Podcast & Prosecco

On this solo episode, I talk about the dos and don'ts of being or becoming an influencer. I share how I got started and how my blog evolved into the "influencer" on Instagram that I am today. How I determine who to work with, how to reach out to brands, how to negotiate your cost and why valuing your time, content and audience is so important.

"Welcome to the show Julie Harrish. Julie is the co-owner and co-founder of 6ix Cycle, a spin studio in Toronto. Julie shares her journey of starting in the fitness industry, competing and eventually teaching spin which leads her to open her own studio in a new city. She shares the challenges of starting a business in Toronto while still living in Calgary, the challenges of moving cities and opening up a new business in a new city. She had to adjust once she realized the community and culture of Toronto was different than Calgary. She talks about overcoming the fear of change and jumping into your passion. Julie gives her advice for people both wanting to start a business and those who want to move to a new city and why you should ignore the naysayers. https://www.6ixcycle.com/ https://www.instagram.com/6ix_cycle/ https://www.instagram.com/julieharrish_/"

Welcome to the show Shawn Freeman. Shawn is the founder and CEO of TWT Group. In this interview, Shawn shares his story on how and why he started his own IT company, when he knew it was time to make the leap out of his 9 to 5 and why he wish he would have done it sooner. He talks about how fear is the biggest limitation for people trying to reach their full potential and how to overcome that as you grow your business. Shawn talks about when he knew he should hire his first staff, the different between hiring employees and contractors and why hiring employees is the better option. We talk about company culture and how important it is for a company and how a leader should coordinate that. He gives his list of pros and cons of being an entrepreneur and the steps people should take if they are thinking about becoming self-employed. https://www.twtgroup.ca/ Books: Find Your Why - Simon Sinek https://amzn.to/2HuyRUe Uncommon Service - Frances Frei https://amzn.to/2W98R3R Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh https://

Welcome to the show Aja Horsley. Aja is the owner and founder of Drizzle Honey, a local honey company changing the honey game. She shares how she took her side hustle bee project and turned it into a business. Aja talks about the pivotal moment of the business when she became allergic to bees and had to reshape her supply chain which allowed her to focus on growing the brand and business. She talks about the evolution of Drizzle and what the experience was like when she first had her products in retail. Drizzle has expanded across Canada and Aja shares the challenge of getting into retailers and what it takes to expand. We talk about why supporting local is so important and the impact it can have on the people running the small businesses and the city itself. https://drizzlehoney.com/ http://instagram.com/drizzle_honey

Welcome to the show Steph Nichols. Steph is the founder and owner of Sweat Society, an online and pop up boutique that focuses on ethically made active wear brands. We talk about what she was looking for in active wear that led her to start sourcing her own brands, how she has reached a consumer audience through studio pop ups and why having a support system that believes in you is so important. Steph talks about the fear of being self-employed and waking up wondering what you started and feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of having to be successful for employees. She shares her advice for starting a company and where she wants to take Sweat Society in the future. https://www.sweatsociety.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/sweatsociety/

Welcome to the show Michelle McGrattan. Michelle is a barre instructor and a nutritional coach. On this episode, she talks about her fitness and nutritional journey from playing competitive and varsity sports, to bikini competitions to being a fitness instructor and nutrition coach. She shares her favourite healthy meals, what you should be eating before and after a workout and why listening to your body is the most important. She talks about being a mom and how she manages her family life, keeping them healthy and staying on top of a business. Michelle gives her advice for living a healthy, active life to achieve your goals as well as starting and running your own business. https://michellemcgrattan.com/ https://www.instagram.com/michelle.erin.mcgrattan/

Welcome to the show Mike Wenzlawe. Mike is the co-founder and co-owner of Calgary Heritage Roasting Company, a local coffee roaster who has built a strong outdoor/avdenture lifestyle brand along with delicious coffee. Mike shares how the idea of starting the company happened out in the backwoods while camping with his business partner, how they mastered the craft of roasting coffee out in the woods and then turned it into a company. He talks about who Bubba the Bear is and why staying connected to the community and nature is so important to him and the brand. Mike also talks about the exciting new CHRC cafe that will be opening - how that process has been and when they expect to open. https://www.calgaryheritageroastingco.com/ https://www.instagram.com/calgaryheritageroastingco/

