Pathfinders Podcast
In this podcast, we dive into the personal stories of remarkable individuals who have blazed trails through uncharted territories. Our guests share the raw, unfiltered narratives of their travels to success. But it's not just about the destination—it's about the resilience, the setbacks, the unexpected turns, and the moments of real human emotion along the way. Join us as we explore these inspiring stories, Pathfinders is here to remind you that every journey, no matter how daunting, begins with a single step. Tune in and let's find our paths together. Pathfinders with Vijayan Swaminathan!
Episodes
Stacey Berger is a transformational coach, speaker and business strategist who has spent her career studying what creates lasting success. After 16 years in corporate leadership across marketing, operations, finance and acquisitions, she was successful on paper but found that external success doesn't always bring internal fulfillment. She left the golden handcuffs of a secure career to help people change from the inside out. The ea...
Are You Building Career Equity or Just Climbing Ladders? | Surbhi Gupta | EP49 | Pathfinders Podcast
Surbhi Gupta is a product strategist and technology leader with over two decades of experience at companies including Tesla, Meta, and Zoox. From driving $1.62 billion in revenue at Tesla to advancing secure, scalable AI at Meta, her journey reflects innovation, adaptability, and impactful leadership.
Beyond technology, Surbhi challenges the traditional career ladder, championing career equity, portfolio careers, and continuous rein...
Robert Helm is an experienced manufacturing and operations leader whose career spans manufacturing, transportation, logistics, and business development.
From starting as a welder to serving in Director-level roles, Robert has spent decades improving operations, leading teams, and creating environments where people can succeed.
Today, he serves as Director of Business Development at Chrysalis: An Alberta Society for Citizens with Disa...
In this Pathfinders Outlook episode, we explore The Great Deconcentration: a world where countries may increasingly build relationships across multiple centers of economic power rather than simply choose one bloc.
From trade and technology to capital, critical minerals, energy and the everyday friction businesses face, this is a deeper look at a global economy quietly being rewired.
Canada is drawing closer to Europe while remaining ...
Sekar Vembu is the Founder and CEO of Vembu Technologies, a Chennai based software company building enterprise backup, data protection, and cyber resilience solutions for businesses around the world. An IIT Madras alumnus, he has spent more than three decades building globally competitive software products from India. Earlier in his journey, he was also a cofounder of what eventually became Zoho Corporation.
Beyond technology and en...
Beyond Flags:Power, People & The Changing World | Carl | Rajeev | Sidharth | Sougat | Vijayan | EP45
Beyond Flags: Power, People & The Changing World brings together five voices from the United States, India, and Canada for a candid roundtable conversation about the forces reshaping relationships between nations and the people living beyond the headlines.
Carl Wheless is a decorated Iraq War combat veteran who served in both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, including during the Battle of Ramadi. His decades of service a...
What does great leadership actually look like in the modern times?
The world of work has changed. Information is everywhere. AI can put extraordinary knowledge in anyone’s hands. Teams expect more than direction, and a title might give you authority, but it cannot make people trust you, believe in you, or want to follow you.
So what separates the leaders people simply work for from the leaders they never forget?
In this episode ...
Gordon Sheppard is the CEO of Executive Wins, an executive coach, business advisor, professional speaker, facilitator, and podcaster with more than 25 years of experience helping leaders and organizations turn successful outcomes into repeatable, predictable business results.
He is the creator of Anatomy of a Win, a practical five-step framework that helps leaders understand not only what made an initiative successful, but why it wo...
Carl Wheless is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a decorated Iraq War combat veteran who answered his country's call on multiple occasions. After serving in the Marines from 1983 to 1993, he returned to military service following the attacks of 9/11, deploying twice to Iraq, first with the Texas Army National Guard and later with the United States Army during the Battle of Ramadi, one of the most intense battles of the Iraq...
Andrew Z. Brown is the President of Bridgemaker Referral Programs, an accomplished business strategist, author, and communications expert known for helping organizations increase revenue, build trust, strengthen reputations, and shorten sales cycles through practical, real-world strategies.
Over the course of his career, Andrew has contributed to more than 200 product and service launches across 15 industries worldwide. His expertis...
Steven Langer is redefining what it means to lead, work, and thrive in today’s fast paced world. As the founder and CEO of Well By Design and the author of The Coherence Compass: Finding Wellness in a World Off Course, he is on a mission to help organizations build cultures where well being and performance go hand in hand.
In his conversation on the Pathfinders podcast with host Vijayan Swaminathan, Langer shares a powerful jo...
Rudy A. Zacharias is a communications and marketing leader with more than 25 years of experience shaping brands, strategies, and partnerships across government, corporate, and public-sector organizations. Over the course of his career, he has worked at the intersection of strategic planning, corporate communications, stakeholder relations, and organizational transformation, helping institutions navigate complex challenges while bui...
