In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Barry LaBov—CEO, founder, author, and former rock musician and producer—about his new book The Power of Differentiation. Barry explains why differentiation is critical for brands, businesses, and leaders, and how clarity around what makes you unique is essential in today’s crowded marketplace

He shares stories from his early days in the music industry and his unexpected transition into marketing, highlighting how great bands, great companies, and great leaders all know what makes them distinctively unique, and they double down on it. Barry also walks through his approach to finding and naming your differentiators, and why leaders must launch and celebrate them by engaging the people who bring them to life.

Whether you want your business to stand out or you’re looking to elevate your own leadership brand, Barry’s insights offer practical guidance for differentiating in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Shote Notes:

00:22 Show intro

00:56 Introducing Barry

02:05 What is differentiation?

02:53 It's so important today to have authenticity

03:15 Harley Davidson's differentiation

03:58 Elon Musk

04:42 Bart talks about differentiating brands

04:59 Music and unique artists

06:07 Barry's early days in a band and as a producer

06:58 Wrote songs for famous performers

07:19 Band members were all doing something unique

07:47 From music to marketing

09:49 Someone asked him to take on a marketing role – and he declined! 

10:18 We trust YOU 

10:49 Writing a book

11:09 Why write the book on differentiation?

11:48 How the COVID great resignation changed his thinking

12:11 Hearts, minds and market share

12:46 How can people discover their unique proposition?

13:20 Talk to humans about the brand

14:21 Observing the biz to see what is unique

14:53 Example of a unique process in a business

15:50 Jam session with the client

16:07 Taking the differentiators and executing in marketing and business

16:21 The Launch

16:26 Launch to the most important people first 

16:58 You're often too close to your own work to see the differentiators

17:47 How to do this personally

19:08 These are things I do well — but it's not for everyone! 

20:14 Celebrating your differentiators

24:03 Morale slipping — leaders need to reframe

25:26 How to maintain enthusiasm for your core strengths

25:57 Don't wait for the holiday party — tell them every day 

26:28 Don't talk about profit unless you are sharing it

27:03 Cheerleading vs authentic celebration

28:41 Music acts that are unique today

30:53 Where can people get more

31:28 Thank-yous and outro

Exciting news: The Humphrey Group has been acquired by Humance!

In this special episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart Egnal speaks with Bernard Letendre, Managing Partner, Ontario and Western Canada at Humance, about the story behind this decision and the journey that led him there.

Bernard shares his remarkable career path from practicing law to leading major divisions in Canada’s financial services industry, to joining Humance and becoming the architect behind its acquisition of The Humphrey Group. Along the way, he reflects on lessons learned about taking risks, creating opportunities rather than waiting for them, and pursuing growth with purpose.

He also draws powerful parallels between leadership and his lifelong practice of judo, where discipline, humility, and mutual benefit are essential to success.

Bart and Bernard close with an inside look at how the merger came to be after a year of conversation and a shared vision for growth, and how it will set both organizations up to continue serving their clients in existing and new ways.

Whether you’re navigating your own career transitions or leading through change, this conversation offers powerful insights on creating your own opportunities, embracing non-linear growth, and finding strength in partnership.

Show Notes:

00:14 Show intro

00:48 Welcoming Bernard

01:14 Special announcement

02:05 "Humance" meaning

02:29 Judo and its importance

04:40 How Bernard began his career

05:01 Law and the law of electronic surveillance

05:34 Wife: "law made you less fun to be around"

06:47 Joined IG

07:06 Taking a 100% commission job

07:53 Making cold-calls to the bar phonebook

08:35 Finding opportunities in the new job

08:40 Officer training in the military

09:05 Good at management

10:19 Changing career paths regularly

10:36 Switching to Standard Life

11:21 Standard life

12:05 2009 Financial crisis - lost job

12:14 Landing at Manulife

12:36 Should you take a step down in your career?

13:01 Building a biz plan for private wealth at Manulife

13:44 Manulife tapped him to run his business plan

14:54 Advice for people who are ambitious with their careers

15:08 Don't wait for opportunity, come up with ways of creating value

15:36 Congrats, you have employment now figure out your job

16:50 How the Pandemic transformed his life

17:53 cert in organizational coaching

20:59 Why he made the leap to Humance

22:38 Long-term thinking

22:45 Doing is big "act" before it was too late

24:16 Advice: A career does not have to be linear

25:13 Not having a rigid mind

25:36 The final act: Humance

27:05 His Biz plan for expanding Humance outside the Quebec market

28:48 How Bernard reached out to Bart

31:17 Mutual benefit in Judo

33:41 Thank yous and wrap up

34:02 Outro

What does it really take to build great leaders? In this episode of the Inspire Podcast, Bart Egnal sits down with Rob Buckingham, Executive VP at Quest Window Systems Inc and retired Canadian Forces Captain, to unpack how leadership is intentionally developed in both the military and business.

