Episodes

ReturnBear CEO Sylvia Ng talks about making product returns from e-commerce purchases better for all concerned parties [including our planet], the massive $60B returns market in Canada alone, how the consumer trends of ‘Try Before You Buy’ & ‘Bracket Buying’ are driving this growth in product returns, why the shipping/fulfillment process is so different from the returns process [isn’t it just the reverse?], how she has brought skills from her experiences at the University of Waterloo, Northweste...

Journalist/Author Jean-Jacques Taylor talks about his new book providing an all-access insider's look at Deion Sanders, how Deion went from PRIME TIME to COACH PRIME, how Deion meets his college athletes at THEIR level [dominating IG, a DJ in the locker room] while still keeping it Old School, Deion’s surprisingly calm & quiet favourite pastime of fishing, why Deion never pays attention to ‘they,’ why all Deion’s meetings start as soon as he shows up [and why even his sons are not exempt from pu...

Former Toronto Maple Leafs GM [and goalie!] Gerry McNamara talks about Brandon Walsh/Jason Priestley playing him in the upcoming Borje Salming bio-pic, Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan personally reaching out to bring him back into the Maple Leafs alumni family, the first time he hit that Maple Leaf Gardens ice [replacing Johnny Bower!], the day he got hired as a Maple Leafs Special Assignment Scout, the incredible story behind his Xmas 1972 trip to Sweden where he discovered Borje Salming...

Order of Canada recipient Denise Donlon talks about moving from Whitesnake’s ‘Slide It In’ tour to The New Music, becoming an on-air personality/VJ at MuchMusic, launching MuchMoreMusic, her thoughts on Moses Znaimer/Christopher Ward/Rick Campanelli/Bill Welychka/George Stroumboulopoulos, going into labour while hosting a live television event with the Cowboy Junkies, taking over at Sony Music Canada precisely at the same moment the global recording industry began imploding, moving to our nation...

MLSE’s Bill Manning talks about his leadership of the Toronto Argonauts & Toronto FC, working alongside Brendan Shanahan [Maple Leafs] and Masai Ujiri [Raptors], growing up with 2 of the Baldwin brothers in Massapequa on Long Island [did you know Alec was actually called Xander as a child?], what culture change Pinball Clemons told him was needed with the Argos [‘too many silos, need more bridges’], sharing memories of Argo greats Condredge Holloway/Terry Greer/Rocket Ismail/Terry Metcalf, how h...

"We can dance if we want to/ We can leave your friends behind/ ’Cause your friends don’t dance/ And if they don’t dance/ Well, they’re no friends of mine!” --- Men Without Hats’ Ivan Doroschuk talks about The Safety Dance, Pop Goes The World, touring in 2023 [GPS] vs in 1983 [Rand McNally road maps], how Howard Jones taught him to enjoy the rigours of the road, the power of their videos on MTV and MuchMusic, jetting on the Concorde back & forth from NYC to the UK to film a video, the pride of be...

TVO Superstar Steve Paikin talks about his 5 shows over 31 years [and counting] at Ontario’s public television channel, starting his broadcasting career alongside Michael Landsberg at UofT Radio, chasing ambulances at The Hamilton Spectator, why he agrees with the host that Boston is the City of Champions, why Mikhail Gorbachev [impactful!] & Mordecai Richler [prickly!] were notable interviewees, his interactions with Elwy Yost/Scotty Bowman/Ken Dryden/Hugh Heron/Kenny Stabler/Doug Ford, his Dad...

Opa!! Guitar virtuoso & 'Lord of the Strings' Pavlo Simtikidis talks about going from Pape & Danforth to selling CDs at the One of a Kind Craft Show to his PBS Special 'Live from Santorini,' swimming upstream against record label executives who told him he was ‘too ethnic’ and to ‘get rid of the bouzouki,’ successfully suing Jay-Z & R Kelly for copyright infringement [he is now a co-writer of FIESTA!], touring around the world consistently for over 25 years, his collaborations with Jose Felician...

Go Get It! 1996 Olympic Gold Medallist Sprinter & Canada’s Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Olympics Bruny Surin talks about why ‘the me I see is the me I will be,’ coming to Quebec from Haiti as a 7 year old, his infatuation with Carl Lewis [and eventual visit to his Houston mansion], being linked together forever in Canadian sports history as brothers with Donovan Bailey/Robert Esmie/Glenroy Gilbert/Carlton Chambers, why he no longer accepts unsolicited sprinting challenges from the general ...

Global TV’s The Morning Show co-host Carolyn MacKenzie talks about ‘adulting’ while studying Journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa, the transition from reporter to news anchor to lifestyle host allowing her to become more of her authentic self, how her show is effectively ‘an hour with friends,’ why eating crickets first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is NOT advisable, why she preferred the controlled environment of a broadcast studio vs beaming in from home during covid, her gue...

The Region 105.9’s Morning Man Jim Lang talks about the power of hyper-local radio, the awe–inspiring signage he encountered while visiting Lee Eckley at CHUM-FM [‘through these doors walk the finest radio talent in Canada’], his Humber College internship with an absolutely all-star broadcasting team at Q107 [John Derringer, Gene Valaitis, Jane Hawtin, Andy Frost, John Gallagher, Jimmy James, Bob Mackowycz Sr, Steve Anthony], enjoying his one & only LIVE Stanley Cup parade while working in Montr...

The Box’s Jean-Marc Pisapia returns to the podcast ahead of an exciting 3 stop Ontario visit to talk about touring in 1983 versus in 2023 [these days he hits the stage when he would normally be going to bed, LOL], why L’Affaire Dumoutier is still his absolute favourite song [and he explains that iconic video!], his first professional job with Ivan Doroschuk and [a pre-The Safety Dance] Men Without Hats, his favourite tour memories with The Spoons/Chris de Burgh/The Pretenders/Jethro Tull, playin...

