Safe Brave Stories
By Greg Smith and Anna Petosa
Tarila Morrone - Founder of Hearts of Gems
Tarila Morrone is the founder of Hearts of Gems, a company dedicated to helping families build stronger connections and support children's emotional well-being through meaningful conversations and intentional parenting tools. A certified parent coach, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for children's mental health, Tarila empowers parents to move from overwhelm and burnout to confidence, connection, and joy.
Through coaching, workshops, and thoughtfully designed products used by families around the world, she helps parents create everyday moments that foster resilience, self-worth, and emotional wellness in their children. Inspired by her own journey as a mother, Tarila's mission is simple yet powerful: to help families strengthen relationships and raise emotionally healthy, thriving children. To connect with Tarila you can reach her at LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarilamorrone/or at her website at https://heartsofgems.com/
Robina Dhindsa - Leadership Development Expert, Speaker and Founder of Intuitive Leadership
Robina Dhindsa is a leadership development expert, speaker, and founder of Intuitive Leadership. With a unique background spanning engineering, enterprise technology sales, mindfulness, and personal transformation, Robina helps leaders and organizations cultivate greater self-awareness, resilience, and authentic connection.
Through her signature Mastering the Inner World™ methodology, she guides individuals to understand how theirthoughts, beliefs, and emotions shape their leadership, relationships, and impact. Passionate about creating healthier workplaces and more conscious leaders, Robina blends practical business experience with insights from mindfulness and contemplative practices. Her work empowers people to lead with courage, clarity, and compassion in an increasingly complex world.
For this episode of Safe Brave Stories, Robina shares powerful insights on self-awareness, personal growth, and what itmeans to lead from the inside out. To connect with Robina you can find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinadhindsa/
Vicki Thompson Groff - Coach, Leadership Strategist and Founder of The Shift
Vicki Thompson Groff is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and former Head of People & Culture at KOHO Financial, where she built and led an award-winning internal coaching program focused on leadership development,culture, and sustainable high performance. With a career that spans both commercial leadership and people strategy, Vicki brings a unique blend of business acumen, emotional intelligence, and systems thinking to her work with executives, founders, and high-performing teams.
As the founder of The Shift, Vicki helps leaders navigate growth, change, and complexity through coaching that is both deeply human and highly practical. Her work centers on self-awareness, psychological safety, resilience, and the small but powerful mindset shifts that unlock lasting transformation.
Known for her direct yet compassionate approach, Vicki believes that the strongest organizations are built by leaders who are willing to lead with courage, curiosity, and authenticity — making her a natural fit for conversations that explore what it means to live and lead bravely. For more information about Vicki or to connect directly you can find her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicki-thompson-groff-b77b803a/or at her website https://www.theshiftcoaching.ca/.
Joe Lyons-Rising - Entrepreneur, Author and Social Impact Leader
Joe Lyons-Rising is an entrepreneur, author, and social impact leader, best known as the founder of Data Gives Back Inc. and a member of Pure Minds. With a career rooted in data, innovation, and purpose-driven work, Joe focuses on leveraging technology and analytics to create meaningful change for communities and organizations.
He is also the author of Pain Remixed, where he exploresthemes of resilience, identity, and personal transformation through his lived experience with trauma, grief, depression and anxiety.
Bridging the worlds of business, storytelling, and advocacy, Joe brings a thoughtful and grounded perspective to conversationsabout navigating adversity while building impact. His work resonates deeply with the mission of Safe Brave Stories: creating space for honesty, courage, and connection through lived experience.
To learn more about Joe and his work you can connect on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelyonsrising/or through his websites at https://painremixed.com/ and https://www.datagivesback.com/
Renata Chubb - Expressive Arts Therapist
Renata Chubb is an Expressive Arts Therapist, Registered Psychotherapist (qualifying) who helps individuals explorehealing, identity, and resilience through creativity. With a compassionate and intuitive approach, she blends modalities such as visual art, movement, and storytelling to support people in processing complex emotions and life experiences.
Renata is deeply committed to creating safe, brave spaces where authentic expression can emerge, especially for those navigating trauma, transition, and personal growth. Her work centers on the belief that creativity is not just an outlet, but a powerful pathway to connection, meaning, and transformation.