Rob shares powerful lessons from his time in uniform when he was first exposed to foundational leadership and how the Canadian Forces empowers junior leaders to step up from day one. He explains how that experience taught him the value of feedback, the importance of resilience under pressure, and why empowering people early creates lasting strength in any organization.

He then reveals how those same principles shaped his corporate career and what he learned as a management consultant and, more recently, in his current role as Executive VP of a global manufacturing company. He closes by sharing perspectives from his work with Treble Victor, an organization that matches veterans with civilian organizations, and shows why companies that tap into military leadership talent gain a powerful edge.

If you’ve ever wondered what foundational leadership looks like in practice and how you can cultivate it in your own organization, this conversation is for you.

 

Show Notes

00:15 Show intro

00:52 Introducing Robert Buckingham

03:12 What is foundational leadership and why is it important?

03:18 Fostering a leadership culture 

03:42 Empower junior leaders

04:07 What orgs get right and wrong about leadership development

04:53 Military officers have responsibility right away

06:12 Give junior leaders tools to lead early on 

07:00 Why did you enlist in the army

09:42 What is Mission-command

10:28 Military gets planning and execution of tasks

12:57 Forecast Plan Control Review

13:29 Resilience

13:33 Key values: loyalty, integrity, mission first

13:49 Can you teach these leadership traits or are they innate?

15:09 High fallout rate in the military

18:35 Continuous training

19:41 Instantaneous coaching feedback

20:06 Growing a culture of feedback

20:18 What's the toughest feedback you got in your career?

21:19 Like sports team culture

21:35 The worst thing is complacency

24:04 One of my proudest achievements in the military

24:43 Transitioning from military to the corporate world, was it a shock?

25:59 Translating to civilian speak

28:01 What maps and what doesn't?

29:11 Put things in place, succeeded!

30:47 Span of control

32:35 Corporate environment never plan

33:29 50 50 leadership vs tasks

34:00 Joined Quest

35:01 Set your team up with a structure where information flows up and down

36:15 How to know how an org is doing with leadership?

36:49 Does the front line mission line up with the org's mission?

38:18 The Back Brief 

39:55 Treble Victor

45:38 Thank yous

46:00 Outro

In this episode, Bart sits down with Janet Drysdale, Interim Chief Commercial Officer at CN, to explore her career journey through progressively senior roles and how communication has been the key differentiator at every level. Janet reflects on the different skills required at each step of a career, and how even today, in a new senior role, it’s critical that she continues to hone her ability to influence, listen, and inspire.

She shares how the demands of communication shift as your career grows. Early in your career, you need the courage to share your opinion, as you advance, you need to learn to say “no” quickly and decisively. At more senior levels, it becomes essential to translate complexity into clarity, become an exceptional listener, and empower others to speak up and share their voice.

Whether you’re just starting out or leading at the highest level, this conversation weaves together Janet's insights and experiences to reveal the communication skills that matter most and how they can fuel your success.

Show Notes:

00:12 Show intro

00:47 Introducing Janet

02:14 Why communication has been important for Janet's career

03:11 Communication is the single most important skill

03:54 Communication in the early years of Janet's career

05:01 Early career very FACT-focused

05:23 But what do you think about the facts

06:39 Was there a moment when she had to step up and lead

06:49 Nobody could argue with facts but suggesting solutions was scary

07:57 The beginning of real conversation is when you put yourself out there and get feedback

08:51 Investor relations role

10:59 Communication helps build relationships

12:54 Influencing the C-suite level

13:03 The way you communicate matters

13:48 Tailoring communication to the room

14:41 Bart recalls a time when they worked together

16:51 Sometimes you need the facts not the story from people

19:31 Understanding the why and how they're telling the story

20:16 Helping others find their communication styles

21:22 Bart asks her for a story of helping a team member

22:44 People in the room who want to talk but are too shy

23:56 Reinforce the behavior

24:18 The importance of listening

26:42 The finance team also needs to learn to communicate

27:33 It doesn't matter what your role is communication is key

27:56 The downside of a "maybe"

