Shows
The Kook Jester ShowPersha - Release the PressureWelcome Persha to the show. She produces electronic dance music and has performed for 20,000 people, all after having released her first song at 36. There are some epic anthems in her catalogue. Check it out!
We chat about releasing something new to the world, the discipline you need in creative careeers, and why our dark and scary sides need to be set free.
Enjoy.
Persha | Spotify
2024-11-2541 min
The Kook Jester ShowKristen Ulmer - Leave My Mind BehindWelcome leading fear expert, Kristen Ulmer, to the show. She wrote The Art of Fear, and in a former life spent 12 years as the top ranked big mountain, extreme skier. She has spent the better part of 4 decades understanding our primal and ancient emotion - Fear: where it comes from, how it flows through our bodies, and what happens when we ignore it or push it away. Great stuff!
Kristen Ulmer website
The Art of Fear
Kristen Ulmer - Extreme Skiing Clips
2024-07-181h 08
The Kook Jester ShowBen Orlin - Mathematics SalesmanshipMath • Teacher • Author
Ben Orlin joins the podcast. He is a mathematician and teacher, and through his books - Math With Bad Drawings, Change is the Only Constant, and the upcoming Math for English Majors - he illuminates how math intersects with daily life. We chat about academic struggles, tutoring your kids, and even how the antics of one of sports' greatest duos - Henrik and Daniel Sedin - give insight into one of math's baffling logical quandries.
Math with Bad Drawings Blog
Ben Orlin's Author Page
2024-07-051h 00
The Kook Jester ShowAmeet Shukla - Cowboy Lemonade RenaissanceWelcome Ameet Shukla to the show, Head of Content at
1 Community. Beyond discussions about the wonder that is Beyonce, we hit on making impactful movies, the magic and storytelling, and things the up and coming generations do incredibly well. Thanks for listening!
1 Community
RESPECT Trailer
Just Mercy Trailer
In the Works - Winner, King Leopold's Ghost, In the Shadow of the Mountain, Lewis Hamilton Doc
2024-05-2953 min
The Kook Jester ShowSimone Lovell - Simone Said F#&%Welcome Simone Lovell, founder of Total Body Transformation in Vancouver, Canada. What began as a way to earn college beer money, has morphed into 25 years of helping people transform their lives through fitness, nutrition, and wellness.
Like starting your day right, any conversation that opens with breakfast is bound to be good. We also hit on strong modelling for our kids, quitting moments, curse words, figuring out who you are, and getting up on stage. Tons of energy and enthusiasm in this episode. Thanks Simone!
Instagram - Simone Lovell
2024-04-1152 min
The Kook Jester ShowYasmin Gandham - Loaded for BEARYasmin Gandham, reporter for CTV News in Vancouver, joins the show today. She chats about her journey into broadcasting, that began with weather forecast drops into her Mom's voicemail as a kid. We also look at how to find good people to learn from, graduating during a worldwide pandemic, and those experiences that only come from being a recognizable face in the community. So much good stuff in here. Thanks for listening.
CTV News
2024-03-2849 min
The Kook Jester ShowDr. Tim O'Connell - No, No, No, Life is LongWelcome, practicing radiologist and emtelligent founder, Dr. Tim O'Connell to the show. Based in Vancouver Canada, emtelligent directs advanced AI technologies to finding key insights buried in patient medical histories. We get into this, along with solving your own problems, the breakneck speed of change in the Artificial Intelligence space, and flipping the collective adage - Life is Short - to Life is Long. Have a listen!
emtelligent Medical NLP
2024-02-0246 min
The Kook Jester ShowRandy Klassen - For the Exhausted, Bloodied Joy of ItPlease welcome, ultrarunner and author of Perhaps Joy is the Reward, Randy Klassen to the show. Framed through hard fought victories and devastating heartbreaks out on the trails, he recounts the connected community of runners, his late start to the sport, and a solid instruction for life: just keep skating.