To find out more about Renata and her work, you can find her at www.renatachubbart.com or via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/renatachubb/
Sharon Bauer - founder of Bamboo Data Consulting
Sharon Bauer is the founder of Bamboo Data Consulting,where she helps organizations transform complex data into meaningful,actionable insights. With a background in data strategy, analytics, and business intelligence, she is known for bridging the gap between technical teams and business leaders—turning information into impact.
But beyond the data, Sharon is deeply passionate about people, growth, and the power of honest conversation.
On Safe Brave Stories, Sharon joins the conversation to share her perspective on what it means to show up with both safety and courage—whether in leadership, decision-making, or personal growth. Grounded in real-world experience, she reflects on the role vulnerability plays in building trust,navigating complexity, and creating meaningful change.
Blending her analytical mindset with a deep curiosity about human experience, Sharon brings a thoughtful and authentic voice to conversations that matter.
To connect with Sharon and find more about her work you can find her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbauerlawyer/
Lesley Hawkins - Keynote speaker, Podcast Host and Partner at Marsley Canada,
Lesley Hawkins is a partner at Marsley Canada, a dynamic business leader, keynote speaker, host of The Lesley Hawkin's Podcast and former Vice President at Adidas, where she helped drive brand growth, innovation, and global strategy for one of the world’s most iconic sports companies. With decades of experience in leadership,marketing, and organizational transformation, Lesley has built a reputation for empowering teams, elevating brands, and helping organizations navigate change in highly competitive industries.
Today, Lesley works with companies and leaders around the world as a keynote speaker and advisor, sharing insights on leadership, brand strategy, resilience, and the future of work. Her perspective combines real-world executive experience with a passion for developing people and building culturesthat perform at the highest level.
To find out more about Lesley and her work you can reach her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-hawkins/ or at www.lesleyhawkins.ca
Nicki Straza - Founder of Straza Solutions
Nicki Straza is the Founder of Straza Solutions, a strategic consulting firm focused on helping organizations bring clarity,structure, and sustainable growth to their operations. With a strong background in leadership development, business strategy, and organizational effectiveness, Nicki works with companies to align teams, streamline processes, and turncomplex challenges into actionable plans.
Known for her practical, results-driven approach, Nicki partners with leaders and organizations to move from vision to execution — helping them build systems and strategies that support long-term success. Through Straza Solutions, she supports businesses in strengthening their foundations, improving operational efficiency, and creating environments where people and organizations can thrive.
Nicki is passionate about empowering leaders, fostering strategic thinking, and helping organizations navigate growth with confidence and clarity.
You can find out more about and to connect with Nicki via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicki-straza-flourishing-workplace-culture/ or via her website https://www.nickistraza.com/
Barry Braun - Founder of the Good Neighbour Builders Society
Barry Braun is an entrepreneur, investor, and business leader with a passion for building enduring companies and communities. He is the Founder of Good Neighbour Society, an initiative focused on fostering meaningful connectionsand strengthening the social fabric of neighborhoods and businesses alike.
Throughout his career, Barry has built and scaled companies with a disciplined, long-term approach to growth. Known forhis strategic clarity and operational depth, he brings a practical perspective on leadership, culture, and value creation. Barry believes that sustainable success—whether in business or community—comes from intentional relationships, strong foundations, and a commitment to serving others.
To find out more about the amazing work Barry is doing check out https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrybraun/or http://www.goodneighbourbuilders.org/ and connect with him directly at barry@happycommunityproject.com.
Janey Brown - Founder Fearce Academy, Performer, Trauma-informed Coach, Speaker and Author of Fear to Fearce
Janey Brown is a performer, professional singer, trauma-informed coach, motivational speaker, and author of Fear to Fearce. She specializes in helping individuals harness fear as fuel rather than be ruled by it. After decades in the performance industry — including working with Grammy-winning producers and performing on major stages — Janey experienced firsthand the crippling effects of performance anxiety,perfectionism, and self-doubt. That journey led her to develop a powerful framework for transforming fear into confidence and resilience.
