The Bake Daddy is in the house! Today we were joined by one of the most nurturing humans, Craig Taylor aka @thebakedaddy_. Craig talks about the incredible time he had on the Food Network's show Great Chocolate Showdown where contestants compete for a $50,000 prize. We break down how one cake changed the trajectory of his career and one quote changed the dynamics of a fierce competition into a family of competitors who encouraged growth instead of breaking someone down. Get ready - because next ...
Oct 26, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Welcome to our Tuesday ramble. We deconstructed our normal Brunch Break to let you in on our behind-the-curtain chats. From showing up in meeting rooms, Tuesday rambles, massive turtles and using your voice, we take a moment away from graduate studies, auditions and studio days, and decompress the way we know best: with YOU. To connect with Bombshell Brunches: click HERE To connect with Kristina Lao: click HERE To connect with Raquelle Roodenburg: click HERE Thank you to our incredible BB Team: ...
Oct 19, 2021•54 min
Dr. Javeria Shah is, in short, a scholarly activist with a hilarious sense of humour, and a deep, kind intelligence surrounding decolonisation practice. We laughed from the get-go about her impeccable Robert DeNiro impersonation, murder hornets (which are still at large, I’ll have you know), and poo emojis (flashback to toilet roll scarcity, anyone?). We wrapped it all up in the world of social justice, and Dr. Javeria’s academic-led impact on deconstructing social norms. Dr. Javeria glamorizes ...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Well… it all starts with a dildo on the wall. This episode went all over the place from some of Kristina and Raquelle’s own past experiences to bad puns to learning how to navigate difficult conversations and learning not to internalize other people’s reactions to sex. Sex Therapist, Diana Sadat guides us through discussing lulls in a relationship with a partner to showing up as your most fulfilled self in a relationship to navigating sexual trauma and holding safe space for others. We talk abou...
Oct 05, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Vanessa (aka Raquelle’s Mama, or Mama R, as Kristina likes to say) is a force to be reckoned with. A true example of being the champion of your circumstances, Vanessa brunches with us on how she took her 19-year old self and newborn baby Raquelle to personal and professional heights. Now, with over 27 years of experience in health and benefits at the largest international actuarial consulting firms, we talk life design, strategising for success, and negotiating tips for your career at every leve...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Our latest episode with Liz Hendersen, commercial stylist for over a decade and the co-founder of Project Wardrobe (a clothing rental house for the film industry) was SUCH a treat. We dove into the difficulties around starting a business that is not commonly understood, the trials of renting warehouse space as two women, fierce friends and partnerships, the incredible power of RESPECT as a foundation in order to have real friendships and tough conversations AND acknowledging that business doesn’...
Sep 21, 2021•50 min
Alysha is a force of nature, and of nurture - humanising stigmatised people and exercising values-led leadership is something that we can all learn from. We sat down with Alysha to talk through her love of transformative interaction, starting with her own experiences with bad bosses and through a serendipitous series of exchanges within her neighbourhood, that led her to run this incredible charity. The saying goes that many of us are just two paycheques away from poverty. Alysha and her team ac...
Sep 14, 2021•58 min
Matthew Neutra is an innovator, a compelling speaker, and a distiller of imaginative, big-picture ideas. His commitment to mentorship, effective storytelling, and supporting emerging creatives leaves no wonder as to why he’s a next-level thinker and Lead Experience Engineer at Bose. From establishing trust, to asking the right questions (not trying to have the right answers), and wholeheartedly embracing failure, Matt leads us through some of the best tips and tricks he’s learned over the years,...
Sep 07, 2021•54 min
We are ecstatic to introduce you to our latest bombshell who arrived (very on-brand) yielding a mimosa glass in one hand and a Nerf gun in the other. Award-winning All-Star Middle Linebacker, two-time Grey Cup champion, and a eight-year Canadian Football League veteran, Shea Emry talked with us about the importance of creating safe spaces for men to “ventilate” (politically correct terminology here) their feelings. After suffering a concussion which put him out for almost a whole season, Shea wh...
Aug 31, 2021•57 min
What a FIERCE, FABULOUS episode! Natasha Jung takes us on a journey through the inception and continued growth of Cold Tea Collective, a 25-strong, volunteer-led organisation that tells stories for, by and about Asian Millennials. We talk finding your niche, engaging your stakeholders, building an authentic community, and creating lasting relationships. Natasha is, in our opinion, a true pioneer of facilitative leadership, and champion of anti-racism. One of Kristina’s absolute heroes, Cold Tea ...
