Shows
Historically ThinkingEpisode 370: Enemies of All Maritime plundering, or piracy, has happened in nearly all regions of the world, in most ages of human history. Yet the image that we have of "a pirate" in our collective imagination comes from one period in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. So "why has that one relatively short moment come to stand for all sea raiding across time and space?"
That is the question with which Richard Blakemore begins his new book Enemies of All: The Rise and Fall of the Golden Age of Piracy. To answer it he not only surveys decades of plundering and combat at...2024-08-191h 19
TheInquisitor Podcast with Marcus CauchiEloise Leeson: Do the Best With What You Have"If you’re nice to someone’s detriment you are a manipulator", says Eloise Leeson, founder of #OlimComms and a world leading linguistic strategic consultant. Eloise advises global institutions, NGOs, global advertising agencies and technology companies on their communication to improve performance and results.
Poor communication can at best slow things down, at worst, sow confusion, division and create unhelpful and preventable friction and conflict. Eloise and I discuss how to make your communication accomplish what you intended. We dig into the critical nature of your internal communication and the ripple effect poorly chosen language can create.
2022-12-1354 min
CAKE theatreWalking HomeThe nightly journey of a young woman from the underground station home, reflecting the all too familiar reality of female experiences in the public realm.Instructions for listeners:This piece should be listened to in a dark, quiet place. Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes.Press Play.Green Room chat with:Writer- Chloe CattinDirector- Neta Gracewell Actor- Laura MarcusAdditional featured voices: Chloe Cattin, Mark Leeson, Jamie McNaught, Alex Gomar, Paul Harvey, and a...2021-10-0621 min
TheInquisitor Podcast with Marcus CauchiMake Every Word CountEloise Leeson explore content optimization - taking what you've got and making it so much better. We don't have to always reinvent the wheel when it comes to some of the messaging in the way we talk to our customers and our clients. And there's always room for improvement. How often do we intend one message but another one entirely is received? Have we considered the unintended consequences of what, when and how we communicate, and to whom?
We explore using communication to align and smooth the transitions between marketing to lead generation, to sales and on t...2021-09-0248 min
Life Leesons27 Marcus Leeson: Life Lessons During My Student Arc of LifeThis is a very special episode as it will be the final episode of the season. Long story short, my goal was only to keep this up until school started and with school starting in the next couple weeks it’s time for this season to come to a close. That said, I think I might start this up again in a few years when most people are on a different story arc in life and see how things have changed.
So with this being the last episode I thought I’d do something a little different. A lo...2021-08-302h 27
Life Leesons26 Bryan Wong: Adjusting to a New Life While Teaching in AsiaDespite being born and raised in Vancouver, my cousin Bryan moved to Asia to teach about three and a half years ago and has been living there ever since. He explains how after travelling to Asia in university, he would constantly think about travelling again and felt like it was something in his life he was missing. He talks about the cultural differences that he's experienced and how his perspectives have changed since moving. He describes some of the challenges he faced along the way, as well as how reality didn't always match his expectations.2021-08-231h 57
Life Leesons25 Denise Lee: Exploring the Arctic and a Sense of Social JusticeDenise was one of the handful of students who were picked to visit and explore the Arctic when she was in high school. She describes the trip as breath-taking and recalls some of the people she got to interact with and the sights she got to see. She explains how seeing the Arctic in person and meeting the people gave her a new found appreciation for nature and the environment. Since then, she's been more active in fighting climate change by researching economic solutions in the Amazon and exploring different legal policies.
