My guest today and I met in Club Med Cancun in 2004 where I was working and she was a G.M. Her first season was in Club Med Paradise Island in February of 1986 as a Snorkeling G.O. From Boston, and now living in Arizona, please help me welcome to MFS, “Keri”! Keri has a rather unique story as she started working for Club Med straight out of high school. She received a trip to Club Med St. Lucia in December of 1985 as a graduation gift from her mother, the week it opened no less. But after a few ...
May 09, 2022•49 min•Ep. 67
My guest today and I have never worked together before, but we did meet at the EXGO Reunion 2 in Cancun in 2008. His first season was in Club Med Cancun in October of 1999 as a Snorkeling G.O. Please help me welcome, from Mexico City, the one and the only, G.o Nzo! Before Club Med, G.o Nzo was working part time in the day and going full-time to Intercontinental University (UIC) from 4:00pm to 10:00pm. He was going at this pace for roughly 6 years (without a vacation) and when the chance came to ...
May 02, 2022•47 min•Ep. 66
My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Paradise Island during the Winter 2002/2003 season, but his first season was in Club Med Sandpiper in February of 2001 as a Golf G.O. Originally from Vermont and now living in Indianapolis, please help me welcome, Cory DeCoteau! Cory got into golf at 10 years old because it was the family business: his parents managed a golf course. Later on, Cory played golf at a Division II university called Mercyhurst in Erie, Pennsylvania and then attended the...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 64
I thought I knew my guest a little when we worked together in Club Med Cancun in 2004/2005 (where she was the Choreographer), but as it turns out, I did not know her at all. Her first season was in 1996 in Club Med Rio das Pedras as a Waterski G.O. You know her, you love her, please help me welcome, Patchy!! Patchy had quite the interesting life before Club Med, to put it very mildly. You may not know that Patchy did Equestrian Vaulting (please Google it) for ten years and went to four World Cha...
Apr 18, 2022•52 min•Ep. 65
My very special guest today and I met in Club Med Bodrum, Turkey in the Summer of 1999 in what was my first season as a Chief of Sports and her first season as a Kayak G.O. From Ankara, Turkey and now living in Montreal, Quebec (and no, she did not follow me here!), please help me welcome the amazing Ece! Before Club Med, Ece (who speaks four languages) was studying French in Bilkent University while pursuing a degree in Translation and Interpretation when she first heard about Club Med from the...
Apr 11, 2022•49 min•Ep. 63
My guest today and I have never met, but we do have 56 mutual friends on Facebook. His first season was in Club Med Sandpiper in October of 1991 as a Mini Club Scuba G.O. Originally from Chicago and now living in the Golden State, please help me welcome, Dan Beeman! Dan flew from Chicago to New York for his interview with Club Med and because he had taken a Scuba course in school, he was offered the Mini Club position in Sandpiper. Eventually Dan became a Scuba instructor while still working in ...
Apr 08, 2022•53 min•Ep. 62
My guest today and I have never met but her first season was in Club Med Sandpiper in February of 2007 as a Mini Club G.O. Please help me welcome, from London, Ontario (and not England as I discovered), Jessi Weeks! Jessi was going to Fanshawe College in Ontario and she applied to Club Med on a student contract to satisfy her Co-op requirements for College. Jessi had her Club Med interview in the most Canadian of all places, you guessed it, a Tim Horton’s! Jessi held many positions during her ti...
Apr 08, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 61
My very special guest today and I met in Columbus Isle in Winter of 2000, but her first season was in Club Med Paradise Island in October of 1997 as a Reception G.O. From my hometown of Montreal, please help me welcome the amazing and funny Sabrina Fagen! Sabrina heard about Club Med from her parents who were frequent guests, so she decided to apply in 1997. Sabrina worked about 3 ½ years in Club Med and has many stories to tell. One of them involves a tongue piercing gone awry in Ixtapa on her ...
Mar 21, 2022•52 min•Ep. 60
My guest today and I kept missing each other at various villages and have never met, despite having a whopping 102 mutual friends. Her first season was in Club Med Punta Cana in November during the 1992/1993 Winter season as a Fitness and Dance G.O. Originally from London, Ontario and now living in beautiful Vancouver, please help me welcome Shelley Markevich Lawrence! Shelley has a very good memory from her first season and lets us take that first season journey with her in this interview. Shel...
Mar 14, 2022•52 min•Ep. 59
My guest today and I have never worked together before despite having a combined 20 years in Club Med and 45 mutual friends. Her first season was in November of 1990 in Club Med Paradise Island as an au pair Snorkel/Picnic G.O. From Montreal, please help me welcome, Silvy Dufour! Silvy initially went to Paradise Island as a G.M was but was invited to come back as a G.O by the interim manager. Her first season was jam-packed with talent and there were a lot of future CDV’s in Paradise Island that...
