Discovering Hospitality

There are people whom you come across that change the way you see the world, and Tyler is one of them. When I met him, it was a bit of a lucky circumstance, and I know now that we were meant to meet each other. Tyler has an interesting story; he went to school to become a teacher and, once there, realized it wasn’t for him. 

He has been in and out of this industry, and you will hear from this conversation that he is a true expert in...

I was looking forward to this conversation with Sylvia as she is a remarkable woman.  Her background is in marketing and advertising, but she has always been a hospitality gal. She has long been interested in hospitality, and it has come naturally to her. Deep down, she knew this was the long game for her and after having her daughter, she and her husband sat down and started thinking about what they wanted to bring to this industr...

Today you will meet Ellen Elton. 

Ellen and I have worked together and have been friends for a long time. This woman has been in Hospitality since she was 19 and truly knows how to create an experience for a guest in a room.  From her early start at the Brooks Hotel to Whitecourt Alberta and now the Manager of Barbacoa in Spruce Grove, she has had many diverse experiences in restaurants.  During her time in Whitecourt, she was able ...

Meet Liza De Viliers! Born in Johannesburg, she lived most of her life in Cape Town, South Africa and is now living in Edmonton, Alberta. This was such a fun conversation hearing about her early years growing up in South Africa, and what food was like in her family. I loved that food was celebrated in her youth, with African-style BBQs called "Brie". 

Liza worked for G Adventures in South Africa and now works for them here i...

This week on Discovering Hospitality meet Mariana Sanchez! I've known Mariana for a long time, she has recently come to work with our group here in Alberta.  She started with St Albert Original Joe's, moved over to British Columbia,  and is now back in Spruce Grove running the State and Main out there with her husband Alex. 

Her story of coming from Mexico to Canada is pretty neat. She was able to come with her husband and g...

Meet Shawn Campbell! 

This was such an interesting conversation, I love speaking with people who have been in the industry for a long time, they always have so much insight and share stories that are so impactful, this convo with Shawn does that for sure. Shawn has done quite a few things (besides hospitality) such as being a poker player, which blew my mind! His roots have always been in hospitality though, and throughout that jour...

You might remember Jordy from Episode #18 back in  August of 2020. He was one of the people in the early days who put his trust in me and this podcast and has supported it to no end. I wanted to bring him back on for two reasons; one - because I love this guy he's amazing as you'll soon hear and two- because he has been on an incredible journey since his last cast. 

He opened the Beaumont Original Joe's in the midst of t...

This week on Discovering Hospitality, you will meet Edie Couture. 

Edie is currently working at the Original Joe’s in Whitecourt, Alberta. I wanted to have her on this podcast as I knew she had a cool story. She grew up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and was adopted as a young child. She has four siblings, all of whom were adopted. That part of her story alone is heartwarming, and her parents clearly are very special people. 

In thi...

This week on Discovering Hospitality, you will meet Morgan Ringland. For the past eight months, she has been a part of a leadership development program that I have been facilitating called Lead & Inspire, and in that time, I have come to know her quite well, and let me tell you, she is an amazing woman.

Morgan is the General Manager of the Lloydminster Original Joe’s in Alberta. She is a lover of nature, plants, ferrets, and lif...

What is the most valuable currency in the world? 

While we may have different perspectives on this answer, for Chris Stone, it has been time. This week Chris and I share an enlightening conversation about what we both feel is one of the most valuable non-renewable currencies that we all have. We never know how much of it we have left and once it’s spent, we can’t get it back. So, choosing to spend our minutes in meaningful ways is a...

Meet Julia Dachyshyn 

From her job serving to the Northern Alberta head office team, she has had quite the journey within Hospitality and with our Restaurant group. In this podcast, Julia and I discuss so many things from the amazing friends we make in this industry to the different kinds of experiences that we have both had in Hospitality. We connected over human psychology and how becoming curious about the way the human mind wor...

Today you will meet Maricel. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Her heart and soul shine through in this podcast in such an incredible way. Maricel's story is incredible, she has been on quite the journey in her life. From her life beginning  in the Philippines, on to Dubai and over here to Canada. We all make sacrifices in our lives and we all have our own stories, Maricel's is one of a mother's l...

This was a fun conversation. I always find it so cool to hear stories about how people get into this industry. Today you will meet Richard Fyk, Co-Founder of SYC Brewing in Edmonton, Alberta.  

Richard did not start out in Hospitality, and I think that's what makes this such a cool story because he loves it, he gets it, and SYC is doing some really amazing things and creating some awesome beers. A part of this conversation that ...

Today you will meet Tania Vazquez. 

She is such a beautiful person and while she has found other paths in her life she lives and breathes hospitality to me, she was the perfect fit for a conversation on the podcast. She came to Canada 13 years ago from Mexico City, worked with us at Original Joe’s for close to a decade. You can now find her teaching amazing classes at Prana Yoga Studio in YEG as well as serving at Dutchess Bake Shop...

Part two of Allison Lang! This is Discovering Hospitality’s first two-part conversation and for good reason. Allison is an advocate for persons with disabilities. She is an amputee herself; she was born without the lower half of her leg and shares her journey of that in her life. She is now a Speaker, Model, World Traveller, a Team Canada Athlete, and of course a Hospitality Gal. Join us as we round out the second half of our conve...

Meet Allison Lang! 

This is Discovering Hospitality’s first two-part conversation and for good reason. Allison is an advocate for persons with disabilities. She is an amputee herself; she was born without the lower half of her leg and shares her journey of that in her life. She is now a Speaker, Model, World Traveller, Team Canada Athlete, and of course a Hospitality Gal. Her story will take you on a beautiful ride. In her young lif...

I love chefs I find them so inspiring. I love how they hone their craft in ways that are unique to them. It speaks to their style and their roots. 

Liv Krushell is an AMAZING chef. I had the privilege of attending a private dinner of hers with three other wonderful women and I'll tell you I was blown away. Liv created the most stunning, 5-course meal, from start to finish the meal was made with love, from scratch, and with a dep...

I am so excited to share with you Courtney Campbell's story today! 

He is a true pro. Starting in his early days at the Old Spaghetti Factory and on to many other prominent concepts, he has been very successful in his career as a Hospitality Leader. Courtney brings a unique energy to his work. If you know him, have been led by him, or worked with him on any level you are not likely to forget your experience. He touches lives and...

Well, this was so much fun! I love Steph, I had the pleasure of working with her at the Terwillegar Original Joe's way back in the day! 

Today you'll meet Steph Bradshaw and hear the story of her journey through hospitality. She's a lot of fun as you'll see, I love her happy personality. Steph knows how to take care of people in our industry, she's one of those people, that when you are taken care of by her you k...