Al is a storyteller who has travelled to over fifty countries and worked on 4 continents managing diverse workforces in both English and Mandarin. He holds a Master of Arts in Leadership Degree and has held Leadership positions for more than 20 years for fortune 500 companies such as Stanley Black and Decker and Amec, Wood and WSP. Al began his speaking career doing stand-up comedy at The Comic Strip and the Laugh Shop comedy clubs. He is now a professional keynote presenter speaking at conferences all over the world and is the author of an upcoming book "Party Crash Your Life & Career."

Jay Sharun is the founder and CEO of the National Collective Bargaining Institute. Jay has negotiated more than 800 collective agreements in a variety of industries. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer and is a CPHR BC & Yukon Award of Excellence recipient for his innovative contributions to labour relations. 

Richard and Veronica are committed to elevating their clients and businesses above employment challenges by offering practical expertise and guidance. Understanding that legal issues can be complex and emotionally charged, they leverage their extensive experience to navigate legal situations with fairness, empathy, and respect.

After our summer hiatus, we are back with our podcast and a very special guest!  Wayne Porterfield is a dear friend and the owner of the Mindfulness Studio based here in Kamloops. His meditation experience spans over 35 years. Wayne spent five of these years living in a contemporary monastic sanctuary under the spiritual guidance of an ordained Vedic Monk. Throughout Wayne's spiritual journey, he studied eastern mysticism, Buddhist philosophy, Kashmir Shaivism, and Anusara yoga.

For over 27 years, he worked in the areas of finance, training and leadership and employee development and held the position of Director, Human Resources in the corporate world. Wayne has a MSc in Training from Leicester University, is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and a 500 Hour Registered Yoga Teaching (500RYT). Drawing from his business and spiritual experience, Wayne works to help individuals create and live a more fulfilling and peaceful life through his teachings, public speaking, and writings. Wayne wrote the book – "The Dance of Dynamic Peace" and helps organizations and individuals with overall wellbeing through meditation, yoga, and mindfulness coaching.

A former London Bobby who brings a thirty-five year career in policing to his role as Senior Partner of Fiore Group Training, Phil has worked extensively in the area of safety in the workplace, particularly in violence prevention and respectful workplace training.

Hamza Khan believes that the future of work is more human, not less. Hamza's mission is to help organizations achieve inclusive and sustainable growth by rehumanizing workplaces. Rather than be reactive to rapidly changing external conditions, successful leaders will embrace a bold "people first" approach to supporting more diverse, engaged, and connected teams in a hybrid environment. And in doing so, they'll unlock the tremendous upside of a loyal, thriving, and innovative workforce. Rehumanizing workplaces is the winning strategy of the future. n believes that the future of work is more human, not less. Hamza's mission is to help organizations achieve inclusive and sustainable growth by rehumanizing workplaces. Rather than be reactive to rapidly changing external conditions, successful leaders will embrace a bold "people first" approach to supporting more diverse, engaged, and connected teams in a hybrid environment. And in doing so, they'll unlock the tremendous upside of a loyal, thriving, and innovative workforce. Rehumanizing workplaces is the winning strategy of the future. 

Cheryl is the CEO and Founder of Ounce of Prevention Solutions Inc. (OOPS Inc.) and WIN Workplace Investigator Network Inc.  She is a happily retired lawyer and one of the pioneers of workplace investigations in Canada.  She has conducted 100’s of investigations, consulted on numerous high-profile cases, and has trained over 1000 investigators in her 25+ year career. Cheryl has had a focus on the prevention of workplace harassment, discrimination, bullying and interpersonal conflict and has worked with hundreds of businesses and organizations across Canada.

Author, professional speaker and facilitator, a master trainer, and athlete.  Hugh's training programs and keynote presentations reach over 25,000 people each year.   Hugh’s presentations on working smarter and living better are sought after by leading organizations, such as Imperial Oil, Shoppers Drug Mart, Royal Bank of Canada, Telus, United Way, City of Calgary, and the University of BC.  Hugh is one of only 50 Certified Professional Speakers in Canada, and one of only 100 Canadian Certified Facilitation Professionals.

Our guest today is making her second appearance on our podcast, bringing her experience as a labour, employment and human-rights lawyer, mediator and arbitrator. In her last visit, Marli shared with us her book, The Mirror Method, which explains how day-to-day leadership, interpersonal dynamics and communication affects the overall health, focus and productivity of the workforce and provides practical action steps for leaders to address workplace dysfunction. The Mirror Method is the basis for the training and consulting services she provides, and is also at the core of her new book “Walking on Eggshells:  A Practical Guide to Resolving Conflict at Work and Home”, or as we’ll call it - “the Guide”.

As former leader as VP, Human Resources at BC Lottery Corporation in 2004, Jay-Ann adopted a human and engaged approach to leadership long before it became popular. She has gone on to advance and grow her career across multiple business lines and across industries as a senior executive in the private and public sector, and co-operative financial services ranging from Human Resources, Transformation, and Technology. Jay-Ann is now CEO of Meridian Credit Union and is focused on leveraging Meridian's unique value proposition to transform the business. Meridian is one of the largest financial institutions servicing more than 360,000 members across Canada.