Executive Hotseat Podcast | Episode 20 Featuring: Harman Dhaliwal & Gabrielle Zoppa, Co-Founders of Spa Botanica

What happens when two near-strangers launch a wellness spa with no money, no safety net, and no backup plan? You get Spa Botanica - one of Winnipeg's most beloved spas, built on Ayurvedic principles, natural skincare, and unshakable trust.

Harman and Gabby didn't just grow a business. They weathered a pandemic, rebuilt after a fire, and raised kids from the spa floor - literally. Through years of reinvention, they've stayed grounded in their shared vision: to bring ancient healing practices into modern lives, one homemade facial at a time.

This episode is packed with insight, laughter, and lessons learned the hard way.

Key Highlights:

🗝️ The real story behind launching with zero dollars - and zero backup🗝️ How an unexpected fire (caused by towels!) tested their resilience🗝️ Why partnership, trust, and community kept them going when everything said "quit"

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or iHeart.

Or catch it here:🎧 Spotify: Exec Hotseat on Spotify

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👉 Connect with Harman & Gabby: 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/spabotanicawinnipeg

👤Facebook: facebook.com/SpaBotanicaWinnipeg

1459 Corydon Avenue

[email protected]

204-489-8107

🌐 spabotanica.ca

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✨ Founder and Host:📷 @lisathompsonbrd | 🔗 linkedin.com/in/lisabrd📷 @brdagency.ca

✨ Co-host:📷 @abuhse | 🔗 linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse📷 @coalandcanary

🎥 Video: Kyle Cottrell Media

Big shout out and thank you to The Exec Hotseat Podcast team:

Tineke Buiskool-Leeuwma RRC Polytech BRD | Brand Revival & Design Inc. Kyle Cottrell

Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech! 🔥

Episode 19 | Christine Thiessen, Founder of the Winnipeg Women's Conference & Community

What started as an idea during lockdown is now Canada's largest women's conference. In this episode, Christine Thiessen shares how trusting her gut (while pregnant, no less), ignoring the naysayers, and leaning on her love for Excel turned a vision into a movement.

As the driving force behind both the Winnipeg Women's Conference and its thriving year-round Community, Christine opens up about the power of authentic connection, the challenge of being the one others look up to, and the magic that happens when women gather with purpose.

✨ In this episode, we explore:

🗝️ How Christine launched a sold-out conference when the world was still on pause 🗝️ What "community over competition" really looks like in practice 🗝️ Her unapologetic belief that "hobbies don't make money" and why it matters

👉 Tune in on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or iHeart to hear how Christine is building real spaces for women to connect, grow, and lead boldly.

Or catch it here:

🌐 Exec Hotseat Website: exechotseatpodcast.libsyn.com

Or here: 🎧 Spotify / Exec Hotseat Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/7jYiAX2y8MH2JgQmiarmMM

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👉 Connect with Christine!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christineturczyn

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/mrschristinethiessen

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shoulders-back

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/shouldersbackwpg

🌐 shouldersback.org

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👉 Follow Winnipeg Women's Conference!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/winnipeg-women-s-conference

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/winnipegwomensconference instagram.com/winnipegwomenscommunity

🌐 winnipegwomensconference.com

🌐 winnipegwomenscommunity.com

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✨ Founder and Host:

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/lt_wpg

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandrevivaldesign 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/brdagency.ca

🌐 brdagency.ca _____

✨ Co-host:

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/abuhse 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse

👏 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, @rrcpolytech! 👏

Episode 18 | Your Idea Is Enough: Jane Helbrecht & Margaux Miller on TEDx Talks, Storytelling, and Building a Speaking Career

In this episode of Executive Hotseat, we sit down with two globally recognized speakers - Jane Helbrecht, leadership expert and founder of Uplift Engagement, and Margaux Miller, TED-featured MC and connection strategist - to unpack how they each built and delivered standout TEDx talks that captured global attention.

Their journeys are woven with grit, stagecraft, and community. Jane speaks about disrupting leadership norms and helping teams thrive, while Margaux dives into the art of online connection in a hyper-digital world. Together, they reveal the real behind-the-scenes work - from chaos-run rehearsals to choosing the exact talk title that lands you on TED.com.

