Excuses to Connect

Evelyn Shaw Corley is the founder of Thrive International Academy, an organization which provides learning outside of the traditional school setting. Having been a teacher herself, she has seen some of the flaws of the educational system and aims to create an environment where each student gets individual support so they can thrive. Evelyn is also the recipient of the Meta’s 2022 Changemaker of the Year Award to recognize the amazing work she is doing! Timestamps [1:52] What is your personal mission in 1 sentence? [2:40] Receiving the 2022 Meta Changemaker award [4:18] The story behind Thrive International Academy [10:23] Accessibility and affordability of education [14:29] Success stories from the program [17:38] Childhood experience of bullying in school [25:14] Choosing who to spend your time with [30:29] Tip for connecting: Push yourself to do something that makes you a bit uncomfortable every day [33:49] What's it like in Athens, Georgia? [37:30] Where to connect with Evelyn [38:46] Final takeaway: Live fearlessly, be bold Resources Mentioned Contact Evelyn: Facebook | Website ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Pete Bombaci is the Founder of the GenWell Project, which is a Canadian-led not-for-profit organization focused on generating wellness through connection. Their mission is to make the world a happier and healthier place by educating, empowering and catalyzing Canadians around the importance of human connection for their health, their happiness, their longevity, and the betterment of society. In this episode, we do a deep dive on the topic of connection, why it’s important to our wellbeing, and what we can do in our own lives to be more connected. Timestamps [2:01] What is the GenWell Project? [4:02] What was the catalyst behind starting this? [9:31] The importance of social health in the context of mental health [11:35] Is it stigma that surrounds loneliness, or misunderstanding? [18:20] What are your personal experiences of loneliness? [21:32] Nearly 50% of all Canadians reported feeling lonely - what do we do about it? [28:56] Connection is important to our health, but what do you do if you’re shy? [33:27] Technology is only a supplement to human connection [38:32] How to make connections in the workplace post-pandemic [44:18] Creating the Canadian Social Connection Guidelines [49:04] Where to connect with Pete [50:31] Final thoughts: The power of talking to strangers and taking baby steps to build connections Resources Mentioned Contact Pete: LinkedIn GenWell Project: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube 2022 Canadian Social Connection Survey ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Prasanna Karur is the Founder of the PlayGround podcast where he interviews people about their childhood and rediscovering their inner child. He is passionate about making others feel belonging and living life authentically according to your own values, rather than other peoples’ expectations. This mission extends to his academic studies as he is going into medical school, with a focus on Narrative Medicine. Don’t know what that means? Neither did I - but you will learn about that and many more fascinating stories about play, authenticity, belonging, and joy. Timestamps [2:06] What was the motivation and story behind starting your PlayGround podcast? [11:04] Why is it important for adults to rediscover their inner child? [15:58] Childlike wonder and curiosity in adulthood [20:48] Authenticity and owning who you are [23:35] Social anxiety and worrying about what others think of you [32:10] Incorporating play into workplaces [37:39] Why Prasanna is passionate about “narrative medicine” [43:43] Systemic issues of burnout and bureaucracy in medicine [49:23] Where to connect with Prasanna [49:56] Final thoughts: finding joy in the small things Resources Mentioned Contact Prasanna: Instagram | Linktree ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Brady Simpson is a Master’s Graduate from the University of Lethbridge and a Twitch streamer. Don’t know what Twitch is? It’s a livestreaming platform where people stream themselves playing video games, playing music, hosting talk shows, and much more. Brady specifically streams Guild Wars II, a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). In this episode, we talk about the challenges he had to go through to complete his Master’s degree, as well as the amazing international connections that he’s built through streaming on Twitch, including a number of his viewers coming to watch his thesis defense! Highlights & Takeaways Brady being diagnosed with ADHD in the middle of his Master’s program and how his perception on ADHD shifted from it being some horrible thing to how it’s something extremely common and normal. When Brady messaged his professor saying he was quitting, he received this message: “I support you either way, but I want you to know that I hope that someday you see in your yourself again, what I see in you.” How he grew his Twitch livestreaming audience from 0 viewers to averaging over 75 viewers regularly He ended up meeting some of his viewers in-person when he travelled, and how they became close friends that supported him during his challenges “You'll find your people. You'll find your tribe. The number one thing is to not let that fear hold you back and understand that you're gonna get rejected sometimes. But every rejection is getting you one step closer to building that community and finding those connections and then ultimately stay consistent.” Resources Mentioned Contact Brady: LinkedIn | Twitch | Twitter ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Janille Hill is the creator of Street Connect NYC, where she is capturing meaningful conversations between strangers in NYC. She shares these conversations on her Instagram page and she is making the world smaller one connection at a time. In this episode, she shares about