The Inner Circle with Carrie Doll

Katherine O’Neill joined YWCA Edmonton as Chief Executive Officer on March 16, 2020. She is a passionate advocate for the rights of girls and women and inspiring people to hear the important call of community service.

Katherine has worked in leadership positions in communications and politics throughout her career. A writer by trade, she spent most of her journalism career working as a national correspondent with the Globe and Mail, dispatching stories from across Canada and even the battlefields of Afghanistan in 2008.

After leaving journalism, the mother of three led several political organizations in Alberta. She also ran a communications company that specialized in crisis communications and media relations.

Katherine has led and volunteered with several not-for-profit boards and committees, including organizations with a focus on early childhood education, literacy and disability services. She currently chairs the River Valley Alliance board as a director-at-large for the City of Edmonton.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Journalism from Carleton University.

Listed here are the resources mentioned in the episode:

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Dr. Emily Splichal, Podiatrist and Human Movement Specialist, is the mind behind Naboso. With a spirit to challenge conformity, Dr. Splichal has taken her conventional Podiatric Medical degree and combined it with years of experience and expertise in human movement and sensory science to found Naboso.

Dr. Splichal believes that our experience in this world is built around sensory stimulation and our ability to process, perceive, and integrate this information effectively. Since 2012, Dr. Splichal has been traveling the world to share her unique approach to human movement, foot function, and barefoot science. Having taught in 35 countries and to 20,000 professionals, Dr. Splichal has quickly become a global leader in barefoot training and rehabilitation.

The concept behind Naboso and its proprioceptive products came from Dr. Splichal's global travels and the realization that little has changed as far as surface science and insole design. To date, most of the focus has been on minimal footwear and barefoot training. However, what our feet are touching is just as important as switching our shoes or going minimal.

This led to the evolution of a material that could stimulate the nerves in our feet, allowing us to get even more out of human function and performance. The potential applications of enhanced foot sensory stimulation are limitless. From optimizing a child's sensory stimulation during their peak window of neuroplasticity to rehabbing an athlete who just suffered a concussion, Dr. Splichal is ready to impact the world and share her passion for the belief that #LifeIsSensory.

Use code: innercircle for 20% off naboso products at www.naboso.com. 

For more on Dr. Splichal, visit her website, or follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube.

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This week on The Inner Circle, we have a very heart-wrenching story that may be troubling for some. Trigger warning: domestic violence, child death.

Tracy Stark and Sandra Kolbuc join the podcast this week to share the story of Ryder and Radek, their tragically short lives, and the community that rallied around Tracy in the aftermath of such a horrific event.

Sandra Young Kolbuc, BPE, MSc, RMFT, CCC is a trauma- counselling therapist well-trained by The Canadian Foundation of Trauma Research and Education (cftre.com). She is the mother of four adult children and the grandmother of nine and lives with her husband David in the beauty of the boreal forest near Whitecourt, Alberta CANADA. Sandra continues to influence those needing to find their voices about things that matter. (aimcounselling.ca)

Tracy Stark and her husband, Brent, are former co-owners of the Whitecourt Wolverines Junior A Hockey Club. Tracy also heads The R R Memorial Foundation, established in Ryder and Radek’s memory, to provide financial assistance to families needing a hand up in supporting children’s participation in sport. Tracy is the stepmother of two adult daughters. She and Brent live in Whitecourt, Alberta CANADA where Tracy continues to advocate on behalf of women and children in the name of her sons, Ryder Patryk and Radek Stryker.

For more on Tracy and Sandra and their work, including the RnR Memorial Foundation in memory of Ryder and Radek, visit their website, purchase Gross Misconduct, click here.

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This week, Karen Klak joins The Inner Circle to share her story of grief, learning, and loving. Karen is an introverted person by nature, but those who know her well are familiar with her inability to tell a story without a long introduction, to set the scene and copious detail, to paint a clear picture. Karen is captivated by the stories of others, the deep, personal, and often challenging stories that shape our lives and make them the beautiful and complex people that we all are. She has spent the last many years sharing her story and supporting others in sharing their journeys in the medical world.  Karen's work is her passion, and she credits her daughter, Haley, for setting her on this unexpected path.

Within the span of six years, Karen and her husband Greg had four children. She became a medical mom when Haley was 17 months old. She grew into that role over time, then became a bereaved parent when Haley died at age 11. Regardless, she is and always will be a mother of four.

