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Journaling: How Writing Changed My Life

In this episode I talk about the power of writing and what it has done for me. I share some tips to get you started and invite you to participate in a 30 day journaling challenge.

Reinvention. Yes. You. Can!

Have you ever wondered if it was too late to reinvent your life? Have you ever felt like maybe you were caught in midlife crisis? What if it were actually a midlife correction?

Why #NotAllMen Is Not OK

Join me for a conversation with a few dudes about the importance of men showing up as allies. We talk about the why and we talk about the how as well.

Men and International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day. For me part of Becoming a Better Man is about learning to be a better ally for gender equity. It means learning to forget what I think I know and ask questions to really dive in and learn more. It means replacing judgement with curiosity and getting intentional with how I show up in the world.

Heart Over Head: Valentine Ramblings Of A Writer

The human heart beats around 115,000 times per day.  A recent study from Queens University has found that on average humans will have 6,200 thoughts per day.  Coincidence? I think not.  OK Mike what the hell are you talking about? Who cares? Well on this day of St. Valentine I thought it would be fun […]

What’s Your Story? Managing Emotion Through The Stories We Tell

We are all made of stories

It was over 20 years ago but I remember the feeling vividly to this day. As a 28 year old high school drop out who prided himself on his work ethic I was on the top of the world.  After 4 years of hard work I had been given a large promotion at one of […]

Personal Development Scavenger Hunt

Who says personal development can’t be fun?! This activity is one of the many practices I use with our Lifestyle By Design group. It is an excellent way to propel your growth and gain some insights into who you really are.

Money Date Monday!

For many men our emotional relationship with finances can be strained. We tend to ignore things that cause us discomfort. Let’s talk about fixing that!

Finding Your Edge

The Key To Personal Development

The key to personal growth is finding your ‘edge’ on a consistent basis and expanding it regularly.

How To Crush Complacency

How to get unstuck

All of us at some point in our lives become stuck. We get complacent. Today I talk about how to get out of that rut.

Yes You Can!

How to Live Your Dreams

Have you ever wondered about starting that side hustle? Getting that promotion? Building the kind of life that you dream of? If you have found yourself asking the question “Can I really do that?” the answer is an unequivocal “Yes You Can!”

Does Goal Setting Really Work?

Traditional personal development models don’t work. The notion that we should set a ‘goal’ and work backward is flawed. Here’s why…

Walking The Talk with Paul Laberge

When tragedy strikes we have choices. We can choose to go down that dark path of loss and despair or we can choose to use our pain to be a catalyst for change. Listen to Paul’s story of turning tragedy into triumph.

Setting A New Years Intention

We often talk about new years resolutions but what if that concept were flawed? What if intention setting could set you up for a more powerful year?

Are You Ready For The Second Pandemic?

With vaccines being delivered we can see a light at the end of the tunnel for COVID-19. The question is what next? How do we deal with the emotional aftermath?

Curiosity Over Judgement

It is very easy to jump into judgement and condemnation these days. What would happen if we started to look at things through a lens of curiousity?

How To Build A Business Not A Job

Many entrepreneurs end up building themselves a job. Today we talk about how to create a business that transcends simply creating yourself a job.

Self Discipline: How to Achieve it and How to Lead it

For many of us in the entrepreneurial space we often talk about our struggles with lack of focus and an abundance of distraction. I have worked with many entrepreneurs and this is a common theme. What if focus wasn’t really the problem? What if we could simply learn to have more self-discipline?

How To Excel No Matter What

There is one thing that sets apart those who excel in life and those who don’t. Consistency and repetition is paramount to success.

A Survivors Story with Neil Campbell

Neil Campbell had the unimaginable happen to him when he was only 9 years old. 35 years later he started sharing his story in the hopes of helping others.

Two Words That Could Save Your Relationship

I had a powerful experience with a client this week that reminded me of the power of these two words. They are somewhat counter intuitive for men but can be incredibly powerful.