You'll hear how each speaker turned childhood stage dreams into global visibility, and how building the business of speaking requires as much strategy as crafting a killer talk. Whether you're chasing your first keynote or scaling as a solopreneur, this episode delivers a powerful roadmap.

Key Highlights:🗝️ The mindset shift from "Do I have the right idea?" to "Who needs to hear this?"🗝️ Behind the curtain of the TEDx rehearsal process, from application to on-stage blocking🗝️ Turning visibility into a business: building reach, community, and sustainable speaking gigs

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or iHeart and take notes - because this one's full of practical wisdom you won't want to forget.

Or catch it here:

🎧 Spotify / Exec Hotseat Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/7jYiAX2y8MH2JgQmiarmMM

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👉 Connect with Margaux!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/margauxmiller

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/margauxamiller

🌐 speakwithmargaux.com

👉 Connect with Jane!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in//janehelbrecht

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/janehelbrecht

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✨ Founder and Host:

👉 Lisa Thompson 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/lt_wpg

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandrevivaldesign 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/brdagency.ca

🌐 brdagency.ca

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Co-host:

👉 Amanda Buhse 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/abuhse

👏 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech! 👏

Episode 17 | RRC Polytech Alumni Series episode 6

Todd Burns of Cypher Environmental and Terry Sulpher of Mountainside Earthworks share how a single project sparked a two-decade partnership that's now transforming how Canada thinks about sustainability. From Red River Polytech beginnings to global clean-tech impact, this conversation dives into education, innovation, and the relationships that make real change possible.

Lisa Thompson guides a conversation filled with insight, gratitude, and vision — exploring why aligning values matters more than any contract, how education drives environmental progress, and what it looks like when business becomes a vehicle for stewardship.

Key Highlights:

🗝️ How Cypher Environmental and Mountainside Earthworks turned shared values into a lasting clean-tech partnership 🗝️ The Cypher Green Roads Program and how it gives back to local and Indigenous communities 🗝️ The leadership lessons behind collaboration, gratitude, and the "triple-win" philosophy

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👉 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and iHeart to hear the full episode!

Exec Hotseat Website: exechotseatpodcast.libsyn.com

Spotify / Exec Hotseat Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/7jYiAX2y8MH2JgQmiarmMM

Connect with Terry!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/terry-sulphur-501b6179

MS Environmental Solutions

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/mountainside-environmental-solutions 🔗 Facebook: facebook.com/ms.environmental

🌐 Website: ms-enviro.com _____

Connect with Todd!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/toddburns81

Cypher Environmental

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/cypher-environmental-ltd 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/cypherenvironmental

🌐 cypherenvironmental.com

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Your Hosts

👉 Lisa Thompson 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd 🌐 brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse 🌐 coalandcanary.com

👉 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech!

Executive Hotseat Podcast - Episode 16 | RRC Polytech Alumni Series - Episode 5

Featuring: Doug Darling, CEO and Executive Creative Director, Tripwire Media Group

Doug's friends tease him for talking about story all the time. He wears it as a badge. In this conversation, Doug traces a very Winnipeg arc: meeting his future wife at RRC Polytech, launching a small video outfit in the Exchange during the DSLR wave, and steadily evolving into a Strategic Storytelling agency that trains leaders to communicate with clarity and heart. The throughline is purpose, backed by the art and science of story.

The journey is textured and real. Early wins gave way to tough months before COVID, a whiplash boom during lockdowns, and fresh headwinds once in-person returned. That volatility forced a reset: niche with intention, teach story structure, and install process so creativity has room to breathe. Today, Tripwire is known for helping teams ask better questions, codify workflow, and craft stories that people actually remember.

What you'll hear inside: why authenticity beats perfection, how "reading the label from inside the bottle" trips up even smart teams, and a simple framework to choose between polished productions and phone-shot clips. Doug breaks down hero's-journey basics, the power of conflict and resolution, and why culture rituals and core values aren't corporate fluff when you live them.

Key Highlights:

🗝️ The three-question filter for any project: who the audience is, what they care about, and the exact action you want next

🗝️ From video production to storytelling agency: training leaders, strengthening in-house teams, and cutting through AI-era clutter

🗝️ Systems that unlock creativity: EOS rhythms, time tracking for visibility, hiring complements, and choosing clients by values

👉 Listen now and learn how to build story, structure, and culture into work that sticks.