Perhaps Joy is the Reward (Amazon link)
Keep track of Randy's adventures and upcoming projects here
Instagram - @randy.k.77
2024-01-1653 min
The Kook Jester ShowRowan Minnion - Jot Down Your AssetsWelcome Rowan Minnion to the show. In 2011, he founded the sports nutrition company Blonyx, built around real-food ingredients and committed to supporting athletic ambition. We chat about being coachable and knowing who you are as a player, his early days in the lab, and Rowan even offers some advice on how 'not' to start a company. Thanks for listening.
https://blonyx.com/
2023-11-2946 min
The Kook Jester ShowDr. Sanjiv Gandhi - Medicine was the HouseDr. Sanjiv Gandhi, Second Deputy Leader to the BC Green Party, joins the show today. In our wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on a career dedicated to pediatric heart surgery, challenges in the current healthcare system, and his jump into the unfamiliar waters of provincial politics. We even detoured into his brief stop at culinary school this past year. Please pardon, the audio quality from minutes 25 - 28. I flipped to the backup file, learning that computers do not function well in direct sunlight. And a special guest named Kinje joins us for the back half of our interview.
Enjoy. Dr. Gandhi...
2023-08-101h 01
The Kook Jester ShowVernon Joseph D'Souza - Hacking EthicallyToday's guest is ethical hacker and cyber-security expert, Vernon Joseph D'Souza. As managing partner of Forecight CyberSecurity in Vancouver, smashing firewalls, stolen pin codes, breaking into server rooms, and corporate espionage is nothing other than a typical Tuesday. We get into hacker objectives, how to be safer online, and the skill-set one needs in order to excel as a hacker. Special thanks to my de-facto booking agent, Arezou Marzara, for helping this interview come together.
Forecight CyberSecurity Inc
2023-06-0651 min
The Kook Jester ShowDr. Sunny Harris - Bulls, Bears, and ChickensDr. Sunny Harris visits the Kook Jester Show. Mathematician, programmer, and entrepreneur, she has actively traded the capital markets for over 42 years. Author of seven books, including Trading 101 and 102, her website Money Mentor is an incredible resource for investors who want to learn the craft of trading as well as understand why markets behave as they do. We chat about life's serendipity, the importance of strategy and keeping records, and what compelled her to start trading in the first place. Thanks so much Sunny. I enjoyed out chat.
Money Mentor
Business Insider Article - Trader...
2023-05-0345 min
The Kook Jester ShowAnna Galvin - Vintage PradaWelcome the talented, versatile, and ever-so lovely Anna Galvin to the show. Knowing what she wanted to become at 5, her career spans the theatre, commercials, multi-season series, and feature films. We chat about her favourite roles (the covers shot provides a clue), an amusing blunder from the red carpet, and the piece of advice she once received from, none other than, Russell Crowe. Work begets work, advice she took to heart and applied throughout her career.
Anna Galvin imdb
Warcraft movie trailer (2016)
Other Desert Cities wikipedia
Crimson Point trailer (2022)
Lyre...
2023-04-091h 01
The Kook Jester ShowEmily Dolan Davies - That Day, The Drums Broke My HeartWelcome Emily Dolan Davies to the show, and she absolutely loves to play the drums. She made albums with The Darkness (Last of Our Kind) and Bryan Ferry (Olympia), recently toured with Kim Wilde, is the drummer for The Voice Kids UK, and was even featured in the Netflix documentary Count Me In. However, more importantly and above all of that, she is such a nice person, one who truly wants to make the world a better place. From her playing, to her podcast (A Drummer's Guide to), to the Drum Stem Club her unbelievable optimism is everywhere. Have a...
2023-03-181h 04
The Kook Jester ShowDan Flores - Chicky's Wild New WorldDan Flores joins the show today. Author of ten books, his works include the bestsellers American Serengeti and Coyote America. His latest, Wild New World, is a big history deep dive into the relationship between people and animals in North America. Starting at the Chicxulub Impact–the giant space rock that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago–Wild New World shows how our belief in human exceptionalism has truly devastated the natural world. With complex characters laid atop vivid landscapes, Dan's compelling work will, as one reader suggests, ‘rearrange the furniture in your head'. It's wonderful. Go Read it!
2023-03-031h 04
The Kook Jester ShowRaul Sanchez-Inglis - I Took My Typewriter EverywhereWriter and director, Raul Sanchez-Inglis, joins the show today. His work includes: Vice, Transparency, American Heist, and his most recent project, crime-thriller Crimson Point. He chats about transformative movies, getting the most out of your people on set, the band Badfinger, and the game which kicked off a career in storytelling. Really he hung out with his friends and let his imagination go to work. Super cool!