28:24 If you're going to have to say "no" don't string it out with "maybe"

29:48 Communication is also to build trust and respect

30:24 What skills is Janet still working on

31:27 Thank Yous

31:58 Show outro

In this episode, Bart speaks with Dave Garrison, Founder and Chief Navigating Officer of Garrison Growth, about his new book The Buy-In Advantage. They explore why employee engagement is at a decade low, the forces driving disengagement, and why it’s critical for leaders to overcome these challenges to build a fully committed workforce. Dave shares practical, no-cost strategies leaders can use to foster authentic buy-in—shifting from “telling” to “asking,” recognizing employees as human beings (not just human doings), and connecting people’s work to purpose and growth. A timely and valuable conversation for leaders at all levels, offering concrete tools to inspire and engage teams in an era when it matters more than ever.

Get your copy of The Buy-In Advantage here: https://buyinbook.com/

00:37 Show intro

01:14 Welcoming Dave Garrison

01:51 What is a Chief Navigating Officer?

03:14 Dave's career background

04:27 The story of seeing a shaman

05:54 Removing artificial constraints

06:48 Walking out of the corporate world into CNO

07:22 What it was like to leave the job he had

07:53 The business was funded on credit card debt

08:18 How the venture has evolved in the last 10 years

09:27 About his new book

10:59 Creating engagement

11:06 Game-changing orgs always have 3 elements

11:38 How do leaders build an environment for engagement?

12:52 What is the buy-in crisis? And where does it come from?

13:49 Gen Z values – money less important, impact with like-minded people

14:59 What's driving the buy-in crisis

16:17 Two-thirds don’t care about the company

16:32 The costs of lack of engagement

16:53 Churn is a waste of time and resources

17:49 Are companies just grinning and bearing it with turnover?

19:01 How do great leaders foster buy-in

19:27 Give up on the bully or bribe approach

20:15 Why can’t people be as enthusiastic about jobs as they are about sports?

20:50 The way the boss sees things is only one way

21:02 Collective genius

21:22 Human beings, not human doings

22:10 Sense of purpose

22:34 Challenges and opportunities to learn and grow

22:57 Bart summarizes main points so far

23:35 Warning signs that buy-in is not occurring

26:21 What lets you know this is a great idea?

26:48 Don’t share your idea — share the problem

27:36 Example of Jeff Edison’s leadership

30:16 Ask questions instead of providing answers

32:08 Example of older leaders stuck in ‘answer mode’

34:05 Teachers with right answers

34:52 Where are we with workforce engagement?

35:21 We’re at a decade-low in engagement

36:23 Where to find The Buy-In Advantage

37:15 Thank Yous

37:28 Outro

In this episode, Bart speaks with longtime THG consultant and Professor of Voice, Acting, and Performance Research at Concordia University, Noah Drew, about the deep connection between presence, performance, and leadership. Noah shares how his journey through theatre and voice work shaped his understanding of what presence really means, and why it matters for both actors and leaders.

Bridging his work in theatre and leadership development, Noah introduces the Presence Triangle. He breaks down the three points of the triangle: the inner experience of the speaker, the outer awareness of the audience, and the material at hand, and explains why great communicators stay attuned to all three. Along the way, he offers practical ways to assess your own presence, strengthen it, and show up more fully and authentically in the moments that matter.

Whether you're preparing for a high-stakes presentation or simply want to be more intentional in everyday interactions, this conversation will help you lead with greater clarity, connection, and presence.

For those who want to explore the ideas Noah mentions in more depth, you can read writings from the Fitzmaurice Institute here: https://www.fitzmauriceinstitute.org/writings

00:32 Show Intro

01:12 Introducing Noah Drew

02:26 Why should people in the government and corps care about theatre training?

02:44 Theatre is an artform that is about commanding people's attention

03:47 What theatre experiences stood out to you?

03:59 Joining a youth theatre company

05:30 Did you know that you wanted to pursue theatre?

06:57 Professional clowning?

07:51 Bart asks: what is "presence"?

08:21 Presence has 2 sides

09:10 Defining presence

10:03 What does it mean to inspire others?

