The Weird Is Nrml Podcast

Learn why saying no and empowering others could be the most important thing you do as a leader. In this episode, Steven Pulver, builder of communities and businesses (Fireside Conference & MinuteBox) shares his experience and struggles with giving up control and allowing others to own their contributions to the organization.

As a VP for high-growth companies Daneal is no stranger to the demanding always-on high-speed life that is synonymous with start-up culture. In this episode she shares a story of her own burnout, what she did to overcome it and some tips on what you can do to prevent this happening to you.

Michaud and Oscar chat about the value of working with folks from different backgrounds and how creative solutions are spurned on by outsider thinking.

As the VP of Strategy, Innovation Partnerships & Emerging Solutions at Interac, Oscar leads a team from all different walks of life. They work with partners (both traditional and non-conventional) to identify and break down emerging trends into strategic action so everyone at Interac and their customers can understand them and work with their ecosystems to create better products, build inclusion right from the start, and build the foundation for future leaders.

Eric and Michaud chat about what public speaking is, why it's important, and Eric shares practical tips on how to get better and how to find your own style. Learn more Eric and the transformational work he and his partner Eli do at speakerlabs.ca 

Nathan and Michaud chat about how the importance of knowing what your values are and how to use them as a guide for making decisions. As leaders, if you make choices that align with your values you'll not only live a more fulfilled life but you'll also be more predictable to those around you. That predictability becomes a foundation of trust and psychological safety. 

Since recording this episode Nathan has made a huge career pivot and started his own business. Along with his father, Nathan is cofounder of Forty Hills Land and Home offering property and hosting management for seasonal and year-round property owners in Grey and Bruce County. They help them realize the full potential of their property. Check them out at FortyHills.ca

This month, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Michaud and Toby chat about how trust and psychological safety are context dependent and the bravery required to say "I don't know". Sounds simple, but it's hard to do.

Learn more about Toby @ https://www.theneverendinglearner.com/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Alexis gets practical with tips on how to ask for feedback, why it's important and what you can do as a leader to make it easier for folks to give it to you. She provides a lot of value in a short amount of time, buckle up.

Learn more about Alexis @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexismacdonaldmhrm/ and Loopio @ https://loopio.com/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Michaud and Brennan chat about how getting to know people takes energy, that your job isn't to make more versions of yourself and how part of the reason managers get paid more is to adjust to others.

Learn more about Hypercontext @ https://hypercontext.com/ and Brennan @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brennanmceachran/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Ilana and Michaud chat about the delicate balance of listening to other's opinions and thoughts while still maintaining your vision as a leader. She talks about how you really need to believe in and understand yourself and that thinking you might not be a good leader is probably a good leadership trait. 

Learn more about Twenty-One Toys @ https://twentyonetoys.com/ and Ilana @ http://ilanabenari.com/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Cerys drops a ton of tactical and practical advice on how to be a people-first leader. She talks about sharing her mistakes so others feel more comfortable sharing theirs, not needing to be right and how people don't learn from you doing everything for them. You don't want to miss this one.

Learn more about Cerys @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cerys-cook-1485715/ and BlueDot @ https://bluedot.global/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Lisa and Michaud chat about using humour as a way to connect and build relationships. Lisa shares her take on what it means to be funny and how leaders can use humour to set the tone and show what's okay. Humour is the secret sauce that often leads to creative solutions and ideas.

Learn more about Lisa @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-elder-2144b9b1/ and #paid @ https://hashtagpaid.com/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Erin and Michaud chat about the benefits of being kind. After taking "meanness training", Erin discovered her style of empathetic leadership was actually a good thing. She's always had super high retention and highly engaged teams. Erin shares how she gleaned insight in to how she leads through a DiSC assessment and leveraged that insight to bring people on to her leadership team that compliment her strengths.

Learn more about Willful @ https://www.willful.co/ and Erin @ https://www.erinbury.com/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Traci and Michaud chat about communication and listening. If you listen to learn what other people care about then you can communicate with them through their lens. It's super effective. Listen to learn more.

