Getting it Wrong: Recent Episodes
Alex Brown
Getting it Wrong is the podcast with host Alex Brown that lets the guests "put right" something about their work or life that we have wrong, or they do...or that we misunderstand, or they did.
In this episode, Alex digs down into Amy's several pivots into leadership roles in brand new fields of business, and how she was able to communicate her potential and ability to succeed to prospective employers despite no experience in those new fields.
In this episode, Alex talks with ReturnBear CEO Sylvia Ng about her career in the tech world working for companies like Google, Shopify, and eBay, the hurdles she has overcome (and some she still faces), what led her to found a company designed to make ecommerce returns easier, her thoughts on what a good boss means to her, and how she leads.
In this episode, Alex talks with Lynn Elmhirst about her swing from news journalist into lifestyle television production and host of the PBS series, "World's Greatest Cruises." Also an entrepreneur, Lynn formed her own media production and marketing company, and put all of her creative juices to work to make a series about cruising that launched at the beginning of the pandemic not only survive, but thrive.
In this episode, Alex dives into the why's and how's of her major career switch with Andrea Mandel-Campbell, going from business consultant to industry and government to founder of sustainable adventure travel company, Karibu Adventures.
In this episode, Alex talks with National Newspaper Award winner Marina Jimenez about why she left her 25-year career in journalism for the world of communications in academia and healthcare, the similarities and differences of those worlds, and how she managed the transition.
In this episode, Alex talks with McEwen Media founder Tara McEwen about why she left her job as a Senior Producer in network television to start her own company that helps people create their own personal brands, her best tips for appearing in the media (and doing it well), and how to "unlock your own inner superstar."
In this episode, Alex delves into the evolving world of curating and programming multidisciplinary festivals and events, with Devyani Saltzman, who works at the intersection between the arts, ideas, and social change.
In this episode, Alex talks with author Rona Maynard about how she discovered a new purpose in life after leaving her job as editor of Chatelaine magazine, a post she had held for 10 years. Through daily walks with her new rescue dog, Casey, Rona discovers a new path "to joy, belonging, and loving this world."
In this episode, Alex talks with Debbie Nightingale about her leap from city to country, leaving a career in film and television to start and run Haute Goat, a 200-acre farm that connects people with goats and other animals for "happy, soul-nourishing experiences".
In this episode, Alex talks with Ana Serrano about her career inspired by reading the very first edition of WIRED magazine while still at university, and how that led her into a path of combining education, media, art and design to create and run globally-recognized programs at the Canadian Film Centre and OCAD University.
In this episode, Alex talks with Anne Maggisano about how her "A-Ha" moment in a coffee shop (after completing degrees in Science and Art/Film) led her to her career in investment management with a focus on building a community for women to learn how to make investing a priority.
In this episode, Alex talks with Anne Fitzgerald about leaving her 30 year legal career, winning a major legal court case as Chief Legal Officer for Cineplex, her new adventures and board work as Chair of Outward Bound Canada, and what it means to live a creative life now.
In this episode, Alex talks with Elisabeth Baugh, former CEO of Ovarian Cancer Canada, about starting and running successful not-for-profit organizations, and her best lessons learned for delivering meaningful impact in the health charity sector.
In this episode, Alex talks with Fran Murray, owner of Fran Murray Co., about finding the inspiration and joy from memories of childhood baking to creating a business where profit meets philanthropy, and supporting other women and BIPOC-owned enterprises through her curated gift-basket company.
In this episode, Alex talks with award-winning former television journalist and documentary producer Christina Pochmursky about how she learned to buck the fear instilled in her as a child and and take big risks personally and professionally, and how those lessons have prompted the new book she's writing, "A Coward's Guide to Taking Risks."
In this episode, Alex talks with Sweetpea's owner Sara Jameson about her journey and lessons learned from marketer to entrepreneur to successful floral studio owner and "creating a visual representation of other people's sentiments with flowers".
In this episode, Alex talks with Linda Schuyler about her memoir, The Mother of All Degrassi, and her journey from teacher, to storyteller, to entrepreneur, the voice she gave to kids and young adults in the Degrassi television franchise, and her involvement with Kids Help Phone as a key part of her work.
In this episode, Alex talks with author Ben Goulet about his crime fiction vignette collections, Mojave Crime, Volumes 1 and 2, the inspiration he draws from the Southern California high desert, how self-publishing these books has opened up an entirely new world, and what he would have done differently in that journey.
In this episode, Cheekbone Beauty CEO Jenn Harper talks about the dream that led her to to the founding of the company, whose mission of empowering Indigenous youth and sustainability drives Cheekbone's business ethos, marketing, and product development.
In this episode, Alex talks with author Shayne Traviss about how he abruptly left the corporate world to live a "radically authentic life" and start VividLife.me, a personal development movement, and his evolution into becoming a travel curator, interconnectedness fanatic, and authenticy evangelist.
In this episode, Alex and Dr. Jean Marmoreo talk about Dr. Jean's new book about MAiD, medical assistance in dying, co-written with Johanna Schneller. Dr. Jean is a family physician and one of Canada's first practitioners of MAiD, which became legal in Canada in 2016.
