Faith Cooke is one of the elite competitors on the 2020 Spartan Games series where she has showcased her prowess in power events and athletic versatility. Her infectious personality, enthusiasm and desire to inspire a generation of strong, confident women has quickly made her a viewer favourite. Although Faith is a multi-sport athlete having competed in the CrossFit Open Regionals, marathons and triathlons, her main athletic focus right now is weightlifting. She is a dedicated personal trainer, ...
Dec 22, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Max Fennell was on the path to professional soccer when he suffered a devastating knee injury that derailed his plans. That is when he turned to triathlon where he excelled and became the first African American professional athlete in the sport. He has since been a featured athlete on the CBS game show Million Dollar Mile and is currently one of the twelve male competitors on the 2020 Spartan Games series. Yet another big statement of Max's well rounded abilities is that he is both a successful ...
Dec 15, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Tia-Clair Toomey was favoured to win the 2020 Crossfit Games. She did that in dominating fashion as she was again crowned the Fittest Woman on Earth. She won 9 of 12 events outright and smashed records along the way. She became the first female competitor to win 4 CrossFit Games titles - she has managed to win every year since 2017. She has also set new markers of success in her sport with 6 consecutive event wins and all time event wins with 24. Her husband Shane is her coach, her training part...
Dec 08, 2020•40 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Annie Thorisdottir is a two time Fittest Woman on Earth - the first woman to accomplish that feat. She is an 11 time Crossfit Games qualifier with 5 podium finishes. On top of being one of the most revered and recognizable superstars in her sport, she is now a mother with her eyes on a return to the Games. "Iceland Annie" is a co-owner of her own Crossfit gym in Reykjavik where she has paved the way for an amazing amount of young women and men to rise to the top of the sport. In this episode hos...
Nov 24, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Stacie Mistysyn is best known for her time as the character Caitlin Ryan on Degrassi. She grew up alongside an entire generation of fans through multiple iterations of the incredibly popular hit show. Now a mom of two busy kids, Stacie has transitioned her love of learning, fitness and wellness into a coaching and online training business. In this episode, podcast host Jamie Allison chats with Stacie about her inspirational journey through dealing with being a young celebrity, her struggles with...
Nov 18, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 8
From world championship ultra-running and wrestling NFLers in the Spartan Games to representing Team Canada on Amazon Prime's World's Toughest Race: Eco Challenge Fiji, Ryan Atkins does it all in sports. He is the winningest obstacle racer of all time and is married to another legend in the sport - Lindsay Webster. Ryan is a two-time winner of the Spartan North America Championships and two-time winner of the Spartan Ultra World Championships. He is also a World Champion Uni-cyclist - so he does...
Nov 10, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Not long before COVID turned the world on its head, host Jamie Allison sat down with Joe De Sena to talk about leadership, perseverance, raising resilient kids and achieving BIG goals. Joe de Sena, Founder and CEO of Spartan has appeared with, or been interviewed by, everyone from Joe Rogan, Richard Branson and Tim Ferriss to Grant Cardone and Gary Vaynerchuk. Joe has demonstrated his entrepreneurial drive since his pre-teens. After building a multimillion-dollar pool and construction business i...
Nov 03, 2020•28 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Natalie Spooner is a member of the Team Canada National Hockey team and is the first player to compete for the National Women’s Team, the National Women’s Under-22 Team and the National Women’s Under-18 Team. She competed in her first Olympic Games at Sochi 2014 where she scored the first two goals in Canada’s 3-1 semifinal victory over Switzerland en route to the gold medal. She was also a member of Canada’s silver medal-winning squad at PyeongChang 2018. In addition to her hockey pursuits, she...
Oct 27, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Wow! One year already? Little did we know when this all started what an important and engaging project Big Idea Big Moves would turn out to be. The "destination for high performers" took on new meaning as we all dealt with the changes and challenges of 2020. The more people had to overcome, the more they leaned on the advice, stories and experiences of our guests. In our inaugural season we spoke with athletes, CEOs, rocket scientists, cancer survivors, ultra runners, pop stars, mindfulness expe...
Oct 20, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Sangita Patel an engaging entertainment reporter for ET Canada who has interviewed world-class celebrities from Julia Roberts and George Clooney to Helen Mirron to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. She is also the host of HGTV Canada’s high stakes show Home to Win. Whether hosting on-stage, sharing her personal story, or acting as a brand spokesperson, Sangita infuses everything she does with passion and professionalism. She was named one of HELLO! Canada magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People”, and is t...