This week's story is a heart wrenching one, but also arguably one of the most impactful. Karen is a beautiful soul with so much wisdom to give, and her daughter Haley's journey is both so inspirational and so unfair. This story of grief is one we may not all know, but we can all learn from.

Karen has a book out that details her journey with Haley. This wonderful book describes the gratefulness she has for the doctors who treated Haley with such love and care, and gives us a compassionate, detailed look at what it's like to have a family member who is a regular at the hospital. To purchase this book, or for more on Karen, visit her website.

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For too many couples, divorce is long, painful and expensive. That’s why Zeina El-Sayed founded Trusted Divorce Services. Zeina wants to elevate the divorce process from destructive and costly to simple and fair. Zeina calls this the Constructive Divorce™ Process.

The Constructive Divorce™ Process has helped hundreds of Alberta couples finalize their divorces in half the time at a third of the price. Most importantly, this process helps couples communicate effectively, settle their finances fairly, and protect the emotional and mental health of their children.

Zeina is a widely recognized expert in divorce. She processed more than 30,000 divorces in her 10 years in the Alberta Divorce Court prior to launching her company. Her paralegal background brings efficiency and knowledge of the system. Her mediation background helps get all parties working together toward the same goal: communicating effectively, settling their finances fairly, and co-parenting emotionally and mentally healthy children.

Lawyer-led divorce is a fundamentally broken system. Lawyers naturally pit two parties against each other. This leaves no room for a Constructive Divorce™. Yet most couples say they want to end their marriage fairly and amicably. As a result, divorces can drag out for years, and can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more. It can emotionally deplete the whole family. It does NOT have to be this way.

In this episode, Zeina gives a run down of her journey, from the inspiration to work hard from her mother to building a successful business in Canada.

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Known as Western Canada's Bridal Expert, Gay Derk has been building her empire in the wedding industry for over 40 years as the Founder & Editor in Chief of Bridal Fantasy and CEO of Derks Fine Group of Companies. Gay has worked with renowned wedding professionals across the world and elevated her companies to a global scale with awards from Bridal Show Producers International, Western Canada Fashion Week, ACE Awards of Disctinction, and much more.

Aside from her accolades as a succesful business woman and entrepreneur, Gay is also a wife, mother and grandma. She married her husband Darrell in 1976 and they have enjoyed a happy and love filled marriage, and have two sons together, Landon and Sterling. Both of Gay’s sons have kept transitioning the family business, Landon with Derks Formals, Derks Uniforms and FiveStar Uniforms; Sterling with menswear and Mr. Derk. When she isn’t busy running multiple companies, Gay enjoys painting, writing, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her grandchildren.

Gay has also just launched a brand new podcast called Love Anthropology! The podcast is dedicated to sharing and building love and relationships in many, many different ways. Check out the first four episodes here, and be sure to check out the accompanying blog! There are many different lessons to be gleaned, and it is also perhaps a great sneak preview of what to expect from the book Gay is hard at work on!

For more on Gay, Derks Companies, Bridal Fantasy and more, check out the Derks website, Bridal Fantasy website, or follow Gay on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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Stephen founded The Luxus Group in 2007 and through his role as President has been primarily responsible for the vision of the Company directly overseeing the growth, brand development, strategy, philanthropic endeavors and corporate culture of the organization. 

Before starting his career, Stephen attended the University of Idaho on a golf scholarship where he pursued an education in finance and accounting. During the summer breaks, Stephen remained active in Edmonton by owning and operating two small businesses, laying the foundation for a life of entrepreneurship. It was through this experience Stephen discovered his passion as a business owner, and immediately after University jumped into his career in the retail industry.

At the age of 26 Stephen and his wife Carrie Doll were starting their family with the birth of their first child, Kash. It was at this point in the journey that they quickly became frustrated with traditional travel methods such as hotels and vacation rentals, which no longer fit their family’s needs. They thought, “wouldn’t it be nice to own a collection of personal vacation properties?”; but this dream was far from reality. Blissfully unaware of the obstacles in front of them, they set out on a path to innovate the very traditional vacation real estate space with the ultimate goal of systemizing and scaling Co-Ownership of vacation properties. Unknowing at the time, this aspirational dream would be realized in 2007 with the founding of The Luxus Group. Originally beginning with 18 friends and family who supported Stephen on this journey, the group quickly grew to over 400 Co-Owners collectively owning over 50 vacation properties around the world.