Blending over 30 years of performance experience with psychology, somatic tools, and mental resilience training, Janey founded Fearce Academy, where she works with creatives, entrepreneurs, athletes, and leaders to overcome imposter syndrome, manage high-pressure environments, and unlock authentic performance.
Through her book Fear to Fearce, coaching programs, and speaking engagements, Janey empowers people to embrace their shadow, build emotional intelligence, and cultivate the psychological skills needed to show up boldly in life and work. Her mission is simple but transformative: to help people move from fear to “Fearce” — courageous, aligned, and unapologetically powerful.
To find out more you can connect to Janey through LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeybrown/ or through her website at https://janeybrown.com/
Paul Finkbeiner - President Fink Advisory Management Corp.
Paul Finkbeiner is the President of Fink Advisory Management Corp. and a seasoned real estate executive based in Oakville, Ontario. With decades of experience leading and scaling major real estate platforms, Paul brings a practical, people-first perspective on leadership, strategy, and long-term value creation. He’s known for building high-performing teams,mentoring leaders, and helping organizations grow without losing focus on culture and purpose.
To find more about Paul you can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-finkbeiner/
Peter Aceto - Senior Operating Executive, Aceto Leadership Performance
Peter Aceto is a Canadian business leader, entrepreneur, and best-selling author, best known as the former CEO ofTangerine Bank. During his tenure, he helped redefine digital banking in Canada by proving that a customer-first, values-driven approach could also deliver strong financial performance. Under his leadership, Tangerine became widelyrecognized for its culture, innovation, and trust.
Peter’s leadership philosophy centers on authenticity, empathy, and accountability. He believes great leaders create clarity of purpose, empower people to do their best work, and lead with humanity—especially during times of change. These ideas are at the heart of his writing and speaking, where hechallenges conventional thinking about power, performance, and what it truly means to lead.
Beyond business, Peter is deeply committed to giving back. He has been actively involved in charitable and community initiatives focused on mental health, education, and social impact, and he regularly supports organizations that help people reach their full potential. For Peter, leadership isn’t justabout results—it’s about leaving people and communities better than you found them.
To connect with and learn more about Peter and his work you can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/peteraceto/
Dean Hopkins - Operating Partner, GreenPoint Partners
Dean Hopkins is a Partner at GreenPoint Partners, where he focuses on investing in and partnering with high-quality businesses that have strong fundamentals and long-term growth potential. He brings deep experience across private markets, having spent his career working closely with management teams to drive strategic clarity, operational excellence, and sustainable value creation.
Prior to Green Point Partners, Dean built a track record of investing across a range of industries, developing a reputation for being a hands-on, thoughtful partner to founders and executives. His approach emphasizes disciplineddecision-making, long-term alignment, and helping leadership teams navigate complex growth inflection points.
As a leader, Dean believes the best outcomes come from trust, transparency, and a shared vision. He is known for his collaborative style, focus on fundamentals, and commitment to building enduring businesses rather than optimizing for short-term results.
You can find more about and connect with Dean on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdhopkins/
Gustavo Razzetti - CEO Fearless Culture, Culture Consultant, Facilitator and Speaker
Gustavo Razzetti is the CEO and founder of Fearless Culture, a culture design consultancy that helps teams do the best work oftheir lives. For more than 20 years, Razzetti has helped leaders from Fortune 500s, startups, nonprofits, and everything in between on every continent but Antarctica.
Gustavo is also the creator of the Culture Design Canvas, a framework used by thousands of teams and organizations across the world to map, assess, and design their culture.
In addition to his consulting work with clients, Gustavo regularly speaks with leaders and teams about culture change, teamwork, and hybrid workplaces. His coaching and tools have helped countless executives and teams develop work environments where people collaborate to accelerateindividual and collective performance.
A prolific writer and author of four books on culturechange, most recently "Remote, Not Distant," Gustavo’s insights have been featured in The New York Times, Psychology Today, Forbes, BBC, and Fortune, among others.
To learn more about Gustavo you can connect with him on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavorazzetti/ and to check out his amazing culture work check out https://www.fearlessculture.design/
Glain Roberts-McCabe - Founder & President - The Roundtable Inc.
