The Human Assignment

Shelly is a Certified Human Resources Professional, a Certified Psychological Health & Safety Advisor holds an MBA, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant who believes in the importance of healthy, safe, and productive work environments as both a social and business imperative.  She has over two decades of experience in the professional services environment, where she rose to the executive level as a Director.  Shelly has a breadth of experience, in regulatory compliance and risk management with extensive experience developing, leading, and facilitating national and local training programs in a professional setting.

Shelly is engaging, honest, and authentic.   In this episode, we talk about burnout, leadership, resilience, culture, courage, performance, and how these seemingly unrelated concepts are deeply intertwined.  Please enjoy our conversation with Shelly Meadows.

Jorie is an RD (registered dietitian) and the Director of Sport Dietetics at the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba.  She holds a Diploma in Sport Nutrition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is currently the lead for performance nutrition services for Curling Canada and The Royal Winnipeg Ballet.  She often sees links between nutrition counseling and other areas of life; she recently completed a Women in Leadership program at Cornell University and is a certified Life and Executive Coach through the Certified Coaches Federation (CCF).

Please enjoy our discussion with Registered Dietitian Jorie Janzen. Jorie provides us with real-life advice for eating for health, nourishment, and performance.  She compares how we fuel our bodies to stoking a campfire and talks about fuelling for performance by comparing food choices to gassing up our cars through a discussion around types of fuel and how full our tanks need to be. We also discuss diets, sustainable eating, nutrition trends, and strategies to use and try with kids.  Highly knowledgeable and deeply caring, we learned a ton in our time with Jorie and are sure you will too.

Laura is a High-Performance Coaching Advisor with Own The Podium.  She embodies the unique skill of caring deeply about people, their development, and well-being while also taking an uncompromising approach to excellence and living her values.  She has completed Executive Education at the Sauder School of Business and holds a  Masters in High-Performance Coaching and Technical Leadership (MHPCTL) from the University of British Columbia.

Laura leads the Coaching Enhancement Program to "support Canada's coaches in the pursuit of world-class coaching excellence in Olympic and Paralympic sport.”  Our discussion with Laura focused on leadership development and the creation of trusting communities where leaders and high performers can thrive.  We talk about the stress and freedom associated with building programs as you go (akin to building the plane while you fly it).  Engaging, authentic, personable, and highly knowledgeable about leadership development and program implementation, there is a lot to take away from this discussion.

Dave Johnston is the Founder and CEO of Johnston Group Inc, one of Canada's Leading Group Insurance Administrators.  He also co-founded Payworks Inc, a leading expert in the field of total workforce management solutions, providing cloud-based Payroll, HR, Employee Time and Absence Management to businesses across Canada. Both businesses are platinum members of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.

In this conversation, we discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, the hard thing about hard things in business, and the role business can play in building better communities. This bio doesn’t tell you, but in this episode, you hear that in addition to being a successful business person, Dave is also incredibly active in the community through non-profit work. He is a pretty relatable human when you get to talking to him. As the Founder and CEO of Johnston Group, he’s built a very successful National Business, and it’s fun and inspirational to hear about the entrepreneurial journey that it took to get to this point.  Please enjoy our conversation with Dave Johnston.

Gerry built a career as a leader with some of the world’s most respected firms—companies like American Express and Pfizer Inc.—where he oversaw multi-million dollar lines of business. But this was an unlikely path. Gerry’s early life was spent in poverty, in a low-income part of New York City, and as the child of a single mother. He went on to earn a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from the New York University Stern School of Management. Along the way, Gerry found that the adversity of his youth had given him what he needed to succeed in the corporate world; and that turning adversity into advantage is a skill he can teach others.

Our conversation with Gerry is wide-ranging and informative.  We unpack critical elements of the book; we talk about fear, disruption, self-care, and taking courageous leaps. We discuss leadership and leading through disruption and change—a timely conversation for the present time.  Please enjoy our conversation with Gerry Valentine.

Dr. Amy Bender, our guest for episode 30, is the Director of Clinical Sleep Science at Cerebra Medical and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary.  She received her Ph.D. and Master of Science degrees in Experimental Psychology from Washington State University, specializing in sleep EEG. She has helped develop the only validated sleep screening tool for athletes and has implemented sleep optimization strategies for numerous Canadian Olympic and professional teams.

