Life as a..

EP20: Life as a ”Teen Entrepreneur” with guest, Gabe Rossitter

High School
What thoughts come to mind? What were you doing then? What were you thinking about? If you are like most, you might have had a barrage of mental imagery based around friendships, perhaps concerts, a bit of studying, a bit of mischief or even your first full-fledged romance or two.
Did you have any recollection or memories about small business or branded apparel? How about e-commerce, or initiatives aimed at supporting youth and mental health? Does that ring a bell?
No, I can’t say any of that last bit springs to mind for me at least.
Well, on today’s show our guest is a someone who is currently immersed in most of what the typical high school experience is all about. That’s because he is a high school student.
What makes his story different however is that he ALSO has one foot firmly entrenched in the world of business and entrepreneurship, as you’ll soon hear all about.
Introducing
Gabe Rossitter is an 18 year-old student entrepreneur, who is currently the small business owner for his company, “Belong,” a branded apparel, e-commerce based business that supports youth and mental health.
Through his entrepreneurial venture which he launched at the age sixteen, Gabe has appeared in multiple newspapers, magazines, and radio interviews. (add podcasts after this! 😉 )
School Life
Aside from his business, Gabe is a leader amongst his school peers, as he is the Student Senator and Student Trustee for the Bluewater District School Board of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada.
Gabe is currently finishing his grade 12 year at Owen Sound District Secondary School, and will be headed off to university to study Business Administration this upcoming fall.
As extroverts go, Gabe fits nicely into this category, as he is known for his positive attitude and interpersonal skills, which have surely contributed to his early success in life.
A Source of Inspiration
Through the running of his business in concert with his passion of supporting others, he has been undoubtedly laying down a pathway of inspiration for those around him to follow, including both young and old.
His ethos and strong adherence to the belief that one can accomplish anything in life, if proper attention and effort has been put forth, is a mantra that has served him well.
Reasons to Listen
Tune in to learn more about Gabe’s compelling takes on this journey and what it means to him personally beyond dollars and cents.
Plus you’ll probably learn a thing or two. Gabe despite his age is very much a fully fledged entrepreneur with knowledge and awareness beyond his years.
His enthusiasm and vigour will surely serve up ample amounts of inspiration to others who may be considering their own ventures or projects. Hear about all of this and more in this engaging talk.
You can connect and follow Gabe here:
Website
Instagram
Linkedin
Facebook
 
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube.
And hey! Why don't you subscribe on YouTube! As you'll see, our subscriber numbers are in need of a little boost! If you haven't done so already, help the program out by giving it some love.
*Hit the subscribe button on YouTube PLEASE. :) I'd appreciate it! 
-Christopher
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com or https://linktr.ee/life_as_a_podcast 

EP19: Life as ”Host and Producer of the CBC Show CrossTalk” with guest, Adam Walsh

Think back twenty years. Heck, go back further if you can. Try fifty, or a hundred. What is one thing that has been part of our collective human experience? Any guesses?
Well, I’m thinking media. For example, the radio broadcasting of music and talk intended to reach a dispersed audience started experimentally between 1905 and 1906.
Sure, it has changed—especially in recent times. However, at its core broadcasting has always been about communicating ideas, news and events often based around things like politics, entertainment, arts and science and so on.
We’re all in for a treat today. Joining todays program is a guest who has built a phenomenal career in public broadcast and journalism. He is someone that will help us pull back the curtain on this profession.
Introducing
Adam Walsh is the host and producer of the CBC show CrossTalk, a lunch time provincial radio program in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The show is a virtual town square where people meet to be informed, engaged and entertained.
A show that meets people in both their digital and actual neighbourhoods. A program that reflects contemporary Newfoundland and Labrador by serving the basic purpose of modern public broadcasting: building community by bringing people together and helping them understand one another and the world around them.
He’s been with Canada’s CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, for over 10 years.
Awards
In 2014 Adam was part of a team that won the Atlantic Canada Journalism Gold Award Television Enterprise Reporting – for an investigation into the local renovation industry. Then, in 2015 he went to China after being awarded the Asia Pacific Foundation’s Media Fellowship to report on Canada’s attempts to move further into the Chinese seafood market.
Expat Life
Later in 2015 he moved to Japan through a CBC agreement with Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Adam stayed in Japan working for NHK’s international English new program Newsline as an advising producer.
He also traveled all over Japan and elsewhere covering the anniversaries of the atomic bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the anniversary of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. Adam was also in Washington DC to cover Donald Trump’s inauguration.
CrossTalk
In June of 2021, Adam started filling in as the host of CrossTalk and became its permanent host in October of that year.
Tune in to learn more about Adam’s fascinating takes on his own profession, including some of his more memorable experiences and stories.
Plus you’ll hear us chat more broadly about the role of public broadcasting in the past and why it’s importance has never been greater. Hear about all of this and more in this engaging talk.
You can connect and follow Adam here:
Website
Twitter
Instagram:
 