her process of talking to strangers, stories that have stood out to her, and the responsibilities that come with storytelling. We also chat about being a connector of colour and how systemic racism has played out in all walks of life, including in the connection space. I loved this insightful and fun conversation with a fellow connector! Highlights & Takeaways Vulnerability inspires vulnerability - Janille always lets the other person ask her any question first, before she asks the other person. “Everybody has a rich, beautiful story.” Our stories and experiences are what connect us, and lately Janille has been asking people about their deepest pain, because we can all connect to it. How approaching strangers we may not find ourselves initially drawn to can be extremely transformative and mind-expanding. Sonder - The realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Storytelling is a foundational part of the lives of people of colour. There is a beauty in being present with others and connecting with strangers has a ripple effect. “Say yes to what’s in your soul.” Resources Mentioned Contact Janille: Instagram | Facebook | Youtube The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World Humans of New York ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Norwegian-born Unni Turrettini is a best-selling and award-winning author, international speaker, and loneliness and connection expert. Her work is about helping people find deeper connection and belonging, so that they can thrive in their personal and professional lives. She is the author of “The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer”, which examines Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik and focuses on what we can learn from that tragedy to prevent rampage killings spurred by loneliness. In this episode, we talk about the conforming culture of Norway, and how she found many similarities between herself and a mass murderer, in terms of the pain of being excluded. Highlights & Takeaways Regardless of the color of your skin, your religious beliefs or your political leanings, we are all human beings and we all want to feel seen, heard and valued. We are worthy as people despite our failures or successes, the way we look, or how other people perceive us. “This is the pandemic. This dysfunction, disconnection is really the fastest growing pandemic in our world today. And it's making us sick, it's making us violent, it's polarizing us, and all the things that we don't want.” Connection is crucial and there can be extreme consequences resulting from a lack of connection and the loneliness and lost sense of belonging that results. “I don't recognize myself in the actions of this man. But I knew I understood how and why he could come to that conclusion, how he could come to that extreme, because I had felt that as well.” HOPE - Help One Person Everyday Resources Mentioned Contact Unni: Website | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn The Mystery of the Lone Wolf Killer: Anders Behring Breivik and the Threat of Terror in Plain Sight The Making of a Lone Wolf Killer TEDx Talk ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Abby Westerman is the Co-Founder and CEO of the b-present Foundation, which was established in memory of her daughter Kirsten, whose battle with cancer inspired her to improve the experience for both young adults with cancer and their supporters. They are working to provide the resources that they wish they had as part of the support network and ignite a movement among young adults to amplify the importance of presence. This has been one of my favourite episodes I’ve recorded so far and there’s so much important information in here about what good communication sounds like, how to be there for others, and connecting with people as people, rather than treating them like a patient. Highlights & Takeaways The b-present Foundation has 2 key programs: b-aware and b-there, which provide the information and tools that empower the social support network to be present from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond “The interesting thing with a cancer diagnosis is that it makes communication just awkward and hard. You know, we're very careful about what we say. We don't want to hurt feelings. We don't want to ask for help. We don't want to be conveying a sign of weakness.” “The thing that Kirsten appreciated most was when people came into the room and treated her like a human being first, and as a patient second.” How being authentic and matching the other person’s energy are key components of being present The story of Abby attending EDC, an electronic dance music festival that Kirsten had purchased tickets for, and how it was an transformative experience Resources Mentioned Contact Abby: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Kristina M. Holle is the author of "The Authentic You: Unleash Your Leadership Potential". She is a business leader that has had a career in Human Resources for over 20 years. She has worked in numerous companies and industries focusing her time on strategic and operational HR activities, centering on employee engagement, talent branding, and driving a culture of wellbeing. Nowadays, she's been very focused on helping people to discover their authentic selves. In this episode, we discuss what are the components of authenticity, how to be more authentic, and the shifts in culture that need to occur in organizations. Highlights & Takeaways Authenticity starts with connecting yourself and doing the inner work of examining your past. Can you release the shame of your past stories and own a new narrative where you’re the hero of the story? Strategies to do inner work, such as meditation and journaling. Kristina shared an exercise of putting a timer for 5 minutes and just writing about how you’re feeling, without thinking about it or taking your pen off the paper. “Authenticity for me is being in