Welcome to the podcast Jeff and Mack. These two guys are the owners and founders of Aylmer Nelson Cannabis. They have known each other since they were 10 and have started multiple businesses together so they have learned a thing or two about finding the right business partner and what it takes to start a business. We talk about the cannabis industry in Canada, how they have evolved their business since they have started in accordance with new rules and regulations. They talk about navigating those regulations and why its important to do your due diligance when it comes to researching your industry. Even though they haven't opened shop yet, they talk about the challenges they have faced since starting the business and their advice to other entrepreuners. https://aylmernelson.com/ https://www.instagram.com/aylmernelson/

Welcome to the show Julia Barnes. Julia is the owner and founder of Honubelle, a premium swimwear line. Julia always wanted to be a fashion designer growing up and she started an apparel line which transitioned into Honueblle that focuses on swimwear for active women. She shares the challenges of running your own business and how to get out of your own head when you start to doubt yourself. She values the support group around her and needs the outside perspective to remind herself why she started the company in the first place. Julia shares the best advice she has ever received and her own advice from the experience of starting a business. She shares the process of designing a swimsuit and where she plans to take Honubelle in the future. https://honubelle.com/ https://www.instagram.com/honubelle/

Welcome to the show Lauren and Avalon. These two women are the founders of Aura Inner Beauty, a company that sells a collection of premium ingestible beauty products are carefully formulated with a sophisticated blend of probiotics, prebiotics and antioxidants to nourish your beauty from within. They share how they met and why they decided to start Aura together. They explain what their first product, Radiance is and why they are dedicated to healthy products focused on beauty. They share their advice for living a healthy life as well as starting a business. https://aurainnerbeauty.com/ https://www.instagram.com/aurainnerbeauty/

Welcome to the show Brooke Van Ryssel. Brooke is the owner and founder of My Body, a gym dedicated to body positivity and being inclusive to every person, body and fitness level. Brooke shares where the idea for the gym came from and why we need to get away from the traditional gym where people are focused on aesthetic rather than how they feel. We talk about why body positivity is so important and how the beauty and diet industry is impacting how we view ourselves. She gives her advice for people who need to break out of the low self-confidence mindset and work towards healing. She explains why you should work towards body neutrality rather than only focusing on body love. We talk about social media and how it can play a seriously negative role in our body image and some of the steps to turn it into a positive experience. She suggests only following people that make you feel seen and supported rather than those you are comparing yourself to. https://www.mybodywpg.ca/ http://instagram.com/mybodywpg

Welcome to the show Christine Leskun. Christine is the founder and owner of Enlightened Benefits and Lifelet and is a motivator at YYC Cycle. She shares how and why she has started to businesses, one in insurance and one is jewelry. They seem very different but at the core its about helping people and creating a connection with people. She shares how she is trying to change how social media is being used - making it more real and sharing someone's entire story, not just the highlights. Christine gives her business owner advice and how she dedicates her time to learning new skills and finding a way to solve problems that she encounters. Her two biggest takeaways are being curious and finding a mentor - she dives into what that means and how it has impacted her life and business career. https://www.instagram.com/christineanne403/ https://www.instagram.com/lifelet.co/ https://www.instagram.com/enlightenedbenefits/

Welcome to the show Shauna MacDonald. Shauna is the founder and CEO of Brookline PR, a boutique agency in Calgary. She shares how she started Brookline from scratch and why she has chosen to remain boutique but also being able to land huge, national brands. We talk about how PR from traditional media when there was no social media and how it has evolved with the emergence of Instagram, Facebook and all of that. Who are we speaking to and how are they making decisions, thinking about millennials to Gen Z and how to get them to listen. Shauna gives her advice for people who want to start a business, what she loves about the flexibility of entrepreneurship and why she wants people to stop using the phrase, woman in business. http://www.brooklinepr.com/ https://www.instagram.com/brookline_pr/

Welcome to the show Jess and Ronnie Olstad. Jess and Ronnie share their relationship advice and how they take time for each other even though they are both running their own businesses. Both of them acknowledge that a relationship takes work but at the end of the day and that the grass is greener where you water it. A relationship isn’t about you, and we talk about how important it is to keep your partner’s happiness in mind when you make decisions and choices in life. People who are 80 never look back on their relationship and wish they were more selfish. They share their favourite date spots and activity and how they check in with each other to make sure both people in the relationship feel heard and supported. Jess and Ronnie know the importance of family and that work isn’t the be all end all so spending time with each other and with Swazie is very important. http://www.loveforlewiston.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/loveforlewiston/ https://www.instagram.com/jsjanzen/