Glain Roberts-McCabe (PCC,CTDP) is the Founder and President of The Roundtable, a Toronto-based leadership development and coaching firm specializing in group, peer, team, and executive coaching. With more than two decades of experience, she helps leaders and organizations strengthen collaboration, navigate change, and build lasting leadership capability through innovative coaching and community-based learning models.
Glain in addition to being an amazing human, is also a keynote speaker and author known for advancing intentional, collective leadership.
To find more information about Glain and the work she does you can reach her on here LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/glain/ or check out The Roundtable at https://goroundtable.com/
Carlos Cadogan - Certified Emotional & Cultural Intelligence Consultant: Co-owner of The CQ Mindset
Carlos Cadogan is a Certified Cultural Intelligence Consultant who helps individuals and organizations improve theircapability to function effectively in a cultural context.
With over 20 years of experience leading successful diverse, and inclusive teams, he has turned his passion for developing and coaching individuals into a cultural competency consulting firm named, The CQ Mindset. The CQ Mindset supports leaders and organizations to achieve and develop cultural intelligence skills and applications across all desired outcomes such as cultural competency, inclusion initiatives, executive performance, and leadership development and organizationeffectiveness.
Carlos is also an Assessment Consultant at Multi- Health Systems.
Carlos formally volunteered on the Diversity and Inclusion Board for the Town of Stouffville, Ontario, and a former mentor for at-risk youths through KuppaFoundation.org.
Carlos holds a certification in leadership and Inclusion through Centennial College and the Canadian Centre for Diversityand Inclusion.
For more information or to connect directly with Carlos go to LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-cadogan-67b8b232/ or https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cq-mindset/posts/?feedView=all
Mark Edgar -Chief People Officer Wajax - Co-founder future foHRward
Mark Edgar is a people-centric, strategic and innovative Chief People Officer and community builder with global experience developing and delivering impactful and business focused people strategies across a range of sectors. He has over 25 years’ experience building HR solutions across the broad HR agenda including transformational change, talent management, engagement and organizational effectiveness.
Mark has run his own consulting Goat Rodeo Project designed to help organizations avoid train wrecks. He currently works for Wajax as Chief People Officer where he is excited to be building a people-first company. An enthusiastic collaborator, he is the co-founder of future foHRward – a community for HR professionals to build their capabilities and confidence in leveraging the opportunities that come from the new world of work. This includes a weekly newsletter and co-hosting foHRsight the podcast. Mark lives in Canada with his wife and has two grown up daughters. He spends his time enjoying soccer – or what he calls football – and his RV Ramsay!
A great friend, a kind heart, and an impactful leader. This episode is fun and filled with practical and powerful tips for all of us on our journey towards and our ability to enable safe brave spaces. To learn more about Mark follow him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/markedgarhr/ and to learn more about Furture foHRward go to https://www.futurefohrward.com/
Haze Schepmyer - Life-Event Transitions Mediator
Haze Schepmyer is a Life Event Transitions Mediator,dedicated to activating FlowXible Approaches Across Physical, Emotional and Mental Experiences. With an authentic blend of compassion and expertise, Haze helps to guide accountable individuals through some of life's most challenging transitions, by empowering them to navigate change with grace and resilience.
As a listener, learner, and encourager, Haze excels inhelping clients acknowledge themes and patterns in both joyful and difficult times. Her approach is rooted in the belief that every experience, whether happy, healing, or hard, offers valuable insights for personal growth. By fostering a deep understanding of these patterns, Haze then works to enablethose clients to shift from feeling stuck to experiencing positive momentum and stronger direction. My (Greg) personal experience in her presence has enhanced my confidence, my openness, and my courage plus as my first Yoga teacher, she has awakened my physical wisdom and flexibility.
This episode, which I personal have already listened to a number of times, is so packed with powerful wisdom in both personal growth and how we can better show up with each other.
Haze is available for speaking engagements and private consultations, working with individuals, small groups, and large organizations alike. She can present talks across the array of boardrooms, classrooms, workshops, and conferences as afacilitator, speaker, keynote speaker, or workshop leader. To learn more about Haze or connect with her, please consider reaching out to her hazeschepmyer@gmail.com, check out her website at https://hazeschepmyer.com/ or follow her on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/hazeschepmyer/.
