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A member of Pabineau First Nation in northern New Brunswick, Scott Patles-Richardson had a close, loving family, but he was a shy child, and struggled with his mixed heritage. With a Mi’gmaq father and a mother of European ancestry, Scott was a target of prejudice from all sides, and he worked hard to be invisible. Now, he works to make sure Indigenous people are visible in the world of business. A CEO, negotiator, business advisor, and board director, Scott advocates for the growth and advancement of Indigenous communities, and works to normalize doing business with Indigenous companies and people. In this episode, Scott tells the story of how he became an entrepreneur “by accident,” and about the prejudice he encountered early in his career. We also talk about the influence that women have had on his life, the importance of believing in yourself, and the finite nature of time. Scott also teaches us that the most important investment we can make is kindness. It doesn’t cost you anything to be kind – to give someone a compliment, to give a little more than you take. And it doesn’t cost you anything to ask yourself how you will make this world a better place. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eliza Reid could never have imagined that she would end up living in Iceland, let alone become the first lady of the country. While studying at Oxford, she met her future husband, and they went on to live a pretty normal existence. Then, in the space of just a couple of months, her husband became president of Iceland, and Eliza became first lady. It’s an interesting role for someone who is passionate about gender equality, but Eliza is using it as a platform to inspire diversity and inclusion. In this episode, she shares her message about learning from others and committing to your decisions. She shares stories from her life, including how she rigged a competition to go on a date with her eventual husband, and how he ended up becoming president. We learn the Icelandic word for outstanding women, and how Eliza wrote a book based on that word. Eliza also teaches us that we are all role models, and that even if we’re not famous, we’re setting an example for everyone around us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Naheed Nenshi refuses to be a bystander. The former Mayor of Calgary, and the first Muslim mayor of a major city in North America, the self-described "nerdy, schlumpy professor" captured the hearts and minds of the voters in what’s widely considered to be the most conservative province in Canada. After eleven years in office, he is continuing to walk his path of optimism and selflessness. In this episode of Digging Deep, he explains the idea of “seva” – a Sanskrit word meaning selfless service – and how it shapes his life. We talk about the echoes of the past that are being heard again in the present, and what he thinks we need to do to counter the rise in racism and division. He shares the lessons of being mayor of Calgary during the four times in that city’s history that a State of Emergency has been declared, including how to trust people to do the right thing. He tells us why he wears purple every day, and how a change he made to his answering machine caused untold chaos. This is also the first time in Digging Deep history that a guest reads an entire book. Don't worry -- it's a short book, and it will inspire you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Imagine moving to a new country at 19 years old and going right into university, without being fully fluent in the language. That’s what Allen Lau did when his family moved to Canada from Hong Kong. He not only thrived in school, he went on to launch a company, Wattpad, that has millions of users all over the world and was sold in 2021 for a reported $750 million. In this episode, Allen tells us about a love of building things that started as a child with a pile of Lego, and his dream of becoming a rocket scientist. We learn that every overnight success story is actually a long, complicated journey with lots of ups and downs, trial and error, and many different iterations to get it right. Allen also explains how to go against conventional wisdom, why you shouldn't simply follow your passion and why the most important thing in life is finding joy on your terms. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cameron Passmore takes a very different approach from a lot of other people in the investment world. He doesn’t promise to pick winning stocks or outperform the market, and he doesn’t claim to have some special knowledge or intuition. In fact, as far as he's concerned, you shouldn't believe anyone who tells you they can predict the future. That's a big theme in this episode, and it applies to more than just the markets. Cameron’s journey has taken him from a job in a butcher shop to becoming the majority owner and executive chairman of PWL Capital. A big step in that journey happened when he met some of the senior people at Shopify very early on, as they were building their business. It's a success story that's not close to being over. Cameron has a hundred-year plan for his business, and he explains why, to him, that's much more important than the instant gratification of making a big sale or landing a huge client. We also talk about how taking care of people should apply to your employees just as much as it applies to your customers, why so many of us are trying to climb a ladder on a wall that’s on fire, the importance of luck, and why you can’t just sit around waiting for luck to happen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Twenty-five years ago, Sheldon Kennedy was playing at the highest level of hockey in the world, living the dream of millions of Canadian boys. But he was facing an impossible decision: whether to go public with his story of sexual abuse by his junior hockey coach. Sheldon shared his traumatic experience and it changed his life. Speaking out about abuse and, eventually, addiction hasn't always been easy. It's taken an enormous toll. But Sheldon keeps listening to other survivors, and encouraging the rest of us to listen as well. Sheldon has been a big part of the changes that have allowed others to come forward with their stories. But that work isn’t finished. Like his own recovery, it’s an ongoing process, and he continues to fight every day for himself and others. Sheldon's message is powerful and inspiring, filled with hope, strength, and an important lesson: take care of yourself so you can truly take care of others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Julie Adam didn't set out to be a high-ranking media executive. In fact, her early experience with leaders turned her off to the idea of being a boss. But she eventually learned that becoming a leader didn't mean she had to abandon her goal of being a good person. Now, with thousands of people in her organization, she tries to make every decision with kindness at the front of her mind. And she's written a book about how to do just that. Julie talks about how kindness touches every aspect of leadership – including both hiring and letting someone go – and how, even if you have the best players on your team, you won’t retain them if kindness isn't part of your management style. Julie talks candidly about one of the biggest mistakes she ever made, the lessons she learned from that, and how she ultimately reversed it. We talk about the importance of knowing when to move fast and when to slow down, getting rid of rules that exist for no reason, and why we should be nice to people even when they don’t have anything we want. And more than anything, Julie makes you ask yourself: why wouldn’t I be kind? Why does anybody need to be anything but kind? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You might think that becoming an Olympic champion would automatically lead to joy and happiness. But for Clara Hughes, the only person in the world to have won multiple medals in both the winter and summer games, the Olympic dream was much more complicated than you would think. In this episode of Digging Deep, Clara talks about how her medals and amazing performances couldn’t solve her struggle with depression. Clara has become an outspoken advocate for mental health. And by telling her story, she has inspired many others to do the same. In this episode, we explore how she found the strength to step forward at a time when talking about mental illness wasn’t as common as it is now. Clara shares some incredible stories from her childhood, youth, and competitive career. We delve into some hard topics, but it’s also a conversation filled with laughter, hope, and Clara’s boundless energy. More than anything, this episode teaches us that every one of us is a work in progress, and that happiness is easier to find when you stop trying to do everything right. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many people remember Erica Ehm as a pioneering television host. But she's so much more than that. She's a serial entrepreneur, a passionate storyteller, an award-winning songwriter, and the driving force behind a not-for-profit organization that’s finding new ways to empower youth. Erica has made a career out of reinventing herself as the world around her has changed and new opportunities have arisen. In this episode of Digging Deep, Erica shares the secret to success that she learned during a childhood standoff over pizza, and the tools she used to launch one new venture after another. There are people who may have thought, back in her MuchMusic days, that Erica Ehm would have her moment on TV and that would be the last we’d hear from her. But they couldn’t have been more wrong. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Joanne Liu has a fascinating life story. She is currently a pediatric emergency medicine physician, Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Montreal, and Professor of Clinical Medicine at McGill University. She is also the former International President of Medicins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders. In this episode of Digging Deep, Dr. Liu shares her deeply informed perspective on the many lessons of the pandemic, including how we failed to unite globally in response to COVID-19 and how we might repeat that mistake in the future. She also shares remarkable stories about her childhood as the daughter of immigrants, her experiences providing care in some of the most devastated areas of the world, why you should be a giver instead of a taker, and how she set out with the goal of changing the world, but it was actually the world that changed her. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are likely very few people from Tisdale, Saskatchewan who have thrown out the first pitch at Wrigley Field or performed for Queen Elizabeth. Brent Butt has done both. In this episode of The Digging Deep Podcast, the writer, actor, and performer best known for his hit TV show Corner Gas talks about growing up the youngest of seven kids, his semi-competitive arm wrestling career, and how he pursued the only job he ever wanted. Through it all, he holds onto the belief that you don’t learn from success, and that you have to stumble, fall, and take some punches along the way. Brent also talks about his next venture – a novel that he says is not what people will be expecting from him. We learn why stubbing your toe is worse than being punched in the face, why The Catcher in the Rye is actually a comedy, and that life is gonna kick you in the teeth no matter what, so you might as well take the beating in pursuit of your dream. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special Valentine’s Day episode of Digging Deep, Mark is sitting down to talk with his wife, Ginny Sutcliffe. Ginny is Chief of Staff to the President at Canada School of Public Service, and is a mother, who with Mark has three children. Mark and Ginny start off with some rapid-fire questions, like any other episode. Then, they begin to dig deep into the New York Times famous 36 Questions That Lead to Love, asking each other bold questions about life, death, and everything in between. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The most decorated figure skater in Olympic history, world champion athletes and all-star Olympians dig deep as Mark revisits these record-breaking highlights. This special bonus episode of Digging Deep features gold-medalist Tessa Virtue, world champion Perdita Felicien, three-time national champion Elizabeth Manley, and Evan Dunfee’s refusal, and then redemption in his quest for a spot on the podium. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you have followed any of her high-profile cases, you know a little bit about Marie Henein, the prominent criminal lawyer. But there’s probably a lot you don’t know. In this episode of Digging Deep, Marie shares her fascinating life story, including her experiences as an immigrant and her special relationship with her uncle. We talk about her mother's fierce belief that women's lives and opportunities should be no different from men's. We discuss the harsh reaction she often gets for defending people accused of sexual assault and other crimes, and Marie's strongly held and thought-provoking views about the justice system. And as Marie says, we are all more than one thing. Beneath a tough, resilient, self-confident exterior, Marie also has a silly side and loves not just her work, but clothing and Christmas cartoons. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Writer, historian, academic, and former politician Michael Ignatieff joins Digging Deep for a wide-ranging conversation on one of the most poignant and enduring aspects of human life: how we cope with loss. Drawing on his new book, On Consolation, Ignatieff shares how he lost both his father and mother within just a few years of each other, and how he came to accept that loss. He talks about how sometimes consolation isn’t possible and that it’s not always necessary to find meaning in tragedy. He provides a powerful reminder that human life has not changed as much as we think it has over the centuries, and that whatever we experience has been experienced by others over the centuries. He also talks about the changes he sees happening in the world and his hope in what he calls “the fiendish ingenuity of the human species.” Michael touches on his time as a politician, and shares some very candid opinions on the current state of politics. Listen in as we talk about dreaming big, the humbling experience that is life, and Michael's overarching message that we are not alone. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Not every entrepreneur begins their career in the world of espionage, but that's where Matt Holland, the co-founder and CEO of Field Effect, got his start. Since then, he's taken his frustration with the state of cybersecurity and turned it into a successful business. In this episode of The Digging Deep Podcast, Matt tells the story of how he left his government job and went on to start two businesses. You'll hear a lot of great lessons about both entrepreneurship and cybersecurity, and we talk a lot about the role of a CEO, and how to build the best team. Matt also provides some tips on how to keep ourselves more secure online, including the one easy thing he says we can all do to get an extra layer of security. This episode is a conversation about trying to fix not just a problem, but a whole industry. It’s about being okay with failure, but trying not to fail big. It’s about quietly listening and learning from those around you, and creating an atmosphere where everybody gets to be the hero. And it’s about how the best bet you can make is a bet on yourself. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On September 11, 2001, in the south tower of the World Trade Center, only 18 people at or above the point of impact survived. Brian Clark was one of those 18 people. More than 20 years later, Brian joins the Digging Deep Podcast to talk about how that day has shaped his life. He describes the thoughts and emotions he experienced that day, and how on-the-spot decisions affected his fate – and the fates of those around him. His story brings up many unanswerable questions about the choices we make, and Brian doesn’t have any answers to those questions. In fact, a key part of what he teaches us is that we shouldn’t even be asking them in the first place. He doesn’t linger in the past, and he doesn’t waste too much time worrying about the future, either. He tells us that things will unfold as they should, and all you can do is live well and love well. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.