If you have questions about sleep, Amy has the answers for you.   We cover several topics in our discussion - why we sleep, how to sleep better, how to go back to sleep if you are awakened in the night, kids and sleep, and of course, what caffeine and alcohol do to our sleep (spoiler alert, neither are good for us).  Amy is passionate about helping people sleep better and a leading expert in this area.  The discussion will keep you intrigued; the information will make you want to sleep (in the best way!)

Jason Thompson is a  writer, story artist, animation director, animator, and designer on productions for Disney Jr., Disney Interactive, Warner Brothers, CBC, Teletoon, National Geographic Kids, and the Cartoon Network.

Jason is passionate in his belief that stories can change the world– after listening to our conversation with him, we think you’ll believe that too!  Storytelling is a powerful tool that can help organizations and individuals manage change, spark innovation, and connect in leadership, sales, and strategy.  As you can imagine, this episode is full of great stories as well insight into following your passion, managing change, and the ups and downs of parenthood.  We hope you enjoy our conversation with the engaging and creative Jason Thompson.

Brendan Reimer is Assiniboine Credit Union’s (ACU) Strategic Partner, Values-Based Banking.  In this role, he serves as a strategic adviser to the CEO and senior management team regarding values-based banking initiatives.  In addition, he supports the Board and committees to meet the objectives set out in ACU’s Values-based Banking Policy and action framework and aid ACU to embed the principles and practices of values-based banking into the credit union's core functions and daily work.

Our conversation with Brendan is as inspiring as it is broad.  From the incredible work ACU is doing in the community, living and managing by values, to a discussion about B Corps and the ability of business to be a force for good, we dive deep and learn a lot.  This conversation will leave you yearning to live your purpose and take a holistic approach to your life and work.  Please enjoy our conversation with Brendan Reimer, Assiniboine Credit Union’s Strategic Partner, Values-Based Banking.

Ian Smith is an innovator, leader, consultant, and coach passionate about authentic relationships that fuel growth and results both personally and professionally.  When asked what would make his time on the podcast a hell yes, Ian told us, “ I care deeply about authenticity, accountability, honesty, and humility in relationships and inspiring people to just “do you.” If I can encourage people to step out, ask the hard questions of themselves about what they are really built for, and inspire them to do what they are passionate about…. that’d be a "hell yeah!”

In this episode, we dive into several topics, including authentic leadership, how imperative it is for leaders to provide space for people to take risks, the importance of perspective, and developing an awareness of your ego.

As the Director of Olympic Performance for the Canadian Olympic Committee, Derek was responsible for Team Canada at nine Olympic Games.  Known for being innovative and visionary, Derek has a track record of creating world-leading excellence by creating systems that enable individuals and teams to perform their best in complex, high-pressure environments.  A former competitive national-level athlete and coach himself, Derek implicitly understands the importance of mindfulness in achieving success - more than a series of techniques; it is a personal journey.

Our discussion with Derek is wide-ranging and insightful.  We discuss the concept of mindful performance and dig into several ideas, including flow, self-compassion (precisely why self-compassion is the new hardcore), trusting your preparation, awareness, and the importance of embracing the process, not the outcome.  Please enjoy our conversation with the inspiring, insightful, and mindful Derek Covington!

In need of some inspiration today? Check out this podcast with Michelle Sawatzky-Koop. In addition to holding a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and working as a broadcaster with Golden West Radio,  Michelle is the only setter in Canadian history to win anything at the Olympics.  In 1996, the Canadian Women’s Volleyball Team qualified for and competed at the Summer Olympic Games.  They won one match against Peru, besting them over five sets and Michelle played that match.

This podcast is rooted in a story about an athlete, but it really teaches us about the power of passion, tenacity, love, family, and our will to do our best.  There will always be people who tell you what you're doing is impossible, there will always be people who suggest you need to be perfect and there will always be people who tell you that you don’t belong.  After listening to this conversation, you will walk away believing that nothing is impossible, that mistakes are essential and that what other people think doesn’t really matter.  What matters is your belief in yourself and your faith in your ability to do anything you set your mind to.

Please enjoy this discussion with Michelle Sawatzky-Koop.

