Project Dream Maker with Stephen R. Burns

In this video, we interview one of North America's leading wedding officiants. In just three years he went from doing weddings as a hobby to building a six figure business, writing a best-selling book, and becoming an industry leader. Mark takes us back to his upbringing, the struggles he encountered, and how he figured out who he was and what it meant. So much of success is determined by accepting who we are. Mark details how much this mattered for him, and breaks down the entrepreneurial process in a personal way. The transparency is real. And for any entrepreneur looking to move forward, Mark's advice is something you must consider. Sometimes we watch these videos of successful people just hoping for a moment. Mark gives you that pathway and insight. And yes, he is every bit the good human you think he is.

Jackie Choquette is an Executive VP of the Ontario Liberal Party. In this podcast, we talk about her small-town beginnings, how she got started in politics, and some of the struggles along the way. We also discuss the gender imbalance in Canadian politics, the barriers facing women when they enter the field, and what she’s encountered over her career. Jackie is a rising, under-the-radar star, and in this interview you understand why. She is engaging, transparent and clear-eyed. For anyone looking at politics, or those who want a better understanding of what happens behind the scenes, particularly for women, you won’t be disappointed.  

In this podcast, we interview best selling author and editor Erin Healy. In the tumultuous and ever-changing publishing industry, she has forged a two-decade path as an entrepreneur and highly in-demand editor. She talks about her beginnings as a young editor, what compelled her to go out on her own, and the reasons why she has continued to flourish over the years. We also talk about some of her struggles and what it means to be an editor. It’s a terrific interview you won’t want to miss.

In this interview, we talk to Gilles Charette, the executive director of HARS (HIV/ AIDS Regional Services). Gilles is an entrepreneur, having run multiple businesses before taking leadership of an NPO and growing it these past few years. His story is game changing. After traveling to go to college to become a minister, he realizes something he’s always suspected but hasn't understood, and when he comes out, there are questions. So many questions. How do I fit? How does my faith fit with who I am? And what do I do about it? It is remarkable story, and Gilles is completely transparent as he talks about meeting his husband at an LGBTQ accepting church, his wedding nuptials (in which his minister had to wear a flak jacket because of protests) and the life changing efforts of his team at HARS, who look after those in the margins. I was grateful to have the privilege to interview Gilles, and when you hear his story, you’ll understand why. His positivity and empathy are infectious, and though he downplays his importance, it’s clear why he has risen so high and what makes him so effective as a leader and a role model.

In this podcast, I was thrilled to interview up and coming entrepreneur Amberly Grant, a financial literacy expert. She has quite a story, from her time in high school to moving to another country to establish her dreams. In this interview, she outlines her struggles and the things that have pushed her forward to success. Anyone looking to start fresh, and looking for advice on how they can do that, would do well to listen to her advice.

In this episode, we talk with Bruce Alexander, the owner and president of Raymond EMC Enclosures Ltd. Bruce talks about his life growing up, and how the part-time job he took as a teenager led to buying his own business. He shares some of the risks and struggles along the way, ones that every entrepreneur experiences. He also delves into things like patience and temperament, and why they're so important for young entrepreneurs and artists. This was a fun and informative chat with some wise words for all of us!

In Episode 2 of the first season of the Project Dream Maker podcast, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Lorraine Lam. She’s an outreach worker and activist who does important work in downtown Toronto. Like any entrepreneur, (she raises her own salary) she has faced multiple challenges to find her way to a position that elicits change. Let’s be clear. Very few could do what she does every day. And her story, particularly through this past year, is not only important, but a reminder of what we can do to be better and what we can accomplish when we focus on giving value to those around us.

In this first episode of Season 1 of the Project Dream Maker podcast, we talk to Markus William Kasunich. A successful entrepreneur, Markus has a fascinating story.  He grew up in a small town in Southern Ontario, and experienced a near death experience when he was ten. That would shape his life in the years to come, and in his twenties he travelled across the country, spent a year in the forest living off the land, before ending up in a monastic community for nearly a decade in Los Angeles.  When he left the community he had nothing to his name, but within five years had forged a six figure business and a new life.  His story is one of persistence, awareness and guts.  And in this podcast we talk about his struggles, the adjustments necessary to move back into the everyday world, and what he learned as an entrepreneur along the way.