Stephen attests this rapid growth to the collective desire of all who want to ‘travel better’. This vision is shared by the Luxus team and most importantly the hundreds of Co-Owners who have chosen to support this innovative approach to vacation home ownership.

Now 15 years young, The Luxus Group’s vision has extended into equally exciting endeavors, including the Co-Ownership of restored Tuscan farmhouses, a membership-based luxury fishing lodge, and a developments division with offices in the US and Italy. No matter what the space within the real estate industry that Luxus targets, the goal is always the same; “Connect with people’s passions, and be the only one in the space doing it”. As there is no pre-established road map to success when creating a new product from scratch, every opportunity needs a new playbook. Despite the challenges of this approach, it ultimately results in no traditional competition to these offerings. 

While The Luxus Group’s mission to innovate segments of the real estate industry has created jobs, triggered economic impact, and resulted in tens of thousands of direct client experiences, it has not come without its challenges. When attempting to create something new out of nothing, there will be failures along the way. While defeating at times, failure is a necessary by-product of innovation. Over the 15-year journey there have been many humbling moments like this that have threatened the Luxus mission. As challenging as these moments may be, Stephen believes failures are best honoured by allowing them to be your teacher, otherwise they can consume you. Only by learning from past mistakes, can you truly find success on the other side. 

Despite a busy career and family life, Stephen remains active in the community and is proud to have been involved with several local charities and community task forces; including, the current Chair of EIA Business Advisory Committee, past Stollery Children’s Hospital Board Member, and a member of the incubator board that founded the economic development agency, Edmonton Global. 

Beyond career and community, the true foundation of Stephen’s passion lies with his family. Wife Carrie, son Kash, and daughter Allegra were the inspiration for founding The Luxus Group, and always will remain the fuel for living life to the fullest. 

For more on Stephen, visit the Luxus Group website, make sure to subscribe to his brand new Youtube channel filled with free consulting content, or check him out on social media on Instagram or Twitter.

Free Buyer Advice:

Podere Paníc:

Eno Lake

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Gisele Kreuger is the creator of The Winner Will. She has over 40 years’ experience with elite athletes as both a player and a coach. 

Gisele was fierce competitor as a volleyball player. Her U of Saskatchewan team won USport Nationals three years in a row and Gisele was the MVP in her second year of University. She is Inducted into 6 Halls of Fame with that team. In 2015, she was inducted into the Volleyball Canada Hall of Fame with her 1980 Junior National Team for winning a gold medal against Cuba in the NORCECA Championship. 

As a coach for high school and club volleyball, Gisele’s teams have won countless tournaments and championships. In 2007, she was awarded the AVA 18U Coach of the Year.

Gisele taught for thirty years with experience in elementary, junior and senior high schools as a Physical Education teacher and high school Guidance Counselor. In 1995, she was awarded an Alberta Teacher Excellence Award. 

In 1999, Gisele completed a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and was seconded to Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre (AARC) where she developed the Education Centre for clients in yearlong drug and alcohol treatment. She was also a member of the Critical Incident Response Team for the Calgary Board of Education. 

In her personal life, Gisele has displayed remarkable resiliency as a cancer survivor. She is an individual who relishes life’s challenges as an opportunity to grow. 

Gisele lives in Calgary with her husband, and they enjoy life with their two adult daughters, two sons-in-law and four grandchildren. 

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Dr. Ron Brown graduated with a degree in family medicine in 1983 and went on to specialize in OBGYN at the University of Alberta Hospital in 1995. He is board-certified in Functional and Regenerative Medicine, which led to his primary interest in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). His book, “Discovering Your Truebalance with Bioidentical Hormones”, documents his years of extensive research and accumulated knowledge. Since publication, he has helped thousands of patients improve their quality of life with BHRT and TRT and now leads the largest hormone therapy clinic in Canada. 

In this episode, Dr. Brown explains his work and research in BHRT, the correlation between pharmacies and available knowledge and treatments to patients and doctors alike, the ways in which these treatments have helped improve people's quality of life as they age, and so much more. This episode is incredibly rich with information that may come as a surprise to many women and men alike.

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Scotia Willow steps into the Inner Circle this week to talk openly about her experience growing up in an abusive household, how hurt people hurt people, and how Big Brothers Big Sisters opened up doors for Scotia to experience things she was never shown at home. Her mentors showed her that happiness, love, and peace in a family is possible, and that we can all strive for it. Scotia's is a tough story to hear, but her tenacity is undeniable, and her attitude is contagious.

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