Raul Sanchez-Inglis IMDB
Crimson Point Trailer
Badfinger No Dice
2023-02-1746 min
The Kook Jester ShowKarl-Mikael Syding - Punch Your Pomodoro ClockToday's guest is Karl-Mikael Syding, hedge fund manager at Antiloop in Sweden. He is also a writer, podcast creator (25 minuter, Future skills, Outsiders), and a seriously deep thinker. I came to know of him through his Sprezza Blog at mikaelsyding.com where he explores effortless nonchalance, the art of making hard things look easy. We chat about big picture thinking, how to find meaning and passion in what we do, and, of course, buying real estate in whore village. Stick around to hear Mikael outline the Pomodoro, a super-charged way to intensify your focus. It's amazing.
Antiloop Hedge
Sprezza Blog at...
2023-02-0257 min
The Kook Jester ShowBen Frederick - Hard Things are Hard…and That’s OKBen Frederick, the 2021 National Singlespeed Cyclocross Champion, joins the show today. Back in 2016, he suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). We talk about what happened, the dark periods that followed, and coming out the other side. He has since founded The Small Monsters Project, aiming to remove the stigma around mental health struggles which can result from a TBI. All proceeds support the Love Your Brain Foundation. And yes, we still find time to discuss racing, riding a steel frame in the age of carbon, and his upcoming holiday plans.
@benjamfred - Instagram
Ritchey Bikes ...
2022-12-0233 min
The Kook Jester ShowSarah Townsend - Totoro's Tortuous TortoiseAuthor and freelance copywriter Sarah Townsend joins the show today. She gets into what inspired her two bestselling books - Survival Skills for Freelancers and The Little Book of Confusables - as well as clears up any confusion about what copywriting is and what good copy should do. We also touch on her WordNerdiness, loving your work, and even lessons learned from accidentally cracking social media’s holy grail, the ever-elusive 10million+ viral hit on Instagram (link below). It’s fantastic. Thanks Sarah!
Sarah Townsend Editorial - website and blog
Survival Skills for Freelancers
The L...
2022-11-1847 min
The Kook Jester ShowTamas Dobozy - It’s Oscar Teleki CallingWriter and professor, Tamas Dobozy, joins me today. I had the pleasure to read two of his books. Siege 13 and Ghost Geographies are beautifully written and entertaining short story collections. His characters - complex, memorable, and sometimes despicable - struggling through the murk of being human, mirror back our own experience on to us in unexpected and often funny ways. During our chat, Tamas talks about building a life around what you love to do, the pull to write short stories, and even a surreal experience when he received an email from none other than Oscar Teleki. Enjoy.
Tamas Dobozy...
2022-11-041h 01
The Kook Jester ShowBrent Disbrow - Don't Make Your Favourite SandwichBrent Disbrow, Game Director at BKOM Studios, joined us today. I absolutely loved our chat. He is freaking funny and I learned a ton. He opens by breaking down the Justice League movie, talks changing careers and everything video game related, and finishes with a counter take on the buzz surrounding NFTs and blockchain technology. Awesomely entertaining. Thanks Brent!
Sunday Gold Trailer
Calling Bullshit by Karl T Bergstrom and Jevin D West
Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Massive Attack Playlist
Twitter - @Smash_McGavin
2022-10-2258 min
The Kook Jester ShowDr. Katherine Bowers - It’s a Page TurnerDirector of the Centre of European Studies at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Bowers packs a ton of learning into this interview. Among other topics, we touch on why Russia’s printing culture was slow to develop, what is meant by the Petersburg Text, and the paradoxical nature of many Russian writers. A word of warning - your reading list will have expand considerably after listening. I also want to personally thank Katherine for being, first and foremost, a teacher. I got caught up in the ‘what of things’, and she very kindly refocused me on the ‘why’ of things. ...
2022-09-261h 06
The Kook Jester ShowCoach Stewart - Swim with a SmileIf you know the waters around Vancouver, BC, you will undoubtably have come across the purple swim-caps worn by the students of today's guest, Stewart Scott. Everyone calls him Coach Stewart. We chat about his early days in northern Scotland, the common mistakes self-trained athletes make, tricking the water, and his strong desire to swim alongside the Orcas. Thank-you Stewart. This was awesome.