What Does It Mean To Be A Good Man?

What does it mean to be a good man? While all of us may have different definitions of what it means to be a good man, we can all actively do our part to support and promote being a ‘good man’ in society. What is your definition of what it means to be a good man?

Why You Matter!

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Why do you matter? Do you plan to matter? Perhaps you should.

What I’ve Learned in 165 Daily Episodes

I thought after 165 daily episodes it would be worth reflecting on what I have learned in that time frame. What those of you who watch my shows have learned and how I can apply this moving forward.

International Men’s Day

Today is International Men’s Day. Here is why it is important to celebrate it. Join me for a conversation on the importance of creating a space for conversation.

Slow The F&*k Down Man!

If you have been waiting for a sign from the Universe then this is it. Dudes, it is time to learn how to slow the F down.

Creating Life Changing Moments

We all have those life changing moments. Those points in time that change the course of the trajectory we thought our life was on. How often do we actively create them? Today I will share one of my “life changing” moments with you

The Trouble With Men

Even as we start to make progress in men’s wellness and evolution, we still get stuck in old tropes. Let’s talk about some of those challenges and how we can get around them.

Amateur or Pro? Which are you?

Do we wait for inspiration to strike or do we have the discipline to make it happen regardless of inspiration. How do you make the switch from amateur to pro?

COVID: Who’s Looking at the Big Picture?

This may be a little controversial but it is a discussion that needs to be had. Who is looking at ALL the repercussions that this pandemic and our response to it has?

Samra Zafar: Men, vulnerability and why we should care

Samra Zafar is a speaker and writer, whose story of being a teen bride and survivor of domestic abuse became a bestselling memoir, “A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose” in Canada. Join me for a conversation with Samra

The Burden of Being A Dude

In this episode we riff on the price of the patriarchy on men. The weight that we feel on having to provide, perform and show up strong.

What kind of man are you?

There is no one size fits all when it comes to masculinity. Join me in conversation with Luke West on what he has learned about masculinity

Why Do Men Struggle To Slow Down?

When it comes to pushing hard, moving fast men seem quite adept at it. However many times in order to perform best we need to learn to slow down

Self Compassion for Men

Many of us men struggle with compassion for self. We beat ourselves up for not being perfect. The negative self talk, our inner critic can be very damaging.

How to deal with self sabotage

Self sabotage are those roadblocks we put in our own way. There are a number of reasons why we do this. Today we explore the why and how to overcome.

A different kind of forgiveness

A different kind of forgiveness

We are often taught that forgiveness is important for healing. We also know it can be one of the most difficult things to do. What if there was a different way to look at it?

How to become an overnight success

Overnight success is usually the culmination of a decade or more hard work. Are you looking for the quick fix? Or are you willing to play the long game? It’s those that jump from quick fix to quick fix that often fail to excel in any arena.

Why I am done creating “Awareness”

This one is more of a rant. I am done talking about the problem. I want to focus my energy on implementing things that are solution oriented. The solutions are a lot simpler than we make them out to be.

Power Skills for Success

You can find a plethora of online and in person courses that talk of tricks, tactics and behaviours to improve your life and business. What if there were more to it? What if there were skills needed that aren’t being taught well? Men, join me for a conversation on how to excel.

How to be a good friend

Sometimes when someone is struggling we have no idea how to “be there” for them. This has come up a few times in the last week so thought I would address it here.

7 Tips On Managing Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are a big part of our world right now. We have so many unknowns out there that it is easy to slip into a pattern of fear and anxiety. Here are a few practices that I use with myself and my clients.

Why Should I Embrace Vulnerability?

When it comes to vulnerability it is hard for us to wrap our head around why we would practice it at all. This morning I share some of the learnings from my lived experience as well as Brene Browns definition of vulnerability. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”
― Brené Brown

Keys to a positive relationship

What are some of the keys to cultivating positivity in your relationships? Join Michelle and I for a conversation on this topic.