Aug 24, 2021•52 min
Today is a MUST LISTEN: We talk using TikTok to gain brand awareness and authority as a professional, using YouTube’s short stories to gain MAJOR traction, and the power of forgetting failure and JUST TRYING THE THING. This episode is for creators, entrepreneurs and real estate investors (whether you’re on your first or fifth home, this episode has tricks and tips for you!). You don’t want to miss this badass brunch with Ashley Smith, who sits on the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver as the...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr
With special guest Dr. T aka Dad, aka Papa, aka Kristina Lao’s Father-dearest, we explore how to curate the career path that will keep you inspired, passionate and happy. We get into everything from how having a good resume can help alleviate imposter syndrome, tactics to keep you curious and inspired and how sometimes the biggest leaps forward come from someone doubting you. Dr. T lets us in on the secret that started him on a career path which spanned five countries and a world of experiences ...
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Today’s guest has been on Raquelle’s wish list for as long as the podcast has been around. We talked to Saschie from @formationstudio_ about navigating loss, how she turned her grief into a way to empower herself and others to heal and feel fabulous. From learning the hard lessons of finding out what she wasn’t made for to rebuilding herself after big oopsies (aka photoshopping your grades for your parents), Saschie is the badass, unapologetic, open book kind of woman we LOVE. Saschie spills the...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 1 min
S heena Russell is the Founder of Made with Local , a B Corp Certified, female-led small business that makes the most delicious, simple, nourishing snack bars without the crap in them. Her products are sold in stores across Canada including Loblaws, Costco, and Well.ca. Made with Local started as a small table at a farmer's market, selling snack bars. At the time, Sheena's table was next to a local apiary that made the most incredible honey. She began by bringing home a tub of their honey every ...
Jul 27, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Not unlike every other human in this (almost) post-pandemic world, Kristina and Raquelle have dedicated themselves to finding JOY this summer. But what is joy? What does it look like and how on green earth do you find it? Join Kristina and Raquelle as they boozy brunch chat their way through hunting for joy, releasing schedules (ahem - Kristina), expecting and learning to love imperfection (Raquelle) and all the other things that come with that elusive feeling. We talk about epic joy-hunting fai...
Jul 20, 2021•53 min
Do you think of boundaries as how to ‘say no’? SNAP! Well, this episode is for US! We gained so much from Justine’s holistic approach to stress management coaching - this goes beyond wellness and into proactively communicating with our peers, loved ones and others as confident, caring and connected humans. Justine highlights the shift from seeking constant external validation to practically training in daily self-awareness, so that we can share from our scars, not from our wounds. This episode h...
Jul 13, 2021•58 min
Freezing your eggs? Thinking about trying for children? Need IVF? Experiencing fertility issues? Just DON’T KNOW?! Welcome to the club, BBs. In this episode, Kristina gets up close and personal with us all, sharing her own experience with egg freezing. It is still an under-discussed, behind-closed-doors subject, and frankly, we don’t like that. We want you to know the facts at all ages, so you can pass it forward, back and sideways. We chat with TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Doctor Ryan Fun...
Jul 06, 2021•1 hr 5 min
About to start a new venture? Want to explore the world of entrepreneurship? Got a burning passion for candle making/sock puppet designing/creative world domination and don’t know how to monetise it? Or, is bookkeeping ruining your life? We got you, babes! Willow Oak is a personalised consultancy, committed to helping you do what only you can do - and that, is the product/service that you uniquely offer! We talk to Megan, founder of Willow Oak, about developing a healthy money mindset, robust bo...
Jun 29, 2021•53 min
How many times have you heard the ‘you can’t have it all’ phrase? Well, we’re here to bust that myth right here and now, with the help of our friends - our previous guests, our own coaches, our books and poetry, and YOU. This brunch break is all about how to reframe, retrain, and regain your sparkly, sustainable self. We talk about the language we use when there’s ‘too much on our plates’. We dig into the biohacks that have helped us to ramp into high performance mode. We drop past guests’ and a...
Jun 22, 2021•55 min
Get ready for waves of laughter as we sit down with the queen of the sea, Crystal Richards. We go ALL over the place with this one - from leaving University to live a “Life in the Hills”-esque summer to moving on from the “dream” corporate job in order to design her perfect life. Crystal has DONE. IT. ALL. But between the laughter and ocean puns we talk about the importance of making space for your creativity, how you don’t need to be a massive company in order to gain coverage and how to start ...