Coach Stewart Swimming Lessons
Swim Smart
YouTube Channel - Swim Smart (A Fantastic Resource)
Instagram - Coach Stewart
2022-09-1038 min
The Kook Jester ShowJohn Emmet Tracy - Embrace Your Stadium MomentToday’s guest is actor, John Emmet Tracy. You will know him as Ellis Steele from Yellowstone, the modern western epic on the Paramount Network and Amazon Prime. We chat about his character’s adaptive qualities, artistic moments versus story momentum, and playing villains—aka the misunderstood. He kicks off our interview by sharing a story that his dad told him. The opening: glove and bat in hand, a young man stands outside a baseball stadium… A very big thank-you to Sam Aitken from the Childrens’ Heart Network for making this interview happen.
John Emmet Tracy (website)
Filmography
2022-08-2953 min
The Kook Jester ShowMaïa Tarassoff - Sustainable Thinking for KidsMy guest is Maïa Tarasoff. Aiming to make architecture more accessible to kids, she founded Petit Architect in 2017. Through her classes and workshops she encourages kids to ask big questions about how they live, in the hope of inspiring them to create truly beautiful spaces and buildings. We talk about the importance of art and how starting Petit Architect allowed her to spend more time with her family.
Woodward‘s Building
Audain Gallery
The Polygon
Maïa’s Music Suggestions
Piano Covers
Cocoon
Minnie Riperton
2022-08-1440 min
The Kook Jester ShowDr. Shubhayan Sanatani - You Have to Expose Kids to ScienceI was happy to return to the Children’s Heart Centre for my interview with Dr. Shubhayan Sanatani, Division Head of Cardiology at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Over the years, he and the entire heart team, took wonderful care of our family. I have long been curious about why he chose to pursue cardiology, and today, I got the chance to ask.
Dr. Sanatani kicks off our chat with a story about the grade 12 teacher who sparked his early interest in biology, ultimately leading to his work in paediatric cardiology and electrophysiology. We also touch...
2022-07-3138 min
The Kook Jester ShowAnnika McDade - Your Dog is Reading the NewspaperOur guest today is Annika McDade whose soul purpose in life is to create amazing relationships between people and their dogs. Her in-person dog training company is called Canine Connection Training and is based in Vancouver, Canada. However, you can access her expertise and video library wherever you happen to be via her online portal - SniffDog. During our chat, she talks about all the information dogs gather through their noses, how to build a good human/dog relationship, and even shares her experience training wolves in Mongolia.
Canine Connection Training
SniffDog Online Training Portal
2022-07-1941 min
The Kook Jester ShowSaba Marzara - I Was The First Delivery DriverSaba Marzara co-founded FedFedFed, which delivers dietician curated meals right to your door. Endlessly fascinated by the food we eat, Saba looks to impact our health and nutrition on a larger scale. We look at the ever-growing problem of diet related diseases along with what first piqued her interest in the field, and how the name FedFedFed came about.
I became a customer of FedFedFed. The company creates an exceptional user experience. Account setup and ordering is super easy. Delivery? Prompt. And the meals taste amazingly delicious. Thank you for listening.
FedFedFed - website
F...
2022-06-1348 min
The Kook Jester ShowMarcus Paladino - Never Forget the SqueegeeOur guest today is surf photographer Marcus Paladino. His book is called Cold Comfort, and his work captures the raw and wild essence of Vancouver Island’s west coast. He kicks off the interview by sharing the best piece of career advice he received - get paid for what you love to do. Living those words, he has carved out a niche documenting cold water surf. Some highlights from our chat include: what he actually used his first camera for, the need to focus on one thing at a time, and blacking out from the cold and still getting th...
2022-05-3041 min
The Kook Jester ShowTiffany DaSilva - I’m in Tech, but What’s SEO?Tiffany DaSilva, founder of flowjo, is our guest today. Irritated by peoples’ relationship with their phones, she decided to something about it. Creating card decks full of bucket list activities for couples, dads, and self-care, Flowjo’s mission is to help people build long-lasting and meaningful memories with the life they have right now. Our interview was fun. Tiffany hits on everything from the importance of looking for the easier way to her time spent in startups. One highlight for me was her story about developing an online ‘lemonade stand’ during the internet’s early days.
Thanks from listeni...
