Unconventional Mindset

Glenn Stewardson is a certified financial planner with over 30 years of experience helping people experience joy in their retirement.

Today Glenn explains the common mistakes people make with their RRSPs, why most Canadians don’t have a financial plan, and the importance of having purpose in life and in retirement.

Today Glenn will cover:
🔹 The financial belief that quietly destroys wealth
🔹 Then number one mistake people make in their retirement
🔹 Three things you can do with money: spend, give it away, or pay taxes
🔹 The importance of taking risks to build the life you want
🔹 Teaching our youth about money the right way

Follow Glenn:
🌐 Website 👉 https://advisor.assante.com/Glenn-Stewardson/
🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-stewardson-cfp-fma-mfa-p-1769044/

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Financial beliefs that hurt people
00:03:28 When to take money out from RSP
00:04:48 Tax planning around different TFSA vs RSP
00:07:13 Introduction to Glenn
00:08:55 Only three things you can do with money
00:09:30 Benefits of giving money away
00:14:01 Looking at schedules to find ways to minimize taxes
00:15:49 Think in 5 year cycles
00:17:41 Finding purpose in work and in retirement
00:22:46 Glenn’s relationship with money and getting into finances
00:28:08 Financial advisors deal in hope
00:30:34 Early struggles as a financial advisor
00:35:56 The importance of building trust with your customers
00:37:20 Opening yourself up and letting people in
00:40:46 Writing Your Joyful Retirement book
00:42:10 Why “Joy”?
00:43:25 Building the Joyful Retirement course
00:48:14 Business lessons from building an course
00:53:55 Why focus career on helping people with retirement
00:56:40 Lessons from people that retire as millionaires
00:57:25 Problem with today’s small business owners
00:58:13 Younger generation doesn’t want to buy businesses
01:02:13 Teaching younger people about money and finances
01:07:05 Is opening a TFSA as a teenager the best strategy?
01:08:47 Young people need to learn how to build good saving habits
01:13:58 Too much access to our financial information
01:15:24 How to think about life insurance
01:17:57 Personal question about Odum’s life insurance
01:21:03 How to talk to family about inheritance and a family will
01:24:32 Does debt transfer to children upon parents death?
01:25:47 Don’t get stuck with a big tax bill upon death!
01:29:18 You need to have some kind of plan on paper
01:30:16 Make sure your to protect your digital assets too
01:29:18 You need to have some kind of plan on paper
01:32:13 How to build good credit
01:34:16 Make your life what you want it to be!

Sean Williams is a 30-year marketing veteran and is the founder of Dashboard Marketing.

If you care about building a meaningful career or resilient business with a brand that truly delivers this episode is for you.

Today Sean will cover:
🔹 What people look for when hiring
🔹 How to keep yourself open to opportunity
🔹 Understanding that careers evolve over time
🔹 The importance of using AI to augment your ability
🔹 How brand is a promise that you need to deliver on

Follow Sean:
🌐 Website 👉 https://dashboardmarketing.ca/
🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanwillliams/

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Speaking to students about getting a job in marketing
00:01:41 Be open to other roles in the industry
00:02:40 It’s hard to be good at sales 
00:04:30 Be valuable to potential employers
00:07:29 Biggest issue when finding a marketing job today
00:09:05 Using AI in school vs. in the real world
00:10:24 How to use AI to improve your skills and value
00:12:42 Differences between personal and business social media use
00:14:11 How to deal with negative customer interactions
00:17:53 Where is the responsibility to learn customers success?
00:19:48 Understanding your strengths
00:21:01 Sean’s background
00:22:53 Why marketing?
00:25:19 Getting laid off and starting a business 
00:27:58 Influence parents had on becoming and entrepreneur
00:30:17 Finding a sense of purpose in work
00:33:33 What has change in marketing over the years
00:35:36 How companies get brand wrong
00:37:29 The immense damage of not caring for your customers 
00:40:14 Don’t forget to focus on customer retention
00:41:43 Preparing for a job interview
00:43:24 Biggest problems customers are trying to solve
00:46:04 Think about your brand early on in your business journey
00:47:25 What can entrepreneurs do to help with their marketing 
00:49:12 You have to network 
00:51:28 LinkedIn is important for business and job hunting
00:54:24 Getting into business with your spouse 
00:56:17 The importance of partnering with someone the complementary skills
00:57:24 Finding balance as an entrepreneur
00:59:25 We have different seasons as our businesses grow and evolve
01:02:49 Other things that employers look for in new hires
01:03:46 Businesses often don’t fully understand brand
01:06:53 It’s not about you, it’s about the customer
01:08:52 Final takeaway message