a place of truth, love, and joy. So when we're standing in a place of authenticity, that means that you are living in your own personal truth.” “E-motion. Energy in motion. Your emotions are energy. If you block your emotions, they get stuck.” Kristina says that if you want to make a real impact: “Stop looking externally for all the answers. Take the time to reconnect with yourself. Take the time to know who you are. Accept all of it. Get to the point where you can accept all the parts, the parts that we perceive as broken, the parts that we don't think that are serving as well. I promise you, they are.” Resources Mentioned Contact Kristina: Instagram | Twitter | Website The Authentic You ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Jesse Stanton is from Alaska, and he is a motivational speaker, podcaster, business coach, real estate investor & creative finance ninja. He is the host of the Birth to Net Worth podcast, where he details how he is approaching parenting and teaching his kids to live a life of freedom from the constraints of scarcity, both in terms of mindset and financially. He is the first guest I’ve had where we’ve talked extensively about the connection between parents and children. He shares many great stories of how his kids have absorbed lessons through books and seeing how their father interacts with others. We also chat about the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who push us to grow, rather than drag you down. Highlights & Takeaways How Jesse’s kids have gotten to see the work that their dad is doing in real estate investing and making an impact on others, which has sparked their curiosity to learn more “What's been really neat is to teach these to my kids at such a young age where they're just like sponges, right? Because I'm not having to change 20, 30, 40, 50 years of somebody thinking a certain way.” Living in Alaska is extreme, where there’s long periods of darkness, harsh weather, and high suicide rates. At the same time, everybody is really generous and caring for each other. “When it came to my mindset in terms of what I'm capable of, surrounding yourself with those people and having the right conversations is going to be one of the biggest things that aid in your success.” The “crabs-in-a-bucket” mentality where other people are trying to drag you down once you start trying to make a better life for yourself and climb out of the bucket “You hang around five competent people. Guess what? You become the sixth. You hang around five millionaires, you become the sixth. It's a universal truth.” Resources Mentioned Contact Jesse: Instagram | Facebook The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Syrine Bellafi is the creator of a project called “Spreading Happiness, Love and Positive Vibes 24/7” where she provides doses of positivity through videos, quotes, and inspiring discussions. Living in Tunisia, she shares how she was able to connect with people from multiple countries through an app called WeWorld. She believes in choosing kindness, even towards others who may seem mean or not approachable. It can seem like the world is full of hate right now, but this episode will leave you feeling energized by optimism. Highlights & Takeaways Syrine grew up in a community where there's a lot of hate, criticism and hypocrisy, so she wants to spread happiness. This is so people don’t focus too much on the negative side, and instead try to live together with kindness and learn from one another. “If you have the choice between being right and being kind, choose being kind” The story of Syrine connecting with a girl from Turkey, and ended up meeting with her when she traveled there for a summer trip. “She was literally one of the best people I met. She was very nice, very warm and welcoming. And she was open to conversations to talk about everything.” How Syrine was able to befriend someone who was initially didn’t like her “We just listen because we want to answer and that was very profound. I mean that hit me because at some point I felt like I was like that as well.” Syrine really emphasizes the importance of listening carefully to others in order to connect with them Resources Mentioned Contact Syrine: Instagram | Facebook Spreading Happiness, Love and Positive Vibes 24/7 ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Godwin Chan is the host of the Digital Introverts podcast. This is a show where introverts share their success and failure stories and discuss how they thrive in the digital age. The show is for introverts from all walks of life who are ready to just start and scale their next venture, whether it's a creative hobby, side hustle, small business, or startup. In addition to being a podcast host, Godwin is a Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate at the University of Toronto, and is interested within healthcare venture capital - don’t know what that means? No worries, we cover that and a lot more in this episode, including how he went from being shy to having the wide network that he has today. Highlights & Takeaways How Godwin wanted to write a memoir, which transitioned to doing interviews for a book oriented towards introverts and the future, and finally landing on the idea of creating the Digital Introverts podcast How content creators are competing in the attention economy and very few ever make it to the top - but newer kinds of decentralized social platforms will allow people to directly control their monetization, so that there will be more full-time creators Godwin used to not talk at all as a kid and presenting in front of people was a nightmare, but over time, he got more comfortable interacting with others Godwin’s strategy using social media platforms to connect with people with similar interests, and that’s how he got into the world of venture capital Blending his interests of science and business, where his longer-term goal is to invest into the next great