2022-05-1846 min
The Kook Jester ShowLee Rodgers - Racing to Save My Gran From TerroristsLee Rodgers is our guest today. Our chat always came back to limitations, as in, your true capabilities are far beyond what you actually believe them to be. Case in Point. Returning to cycling in his mid-30's, Lee turned professional at the age of 37. The stories he shares are incredible. To give you a teaser, he found himself lined-up alongside the legends of the sport (Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, and Mark Cavendish) at the Tours of Qatar and Oman in 2012.
From here, he then brought his racing chops over to coaching. He is an official coach o...
2022-05-0446 min
The Kook Jester ShowAmanda Hemmaway - The Madness Makes it Absolutely BeautifulOur guest is Amanda Hemmaway. She is the owner and director of iDance Vancouver, whose mission is to encourage and empower the dancer in all of us. Amanda dug into many aspects of her journey that include: bringing childhood dreams to life, lessons learned from buying a business, and building a community through dance in an expressive and soulful way. And Amanda absolutely loves phone calls. So call the studio directly (1-604-558-4622) to inquire about upcoming programs.
iDance Vancouver (idancestudios@gmail.com)
iDance Mount Pleasant, 604 558 4622, 119 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1P4
2022-04-2741 min
The Kook Jester ShowDan John - Weirdly FamousDan John is my guest today, a leading voice on all things related to strength and lifting.
Having followed Dan’s work for about 6 years, it was exciting to have him on the show. Some highlights from our conversation include: the importance of failing publically, how parents should encourage their kids, and the pain/pleasure matrix of goal achievement.
His latest book is Attempts: Essays on Fitness, Health, Longevity, and Easy Strength. Through all his writing, he shares lessons from a lifetime spent under the bar as coach, teacher, and competitor. If you read his wo...
2022-04-0651 min
The Kook Jester ShowDr. John Byrne - What Fires Your Jets?John and I get right to it, digging into the Leadville 100, the 100 mile running race across the sky, which he has completed 4 times. Other highlights include breaking big challenges into the smallest manageable pieces, and learning how to not reinvent the wheel when learning something new. Case in point - the Rubik’s cube. For the record, he solved it under three minutes during our post-interview chat.
Special thanks to Darren for introducing John and I.
Thanks for Listening.
Success is Working - Leadership Platform
Book - Winning with Grit
Le...
2022-03-2357 min
The Kook Jester ShowSteve Moss - Padam, Padam, PadamToday’s guest is Steve Moss, frontman and founding member of the The Midnight Ghost Train. Powered with a thick and heavy sound, they are one of my all-time favorite bands. On June 18th, TMGT kick off their 10-date European reunion tour at the Freak Valley Festival in Netphen, Germany. Steve takes us wide and deep, chatting about everything from writing songs live on stage and the band’s early days to why he simply loves playing music with Brandon Burghart (drums) and Mike Boyne (bass). He also shares his latest endeavor, teaching kindergarten and grade 1 in inner-city Buffalo. The...
2022-03-0950 min
The Kook Jester ShowFelix Böck - Something Small and Simple Like a ChopstickFelix Böck is our guest today, the founder and CEO of Chop Value in Vancouver, BC.
Chop Value's mission is simple - harvest single use chopsticks from the urban environment and then, transform them into beautiful home décor pieces, like cutting boards, tabletops, and light sconces.
Using Chop Value's micro-factories as a model, we get into how truly green economies should operate, and how massive problems - like climate change - can only be tackled if we break them down into the smallest possible pieces, the ones right in front of us. And for...
2022-02-2342 min
The Kook Jester ShowAnia Wysocka - The 'Why' Behind Why You're Doing Something Can Give You CourageToday, I get to speak with Ania Wysocka, the founder and creator of Rootd. Rootd is an incredible app that helps people to manage anxiety and panic attacks in the moment. With over 1.25 million downloads to date, the app has been featured in publications like Women’s Health, Healthline, and Time Magazine’s The Age of Anxiety. In recognizing her contributions to mental health awareness and technology, Ania earned a spot on BC Business’ top 30 under 30 in 2020. During our conversation, Ania breaks downs how and why she created Rootd, the inspiration for Ron (your companion in the app), and how he...