To learn more about...2021-08-161h 33
Life Leesons24 Julia Montgomery: Speech-Language Pathology and PowerliftingJulia recently got into the super competitive Speech-Language Pathology Masters program at UBC and I just wanted to hear about how her journey up to now has been. She explained why she wanted to go into the program and the interesting things she's been able to learn along the way. She also explains the application process and the anxiety she felt during that time. In addition to that, she's very passionate about powerlifting and lifts way heavier than I do. She told me about how she got into the sport and how it has positively impacted her life. She...2021-08-091h 33
Life Leesons23 Ryan Lau: Dentistry, Extroversion and Building a GBWC ChampionMany of you might already know Ryan as the 2018 Gundam Builders World Cup Champion but I was hoping to know what experiences built and shaped him into who he is today. Beyond crafting he's an amazing dentist, husband, father, photographer and plays many other roles. This episode goes through a bunch of different stories throughout Ryan's life including how he kept changing cities growing up and basically became illiterate; how he first got interested in dentistry and the people that inspired him to do so; how he met his wife and the way they complement each other; as well...2021-07-262h 10
Life Leesons22 Chanelle Chow: Traditional Chinese Painting and Food BloggingChanelle is a very skilled and creative person and I've always enjoyed seeing her artwork and hobbies. On this episode she explains to me how she started Chinese traditional paintings and how its something she's always really enjoyed and was self-driven about. We discuss all sorts of things on the topic such as having a mentor, how she still tries to improve and tips for beginners. Her other side hustle is her food blog. She describes how she wanted to put her reviews out there and try and give more honest critiques of restaurants. She has quite an interesting...2021-07-1953 min
Life Leesons21 Flora Zhang: Adjusting to the Pandemic and Self-ReflectionWith Flora being the only executive member of my dance team that did not physically come to practice, I knew the pandemic must have had quite an impact on her. She shares how she struggled initially to adjust to the quarantine life and how she wasn't used to having so much time by herself. During this time she has a realization that she never really became friends with herself and so her journey of self-reflection began as she tried to determine how her experiences shaped her. We also discussed her parent's strong influence on her wide variety of hobbies...2021-07-121h 28
Life Leesons20 Ashley Li: Fulfilling a Childhood Dream and Releasing an EPWhen I found out Ashley had just released an EP on all streaming platforms I was quite surprised and instantly wanted to ask her about her process and inspirations. Before she released music I didn't even realize she sang and she confirmed that she mostly kept it as a private hobby. She explains to me how she's always enjoyed singing and wanted to create her own music but with almost no musical background she didn't think it would be possible. However, opportunities arose and she was able to come up with melodies and lyrics and eventually complete her EP...2021-07-051h 00
Life Leesons19 Melody Chen: Sticking Through Nursing and Getting COVIDHaving not dug too deep into Melody's nursing journey, she shared her experience having just graduated from nursing at the University of Alberta. She explains how like many others she felt inadequate and began second doubting whether she was following the right career path. She talks about some clinical experiences she had that really affected her negatively, but luckily she also had a very supportive clinical that gave her a lot more confidence. I got to learn about the things she learned at her neonatal clinical and just how she felt during her time there. Unfortunately, she also tested...2021-06-281h 40
Life Leesons18 Sean Choy: The Heart Attack, Anxiety and RecoveryBasketball had been a large portion of Sean's life growing up and we talked about the anxiety and void he felt when quitting the team in grade 12. However when he had his first heart attack in late 2019, the anxiety and void he felt was almost overwhelming. Sean recalls the events that happened leading up to his life-changing heart attack and relives the thoughts he had at the time. He talks about the long recovery he has been going through both physically and mentally. Physically, it was unclear how to solve his condition and he had to undergo surgeries. Mentally...2021-06-141h 24
Life Leesons17 Katrina Kwong: Developing an Identity Outside of BasketballFor as long as I've known her, Kat and basketball always belonged in the same sentence. As a grade 8 on the senior team and a Team BC member, she was well-recognized for her talents and hard work in basketball. However once she stopped playing, she says it felt like a big part of her was suddenly missing. We talk about how she first got introduced to basketball and what motivated her to train so hard. She reminisced on her training, what it was like at tryouts and practices and her favourite things about the sport. From there though she...2021-06-071h 36
Life Leesons16 Blessy Rivera: Growing Up in an All-Girls EnvironmentBlessy has the unique experience of not only growing up in a family of four daughters, but also going to an all-girls school. She explains what her house dynamic was like having three other sisters and their shared similarities. She gives her thoughts on her schooling and also talks about her particular university program that allowed her to study in UK for the first year. She talks about the contrast she faced and some of the challenges about suddenly living abroad on her own. As one of the best singers and dancers that I know, I asked her how...2021-05-311h 20
Life Leesons15 Ryan Curtis: From the Big Bang Theory to Detecting Dark MatterRyan has an absolute passion for physics and people. He has been a part of some cutting-edge physics research such as detecting dark matter and I wanted to learn more about his journey. He told me how his interest for physics sprouted from unusual places such as the popular sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." He continues explaining how his passion for it grew and how his hard-working nature helped him achieve the things he wanted. I got to learn more about dark matter, the things he has researched, and how he felt during the process.