Grill On!! BBQ Master Steven Raichlen talks about the 25th anniversary of his landmark book The Barbecue Bible [and how it can stand in for the actual Bible], his new PBS show Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue , why grilling is the world’s most universal cooking method, his newfound love for Planchas & Griddles, why his favourite form of live fire cooking is Cave Man grilling, why he employs not one but two Fire Wranglers on set, how he avoids packing on the pounds with all that food lying aroun...

NHL Coach/GM/Executive/Broadcaster and now Author Doug MacLean introduces his new book DRAFT DAY: How Hockey Teams Pick Winners or Get Left Behind and shares stories from a lifetime in hockey including his first pro head coaching job with the Baltimore Skipjacks, his first NHL head coaching job with the Florida Panthers, starting the Columbus Blue Jackets from scratch, why you need at least 10 of your own draft picks on the team to win a Stanley Cup, and the difficulties of the ‘GM Conundrum.’ A...

Room 442 & Footy Prime the Podcast host James Sharman talks about his UK accent drawing more girls than fights as a 16 year old being plopped into a Mississauga high school, being a pre-launch pre-day oner at Headline Sports [and its eventual morphing into The Score], tagging along with Elliotte Friedman to interview the great Pele, the importance of TFC’s birth in 2006, the mentorship of Sportsnet’s Gerry Dobson, the differences between British and North American play-by-play commentary, John H...

Sports betting industry expert Harley Redlick provides an outstanding primer on the Ontario sports gambling industry [as it moved from black to grey to white market], shares his ’10 Commandments of Successful Sports Betting,’ explains why the NFL is King when it comes to sports wagering, suggests that the consumer/operator/regulator relationships serve as a ‘Betting Business Bermuda Triangle,’ and asserts why the Connor McDavid sportsbook ads are obviously targeted at children [“No adult is taki...

Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey returns to the podcast to talk TIFF 2023, about the ramifications of the Hollywood actors/writers strike on the red carpet, about the most attention-grabbing & most highly-anticipated films [and their stars], how you can enjoy TIFF even if you aren’t attending any movies, the ‘informal market’ that drives the incredible amount of business transactions being done during the festival, and who you should be keeping your eyes open for on the str...

Dine Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Sara Waxman talks about meeting her husband Al three days after arriving in Toronto from Winnipeg, his worldwide popularity from the television shows King of Kensington, Cagney & Lacey and Twice in a Lifetime, her 25 year run as the Toronto Sun’s restaurant critic, her renowned cookbooks & house parties, Al’s statue in Kensington Market, her appointment to the Order of Ontario, and the joy she gets from working on her multimedia empire with her son Adam! Read. Wat...

With the imminent publication of his memoir A Mic For All Seasons , the most versatile sports broadcaster in North America Kenny Albert talks about learning by osmosis from Dad Marv and Uncles Al & Steve, working alongside The Great One Wayne Gretzky [and #99 writing the foreword to his book], taking over for ‘the Vin Scully of hockey’ Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, the confusion about how John Tavares pronounces his own name, starting his career as the voice of the AHL’s Baltimore Skipjacks while rooming o...

King of NHL ’94 World Championships organizer Darrell Sampson talks about why the GOAT of all hockey video games [from a 16 bit computing world!] still resonates today at its 30th anniversary, that scene in 'Swingers' where Vince Vaughn made Wayne Gretzky’s head bleed and legs spasm [actually NOT from NHL '94 which was fightless/bloodless], Jaromir Jagr being the last player to play in the NHL who also played in the entire 16 bit era of hockey video games, the craziness of holding their inaugura...

Raising Empowered Athletes author Kirsten Jones talks about her membership in the William & Mary Athletics Hall of Fame alongside Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, shares stories from 15 years on the global footwear team at Nike under founder Phil Knight, parses the real from the fictional in Matt Damon/Ben Affleck’s Nike movie AIR, draws lessons from [in]famous athlete/parent combos including Tiger/Earl Woods, Bronny/LeBron James & Lonzo-LiAngelo-LeMelo/LaVar Ball, transferring her experiences as a pe...

Zane Caplansky from Caplansky’s Delicatessen talks about the titans of Jewish Deli [Yitz’s, Centre Street Deli, Pancer's, Shopsy’s, Switzer’s], his origins at the Monarch Tavern [T.O.’s first pop-up], the role of Thunderin’ Thelma [T.O.’s first modern day food truck], opening his eponymous restaurant on College St, collecting Geddy Lee’s email address & naming a meal after him, why Adam Sandler couldn’t resist bussing tables, the legacy of the Caplan name in local/provincial/national politics, r...

Narativ’s Zev Shalev has travelled from Israel to South Africa to Bathurst/St Clair [arriving with $2k in a snowstorm] to NYC to LA & back to Toronto, along the way sharing experiences with Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Valerie Pringle, Dan Matheson, Jennifer Hedger, Arisa Cox, Ben Chin, the late Sarika Sehgal, Dina Pugliese, Roz Weston, Billie Holiday, Barb Williams, Moses Znaimer, Cheryl Hickey, Rick Campanelli, Harry Smith, Bob Schieffer, Julie Chen, Leslie Moonves, Wendy Mesley, Oprah Winfre...

Canadian boxing legend Syd 'The Jewel' Vanderpool talks about working out with his 4 older brothers in the makeshift boxing ring in the carport of their Kitchener home, winning his first bout at 6 and a half years old [!!!], meeting the emotional hurricane that is Iron Mike Tyson, missing out on meeting Wayne Gretzky despite arranging for his daughter Paulina to sing the national anthem before one of his bouts, his epic internationally televised championship title fights against Bernard ‘The Exe...