2022-02-1136 min
The Kook Jester ShowManuel Bernaschek - Well, There are Italians and Everyone Else Who Wants to be ItalianToday’s episode features Manuel Bernaschek. He brought two world brands at the pinnacle of quality to Vancouver, those being Fazioli Pianos and Stefano Ricci luxurious menswear. In our chat, he shares details from his early conversations with Mr. Fazioli and Mr. Ricci along with the piece of advice that he received prior to opening his very first store.
Manuel invited me to the Stefano Ricci store on Georgia Street for a live interview. If it sounds like we are speaking in a room, walled with hand-carved marble that is because we actually are. Everything inside from the...
2022-01-1941 min
The Kook Jester ShowKai Mallari - Not the Greatest at Math, but I Do Love DataKai is the founder of Highlighter Creative, a commercial photography and design thinking studio, based in Richmond BC. Take a moment to check out his projects, especially his post-production work.
He has an inherent knack of breaking down complex ideas - the blockchain, NFTs, and the Metaverse - into understandable, digestible pieces. No matter the topic, Kai always loops back to the fundamental premise of what is quality and what brings value to people.
If I’m really honest, Kai‘s interview is a digital therapy session for your truly. As a result, I’m a little...
2022-01-0552 min
The Kook Jester ShowKhalil Jiwa - Dear Friend and CompanionTo say my chat with Khalil covers a lot of ground would be an huge understatement. Geographically, we bounce from Kenya to Toronto, back to Kenya, down to Tanzania, and end in Vancouver. He talks about the difficulties he faced after immigrating to Canada in 1989. From direct personal experience, Khalil explains the lasting trauma that racism and intolerance have on a child.
Career wise, he chose to walk a different path. Not 'feeling' any of the standard options - doctor, lawyer, engineer - he followed his heart, pursuing work in child care. From here, Khalil founded CampUS!, w...
2021-12-2253 min
The Kook Jester ShowRob Thompson - I Think One of Them Was PoutineRob and I chat about his most recent athletic challenge, Everesting. I'll let him tell the story, but, in order to complete ‘an Everest’, a cyclist must climb the vertical elevation of Mount Everest - 8848 vertical meters - in one ride within 24 hours. Its grueling. Rob gets into his training, the obstacles he had to overcome, and how the day itself played out.
Rob sounds like a professional cyclist looking back on his career, from how the sport captured his imagination as a kid to how cycling has been that one thing that keeps giving back to him...
2021-12-0838 min
The Kook Jester ShowMini #1 - Damn You Jeff VanderMeerThis first mini episode hits on three things that jazzed me up this past while.1. Jeff VanderMeer2. Pretty Yende3. The Great Linkshttps://www.jeffvandermeer.com/WonderBook - The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative FictionThe Big Book of Modern FantasyThe Harder They FallPretty Yende - DreamsPretty Yende - A JourneyThe Great
2021-12-0108 min
The Kook Jester ShowRoger Nairn - Have a Conversation With Just One PersonRoger Nairn joins me for this episode, co-founder and CEO of JAR Audio in Vancouver, Canada. We do a podcast about podcasts. JAR Audio constructs podcasts for brands in order to accelerate their impact and build meaningful connections with their audiences. Their client base is deep and wide. Listening experiences include: The Disruptors by RBC, Expedia's Out Travel the System, and the just launched Build it Braver from American Express.
We get into how JAR Audio came to be, and discuss the one piece of advice that Roger has for the hosts and guests on their programs.
2021-11-2330 min
The Kook Jester ShowCatherine McCourt - Finding Your Soul PurposeCatherine is a certified transformational life and business coach and founder of Fearless Future in Vancouver, British Columbia. She leads with a mission to help people find their soul purpose. In addition to one-on-one coaching, Catherine also hosts the Fearless Future podcast. Her workshops - Ignite Your Soul and Bust the Burnout - all point toward empowering her clients to discover and lead with purpose in order to prosper.
Many Thanks Catherine.
Here's a few links from the show.
Fearless Future
Simon Sinek
Podcast - Fearless Future with Catherine Mc...
2021-11-1040 minThe Kook Jester ShowPaul Brassard - Giving People a Bright Moment in Their Day is Very UnderratedIn episode 11, I chat with Paul Brassard, co-founder of Deville Coffee. Founded in 2008, Deville has grown from its first café in downtown Calgary to 10 locations across the city with five new spots slated to open in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Kelowna by 2022. From the outset, Deville has created a distinct coffee experience for its customers. Curating unique and complex tastes from around the world, it all begins with coffee beans sourced from Direct Trade farms.
