The Connector Next Door with Lisa Gareau
The Connector Next Door is your invitation to meet natural connectors here in Canada and all around world. Each one is an everyday event planner who works to create meaningful connections through the events they plan. Their stories are familiar, fun, and full of charm. Your host, Lisa Gareau, is a lifelong Event Planner and has been a Connection Strategy Coach for over 15 years. She knows events can become energized connecting points where communities can gather and grow. Let’s listen in as she strikes up a conversation with today’s Connector Next Door.
Episodes
Pete Bombaci is a visionary business and social change leader who believes that by doing the right thing every day, exceptional results are created.
In 2016, Pete launched The GenWell Project, Canada’s Human Connection Movement, which has recently become more relevant than ever.
The mission of The GenWell Project is to make the world a happier and healthier place by educating, empowering, and catalyz...
Maya Corona and David Schmeikal are a dynamic husband-and-wife duo, blending backgrounds in graphic design, painting, branding, and coaching to help humans create and be creative.
Maya, with over two decades in graphic design, now explores the depths of her self-expression and joy through painting and creative initiatives focused on connecting communities together.
David has worked as an entrepreneur...
Ashley Tedham has leaned into her life with courage and has become a leader who embraces the “fear factor” in her leadership.
A native Calgarian with a passion for international and community development, Ashley obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science at the University of Calgary in 2007, and a Master's Degree in 2012 in International Affairs at The Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerl...
Linda Joyce Jones believes that gathering is essential to living a meaningful life.
She’s a self-proclaimed obsessive organizer of people, places, and events – orchestrating special occasions in both her personal and professional life for more than 25 years!
Her pragmatic approach and knack for sweating the small stuff has helped her organize successful corporate conferences, community events, retre...
Janice Cardinale has been listed as one of the top 100 most influential people in events, she’s in the Smart Meetings Hall of Fame, is noted as one of the BizBash’s 15 over 50, is a Smart Meetings Entrepreneur, a Reiimagine Powerful Business Woman, aaaand is the fiery Founder of the Event Minds Matter community – which is where our lives intersected in the Fall of 2023.
The community Janice ignited in 2022 gr...
I recently attended an innovation day to support a friend and colleague who was presenting. Hanging at the back of a room I found a seat – as it turns out – right where I was supposed to be that day.
Sitting beside me was a high energy, business development and marketing professional, who seemed to be deeply engaged with his local community, and who was – clearly – a “natural connector”.
Kent Patel i...
Cathy Derksen is a catalyst and disruptor, supporting and inspiring midlife women to rediscover their brilliance and step into new possibilities.
As the founder of her company Inspired Tenacity Global Solutions Inc, Cathy helps women take on the courage to face major changes in their life.
Cathy is an international speaker and an 12x bestselling author who inspires her audience to dream big and take ...
With three decades under her belt in the nonprofit sector, Joanne Toller has had the privilege of wearing many hats, primarily as a nonprofit coach.
Joanne is the Founder of The Cause Charity Specialists, where she specializes in fundraising and nonprofit marketing consultation. Her expertise lies in strategic planning and the evolving digital landscape of fundraising and nonprofit marketing.
As a C...
Jessica McBride is the The Tech Savvy Assistant and is committed to stay ahead of the curve in today's rapidly changing tech environment.
As a former Executive Assistant, she now provides executive support and administrative training.
A self-professed generalist, Jessica has spent a lot of time learning new skills and technologies just well enough so that they can make her life easier. Now it’s her goal t...
Winnie Hsu came to Canada thirty years ago as a financially struggling student from China, working several low-paying jobs to sustain herself. Eventually, she started her own small accounting business.
But that was 20 years ago. Today, she has a team of fifteen professionals serving over 200 small businesses in the greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley in B.C.
Winnie never stops learning. Wanting to achieve more, she st...
Tim Gareau is a Calgary hometown lad, singer-songwriter who accompanies his originals with acoustic guitar and harmonica.
His carefully crafted lyrics speak of relationships, past and present love, the joys of nature, social issues, spirituality, bees, owls, dogs and even crocodiles!
His music is primarily influenced by folk - but he easily adds a slice of rock, a spatter of jazz, a smatter of blues...
Grant Assenheimer grew up as a farm kid, worked as an engineer, travelled the world as a humanitarian worker, and landed as an executive leader.
His drive to find solutions is backed by a deep value of different perspectives and the patience to discover root causes, leading to sustainable, systems-level outcomes.
Grant has had an outstanding career as a water engineer, previously worked with Doctors...
Tracy Folorunsho-Barry is a Career Strategist and Founder and CEO of Grow Women Leaders, helping immigrant women get hired and advance their careers.
She is a passionate advocate for women's empowerment, with a focus on immigrants and BIPOC women.
In 2017, through GROW Foundation, she launched Project150: Accomplished Immigrant Women in Canada and the Speak Out Women series.
Recogniz...
Richard Lee-Thai, doesn’t feel he’s a “natural connector” but is fascinated by people and has learned - over some lonely years - how to connect in authentic, meaningful ways!
These learned skills have helped him to both connect meaningfully with others and has helped him become an advocate and friend to those that want to learn to do the same.
Richard Lee-Thai is a TEDx Speaker, Connection Consultan...
Karla Combres is a certified Life-Cycle Celebrant, ceremony guide, facilitator, and speaker.
She helps people to honour and celebrate life’s big moments – the joyful beginnings, difficult endings, and everything in between.
She believes in the transformative power of meaningful, authentic, story-based ceremonies to connect and inspire us as we move through life’s transitions.
After spendin...
I first heard of – and became curious about – Samantha Alexander in her role as the President of the Western Carnival Development Association, which produces the Cariwest Festival in Canada’s “Festival City”, Edmonton, Alberta.
She integrates her life in Edmonton with her frequent travels to the Caribbean. The combination has made her a dynamic leader for this vibrant, long-running, family-friendly festival!<...
Riaz Meghji is a human connection expert and author of the book “Every Conversation Counts: The 5 Habits of Human Connection That Build Extraordinary Relationships”.
After one conversation led him to take a dramatically different career path that changed his life for the better, he became dedicated to exploring the ways that authentic human connection can change lives and organizations.
In addition ...
Brandi Morpurgo is the co-owner of Daisy Chain Book Co., and she runs two bookstores in Edmonton and Beaumont, Alberta and has worked hard to create a vibrant community of readers.
In a previous life she was a Social Worker and Foster Parent who had the wild idea to start Alberta’s first book truck - a bookshop on wheels.
That wild adventure took her all through central Alberta and gained attention a...
'Segun Olude is a Graphic Design Professional, Design Educator, Storycrafter, Author, and my good friend.
'Segun is a certified professional graphic designer who has developed brands and identities for professionals, businesses, and institutions.
He is a Professional Member of Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (CGD Certified), with a range of skills in Graphic Design, Editorial Illust...
It’s Jaclyn Falkenberg’s calling in life is to support people to be successful.
This is most evident in her career that has stretched over 20 years working as an Administrative Professional in various sectors including youth justice, charity, and finance.
As a Senior Executive Assistant, she has supported five C-Suite Executives at TriWest Capital Partners, one of Canada’s leading private equity fi...
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