Stories of Starting Ep 26: Amanda McQueen Comedian, Fitness Trainer. Amanda is a CanFitPro certified personal trainer located in Montreal. She is passionate about inclusion, kindness and empowerment through fitness. Her programs and methods are body positive and client-focused. As a CanFitPro certified trainer she offers safe, effective training geared towards your goals. Amanda is on-the-go and can bring her gym kit to your home, favourite park or grandma's basement. Amanda's programs are designed to fit your goals and lifestyle.

Official website: https://amandaemcqueen.wixsite.com/training

Amanda McQueen Fitness on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amandamcqueenfitness/

One of Amanda's livestream workouts at Paradigm Fitness on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/386122455136402/videos/2541982692719866/

Stories of Staring Podcast Ep 25: Domenic Marinelli, Montreal Author. I met Domenic at a poetry open mic in Montreal and was super impressed with his reading and passion for writer.

Domenic is an author, poet, playwright, blogger, freelance writer and journalist who has written numerous books and has contributed work to such magazines as: The Gamer, The Sportster, The Travel, The Recipe, HotCars, The Things, The Talko, Steel Notes Magazine, West Island Blog, and has written articles and video script content for babbletop.com.  From 2017 until 2018, he wrote and operated two blogs: Resonant Words, an online column and The Sunset Quill Review. Those sites are still up but void of new content. Readers can still read new blog posts here at the Domenic Marinelli Author Site. Just click the section link above: Resonance In Dark Ink .

Watch interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fuu0p0AP5zA

Domenic Marinelli Official Website: https://marinellidomenic.wixsite.com/authorsite

Domenic Marinelli on Amazon: https://amzn.to/33IYqZI

Domenic Marinelli on Amazon: https://amzn.to/33IYqZI

West Island Blog article: https://www.westislandblog.com/5-movies-you-may-not-recall-were-filmed-in-montreal/

Babbletop articles: https://babbletop.com/author/marinelli/

Mentioned in the interview:

Wattpad famous writer Anna Todd: http://www.annatodd.com/

Canadian writer Terry Fallis: https://terryfallis.com/

Author/artist Douglas Coupland (Generation X) https://coupland.com/

Author/musician Josh Malerman (Bird Box) https://joshmalerman.com/

Stories of Starting Podcast Episode 24 with Karine Bouchard, cellist, co-owner of the Anticafé in Old Montreal and creator of the Antimodèle life drawing/live music weekly event at the Anticafé.

Karine's Official Website: https://www.lavioloncelliste.com/

Karine's music on Bandcamp: https://lavioloncelliste.bandcamp.com/

Ewan McIntyre band: http://www.ewan-macintyre.org/

Dream on Sally Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dreamonsally/dream-on-sally

Antimodèle life drawing & live music: https://www.antimodele.com/

Anticafé in Old Montreal: https://www.anticafevieuxport.com/

Home Routes: https://www.homeroutes.ca/ Home Routes/Chemin Chez Nous is a not-for-profit arts organization that creates new performance opportunities for French and English speaking musicians and audiences in rural, remote and urban, communities across Canada, hosted by volunteers in their homes and other community venues. 

Air BNB Experiences: https://www.airbnb.ca/s/experiences

Stories of Starting Podcast Episode 23 with my friend Evelyne Budkewitsch aka Montreal Food & Travel Influencer CultureEatz. Her blog features travel guides, international recipes, destination photo tours, exotic meal ideas, trip essays, easy prep dishes and fun foods made with spices and exotic ingredients. Evelyne's motto is EAT AND TRAVEL OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE!   

CultureEatz Blog/Website: https://cultureatz.com/ 

CultureEatz on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2ImYFzQ  

CulturEatz vlog about our podcast: https://youtu.be/dN4b5Ue6-8k  

Mentioned in the interview:

Beaded Chopsticks collab on Heather Boyd Wire's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oWG__lAdgM  

Vegan Mapo Tofu recipe collab on CulturEatz YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5uv58Ujjf4&feature=youtu.be  

Blogpost at Stories of Starting: http://storiesofstarting.com  

Eat the World private group for Food Bloggers: https://cultureatz.com/eat-the-world/ 

Skyscanner for flight deals: https://www.skyscanner.ca/ 

The Finer Cookie: https://www.thefinercookie.com/ 

Gabby Bernstein (Spirit Junkie Masterclass) https://gabbybernstein.com/ 

DIY Raindrop Cake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBZURMDhcok 

Sex Toy Unboxing and Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=142K7StwkDA 

The Liver Experiment: https://cultureatz.com/the-liver-experiment-the-round-up-and-final-thoughts/ 

F*ck Up Montreal: https://fuckupnights.com/montreal/?locale=en 

Creator HQ (Montreal Creator Community): https://www.creatorhq.org/

Miracle Berry: Fruit Dropping Party https://cultureatz.com/fruit-dropping-party/ 

Emilia Fart video: How to Make Pasta Salad on a Ferris Wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nKihVj677M

This week I welcome my parents onto the Stories of Starting Podcast. My mom Anne is a retired music teacher who taught cello and piano for many years. She trained as a nurse at Kingston General Hospital and went back to school in her 50's to get her Music degree from Carleton University.  My dad is a retired engineer. He worked clearing trails on the ski slopes near Ottawa in his youth and skied into his 80's. He took up violin in his 40's to accompany my mom. They played in amateur orchestras for many years as well as in string quartets with friend.  I am so grateful to my parents for their ongoing support of my Art and encouraging me since my days making $3 a day selling jewelry on the streets of Montreal.  My mom's love of arts and crafts was instilled in my from a young age and my dad's sense of adventure is reflected in my urban adventures! Both are giving and accepting of others and have influenced my passion for connecting and collaborating with others.  I truly believe when one of us succeeds we all succeed. This collaborative mentality was surely planted in my brain from an early age.