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👉 Connect with Doug!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dougdarling

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/dougdarling

Tripwire Media Group

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/tripwire-media-group

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/tripwiremedia

🌐 Website: tripwiremedia.com

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Your Hosts:

👉 Lisa Thompson

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/lt_wpg

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandrevivaldesign

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/brdagency.ca

🌐 brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/abuhse

🌐 coalandcanary.com

👏 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech! 👏

The Exec Hotseat Podcast | Episode 15

Featuring: Natalie Bell, Founder of Natalie Bell Consulting

Amanda Buhse and Lisa Thompson sit down with Natalie Bell, Founder of Natalie Bell Consulting, for a powerful conversation about leadership, authenticity, and the power of using your voice with purpose.

With over 25 years of experience in People & Culture, Natalie shares how speaking from lived experience — especially as a Black woman in HR and leadership spaces — has shaped her approach to coaching, consulting, and building workplaces that actually work for people. From facilitating leadership sessions and guiding executive teams through change, to moderating panels and showing up authentically online, Natalie's message is clear: human connection is at the heart of great leadership.

• What does it take to lead with listening instead of assumptions?
• How does authenticity become your most powerful strategy?
• And why does presence matter more than polish or perfection?

This isn't your typical business podcast — it's thoughtful, real, and full of wisdom you can apply right now.

🎙️ How Natalie uses her voice as a superpower to lead, coach, and influence change 🎙️ The importance of authenticity, listening, and presence in leadership 🎙️ Building inclusive, people-first workplaces rooted in connection and trust

👉 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and iHeart to hear the full episode!

Exec Hotseat Website: https://loom.ly/xuUTXXs Spotify / Exec Hotseat Podcast: https://loom.ly/GZg7MvA

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Connect with Natalie!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nataliebell 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/nataliebell.ca & Instagram.com/pegcitylovely

🌐 Website: nataliebell.ca & pegcitylovely.com

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Your Hosts:

👉 Lisa Thompson 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd 🌐 brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse 🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse 🌐 coalandcanary.com

👉 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech!

Interested in sponsoring or partnering? DM or email us at [email protected]

Show Notes

The Exec Hotseat Podcast | Episode 14

Featuring: Giovanna Minenna, Founder of Brows by G

In Episode 3 of our RRC Polytech Alumni Series, Amanda Buhse and Lisa Thompson sit down with Giovanna Minenna — the original Brows by G. Brow queen. Beauty mogul. And now, for the first time ever, unfiltered truth-teller.

CANCEL CULTURE. DRAGONS' DEN. ANONYMOUS ACCOUNTS.

You've heard the whispers. You've seen the headlines. Now, you'll hear her side.

From building a seven-figure beauty brand and landing on Dragon's Den, to becoming the target of the viral NotMyBrowsByG account — Giovanna opens up about what really happened, how it broke her down, and how she rose again with a new mission rooted in strategy, spirituality, and soul.

This isn't business as usual. It's raw. Honest. Messy. Powerful. And it's a conversation you won't want to miss.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The rise of Brows by G: from a local brow bar to a national beauty powerhouse.
• The reality of cancel culture: what happens when an anonymous account takes aim — and how Giovanna survived it.
• Life beyond the brand: selling her businesses to focus on family, mentoring, and leading transformative retreats.
• Rebuilding with purpose: why her next chapter blends entrepreneurship with healing, growth, and truth.

👉 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and iHeart to hear the full episode!

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Connect with Giovanna!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/giovannaminenna

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/giovannaminenna

🌐 Website: giovannaminenna.com

👉 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech!

🔥 Follow & Subscribe:

Follow The Exec Hotseat Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Follow on LinkedIn and Instagram to connect with us!