generation of healthcare companies. Resources Mentioned Contact Godwin: All Godwin’s Socials Digital Introverts: Spotify | Apple | Website ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Out of pandemic boredom, Josh Swain created a Facebook group chat with other people named Josh Swain and challenged them to meet in a year to compete for the right to use the name “Josh”. The screenshot of this group chat went viral on the Internet and led to this event being dubbed the “Josh” fight. Although he just intended it to be a joke, it became an actual event and fundraiser for the Children's Hospital & Medical Center Foundation in Omaha, along with a food drive for the Food Bank of Lincoln. This story was a perfect example of an excuse to connect and I knew I wanted to have Josh Swain on the show. Enjoy this shorter episode as he shares about the creation of this event and what he’s up to now! Highlights & Takeaways Josh has always tried to go for the username and social media handle “Josh Swain”, but it’s almost always been taken already, so he wanted to challenge people to see who really deserves this title. He thought only maybe 50 people would show up, but it ended up being almost a thousand people coming together to fight each other with pool noodles. Josh ended up raising over $15,000, thousands of pounds of food for the food bank, and even had the Josh Cellars company triple their donation. He’s hosting another Josh Fight on May 21, 2022 to remind people that even though we’re doing something ridiculous, we can still bring some good to the world. If there’s something you want to do, Josh advises: “Don't think about the billion things preventing you from doing it. My main mantra in life is: ‘If you don't do something, you will always wonder what would happen if you did.’” Resources Mentioned Contact Josh: Twitter | LinkedIn The Josh Fight: Website | Instagram ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Jesper Algaard is the Founder and CEO of the Venn app. Venn is Norwegian for “friend” and it’s an app designed to help people make friends. This is done by matching people based on similar interests and personalities, as well creating activities to move the online conversations to in-person interactions. In this episode, Jesper shares his inspiration behind creating this app, curious facts about human connection, and stories about how connection comes about in different stages of our lives. Highlights & Takeaways When Jesper was in his 30s, he realized that his social life was changing quite a bit: friends who he used to regularly hang out with became less available because they got married. Venn came out of the idea of utilizing technology to help people be more social with the right people. Norway is a “very non-flirty population” as compared to people in Spain and Italy. Norwegians won’t sit next to each other if they don’t have to, and people prefer being at a distance. 50% of their users are people who are actually in a relationship - they may have a family, kids, and friends, but they still want more. How he had a surprising friendship with an 80-year-old man by connecting over world politics and economics. How he also had a several hour conversation with a Japanese TV celebrity without expecting it “If you have a friend who you haven’t talked to in a long time, I would say pick up the phone and have a chat because good friends are probably one of the most things we can have. Friends rock!” Resources Mentioned Contact Jesper: LinkedIn Venn: Website | App Store | Google Play ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

J. Kelly Hoey is the author of Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships In A Hyper-Connected World. She’s currently working on her second book which focuses on the unique networks women need for career success. Kelly has been lauded by Forbes (“1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship”) and Business Insider (“1 of the 100 Most Influential Tech Women On Twitter”), has contributed to a variety of publications including The New York Times - these and other unexpected career opportunities she notes, are a direct result of building a network. Join us for an insightful conversation on the do’s and don’ts of networking, and how you can start building your dream network today. Highlights & Takeaways Don’t commit random acts of networking. Kelly advises you to think: “Is this activity somehow aligned with information I need, or a goal I’m pursuing, or to fill an identifiable gap I have in the network supporting my career?” As young people, you can still provide value to other people who are further along in their career or more successful. People mentor others because they get a helper’s high, and if you let someone know how their advice or connection helped them, then that is adding value to the relationship. Think about how digital spaces compare to physical spaces. LinkedIn is like the office or industry conferences. Facebook is where your friends and family gather. Twitter is the cocktail party. Instagram is like a yard sale, where you never know what’s going to happen. For people who are in their early 20s, your network is not likely to be more diverse than it is right now. The people you went to the same school with are going to have careers in all sorts of different directions over the next 5 to 10 years. By staying in touch, you’re going to have a very diverse network. Start building your dream network before you think you need it. Nurture the relationships you have today thinking about where you want to go in the next 5 to 10 years. Showing up regularly, intentionally and consistently is how you build trust. You confirm and affirm who you are so that other people will want to help you. Resources Mentioned Contact Kelly: Website Kelly’s Books: Build Your Dream Network | Networks Women Need Bird by Bird by Anne Lemott On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Zach Hose runs the