NO RESERVATION WITH JOE BAKER

This week we check in with Hassel Aviles, co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization Not 9 to 5. She walks us through her unique path, with early culinary influences from her family and culture to discovering her own desire to work in the hospitality industry.  She shares how her work experiences steered her deeper understanding of what care and compassion for people, communities and workplace culture means, but also helped identify the voids and lack of resources to support and care for the people within the tourism and hospitality industry, and ultimately led her to create an initiative focused on raising awareness about mental health in the workplace, providing education and resources to support community. Join our conversation as we uncover the stigmas surrounding mental health and psychological safety in the workplace.  From exploring the evolution of hospitality as an industry founded on the care of people to exposing how toxic work environments can impact mental health and well-being, we discuss the importance of offering resources and encouraging vulnerability and courage to seek support, and consider why investing in the next generation is critical for creating safe spaces focused on supporting and recognizing what people are feeling. Tune in and find out why Hassel has no reservation.

This week we chat with Landon Logie, founder and CEO of Landon Logie Events. She shares how her passion for events has always been a part of her life and shaped her career journey to become a successful event planner and hospitality professional. She explains that the blend of influences from family, industry professionals and her studies all contributed to her path, while being persistent and confident in her passions and talent, and having the ability to reinvent, all which led her to become a successful entrepreneur. Join us as we discuss how recognizing our passions and interests can shape the networks and connections we make, the types of learning we pursue, and the experiences we create.  From finding your niche to turning it into your business, we explore the changing hospitality and tourism events landscape post pandemic, how we incorporate changing technology, and why it’s important that we focus on balance and care for the talent we continue to attract and retain when rewriting the narrative of bringing people together. Tune in and find out why Landon has no reservation.

Tune in this week as we riff with the talented Pat Robitaille, Manager of Tourism, Arts & Culture at KLB Consulting.  He takes us on his musical journey, landing in Nashville as a musician and recording artist before leaving Music City to call Toronto home.  He shares the impact and healing power that writing and recording music and performing live events has had on his life and career path, and why the tourism and hospitality industry struck a chord with him, influencing his decision to pursue a career in this sector. Join us as we sound off on why it’s important to discover what you’re good at and why shining a spotlight on your passions, creativity and uniqueness can benefit the places we work.   From embracing our diversity to recognizing what unites people, we explore how our lived experiences can increase our empathy and shape who we are in the capacity of our current roles, and why blending our experiences and perspectives is essential to build community, grow our networks, and amplify our passions. Tune in and find out why Pat has no reservation.

This week we are live from Kelowna, BC and dialling up a conversation with Elyse Godard, Hotel Manager of Hotel Zed.  We learn about her journey from Ontario to British Columbia and all the opportunities that brought her back and forth and in between, guided by her genuine care of people and animals that made her a natural fit in the hospitality industry. Always seeking a challenge, she shares her colourful career path and what she has learned along the way, discovered about her own interests, and how she arrived at a place that made her feel comfort and empowered to be different while continuing to focus on personal and career growth.  Join us as we explore how stepping outside of our comfort zones to take risks and explore new and unknown career directions can lead to opportunities for fresh starts, new challenges, and growth.  From learning from other people, communities and cultures, to pushing and expanding our boundaries and embracing change and uncertainty, we discuss how this can lead to discovering our own interests and ambitions as well as leadership styles and strengths, and how the culture you create and welcome people into can help you arrive in a place where you can be you.  Tune in and find out why Elyse has no reservation.

This week we sit down with Jennifer Ménard-Shand, Founder and CEO of the staffing firm Staff Shop Inc. She recounts the difficult experiences of her youth that led her on a journey of discovery and healing. With the support and guidance of community and faith along the way, her determination to escape the trauma from personal adversity and focus on the future shaped her personal and career path to bring her to present day achievements and fulfillment through her resiliency and drive towards success. Join us as we talk candidly about how the challenges faced in our lives can set the foundation for how we construct our future and why it is important to recognize and embrace the people and communities that want to help you along the way.  From navigating hardship to creating new experiences and relying on supportive communities that treat people well, we explore how this translates to attracting, retaining and valuing talent within the tourism and hospitality industry, what sets staffing organizations apart, how we can help talent and businesses move forward in an era of change, and why no one makes it alone. Tune in and find out why Jennifer has no reservation.