At 17 years old Clément dropped out of school because he saw something that most people miss: the gab between theory and real life.

Clément Roy is the founder of Nukleo, a digital agency that helps small and medium sized create their digital and AI ecosystems.

Today Clément will cover:
🔹 Taking the time to learn about yourself
🔹 Finding the right people to build a great team
🔹 The importance of failing and learning from failure
🔹 Importance of philanthropy and giving back to your community

Follow Clément:
🌐 Website 👉 https://nukleo.com/
🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/clement-roy/

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Why drop out of school
00:03:22 Meditation to find yourself and find purpose
00:09:08 Becoming and entrepreneur
00:12:14 Entrepreneurship is risky
00:13:35 Starting and failing in business
00:14:25 What I learned from failure
00:21:30 When is the right time to fire someone
00:23:08 What to look for when hiring
00:26:34 Current work at Nukleo to build digital ecosystems
00:28:07 How AI is disrupting the digital space
00:41:36 Small businesses are the real heroes
00:42:17 Giving back to the community
00:50:02 Advise to young entrepreneurs: don’t be afraid to fail

Dave Culligan breaks down the lie we’ve been sold: work hard, be a good employee and you’ll be able to buy a house, live a comfortable life and be happy.

Dave Culligan is the founder of threesixfive, a creative studio located in the heart of downtown Halifax that specializes in creative story telling for ambitious brands.

Today Dave will cover:
🔹 Redefining happiness beyond money
🔹 Using social media the wrong way
🔹 Authenticity, AI, and the future of online trust
🔹 Leadership and the cost of people-pleasing
🔹 The power of doing the hard inner work

Follow Dave:
🌐 Website 👉 https://www.threesixfive.ca/
🌐 Personal Website 👉 https://www.daveculligan.com/
🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-culligan/
🔗 Company LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-culligan/
🔗 Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/dave.culligan/
🔗 YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ2TlP_ul9bDFBFEHP1uG8g

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 What leads to happiness
00:01:04 Navigating materialism in society
00:08:00 Balance between authenticity, professional and AI
00:14:00 Overcoming adversity and learning how to help others
00:15:22 Desire to be loved
00:20:00 Losing friends throughout life’s different seasons
00:24:38 Changing level of professionalism
00:30:07 We need to tell better stories
00:42:37 Project 365 and making one video everyday for a year
00:49:18 Mindset going into project 365
00:55:21 How to change your mindset if you’re not where you want to be (yet)
00:58:33 Importance of mentorship and being a mentor
01:03:35 Challenges facing our youth today
01:14:11 What can “I” do to help?
01:19:26 Provoke change through powerful storytelling
01:23:08 Finding common ground as Canadians
01:28:20 Advice to our youth to help them navigate through life
01:32:18 What will be the legacy for Dave?

Dennis Dixon is the founder of Oquli, a lean and bootstrapped team working to build custom software tools designed to solve real-world problems.

We sit down to have a candid conversation on failure, validation, and why the most successful founders learn to deeply understand real problems before trying to solve them.