To...2021-05-241h 12
Life Leesons14 Dezheng Kong: Becoming a National Master in ChessWith an elo of above 2300 and a title of national master, Dezheng is the best chess player that I personally know. He told me about his accidental introduction to chess and how with the support of his teacher, he felt it was something he could pursue seriously. We talk about what has kept him interested in chess for such a long period of time and what tournaments are like. Having primarily played and watched chess online, it was interesting to hear how over-the-board chess games are like. It was also cool to hear about some of his goals, such...2021-05-171h 20
Life Leesons13 Adin Kwok Pt 2: Finding New Joy in Business, Computer Science and MusicThis episode is part two of Adin Kwok's story, so if you haven't heard part one, check out last week's episode. This episode we talked about the things he has been able to accomplish despite his concussion incident. He talks about why he applied to the business and computer science program he is currently in and continues by explaining how fortunate he is to have gotten some internships. We also talk about his mixtape that he recently dropped and how music has been a new outlet for him. It was also really interesting hearing throughout the episode some specific...2021-05-031h 08
Life Leesons12 Adin Kwok Pt 1: The Concussion, Trauma and RehabilitationBefore this episode I had only spoken to Adin once and it was because he had written a short blog post about an assault he experienced as a kid resulting in a life changing concussion. I wanted to dig deeper into what that traumatic experience was like for him and how he managed to bounce back from an incident like that. He explains the impact the incident had on not just him but the community around him. Besides physically changing him, he started to have a new outlook on life and it was cool to hear how he views...2021-04-261h 01
Life Leesons11 Diana Pham: Physiotherapy School and Dragon BoatingDiana's finishing up her time in physiotherapy school at Western University, which is a career path I considered after high school. I wanted to hear about why she went into the program, the process, and how she's enjoying it so far. She talks about how she transfers into the faculty of kinesiology and the different processes each university has for physio school. We also talk about how there's more than what meets the eye with physiotherapy, and that there is also an emotional aspect to it. Since we met through the dragon boat community, it was also fitting to...2021-04-191h 12
TheInquisitor Podcast with Marcus CauchiAre You Making Every Word Count?Eloise Leeson discusses the power of words. We explore linguistics, language, copy writing and what it takes to be an effective word smith.
Take a moment to visit your own website home page. Read it as a customer would read it. Do you communicate your relevance, your value quickly and powerfully?
Review your last 10 emails to prospects and customers. If you were on the receiving end of your communication, would you get past the first sentence? Make it to the end? Take the desired action you were hoping they would?
Do you write...2021-04-181h 09
Life Leesons10 Jacqueline Yan: Law School and Continuing a High School RelationshipJacqueline's one of my older cousins and not just any cousin. You know those cousins that your mom will always compare you to? Her and her brother were those cousins for me and rightfully so. They’re making their family proud as her brother is currently in med school to become a doctor while she’s currently in law school at UBC. We got to discuss her path into law school, how she got to where she is today, and different values she's kept along the way. In addition, I learned a lot more about the law school system and...2021-04-121h 21
Life Leesons9 Kevin Ma: Quarantine, Climbing, Raves and RelationshipsI met Kevin at a climbing gym almost two years ago when I moved to Edmonton for a coop and had no friends there. Luckily, we got along really well and we ended up climbing and hanging out multiple times a week. Since moving back we haven't really had a chance to catch up so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. We started off with a little more small talk, just seeing what we've been up to, how we've been navigating quarantine and how we miss climbing. Part way through though I got to hear his experience with...2021-03-291h 24
Life Leesons8 Anna Zhang: Solo Athletic Adventures and Mental HealthAnna Zhang is by far the most athletic person I know. Having heard of her adventures climbing without rope at high heights and cycling from city to city with nothing but a tent, I wanted to reflect with her on all the cool things she's accomplished and hear about what its been like for her. I got to hear about some life threatening stories and how excited and freeing she finds the great outdoors. Besides the cool things she's done though, she also opens up about her mental health which is something that's always a little tough to open...2021-03-221h 18
