Steal From the Best

In 1982, at age 19, James founded an agency in his grandma's attic with zero business knowledge or experience. Fittingly, the agency was named Attik and grew from grandma's house to global offices in New York, San Francisco, LA, Sydney, and London. James also worked at Coca-Cola as the VP of Global Design leading incredible campaigns across the world for the iconic brand. Most recently, he he's launched an innovative platform called KnownUnknown that's rethinking and innovating the creative agency model on a global scale.

Marc Canale is a Partner & COO of Downing Street Group, which is a boutique real estate firm in Toronto, Canada. Marc has over 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate business including stops in Shanghai and Singapore. We dive into the rapidly changing commercial real estate landscape as we come out of the pandemic. Marc also shares some of the techniques that allow him to be exceptionally present with the people who matter most in his life, which is a huge part of his secret to success.

Jeff Nugent is a serial entrepreneur who is a Global Contingent Workforce Management Strategist. His entrepreneurial journey started early and he had various ventures that included multiple acquisitions and exits. He gives good advice on what to look for when acquiring a business and when you know the timing is right for an exit. Jeff also talks about how to increase your odds of being in the right place at the right time. We dive a little deeper into the globalization of workforces and the gig economy.

Vikrant Shaurya is the CEO and Founder of BestsellingBook.com. He's also the author of two #1 bestsellers. Vikrant has already helped more than 500 aspiring authors become bestselling authors, and he continues to be a trailblazer in the book industry. He shares his story about learning from early failures and transitioning that experience into future success. He also talks about hiring his own boss to hold him accountable.

Yaro is the Co-Founder of InboxDone.com, host of the Vested Capital Podcast, and Angel investor in over 25 different companies. He's an Internet pioneer and has been an early adaptor of various tools such as blogging and podcasting. Yaro is an expert on delegation and takes the time to explain how to become a better delegator to gain freedom in both business and life. We talk about the importance of hiring the right people and you really have to hear his philosophy on happiness.

Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, a palliative care and intensive care doctor based in Ottawa discusses the state of Canadian Healthcare and solutions for improving the current system. We look at the current state of Covid and explore returning to school for the children in the fall during a potential "4th wave." Dr. Kwadwo talks about leadership qualities and the ability of good leaders to recognize their own faults and shortfalls in order to grow. He offers some valuable insight about failing fast and not waiting for permission when acting on ideas. His time management skills are incredible and he shares some valuable insights on being productive.

We talk with Gerry Valentine, an executive coach, public speaker, and author. Gerry built a successful career with some of the world's most respected firms, but this was an unlikely path. His early life was spent in poverty, as a child of a single mother. Along the way, Gerry found that the adversity of his early life had helped him develop the resilience he needed to succeed. In our discussion, he shares those lessons - lessons that are critical in today's disruptive world. We address the importance of self-care, finding pleasure in the process of lifelong learning, and managing versus developing people. Gerry talks about failure and how we are impacted by it. You haven't pushed yourself hard enough if you haven't failed.

We talk with Dr. Robin Rosenberg, a Psychologist who is the CEO and Founder of Live in Their World, a company that uses virtual reality to address issues of bias and incivility in the workplace. We talk about the future workforce and how the hybrid model is going to play out. She is a clinical psychologist, and prior to starting her company, she had both psychotherapy and executive coaching practices, wrote college textbooks, and taught psychology classes at Harvard University and Lesley University.

In this episode, we talk with Chris Ritchie, the President of SilverCrest Metals. Chris's amazing story takes him from Bay Street working in Capital Markets to heading up a mining company after servicing them so well as his client. His collegiate career which included tennis prepared him for the corporate world. A crushing job loss was used as motivation and helped build character. Chris is a thoroughly entertaining guest sharing stories that shaped his career. His energy, passion, competitiveness, and intellectual curiosity are infectious.

In the second part of our father's day series, Andrew talks with his Dad, Stephen Hodd. Stephen is the Chairman and Founder of Vantage Venues, a 40 000 square foot conference and event space in downtown Toronto. Trained as an Environmental Engineer and then turned entrepreneur, Stephen shares some incredible stories, including his experience as a witness for a case in the US Supreme Court. We talk about stress and how to embrace it for motivation. His life and career have been shaped by the incredible experiences that he shares. Unsurprisingly, we also cover the importance of family and where happiness truly comes from.