What Are You Driven By?: Recent Episodes
Diondra Filicetti
On the What Are You Driven By podcast, we are ultimately seeking to understand how we can identify what our purpose is / what we are driven by, and improve the quality of our lives by prioritizing purpose and growth. On the WAYDB podcast, we explore different topics related to motivation, to personal development, and what it takes to live a fulfilling life and a life of purpose.
Are you struggling to transition from subject expert to effective team leader? In this episode, we sit down with Gillian Bilton, Director of Talent Services at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), to explore sustainable leadership strategies.Gillian shares her "coaching-based" model for leadership development, proving that you don't need a massive budget to drive cultural change. We discuss practical tactics—like cross-departmental shadowing to build empathy—for reducing burnout in high-stress roles and moving away from providing direct answers to fostering employee autonomy.Whether you’re in healthcare or any high-pressure industry, learn how shifting your focus from personal credibility to team growth can transform your organization.
This episode offers actionable insights on building inclusive cultures, navigating imposter syndrome, and the philosophy of "passing the torch" to the next generation of leaders. We explore the intersection of human judgment and artificial intelligence with Linda Iriah, SVP and Head of HR at Ipsos Canada. We dive into her framework for integrating "HI and AI" to clarify control boundaries, the strategic importance of psychological safety through stay interviews, and how leaders can successfully pivot from individual contributors to team enablers.
In this episode, we sit down with Katrina Sinclair, founder of Healthwise Benefits, to explore how companies can move beyond basic compensation packages to build a truly supportive workforce culture. We discuss the critical role of proactive communication strategies and how aligning benefits with employee needs fosters lasting trust. Learn how leveraging data—by cross-referencing insurance claims with HR metrics—can help leaders time their support initiatives more effectively and justify investments to company leadership. Katrina also shares insights on the shift toward digital, employee-led benefit platforms and the value of offering flex benefits to accommodate diverse life stages. Finally, we dive into the power of employee advocacy, hearing stories of how direct intervention in complex claim issues has profoundly impacted staff well-being. Join us to learn how you can start using your benefit plan as a strategic asset to better care for your team.
In this episode, Diondra Filicetti sits down with Amy Stevenson, Communications Management Professional and internal communications leader at Deafblind Ontario Services, to explore how organizations can create meaningful connection across a dispersed workforce. Amy shares her journey from wedding planning to communications, the challenges of engaging deskless frontline teams, and how empathy, storytelling, and creative communication strategies can transform employee engagement.
Leadership and team development speaker Michele Vaz advocates for a service-based leadership philosophy that distinguishes leading (people and vision) from managing (tasks), prioritizing supported autonomy, transparency, and caring for the "whole person" to foster high team engagement and retention.
Diondra and Lynsey Redman. explores how empathy, data-driven insights, and adaptive leadership can transform workplace engagement and empower employees to thrive.
Faith Tull, Chief Human Resources Officer and independent consultant, joins Diondra Filicetti on the Driven By… Co. podcast to discuss her extensive HR experience across organizations of all sizes and cultures, highlighting the importance of cultural awareness in global leadership. She shares the core traits of effective leaders—competence, confidence, charisma, and storytelling—and recounts how she transformed a toxic workplace with 150% turnover by unifying the team around shared goals, leading to a senior-level promotion. The conversation also explores transparency, individualized team building, leader–friend boundaries, and meaningful engagement strategies, while touching on Faith’s memoir Beyond These Eyes and her goal of securing a paid board position.
Director of Operations Nikita Garner, who made the unbelievable pivot from holistic nutritionist and receptionist to a top executive role, reveals the radical leadership playbook that powered her explosive career growth. In this interview with host Diondra Filicetti, author of Engagement Economics, Nikita dives deep into the non-negotiable qualities of effective leadership: from radical transparency and leading by example to the surprising secret of "supported autonomy" for team engagement. Discover how her "1% better than yesterday" philosophy and ability to remove blockers transformed her teams across five different industries. Tune in to learn her essential advice for emerging leaders on how to build unwavering trust and find your own path to self-actualization.
Britt Holmes went from high-pressure corporate advertising to a full-body burnout that forced her to rethink everything. Today, she runs Merit Media, a values-first agency built for creativity, autonomy, and sustainable leadership. In this episode, she breaks down her journey, her business philosophy, and the boundaries every new leader needs to build healthy, high-performing teams.