Shab Baharyeh - Communications and Engagements Strategist: Co-founder YourFriend
Shab is a communications and engagement strategist with roots in digital marketing, media sales, and community engagement - known for designing inclusive experiences and aligning messaging across diverse audiences.
She is also co-founder of YourFriend, a Toronto-based events and engagement studio that designs emotionally resonant experiences for brands, communities, and teams. They specialize in epic intimate events; gatherings that feel personal, purposeful, and unforgettable.
Whether designing engaging events, shaping internal messaging, ideating marketing solutions or facilitating community conversations, Shab helps communities and organizations build trust, clarity, and connection.
She blends strategic planning with emotional intelligence, always grounded in values of equity, belonging, and purpose - resulting in stronger stakeholder alignment and impactful
communication.
To learn more about Shab and her work you can connect with her on LI at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shabbaharyeh/ or at the YourFriend site - https://www.your-friend.co/
Jerome Mugambi - OpenUp Founder
After a life-altering motorcycle accident, JeromeMugambi defied the odds. With broken bones and months of recovery ahead, he promised his former director: “Give me ten days. I’ll walk across that convocation stage.” And he did!
Supported by sheer determination and the cheers of his MBET classmates, Jerome crossed the stage at his convocation at the University of Waterloo’s Conrad School of Entrepreneurship & Business University of Waterloo
In this amazing episode, Jerome shares his journey ofcreating safe brave spaces within himself, within the communities he supports and most recently his new start up. From reframing failure to leading with empathy, his learnings became fuel for OpenUp, the mission-driven startup he founded.
OpenUp fosters anonymous connection, emotional fluency, andreal conversations, because healing isn’t just about bouncing back, it’s about building forward. To anyone navigating recovery, reinvention, or reintegration, you’re not alone.
Jerome’s journey reminds us: when resilience meets community, anything is possible. Although still youngin his life journey, Jerome is wise beyond his years, and our conversation is packed full of practical insights and approaches wherever you are on your journey,
Want to learn more or get involved? Drop Jerome a line at jerome@openup.space or follow him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerome-mugambi-310381114/
Anne Steptoe - SVP, Software Development @ Propel
When I (Anna) first met Anne over 10 years ago while working together at Pelmorex, I was struck by her exceptional emotional intelligence and people-first leadership style — qualities that are truly foundational to creating safe, brave spaces.
Today, Anne is the Senior Vice President of Software Development at Propel Holdings, where she leads the scaling of engineering organizations and drives the delivery of innovative digital products . Her career spans more than 20 years in product development, enterprise architecture, platform engineering, AI/ML, quality assurance, and IT operations .
Prior to Propel, Anne held senior leadership roles at Wealthsimple and Pelmorex, where she helped modernize delivery practices and strengthen engineering foundations . She also serves as an Advisory Group Member with Accelerate Her Future, supporting the advancement of Indigenous, Black, and racialized women in tech .
Anne brings a powerful blend of strategic thinking and human-centered leadership, and I’ve always admired how she leads with clarity, compassion, and impact. I’m so excited for you to meet her and hear more about her journey and influence.
You can learn more about Anne through LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/annesteptoe/
Sam Sebastian - VP, North America Regions - Google Cloud
Sam knows a thing or two about leading with impact in fast-moving, high-stakes environments. He’s held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s most innovative companies.
Sam’s known not just for driving growth and innovation, but for doing it the right way — by putting people, culture, and purpose at the center.
Anna had the pleasure of working alongside Sam and experiencing his leadership style firsthand. She shares without hesitation that he’s one of the most impactful leaders she has ever worked with — someone who’s made a lasting impression on her both personally and professionally.
In this episode, we’re diving into a topic that doesn’t always make the leadership playbook — the power of safe and brave spaces. Why they matter, how they fuel trust andinnovation, and what it really takes to lead with both courage and care.