This week we unwind at the National Yacht Club in Toronto and chat with Peter Odle, Founder of Urban Expeditions and The Urban Guide. Peter shares his unique career path discussing how he found a way to blend his interest and care for people with his fascination and passion for the outdoors.  His journey, drive and capacity for care combined with his values and passion has led him to become a successful and talented entrepreneur, creating unique tourism experiences rooted in learning and sharing cultural narratives. Join us as we make waves discussing the landscape of change in cities and how connecting people with the narratives and understanding of local communities’ perspectives enhance tourism experiences. From industry pivots to recognizing changing consumer behaviour, we discuss tourism and travel and where the direction of the tourism industry is headed, while considering how pursuing stability stifles growth and the creation new experiences. Tune in and find out why Peter has no reservation.

This episode features an interview with Terrilyn Kunopaski, founder of Tante Consulting Inc. She recounts her professional career story that took her from journalism to consulting, and the invaluable experiences and lessons learned in between.  She gives us the scoop on what having mindfulness to slow down means to her, explains the importance of pursuing balance in personal life and career, and shares how starting a business that values and supports community has amplified her passion and created a new career narrative. Join us in our uncensored dialogue on everything from organizational leadership and responsibilities to the differences in tourism trade and consumer publications.  From conscious capitalism to the business media model, we engage in a candid discussion on the importance of community led storytelling, supporting and recognizing the people that make up the tourism and hospitality industry, and why integrating values and building an inclusive and supported community creates the outcome of belonging. Tune in and find out why Terrilyn has no reservation.

Live from Nashville, Tennessee, we sit down at the Rhinestone Wedding Chapel to chat with Wess Aaron, an Elvis Tribute Artist.  Love has been a constant in his life, intertwined in every step of his personal and career journey, and for his hometown with its unique and inviting hospitality industry.  Wess shares his story of searching for his passion, pursuing dreams and exploring opportunities in entertainment, and how he became an important part of the hospitality of Music City.  His beautiful, heartfelt story is one of honour, courage, and perseverance.  From chasing one dream to discovering another, he describes why he can’t help falling in love with his passion for celebrating the love of others.   Join us as we reflect on how the evolution of a city and its hospitality can influence our journey’s, ignite our interests, and help us realize our passions.  From what makes us want to leave a place to what makes us want to stay, we discuss how the impact of genuine hospitality in a destination can bring people together and create belonging, and how the beloved people that see us and encourage us along our paths can lead us to believe in ourselves and arrive at a place of love and self-love. Tune in and find out why Wess has no reservation.

With a genuine love for people and conversation, Sonya from Sonya’s Street Meat, located in The Food Truck Corral in Oshawa, Ontario, treats us to her fascinating career journey.  Celebrating the highs and persevering through the lows, she never deviates from her beliefs, warmth and constant care of people. Equipped with ambition and driven to pursue new directions, her dynamic and inspiring story reveals adversities fused with determination and strength, underlined with values and faith.  Join us as we discuss what it means to start and restart careers and exploring new unknowns. From feeling let down by the lack of care in our careers to choosing careers where care is at the forefront, we consider how persistence and courage to follow new ideas, make different choices and focus on our passions can lead us to unexpected chances and circumstances, and why the support we receive on our journeys and destinations are essential to the care we can pay forward. Tune in and find out why Sonya has no reservation.