Trevor Muir: The Gift of Forbearance - The Transformational Leadership | EP 38 | Pathfinders Podcast
In this episode of Pathfinders features host Vijayan Swaminathan is in conversation with Trevor Muir, Former CEO of Surepoint Group, Founder of UNIC Speak. Trevor is a seasoned Entrepreneur, Speaker and Thought Leader. He shares a profound personal experience that led to a significant transformation in his life. He reflects on a moment of crisis that forced him to confront his emotions and reassess his definition of success, emphas...
#ChangeJourney #CuriosityLeads #PerspectiveShift #GoWithTheFlow #AuthenticConnections #PathfindersPodcast #KarliGrove #Transformation #EmbraceChange #ExploreNewHorizons
The episode of Pathfinders features host Vijayan Swaminathan in conversation with Karli Grove, founder of Kantency Consulting. Karli discusses her philosophy on organizational change, emphasizing subtle, human-centered transformation over drastic shifts and highlight...
In this episode of Pathfinders, Vijayan Swaminathan sits down with ever versatile and hospitality executive Chris Yeung to explore his journey from growing up in Edmonton to leading in one of the city’s key industries. Chris opens up about navigating cultural expectations, redefining success, and the importance of curiosity in shaping a meaningful career. The conversation digs into modern challenges—from rising societal...
In this inspiring conversation, Vijayan Swaminathan and Lasse Joergensen explore the journey of transformation through authenticity, vulnerability, and storytelling. 🌱 From navigating entrepreneurship to finding balance between materialism and purpose, Lasse shares how embracing honesty and humanity can lead to deeper connection, growth, and meaning in life.
✨ Key Points
- 🌍 Transformation starts with self-awareness and vulnerabi...
Daveed Henriquez sits down with Vijayan Swaminathan to share his journey from El Salvador to Canada, highlighting how culture, community, and mentorship shaped his life and career in the lighting industry. They discuss how lighting influences human experience and how cultural values affect communication and business relationships.
Our hashtag at Williams Engineering is “WE Brighten Lives”. It's our purpose. It's our stor...
Alex Marr in conversation with Vijayan Swaminathan, distills decades of experience into timeless lessons that reshape how we think about selling and leadership. His insights reveal that great sales come from understanding people, not just processes.
"You're not selling a car, you're not selling a photocopier, you're not selling AI widget or an AI solution. What you're selling is trust and peace of mind." - Alex Marr
- 💼 30+ years ...
Christopher Friesen: From depths of personal pain to building a legacy | EP 32 | Pathfinders Podcast
⚠️ Content Warning
This episode includes discussion of deep emotional struggles and personal trauma. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is finding things difficult, please reach out for support — you’re not alone. 💛
Global & Regional Hotlines:
- 🇺🇸 United States: Dial 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or visit 988lifeline.org
- 🇨🇦 Canada: Call or text 988 or visit 988.ca
- 🌐 International (Bef...
In this episode Preet Dhaliwal and Vijayan Swaminathan, explore how education can shape a sustainable future. Preet shares insights on shifting mindsets, embracing empathy, and preparing students for tomorrow.
✨ Key themes:
- 🌱 Schools as living labs for sustainability
- 💙 Empathy, courage & vulnerability in learning
- 📚 Lifelong learning beyond classrooms
- 🌍 Global perspectives on privilege & access
A conversation abou...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
DISGRACELAND is an award-winning music and true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Jerry Lee Lewis's 5th wife? Dead. Sid and Nancy? Both dead. Why? Because musicians are insane, and insane things happen to them. Why did we lose Amy Winehouse at 27? Was Debbie Harry really abducted by Ted Bundy as she claims? Is Patti Smith not just the "Godmother of Punk", but also the "Original True Crime Girl"? What really happened the night of the Jay Z nightclub stabbing? What do the Diddy indictments truly reveal? All these stories and more, on artists from every genre and their true crimes, in our massive 260-plus story archive. The Dead, the Stones, Johnny, Willie, Frank, Kurt, Courtney, Gaga, Lana, Taylor, and too many to name. DISGRACELAND is music history come to life through audio storytelling as you've never heard it before, with revealing facts: yes, assassins are the real reason the Beatles quit touring—reclaimed myths: no, Mama Cass didn't die from choking on a ham sandwich––and constant reckoning between art and artist––all told through the lens of true crime. This is the podcast for the self-proclaimed "Disgos", the musically obsessed and the true crime heads; the outsiders, the independent thinkers who know that the best history is the history that gets buried. DISGRACELAND is where host Jake Brennan tells the stories they didn't want told. The kind you'll end up telling someone else. Get ready to uncover hidden truths and buckle up for truly edge-of-your-seat storytelling. New, fully scripted, sound-designed episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus chat-style episodes where Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from Disgos hit on Thursdays, and "Rewind" episodes from our archive drop on Sundays. DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It's an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are dramatized, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com. To unlock ad-free listening, exclusive content, and connect with your fellow Disgos, go to www.disgracelandpod.com to become an All Access member. Rocka Rolla.