Conversations That Matter

On this episode of Conversations that Matter, Jim Csek and Sarah Jones sit down with social entrepreneur and keynote speaker, Crystal Flaman to discuss the importance of putting kindness out into the world.

Tory leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre visited the Okanagan on the weekend, attracting large crowds in both Kelowna and Vernon.  The Ottawa-area MP is on a tour of Canada to promote his plan to make Canada the “freest country in the world” if he succeeds in making it to 24 Sussex Drive. Before he delivered his speech at Sunset Ranch on Saturday, he sat down with Jim Csek and Rick Maddison to record an episode of the Conversations that Matter podcast. He discussed his own popularity, COVID-19 mandates, the housing crisis, energy independence, holding Justin Trudeau to account, defunding the CBC, and much more.  See his speech here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/podcast-pierre-poilievre-making-canada-freest-country-csek-cpa-cma/?trackingId=aWfjhvt5QuWAL4UzAKJrNQ%3D%3D

We sat down with Teon Gibbs, a fast and up-and-coming artist based out of Vancouver to talk tunes and listen to some of his most popular songs. 

We sat down with the newly appointed CEO of the KGH Foundation, Allison Ramchuk, and Director of Community Engagement of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Jessica Samuels, to discuss why they came together to support the community and the issues that it’s facing.“How do we design a future that’s going to impact the issue and move forward while ending the cycle of needing more and more…”Allison explains that the non-profits came together to better tackle the issues of mental health in our community. They are in conversations with other partners, asking the big questions, and deciding on what steps they can take to provide and foster hope.50% of Canadians and a slightly higher proportion of British Columbians report having had deteriorating mental health over the last few years, with vulnerable populations being the hardest hit, making their mission all the more important.They discuss Foundry Kelowna, a wellness centre for people aged 12-24 and their families to receive help and support when they need it. They noted that in the 5 years since it began running, there has been an increase in the number of parents seeking help. Jessica questions how they can look at things differently and design a continuum of care, as well as a way to approach things differently so they’re not needing more and more resources.Their ultimate goal with the collaboration is to work together to support the community, and their first step is putting together an action plan to raise $1.7M to provide immediate support, position the organization to have important conversations, and identify the most significant issues.They hope in one year to be able to support the immediate needs of the community and help those who are struggling. Listen to the conversation below to learn more about the collaboration and their mission to foster hope to move forward in the community. 

Today we welcome local entrepreneur and creator of the flourishing local brand Canadian Frost, Nicole Semeniuk to the show!Nicole explains that 20 years into her electrical trade ended up needing double shoulder surgery, while around the same time she also had a baby. Since she knit as a hobby, and just had a baby, she decided to open her own business within her home. “I didn’t even know I was an entrepreneur when I started, I just liked to keep people cozy and that just kind of snowballed into this.”“One day somebody offered to buy a Santa hat off my head at a Christmas party, and a lightbulb went off - I could have a little side hustle!”She wants to create the manufacturing ability to have everything done in-house. She has plans for more products soon. Nicole is all about keeping manufacturing Canadian!

“It’s like you’re flying with an airplane strapped to your feet!” In this episode of Conversations that Matter, host Jim Csek talks E-Foils (imagine a mix between surfing and a hoverboard) with MSLR Electric. MSLR is the only company in the world to offer marine safety lighting for E-Foils. Typically you only see this LED technology on the water used for boat safety, the colour lighting system helps communicate which direction a boat is traveling. Now, for the first time ever, this world-wide safety feature is available on E-Foils!Watch the episode on KelownaNow.com to see the bright and bold E-Foils technology in action! 

Chase Barber blew up on Tik Tok over the past couple months, gaining over 12 million likes and 700k followers on the platform. He raised over 400 thousand dollars within six days of posting the idea!Hear about why Chase Barber chose the controversially comical name and slogan, “Edison Motors, stealing Tesla’s ideas.”“Have you reached out to Elon at all?”“No, he doesn’t answer my calls yet.”“Maybe he will one day.”“His lawyers might!” Listen to this up-beat, educational yet entertaining podcast by NowMedia Group right now or wherever you get your podcasts!

NowMedia staff spoke with one of the owners of Iron Energy Gym to see how local businesses are navigating the pandemic.