Carolyn Trono is an Olympian, a leader, and a game-changer. She is the Winnipeg Newcomer Sport Academy (WNSA) founder and is currently the Director of Quality Sport Development for the Sport for Life Society.  She recently served on Canadian Sport Minister Kirsty Duncan’s Work Group for Gender Equity in Sport

Her work with the WNSA has changed her life, broadened her perspective, and profoundly impacted all the kids, families, and coaches involved with the program.   Carolyn reminds us that it is crucial to listen to perspectives and experiences different from our own.   She is an inspiring exemplar of someone who takes action when she sees a possibility for a better future. This overview only scratches the surface of the wisdom Carolyn shares in our discussion.  Please listen to the entire episode for the complete story.

Dana Way is a Biomechanist and a veteran member of Canada’s national Athletics team. He has attended four Olympic Games, one Paralympic Games, five World Championships in Athletics, and several other major games and championships.   Dana’s position on these national teams was not as a coach or an athlete but as a biomechanist (biomechanics is essentially physics with the human body).  His role is to work with coaches to help them identify how to make athletes better, what kinds of things are making them worse, and how they can maximize their performance.

Every day Dana has the opportunity to work with some of the best athletes and coaches in the world.  In our conversation, we learn about Dana’s experiences and discuss the importance of trust in building relationships, the importance of knowing your role when the stakes are high, and how to retain a sense of awe, gratitude, and excitement when extraordinary things (like seeing a world championships 100m final) are at risk of seeming mundane.

This week we welcome/introduce Donna Harris, the Human Assignment co-creator, to join the show. Donna has been a previous guest with Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood and will now join as a co-host for most episodes.

A coach at heart, Donna is continuously intrigued by all types of human performance and what people need to be at their best. Donna has extensive experience in high-performance sport. She is a former All-Canadian athlete in Track and Field. Donna transitioned from athlete to coach and held concurrent roles at the national level as a coach (University of Manitoba) and a sport administrator working full time for various organizations, including Athletics Canada, Athletics Manitoba and Racquetball Canada. During this time, she started to experience challenges with work/life balance, which led to an illness from stress when her life load was out of control. These experiences, coupled with a decision to walk away from a national team coaching pathway, led Donna to graduate research that uncovered the role that passion, culture, recovery, and connection play in sustaining performance. The research, while rooted in elite sport, has application across many contexts. There were two big takeaways from Donna’s graduate study research that led her to the Human Assignment. The first is the takeaway that there is no such thing as work-life balance, but with awareness and deliberate actions, an effective work-life blend is possible. The second big takeaway was the discovery that we tend to see those around us as one-dimensional. We do not realize that there are several dimensions to the people we interact with every day. When we learn to see people multidimensionally, we can really see them, and when we really see them, we are better able to understand them and connect with them. When this happens, we cannot only better help them be at their best, but we celebrate the holistic human within them.

In this episode, we talk about Donna’s background, her research, family life and some of our visions for the Human Assignment. We hope you enjoy the show!

“If you're trying to draw the absolute best out of people, they need to feel safe to fail; they need to feel safe to push themselves. They need to feel comfortable that, you know, that you'll be there for them.”

Janine Stephens is a former member of the Canadian National Rowing Team, where she won an Olympic Silver Medal in 2012 as part of the women’s eights rowing team. In 2017, Janine became the head coach for the Manitoba Rowing Association, and in 2019 she was announced as the winner of Rowing Canada's Presidents Award for her dedication to the sport of Rowing. In our discussion, we talk about creating spaces where athletes and others can be themselves while striving for excellence based on how much they want to give and what they want to achieve.

In this episode, we talk to high-performance consultants, Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood and Donna Harris from Toogood Consulting, about mindset and managing the various aspects of our lives in these uncertain times. Dr. Adrienne Leslie Toogood is a licensed psychologist that has worked with clients ranging from business leaders, individual Olympic athletes, teams and coaches, to PGA Tour winners.  Donna Harris has developed and led the implementation of various national and provincial programs while in senior leadership roles with Athletics Canada, Racquetball Canada and Athletics Manitoba.

Adrienne and Donna have extensive experience supporting people through uncertainty and the unknown in sport and life. This conversation felt very timely for me. I hope you enjoy it.