In this episode, Alex delves into how to mindfully navigate relationship breakups in a more compassionate and thoughtful way with certified mindfulness and life coach, Amy Brown.
In this episode, Alex talk with Jeff Cole about the greatest digital disruption and disruptors of the past 20 years, the effects of Covid on the future workplace, and why GenZ is the most interesting generation to come along in a long time. To find out more about Jeff's research, go to digitalcenter.org.
In this episode, Alex talks with Kirby Best, whose has spent his career finding new ways to revolutionize the book, and now the fashion, industries, with on-demand manufacturing. Sell it, then make it, is Kirby's new model to produce only what is needed, when it's needed, with the impactful environmental benefits of less energy waste and pollution.
In this episode, Alex talks with visual storyteller and global branding consultant Mary van de Wiel about daring to walk outside the line with her art and in her life, and how a chance visit to Mexico turned her world upside down.
In this episode, Alex talks with Dan Milnor, a former newspaper, magazine and commercial photographer who now works primarily on long-term projects and is the "creative evangelist" for self-publishing company Blurb. Dan has created hundreds of books and zines, and teaches photography and bookmaking in Europe and South America. He says there is no such thing as "the perfect photography book".
In this episode, Alex talks with Eleanor James, founder of The Jamesthinkstitute, who trains employees and groups to "say anything to anyone." The Jamesthinkstitute is a forum that teaches people skillful communication to remove the barriers to workplace and personal conversations, now more important than ever in employee engagement and retention.
In this episode, Alex talks with Lesley Fisher, who opened Loved You Madly, her home furnishing consignment and designer clothing exchange in the fall of 2019, three months before the first of three pandemic lockdowns. Despite the closures, Lesley's business has taken off, with a focus on sustainability, reusing and recycling beautiful items, and reinvesting in the community.
In this episode, Alex talks with entrepreneur Sue Henderson about how she built Suetables from a hobby of hand-stamping silver spoons into a thriving and growing business with 4 retail locations across Canada and an online shop that ships worldwide. (It's all about community.)
In this episode, Helle Bank Jorgensen explains how ESG (environmental, social, governance) and climate change risks and guidelines have evolved during the pandemic, why Boards need to be even more courageous today, and how her organization, Competent Boards, can help train board members for the future.
In this episode, film producer Lindsay Tapscott (one half of producing duo Babe Nation) talks about the challenges and successes that she and producing partner Katie Nolan have had in their quest to champion female and emerging voices and stories. Their latest feature film, Alice Darling, starring Anna Kendrick, will be released later in 2022.
In this episode, Alex chats, and laughs, with stand-up comedian Simon B. Cotter, who has played in more than 120 countries and says the materials he gets from his wife and kids means he'll never run out of jokes.
In this episode, host Alex Brown talks with Julia McDowell, an editor with a Big 5 Publisher in Canada. Julia lays out the behind-the-scenes workings of the writer/editor relationship, where the publisher fits into the puzzle, and words of encouragement for debut authors. Plus, she reveals her "always and forever" favourite book.
In this episode, host Alex Brown talks with Les Blackwell, co-founder and former CEO of MetricAid, a health software company that has worked with more than 50 hospitals in four countries to try and make their emergency departments work better for their doctors, staff, and patients. And, if you have to go to an emergency department, Alex finds out when the software predicts the shortest wait times will be.
In this episode, host Alex Brown delves into the fast-paced, never-sleep world of a global media company based in Hong Kong that spots and reports on trends in music, fashion, sports and entertainment. Associate Editor Joyce Li checks in from Hong Kong to bust some myths about how to find the latest trends, what it's really like backstage at international fashion shows, and what she learned by interviewing some of the planet's biggest celebrities, like Daniel Craig and Tom Brady.
In this episode, host Alex Brown discusses the factors and forces of international conflict resolution and how they could affect Russia's war in Ukraine, with associate professor of political science, Dr. Ian Spears.
In this episode, host Alex Brown talks with Beth Kennedy, leadership and executive coach, resiliency-training expert, and author of "Career ReCharge: Five Strategies to Boost Resilience and Beat Burnout", which continues Beth's mission of recharging individuals in their careers and lives so they have the energy needed for today’s world.
In this episode, host Alex Brown talks with the creator of Fabric Spark, an online and retail business for the maker creator community. Daryl shares her thoughts on the surprising twists that happened to her business because of Covid, the role of tech and innovation in small business, and her thoughts on the maker and creator community in today's changed world.
In this episode, Alex talks with the founder and editor of FridayThings, a new lifestyle digital publication for millenials and GenZs that offers thoughtful commentary on the big pop culture issues of the day.
In this episode, veteran career coach Heather Reid talks about the misconceptions in the journey of landing a new job for both employees and employers, and how to prepare for and overcome the job search hurdles.
In this first episode of Getting it Wrong, host Alex Brown talks with Toronto writer Bob Ramsay about his memoir, Love or Die Trying. Bob reveals, much to his own surprise, that it was his editor who helped him see things in his past he had never recognized; how he crashed in the "bad times"; and how the love of a woman he is now married to "has saved his life more than once."