Marsha-Gaye Knight: Clinical Assistant Professor | Founder- Black in Sport Business (BSB)
Marsha-Gaye, born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, embarked on a remarkable journey that led her to become a prominent
figure in the field of sports marketing and equity advocacy. A Clinical Assistant Professor, a Public Speaker and Advocate for Women founding Black in Sport Business (BSB), an organization dedicated to connecting black professionals within the sports business industry. Through her work she has been a finalist for the GBC 5 to Watch industry awards for 3 consecutive years.
Nina Purewal - Founder - Pure Minds Inc. | Mental Health Advocate
Nina is the Founder of Pure Minds Inc., a social enterprise that conducts mental wellness and mindfulness workshops for the corporate and public sector. She is the co-author of the International Bestseller Let That Sh*t Go, a no-filter, practical approach on how to find peace of mind and happiness in the everyday.
Nina has been studying mindfulness for over 20 years and practicing meditation for over a decade. Wanting to take her search for mindfulness more seriously, in 2010, she took a year sabbatical and moved to Northern California. There she took a 1-year course studying ancient wisdom and meditation. During that year, she lived in an ashram in the Redwood forest and completely unplugged.
She now follows her passion and educates on mental well-being and mindfulness across various platforms. Coming from a corporate background, she is especially passionate about bringing wellness to the workplace, to help employees find calm amid the chaos.
Find out more about Nina's work and how she can support you at www.pureminds.ca
Safe Brave Stories Returns
Anna and I provide a bit of background of who we are and what are our hopes for this podcast and a broader commitment to helping curate a community to enable safe brave spaces within ourselves, our relationships and our broader communities.
Season 1: Episode #19 - Dennis Campbell - Owner, Ambassatours Gray Line & Cable Wharf Kitchen & Patio
Many of us are still searching for our purpose and passion late in our life, for Dennis Campbell the light went on at the age of seven while accompanying his sister on her summer job. A passion for people combined with an entrepreneurial spirit has resulted in a very special place to work in Halifax Canada. This is such a great conversation where Dennis shares some very practical approaches that have resulted in Ambassatour being voted as one of the top 10 Best Companies to Work For in Atlantic Canada. A vulnerable and inspiring leader who recognizes and activates the power of the collective organization though creating a safe brave space to release the potential of all team members. If you are interested in becoming part of this amazing team click the link https://www.ambassatours.com/join-our-team. To connect with Dennis go to LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-campbell-0055b54/
Season 1: Episode # 18 - Interview with Jacky Tuinstra Harrison - Executive Director, Matthew House Toronto
Over the past few years we have all seen the trauma of the refugee experience, most recently with Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Matthew House Toronto has been providing safe brave spaces for new Canadians for over 20 years. In this really special conversation with Jacky we hear powerful stories and gain practical ideas from this amazing community and the folks that have called it their home as they begin their life in Canada. Such a wonderful dialogue and opportunity to deepen understanding of the refugee situation and uncover new ways of creating safe brave spaces within communities.
For more information about Matthew House Toronto go to https://www.matthewhouse.ca/
Season 1: Episode # 17 - Interview with Simon Parkin - Founder of The Talent Company
In 2011 Simon and his partner set out to build a different kind of company built on the philosophy to 'Lead with a Give'. An abundance centric approach to supporting others towards releasing their potential. Fast forward eleven years and the heart beat of that intention has resulted in significant growth and impact through the enablement of safe brave spaces within The Talent Company, for the clients they support and the communities that they are serving within their social impact commitments. Such a wonderful success story and some powerful insights transferable to any organization!!!
To connect with Simon go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonparkin1/
For more information about The Talent Company go to https://thetalentcompany.ca/
Season 1: Episode #16 - Interview with Pam Dooley - Owner, Plants Creative Landscapes
Pam Dooley, is owner of Plants Creative Landscapes, who's purpose is to enrich people’s lives by improving the relationship they have with the outdoor places they live, work and play in. In an earlier podcast, Paul Burns - Managing Director @ Twitter Canada, shared his insight that safe brave leaders focus on 'preparing the soil' for others to grow. During our conversation Pam shares many practical and powerful examples of how she lives this in her work for clients as well as how she is enables safe brave spaces within her organization. This episode is jammed packed with straight-forward creative ways to release the potential of team members which has resulted in creating impactful safe brave spaces within the communities they serve.