Welcome to the show Jayme Macfayden. Jayme is the co-owner and co-founder of BMEX Group who owns five of Calgary's best restaurants. Jayme shares where the idea for UNA, their first restaurant came from and how their first business plan failed but in the end worked out because UNA was born. Two years later they opened Ox because they wanted a cocktail bar for their Una waitlisted guests to wait for a table. Jayme shares her love for hospitality and how that inspires her every day to get out of bed. Customer interactions, a good experience and good food can really impact a person’s day. It’s not about the food, it’s about the people in the restaurant. Their secret sauce for success doesn’t have anything to do with the delicious food they are serving but the joy that customers feel when they dine in at any of their restaurants. The atmosphere and feeling of belonging in the restaurant. This was something that just happened naturally from day one but has been the underlying key to success in all of their restau

Welcome to the show Lexi and Dani. These two women are the co-owners and founders of The Gut Lab, a wellness company that is focused on products for a healthy gut. We talk about how important our gut health is and how it impacts every aspect of our life. The women share their story of growing up with bone broth and how they made bone broth cool. They evolved The Gut Lab from just bone broth to a whole array of health products including essential powders, tonics and superfood shakers. We talk about the power of stress and how to manage it as well as other ways to improve gut health and overall wellness. This episode is so full of great tips, tricks and advice for running a business as well as living a healthier life. https://www.instagram.com/loveyourguts/

Welcome to the show Rachel & Dan. The couple teaches spin at YYC Cycle and are both business owners in the real estate space. They share their story on how they met and how they've strengthened and grown their relationship over the years. We talk about the distraction of cellphones and how to reconnect in a relationship. They share the challenges of both being entrepreneurs and how they use strong communication to separate business from their relationship when it's necessary. They give their best relationship advice, their relationship non-negotiable and their favourite date spot. www.instagram.com/_rmorrison_/ www.instagram.com/dmackin/ www.tollo.ca www.instagram.com/tollo.ca

Welcome to the show Amber Romaniuk. Amber is an Emotional Eating, Digestive and Hormone Expert who helps professional women achieve optimal health through mindful eating, self-care and overcoming self-sabotage with food. Her podcast “The No Sugarcoating Podcast” has over 275,000 downloads and she has appeared on local TV 40 times in the last three years alone. Amber overcame her own emotional eating after gaining and losing more than 1000 lbs and spending over $50,000 on binge foods and spending 5 years balancing her hormones and digestion. Now she helps others achieve Body Freedom™ so they have the confidence and health to create amazing lives. We talk about self-care strategies, how social media plays a part in our health and why you have to stop and ask yourself how you're feeling. http://amberapproved.ca/ http://podcast.amberapproved.ca/ https://www.instagram.com/amberromaniuk/

Welcome to the show, Jordyn and Brianna. They are the owners and founders of The Study, a movement and wellness studio in Cochrane Alberta. They share the journey of coming up with the idea of the studio while in university and how they managed to open it and grow a loyal community without having business degrees. They are both creative visionaries and dreamers which is how the studio came to life. Even though there were roadblocks along the way, they both insist that if those mistakes and lessons never happened they wouldn’t be where they are today, celebrating more than two years of being open. They share their advice for people who want to start a business, how they have grown such an incredible team and what they’ve learned about themselves as leaders along the way. Both Jordyn and Brianna share their tips for living a healthy and active life and what the saying Movement is Magic means to them. http://www.herewestudy.ca/welcome.html https://www.instagram.com/the.study/

Welcome to the show, Marie Claire Bourque. MC is a psychiatrist, a university instructor for Med students at the University of Calgary and the co-founder and co-owner of Limbus, a workout based on movement, emotions and inner strength. We talk about how mental health plays a huge role in peak performers such as athletes. How MC took her knowledge and experience from exercise physiology masters to human behaviour psychology and experience with clients and turned it into a group fitness program to create The Methodology behind the Limbus workout. MC describes the different pillars that make up Limbus, connection, challenge, play and growth. She explains how the repetitive movement of the workout is very intentional and connects the mind and body to move through emotions that you’re going through. She shares her advice for what people should do to strengthen their mental health include the amount of physical activity you should get per week, how gratitude can help and mindfulness. https://www.limbusmovement.