10:24 That's what great leaders do

12:25 Stagecraft makes people want to pay attention

14:26 How do actors learn to develop presence? The Presence Triangle

17:34 Continuous electric dance of attention

21:02 "What you resist, persists"

21:34 Bart brings it back to the realities of leaders and managers

22:45 If you're not in the habit, the pressure will make it even harder

25:11 The pressure that comes from the attention of others

25:28 Advice to people to be ready when the attention is on them

26:12 Bart gets an assessment and coaching!

28:34 How can people self-assess their Presence Triangle?

30:58 How to develop your weakest point of the Presence Triangle

31:21 How to develop inner awareness

33:44 Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone

35:51 Early childhood experiences often shape these challenges

36:34 Belief in the material

37:21 The time spent to shape your material is worth it

38:32 Bart shares his experiences as a speechwriter

40:24 It's a "practice" of presence

42:11 How can people follow up on these ideas?

42:28 Fitzmaurice Institute

42:54 Saul Kotzubei

43:29 Thank Yous

43:50 Show Outro

In this episode, Bart speaks with entrepreneur Phil Neil, who shares his extraordinary story of building his company from $200K in revenue to $70 million and the gauntlet of challenges he faced along the way. Phil opens up about the painful realities behind the headlines: a $5M scam during the pandemic, a devastating warehouse fire, and the collapse of major contracts.

He reflects on what he calls the “Shadow of Entrepreneurship™”, feelings of uncertainty, fear and unworthiness that trigger emotional reactivity, and undermine decision quality. It’s a shadow that affects not only entrepreneurs but leaders at every level. Phil discusses how this struggle can impact mental health and derail even the most promising careers and shares why every entrepreneur and leader needs to be equipped to face it. He also introduces the solution he's termed the Courage Compass™. A framework he’s developed to help leaders better understand themselves, their decision-making patterns, manage uncertainty, and navigate through the shadow to thrive.

Visit Phil's website to learn more: http://philneil.com/

Check out his company, The Courage Compass: http://courage-compass.com/

And connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippe-neil/

Show Notes:

00:30 Introducing Phil

01:03 Hero journey of self-discovery

02:17 The failure crossroad

04:21 From masks to natural gloves

06:19 The painful experiences towards success

07:58 Scam/conflict

08:50 Founder conflict emerged

09:57 Story

11:12 Victim of organized crime

12:17 The fire

13:34 The awakening

15:22 Launched a company to change culture of entrepreneurship

16:17 The Courage Compass Company

16:43 98% of founders fail on their first biz

17:20 Mental health issues are high in founders

17:37 Bart talks about his experiences with starting businesses

18:35 How to know if your self-management is not optimal

20:09 Uncertainty 

21:12 Bart talks about the increasing uncertainty of the market

22:08 The Courage Compass

23:34 Shifting from hope to courage

23:57 Connecting to intuition

24:42 The problem with data thinking

26:25 Courage comfort zone

28:07 How can people find out more and connect with Phil

33:09 Thank yous

35:25 Outro

In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart welcomes Vanessa Bragg, Leadership Coach and consultant at The Humphrey Group to talk about why and how you should be a people centric leader.

Vanessa shares the story of her own career transformation and the profound impact that people-focused leadership has had on her growth. She unpacks what it means to be a people-centric leader, why this mindset is more essential than ever, and how you can begin to model this approach in your own leadership.

From shifting your style from telling to coaching, to showing up with authentic presence and using language that draws out the best in others, Vanessa offers both heartfelt insights and practical strategies. Her stories, examples, and actionable tools will inspire you to connect more deeply with your team, foster meaningful engagement, and drive results through human-centered leadership.

Show Notes

00:25 Show intro

00:59 Introducing Vanessa Bragg

01:14 Bart runs through Vanessa's background

01:55 Introducing people-centric leadership

02:36 How Vanessa started her career

03:58 Most rapid growth with that leader 

04:58 She wasn't a problem solver, she always asked me what I recommended 

05:45 How did that people-centricity shape your own philosophy?

06:39 She never was the answer person 

08:17 What are the challenges with people-centred approach

09:52 Even though I'm a coach I have my eye on strategy 

10:33 Top-down vs people-centric leadership differences

11:00 Leaders who are lower in self-awareness are harder to shift

12:45 How much does the org affect the culture?

13:04 It has to come from the top

13:36 Buy-in from execs freed up the other leaders

14:24 In all the orgs I worked in the CSuite makes a huge difference to culture 

15:27 How can leaders be present?