For more information on Plant Creative Landscape go to https://plantscreative.com/
Season 1: Episode #15 - Interview with Mike Sutton, President & CEO Zulu Alpha Kilo
Zulu Alpha Kilo is a trail blazer in their industry for both their creative and the way they do business. In this interview we discover that what makes them so great bubbles up from within, fuelled by what they believe and how they live as a culture. So many great insights from Mike Sutton, President & CEO, inspiring Ola and myself and providing practical examples of how to bring safe brave spaces to life in an organization. A must listen episode!!!!
Season 1: Episode #14 - Interview with Anna Petosa - Pelmorex
What a great way to start 2022. Throughout our lives we meet special people committed to boldly making a difference. Anna Petosa is one of those people for me. An innovative, heart based leader who sparks energy and positive shifts within the individuals and communities she touches. I so love her openness to learning, her willingness to leap and her passion for improving the world. A great conversation filled with insights and ideas to strengthen safe brave spaces within yourself and the communities in which you live.
To discover more about Anna and the amazing work happening at the Weather Network/Pelmorex check out the following links:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-petosa/
- https://www.pelmorex.com/en/
Season 1: Episode #13 - Interview with Michael Bidemi - Co-founder of Anchor Heritage
A bit of a shift with this episode from the corporate world to helping enable Safe Brave Spaces in one of the most challenging environments, the Nigerian Prisons’ now referred to as “Correctional Centers”. Michael Bidemi Oladipupo left a successful career in banking to provide hope and a future pathway to inmates who can't afford legal representation. Himself and his wife Ololade Oladipupo founded Anchor Heritage an NGO dedicated to providing legal assistance, empowerment and after care for individuals especially the unjustly incarcerated without legal representation. Sparked by the story of one man's injustice and enabled by a deep desire to make a difference, Michael shares what led him to this work and the impact they are making to 'give voice to the voiceless”, the passion and an unrelenting love to humanity.
For more details on their work and how to support them go to either https://www.facebook.com/anchorheritageinitiative/ or http://www.anchorheritage.org/
Season 1: Episode #12 - Interview with Tim Masson - Chief Steward & CEO at The Ian Martin Group
An amazing interview where Tim shares how he transferred a powerful Safe Brave Spaces experience as a camp leader toward helping shape his organization into one of the global leads in Teal/Self Management. A humble leader, self described tech nerd and a true explorer and enabler of safe brave spaces. Fascinating stories, practical insights plus a link to all of the tools that they have developed to help support your journey to releasing the potential and ownership within your organization. Well worth the listen!!! For additional information about the organization and free tools that they have created go to https://teal.ianmartin.com/history-of-teal-os-at-ian-martin/
Season 1: Episode #11 - Interview with Zak Hemraj - CEO of Loopio
For more information about the cool things happening at Loopio reach out to Zak on linkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakirhemraj/ or check them out at https://loopio.com/careers/
Season 1: Episode # 10 - Interview with Rob Catalano - WorkTango
Powerful, rich and practical insights and ideas from a leading thinker and creator within the workplace engagement space. Over his career, Rob has lived and breathed his commitment to improving lives at work. He has brought his vision to life at WorkTango, as Chief Engagement Officer; through co-founding InnovateWork and as Chair of Enterprise Engagement Alliance. I (Greg) personally experienced the impact of InnovateWork, as Rob's invitation to speak, was the foundation for activating my work in Safe Brave Spaces. We are so grateful for Rob's participation in our podcast and know you will enjoy both the conversation and the ideas shared.
For more information about the great work and opportunities at WorkTango you can go to www.worktango.com or reach out directly to Rob on LinkedIn athttps://www.linkedin.com/in/robcatalano/
Season 1: Episode #9 - Interview with Carolyn Swora
Carolyn is a leadership and culture consultant, Dare to Lead facilitator who believes that many of us wake up and face our lives, our workplaces, and we hold back. We hold back for fear of disrupting the status quo; for fear of upsetting people; for fear of being wrong; for fear of being right. She believes we put on a mask and play this game of work and life. She is commitment to calling BS on this game and helping individuals to be exactly who they are and breathe life into their talents every day. Carolyn is the owner of Pinnacle culture, a certified coach and podcast host of PWE & ME. She is a speaker and the author of Amazon best settler Rules of Engagement: Building a workplace culture to thrive in an uncertain world.