Today Denis will cover:
🔹 The danger of building in isolation
🔹 The importance of validating ideas quickly
🔹 Progress comes from listening more and building less
🔹 Learning when to walk away from ideas you’re attached to
🔹 How to look for problems that people actually want solved

Follow Dennis:
🌐 Website 👉 https://codiii.com/
🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisod/
🔗 Oquli LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/company/oquli/

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Takeaway from this episode
00:00:35 Introduction to Dennis
00:01:47 What’s it like teaching adults as a teenager
00:04:15 Falling in love with an idea
00:08:14 Learning from people within your industry
00:11:46 Finding actually problems from the noise
00:14:47 Learning to let go of your ideas and changing your mindset
00:19:50 Finding solutions after you identify a problem
00:25:12 The hidden dangers of building software
00:29:00 Importance of getting feedback from users
00:31:50 Bootstrapping
00:37:33 Canada vs. United States for selling software
00:42:00 Mindset shift for growing business after validation
00:45:26 Don’t be ignorant to AI, even if you don’t use it
00:48:02 Putting aside ego to grow
00:53:24 Thoughts on when to quit a business
00:57:10 What does it mean to be an entrepreneur?

Entrepreneur Amin Tran takes us on a journey from being kicked out of school, holding 37 jobs, not fitting into traditional roles, to building a portfolio of companies which is tracking to generate 9 figures of revenue in 2026.

Amin Tran highlights the current opportunity we have for acquiring businesses, particular in the construction industry.

Today Amin will cover:
🔹 The biggest productivity killers today
🔹 The importance of trusting your gut
🔹 How to find opportunities to buy businesses
🔹 Developing strength through hardship
🔹 Why strong leadership is more critical than ever

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Buying businesses and starting with cash flow
00:10:58 Being fired from many jobs
00:16:24 The entrepreneur mindset
00:19:42 When to continue or pivot
00:21:16 Our education system
00:24:12 Top productivity killers and a lack of strong men
00:29:09 How do we help young men
00:36:42 Learning about mergers and acquisitions
00:40:19 Growing and scaling businesses to over 8 figures in annual revenue
00:44:47 What’s on the horizon for Amin
00:46:49 Unlocking new skills
00:51:10 Growing from your past
00:55:50 Importance of having purpose
00:57:42 What it means to be a good leader
01:01:58 Managing clients
01:11:55 Women make better project managers
01:14:17 Settling down with a family
01:16:52 Navigating social media with kids
01:21:21 Amin staying away from social media
01:27:31 Leaving legacy behind to children
01:29:02 Don’t make New Year resolutions
01:34:15 Advice to break free from the 9-5
01:38:11 How to look for mentors

Luke Morgan is a passive income investor who has built his portfolio to over $2 million in assets providing him with $28,000 in monthly income.

Today Luke breaks down all the investing mistakes he made, including losing $500,000 in a span of a few months. He gives us a blueprint into building wealth intentionally, how to avoid common pitfalls, and most importantly how to change your mindset to help you attain true financial freedom.

Today Luke will cover:
🔹 Mindset needed for long-term investing & wealth generation
🔹 Real-estate and the hidden costs of homeownership
🔹 Pitfalls of chasing status and material possessions
🔹 How to get started with passive income investing
🔹 How to navigate risk

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 How to change your mindset 
00:04:15 Introduction to Luke and passive income investing
00:07:37 Building a $2,000,000 portfolio with $28,000 monthly passive income
00:10:12 Growth mode with passive income
00:11:10 Enjoying money now
00:14:21 Path to investing: real-estate & cannabis
00:19:52 Early wins in investing leading to a dangerous mindset
00:24:36 Learning to be content and staying away from greed & envy
00:30:43 Simplest way to get started with investing (don’t lose $500,000 like Luke)
00:38:51 Simple investment strategy to make your kids millionaires
00:44:04 Social media’s negative effects on our perception of finances for our youth
00:49:40 Using social media with intent and purpose
00:52:54 Just start today
00:55:00 Understanding that Real-estate is a liability
01:06:17 Wealthsimple & Questrade for investing in Canada
01:12:41 Turning liabilities into assets

Sarah Hart is the found of Hart & Co., a creative agency that helps founder-led B2B brands build memorable, attention-grabbing visual identities.

Today Sarah breaks down how to stand out in today’s attention economy, and how to use simple psychology principles to hijack people’s brains so your brand stops being ignored.