Interested in sponsoring or partnering? DM or email us [email protected]

_____

Your Hosts:

👉 Lisa Thompson🔗 LinkedIn: @lisabrd📷 Instagram: @lt_wpg

🔗 BRD LinkedIn: @brandrevivaldesign📷 BRD Instagram: @brdagency.ca

🌐 www.brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse🔗 LinkedIn: @amanda-buhse📷 Instagram: @abuhse

🔗 C&C LinkedIn: @coal-and-canary📷 C&C Instagram: @coalandcanary

🌐 www.coalandcanary.com

The Exec Hot Seat Podcast | Episode 13

Featuring: Justine McDonald, Founder of Goal Chasers & Stay at Home Legends

In this 2nd episode of our RRC Polytech Alumni Series, Amanda Buhse and Lisa Thompson sit down with Justine McDonald - an RRC Polytech alum, former marketing manager, and the magnetic force behind Goal Chasers and Stay at Home Legends. What began with a viral planner and a chaotic post-conference breakdown has since evolved into a movement: helping women simplify their businesses, build success on their terms, and reclaim time, autonomy, and ambitio without burning out.

Justine opens up about the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship: the "accidental" launch of her planner business, bootstrapping her way into Jillian Harris's Jilly Box, and the quiet strength of building with intimacy, intention, and deep community ties. From basement beginnings to supporting 70+ female founders in Manitoba, Justine's story is packed with unfiltered wisdom and practical clarity for anyone building a life beyond default settings.

• Entrepreneurship doesn't need permission - just a planner and a fire in your gut. Justine's first launch came out of frustration, burnout, and a refusal to shelf her dreams one more day.

• Connection > Crowds. Whether it's one-on-one sessions, brown paper strategy days, or gluten-free pizza, Justine believes in small, deep containers over large, impersonal programs. Her model is community-first and referral-powered.

• Her path wasn't linear and that's the point. From aspiring kindergarten teacher to marketing manager to in-demand coach and speaker, Justine followed curiosity, not a business plan.

• She's rewriting the narrative for working moms. The Stay at Home Legends brand is a call to redefine success - balancing ambition with presence, and choosing what motherhood and business look like in every season.

• Real leadership starts in the in-between. Justine shows up for women between the wins and the breakdowns - when confidence is shaky and clarity is foggy. That's where transformation happens.

🎧 Tune in now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Connect with Justine McDonald:

🔗 LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/gpjy-ASv 📷 Instagram: https://lnkd.in/gPCfN5ng Goal Chasers 🌐 Website: thegoalchasers.com

Brought to you by our Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech!

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🔥 Follow & Subscribe:

Follow The Exec Hotseat Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Follow on LinkedIn and Instagram to connect with us!

Interested in sponsoring or partnering? DM or email us [email protected]

_____

Your Hosts:

👉 Lisa Thompson 🔗 LinkedIn: @lisabrd 📷 Instagram: @lt_wpg

🔗 BRD LinkedIn: @brandrevivaldesign 📷 BRD Instagram: @brdagency.ca

🌐 www.brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse 🔗 LinkedIn: @amanda-buhse 📷 Instagram: @abuhse

🔗 C&C LinkedIn: @coal-and-canary 📷 C&C Instagram: @coalandcanary

🌐 www.coalandcanary.com

The Exec Hotseat Podcast | Episode 12

From Classroom to CentrePort: Reframing Leadership, Collaboration, and Economic Growth

Featuring: Carly Edmundson, President & CEO, CentrePort Canada

In this first episode of, not only Season 2 of The Exec Hotseat Podcast, but also of our RRC Polytech Alumni Series, hosts Lisa Thompson and Amanda Buhse sit down with Carly Edmundson - a proud RRC Polytech alumni and the president & CEO of CentrePort Canada, the country's trimodal inland port. Carly unpacks her path from a class of seven in tiny Pearson, Manitoba to the helm of a 20,000-acre logistics ecosystem (about the size of Manhattan), sharing how curiosity, community, and disciplined growth shaped her leadership.

Recorded in person at RRC Polytech, the conversation ranges from reframing imposter syndrome as normal leadership doubt to building cultures where collaboration is safe, feedback flows, and discomfort is part of skill-building. Carly also lifts the curtain on CentrePort's value proposition - where rail, air, and road converge to reduce supply-chain costs and help companies scale smarter - plus the personal routines, mentors, and mindset shifts that helped her step confidently into the CEO seat.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Carly's career arc - from airport operations to manufacturing, finance, commercial real estate, and back to CentrePort - shows how diverse experiences compound into strategic leadership.
• Leadership isn't about removing discomfort; it's about creating safe stretch zones. Growth feels awkward in real time, and that's normal.
• Collaboration works best when leaders empower teams to set the table - not just "press the button." Psychological safety plus honest feedback beats perpetual comfort.
• Carly's hot-seat advice:
• Embrace discomfort as part of the journey.
• "Don't ask, don't get" - raise your hand; the worst answer is no.
• Aim for consistent one-degree shifts; small, steady moves add up to big change.
• She reframes imposter syndrome as natural doubt amplified by scarce feedback at senior levels.
• As a morning-leaning leader (yes, those 7:30 a.m. inbox bursts), Carly anchors her day with simple rituals, proving routines don't have to be fancy to work.

