The Journey : Podcast Edition

Ciara Azam didn’t set out to take on Ticketmaster—but she’s doing it anyway. On this episode of The Journey: In Conversation, the founder of Eventist reveals how a favour for a friend turned into a mission to slash ticket fees, streamline event management, and give power back to organizers. From dance competitions to salsa festivals, Eventist is proving that niche focus, flat pricing, and ethical ticketing can coexist in a space ruled by monopolies. Hear why Ciara believes transparency isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business, and how her accelerator experience is reshaping her approach to sales, growth, and product development. Plus: the surprising reason why absorbing fees might just sell more tickets.

Check out Eventist's new Discover event listing here : https://www.eventist.ca/discover/

The Journey is your builder’s reference library. Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive | Companion Post : https://6catalysts.substack.com/p/in-conversation-with-ciera-azam

Scaling Profitably: A Conversation with Nate Littlewood

What does it take to scale a business profitably? Nate Littlewood, founder of Future Ready CFO, joins Paul Austin-Menear to share his journey from engineering to finance and how he’s helping e-commerce and CPG founders achieve sustainable growth.

In this episode, Nate dives into the frameworks he uses to help clients focus on high-impact projects, including ROI analysis, bottleneck identification, and aligning skills with business needs. He also opens up about his experience with an urban gardening startup, offering candid insights into the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

Whether you’re a founder, a builder, or simply curious about the intersection of finance and strategy, this conversation is packed with actionable advice.

Connect with Nate:

* LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanlittlewood/

* Website | https://www.futurereadycfo.com/

--

The Journey is your builder’s reference library. Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive | Companion Post: https://6catalysts.substack.com/p/in-conversation-with-nate-littlewood

Janna Landry started as a performer — the kind of professional who has to win an audience in seconds — and then brought those same tools into the business world. In this conversation, she breaks down what “executive presence” really is: not polish, not perfection, not a fake persona, but emotionally grounded communication that matches who you are and who you’re speaking to.

We dig into her framework for communication styles, why audiences detect misalignment instantly, and how a “passion pitch” lands better than a rehearsed elevator speech. Janna also makes a strong case for humour and imperfection as trust accelerators, plus the underrated power of pauses — letting the room breathe. The episode closes with practical advice on navigating change, reframing failure, and leading with your heart while sharpening your message.

The Journey is your builder’s reference library. Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive | Companion Post : https://6catalysts.substack.com/p/in-conversation-with-janna-landry

Introducing Roast the Post Podcast

Hiring feels broken, and the character of the job market seems very different from the picture painted by official statistics.

If you’ve ever gone looking for a new job, or if you’ve been one of the people designing roles and recruiting candidates, at some point you’ve likely asked yourself… “Why isn’t this better?”

We're as tired of it as you are.

This isn’t a show about HR. This is a show that explores the power dynamics of hiring and organizational design in a lighthearted way, and seeks to leave you with practical advice and a fresh perspective (whether you’re looking for a job, or looking for a person to fill one).

You can find the show at https://roastthepost.show. Co-hosted by Paul Austin-Menear and Jennifer Houle.

What happens when you blend early-internet battle scars with decades of leadership coaching? You get a brutally honest conversation about humility, timing, and why people... not processes... determine whether companies scale or stall.

In this episode, Jeff Sesol shares lessons from building one of the internet’s earliest cloud platforms, navigating uncharted technical and economic territory, and ultimately refocusing his life’s work around leadership development. From first-mover mistakes to modern AI parallels, this conversation unpacks what builders often learn the hard way.

If you’ve ever felt like your business is moving too fast to think clearly, this episode is your reminder to pull the chute.

Additional Links :

Pull the Chute Podcast

Jeff on LinkedIn

The New Leadership Landscape, by Jeff Sesol [Book]

Taking Your Business to New Heights, by Jeff Sesol [Book]

The Journey is your builder’s reference library. Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive | Companion Post : https://6catalysts.substack.com/p/in-conversation-with-jeff-sesol

What happens when a 25-year banking veteran leaves the stability of corporate life to build a business grounded entirely in transparency, education, and human connection? In this episode, Paul speaks with Anita Bruinsma of Clarity Personal Finance about the rise of advice-only planning and why unbiased guidance matters more than ever.

Anita walks through her early career, the spark that made her commit to helping people understand their finances, and the uncomfortable leap into entrepreneurship during a period of global uncertainty. She breaks down the differences between traditional financial planning and fee-only models, the growing wave of DIY investors, and why younger Canadians are bypassing banks altogether.

They also explore managing focus as a business owner, learning from failure, handling mismatched client relationships, and how impostor syndrome shows up even for seasoned professionals. This candid conversation offers practical insight into building financial confidence—and building a business that aligns with your values.

Show Notes :

Ben Felix | PWL Capital on YouTubeAnita Bruinsma | Clarity on Your Money BlogAnita Bruinsma | The Globe and MailRob Carrick | Substack

The Journey is your builder’s reference library.

Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive | Companion Post : https://6catalysts.substack.com/p/in-conversation-with-anita-bruinsma

The Journey is your builder’s reference library. Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive

Happy holidays from all of us at Six Catalysts. This week's episode is a replay of Paul's Substack Live with Khadejah J at Story Craft on December 9, 2025.

In this episode, Paul and Jennifer Houle explore why the hiring process continues to feel broken for both candidates and organizations—and what a better system could look like. They discuss the shift toward human-centred HR, the growing need for cross-functional integration, and the hidden signals embedded inside job postings. They also dissect a real job description line-by-line, surfacing mismatches, unrealistic expectations, structural tensions, and cultural tells. The conversation closes with practical guidance for candidates trying to stand out in an increasingly competitive, ATS-dominated market.

The Journey is your builder’s reference library. Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive | Companion Post : https://6catalysts.substack.com/p/in-conversation-with-jennifer-houle

Is LinkedIn quietly suppressing posts with links, especially Substack links? This episode breaks down a two-week, apples-to-apples experiment comparing impressions across posts with no links, posts linking to LinkedIn Newsletter articles, and posts linking to Substack. The findings challenge assumptions about “algorithm penalties,” highlight when and how audiences actually engage, and reveal why even on-site links may be treated unfavourably by the feed.

We explore what drives LinkedIn’s incentives, what the data actually showed, and how creators can make smarter strategic decisions about when to include links—and when to avoid them entirely.

The Journey is your builder’s reference library. Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive | Companion Post : https://6catalysts.substack.com/p/does-linkedin-hate-substack

What does it take to build a marketing agency in a post-COVID, AI-accelerated world? For Reed Hansen, it started with childhood lessons in grit and ownership... and it grew into MarketSurge, an agency focused on building lead machines for small business clients. In this episode, Reed unpacks what it means to niche with intent, use automation without losing humanity, and adapt SEO strategy in an era of no-click AI search results.

They talk about early missteps, sales rejection, pivoting to deeper client engagements, and how building authority—not just delivering services—is the key to long-term growth.

The Journey is your builder’s reference library. Crack open the full archive here → https://6catalysts.substack.com/archive | Companion Post : https://6catalysts.substack.com/p/in-conversation-with-reed-hansen