Three Words That Will Change Your Life

When events happen that cause a strong emotional reaction how we respond can be a game changer. Whether in life or in business managing reactions is a key component to success.

Where will your path take you?

When life throws us a curve ball sometimes we just have to follow the path. Today I am going to share some of the stories of my 3 day back country camping trip at Pinto Lake and the lessons learned.

Resistance, Self Sabotage and Fear

Life is hard enough as it is but where do we put things in our own way? Taking the time to really reflect on this can be a game changer

How to be a hero

In 2003 a terrible avalanche buried Ken and twelve clients in the Selkirk mountains of British Columbia claiming the lives of; Dave Finnerty, Naomi Heffler, Kathy Kessler, Craig Kelly, Vern Lunsford, Jean Luc Schwendener, and Dennis Yates. The event was entirely avoidable.

Ken, the founder of Archetypal, recognized that the tragedy was caused by both guides inability to listen with humility and to act on what was heard. A failure to listen is often the cause of our suffering as human beings. The tragedy made this simple concept but challenging practice clear to Ken.

Billion Dollar Leadership

Yousry Bissada is one of the most inspiring leaders I know. He is the CEO of Home Capital, a billion dollar organization. In this interview we talk about the importance of values. Yousry is the epitome of a nice guy finishing first.

Bob Burg – The Go-Giver

Bob Burg is the co-author of the best selling parable of The Go-Giver. In this conversation we talk about the importance of empathetic leadership

Connect’d Men: What the Hell is a Men’s Group?

Our Connect’d Men’s group currently meets weekly. Our intent is to create a space for men to practice emotional mastery. You will find a group of supportive individuals who are also on a path to self discovery. If you would like to join us please register here. Connected Men, Connected Men

The Fallacy of Fearless

This was a piece I wrote 4 years ago when I had committed to writing 1000 words per day to finish my book. This obviously never made the book but it is interesting to go back and explore the mindset. As I sit here in front of my computer at the office trying to ‘will’ […]

Adjust and Adapt

3 weeks out from Tarawera 100 miler and today I’ve got a 3 hour run. With wind chills in the minus 34 range, I will have to do my workout on the track and practice some of that mental toughness. One of the things I love about ultra marathons is that we never know what […]

Promise and Deliver

Promise and Deliver Under promise. Over deliver. I think we’ve all heard the adage. I’m much more a fan of the simple version. Promise and deliver. I remember when I was in the mortgage business some 20 odd years ago, I asked the number one producer in the company if I could shadow him to […]

Don’t Compare Your Mile 1 To Someone Else’s Mile 99

Don’t Compare Your Mile 1 To Someone else’s Mile 99 Have you ever gone back and looked at the early work of somebody who you admire? I remember when I first started podcasting. I was listening to a fellow by the name of Mitch Joel and I think he was on something like episode 468. […]

How To Solve Problems Before They Happen

How to stop problems before they happen You know, with over 20 years experience in business as a founder, a business leader, I’ve had to deal with my fair share of problems and challenges. And I’ve got to tell you that the vast majority of those problems and challenges all stem back to the same […]

Raising Boys: Let’s Get Physical

Raising Boys: Let’s Get Physical! When it comes to raising boys and helping them better connect with their emotions, there is a lot of value in getting physical. Boys sometimes have a hard time identifying what they are feeling emotionally.  Somatic markers are physical manifestations of emotions and are sometimes easier for boys to identify. […]

Raising Boys: Model The Way

Raising Boys: Model The Way When it comes to raising boys into fine young men, there is no better guide than how we behave ourselves. If we want to raise compassionate, empathetic young men then we need to make sure we are practicing compassion and empathy when we are dealing with them. This can be […]

The Key to Creating Lasting, Meaningful Change

How to create meaningful change Far too often when we want to make lasting change we focus on the wrong things. We tend to focus on the behaviours rather than the underlying emotions that drive the decisions that cause the behaviors. In order to create any kind of lasting, meaningful change we need to get […]

Are you present or are you present?