In this episode we discover insights from loss, pathways for growth and the importance of energy and learning to pause. Such a deep and impactful conversation to help equip each of us as we emerge from these strange and challenging times. For more information about her Carolyn and her work go to www.carolynswora.com.
Season 1: Episode # 8 - Interview with Paul Burns, Managing Director - Twitter Canada
Paul shares many great insights around his journey to enable safe brave spaces within himself and the communities that he leads. The importance of creating the environment for folks to bring their full selves to work by reminding them who they are verses telling them what to do and remembering that people care more about you being real than being right.
Season 1: Episode # 7 - Interview with Richard Ayuen - GM Surewerx Canada
One of my favourite people and leaders, as authentic as you can get! Such a beautiful conversation modeling the importance of being curious and courageous and how to lead with heart during challenging times! Thank you, Richard, for being you and sharing some great examples of how to lead in today's complex times!
Season 1: Episode #6 - Interview with Rena Nickerson, GM Sodastream Canada
Purposeful organizations led by 'heart & head led' leaders enable safe brave spaces within and beyond their companies. In this episode we hear some powerful ME stories of others who created safe brave spaces for Rena. From this place of strengthened personal, safe and brave, Rena shares some practical and impactful insights and ideas to enable it within her team and across the organization. A final treat is hearing about the amazing things SodaStream is doing to release potential and build bridges through a commitment to coexistence and safe brave spaces!
If you are interested in opportunities at SodaStream you can you www.sodastream.com/career
Season 1: Episode # 5 - Interview with Tim Huff; Author, Social Activist, Speaker and Creative Lead for the Compassionate Series
A must listen episode with powerful and practical insights for activating safe brave spaces in ourselves, our relationships and in our communities. Tim's experiences and person lessons spark a deep conversation and easily accessible ideas and actions for each of us to consider. For more information about the amazing work that Tim is championing, go to www.compassionseries.com.
Season 1: Episode #4 Interview with Esther De Wolde CEO Phantom Screens
A powerful interview with Esther De Wolde where she shares her personal journey and insights around releasing individual and collective potential through safe brave spaces within her organization. Outstanding examples of leading with vulnerability, creating trust and the power of values. Guided by values, a safe brave mindset and a commitment to continued growth and learning has resulted in an impactful culture and amazing results. To check out more about Phantom Screens go to https://www.phantomscreens.com/
Season 1: Episode #3 - Enabling safe brave spaces in environments that aren't safe or brave
Ola and Greg share experiences and ideas on how they enabled safe brave spaces within themselves and others in environments that are the total opposite.
Season 1: Episode #2 - Interview with Phil Donne
My friend Phil Donne 'about page' on LinkedIn states "I've made hundreds, if not thousands of mistakes, with millions of dollars of other people's money. There is a lot of learning under the hood. I've made those mistakes as CEO, President, General Manager and Advisor and hope to, wherever I am invited, to help others see and know the things I now instinctively and intuitively feel through experience. I have better than average depth in leadership, general management and all things financial, operational, talent-wise and other, yet my "wheelhouse" is consumer products and mainly in better for you, nutritious, organic, natural and generally healthy for human and the planet foods. I think I understand branding and consumer and commercial strategy pretty well. Maybe a bit dated, but not out of date. :)"
I had the pleasure of working with Phil at Campbell's Soup in what my wife Josette describes as my 'lighting in a bottle experience', a role and an environment which was once in a lifetime. I cannot think of anyone better to help launch our new podcast where we hope to share insights and ideas to help enable safe brave spaces. Phil's vulnerability and candor lay the foundation for such a rich dialogue with powerful lessons from one of my favourite people and leader.
Season 1: Episode #1 - The Backgrounder
The who, what and why behind Safe Brave Stories. Greg Smith and Ola Adebayo share the genesis behind the podcast, the hopes around its impact and some personal stories of meaningful moments where others enabled the hosts to unlock and release their potential through safe brave spaces.