Ken Wiebe is a sports journalist, with The Athletic, where provides insight and analysis for the Winnipeg Jets. He appears regularly on Winnipeg Jets broadcasts on TSN TV, with a featured segment called “Wiebe’s World.” Ken is also a frequent contributor on 1290 TSN radio in Winnipeg.  Born in Brandon and raised in Altona, Ken has spent the past 19 years covering sports, primarily hockey, for the Winnipeg Sun. After graduating from the University of Regina in 2000, Ken covered the Manitoba Moose for 10 seasons before the Winnipeg Jets returned to the NHL in 2011.

You can follow Ken on Twitter @WiebeAthletic.

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Tripp Lanier is the host of The New Man Podcast: Beyond the Macho Jerk and the New Age Wimp, which for over a decade has been downloaded millions of times.

Since 2005, he has spent thousands of hours coaching people all around the world to “get out of the rat race,” become an authority in their field, and make a great living doing the work they were put on this earth to do. His clients have ranged from Navy SEALS, to best selling authors, to professional athletes, to high profile executives, to “that guy that lives up the street from us.”

Over the years he’s designed several businesses to support a simple lifestyle focused on freedom, ease, meaning, and fun. At the age of 23, Tripp created one of the first digital video post-production companies in the Southeast. To support his music career and love for travel, he crafted TV shows and commercials for national and regional clients. Wanting to align his personal values with his work in the world, he sold the company after 12 years to become a professional coach. Other contributions include working with world-renowned philosopher Ken Wilber as Co-Director of Integral Institute’s Art Center.

Tripp is married to therapist/relationship coach Alyson Lanier and has the best daughter in the whole wide world. They live in a small beach town in North Carolina where he spends much of his time surfing, playing music, and enjoying a simple life.

Keith Macpherson has a big vision. He believes that mindfulness can and will be made accessible to everybody on the planet. As a musician, author, speaker, and leadership coach, Keith has spent over twenty years touring globally. He is a regular columnist in Balance Magazine and inspires thousands of people around the world with his daily intentions on social media.

In his new book, Making Sense of Mindfulness, Keith introduces his five-step framework to assist in comprehending the buzz word “mindfulness” and how to practically integrate this powerful practice into day to day life.

Drawing from his background in music and wellness, Keith believes that both mindfulness and music are the universal languages that bring people together in harmony as one planet. With a strong dream of accessible health and wellness for our global community, Keith’s work revolves around fulfilling a vision of a healthier planet aligned mentally, physically and spiritually.

If you’d like to learn more about Keith, check out his website, keithmacpherson.com, follow him on Instagram @keithmmac or download his podcast Let’s Connect with Keith MacPherson.

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Mike Kelly is the Co-Founder and CTO of MemberVault, a Relationship Marketing Platform that is changing how we engage and sell online. Mike, along with his wife Erin, founded MemberVault five years ago to help Erin’s boss solve a problem that she couldn’t find a solution to. At the time, Mike was working as a software developer working 9-5 at a big tech firm. What started as a project for one client, turned into a passion project that now supports thousands of people to build online communities with similar interests, and make a living monetizing their offerings.

Mike and I have a candid conversation around his journey building Member Vault, the realities of Startup life while raising a family, and his definition of success.

Please enjoy, Mike Kelly!

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Dr. Adrienne Leslie-Toogood has spent the last three decades competing and consulting at the highest levels of sport. Adrienne is a licensed psychologist and adjunct faculty at the University of Manitoba. She has extensive experience working with athletes in both Canada and the United States at all levels of performance. Dr. Toogood’s clients have ranged from individual Olympic athletes, teams and coaches, to PGA Tour winners and World Champions. She is the Past Chair of the Canadian Sport Psychology Association and the Director of Sport Psychology at the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba.

“I think that life is a performance sport ... At the end of the day, I think we should all step back and reflect and think about the lives we want to lead, who we want to be and the relationships we want to have … too often we wait until we are unwell and make the changes so that we can live with more meaning and purpose.”

In this episode, we talk about the work Adrienne does with Athletes and other high performers. A key theme in this podcast is that Adrienne attempts to help her clients create environments for themselves and their teams so that people can have the freedom to make mistakes, be vulnerable, learn and grow. Adrienne emphasizes the importance of developing trust and self-awareness so that we can develop our own individual practices that support well-being.

Please enjoy the show!

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