This week we check in with Matthew Opferkuch, CEO and Co-Founder of The Laundry Rooms.  He discusses his attraction to travel and how that shaped his own path, from leaving his birthplace in East Africa to eventually create a life in Canada, and the many stopovers in between. Drawn to opportunities in the hospitality industry, blended with a love of travel and an innate curiosity, his realized interest and passion as an entrepreneur unfolds through the highs and lows of his journey. Join us as we reflect on why our journeys are so important and when seeking the upgrades in our lives, how accommodating new ideas through disruption and challenging our comfort through innovation can all lead to reinvention.  From realized passions to the vacancies in industry, we discuss why embracing failure in all aspects of our personal and professional lives is key to building on and leveraging our changing paths, and why starting over can help us arrive at our place of passion. Tune in and find out why Matthew has no reservation.

Saddle up as we are live from Valley Farm to stirrup a conversation with owner/operator Joanne Wolnik, who is also the Executive Director at Ontario's Southwest.  Blending nature and nurture, we learn how her passion for horses was a constant motivation through her life, and how she wove that into her education and career path. She shares how she manifested her dream side business boarding and caring for horses, all while leading and creating tourism experiences in the beautiful Southwest of Ontario. Join us as we discuss navigating career choices, explore how often opportunities appear when we least expect or are prepared for it, and reflect on how impactful community support is when blending interests and building experiences.  From a change of scenery to the evolution of the industry, we consider what it means to embrace a growth mindset and have the courage to make a change and reinvent, balance passion projects and side hustles, and ultimately live your dream that will leave you riding a path of fulfillment. Tune in and find out why Joanne has no reservation.

On location from beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia, we chat with Dario Guescini, Director of Work-Integrated Learning & Experiential Education at George Brown College and President of Experiential and Work Integrated Learning Ontario (EWO).  Guided by passion and values, we learn through his story what brought him to Canada, through his own personal work-integrated learning opportunities to his transition from industry to post-secondary education, to supporting students into the workforce. Join us as we reflect on personal paths, industry influence, and combating control. From discussing ways to bridge the gap from WIL and academia to employers, to evaluating how well we are really doing as an industry bringing post-secondary students in for quality, meaningful work-integrated learning experiences, we explore where we fall short and how we can do better, and why welcoming international talent is so important. Tune in and find out why Dario has no reservation.

With a unique path filled with untethered ambitions, Rebecca Godfrey, Senior Vice President and practice lead of CBRE Tourism Consulting, shares her journey of career discovery.  Equipped with a passion for travel, the avid life-long learner and enthusiastic problem solver describes her deep appreciation of learning about cultures abroad to her desire to explore her own city, and why sitting still is not an option. Join us as we dig into why it is important to be consistently challenged and motivated by change and transition.  From challenging assumptions and comforts to building resilience, we discuss in the context of the industry how welcoming diversity of experience, embracing different perspectives, and valuing people is fundamental to thriving. Tune in and find out why Rebecca has no reservation.

Through determination and reinvention, entrepreneur and businessman Alex SenGupta weighs in on working within Canada’s hospitality industry and why it continues to interest, inspire and motivate him.  With passion and perseverance, he takes us on his career path and shares what that has revealed, insightfully discussing his transitions from working for other companies to arriving at business ownership, with calculated and careful approaches. Join us as we unwrap his entrepreneurial mindset.  From considering what it really means to be the CEO of your own life to embracing the role of builder and designer of every aspect of your business, we reflect on spending strategies and social responsibilities within the industry, and why community and culture building is essential for lights on and last calls. Tune in and find out why Alex has no reservation.

The dynamic and unapologetically courageous Leni Brem of Brem Consulting Inc. discusses navigating her non-linear career within Canada's hospitality and tourism industry. She identifies what is attractive about the people and the industry vs. the realities the impact of damaging HR cultures can have, and we explore why leading with values isn't always welcome in this industry. Join us as we engage in raw dialogue that asks difficult questions, delve into the highlights and limitations, and uncover the issues of the industry and why her own meandering journey has revealed that a change of direction in workplace behaviours is key to retaining interest and talent. Tune in and find out why Leni has no reservation.