Episode 056: Mary-Jo Dionne -- host, Tea with a Titan

What we cover: “Where will we be 5 years from today?”

 

Welcome to Season #2 of Tea with a Titan: Conversations Steeped in Greatness.

This is the series where I get to sit down and have tea with entrepreneurs, athletes, entertainers, artists, philanthropists, thought-leaders, difference makers, -- those people who have one of five, or sometimes five of five, things in common. After evaluating the learning I was so blessed to be on the receiving end of throughout Season #1 (episodes 1 through 55), I have come to the realization that what makes a titan a titan comes down to five recurring themes and qualities -- every time.

 1) A titan is self-made; they do not depend on others to determine their fate.

2) A titan has a high adversity quotient -- when they fall, they get back up.

3) A titan believes in reinvention – they are adaptable.

4) A titan is a dreamer. But more than that, a titan is a do-er. They set the alarm earlier, they sit at their desk longer, they hit the gym or the pool or the art easel or the laptop. They re-evaluate how they spend the minutes of their day in order to “Find a way.”

5) A titan knows that no mistake is a mistake and no failure is a failure, so long as there was a lesson learned and then implemented along the way.

Those are the types of people we connect with on this series. While every week a Guest Titans is on air with me, those of you tuning in now from 70 countries – you are my Guest Titans too, and I thank you for having tea with me every week.

It’s good to be back.

 I hope you had an outstanding summer. Chad and I certainly did – for those of you who joined us throughout Season 1, you know that in June 2017, I had the extreme good fortune of spending a week with Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island with an organization called Change Makers and Rule Breakers. That was a worldview-shaping experience, to say the least. To be surrounded by people, Richard Branson chief among them, who think THAT big, who really believe anything’s possible… it was intoxicating. While there, I had the chance to moderate a panel of CEOs on the topic of Leadership, Culture and Growth. Feel free to check out the blog post I wrote for the HuffingtonPost, you can find it at MJDionne.com.

I’m fortunate to be married to a big thinker, and a few weeks after I returned to Canada, Chad competed in an event called Ultra520 in Penticton, British Columbia – it was his 4th ultra-distance triathlon, but it was his 3rd ultra-distance triathlon in a 12 month period, so I would like to take this chance to tell him for all of the people in all of the land to hear, just how exceptionally proud I am of him. Fewer people have crossed the finishline of an ultra-distance triathlon than have successfully summited Mount Everest, and he did it three times in a one year period. The event saw him swim 10km (6miles), bike 425km (264 miles), and run 84km (which is a double marathon) over three days.

And he does it, primarily plant based. We always say that our household is about 97% plant-based, with a 3% variability for when life happens. Diet -- and our choices around food -- is personal, and that formula is just what works for our family.

I’ve been plant-based for 18 years, Chad for about a decade, and I bring this up, because – and this is so exciting for me – our family life, including Chad’s throughout his incredible feats of endurance athleticism – our family is fuelled in a big way on Vega… I’ve talked about Vega a lot in the past on this show, because I often have a Vega One Smoothie in my hand while I’m recording. Vega is a certified vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, nutrient-dense line of clean, plant-based nutrition products. From protein powders and snack bars to hydration during workouts, our kitchen shelves are stocked. And Season 2, drum roll please, is brought to you by Vega – which brings me no end of happiness.

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