Oct 13, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 5
B. Jeffrey Madoff is a director, photographer, playwright, author and professor in New York City. He has helped position many major brands such as Ralph Lauren, Victoria's Secret and Radio City Music Hall and himself was chosen as on the of the top 10 designers in the US. He is Founder and CEO of Madoff Productions, a film production company that creates brand content including commercials, web content, music videos and documentaries. His online videos for Victoria's Secret have won a coveted We...
Oct 06, 2020•39 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Dani Doucette is a rising star on the pop and R&B scene. Her sound is all her own, but she has drawn comparisons to artists like Halsey. She is a proud songwriter, has recently recorded new music, is in the middle of producing an international music video and been featured in a unique "quarantine" drive-in concert event. Dani is also an international fashion and fitness model and has worked with some of the most acclaimed designers in the world. In this episode host Jamie Allison talks with ...
Sep 29, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Mario Rigby is a modern day explorer that's not afraid to push physical and mental limits all while addressing the issues of diversity, poverty and sustainability. Mario has completed an astonishing 12,000 km trek northward across eight African countries, entirely by foot and kayak. He was tested physically and emotionally in ways that would make anyone stop short. He contracted malaria, kayaked 550 km across Lake Malawi for two months, dodged bullets with government soldiers in a war zone, was ...
Sep 21, 2020•38 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Long before “social networking” became a buzzword, Bruce made his mark as a digital pioneer by co-founding Lavalife in 1988. Under his direction, this early tech start-up grew into the marquee brand in online dating with over 2,000,000 users (and countless successful marriages!). After its spectacular rise and with the support of his partners, he led the sale of the company for a stunning 180 million dollars. Bruce is now taking his expertise to a new level; he currently helms Round13 Capital, a...
Sep 14, 2020•31 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Hannah Huesman is a Mental Skills Coach in the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball organization where she works with their athletes on improving performance using evidence-based techniques. She has worked with business executives, firefighters and first responders, actors and athletes of all ages. She has a social media series called Mental Sweat Mondays with a one minute weekly session on how to work on your mental game. In this episode, host Jamie Allison and Hannah talk about building...
Sep 07, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Samanah Duran is a successful fashion entrepreneur, a Forbes 30 under 30 most influential individual in retail and e-commerce as well as a digital media powerhouse. She built and leads the highly successful "indulgent streetwear" brand Critics Clothing and has branched out to launch the media and news company Be Your Own. The #BeYourOwnUK brand is focused heavily on supporting, empowering and highlighting women entrepreneurs. She has a podcast of her own, is a sought after speaker and a media pe...
Sep 01, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Bridget Case is a sports journalist, the host of the popular After Orange Slices and Turbo Talk podcasts, a retired NFL Cheerleader and former NBC and CBS sports anchor. In this episode, host Jamie Allison talks with Bridget about her varied career and journey into digital sports media, how she found confidence in her abilities, and the challenges and biases women in male-dominated professions deal with everyday. Tell Bridget and Jamie what you think about this episode by leaving a review and ra...
Aug 25, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Nicole Pollock and Jorie Brown are the co-founders of Cotton Candy Event Staffing , a promotional staffing, event management and creative concept company that has worked with top brands like Nike, Canada Goose, MLSE and Google. Nicole and Jorie both began their journeys as young competitive dancers, followed by many years as ambassadors and performers for the Toronto Raptors Dance Pak and the Toronto Argonauts. The amalgamation of their creative performance backgrounds and life-long interests le...
Aug 18, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Tim Shauf is the President and CEO of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group. Tim started his career with Algoma Mutual Insurance Company in 1992. In 1999 Tim took a position with the former Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Company and was thrust into senior leadership early in his career . His 23 year involvement in the mutual insurance industry has also included sitting on a variety of Committees and Boards. Currently, Tim is the Past Deputy-President of the Governing Council of the Insurance Institut...
Aug 12, 2020•31 min•Season 1Ep. 40
As sports leagues open up, sanitation and safety will be key factors in keeping athletes, coaches and staff safe. Ryan Silver is the Director of Global Operations for Sani Sport. That is an organization that is heavily involved in the the Health and Safety protocols for return to play in the NHL, NFL and MLB. Sani Sport uses ozone technology to clean equipment and shared-space areas like locker rooms and therapy spaces. They service sports teams, military and law enforcement. Recently, their equ...
