The Ordinary Jo Show

What if you could make a difference in someone's life with just a $5 dollar bowl of soup? Wouldn't that be cool? Well - you CAN! In this episode I talk to Tyler Melnyk, founder of No Fixed Address to talk about the soup trailer that he runs in Calgary, Alberta and the Huggabowl program that provides soup to community members. Tyler is a great guy and his program is absolutely amazing. Click here to purchase a Huggabowl.

Get ready to be inspired my friends!  On this episode of The Ordinary Jo Show I sit down with Winnipeg Legend…Paul Bernardin, a local runner who has made it his mission to run every street in Winnipeg, all 5000 km of them! AND to make this adventure even more special, Paul is using his journey to raise money for the St. Boniface Hospital Cardiac Ward - a place that is near and dear to his heart.  Tune in to hear Paul’s remarkable story of recovering from a heart attack to go on and change the world!  We had an amazing visit and I can’t wait for you to meet Paul!

This episode is definitely worth the listen! Sandra is the founder of a program called Women Helping Women Beadwork, where she promotes and sells jewelry created by incarcerated Indigenous women. Sandra has gone on an amazing journey of personal connection and growth - and has given these women the opportunity to celebrate their culture, learn valuable skills and earn money for their work. We are also joined by Winnipeg motivational speaker, Vinnie Lillie, who provides valuable insight into the critical need to allow these women to continue making their jewelry despite being incarcerated. Please listen and share - as just recently, Sandra and her friends have been prohibited from running their business - which has been heartbreaking to these amazing women, to say the least. NOTE - my microphone didn't work great during this podcast - but you can hear Sandra and Vinnie very clearly!

If you are into running, biking, triathalon, adventure racing or just cool stuff in general - this is the book for you. If you have a loved one who is going on a journey with Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia, this is the book for you! In their memoir, A Mile at a Time, Mark and Travis Macy share their love for adventure racing and extreme sports as they navigate Mark's diagnosis with Alzheimer's Disease. In today's episode, I share my review of this incredible story of love, friendship, resilience, and courage. This is an especially meaningful book and episode for me, as when I watched the Prime series, World's Toughest Race (where Mark and Travis compete), I was going on my own journey with Dad as he was faced with Dementia. This book and tv series are a wonderful reminder of the magic of love and the special bond between friends and family - none of which are diminished with time, age, or illness. This is not a depressing episode of loss on grief, but rather one of hope and inspiration. I hope you enjoy it. :) Click here to find the book on amazon.ca.

The beautiful thing about interviewing my mom is that you never quite know what will come out of either one of our mouths or where the conversation will go! Today's Mother's Day episode did not disappoint haha! We cover a lot of ground here, from death by electrocution to strippers, to shooting snakes and practical advice for mothers! Despite my audio being a bit on the crap side, this is a fun little episode that might give you a few giggles and a little advice for motherhood too! Thanks Mum! Love ya!

Plain and simple, this episode is phenomenal! A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine sent me a Facebook post written by Willard, where he shares a story of how he met a homeless man named Paul and bought him some clothing in Walmart. Willard joined me in "The Ordinary Jo Show" studio and shared this amazing story of his friendship with Paul and his journey of connecting with unsheltered people over the years, which actually began when Willard was a young boy. My friends, I cannot begin to express how powerful Willard's story is. My heart his full, my heart is happy - and I truly believe Willard and I were meant to meet - our paths were meant to cross -as we seem to share a passion for connecting with others, hearing their stories, and helping people get what they need in life. Willard, you are a golden soul and it was an honour to sit down with you and hear your incredible story. It has impacted me on a level like none other, and I am so thrilled that we have been able to meet.

What a fun episode! In today's show, I sit down with the funny & fabulous Jennifer Brigden, a former student of mine who is living the life in stand up comedy! We talk about her journey to becoming a comedian and all things comedy - including where she draws her inspiration from. Such a great show!!

Wow!! I love it when you sit down for coffee with someone and the discussion takes you on an amazing journey of creativity, celebrating yourself, healing from trauma and back to self-love. This is exactly what we did in my visit with Sheila from Magpie Chic. Sheila is the brains, beauty, and talent behind Magpie Chic, an online store that offers a wide range of products, ranging from handmade moccasins, boots, mitts - all sorts of things! We get started by talking about her craft and talent, but move into Sheila's journey of healing and her work helping our vulnerable people in the community. This is such a powerful discussion - filled with all sorts of gold nuggets, and of course, lots of laughs!! You don't want to miss it!! Thanks so much, Sheila! You are amazing!

Today I am super pumped to talk to a real live TV star!! My good friend, Chuck Fefchak joins me to talk about his adventures in theatre, which led him to becoming a star on the upcoming tv series, Maria and the Mennos. Chuck's journey is an inspiring lesson to us all - to do things that make our ass tingle, and to go on this crazy adventure called LIFE! Thanks Chuck! You are amazing!

In today's episode, I sit down with Vicki Renwick to honour her daughter Taylor, talk about healing, the Taylor Renwick Memorial hockey tournament, as well as the amazing work Vicki is doing with MADD. Check out the MADD Brandon FB page Check out the Taylor Renwick Memorial Hockey Tournament Page

Today I had the pleasure of talking to my good friend, Kris Gutknecht about his childhood trauma and all the incredible work he has done on his healing journey. Kris is truly an impressive person, has he has gone the extra mile to heal from his childhood trauma and years of addiction. Kris shares his journey and talks about some of the innovative things he and his therapist have done to find success along the way. This is an amazing discussion! Thanks so much, Kris! It was an honour talking with you!

On this episode, we sit down with Winnipeg based motivational speaker, Vinnie Lillie. Featured in the book, All Eyes on Me, Vinnie shares his story of childhood trauma, which led to a life of crime, gang involvement, eventual incarceration. He talks about his journey of healing and recovery and shares some amazing messages of inspiration and hope. Vinnie is truly a remarkable person and it was an honour to have him on the show. This is definitely one episode you don't want to miss! Purchase Vinnie's book, All Eyes on Me here.

If you live in Winnipeg, you may have heard of Junel Malapad. He has used his passion for running to not only inspire countless runners along the way, but also raise money and support for a variety of charities in the community. He is one of the most down to earth people I know and it was a true honour to sit down with him to talk about all things running, his various charitable initiatives, as well as his journey to become the runner and community champion he is.  Instagram: @jo_zarno  Jo Zarn: (1) Jo Zarn | Facebook  Take a look at a short film about Junel by Lululemon: A Big Run | A Lululemon Short Film - YouTube

Join me in this episode as I sit down with my Mom Isabel to talk about her childhood and how it shaped her into the amazing person she is today. It is a GREAT discussion! One you definitely don't want to miss!! 43 minutes long.

In this 20 minute episode I share the story behind my "You Are My Clive Lloyd" tattoo and how we can all be someone's Clive Lloyd. (Episode length - 20 min)

In today's episode, we are talking to my good friend Andrea Richardson about her work supporting our northern communities, the importance of training and self-care. You don't want to miss this one! 

In this episode we talk about how to avoid missing out on seeing the magic that people have to offer and the importance of leading with empathy. 

In today's episode we celebrate the saying, “If you don’t like my gate, don’t swing on it!”

Today we continue the story of the WTF Moment where it turns into a Holy Sh*t moment.  I also talk to a good friend, Trish Guimond where we talk about her friendship with Leroy. 

In this episode we kick off The Ordinary Jo Show with part one of a story that has been the foundation for my entire journey.