Stories of Starting Podcast Ep. 21: Suzannah Baum, Presentation Skills Trainer, Coach & Speaker. This week I welcome my friend and fellow member of the We2 Network (Women's Entrepreneurial Exchange) public speaking expert Suzannah Baum.

From her website https://suzannahbaum.com/

"A presentation skills specialist, executive speech coach and speaker, Suzannah works with business professionals who want to position themselves as leaders by delivering more engaging, compelling presentations, allowing them to step out in front of audiences with confidence, build their careers and businesses, and stand out as the leader that they are.

Through training programs, workshops, executive speech coaching, online learning and keynote presentations, Suzannah works with organizations and individuals to create and deliver impactful, audience-centric presentations that get results. Clients who work with Suzannah appreciate her practical strategies to building presentations that audiences want to hear, all while learning strategies to increase confidence, focus a message, and getting real, measurable results from their presentations."

Suzannah's programs:

Create a Signature Speech That Sells: https://suzannahbaum.com/signaturespeech/

Rock my Speech: https://suzannahbaum.com/rockmyspeech/

Stories of Starting Podcast Episode 20: This week I welcome my long time friend and business mentor Sarena Miller, Artist, Entrepreneur and Business Blossomer.  

Sarena is the founder of the We2 Women's Entrepreneurial Exchange https://www.we2network.com/ in Montreal 

and co-founder of Business Betterment https://businessbetterment.com/

Check out her art and illustration here: https://sarenadawn.com/ 

 "With the soul of an artist and the spirit of an entrepreneur, Sarena delights in helping other heart-centred and creative entrepreneurs share their gifts with the world.Described as a “firecracker and a dynamo” by some of the leading speakers and business women, Sarena exudes passion and heart with her strong inspirational message combined with down-to-earth, practical business advice.  Sarena is the Co-founder of the Academy for Business Betterment™ and the founder and President of The Women’s Entrepreneurial Exchange, (We2) where she has cultivated an organization that has helped hundreds of women gain invaluable opportunities for business growth, learning and support, bringing in high-level speakers and creating programs to help women reach their goals.  A charismatic speaker & writer with 20 years of sales experience, Sarena has a panache for marketing and soul-satisfying, creative personal branding. With the unusual combination of aesthetic flair and a strong entrepreneurial sense, Sarena helps her own clients bridge the two – so they can turn their passion into a thriving business!" (We2 website)

Stories of Starting Podcast Episode 19: Patricia Hubert, Super Mom, Grandma, Renaissance Woman. So amazing to interview my sister. Patti was an entrepreneur before it was a thing. She had a sewing business before she was married and ran a home daycare for 15 years while her kids were growing up. We speak about her transition into the work force after studying web design and getting employment with Health Canada. We also talk about her devotion to family, compressing her work week to spend time with her grandkids and volunteering with the Ottawa Little Theatre making costumes being an assistant stage director for several shows.

Stories of Starting Podcast Ep 18: Amanda Wan, YouTuber, Content Creator, Social Media Marketer. Amanda is a 21 year old student and entrepreneur living in Montreal. She has a LGBT and lifestyle YouTube channel, created the Behind the Girl Boss podcast and is the founder of the Kooky Apparel brand. She was a panelist at Playlist Live in Washington D.C and will be a featured guest at Social Media North in Stratford, Ontario.

Amanda Wan on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/itsamandawan Find Amanda on

Instagram: @itsamandawan https://www.instagram.com/itsamandawan/ @behindthegirlboss https://www.instagram.com/behindthegirlboss/ @kookyapparel https://www.instagram.com/kookyapparel/

Social Media North 2020 https://www.socialmedianorth.ca/featuredguests (Amanda, her boyfriend Chris, myself and my daughter Mimi B Dolls are featured guests)

Amanda's services offered on Fiverr:

https://www.fiverr.com/share/jjXBoZ

https://www.fiverr.com/share/DB7P5A

https://www.fiverr.com/share/yvy3d0

https://www.fiverr.com/share/rEqgxy

https://www.fiverr.com/share/kLvPoL

Thank you Peter Hartman of Happy for a Change for hosting the interview in your space: http://www.happyforachange.com/

Happy for a Change on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HappyForAChange

Stories of Starting Podcast Episode 17 with my friend Rob Cloney. Rob is an educator at a local high school and teaches English and Drama. He is also a storyteller with the Montreal Storytellers Guild and performs in Montreal and Ottawa.   

Rob and his wife Nedia El Khouri own and operate the Viva Vida Art Gallery in the Pointe Claire Village on the west island of Montreal. 

See my interview with Nedia here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt4HQchKvcQ&t=13s 

Viva Vida Art Gallery: https://www.vivavidaartgallery.com/  

Montreal Storytellers Guild: https://mtlstorytellers.wordpress.com/ 

Confabulation: http://www.confabulation.ca/ 

Storytellers of Canada: https://www.storytellers-conteurs.ca/  

Stories of Starting Podcasts on my blog: https://www.storiesofstarting.com