Jun 15, 2021•55 min
The language we use is intrinsically linked to our identities; our culture, our thought processes, our history, and our futures. We talk to actor and creator Carmela about her own journey from the Philippines, through a successful acting career, and into artist residency to translate and adapt a new play into her mother language. We dive in and around the evolution of language, the impact of cultural movements on identity, and the need for connection amidst communities that are experiencing marg...
Jun 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min
We are telling you, you’re going to want your notepad ready for this one, babes. Jen Murtagh is an award-winning C-suite executive with 20 years experience leading organizations in both corporate and not-for-profit. If you have that unshakeable gut feeling that you were meant for something bigger, this episode is for you. Here’s the secret, though: you can’t become yourself by yourself. Old top-down leadership is out. Jen drops all the gems on how to become the leader you were meant to be, from ...
Jun 01, 2021•55 min
May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada (and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the USA). In the wake of the countless hate crimes against the Asian community, it has been difficult to find the words to underline the need for us to be kind, to be human first, and to always, always learn. Here, we decided to share with you the inimitable story of one immigrant’s journey to Canada. Welcome to a fantastic tale of warriors, war-torn countries, revolutions, and evolutions. Of love, a...
May 25, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Do you run towards your goals, or away from your fears? We all want the freedom to choose our best selves on the daily, and Grace Lindsey has found the perfect intersection of life coaching and personal training to help with that. From her own personal journey of dis-ease with her body, Grace candidly shares her journey through discovering her passions, navigating setbacks, and developing a thriving mindset through mood-based movement. If you’re a high-performing, ambitious and, let’s face it, b...
May 18, 2021•53 min
Want to know how to be a (take) action hero? WE GOT YOU BABES. This episode was SUCH a blast. Join us as we talk to Kate Green, Producer, Director and fierce champion of female storytelling. Kate is the change that we want to see, with a grace and passion that is second to none. We talk Zombie Westerns, full circle friendships and collaborations, and how running for your dreams can lead you to even bigger ones. Kate is an unapologetic leader of a ride or die crew. She embodies how to harness and...
May 11, 2021•51 min
Today we sat down with Lauren, a social justice warrior and passionate activist who founded Give a Beat. A jaw-dropping 45% percent of Americans have had an immediate family member who has been in the correction system (sagepub). That’s almost HALF the population. The stigma surrounding people who have been through the system not only impacts those who have been incarcerated but their friends and family members. The system is broken, with high numbers of juveniles being sentenced to life in pris...
May 04, 2021•45 min
= “Wow, you look so good for your age!” 🤮. We bust that tired myth that after 25, you’re an old dustbag that needs to quietly disintegrate in a dark corner of an old creaky cabin. Raquelle and Kristina sip on their respective tea and wine for a hilarious account of ageist moments that shaped them. We’re sure you can relate to some, whether you’re 20, 50 or 120 (if you’re 120 please contact us so we can revel in your dustless glory). These episodes are our chance to share the behind-the-scenes c...
Apr 27, 2021•47 min
Episode Twenty Nine THIS IS SO IMPORTANT. Fertility is something that we don’t talk about enough, or nearly soon enough. Whether you are in your teens, twenties, thirties or ANY decade, this is for YOU, for your loved ones, for your and their future. We’re joined today by two incredible individuals, Dr. Marjorie Dixon from Anova Fertility, and Carolynn Dube from Fertility Matters Canada. We talk about our physiology being at odds to the systems we live in, cultural, unconscious and society biase...
Apr 20, 2021•1 hr 3 min
This week, we celebrate the incredible power of community, through superwoman, Lise Berube. Lise is running her second marathon for Callenish House in May 2021, having raised over $65,000 in last year, while in treatment for stage four cancer. This episode is for all of us, through the eyes of one of the most inspiring women we’ve ever met. We talk candidly about detection, diagnosis, trusting the process. Lise moves through defiance, to resilience, into cool, calm confidence. Lise explains how ...
Apr 13, 2021•50 min
Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Ashley Margeson kicked it with us in true corky bombshell fashion. We talk naughty drinking, periods, and how hormones are instrumental in helping you maximise your efficiency, productivity and creativity. This episode is jam-packed with the scientifically-backed insights, tips and burnout recovery tools that every badass goal-digger NEEDS TO KNOW. Enter Bombshell20 as a promo code to get 40% off Ashley’s incredible scientifically-backed course, the Burnout Blueprint to ...
Apr 06, 2021•1 hr 7 min