Today Sarah will cover:
🔹 What it means to be the glitch
🔹 Psychological principles that drive attention
🔹 Why so many brands look the same
🔹 Understanding the attention economy
🔹 The importance of having a vision as a founder

Follow Sarah:
🌐 Website 👉 https://hartcocreative.com/
🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhartcreative/
🔗 YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@SarahHartDesign

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 “Be the glitch”
00:02:45 Introduction to Sarah
00:07:08 Changes in brand industry
00:10:23 Psychology behind design
00:15:41 Dealing with clients
00:18:25 Tying design to the buyer’s journey
00:19:45 Finding happiness in work
00:23:46 Navigating clients as an entrepreneur
00:25:42 Psychology and design principles
00:29:42 Using AI to create assets
00:32:11 Hijacking brains
00:36:32 Finding balance in standing out
00:39:41 Tips on branding Unconventional Mindset and getting clarity
00:44:23 Challenges and joys of entrepreneurship
00:46:30 Sarah’s entrepreneurship journey and making over $100,000 early
00:52:23 Getting back into education
00:54:37 Personal growth as a business owner
01:01:34 What’s next

Most companies don’t lose customers to competition, they lose them because they don’t really understand them.

Melissa Hughes is the owner of Marketing Mile where she helps clients from all over the world truly understand their customers.

Today Melissa will cover:
🔹 Asking the right questions
🔹 How to avoid making assumptions
🔹 Understanding the customer journey
🔹 Using data effectively without getting overwhelmed
🔹 Better marketing through a better understanding of your customer

Follow Melissa:
🌐 Website 👉 https://marketingmile.co/
🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissahughes/

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Key takeaway from today’s episode
00:02:05 Introduction
00:06:14 Working with big clients
00:10:32 How to avoid making assumptions
00:13:49 Why entrepreneurs often don’t think about their customers
00:17:02 Melissa’s transition to entrepreneurship
00:22:10 Odum’s transition to entrepreneurship
00:25:51 Starting point to understanding your customers
00:32:07 Understanding pain points of customers’ day
00:35:10 Customer journey
00:46:30 Making data-driven decisions
00:48:53 Run intentional experiments
00:50:03 Example of great customer understanding
00:52:47 Is AI helpful for understanding customers?
00:58:30 How to nurture customers to keep them
01:01:47 Marketing mistakes by small businesses
01:05:34 Last word to entrepreneurs

Taylor McMaster is the founder of DOT & Company, a leading agency providing client account management for digital marketing agencies.

Taylor breaks down step by step how to properly onboard clients so you can build long term, loyal customers that keep coming back for more.

Today Taylor will cover:
🔹 Where people go wrong in client retention
🔹 The importance of focusing on a singular pain point
🔹 How to communicate effectively with clients
🔹 What to do in the first 24 hours of a sale
🔹 Why clients leave

Follow Taylor:
🌐 Website 👉 https://www.dotandcompany.co/
🔗 LinkedIn 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylormcmaster/
🔗 YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@UC9_2hri1R1uaNTGeZr0Oyxg 

⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:51 Why is it important to keep clients happy?
00:02:31 Why people don’t get it right
00:05:32 Getting started with account management
00:10:45 Finding pain points that stick
00:12:00 Being fulfilled in your work
00:14:28 Why people fail to retain clients
00:16:21 Learning to understand your clients’ needs
00:18:59 The work starts when you sign the contract
00:21:28 Taylor walks me through giving great podcast experience
00:24:40 Don’t be afraid to over-communicate
00:26:00 How to maintain and grow client relationships
00:27:15 Taylor’s biggest mistake in business
00:28:50 Things to look for in great account managers
00:34:05 Letting employees think for themselves
00:35:13 Taylor’s early entrepreneurial days
00:38:00 Learn to let go of things in your business
00:39:44 Where are you in 5 to 10 years?
00:41:56 Desire to be the best
00:45:05 A one person business is still a business
00:47:00 Finding your purpose
00:50:57 Never lose sight of the human experience