In this episode of Conversations That Matter, host Jim Csek sits down with global leading expert on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, Dr. Merav Ozair to find out what NFTs are and how to get involved. The world of crypto and NFTs are confusing unless you're already involved in the metaverse but don't give up, according to Dr. Merav Ozair, NFTs are a great way for anybody to turn hobbies into income! 

In this podcast episode of Conversations that Matter, Jim Csek and Kent Molgat sat down with Supt. Kara Triance, the Officer In Charge (OIC) of the Kelowna RCMP detachment.Click the play button to learn more about why Triance believes that while there are significant challenges ahead, the detachment will forward together with courage. 

In this episode, we sat down with clinical counsellor Hailey Kanigan to discuss the impact of social media on mental health.Kanigan discusses the advantages and disadvantages of social media, the addiction behind scrolling for hours, the importance of seeking counselling, how to participate safely and the benefits of creating a wellness wheel.“One of my favourite quotes I give clients is once we start comparing we’re stealing our joy, comparison is the thief of joy,” said Kanigan.

In this podcast episode, Sara Gouda and Jim Csek sat down with Elton Ash, Regional Executive Vice President of RE/MAX Canada to discuss the RE/MAX 2022 Canadian Housing Market Outlook. Ash, who has lived in Kelowna for 35 years, discusses how the market has been influenced by several factors such as the pandemic, the decision of millennials to have children, remote learning, working remotely and record low-interest rates. He also addresses some of the biggest challenges that Kelowna is facing from infrastructure, transportation and addressing the growth that will continue in this area. 

In this podcast episode of Conversations that Matter, Jim Csek and Sara Gouda sat down with first-term City of West Kelowna councillor, Jayson Zilkie.This has been the city council that has been making decisions to build the infrastructure to meet the demands of an ever-growing desirable community, from a new: city hall, fire hall, public works yard, and a water treatment plant to highlight some of the bigger projects.You will have to listen in to learn more about the city on the west side of the bridge that connects us.

For this episode, Sara Gouda and Jim Csek sit down with Loyal Wooldridge, a City of Kelowna councillor and Regional District of Central Okanagan’s new board chair .The episode covers the city’s latest issues and projects, from transportation, rentals, population growth, economic growth to the much anticipated Official Community Plan (OCP).

The 10th annual BC Buy Local Week is here, and Sara Gouda and Jim Csek sit down with Amy Robinson, founder and Executive Director of LOCO BC, to discuss the importance and economic benefits behind supporting local businesses. BC Buy Local Week, coordinated by LOCO BC, encourages shoppers to shift their spending towards local businesses and local products when making holiday purchases.

For this episode on Conversations that Matter, Jim Csek and Sara Gouda sit down with BC Liberal Leadership Candidate Gavin Dew as he  shares his thoughts on some of BC's major issues from rental prices, homelessness, wildfires, and shares his business experience and his advocacy for millennials to be more engaged in the political realm.

Sara Gouda and Jim Csek sit down with the newly appointed executive director of the South Okanagan Women in Need Society (SOWINS) in Penticton, Danielle Goulden.  This episode discusses the new program launched that focuses on emergency sexual assault response coordination in the South Okanagan, which is the first of its kind in this region.

For Conversations that Matter’s latest episode, Sara Gouda and Jim Csek sit down with Jay Christensen from Valley First Division, of First West credit union to discuss the record high 4.7% increased inflation rate. 

For this episode, Sara Gouda and Jim Csek sit down with Jessica Samuels and Mike Gawliuk from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to discuss mental health misconceptions, ask question on men's mental health for Movember and discuss the impact of COVID-19 on people’s state of mind and well being.

Jim Csek and Sara Gouda sit down with Doug Gilchrist, city manager. Doug has 18 years of experience working with the city and discusses upcoming projects, OCP and answers questions on costs and incentives. 

The Central Okanagan Food Bank sees a dramatic increase in clientele. Yearly, the food bank provides food for over 18,000 children and youths. We sit down with Trevor Moss, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Okanagan Food Bank to discuss the increase in food costs and how they are managing.

The month of October is the International Domestic Violence Awareness month. NOW Canada Society provides programs and services for women and youth who experience addictions, abuse, sexual exploitation and mental health challenges.Jim Csek and Sara Gouda sit down with Brittani Stober from NowCanada to discuss the increasing violence happening against women as a result of COVID-19.