Find out more about Traci @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracicheng/ and Moselle @ https://www.moselle.io/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Michaud and Yiorgos chat about giving yourself the grace to learn and leadership as evolution. Yiorgos has been a people-leader for over a decade and shares real stories about his leadership journey and tips you can borrow for your own.

Learn more about Yiorgos @ https://www.yiorgosboudouris.com/

In October, a free course based on Season 2 of the podcast will be released. Get on the mailing list at weirdisnrml.com for updates (we won't spam you, promise.)

Zach Farber is a magician, LinkedIn Famous and an account executive at Salesforce. The guy’s dope. And, unlike our previous guests, Zach is an individual contributor, not a CEO, VP or Founder, so we get a chance to hear from someone on the other side of the leadership conversation about what it’s like to have a boss and what they’ve done that’s been effective.

Just a note that when Zach and I recorded this podcast he was still at Loopio, and has since moved on to Salesforce.

Marie Chevrier, is the Founder and CEO of Sampler, the leading platform helping brands like L'Oréal and Nestlé deliver samples online and gather the insight they need to build one-to-one relationships with their customers. Sampler has reached over 50 million consumers globally in 24 different countries and its most notable clients

include CPG industry giants Unilever, Pepsi, and Henkel. Marie is also a dedicated advisor to Technology and CPG startups including ScoutCanning, member of the RetailTomorrow advisory board, and Co-Founder of RetailTO - a community dedicated to growing and strengthening Toronto’s Retail ecosystem.

Sampler is the leader in Direct-to-Consumer product sampling. The platform helps brands deliver samples online and gather the insights they need to build one-to-one relationships with consumers. Unlike traditional sampling where brands are often found handing out samples at random, Sampler allows brands to target, track, and measure the sampling program from start to finish. Sampler has worked with over 300 brands worldwide including some of the world's most trusted brands like L'Oréal, Henkel, Nestle, Pepsi, and Kimberly Clark.

Dena is funny, insightful, humble and brilliant. She's super accomplished and offers up practical tips to take your leadership to the next level.

Dena Upton is the Chief People Officer at Drift, responsible for the company’s talent development, operations, recruitment, and retention. She has led skyrocketing growth, more than doubling in size in 2018, 2019, 2020 and well on her way to expand the team to 600 in 2021.

Prior to Drift, Dena served as LogMeIn’s VP, People and Talent for six years, where she led growth from 250M in revenue to over a billion. She brings over 20 years of experience in managing people. Under Upton’s leadership, her prior companies have been recognized for outstanding culture and talent management, including nine consecutive Best Places to Work accolades for LogMeIn from the Boston Business Journal.

Sonya Meloff is a Founding Partner of Sales Talent Agency, today we speak about persistence, how to make sales fun (Wha?!?!?) and what to do once you’ve reached your goals in life. I hope you like it!

Today’s guest is Dr. Cara Antoine. A global force in business and leadership.

She serves as Netherlands President and Executive Member of the Board of Global Women in Tech, has executive experience at Polaroid, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Royal Dutch Shell, and Microsoft and she holds a DBA, a doctorate in business admin.

We talk about building confidence through calm, the importance of unlearning social norms, and how the feminine archetype is a strength that all leaders should be embracing.

Josh and Michaud sit down and chat about community building, athletics, motivation and how hard and simultaneously rewarding it is to actually give a shit about the people you work with.

Listen and get some tactical leadership advice from a people leader at a company that has a damn near perfect Glassdoor rating.

Josh is the VP of Organizational Effectiveness at Wave, a board member of The Jewish Community Centres of Toronto and a celebrity boxer and huge supporter of the Fight To End Cancer.

To learn about Josh find him on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuasiegal/

To learn more about Wave visit : waveapps.com

And to learn more about our leadership programs visit : weirdisnrml.com