Paul talks about what it was like opening the doors for the first time, how serving people is a rewarding pursuit, and the im...
2021-10-2728 min
The Kook Jester ShowDan Nelken - Give Creatives a Problem To SolveDan Nelken wrote a book, and a really useful one at that, titled A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters. Punctuated with personal, and often, very funny observations from the Advertising world, his objective is to de-mystify the creative process. He delivers.
In our chat, Dan speaks about wanting to write the dumbest book possible. To my mind, that is its greatest quality. With each technique he introduces, he shows what the actual work looks like, imperfections and all. He also touched on his unique approach to editing, what makes a great brief, and why brands should embrace their d...
2021-10-1336 minThe Kook Jester ShowAnita Modha - Maybe You Should Wear Water WingsThe title for this episode is lifted from a story Anita shares about picking up a new (life) skill as an adult. A talented designer, deep thinker, and simply amazing human, she is partner and head of user experience at Seeds and Growth, the strategy and insights agency centered in Los Angeles, CA. While Anita touches on several interesting topics, her explanation about making the big the big thing and working towards your inner laziness is particularly insightful. Doing so sets up a workflow that not only feel more effortless, but also leads to producing better end results. Thank-you...
2021-09-2933 min
The Kook Jester ShowTom Christmann - Just Give it a ReasonI met Tom when I took his Next Level Copy class through AdHouse. Tom pours his vast advertising experience - seriously, he's worked on some amazing campaigns - into his current passion as co-dean of AdHouse, the home for aspiring AdNerds. Also, as host of the A-List Podcast, he discovers how other creatives got their start in the business. In our interview, Tom outlines what advertising has the power to do and why admitting you're bad at something is actually a good thing. Spoiler Alert - it's because you can grow. Have a listen.
Tom Christmann...
2021-09-1538 min
The Kook Jester ShowKyle Matheson - Out to the Orange BuoysHere is my interview with Kyle Matheson, franchise owner of Expedia Cruises - www.expediacruises.ca - in Richmond, Canada. Kyle talks about guiding a travel agency through the pandemic, the future of curated travel experiences, and what pulled him towards open water swimming.
2021-09-1023 minThe Kook Jester ShowMiranda Deis - What's the Worst that Can Happen?Every once in awhile you meet a person who is perfectly suited to do what they do. Miranda Deis is the founder of Curiosity Corner Preschool in Vancouver, Canada. On a whim seven(ish) years ago, we called the contact number printed on a vinyl banner hung from a fence. It advertised a newly opened preschool. I'm so glad we made that phone call.
2021-08-2240 min
The Kook Jester ShowLisa van Hemert - Are You My Mentor?Lisa comes strong in part 2 of back-to-back van Hemert episodes. As founder of both the Van Hemert Group and Women Working in Calgary, Lisa offers up an interesting perspective on the energy industry, mentorship, and problem solving. Her ability to quickly understand the multiple viewpoints on any given issue is one thing about her I truly admire. Thanks Lisa!
2021-08-0249 min
The Kook Jester ShowJohn van Hemert - It's Just an IdeaJohn van Hemert, founder of JVH Architect, is my guest. This episode's title provides some sage advice around idea ownership, applicable to many areas of life, not only architecture. There is always a fresh angle, approach, or insight that we simply haven't discovered yet. And according to John, another one will surface soon.
2021-07-2234 min
The Kook Jester ShowJanelle Frederickson - Why Can't There Just Be a Recipe?Janelle might have preferred a different title. However, the fact that there isn't a recipe is one reason why she finds speech pathology to be such a rewarding profession.
2021-07-1444 minThe Kook Jester ShowDragon Tornado - My 30 Year Old Self Would Tell My 16 Year Old Self to Enjoy Being 16My interview with Dragon Tornado made me re-think many things about the future. We chat about better questions that adults can ask kids and what she believes her generation's super power is.
2021-07-0729 min
The Kook Jester ShowLisa Lalsingh - Make Stuff Even if No One CaresLisa is the founder of the The Happy Egg Play Kits. She curates sensory play kits for children which are built around a themed collection of loose parts and paired with fresh play dough she whips up in her kitchen. Lisa is an awesome guest and provides great insight about getting started on something new.
2021-07-0727 min