Life Leesons7 Marek Boulerice: Mechanical Engineering and Growing Up in the YukonMech Series 3: To finish off this mini series, I had Marek Boulerice in this week to talk about his views on mechanical engineering and the experiences he has had growing up in the Yukon. He talks about how he is generally more interested in the journey than the destination and how that applied to some of his university decisions. He also shares some of the engineering experiences he's had in the sustainability industry where he's worked on things like hydrogen fuel cells and fuel efficient cars. However he also talks a little about the struggles he's faced trying to...2021-03-151h 27
Life Leesons6 Chia Chi Chen: Mechanical Engineering and Growing Up in South AfricaMech Series 2: Continuing with the series, I talked with Chia Chi who's one of the handful of girls in my class. Besides hearing about her experience in mechanical engineering, she grew up in Durban, South Africa and I wanted learn more about that. We had previously talked about how we felt a little unsure about our program so I was pleasantly surprised to hear that she started getting more involved and felt more passionate about her work and education. She talks about the cool autonomous sailboat project she's been working on as well as how she feels about working...2021-03-081h 12
Life Leesons5 Chris Sutanto: Mechanical Engineering, Biology Research and Side HobbiesMech Series 1: Today's episode starts off a 3 week series where I'll be interviewing classmates of mine in Mechanical Engineering at UBC. I think it will be cool to hear about their different thoughts despite going through the same program. We're starting it off with Chris who was the first friend I actually made in Mech and a close friend of mine. He talks about why he picked mechanical engineering, and some of the cool projects he's been a part of, including making an off-road vehicle and automating tests for a biology research lab. We also go on to hear...2021-03-011h 09
Life Leesons4 Andrew Yong: Making Over $100k and the Inside Out MindsetWhen Andrew and I met, he quickly piqued my interest when he told me he was super into finance, and he ended up making over $100k this year with his own money. I wanted to understand how he got this point and the mindset he has when collaborating with others. Despite being a kinesiology student and having other plans originally, he discusses how he wanted to become more financially educated and his drive for money. We talk about how he got this drive, and some experiences that helped shape him. He also goes on to talk about how he...2021-02-221h 14
Life Leesons3 Julian Clayton-Edwards: Discovering Japanese Language and CultureJulian is possibly the only person I know who seriously plans to try and start a career in Japan and I wanted to know what led him to that decision. He explains how he made an abrupt switch to studying Japanese in University and the feelings he went through after making that switch. We discussed the difficulty of learning a new language as well as the shared appreciation we have for the Japanese culture. He also shared some fun stories of what it was like to work in Japan, and some of the culture shock he experienced. This was...2021-02-151h 25
Life Leesons2 Kurt Chen: Dance, Violin, and Becoming a Professional MusicianOn this week's episode I brought in one of my newer friends, Kurt Chen. He's currently the dance team captain for Project U&G, which is a dance team I'm apart of at UBC. He's a music student with many musical skills and projects, so I was interested to hear about his stories as well as his upbringing. We discussed his parents involvement in his musical endeavours and their thoughts on him pursuing music professionally. We also touched upon what it was like growing up in an all-boys high school and his social life. I had a lot...2021-02-081h 13
Life Leesons1 Lawrence Tu: Volleyball and Work After Science UndergradLawrence Tu's been a good friend of mine for a while and something pretty unique about him is that he managed to find a research job he loves, right after completing his science undergrad at UBC. As an undergrad student myself, many of us are uncertain about what to do once we complete our undergrad, so I wanted to know about his thought process during his time at university and his overall experiences. Along the way we discussed our common sport of volleyball and topics like stress and motivation.2021-02-011h 06
Life LeesonsEmbarking On A JourneyHello and welcome to the Life Leesons podcast, the podcast that explores different people’s journeys in life. I’m Marcus Leeson, and I’ll be your host for this series. Now there are tons of different podcasts out there so why listen to this one? I find that other podcasts have people that are perceived to have succeeded already, and as a normal university student, it is sometimes hard to relate to these people. Personally, I want to hear from people in similar positions to me and who are also still figuring out their path. So each week I sit do...2021-01-3100 min
Sustainable AsiaEIGHT MILLION: China and the Global Plastic ChallengeEverywhere you look, on beaches and in seas around the world, there’s plastic, and this is changing the fabric of our oceans. Why is plastic ocean pollution such a problem - particularly in Asia?In this episode we will be talking to experts from the academic, government and advocacy world, to learn about the impact of ocean plastic on seafood and our health. We will learn about how microplastics differ across the world, and about the source of much ocean plastic pollution: uncollected waste from land.Guests: Craig Leeson, Director, A Plastic Oce...2019-03-1319 min