👉 Tune in now on Amazon, Apple, Spotify, and iHeart to hear the full episode!

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Connect with Carly:

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/edmundsoncarly📷 Instagram: instagram.com/louloucarly

CentrePort Canada

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/centreport-canada📷 Instagram: instagram.com/centreportcan🌐 Website: centreportcanada.ca

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Brought to you by our Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech!

🔥 Follow & Subscribe:

Follow The Exec Hotseat Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Follow on LinkedIn and Instagram to connect with us!

Interested in sponsoring or partnering? DM or email us [email protected]

_____

Your Hosts:

👉 Lisa Thompson🔗 LinkedIn: @lisabrd📷 Instagram: @lt_wpg

🔗 BRD LinkedIn: @brandrevivaldesign📷 BRD Instagram: @brdagency.ca

🌐 www.brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse🔗 LinkedIn: @amanda-buhse📷 Instagram: @abuhse

🔗 C&C LinkedIn: @coal-and-canary📷 C&C Instagram: @coalandcanary

🌐 www.coalandcanary.com

The Exec Hotseat Podcast | Episode 11

From Classroom to Clubhouse: How Karli Colpitts is Remixing Entrepreneurship & Community

Featuring: Karli Colpitts, Founder: Tempo Collective

In this high-energy episode of The Executive Hotseat, hosts Lisa Thompson and Amanda Buhse sit down with Karli Colpitts, also known as DJ K Chedda, the powerhouse behind Tempo Collective, a dynamic music entertainment company rooted in community, creativity, and joy.

Karli's journey is anything but conventional. From her early days as a choir singer and elementary school teacher to spinning funk, RnB, and soul at major festivals like Winnipeg Folk Fest, Festival du Voyageur, and Harvest Moon, she shares how she carved out a vibrant career in music, entertainment, and entrepreneurship - all while raising a family.

You'll hear how DJ K Chedda and her partner Tim created the unforgettable Wackydoodle Dance Party, how she leveraged her training at Mama Cutsworth's DJ Academy, and why making space for joy and inclusion is central to her business.

This conversation explores the powerful intersection of parenting, artistic expression, and entrepreneurship - and how Karli's unique blend of ADHD-fueled creativity, optimism, and hustle is reshaping what it means to build a business from the heart.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Karli's love for music began with childhood dance parties and grew into a full-fledged DJ career.

• She launched Tempo Collective to offer inclusive, high-quality entertainment for families, weddings, and festivals.

• A master of wearing many hats, Karli balances teaching, DJing, parenting, and entrepreneurship with clarity and care.

• Her mission includes supporting emerging DJs and fostering community through joyful, shared musical experiences.

• Karli's approach is a reminder that passion, purpose, and a little bit of funk can take you farther than you ever imagined.

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👉 Connect with Karli!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/karli-colpitts-86bb6122 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/therealkchedda

👉 The Tempo Collective 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/tempocollective.ca 🌐 Website: www.tempocollective.ca

👉 Wacky Doodle Dance Party 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/wackydoodledanceparty 🌐 Website: www.wackydoodle.ca

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Brought to you by our Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech!

_____

🔥 Follow & Subscribe:

Follow The Exec Hotseat Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Follow on LinkedIn and Instagram to connect with us!

Interested in sponsoring or partnering? DM or email us >>> [email protected]

_____

Connect with your hosts!

👉 Lisa Thompson

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/lisathompsonbrd

👉 Brand Revival & Design Agency

🔗 BRD LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/brandrevivaldesign 📷 BRD Instagram: instagram.com/brdagency.ca

🌐 www.brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/abuhse

👉 Coal and Canary

🔗 C&C LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/coal-and-canary 📷 C&C Instagram: instagram.com/coalandcanary

🌐 www.coalandcanary.com