Mar 07, 2022•54 min•Ep. 58
My special guest today was one of those rare G.O’s that I always heard about during my time in Club Med, but sadly never got the chance to work with. He does confirm one of the stories I heard about him if it was true or not. Do you want a hint? Okay, it involves something called a “Stuntman Shot”. We did, however, finally meet at the EXGO reunion 2 in Cancun in 2008. His first season was in Club Med Sonora Bay in March of 1998 as a Waterski G.O. He only goes by one name, because one name is all...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 57
Hello everyone, and welcome to a very special episode of MFS. It’s not often you get to interview a student at the university where you work, which is Concordia University in the Gina Cody School of Engineering & Computer Science in Montreal, Quebec, and who just happened to win a bronze medal at the XXIV Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China! The closing ceremony was held this past Sunday, Feb 20th, and this very special Aerospace engineering student-athlete has agreed to come on and tell ...
Feb 25, 2022•31 min•Ep. 56
My guest today recorded her episode of MFS on December 10 2021 and she had just stopped working for Club Med at the end of November 2021, making her the most recent EXGO I have interviewed thus far. Her first season was in Club Med Sandpiper in November of 2018 as a Meetings & Event Co-ordinator. Please help me welcome to MFS, Sydney Gaudreau! Both of Sydney’s parents were G.O’s in Club Med and she spent her whole life going to Club Med on vacation, from Mini-Club to Teen Club. It was at her...
Feb 21, 2022•59 min•Ep. 55
My guest today was a Scuba G.O. in his first season in Club Med Columbus Isle in June of 1997. Please help me welcome, from Calgary, Alberta, Jay Tighe! Jay started to scuba dive at a young age in Indonesia of all places and got certified in Thailand. Fast forward a few years later and Jay was working as a Scuba instructor in Harbour Island, Bahamas where he would meet the odd G.O and they would tell him about working at Club Med. He snuck over to Club Med Eleuthera one day to check it out and f...
Feb 14, 2022•46 min•Ep. 54
Hey everyone, today is a special day as it’s the one-year anniversary of My First Season! So let me officially welcome you to the second season of My First Season (see what I did there?) I called upon a special person to do a My First Season takeover, the amazing and current Vegas Golden Knights super-fan, Gabrielle Seidenberg! (wife of the Coney Island Striker-she’ll hate that I wrote that). Gaby graciously agreed to interview yours truly, Greg Hannah, (mostly to make fun of him) and I could no...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 53
My very special guest today has a career spanning 25 years as a professional skydiver, BASE jumper and Wingsuit pilot, He is one of the most experienced extreme sports athletes on the planet with over 13,000 jumps combined. His adventures have taken him around the globe with success in all areas including becoming a world champion, a world record holder and representing his native country of Australia in both skydiving and BASE jumping in several disciplines. Please help me welcome to the podca...
Jan 31, 2022•49 min•Ep. 52
My guest today and I have never worked together before, despite having a whopping 80 mutual friends on Facebook. Her first season was in Club Med Sandpiper of March of 2003 in the Mini Club. Originally from Chicago and now living in Atlanta, please help me welcome to MFS, Susan “Suzie” Dunford Dell! Suzie’s introduction to Club Med came via her mother, who was a travel agent, and Suzie went to her first Club Med at 5 years old. During her first week at Sandpiper, she saw onstage the man she was ...
Jan 24, 2022•42 min•Ep. 51
This is part three in the series, “Amazing Women Doing Amazing Things”. My guest today is a pop-culture geek with seventeen years in the travel industry as a Travel Consultant and Tour Director. She is the owner and operator of "The Geek Travel Agent". From Ottawa, Canada, please help me welcome, Erin Novodvorsky! Erin shares with us at what age she got bit by the travel bug and how she got the idea to be a geek travel agent. Erin runs tours for TV shows and movies like Game of Thrones, Lord of ...
Jan 17, 2022•42 min•Ep. 50
My guest today was a Nurse G.O. in her first season in Club Med Sandpiper in May of 1997. She is from Connecticut, so please give a warm welcome to, Kendra Welch! As a nurse in Club Med, you can imagine they have seen it all and must have great stories to tell and Kendra does not disappoint! Kendra and a friend went to Club Med Cancun on vacation as G.M.s and it was there that she decided to apply to Club Med to be a nurse. Why? She got bit by something in the water while snorkeling in Cancun th...
Jan 10, 2022•44 min•Ep. 49
My guest today was an Excursion G.O. in his first season in Club Med Rio Das Pedras, Brazil in February of 1998. I knew him as a Sailing G.O in Club Med Paradise Island during the Winter 2002/2003 season where we met. He was working in a travel agency in Rio de Janeiro when he applied to Club Med. He actually had his interview with the South American president of Club Med! (no pressure, right?). He first learned to sail with an uncle who had a 45-foot yacht and he also learned how to surf in Bra...