16:55 Connection before content

18:19 Use the language of leadership

21:06 Example of a leader who was using the wrong language

22:17 She wasn't an unkind person 

23:21 Raise that self-awareness 

23:39 Intent and impact

24:13 Being people-focused does not mean losing track of business goals

24:42 What does it mean to "Communicate like a Coach"?

30:09 Where can people find out more?

30:47 Outro

In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Denis Ricard, CEO of iA Financial Group, about what it takes to cultivate a strong, cohesive executive team. Denis shares insights from his remarkable career journey within iA, from his early roles to the C-suite, and the leadership lessons that shaped his approach to building high-performing senior teams.

He reflects on the guidance he offers to his senior leadership team, the importance of alignment at the executive level, and the culture he has intentionally fostered at iA. Through practical examples and candid reflection, Denis offers a clear perspective on the leadership principles that support long-term organizational success.

Whether you're a CEO, team lead, or aspiring leader, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways on team cohesion, leadership development, and organizational culture. A must-listen for anyone looking to elevate their leadership impact.

Show Notes:

00:13 Show intro

00:49 Introducing Denis

02:08 What do you look for in senior leaders?

02:35 Surround yourself with A+ players

03:24 Denis' career path

05:03 Key moment when he decided his big goal

05:24 What changed his goal?

06:16 Switch to marketing to learn the business better

06:37 The next move would be on purpose!

07:00 The CEO asked him, ever thought about taking my job?

07:48 When I became CEO, I was ready

08:38 Depth in executives

09:35 It's not about being an expert, but having a breadth of knowledge

10:15 Story about moving an exec out of their comfort zone

11:11 The best way to grow

12:19 We could leave people where they are. But it would not build capacity

13:40 Taught at Uni to become a better communicator

16:11 Simplifying the message

17:13 Figure out what you love and go for it

18:40 Essential leadership communication qualities

18:49 Let's make the problems visible

18:57 Energy into building trust

19:29 How do you build trust?

19:56 Recognize and thank an executive when they bring a problem

21:04 How to approach giving feedback

21:48 Example of feedback that he got

23:59 It's all about the greater good

25:34 If you work for the organization, you'll get noticed

26:08 An example of an executive hire that didn't fit the culture

28:12 Advice on cultivating a culture

28:54 Team building

29:48 Start with a group of like-minded people

31:03 How do you communicate principles to a large company

31:10 Be accessible

31:23 Virtual culture challenge

33:39 Leading by example

33:59 What's next for your team?

34:25 Foster a growth mindset

35:35 Thank yous

In this episode, Bart speaks with Karina Michel, an accomplished actor, director, and producer, about the powerful lessons leaders can learn from the creative world. Karina shares insights drawn from her experience across film and television, exploring what leadership can gain from the disciplines of acting, directing, and producing. She reveals surprising parallels between performance and leadership, showing how both require presence, authenticity, and vision.

From fully embodying a role as an actor, to building cohesive teams as a director, to managing complex projects as a producer, Karina draws on a wealth of experience and breaks down how creative approaches can make you a more effective and inspirational leader.

Connect with Karina:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinamichelofficial/#

IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm2405454/

Listen to her podcast Coffee with Karina on:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5k60JMmYHpW6ri7QVPCPVI

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coffee-with-karina/id1529519382

Show notes:

00:20 Show Intro

00:57 Introducing Karina

02:03 Karina's Background

03:10 What’s It Like Auditioning as an Actor?

06:45 What Is a Producer in Film?

07:57 What Is a Creative Producer?

09:12 Moving to Directing

11:51 What Can Leaders Learn from the Film Business?

12:38 Take Risks

13:20 Having Strength of Conviction

14:23 What Leaders Can Learn from Actors

14:37 Preparation

16:48 How Do You Prepare to Play “Me”?

17:07 Get Clear on Your Ideas and Direction

18:39 Empathy

20:28 Don’t Judge the Character—or Yourself

22:05 Lessons from Directing

22:35 Team Effort and Collaboration Matter

23:57 How to Handle Underperforming Team Members

26:50 What Can Leaders Learn from a Producer?

27:09 Have a Vision—and Follow Through

28:00 What Makes a Good Pitch?

30:23 Meet the Basic Standard of a Pitch

31:30 What Separates a Great Pitch?

31:46 The Team Is Key

34:04 Where to Find Karina

34:53 Wrap-Up

35:46 Thank Yous

36:12 Outro