the Sport Management program, from attending the Leafs training camp in Niagara Falls, attending networking events, and going to Brock sporting events (28:47). Jess, Kurtis, Ryan, and Joseph then share their final thoughts to wrap up Part 2 of the finale (37:46).  Thank you to Jess, Kurtis, Ryan, and Joseph for joining the show! A special shoutout to our podcast administrator Maddy for doing an amazing job once again as a co-host! Keep up with the podcast on social! Follow us on Instagram and TikTok using the handle @spmacouncilpodcast, and subscribe to our audio/video feeds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, and YouTube! #MaximizeYourMindset

It's that time of year again... our highly anticipated SEASON FINALE is here- Part 1 of 3, that is.

In Part 1, the PodSquad welcomes on three graduating Brock Sport Management Students to the show- Jake Matthews, Natalie Hamel, and Matthew Rose!

The three panelists first talk about the mindset that has helped forge a successful tenure at Brock U, ranging from creating a positive attitude/culture, committing to open-mindedness, and a willingness to try new things, even if they may be outside of one's own comfort zone (5:48). They discuss how they were able to find certain niches in the sports industry that they were passionate about (and would hopefully like to pursue as a career) during their four years at Brock (8:02). The panelists also talk about things throughout their SPMA tenure that have helped the most in their professional development, ranging from club involvement to volunteering for a wide variety of organizations, regardless of which niche and setting. (13:12).

Finally, the panelists "time travel" back to first year in 2018-19, and offer their "first-year" self some words of advice (22:39, probably the best part of the show in our opinion), as well as share some final thoughts to wrap up Part 1 (30:37).

Thank you to Jake, Natalie, and Matthew for joining the show and being an awesome panel for Part 1! A huge shout-out to Jackson Pretli for co-hosting again!

Keep up with the podcast on social! Follow us on Instagram and TikTok using the handle @spmacouncilpodcast, and subscribe to our audio/video feeds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, and YouTube!

#MaximizeYourMindset

In this episode of the podcast, the squad welcomes Paul Walderman, a Digital Content Specialist at MLSE, to this week's edition of the show! 

Paul starts off the podcast by detailing his mindset, based on a positive attitude and a commitment to hard work (9:03). He talks about his tenure at George Brown College and Ryerson University, where he talks about the skills he took with him when he made the decision to fully commit to a career in sports business (10:53). Paul then talks about his first role in the industry- an internship with Toronto FC and TFC II- and talks about the real value that networking and honest, hard work can bring to the table when working in the industry (15:36). Additionally, Paul talks about his time with the Toronto Argonauts working as a Special Products Coordinator in Marketing and in Ticket Sales. Throughout that time, Paul talks about his strategies to adapt and embrace a difficult scenario, where doing so led him to his current role that he works at within Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (22:05). 

More importantly, Paul sheds some light on an extremely important article put together by himself and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) team at MLSE to detail life as a sports professional on the autism spectrum. He talks about a certain connection with Doug Flutie, one of the Argos' all-time greats, that motivated him to put that piece together, which ended up getting attention worldwide (32:47). The article addresses crucial aspects such as what living on the spectrum can entail, the complexity of the disorder, certain challenges individuals may face, the benefits of including autistic people in the workplace, and meaningful steps that should be taken to create a more equitable environment, such as new hiring practices (35:34). Paul also elaborates on the ways that he is trying to impact the community, one of which is his Board of Directors position at the New Haven Learning Centre (43:40).

Thank you to Paul for joining the show! A huge shoutout to Amanda Benitez, who made her podcast cohosting debut!

Keep up with the podcast on social! Follow us on Instagram and TikTok using the handle @spmacouncilpodcast, and subscribe to our audio/video feeds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, and YouTube!

#MaximizeYourMindset

In this episode of the show, William and returning co-hosts Jackson Pretli and Alex Penz welcome on Phil Sullivan, current team manager and former head coach of the Brock Men's Rugby Team, as well as a professor in the Kinesiology department for over 19 years.

Phil starts off the show by elaborating on own his mindset throughout 20+ years of involvement as a coach in the game of rugby. He talks about the main motivator that attracted him to the field of psychology, and he also elaborated on how he got started in coaching the sport of rugby after multiple years of experience as a player. 

Phil then elaborates on the unique challenges that he faced while running the Brock Men’s Rugby Program, notably recruiting and season structure. He talks about his 19+ year tenure as a professor and elaborates on how his involvement influenced his coaching style. Finally, we take a trip back to 2019, as Phil talks about Brock’s thrilling bronze medal victory over the Trent Excalibur to clinch their very first appearance in the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship. 

Thank you to Phil for joining the show! Keep up with the podcast on social! Follow us on Instagram and TikTok using the handle @spmacouncilpodcast, and subscribe to our audio/video feeds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, and YouTube! 

#MaximizeYourMindset

In this episode, William welcomes back a familiar face back to cohost, as he teams up with Neville Madill to interview Shauna Bookal, SPMA alumnus and the current Executive Director for Field Hockey Ontario!

Shauna starts off the show by sharing her extremely committed and driven mindset that she has used for all of her years working in the industry (13:53). She talks about her time spent at 3 different universities (Brock SPMA, Durham College Sport/Event Management, West Virginia University Masters of Sport Management) and shares how the time she spent at all three fueled her passion for the events side of sport, which led into multiple opportunities with assisting in major games, such as the Invictus Games in Toronto and the Canada 55+ Games in Brampton (17:09). She also elaborates on the massive differences on the college level with sport events in Canada, compared to NCAA events in the U.S, while going into detail about what a major games experience is like- spoiler, almost no day at a major games is "typical!" (25:45)

Shauna then talks to us about her tenure with Field Hockey Ontario. Shauna tells us how she got her start at the organization, where she ascended to Executive Director from her Event Coordinator role in an extremely quick timeframe (30:59). She elaborates on the transferability of skills in sport, (32:19), and the strategies that Field Hockey Ontario is implementing to continually grow the sport each year through partnerships, recruiting new Canadians, and implementing the Long Term Athlete Development model to ensure that athletes get the optimal support that they need in training or in game action (33:18). Finally, Shauna talks to us about her involvement in the Black Female Coach Mentorship Program which creates equitable opportunities, support, and leadership development opportunities for Black female coaches across the country (41:58).

Thank you to Shauna for joining the show!

Keep up with the podcast on social! Follow us using @spmacouncilpodcast on Instagram and TikTok! Subscribe to our audio/video feeds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, and YouTube! #MaximizeYourMindset

After a long Christmas break, the SPMA Council Podcast is officially back for the first episode of 2022! 

Before we get to January’s lineup of guests, this episode delivers the best moments and sound bites from the first half of this season. It’s filled with great stories and advice from the great guest lineup that we’ve had so far, including the likes of Brenley Shapiro (Mental Performance Coach, Arizona Coyotes/Peterborough Petes), Ryan Stacey (Video/Hockey Operations Coordinator, Charlottetown Islanders/Newfoundland Growlers), Sarah-Marie Doherty (Founder, Shop Dressr), Michael Lenart (Physiotherapist, Team Canada Para Hockey), Chris Shewfelt (VP, Business Development for the Toronto Argos/TFC and a SPMA Course Instructor), and Evan MacDonald (Founder, The Wheeled Brew).

We hope this compilation serves as a prelude for what's to come over the next few months! Stay tuned to our Instagram and Tiktok pages (@spmacouncilpodcast) to be the first to know about the latest episodes and content from the PodSquad! Get excited for a tremendous second half of Season 3 and always be ready to #MaximizeYourMindset!