On this episode of What Are You Driven By, Diondra Filicetti sits down with Princella Lewis Seymour, a powerhouse with 35 years in elder care, founder of Complete Elder Solutions, and author of Everything You Need to Know About Me.Princella pulls back the curtain on the real, often unpredictable world of caregiving, revealing what families don’t know they need until they’re in crisis. She shares how she built a company to fill the gaps no one else was addressing, helping seniors and their families navigate one of life’s toughest transitions.From leadership insights to staff retention, from setting boundaries to shifting service models, Princella brings raw honesty and hard-won wisdom. Whether you’re a leader, caregiver, or simply someone preparing for the future, this conversation will change how you think about elder care and the people who make it possible.
In this episode, Diondra Filicetti sits down with Mike Parkinson — founder of Billion Dollar Graphics and 24 Hour Company — to explore the principles that shape his leadership journey. Mike shares the core characteristics he believes define great leadership, including clarity of vision, positivity, creativity, and strong communication.From navigating distractions to building trust through authentic engagement, Mike opens up about the real challenges leaders face and the strategies he uses to keep his teams aligned and motivated. He also offers practical advice for orals coaching and new leaders stepping into their role — from speaking with confidence to leading with empathy and purpose.Whether you're growing a team, pitching a big idea, or simply refining your leadership style, this episode is packed with insights to help you lead with impact.
In this episode of the What Are You Driven By? podcast, we sit down with Naime Khan, a dynamic leader from Bangladesh, to explore the personal journey that fuels his leadership. Naime shares the motivations that drive him, the values he leads with, and the challenges he's faced along the way. This conversation offers an inspiring glimpse into the mindset of a purpose-driven leader committed to making an impact. Whether you're an emerging changemaker or an established leader, this episode is packed with insight, heart, and global perspective.
In this episode, we sit down with Tan Chrissis, founder and CEO of CognitiveVerse, to explore how leadership rooted in empathy, emotional intelligence, and human-centered design can revolutionize learning and growth. Tan shares his deeply personal journey—from over a decade in corporate tech and finance leadership to mentoring in personal development following the loss of a close colleague.
In this heartfelt and thought-provoking episode of What Are You Driven By, Diondra sits down with Dr. Deena Kara Shaffer—educator, learning strategist, best-selling author, and founder of Awakened Learning. Together, they explore what it means to lead with empathy, trust, and relational care in a world often driven by hustle and hierarchy.Deena shares how her work is rooted in creating access, reducing harm, and centring the human experience—whether she’s supporting students, families, educators, or her own team. From reimagining leadership to championing learning without shame, this episode is a masterclass in values-driven work and the power of deep listening.Whether you're an educator, leader, or lifelong learner, this episode will leave you feeling seen—and inspired to lead differently.
Tune into our chat with Angelica Goncalves, a professional award-winning podcaster (🏆12x🏆Latin Podcast Award 2023,2022, 2021 & 2020 Winner - CEV winner23,22,21) and small business owner. She shares her inspiring story about growing up with a learning disability and battling the pressure she has placed on herself for years. She shares with our listeners how to she learned to discover that she is capable of doing anything and everything she wanted. Having a highly successful podcasting career with multiple celebrity guests, Angelica shares exactly how she did it!
Learn about Yasmin Khan's unique journey as a research consultant with a unique background in strategic planning, learning and procurement, and how curiosity has led her into new professional adventures.
In this episode, we talk about Jess Takimoto, the Founder of SHINE, a recent university graduate, full-time entrepreneur, retired dancer, and coffee lover. Jess shares her journey of quitting competitive dance at 16 and feeling lost without her team, fun activities, and stress relief. She discusses how joining a gym led her into the toxic fitness culture, causing struggles with confidence, body image issues, disordered eating, and over-exercising for 5 years.Jess then opens up about discovering group fitness, which changed everything for her. She got certified at 18 and began teaching at her university gym, where she developed the SHINE format. Listen in as Jess explains how combining fun, challenging classes with empowering messages made SHINE take off!