ZAP! Podcast where he has conversations with people from diverse backgrounds and dive deep into what they’re passionate about. He is also an author, a singer/songwriter, and completing a Masters in HR Administration and Leadership. In this episode, we explore various perspectives on the topic of passion, as well as everyday leadership, communication differences in people with different genders, how to connect with people during job searching, and much more! Highlights & Takeaways “Don’t compare your Chapter 1 to someone else’s Chapter 20” - don’t be discouraged when you see other people who are living the dream of your life, because we’re all on our own path and it’s going to be a unique journey for us all. If people approach Zach and say they don’t what their passion is, he reverse engineers it and tells them that sometimes you have to find out what you’re not passionate about to find out what you are passionate about He’s an advocate of the multi-passionate approach where it’s totally okay to have passions in lots of different spheres because we’re not one-dimensional people Zach’s favourite quote is from Roberto Clemente: “Anytime you have an opportunity to make a different in this world and you don’t, then you’re wasting your time on Earth.” Anyone can be a leader - it doesn’t have to be a grandiose gesture or a big speech, but just recognizing how our everyday actions impact others. Correctly calling someone’s preferred name is important, not just using whatever name is easiest or most convenient. Resources Mentioned Contact Zach: Instagram | Twitter ZAP! (Zach Attack Your Passion) Podcast Zach’s Books: 365 Days: The Journey | The Things I Never Said | The 10 Laws of Effective Leadership ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Mohsen Youssef is also known as “The Ignited Flame.” That’s because he found his flame, which is his passion and love for life and people. He is currently running the 3000 Flames project, which is about meeting as many people as possible in a span of a year, and having these meaningful interactions whether it's in the elevator, grocery store, or across the world through virtual platforms. In this episode, he shares his story of being an ex-Amazon manager to reconnecting with himself and his emotions at a men’s retreat. Oh, and also how he once traded a bottle of baby lotion for a Booster Juice at an airport. I hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation. Highlights & Takeaways “Why wait ‘till I got all the money in the world, or I'm more established in a career or a job? Why not just go now? I have a car. I have friends who are down to go and I have my adventurous mindset that I will go anywhere.” Mohsen would remember a lot of days where he would through the hallway and he would be feeling sad or angry. But when someone said hi to him, he would always smile because he didn’t want people to see me sad. He was scared to show them that side. What if they don't like me? What if they don't want to connect anymore? Why Mohsen left his high-paying Amazon job to find inner peace His experience of staring another man in the eye, while putting a hand on his own heart and the other person’s heart. How he was able to trade a bottle of baby lotion for Booster Juice “Do things that allow for a more authentic, genuine, effortless expression of yourself. And as you step into that, witness more of life, passion, and the ignited flame that arises within you, like it did to me.” Resources Mentioned Contact Mohsen: Instagram | LinkedIn ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Alif Huq is actually a mutual friend of one of the previous podcast guests, Ahmad Jabbir from Episode 9. He is a Digital Marketing Automation Specialist, and he excels in this role because of his ability to connect and network. However, he was once painfully shy and awkward. In this episode, he shares many stories that are embarrassing, emotional, and about embracing himself fully as the person he is. Highlights & Takeaways The ultimate meaning of life is being “so you” that people feel inspired and want to be themselves. People who are more strategically inclined in social situations are people who know who can adjust their level of energy to the person they’re talking with. What makes you a social ninja is being adaptable. The story of Alif walking home from school and praying that the person in front him didn’t turn around, because that meant Alif had to chat and he didn’t know how to hold a conversation. How Alif’s attitude shifted from trying to be popular, to wanting to get to know others, and now focusing on how connecting with others helps get more meaning in his life. Hurt people hurt other people - Alif’s perspective on not blaming others, and trying to break the cycle of hurt. How in South Asian culture, people don’t normally discuss their emotions, but he witnessed an instance at a wedding where someone crossed that wall, and instead of being shamed, they were able to accept each other unconditionally. Resources Mentioned Contact Alif: Instagram | LinkedIn “The Way of the Superior Man” by David Deida ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect” Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Lionel Migrino identifies himself as a Filipino-Canadian living with cerebral palsy. He is proud of his Filipino roots and to be a member of the disability community. In this episode, he emphasizes how he does not solely define himself as a person with a disability, because he lives his life without any limitations. His goal is to show people that your obstacles should not stop you from going on adventures and chasing your dreams. He is a photographer, anti-racism and disability advocate, and emphasizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Highlights & Takeaways Cerebral palsy impacts one’s fine motor skills, but it is also different for everyone and there’s many layers to it. It might just affect a particular