Are you really here? In a podcast interview I did recently I talked a bit about parenting. I talked about how I was always physically present with my kids.  I did all the things a ‘good dad’ is supposed to do. I coached soccer, I attended recitals, school performances and all the parent teacher interviews. […]

Creating Joy!

Creating Joy Last night at our men’s group we talked about finding joy. We talked about the importance of taking a moment to find the joy in our lives. Maybe more importantly we talked about where we can create joy in our lives. We talked about how simple it is to create joy in our […]

Success Comes When…

Success Comes When… It is so easy in this world that seems to value material things to get caught up in the race. Working hard to acquire all the ‘things’ that make us successful. For years I chased all of the trappings of success. The fancy car, the house and even what I thought the […]

You Can Do More Than You Know

You Are Stronger Than You Know Last night I watched the conclusion of Big’s Back Yard Ultra. This is an incredible event where runners run a 4 mile loop over and over. They are required to be on the start line every hour and keep going until there is only one runner left. This year […]

Read Something That Challenges Your Beliefs

Consume Something That Challenges Your Beliefs In a world full of algorithms that feed us content that constantly caters to our online behaviours it is easy to live in an echo chamber. We are continually served up data that reinforces what we think, believe and how we act. It is important to find ways to […]

Sometimes We Have To Do The Things We Least Desire….

Sometimes we have to do the things we least desire… Some days we really do not feel like doing the things that we need to do. It is when we can get past that and act anyhow that growth truly comes. Sometimes in order to become the man we are most meant to be we […]

With Awareness Comes Choice

With Awareness Comes Choice I first heard this truism from Eckert Tolle. We can’t change what we can’t see. As men we tend to get so busy in our lives that it is easy to miss out on full awareness. This is why it is so important for us to simply slow down, take a […]

Focus on Becoming More

Focus on Becoming More… For many years I chased all of the ‘things’. I chased the material items. The fancy car (I bought a Porsche when I was 26), the oceanfront apartment, the 6 figure income and all the trappings. What I eventually came to realize was that these things were not what actually brought […]

Time to shine!

Time To Shine! Last night at our Connect’d Men’s group, we followed up with our conversation on Emotional Avoidance. One of the things that came up was the fact that a lot of us had areas where we not only suppressed feelings but we also suppressed parts of ourselves.  The discussion was around where we […]

Emotional Avoidance

Emotional Avoidance Sometimes as children when we are faced with difficult or even traumatic events we learn to suppress or avoid uncomfortable feelings. This is often because we lack the emotional maturity to deal with these feelings so we push them aside. While this may be a decent short term coping strategy when we are […]

Creating Connection

Creating Connection So many times when I am passionate about a message I have to share I can get caught up in making that message the priority. It’s easy to forget the old adage “No one cares what you know til they know that you care.” Before imparting our wisdom on an individual it is […]

Celebrate the small moments

Time Well Spent One of my favourite things is my morning coffees with my partner Michelle. We don’t live together so they do not happen every day. When those coffee moments do happen it is so important that they are enjoyed and not wished away. Too often we get so worried about productivity that we […]

Strong Opinions, Loosely Held

Strong Opinions, Loosely Held Last night we had a great discussion on different economic and political systems and their merits and shortcomings. We had 3 generations involved in the discussion and the opinions varied widely. The debate was lively and at times passionate. I practiced reminding myself to keep the framework of “Strong opinions, loosely […]

Community

Today I talk a little bit about the importance of community and specifically recognizing and appreciating your community.  Your challenge today is to find a way to show some love and appreciation to your community. Are you up for the challenge? Let me know what you come up with!

The Importance of “Holding Space”

I wanted to share with you an experience I had that is honestly one of the best moments of my life. This was an incredible example of a very important topic. ‘Holding Space’ for another human being. What does it mean to “Hold Space” for someone? This is a topic that has profound impact on […]

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