In this episode we have a conversation about labels and not letting them define you with Damion Murray from Simple Touch Solutions.Damion Murray is a seasoned sales professional with over 20 years of experience, including a notable 7-year tenure at Samsung. Having owned multiple businesses, Damion's passion for branding has emerged as a driving force. With a keen eye for aesthetics and a commitment to finding practical solutions, Damion specializes in empowering small businesses and individuals through effective branding strategies.
In this episode we dive into Sonia Sheechoria's journey from a career professional to a small business owner and a career coach. Learn about how the negative advice of a professor that she looked up to weighed on her and slowed her down. Once she learned to listen to her gut, everything changed.
Meet Shallima Maharaj, Reporter and Anchor for Global News who shares her career and personal journey through doubt and challenges as she travelled across Canada exploring her potential.Shallima Maharaj is an award-winning journalist with Global Toronto. She joined the team in 2017, after reporting extensively throughout western Canada.She has provided comprehensive pandemic news coverage over the past two years on equitable vaccine distribution, urgent calls for paid sick leave, combatting misinformation, and hospitals pushed to the brink by mounting COVID-19 cases.Shallima has covered a diverse range of stories across the country.She has been a key part of live federal and provincial election coverage, and other major news events.
In this episode Drew shares her story of transcendence as she transformed her mindset and her life as a nail technician to a world-travelling Goal Setting Strategiest.
In this episode we talk about what it means to take risks in order to pursue your goals and dreams in addition to the challenges that you might face along the way.Jesse Read is the Founder of Dropout Entertainment, a creative hub for music artists in Canada. Dropout Entertainment offers videography, photography, writing, editing, design and merchandising to artists of all sizes across Canada. Whether you’re a budding artist gearing up to release your first single or a multi-platinum sensation seeking cutting-edge content, we’ve got you covered across the artistic spectrum. https://dropoutentertainment.ca/
In this episode we dive in Delisa Abraham's story of leadership as a veteran as a mother and as an entrepreneur. She faced many obstacles and shifted into new versions of herself to meet the challenge
In this episode we talk about how discouraging failure can be especially when it starts to pile up all at the same time. This episode is a reminder that failure can be valuable as long as we have gather the insights and learned the lessons that failure teaches us. We make failure valuable by being able to explain WHY a strategy did not work.
In this episode we look at 5 key traits of perfectionism to help you determine if you display any perfectionist tendencies. Perfectionists are overly critical, focus only on results, have a fear of failure, procrastinate and get defensive.
In this episode, we explore ways to build confidence. We talk about 3 things we should stop doing that are actually killing our confidence: over-apologizing, overuse of filler words, disrespecting your time. In order to build confidence we need to develop the right mindset and practice the activities that we are not confident at. Redefine yourself and take action. Confidence is practice and repetition.
In this episode we talk about what motivation means to us and reasons our January motivation dwindles throughout the year. As a bonus we spoke to high-performing business owners and members of the DRIVEN Community to find out what strategies they use to boost their motivation.
This episode discusses the how neuro-associations or our mental links between our experiences and our emotions guide our behaviour.
In this episode we discuss 15 of the 30 Major Causes of Failure from Napoleon Hill's classic novel Think and Grow Rich. We dive into many insights that could be preventing you from succeeding.
In this episode we discuss 15 of the 30 Major Causes of Failure from Napoleon Hill's classic novel Think and Grow Rich. We dive into many insights that could be preventing you from succeeding.
In this episode we take a practical look at motivation, discussing the differences between internal and external motivation and when they can be used to get the job done! Regardless of internal or external motivation, sometimes its commitment that we need to bridge the gap.
Most people don't achieve their goals because they focus more on the results than on the habits that get them to where they want to go. Does that sound like you? It's time to think about your habits and the future that they are creating.
Most people don't achieve their goals because they focus more on the results than on the habits that get them to where they want to go. Does that sound like you? It's time to think about your habits and the future that they are creating.
We all go through painful experiences in our lives, but do we truly understand how they impact us and the consequences of not dealing with those negative emotions? Do we truly realize what we can learn from those experiences and how they can give us purpose? Let's explore in this episode of the WAYDB podcast.
In this episode we introduce the WAYDB podcast and what we are aiming to accomplish. We quickly learn that for our wellbeing, happiness and fulfillment, it is essential to live a life of purpose and meaning. When we live according to what our purpose is, when we tap into what we are Driven By…, we feel valuable, adequately challenged and satisfied. So let's explore, What Are You Driven By?