Jan 03, 2022•41 min•Ep. 48
My guest today and I worked together during the Winter 1994/1995 season in St. Lucia. She was right out of high school when she started her first season in Club Med Huatulco in October of 1988 as an au pair Hostess G.O. From Mexico City and now living in Norway (we get into that!), please help me welcome to the podcast, Diana! Diana spent roughly 17 years in Club Med and she has many amazing stories to tell during this interview. I told Diana the impression she made on me in my second season in ...
Dec 27, 2021•56 min•Ep. 47
My guest and I worked together in Club Med Paradise Island in the 2002/2003 season, but his first season was in Club Med Itaparica, Brazil in Winter of 2000, where he was a Tennis G.O. Prior to joining Club Med, he had never played tennis before in his life (huh?!). Everyone, please help me welcome from Brazil and now living in California, Renato! You see, Renato was a ranked professional Squash player in Brazil. He started playing at 9 years old and by the time he was a teenager, he was the Sou...
Dec 20, 2021•43 min•Ep. 46
This is part two in the series of "Amazing Women Doing Amazing Things". My guest today got 1st place in the 2021 Almaty World Cup in freestyle aerial skiing, qualifying her to represent Canada in the Beijing Winter Olympics in February of 2022! Everyone, please help me welcome, Beijing Winter Olympics-bound, Marion Thénault! Marion is from Sherbrooke, Quebec and while she was and is on the freestyle skiing World Cup circuit in Aerial, Marion is also an Aerospace Engineering student (BEng) at Con...
Dec 13, 2021•33 min•Ep. 45
My guest today worked in Club Med Sandpiper in April of 1989 as a Bar G.O. for his first season. He was born in the States, raised in Toronto and now resides in Arizona. Please help me welcome to MFS, Scott Richmond! Before Club Med, Scott played club hockey at Ohio State and after graduation, he found himself bartending at a nightclub in Oakland, California. It was there that a fellow bartender told him about Club Med. Scott drove down from San Francisco to Los Angeles, for his interview at the...
Dec 06, 2021•52 min•Ep. 44
This is first in a series that I am calling, "Amazing Women Doing Amazing Things”. My guest today is the incredible Sarah Williams from England. Sarah Williams is an author, vlogger, motivational speaker, marathoner and ultra runner. Sarah is also the host and creator of the two time award winning “Tough Girl Podcast”, a podcast where she interviews inspirational female explorers, adventurers, athletes and everyday women who have overcome great challenges. Her podcast is listened to in 174 count...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 43
I had the supreme pleasure of working with my next guest in Club Med Columbus Isle in 1999/2000, but his first season was as Landsports in Club Med Les Almadies, Senegal in 1996. Please help me welcome, Laurent “Tarzan” Fraix-Burnet! Tarzan was born in Bordeaux, France and he left his country at 18 years old and was in the medical services in the French army stationed in Senegal (I know, right, Tarzan in the army?!). His uncle conducted business with Serge Trigano and that is how Tarzan found hi...
Nov 22, 2021•58 min•Ep. 42
My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Paradise Island in 2002/2003 where he was Resp. of the Tennis team. I first met him in Columbus Isle in 1997 while he was on the way to his first season in Club Med Paradise Island in Winter of 1997 as a Tennis G.O. Everyone, please help me welcome from beautiful British Columbia, Petri Raito! I distinctly remember meeting Petri at the bar in Columbus Isle in 1997 and when he told me he was a Tennis G.O, I laughed (you will understand why at the s...
Nov 08, 2021•48 min•Ep. 40
My guest today and I met during our first season together in Club Med Turks & Caicos in Summer of 1994. I was at the end of my season and she was starting her 94/95 season as a Boutique G.O. From California, please help me welcome Melissa Cuevas-McIntyre! Melissa has a very vivid account of her first season in Turks & Caicos and she shares her experience with us in great detail, including her favorite JoJo story, getting Padi certified, brushes with minor celebrities, two-cheek kissing E...
Nov 01, 2021•53 min•Ep. 39
I met today’s guest in Club Med Paradise Island in 2002/2003, where she was the resort photographer. Her first season was as an au pair Bar G.O. in Club Med Copper Mountain, Colorado in March of 1995. Originally from NYC, now living the good life in Mexico, please help me welcome to the show Paula Fishman! Paula initially went on vacation to Copper Mountain and then was recruited by the CDV, Carlos Castro, to work at that resort. The rest they say, is history. She worked as an au pair about 15 t...
Oct 25, 2021•37 min•Ep. 38
My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Paradise Island in 2002/2003. His first season was in Club Med Punta Cana in Winter of 1999 as a Tennis G.O. From Montreal (yahoo!) please help me welcome, Peter Anthony! Peter started to learn tennis at age 12 and eventually became a ranked competitive junior tennis player in the province of Quebec. He was teaching tennis in Montreal when a fellow tennis pro told him about Club Med. He gave Peter G.A.’s number and the rest is history. Even though...
Oct 18, 2021•54 min•Ep. 37