group of muscles, or someone might be non-verbal, and so on. Lionel points out that society often puts the disability community in a box, and leaves their voice out of important decision-making and policies. He is passionate about promoting equity and ensuring there is a voice for the voiceless. The first step of being an ally is recognizing your own privilege and also not being afraid of being uncomfortable. People with disabilities live in an ableist world that is not made for them. “So why can’t others be uncomfortable for a few minutes to learn about another person’s experiences?” His “Kwento’t Litrato” project compares and contrasts the experience that white people and racialized people have when asked the question: “Where are you from?” For racialized people, they can be asked this all the time and it’s a microaggression “I think it’s so important that the voiceless are heard so that change can happen without being dehumanized, or sacrificed, or without negative implications.” “Your voice is as important as everyone else, and we should embrace our uniqueness and differences. Don’t be afraid to be who you are and don’t be afraid to own it.” Resources Mentioned Contact Lionel Migrino: Instagram | Website ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Corey Nathan is the host of a podcast called Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other. His aim is to have a home for engaging conversations about the topics that matter most in our culture. He talks about the screamers that are taking all the oxygen out of the room, and instead he wants to have civil conversations that explore nuance and understand different points of view. In this episode, we do a deep dive into connecting across differences, and how to have human-to-human conversations with people whose beliefs might differ significantly from our own. Highlights & Takeaways You might still disagree with someone’s views, but you can understand and appreciate each other on a human level - lead with curiosity and empathy Assumptions and generalizations often come in the question form of: “Why do all…?” For example, Corey grew up Jewish and became a Christian, and he has been asked: “Why do all you Jews vote Democrat?” He defuses generalizations by saying: “I can’t speak for all Jews. We're all different. Some vote this way, some vote that way. So I'll speak for myself.” And he encourages others to re-examine their assumptions Corey was met a lot of resistance and heated dialogues with his family after he converted to being a Christian, but it was his dad’s inclination to value their father-son relationship more than other cultural and political convictions that would allow them to cut through the weeds and walk the path together. Focus on building relational rather than transactional connections: “The good news is you can nurture those relationships. You can earn that credibility and get into the room. There's more opportunity than ever. But if it's simply like banging the phones, dialing for dollars, it's just not going to happen.” Find excuses to connect: “It amazes me to this day, how approachable and accessible all kinds of folks are at every level. If you have something to talk about, if you have points of common connection or a common cause. I'm not saying that everybody's going to get back to you, but it's going to be more than 1/100 or 2/100, if you approach it that way.” Resources Mentioned Contact Corey: Instagram | Twitter Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee

Hyder Hassan is the CEO of Immigrant Services Calgary. Immigrating from Pakistan in 1999, he had a one-liner about his dream in Canada. It was the line: "I want to create massive change within myself and others around me." Since then, he has been at the head of the innovative Gateway Program, which is transforming the newcomer experience, and also being highly involved in his community, including through Toastmasters, Rotary, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, among many other organizations. In this episode, we explore his 3 R's that are central to his worldview, the story of how he became the CEO of Immigrant Services Calgary, and his values when it comes to leadership and mentorship. Highlights & Takeaways In a healthy debate, one person can come with their Point A and the other person with Point B. But instead of arguing about who’s right, Hyder says there is a new Point C that both people can reach and that stimulates growth What are your dreams? What are your goals? What are your priorities? These are the 3 questions that the innovative Gateway program asks to help newcomers with integrating into Canada quicker and more smoothly The story of a newcomer from Nigeria who was asking how he could remove qualifications from his resume so that he appeared more “Canadian” - instead Hyder flipped the narrative and emphasized how immigrants are our future leaders and have all this potential that just needs to be unleashed Trust-building comes from having the courage to own one’s failures, and also the ability to give and receive candid feedback. Hyder utilizes adaptive leadership to create a compelling vision and organizational culture that values clear communication There are times when Hyder feels lonely when he makes calls as the CEO, but is being questioned and fingers are being pointed at home. In those moments, he calls his mentors who encourage him and provide him with valuable insight “The kite always rises against the wind. And when you get to the top of the mountain, forgive the people that got you up there.” Resources Mentioned Contact Immigrant Services Calgary: Email | LinkedIn | Website Gateway Connects Immigrants of Distinction Awards ______ Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram. Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud Website: excusestoconnect.com Email: richard@excusestoconnect.com Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee