January 20, 2025 • 33 mins
In this episode, Roxanne Derhodge engages with Joseph Grimaldi to explore his career journey and transition into project management, focusing on his current role at CarbonRx and initiatives with First Nations communities. They discuss leadership styles, cultural differences, and the impact of horizontal leadership on workplace culture. Emphasizing the importance of stakeholders, they delve into sustainability efforts and community work with First Nations. The concept of Return on Relationships (ROR) is introduced, alongside the significance of mental health in leadership. The episode concludes with reflections, key takeaways, and ways to connect with Joseph Grimaldi.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:01):
Welcome to Authentic Living with Roxanne, aplace where we have conscious conversations
about things that really matter in our lives.
And now here's your host, Roxanne Durhaj.
(00:42):
Hi, everyone.
It's Roxanne Gerhach for with AuthenticallyLiving with Roxanne.
So thanks again for tuning in again.
Today, I bought, someone that's quite specialin, in leadership and has had quite the
extensive, time in leadership, and his name is,Joseph Grimaldi.
Hi, Joseph.
Nice to have you on.
Afternoon, Roxanne.
(01:02):
It's a pleasure.
Thank you for having me on your podcast.
I appreciate that.
Well, so we're gonna have a bit of a talk.
I gotta tell you a little bit about Joseph, butthis is not gonna do any justice to some of the
things that he's done.
He's worked a lot in health care p 3 projects,which is his private public partnerships,
pharmaceuticals, industrial, and operationsectors.
(01:23):
Like, I often I I think it's always soimportant to know how you kinda got to where
you are today.
Fair enough.
Thank you.
Thank you again, Roxanne.
Well, it you know, basically my my degree is inchemistry.
I taught for for several years in the Catholicsystem, but then I because it's in chemistry, I
(01:44):
I ventured into pharmaceuticals and whetherit's sales and marketing.
And then I basically from there, I went intomore design and development of mental health
hospitals with Honeywell.
And then I transitioned 5 sites in Ontario fromthe P3 secondtor, from a construction site to
(02:05):
basically operations and a live building.
So that brought me eventually to Denmark whereI was in charge of, constructing a 1,000,000
square foot facility for medical cannabis tosupply the European market.
Again, because of my pharma background, Ithought it was a great fit and a way to go to
to Europe and on this massive project.
(02:26):
That kind of went sideways with that wholeindustry.
And then I came back and I volunteered at theGood Shepherd.
It was basically, a soup kitchen for for thehomeless men, and they found out I had a
project management background.
They hired me.
I thought it was just only gonna be temporary.
I was there for almost 4 years, where webasically transitioned, facilities to
(02:49):
accommodate some of the homeless.
We retrofitted, our, my old high school here inHamilton for a 100 men, take them off the
streets, during COVID.
And then we later transitioned another a 100women off the streets, and transitioned them
for, for that care.
And what happened there is after, the fundingwent through and I decided to look with my
(03:11):
experience in Denmark because thesustainability they're the leaders,
Scandinavians.
My work with the Danes, the Dutch, the Swedes,and some of the Fins there really, really
strengthened my, my, my direction for, forsustainability.
I attended Rotman University Toronto School ofManagement, and, I took a course in
(03:33):
sustainability leadership.
So that's what brought me to where I am nowwith CarbonRx.
Carbon RX is a company out of, Saskatchewan.
And what they do is they work with FirstNations people and regenerative farmers.
And they have whether it's in grasslands,forestry, or regenerative agriculture, They
(03:54):
what we do here now is my role here is inOntario is to we have all the emitters here for
carbon, and we're we're aligning them with theFirst Nation lands.
So they're buying credits here in Ontario andin Quebec.
And, we're partnering with First Nations, outwest in the prairies to offset the carbon.
So if you're buying 10,000 tonnes of carbonhere, we offset it in the prairies with 10,000.
(04:20):
For example, in 3 d 4 in Saskatchewan with someof the band leaders there.
I was there in Saskatchewan in September.
I met some of the the chiefs and the eldersthere.
I'm really impressed by the relationship thatCarbonRx is.
For example, Marty and and Neil and Carson,part of the teammates there, they really have
the trust of of those peoples, and that's wherewe are today.
(04:42):
And that it's it's a big piece.
You know about, you know, carbon neutral andnet 0 2030 and the United Nations, you know,
sustainability development goals.
So it's a it's a big space, a growing space.
And Canada, we're fortunate becausegeologically, we can carbon capture a lot of
this emitting carbon from from all over.
(05:04):
And ours is more of a natural base.
So we're really working with our partners, likeI said, First Nations out west and regenerative
agricultural farmers to really help this.
So that's basically what we're doing now.
So
So you've had you've had a fascinating career,like you said, starting off in chemistry and
kinda going into suit pharmaceuticals and nowfrom there, kinda going into sustainability.
(05:30):
Tell me as a leader, as a young leader.
Right, you've you've been in differentenvironments, you've been in different
cultures, you've been in, obviously, NorthAmerican culture, coming from Hamilton all the
way off to Denmark and Europe.
What's what's the difference between ourleadership or the leadership styles here in
North America compared to, the European kind ofleaders?
(05:51):
So I could that's a really good question,Roxanne.
I could tell you that, for example, in Denmark,it's it's a it's horizontal leadership.
So you could be sitting with the president inone room and having contact.
Whereas, when I was working for Honeywell, forexample, you know, for me to get to the CEO and
white and In Honeywell, there's, like, 7, 8layers.
(06:16):
Yes.
In Denmark, it just seems that, you know, theyyou could you turn around and and, you know, we
would have lunch.
We always had lunch, And he's cleaning thetable right alongside me with, like it just
their focus is on relationships and thestrengthening of the relationships.
And I guess that's the main difference becausewhen it comes down to business is all about
(06:39):
relationships.
And it's for my experience here, for example,in Honeywell, I would work with the architects,
the designers, the engineers, but then I'd beworking with the contractors, you know, the
electricians and plumbers, etcetera, like that.
And for me, it's about building relationship.
Doesn't matter where they are in the company.
Yeah.
Build strong relationships regardless of yourtitle.
(07:01):
I think what happens is you really create abond.
It's almost like creating a family atmosphere,and everybody works together collectively.
But that was the biggest difference.
I noticed that I could speak to the presidentof the company in Denmark, whereas in
Honeywell, it took me a few layers
They get they're getting in trouble to see theguy that's up top in it.
They're going to the principal's
up.
Not that the CEO wants to see you.
(07:22):
You're like, oh, I'm not
so sure.
You know, that's fascinating.
Right?
So you're talking I talk it I I call itshoulder to shoulder leadership where you know?
And my dad was, an executive all my life.
Like I told you earlier, I'm from Trinidad,Tobago.
Mhmm.
And he would say to me, you know, even as alittle girl.
So I grew up kinda like with people, you know,a lot of people working in the oil, you know,
(07:43):
oil industry, a lot of business people, thosetypes of things.
I remember him saying, you know, you know, andyou're picking up things as a child.
Right?
And he would say, you would always pee treateverybody the same.
He says whether it's the janitor sweeping thefloor or the guy in the, you know, the big
office behind the glass, he said, you treateverybody with the same because we they all
deserve the same respect.
(08:04):
And it's interesting honestly.
Yeah.
And I I, you know, I even say that now.
And, basically, you know, culturally, and Italk a little bit about the impact of my
culture and kind of what I ended up wanting todo for a living.
But, ultimately, that's that was such a valuefor for me as a child because then really, you
know, as you went through differentenvironments, then you realized, well, that's
(08:24):
so true because people are people.
Right?
And we all wanna feel special at work.
Right?
Like, whatever we're doing, you know, as aleader, I I've always kept that space in my
mind that we all wanna bring the best versionsof ourselves to work.
100%.
Yes.
I agree.
And connection does that.
Right?
You know, if you're the leader that's cleaningoff the, like you said, the, you know, the
(08:46):
tables and the Yes.
You're gonna you're gonna get to know thingsversus kind of our, you know, kind of typical
water water cooler kinda conversations.
You know what you kinda see?
And I've worked with industry, small, large,all across industry in my corporate career,
that you would kind of symbolically know.
I said there was 2 touch points.
I don't know if this makes sense for you, but Iwould also always know the temple of the
(09:09):
environment I was going into when I waited inthe lobby.
Yes.
And also when I you know, on in leaders, whenthe leader entered the team or the people
around the water cooler, how would there therebe a shift in conversation?
Okay.
And peep leaders that kinda like, to yourpoint, you keep talking that you know you're
doing something right because people are justnot treating you differently.
(09:32):
Yeah.
You're the leader, but they're also inclusiveversus when you kinda the leaders that say,
give me give me that respect, give me that thatautocratic kind of space, people shut down.
And then it's it's everything it's almost likepeople scatter, and they they start or they
start talking about things that really are notintimate anymore.
No.
It's so true.
And and to your point is when, when I'll usethe Danish example, because it, it speaks to
(09:57):
what you were saying is when we had meetingsthere, we were, we were the majority
stakeholder, but they would say, oh, the bossis here.
I said, no, there's no boss here.
I said, we're all part of the team.
And, and that's part of it, but, but we wouldhave meetings there.
And my background's Italian.
So we love food like the trinidanias.
You love your food.
Oh my goodness.
Italian food.
I don't know.
(10:18):
Pretty, pretty darn good.
Well, what I would do is, you know, the oddtime we had kitchens in the meeting area, so I
would make sauce in the morning.
So that I can make lunch for all of us, but westill have our meetings.
So what had happened is we brought bothcultures together, right?
The Danish Yeah.
I and the Canadian.
And that really, because that really allowed meto be part of their circle because it's their
(10:43):
country.
And and one step further is when we would havemeetings, I would say to the engineers there, I
said, we have to the major points have to bediscussed in English because I have to
understand.
I I spoke a little Danish, but not much.
But after we have the main points and Iunderstand the concepts, then you then I said,
you know, speak in your own language becauseit's their country.
(11:05):
I'm not gonna tell them not to speak in theirlanguage.
Right.
So that really, really made a big difference inin shifting over the bust part.
Right?
The transparency.
And the odd time would say, you gotta rememberI know a little bit Danish.
So be careful what you say.
So
Don't say too many things that I I really getsome
hear, Aksa.
And they would turn to me and goes, well, we'renot talking about you.
(11:26):
I said, okay.
But what it is, it goes back to relationships.
Right?
Yeah.
I broke down that barrier across, you know,cross border barrier, and and they welcome me
in, and I think that's what we need to do moreso.
The bat the doesn't matter what culture you'refrom, what you're upbringing.
What you do is celebrate the best of eachother's cultures, but make everybody feel at
(11:49):
home.
So when they would come to Canada, you know, Iwould take them to different facilities.
We're out west.
You know, went to go see a hockey game.
You know, the teams like hockey, we likehockey.
So we went to a western hockey league inMedicine Hat.
So, you know, you really build that bond.
And it's unfortunate how the project wentbecause of the scenario in the in the medical
cannabis space.
We did complete the a retrofitted 300 squarefoot facility, which is still running and
(12:13):
supplying the European market.
But it's they're still my friends.
I still speak to my friends in Norway andDenmark.
And just because the project dissipated doesn'tmean you don't have those ongoing
relationships.
So and it it goes back to family, like you weresaying, Roxanne, with your situation with your
dad, is you treat everybody the same.
(12:34):
And in the end, it's like a big family.
You ask your sister to do something, yourbrother, your dad, you're going like, that's
that's cons that's who your teammates are.
And when I look at something like that, I lookat I use always a football analogy is it's like
being in a huddle.
Right?
We have a play that has to be called from thecoach, CEO, for example, and we have to
(12:56):
execute.
You know, you have to block like, there'sstrategies, But you work for the person beside
you, on the left of you, on the right of you.
And and it's like, you know, a brotherhood, asisterhood, whatever you wanna call it.
And that really makes a difference.
I guess it's putting a human in humanity.
Right?
So
Right.
And you said something earlier before we gotonline, and you said, we're starting to
(13:19):
recognize that it's yes.
It's a this the shareholders are important, butthey're not now we're recognizing the
stakeholders as being as important.
That, I would say, definitely, Joseph, has beenthe shift.
Like myself, I started, you know, in this fieldof psychology in my twenties.
Mhmm.
And back then, it was kinda like, you know, youhad to be unwell for people to think about on
(13:40):
the psychological elements.
But I think what has happened since, you know,my early years in the field in corporate
consulting is that I remember quitegraphically, I remember, you know, working long
hours and all those things.
And even at the, health and wellness companythat I worked at, I remember people saying,
well, you know, you can't you can't have alunch today because we have this major project
(14:01):
due.
And that would be unheard of now today.
Like like, you know, kind of or, you know, atthat time, my son was young, and I would, you
know, you know, I'd say, well, I have acommitment or whatever, but you literally would
kinda tiptoe around to say, I've gotta leavebecause he's got hockey practice practice or
whatever.
And now, you know, the acceptance that we are,you know, the god of the day where you bring
(14:23):
the, you know, the personal Joseph when he hitthe front door of the office No.
No.
That professional Joseph enters and personalJoseph stays home with your your kids and your
wife and all that.
And then you enter into this arena and youbecome a thing, and we're recognizing that that
the best version of yourself is just the bestversion of yourself.
Exactly.
It's authenticity.
That's who you are.
(14:43):
Right?
And someone mentioned, I forget who it was,say, you know, we spend the first 50 years of
our life really entertaining the eagle,building character, trying to climb the ladder,
etcetera like that.
But the last 50 years of your your career, youstart to develop the soul.
And now you're you're feeding the soul.
And then this is why a lot of these projectswith First Nations, like, I I spoke about the
(15:07):
good shepherd.
This is where you're really satisfying thesoul.
You're helping people.
You know what I mean?
Because we're on this planet.
This is only my opinion is is to serve.
And the more you serve people, the better thisworld will be.
And and it's about kindness.
Like kindness is not a weakness.
It's actually a strength.
And people should look at at because I'm I'mchoosing to be kind.
(15:29):
I I cannot be kind, but I'm choosing to bekind.
What's the expression?
Whether to be right or to be kind, alwayschoose kindness.
Something along those lines.
But but I think what happens is when you toyour point, when you bring your authentic self,
this is who I am and I contribute in certainway.
And going back to sports analogy, we all playto our strengths.
(15:51):
Roxanne, you you excel in one field, I excel inanother field, but as a team we're stronger.
Right?
And and that's what makes a good team is in andand I think we're starting to get that and
which is great.
I've always knew that from my sports backgroundand and being in other corporations and, you
know, my my ethnicity.
Right?
(16:11):
So it's about the family building a unit andhelping each other out, like and helping to
help, not not forgetting anything in return.
And I think people really need to get to theauthentic part of themselves and not be
punished like we did in the past, Roxanne.
Like you said, you had to leave your yourpersonal side at the door going because, you
(16:31):
know, to be kind, it takes it it's it's not ascomplicated.
Just just be kind.
It doesn't mean you're not effective.
Like, I'm I'm a project manager.
I get I'm on task.
It's my Yeah.
You're you're me by the scope.
I probably gonna be the opposite of you,Joseph, because you're like that background.
I'm more the big picture.
And guess what?
I need people around me that can tether me
(16:51):
Yeah.
To help me with the microscope because that'snot my strength.
But guess what?
When I was in corporate in my twenties,thirties, guess what I would do?
I would, like, you know, decompensate, like,feel like something was wrong.
And then when I really started to do, like,different leadership proficiencies and stuff
like that, and I realized, you know, that'sjust that's that's not one of my strengths.
(17:11):
But it doesn't I don't have to be ashamed forthe fact that I'm not not as microscopic as the
people maybe that are in scientific backgroundsor pro project managers, you give them a Gantt
chart and you just step aside and, you know,they make you look good.
Right?
Like, so I think it's that to your point, it'sabout, you know, the term that I love is that
when you lead, you can lead without people evenknowing that you're leading.
(17:34):
Right.
Those people have the ears.
Yeah.
Because they're, you know so whether it's methat needs the help with the microscopic or
whatever or somebody that's not as bigstrategically, it's praying to people's
strengths and accentuating that, but not havingpeople feel less than if they they they're
trying to increase in the areas they've notthat's not their that's not their wheelhouse.
(17:57):
But and you you like you said, when you're inthat hubble, right, you're trying to figure out
who's good at what, who can leverage againstwho, who can recreate alliances with, and then
kind of allow us to say, you know, we could bethe best versions of ourselves acting
collectively versus kinda being insular, whichis what a lot of autocratic leadership is.
(18:17):
Right?
It's not about the team.
It's less about that and more about theindividual.
Yeah.
We have to knock down these silos because theydon't work.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
They work in grain farms, but not in in in theindustries.
Right?
So that we that we're in.
And the more in an essence, you know, likebusiness is all about relationships, but then
it it gets to the point where it's all aboutcommunication and having communication.
(18:39):
You know, I used to I used to cringe whenpeople are emailing back and forth, and they're
in the same office.
I said, get up, Go go a 100 feet down the hallYeah.
And go talk to that person.
I I said, because in 5 minutes, 5 minutes,you're gonna resolve 20 emails, half a day of
wasted time, like, time Yeah.
(19:01):
You know what it is beyond that, Rox?
I joke in a in a way, but I'm serious.
But what it is is you're building arelationship and rapport with that person.
You're not doing it over the email.
I understand emails are very important.
Phone calls are very important.
But when you have that human connection, itgoes beyond that.
And and that's what I think is is gonna isprevalent now.
(19:23):
Thank God it's it's come that way.
It's because people need to and then, you know,this is from the pandemic.
I think that's one of the lessons is that weneed this face to face, whether it's being in a
hybrid situation at work or not.
We really need to get to our authentic self andbuild these bonds with each other.
You know, not 40 emails back and forth.
Again I know.
(19:43):
And then you're like, you cc the world and thenyou kinda think, oh my goodness, where do I
begin?
Where do I end?
What what was I trying to get at the beginningand now I'm I'm stuck in this.
Now let's let's jump because I know, you know,we have limited time.
Let's talk about working with sustainabilityand kind of you know, it's interesting.
We're talking values.
You're talking, you know, your Italianbackground.
I'm talking about my Trinidadian background.
(20:04):
My some of the my my book is actually dedicatedto my father, because I always you know, I said
it's so much of it is culture, but so much isis what you kind of put out there.
And one of my best friends wrote a prose, apoem to dedicate the book to him because it was
so important for me to kind of give back.
But going to that whole element of culture andvalues, I wanna talk to you a little bit about
(20:27):
the sustainability world.
With all these things that you're talking aboutand the First Nations culture, it sounds like
that must be an a pretty interesting space tobe in even though you'll be doing big work that
we all need, but you're bridging the gapbetween what I hear is traditional North
American values, big business, obviously,clearly.
(20:50):
But we're into sustainability, but you'reentering, you you know, the indigenous value
system.
So I'm curious about what that's like and anykind of kind of words of wisdom that or things
that you've learned, what it's it's been likefor you.
So I was after I finished my course at Rotman,I was invited to it was the First Nations
Global Conference on on carbon in Regina.
(21:12):
So I did meet a lot of these the chiefs and theelders, and I saw the respect amongst the room.
And with specifically my colleagues, you know,Marty's CEO, Neil, the vice president, and
Carson, the marketing director.
And I see the relationships that they had, andit got it went beyond that because when I spent
time in Denmark and Europe and understandingsustainability and they're, you know, they're
(21:37):
the leaders, I saw that there's not only amoral commitment to the to, you know, to that
approach, but it's part of of their brand.
You know, when you look at sustainability, youright away, you think of Scandinavia, the
Danes, the, you know, the Dutch, the Norwegian,the Swedish, defend Fins, for example, is
(21:57):
because they get it.
And it it's respect it's respect for theenvironment.
And that's the same thing I see for the 1stnations here in Canada.
Because they talk about 7 generations andpreserving the lands for 7 generations.
And they're the stewards of the land.
And and I and I and there was a unilateralunderstanding between that the Scandinavian
(22:20):
philosophy about respecting the the planet.
And it and that brought me over into workingwith, Carbon Rx and how they think of things
and aligning as a partnership with regenerativefarmers there and First Nations.
So, you know, they're they're the lungs.
The prairies are the lungs of our country, likethe Amazon forest.
Yeah.
Unfortunately, here in Ontario, we're the wewere we're the polluters.
(22:44):
My dad worked at Stilco for 35 years.
Oh, goodness.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, and I remember my bedroom window andseeing those smoke stacks, and I'm like Yes.
When you when you hit the skyway and you seeit, you're like, oh, yes.
So, you know, it's not only, you know, a moralobligation for to help the planet and see what
we can do because because it's not it's not aone solution, you know, one method solution of
(23:06):
solving this.
There's gonna be a lot of things that peoplehave to do, but this is one piece.
And Canada, we're very fortunate to be blessedwith natural resources, and we have vast
amounts of land mass and geologicallypositioned to help with carbon capture.
So it all makes sense from the European model,the Scandinavians, the first nations here in
(23:28):
the west, for example.
That's what really brought me and and marriedthe two concepts together.
And to the first nations pieces, like, whenwe're buying these per, credits, these
companies here, for example, in Ontario andQuebec, that those monies go directly to
communities for health care, social programs.
So they're seeing the results from them rightaway.
(23:50):
Plus they're taking carbon out of theatmosphere, right, and helping our planet to
reduce their carbon footprint.
So it all makes sense.
You're building relationships.
And instead of giving them a a handout, you'regiving them a helping hand because you know
what?
They they have a the purpose is there.
We all have a sense of purpose and that reallygoes after the purpose.
(24:13):
And it's about, you know, spreading positivityand positivity and possibilities.
Right?
These are all possibilities.
And and and that's what what basically whywe're why we're
I like that.
Positivity and possibility.
What what a what a nice way to put it, Joseph,because it's so true.
Right?
Like, at the end of the day, right, like, we'reall in business.
Right?
We will we're out there and we, you know, workhard and but to be able to to do it in a way
(24:39):
that is kind and and gentle to the environmentthat we're in.
Right?
Because, like, to your point, for, you know,the generations to come, right, if you're
thinking 7, most of us are just thinking maybe,you know, this generation, the next generation,
maybe the maybe your grandchildren.
Right?
But then past that, we're not really thinkingpast that.
But really, we we really have to start to thinkalong those lines because what we do now
(25:01):
impacts the future generations and thepossibility of what this world will be like
down the road.
And and I borrowed that from, Tony Chapman.
He has a podcast, Chatter That Matters.
And Yeah.
He's always got guests who overcome obstacles.
But you're right.
It's it's about down the generation, and theydo think that, you know, whether it's First
Nations or the Scandinavian countries.
(25:22):
And that's really important.
And we could do that here.
Like, you know, we're blessed with fossilfuels.
Fossil fuels will never go away.
But for example, Europe is already 50% plus inin renewable resources already.
They passed
that threshold.
Percent.
Wow.
We should we can do that here.
We have clean green energy that we can utilize.
(25:43):
There's a lot of different technologies likehydrogens in their carbon capture we talked
about.
But there's a lot of technologies that, youknow, nuclear, it's safe.
It's not the old nuclear.
And there's a lot of technologies and a lot offacets that really can help our globe, and we
really need that.
So
So, you know, I'm I'm I often say and, youknow, with this my new book, I've told you that
(26:07):
it's called ROR, which is return onrelationships.
So I I often say you gotta know how tocommunicate, you know, gotta know how to
connect, you gotta know how to make morallybased decision making.
That is so your decisions should shouldultimately be in alignment with kind of your
morals, recognition.
Right?
(26:27):
And, you know, so it's all good things so thatthe leader kind of is grounded within him or
herself Yeah.
So that that that force field around them kindof permeates back what they're about.
And when I work with leaders and their teams,that's what I say.
It's like, you know, you becoming the bestversion of yourself allows others to become
best versions of themself.
(26:48):
And guess what?
Like I said earlier in the podcast, we allwanna do we all wanna feel good at work.
We all wanna do something significant.
That legacy piece, right, is a big thing Sothat when you're no longer there, that, you
know, you're talking about carbon, imprint.
I talk about legacy imprint.
Like, what is it that will be be rememberedabout Joseph when he's no longer, involved in
(27:11):
the sustainability project or whatever you didat the p three projects.
Those the same with me.
When I'm no longer here, what is it that willbe left behind that I can feel good about to
know that I've impacted, you know, the peoplein whatever way with my message that I leave
behind?
Well, Joseph, this has been a case Sorry.
It's like you said, it goes back to what's thepurpose.
(27:32):
It's Simon Sinek's your why, you know.
Yeah.
Knowing your why.
Absolutely.
The reason, Roxanne sorry I cut you off.
That's
okay.
That's okay.
I have one nephew and 3 nieces.
It's for them Yeah.
To give them a better time.
We broke the planet.
We broke it.
We just need to clean it up so they can enjoyit and and so on and so on.
So
(27:53):
Yeah.
And I have one son, and I I often say, it'slike, okay.
I'm doing this so that, you know,grandchildren, great grandchildren, well, those
types of things.
And but you're trying to kind of impact who youcan now.
And one one kind of funny thing that I do withCEOs is I say to them, you know, when they're
talking about their stressful time.
Like, we all have stressful times in ourbusiness.
(28:13):
I say, you know and they say, well, you know,I'm okay with my stress.
I'm fine.
I'm the same.
I said, okay.
Well, go to your youngest child.
Yeah.
Don't start with the oldest, because the oldestis gonna tell you what you need to hear in the
format that you need to hear it in.
Go into the youngest child and interview thatyoungest child about what mommy and daddy is
like when they're really, really, stressed.
(28:33):
And tell them to describe what you're like whenyou interact with others.
I said, because that's quite part and a lot ofthem come back and they go, wow, Roxanne.
I can't believe the information I got from thatchild.
And then I go then take that back to your teamwith that knowledge and think, what am I really
like when I'm stressed?
I might think I'm or perceive that I'm leadinga certain way, but in fact, what that youngest
(28:57):
child is probably giving you an insight to howyou interact with others.
And it's a it's a quite powerful kind ofexercise in a lot of them.
That's a really good method.
I like that.
And Yeah.
Because, you know, it's the people closest tous.
Right?
We can Sure.
Oftentimes be behave the the, you know, leastgraceful with the people that are closest to
our heart, and then they're the ones that kindago, yeah.
(29:17):
Well, you're a little bit too direct or you'retoo down the line, when you're when you're
stressed, and that's not very nice kind ofthing.
So, but sometimes it's hard for people to goand, you know, get that true feedback from
their team.
And it's part and it ties into the mentalhealth piece because, like I said, the 5 I
transitioned 5 different mental healthfacilities in Ontario, and I see what the end
(29:39):
result is.
So you should get help because I know I knowwhere you're gonna go if you don't get help.
Yeah.
And and mind you, those are great facilities tohelp people because they really need it,
whether it's, you know, cognitive, chemical,whatever.
But it's so important.
We just need to talk about things.
And it you know what I mean?
I think Simon Sinek says something and he says,you know what?
(30:01):
If I how are you doing?
Like, really?
Like, you know, you're
How how are you really not the how are you andthen, oh, I'm fine fine and move on.
But how are you really doing, right, to reallytake that extra point, that time to say, and to
know something about yourself.
Right?
Like, to really know someone, something in thatperson's life that really would be the kind of
(30:21):
the fluff that most of us get to at work, and Ithink that that's really what what makes a lot
of difference.
So, Joseph, for people that maybe are intriguedby these conversations or would want to connect
or chat or talk about some of the initiativesthat you have going on, where where can people
Well, I'm on LinkedIn under Joseph Grimaldi andCarbon RX, and you can look at our website,
(30:44):
www.carbonrx.com.
And, like, if they have any questions, they canget linked with me, connect with me on
LinkedIn.
And I'd love to help a lot of these companiestransition and help because a lot of them need
sustainability plans because that's what themandate is, and we can help them along the way.
And in the meantime, they feel good about whatthey're doing, not only an ethical standpoint,
(31:07):
but it's part of the branding of their companyand they're helping.
They could see they're helping people our ownpeoples out in the west and the prairies.
So it's it's a nice feel good situation.
So yeah.
Absolutely.
And that was it's been a pleasure speaking withyou, and then I I wish you would
Thanks for thanks so much for hanging out withus.
So what am I learning?
What am I taking away with our little chat?
(31:28):
I think I love the fact that you're saying, youknow, you gave the example of the the the
Danish, CEO was who was cleaning off the tablebecause to me, that aligns with really what I
talk about, which is, you know, people arepeople.
We all want I will bring in the the concept ofgratitude and love into work, and now we're
allowed to talk about that, right, like, atwork.
(31:50):
So that's what I'm walking away with today fromtalking to you just about, you know, are you
leading from a place of alignment from what'smost important to to you?
And if you're not, maybe listen to thispodcast, review things, and think a little bit
more about how you could be in alignment withwhat you value.
So for everyone you know, if you wanna know ifyou're more authentically connected to your
(32:11):
leadership, there's a a quiz that you can go toat roxandrehodge.comforward/quins.
You just fill out those just a couple ofquestions, and we'll send you a mini report
with some recommendations.
So, So, again, Joseph, thanks so much foreverybody.
Thanks for tuning in to Authentic Living withRoxanne, creating the space for positive
(32:31):
healthy change.
Roxanne is a keynote speaker, psychotherapist,and coach.
To work with Roxanne, visitroxannederhage.com/blueprint.
We'll see you next time on Authentic Livingwith Roxanne.
(32:52):
I'm always grateful that you hang out with me,and we'll chat with you again next week.
Thank you.
And remember, thrive in 2025.
I see.
Thrive in 2025.
I love it.
Okay, everyone.
Take care.
Thank you, Roxanne.
Okay.
Welcome to Authentic Living with Roxanne, aplace where we have conscious conversations
about things that really matter in our lives.
And now here's your host, Roxanne Durhaj.
(00:42):
Hi, everyone.
It's Roxanne Gerhach for with AuthenticallyLiving with Roxanne.
So thanks again for tuning in again.
Today, I bought, someone that's quite specialin, in leadership and has had quite the
extensive, time in leadership, and his name is,Joseph Grimaldi.
Hi, Joseph.
Nice to have you on.
Afternoon, Roxanne.
(01:02):
It's a pleasure.
Thank you for having me on your podcast.
I appreciate that.
Well, so we're gonna have a bit of a talk.
I gotta tell you a little bit about Joseph, butthis is not gonna do any justice to some of the
things that he's done.
He's worked a lot in health care p 3 projects,which is his private public partnerships,
pharmaceuticals, industrial, and operationsectors.
(01:23):
Like, I often I I think it's always soimportant to know how you kinda got to where
you are today.
Fair enough.
Thank you.
Thank you again, Roxanne.
Well, it you know, basically my my degree is inchemistry.
I taught for for several years in the Catholicsystem, but then I because it's in chemistry, I
(01:44):
I ventured into pharmaceuticals and whetherit's sales and marketing.
And then I basically from there, I went intomore design and development of mental health
hospitals with Honeywell.
And then I transitioned 5 sites in Ontario fromthe P3 secondtor, from a construction site to
(02:05):
basically operations and a live building.
So that brought me eventually to Denmark whereI was in charge of, constructing a 1,000,000
square foot facility for medical cannabis tosupply the European market.
Again, because of my pharma background, Ithought it was a great fit and a way to go to
to Europe and on this massive project.
(02:26):
That kind of went sideways with that wholeindustry.
And then I came back and I volunteered at theGood Shepherd.
It was basically, a soup kitchen for for thehomeless men, and they found out I had a
project management background.
They hired me.
I thought it was just only gonna be temporary.
I was there for almost 4 years, where webasically transitioned, facilities to
(02:49):
accommodate some of the homeless.
We retrofitted, our, my old high school here inHamilton for a 100 men, take them off the
streets, during COVID.
And then we later transitioned another a 100women off the streets, and transitioned them
for, for that care.
And what happened there is after, the fundingwent through and I decided to look with my
(03:11):
experience in Denmark because thesustainability they're the leaders,
Scandinavians.
My work with the Danes, the Dutch, the Swedes,and some of the Fins there really, really
strengthened my, my, my direction for, forsustainability.
I attended Rotman University Toronto School ofManagement, and, I took a course in
(03:33):
sustainability leadership.
So that's what brought me to where I am nowwith CarbonRx.
Carbon RX is a company out of, Saskatchewan.
And what they do is they work with FirstNations people and regenerative farmers.
And they have whether it's in grasslands,forestry, or regenerative agriculture, They
(03:54):
what we do here now is my role here is inOntario is to we have all the emitters here for
carbon, and we're we're aligning them with theFirst Nation lands.
So they're buying credits here in Ontario andin Quebec.
And, we're partnering with First Nations, outwest in the prairies to offset the carbon.
So if you're buying 10,000 tonnes of carbonhere, we offset it in the prairies with 10,000.
(04:20):
For example, in 3 d 4 in Saskatchewan with someof the band leaders there.
I was there in Saskatchewan in September.
I met some of the the chiefs and the eldersthere.
I'm really impressed by the relationship thatCarbonRx is.
For example, Marty and and Neil and Carson,part of the teammates there, they really have
the trust of of those peoples, and that's wherewe are today.
(04:42):
And that it's it's a big piece.
You know about, you know, carbon neutral andnet 0 2030 and the United Nations, you know,
sustainability development goals.
So it's a it's a big space, a growing space.
And Canada, we're fortunate becausegeologically, we can carbon capture a lot of
this emitting carbon from from all over.
(05:04):
And ours is more of a natural base.
So we're really working with our partners, likeI said, First Nations out west and regenerative
agricultural farmers to really help this.
So that's basically what we're doing now.
So
So you've had you've had a fascinating career,like you said, starting off in chemistry and
kinda going into suit pharmaceuticals and nowfrom there, kinda going into sustainability.
(05:30):
Tell me as a leader, as a young leader.
Right, you've you've been in differentenvironments, you've been in different
cultures, you've been in, obviously, NorthAmerican culture, coming from Hamilton all the
way off to Denmark and Europe.
What's what's the difference between ourleadership or the leadership styles here in
North America compared to, the European kind ofleaders?
(05:51):
So I could that's a really good question,Roxanne.
I could tell you that, for example, in Denmark,it's it's a it's horizontal leadership.
So you could be sitting with the president inone room and having contact.
Whereas, when I was working for Honeywell, forexample, you know, for me to get to the CEO and
white and In Honeywell, there's, like, 7, 8layers.
(06:16):
Yes.
In Denmark, it just seems that, you know, theyyou could you turn around and and, you know, we
would have lunch.
We always had lunch, And he's cleaning thetable right alongside me with, like it just
their focus is on relationships and thestrengthening of the relationships.
And I guess that's the main difference becausewhen it comes down to business is all about
(06:39):
relationships.
And it's for my experience here, for example,in Honeywell, I would work with the architects,
the designers, the engineers, but then I'd beworking with the contractors, you know, the
electricians and plumbers, etcetera, like that.
And for me, it's about building relationship.
Doesn't matter where they are in the company.
Yeah.
Build strong relationships regardless of yourtitle.
(07:01):
I think what happens is you really create abond.
It's almost like creating a family atmosphere,and everybody works together collectively.
But that was the biggest difference.
I noticed that I could speak to the presidentof the company in Denmark, whereas in
Honeywell, it took me a few layers
They get they're getting in trouble to see theguy that's up top in it.
They're going to the principal's
up.
Not that the CEO wants to see you.
(07:22):
You're like, oh, I'm not
so sure.
You know, that's fascinating.
Right?
So you're talking I talk it I I call itshoulder to shoulder leadership where you know?
And my dad was, an executive all my life.
Like I told you earlier, I'm from Trinidad,Tobago.
Mhmm.
And he would say to me, you know, even as alittle girl.
So I grew up kinda like with people, you know,a lot of people working in the oil, you know,
(07:43):
oil industry, a lot of business people, thosetypes of things.
I remember him saying, you know, you know, andyou're picking up things as a child.
Right?
And he would say, you would always pee treateverybody the same.
He says whether it's the janitor sweeping thefloor or the guy in the, you know, the big
office behind the glass, he said, you treateverybody with the same because we they all
deserve the same respect.
(08:04):
And it's interesting honestly.
Yeah.
And I I, you know, I even say that now.
And, basically, you know, culturally, and Italk a little bit about the impact of my
culture and kind of what I ended up wanting todo for a living.
But, ultimately, that's that was such a valuefor for me as a child because then really, you
know, as you went through differentenvironments, then you realized, well, that's
(08:24):
so true because people are people.
Right?
And we all wanna feel special at work.
Right?
Like, whatever we're doing, you know, as aleader, I I've always kept that space in my
mind that we all wanna bring the best versionsof ourselves to work.
100%.
Yes.
I agree.
And connection does that.
Right?
You know, if you're the leader that's cleaningoff the, like you said, the, you know, the
(08:46):
tables and the Yes.
You're gonna you're gonna get to know thingsversus kind of our, you know, kind of typical
water water cooler kinda conversations.
You know what you kinda see?
And I've worked with industry, small, large,all across industry in my corporate career,
that you would kind of symbolically know.
I said there was 2 touch points.
I don't know if this makes sense for you, but Iwould also always know the temple of the
(09:09):
environment I was going into when I waited inthe lobby.
Yes.
And also when I you know, on in leaders, whenthe leader entered the team or the people
around the water cooler, how would there therebe a shift in conversation?
Okay.
And peep leaders that kinda like, to yourpoint, you keep talking that you know you're
doing something right because people are justnot treating you differently.
(09:32):
Yeah.
You're the leader, but they're also inclusiveversus when you kinda the leaders that say,
give me give me that respect, give me that thatautocratic kind of space, people shut down.
And then it's it's everything it's almost likepeople scatter, and they they start or they
start talking about things that really are notintimate anymore.
No.
It's so true.
And and to your point is when, when I'll usethe Danish example, because it, it speaks to
(09:57):
what you were saying is when we had meetingsthere, we were, we were the majority
stakeholder, but they would say, oh, the bossis here.
I said, no, there's no boss here.
I said, we're all part of the team.
And, and that's part of it, but, but we wouldhave meetings there.
And my background's Italian.
So we love food like the trinidanias.
You love your food.
Oh my goodness.
Italian food.
I don't know.
(10:18):
Pretty, pretty darn good.
Well, what I would do is, you know, the oddtime we had kitchens in the meeting area, so I
would make sauce in the morning.
So that I can make lunch for all of us, but westill have our meetings.
So what had happened is we brought bothcultures together, right?
The Danish Yeah.
I and the Canadian.
And that really, because that really allowed meto be part of their circle because it's their
(10:43):
country.
And and one step further is when we would havemeetings, I would say to the engineers there, I
said, we have to the major points have to bediscussed in English because I have to
understand.
I I spoke a little Danish, but not much.
But after we have the main points and Iunderstand the concepts, then you then I said,
you know, speak in your own language becauseit's their country.
(11:05):
I'm not gonna tell them not to speak in theirlanguage.
Right.
So that really, really made a big difference inin shifting over the bust part.
Right?
The transparency.
And the odd time would say, you gotta rememberI know a little bit Danish.
So be careful what you say.
So
Don't say too many things that I I really getsome
hear, Aksa.
And they would turn to me and goes, well, we'renot talking about you.
(11:26):
I said, okay.
But what it is, it goes back to relationships.
Right?
Yeah.
I broke down that barrier across, you know,cross border barrier, and and they welcome me
in, and I think that's what we need to do moreso.
The bat the doesn't matter what culture you'refrom, what you're upbringing.
What you do is celebrate the best of eachother's cultures, but make everybody feel at
(11:49):
home.
So when they would come to Canada, you know, Iwould take them to different facilities.
We're out west.
You know, went to go see a hockey game.
You know, the teams like hockey, we likehockey.
So we went to a western hockey league inMedicine Hat.
So, you know, you really build that bond.
And it's unfortunate how the project wentbecause of the scenario in the in the medical
cannabis space.
We did complete the a retrofitted 300 squarefoot facility, which is still running and
(12:13):
supplying the European market.
But it's they're still my friends.
I still speak to my friends in Norway andDenmark.
And just because the project dissipated doesn'tmean you don't have those ongoing
relationships.
So and it it goes back to family, like you weresaying, Roxanne, with your situation with your
dad, is you treat everybody the same.
(12:34):
And in the end, it's like a big family.
You ask your sister to do something, yourbrother, your dad, you're going like, that's
that's cons that's who your teammates are.
And when I look at something like that, I lookat I use always a football analogy is it's like
being in a huddle.
Right?
We have a play that has to be called from thecoach, CEO, for example, and we have to
(12:56):
execute.
You know, you have to block like, there'sstrategies, But you work for the person beside
you, on the left of you, on the right of you.
And and it's like, you know, a brotherhood, asisterhood, whatever you wanna call it.
And that really makes a difference.
I guess it's putting a human in humanity.
Right?
So
Right.
And you said something earlier before we gotonline, and you said, we're starting to
(13:19):
recognize that it's yes.
It's a this the shareholders are important, butthey're not now we're recognizing the
stakeholders as being as important.
That, I would say, definitely, Joseph, has beenthe shift.
Like myself, I started, you know, in this fieldof psychology in my twenties.
Mhmm.
And back then, it was kinda like, you know, youhad to be unwell for people to think about on
(13:40):
the psychological elements.
But I think what has happened since, you know,my early years in the field in corporate
consulting is that I remember quitegraphically, I remember, you know, working long
hours and all those things.
And even at the, health and wellness companythat I worked at, I remember people saying,
well, you know, you can't you can't have alunch today because we have this major project
(14:01):
due.
And that would be unheard of now today.
Like like, you know, kind of or, you know, atthat time, my son was young, and I would, you
know, you know, I'd say, well, I have acommitment or whatever, but you literally would
kinda tiptoe around to say, I've gotta leavebecause he's got hockey practice practice or
whatever.
And now, you know, the acceptance that we are,you know, the god of the day where you bring
(14:23):
the, you know, the personal Joseph when he hitthe front door of the office No.
No.
That professional Joseph enters and personalJoseph stays home with your your kids and your
wife and all that.
And then you enter into this arena and youbecome a thing, and we're recognizing that that
the best version of yourself is just the bestversion of yourself.
Exactly.
It's authenticity.
That's who you are.
(14:43):
Right?
And someone mentioned, I forget who it was,say, you know, we spend the first 50 years of
our life really entertaining the eagle,building character, trying to climb the ladder,
etcetera like that.
But the last 50 years of your your career, youstart to develop the soul.
And now you're you're feeding the soul.
And then this is why a lot of these projectswith First Nations, like, I I spoke about the
(15:07):
good shepherd.
This is where you're really satisfying thesoul.
You're helping people.
You know what I mean?
Because we're on this planet.
This is only my opinion is is to serve.
And the more you serve people, the better thisworld will be.
And and it's about kindness.
Like kindness is not a weakness.
It's actually a strength.
And people should look at at because I'm I'mchoosing to be kind.
(15:29):
I I cannot be kind, but I'm choosing to bekind.
What's the expression?
Whether to be right or to be kind, alwayschoose kindness.
Something along those lines.
But but I think what happens is when you toyour point, when you bring your authentic self,
this is who I am and I contribute in certainway.
And going back to sports analogy, we all playto our strengths.
(15:51):
Roxanne, you you excel in one field, I excel inanother field, but as a team we're stronger.
Right?
And and that's what makes a good team is in andand I think we're starting to get that and
which is great.
I've always knew that from my sports backgroundand and being in other corporations and, you
know, my my ethnicity.
Right?
(16:11):
So it's about the family building a unit andhelping each other out, like and helping to
help, not not forgetting anything in return.
And I think people really need to get to theauthentic part of themselves and not be
punished like we did in the past, Roxanne.
Like you said, you had to leave your yourpersonal side at the door going because, you
(16:31):
know, to be kind, it takes it it's it's not ascomplicated.
Just just be kind.
It doesn't mean you're not effective.
Like, I'm I'm a project manager.
I get I'm on task.
It's my Yeah.
You're you're me by the scope.
I probably gonna be the opposite of you,Joseph, because you're like that background.
I'm more the big picture.
And guess what?
I need people around me that can tether me
(16:51):
Yeah.
To help me with the microscope because that'snot my strength.
But guess what?
When I was in corporate in my twenties,thirties, guess what I would do?
I would, like, you know, decompensate, like,feel like something was wrong.
And then when I really started to do, like,different leadership proficiencies and stuff
like that, and I realized, you know, that'sjust that's that's not one of my strengths.
(17:11):
But it doesn't I don't have to be ashamed forthe fact that I'm not not as microscopic as the
people maybe that are in scientific backgroundsor pro project managers, you give them a Gantt
chart and you just step aside and, you know,they make you look good.
Right?
Like, so I think it's that to your point, it'sabout, you know, the term that I love is that
when you lead, you can lead without people evenknowing that you're leading.
(17:34):
Right.
Those people have the ears.
Yeah.
Because they're, you know so whether it's methat needs the help with the microscopic or
whatever or somebody that's not as bigstrategically, it's praying to people's
strengths and accentuating that, but not havingpeople feel less than if they they they're
trying to increase in the areas they've notthat's not their that's not their wheelhouse.
(17:57):
But and you you like you said, when you're inthat hubble, right, you're trying to figure out
who's good at what, who can leverage againstwho, who can recreate alliances with, and then
kind of allow us to say, you know, we could bethe best versions of ourselves acting
collectively versus kinda being insular, whichis what a lot of autocratic leadership is.
(18:17):
Right?
It's not about the team.
It's less about that and more about theindividual.
Yeah.
We have to knock down these silos because theydon't work.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
They work in grain farms, but not in in in theindustries.
Right?
So that we that we're in.
And the more in an essence, you know, likebusiness is all about relationships, but then
it it gets to the point where it's all aboutcommunication and having communication.
(18:39):
You know, I used to I used to cringe whenpeople are emailing back and forth, and they're
in the same office.
I said, get up, Go go a 100 feet down the hallYeah.
And go talk to that person.
I I said, because in 5 minutes, 5 minutes,you're gonna resolve 20 emails, half a day of
wasted time, like, time Yeah.
(19:01):
You know what it is beyond that, Rox?
I joke in a in a way, but I'm serious.
But what it is is you're building arelationship and rapport with that person.
You're not doing it over the email.
I understand emails are very important.
Phone calls are very important.
But when you have that human connection, itgoes beyond that.
And and that's what I think is is gonna isprevalent now.
(19:23):
Thank God it's it's come that way.
It's because people need to and then, you know,this is from the pandemic.
I think that's one of the lessons is that weneed this face to face, whether it's being in a
hybrid situation at work or not.
We really need to get to our authentic self andbuild these bonds with each other.
You know, not 40 emails back and forth.
Again I know.
(19:43):
And then you're like, you cc the world and thenyou kinda think, oh my goodness, where do I
begin?
Where do I end?
What what was I trying to get at the beginningand now I'm I'm stuck in this.
Now let's let's jump because I know, you know,we have limited time.
Let's talk about working with sustainabilityand kind of you know, it's interesting.
We're talking values.
You're talking, you know, your Italianbackground.
I'm talking about my Trinidadian background.
(20:04):
My some of the my my book is actually dedicatedto my father, because I always you know, I said
it's so much of it is culture, but so much isis what you kind of put out there.
And one of my best friends wrote a prose, apoem to dedicate the book to him because it was
so important for me to kind of give back.
But going to that whole element of culture andvalues, I wanna talk to you a little bit about
(20:27):
the sustainability world.
With all these things that you're talking aboutand the First Nations culture, it sounds like
that must be an a pretty interesting space tobe in even though you'll be doing big work that
we all need, but you're bridging the gapbetween what I hear is traditional North
American values, big business, obviously,clearly.
(20:50):
But we're into sustainability, but you'reentering, you you know, the indigenous value
system.
So I'm curious about what that's like and anykind of kind of words of wisdom that or things
that you've learned, what it's it's been likefor you.
So I was after I finished my course at Rotman,I was invited to it was the First Nations
Global Conference on on carbon in Regina.
(21:12):
So I did meet a lot of these the chiefs and theelders, and I saw the respect amongst the room.
And with specifically my colleagues, you know,Marty's CEO, Neil, the vice president, and
Carson, the marketing director.
And I see the relationships that they had, andit got it went beyond that because when I spent
time in Denmark and Europe and understandingsustainability and they're, you know, they're
(21:37):
the leaders, I saw that there's not only amoral commitment to the to, you know, to that
approach, but it's part of of their brand.
You know, when you look at sustainability, youright away, you think of Scandinavia, the
Danes, the, you know, the Dutch, the Norwegian,the Swedish, defend Fins, for example, is
(21:57):
because they get it.
And it it's respect it's respect for theenvironment.
And that's the same thing I see for the 1stnations here in Canada.
Because they talk about 7 generations andpreserving the lands for 7 generations.
And they're the stewards of the land.
And and I and I and there was a unilateralunderstanding between that the Scandinavian
(22:20):
philosophy about respecting the the planet.
And it and that brought me over into workingwith, Carbon Rx and how they think of things
and aligning as a partnership with regenerativefarmers there and First Nations.
So, you know, they're they're the lungs.
The prairies are the lungs of our country, likethe Amazon forest.
Yeah.
Unfortunately, here in Ontario, we're the wewere we're the polluters.
(22:44):
My dad worked at Stilco for 35 years.
Oh, goodness.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, and I remember my bedroom window andseeing those smoke stacks, and I'm like Yes.
When you when you hit the skyway and you seeit, you're like, oh, yes.
So, you know, it's not only, you know, a moralobligation for to help the planet and see what
we can do because because it's not it's not aone solution, you know, one method solution of
(23:06):
solving this.
There's gonna be a lot of things that peoplehave to do, but this is one piece.
And Canada, we're very fortunate to be blessedwith natural resources, and we have vast
amounts of land mass and geologicallypositioned to help with carbon capture.
So it all makes sense from the European model,the Scandinavians, the first nations here in
(23:28):
the west, for example.
That's what really brought me and and marriedthe two concepts together.
And to the first nations pieces, like, whenwe're buying these per, credits, these
companies here, for example, in Ontario andQuebec, that those monies go directly to
communities for health care, social programs.
So they're seeing the results from them rightaway.
(23:50):
Plus they're taking carbon out of theatmosphere, right, and helping our planet to
reduce their carbon footprint.
So it all makes sense.
You're building relationships.
And instead of giving them a a handout, you'regiving them a helping hand because you know
what?
They they have a the purpose is there.
We all have a sense of purpose and that reallygoes after the purpose.
(24:13):
And it's about, you know, spreading positivityand positivity and possibilities.
Right?
These are all possibilities.
And and and that's what what basically whywe're why we're
I like that.
Positivity and possibility.
What what a what a nice way to put it, Joseph,because it's so true.
Right?
Like, at the end of the day, right, like, we'reall in business.
Right?
We will we're out there and we, you know, workhard and but to be able to to do it in a way
(24:39):
that is kind and and gentle to the environmentthat we're in.
Right?
Because, like, to your point, for, you know,the generations to come, right, if you're
thinking 7, most of us are just thinking maybe,you know, this generation, the next generation,
maybe the maybe your grandchildren.
Right?
But then past that, we're not really thinkingpast that.
But really, we we really have to start to thinkalong those lines because what we do now
(25:01):
impacts the future generations and thepossibility of what this world will be like
down the road.
And and I borrowed that from, Tony Chapman.
He has a podcast, Chatter That Matters.
And Yeah.
He's always got guests who overcome obstacles.
But you're right.
It's it's about down the generation, and theydo think that, you know, whether it's First
Nations or the Scandinavian countries.
(25:22):
And that's really important.
And we could do that here.
Like, you know, we're blessed with fossilfuels.
Fossil fuels will never go away.
But for example, Europe is already 50% plus inin renewable resources already.
They passed
that threshold.
Percent.
Wow.
We should we can do that here.
We have clean green energy that we can utilize.
(25:43):
There's a lot of different technologies likehydrogens in their carbon capture we talked
about.
But there's a lot of technologies that, youknow, nuclear, it's safe.
It's not the old nuclear.
And there's a lot of technologies and a lot offacets that really can help our globe, and we
really need that.
So
So, you know, I'm I'm I often say and, youknow, with this my new book, I've told you that
(26:07):
it's called ROR, which is return onrelationships.
So I I often say you gotta know how tocommunicate, you know, gotta know how to
connect, you gotta know how to make morallybased decision making.
That is so your decisions should shouldultimately be in alignment with kind of your
morals, recognition.
Right?
(26:27):
And, you know, so it's all good things so thatthe leader kind of is grounded within him or
herself Yeah.
So that that that force field around them kindof permeates back what they're about.
And when I work with leaders and their teams,that's what I say.
It's like, you know, you becoming the bestversion of yourself allows others to become
best versions of themself.
(26:48):
And guess what?
Like I said earlier in the podcast, we allwanna do we all wanna feel good at work.
We all wanna do something significant.
That legacy piece, right, is a big thing Sothat when you're no longer there, that, you
know, you're talking about carbon, imprint.
I talk about legacy imprint.
Like, what is it that will be be rememberedabout Joseph when he's no longer, involved in
(27:11):
the sustainability project or whatever you didat the p three projects.
Those the same with me.
When I'm no longer here, what is it that willbe left behind that I can feel good about to
know that I've impacted, you know, the peoplein whatever way with my message that I leave
behind?
Well, Joseph, this has been a case Sorry.
It's like you said, it goes back to what's thepurpose.
(27:32):
It's Simon Sinek's your why, you know.
Yeah.
Knowing your why.
Absolutely.
The reason, Roxanne sorry I cut you off.
That's
okay.
That's okay.
I have one nephew and 3 nieces.
It's for them Yeah.
To give them a better time.
We broke the planet.
We broke it.
We just need to clean it up so they can enjoyit and and so on and so on.
So
(27:53):
Yeah.
And I have one son, and I I often say, it'slike, okay.
I'm doing this so that, you know,grandchildren, great grandchildren, well, those
types of things.
And but you're trying to kind of impact who youcan now.
And one one kind of funny thing that I do withCEOs is I say to them, you know, when they're
talking about their stressful time.
Like, we all have stressful times in ourbusiness.
(28:13):
I say, you know and they say, well, you know,I'm okay with my stress.
I'm fine.
I'm the same.
I said, okay.
Well, go to your youngest child.
Yeah.
Don't start with the oldest, because the oldestis gonna tell you what you need to hear in the
format that you need to hear it in.
Go into the youngest child and interview thatyoungest child about what mommy and daddy is
like when they're really, really, stressed.
(28:33):
And tell them to describe what you're like whenyou interact with others.
I said, because that's quite part and a lot ofthem come back and they go, wow, Roxanne.
I can't believe the information I got from thatchild.
And then I go then take that back to your teamwith that knowledge and think, what am I really
like when I'm stressed?
I might think I'm or perceive that I'm leadinga certain way, but in fact, what that youngest
(28:57):
child is probably giving you an insight to howyou interact with others.
And it's a it's a quite powerful kind ofexercise in a lot of them.
That's a really good method.
I like that.
And Yeah.
Because, you know, it's the people closest tous.
Right?
We can Sure.
Oftentimes be behave the the, you know, leastgraceful with the people that are closest to
our heart, and then they're the ones that kindago, yeah.
(29:17):
Well, you're a little bit too direct or you'retoo down the line, when you're when you're
stressed, and that's not very nice kind ofthing.
So, but sometimes it's hard for people to goand, you know, get that true feedback from
their team.
And it's part and it ties into the mentalhealth piece because, like I said, the 5 I
transitioned 5 different mental healthfacilities in Ontario, and I see what the end
(29:39):
result is.
So you should get help because I know I knowwhere you're gonna go if you don't get help.
Yeah.
And and mind you, those are great facilities tohelp people because they really need it,
whether it's, you know, cognitive, chemical,whatever.
But it's so important.
We just need to talk about things.
And it you know what I mean?
I think Simon Sinek says something and he says,you know what?
(30:01):
If I how are you doing?
Like, really?
Like, you know, you're
How how are you really not the how are you andthen, oh, I'm fine fine and move on.
But how are you really doing, right, to reallytake that extra point, that time to say, and to
know something about yourself.
Right?
Like, to really know someone, something in thatperson's life that really would be the kind of
(30:21):
the fluff that most of us get to at work, and Ithink that that's really what what makes a lot
of difference.
So, Joseph, for people that maybe are intriguedby these conversations or would want to connect
or chat or talk about some of the initiativesthat you have going on, where where can people
Well, I'm on LinkedIn under Joseph Grimaldi andCarbon RX, and you can look at our website,
(30:44):
www.carbonrx.com.
And, like, if they have any questions, they canget linked with me, connect with me on
LinkedIn.
And I'd love to help a lot of these companiestransition and help because a lot of them need
sustainability plans because that's what themandate is, and we can help them along the way.
And in the meantime, they feel good about whatthey're doing, not only an ethical standpoint,
(31:07):
but it's part of the branding of their companyand they're helping.
They could see they're helping people our ownpeoples out in the west and the prairies.
So it's it's a nice feel good situation.
So yeah.
Absolutely.
And that was it's been a pleasure speaking withyou, and then I I wish you would
Thanks for thanks so much for hanging out withus.
So what am I learning?
What am I taking away with our little chat?
(31:28):
I think I love the fact that you're saying, youknow, you gave the example of the the the
Danish, CEO was who was cleaning off the tablebecause to me, that aligns with really what I
talk about, which is, you know, people arepeople.
We all want I will bring in the the concept ofgratitude and love into work, and now we're
allowed to talk about that, right, like, atwork.
(31:50):
So that's what I'm walking away with today fromtalking to you just about, you know, are you
leading from a place of alignment from what'smost important to to you?
And if you're not, maybe listen to thispodcast, review things, and think a little bit
more about how you could be in alignment withwhat you value.
So for everyone you know, if you wanna know ifyou're more authentically connected to your
(32:11):
leadership, there's a a quiz that you can go toat roxandrehodge.comforward/quins.
You just fill out those just a couple ofquestions, and we'll send you a mini report
with some recommendations.
So, So, again, Joseph, thanks so much foreverybody.
Thanks for tuning in to Authentic Living withRoxanne, creating the space for positive
(32:31):
healthy change.
Roxanne is a keynote speaker, psychotherapist,and coach.
To work with Roxanne, visitroxannederhage.com/blueprint.
We'll see you next time on Authentic Livingwith Roxanne.
(32:52):
I'm always grateful that you hang out with me,and we'll chat with you again next week.
Thank you.
And remember, thrive in 2025.
I see.
Thrive in 2025.
I love it.
Okay, everyone.
Take care.
Thank you, Roxanne.
Okay.
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