Aug 02, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Pooja Handa is an award-winning broadcaster who most people would recognize as the co-host of Toronto's #1 morning show, CP24 Breakfast. Pooja has been a news anchor, reporter, traffic reporter and entertainment host. She has covered everything from politics to entertainment and hosted many large events ranging from the Toronto International Film Festival and Toronto Pride Parade to the Toronto Raptors NBA Championship Parade and the 40th Annual JUNO Awards. She is also a repeat guest on shows l...
Jul 28, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 38
“It’s not rocket science”. 🚀 In the case of Bianca Cefalo it actually is! Aside from working on cool projects like the NASA/JPL InSight Mars Mission and working on Next Generation Telecommunication Spacecraft for Airbus Defence and Space, Bianca is on a personal and professional mission to smash barriers and long-held stereotypes around rocket science and STEM. Bianca Cefalo is a Space Systems Thermal Product Manager who enables Airbus Defence and Space UK to create and implement disruptive the...
Jul 20, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 37
For the past four years, Lauren Johnson has been a Mental Conditioning Coordinator for the New York Yankees. She has consistently focused on pushing the limits of high performance. Lauren herself is an experienced University soccer player and she has used that athletic experience, her schooling and a passion to improve performance through mental toughness to build her own rewarding career path. She works with elite athletes, military personnel, business leaders and, of course, the New York Yanke...
Jul 13, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Monika Kretshmer is the CEO and Founder of The Universal Womens Network™ , a global platform committed to gender equality by raising the bar to advance women in their networks, communities, and workplaces. The organization connects, celebrates and recognizes women along with men who SupportHER™ to empower women to succeed personally and professionally. In six short years, Monica has built a recognizable brand and spearheaded partnerships with government agencies, non-profits, venture capitalists...
Jul 07, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Chris Gronkowski is an entrepreneur and inventor of the Ice Shaker - an insulated protein shaker bottle that alleviated many of the problems Chris noticed as an elite athlete. Before this venture, Chris built a career for himself as a professional football player. He played for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. He comes from a high performing family dating back to his Olympian grandfather and now his own brothers, all high level professional athletes. Vanity Fair called ...
Jun 28, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Saijal Patel is the Founder and CEO of Saij Elle, a financial consulting and education platform with a mission to help client create financial independence and security. She also works with companies to build effective financial wellness and inclusion programs for their employees. Saijal is a CFA with over 20 years experience in the financial industry in both North America and Asia. She is a former business anchor and correspondent for Business News Network and CNBC Asia. She has been named one ...
Jun 23, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Charlie Engle is one of the most accomplished ultramarathon runners in the world, winning or placing in many of the most punishing endurance races across the globe. Charlie competed . In 2007 Engle's historic and record setting effort to be the first person to run across the Sahara Desert was documented in the film Running the Sahara which was narrated by Matt Damon and directed by James Moll (both Academy Award Winners). He was joined by two other runners: Ray Zahab of Canada and Kevin Lin of T...
Jun 16, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 32
David Liu is the founder and CEO of Deltapath, a leading communications company whose innovative technology helps businesses collaborate internally and with customers in a work culture that increasingly revolves around smartphones and other personal devices. Under David’s leadership, Deltapath’s solutions have been adopted by brands such as Campbell’s, Volkswagen and Nokia in 94 countries. At 14, David began exploring telecom technology with his home telephone and hi-fi radio. He connected the t...
Jun 08, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 31
In this episode, Jamie talks with Jana Webb about how she quickly changed her business model during the COVID-19 quarantine, how she broke down barriers and stereotypes in pro sports and yoga and how being on a reality show impacted her. Always an athlete, Jana Webb is the founder and CEO of Joga, a unique blend of yoga and sport that has revolutionized how people, including elite athletes, strengthen their mind and bodies. Joga was fuelled by Jana’s personal journey of rehabilitation after a ca...
May 30, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Robyn Benincasa is a Winner. She is the founder of World Class Teams, an adventure racing world champion, a CNN Hero, former corporate sales expert and a firefighter who advises organizations on building World Class Teams of their own. One of the highest-rated, female motivational speakers who regularly shares the stage with world leaders and business icons, her customers include many Fortune companies like Starbucks and Fast Company to Boeing and Microsoft. Robyn is the Founder of the Project A...
May 23, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 29