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube.
And hey! Why don't you subscribe on YouTube! As you'll see, our subscriber numbers are in need of a little boost! If you haven't done so already, help the program out by giving it some love.
*Hit the subscribe button on YouTube PLEASE. :) I'd appreciate it! 
-Christopher
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
Youtube
Instagram: 
Linkedin:
Twitter:
Facebook: 
To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com or https://linktr.ee/life_as_a_podcast 

EP18: Life as a ”Translator and Interpreter ” with guest, Ricardo Rivera

With each passing year, the interconnectedness of our world including economies, markets, governments, businesses, human relationships and so on deepens.
Now, in a perfect world all of this seamlessly fits together. Well, we all know that is not reality. That is where my next guest fits in. He works in an industry in which he, for all intensive purposes could be considered a lubricant that helps this incredibly intricate and highly complex machine of life, living and work roll on.
Introducing
Ricardo Rivera is a fully-fledged Japanese translator with his own business based in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan. After growing up in Sacramento, California and attending U.C. Berkeley, international living and working came a calling.
Ricardo’s track to translation however, could be traced to his early years of being born in Tucson, AZ near the border of Mexico, where many residents flip back and forth between Spanish and English. His first language was Spanish which eventually was supplanted by English.
His yearning to connect with his roots drove him in later years to learn Spanish more fluently where he studied literature in both English and Spanish at Berkley, which included literature, linguistics, history and even translation courses.
Japan
Fast forward to his arrival in Japan in 2006 where his purview of the Japanese language and society at that point was limited to “sushi” and maybe the word “Arigato” (from the 80’s song “Mr. Roboto”).
This lack of basic knowledge drove Ricardo to delve into Japanese language study during his first few years in Japan. What captured his attention more than anything was the fact that the Japanese writing system and language as a whole, really offers no commonalities with English or Spanish. That challenge was refreshing, engrossing but quite difficult.
Gradually, his immersion into the culture through stints as an English language teacher and his enrollment into a proper Japanese language course, eventually lead Ricardo to attain the highest certification level relating to Japanese language proficiency.
This in turn, amounted to finding employment with a Japan based engineering firm within their international sales department, where his role was acting as a liaison between the company’s office and clients in the Silicon Valley.
Business
Finally, those additional opportunities to further build his translation skills and abilities revealed a pathway to work as a freelance translator and then eventually his founding of his own translation and interpretation business, where he has been at it for nearly 15 years.
Tune in to learn more about Ricardo’s role within this fascinating industry. Hear about his life as a translator & interpreter through this engaging talk.
You can connect with Ricardo here:
Website
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe! It helps the show grow. ;)
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com 

EP17: Life as a ”Master Cake Artisan and Illusionist ” with guest, April Julian

Toronto based Master Cake Illusionist April Julian — of the brand new Netflix series “Is it Cake?” has been dreaming up award-winning custom cakes and desserts since 2007.
April’s love for baking and visual arts began at an early age. Even before she was old enough to use an oven, she would fill her mother’s baking pans with hand towels and pretend they were freshly baked cakes. On Christmas or birthdays, art supplies were always on the top of her wish list.
It wasn’t until decades later when she saw master cake artist Ron Ben Israel demonstrating a sugar orchid on TV that she realized there was a way to combine her two greatest passions.
Since that chance discovery, April has trained under some of the greatest cake artists in the world, and honed her own unique style and artistry.
Her award-winning creations have been featured in a number of international publications including American Cake Decorating Magazine and Cake Craft and Decoration UK.
And now you can catch her on Netflix’s new show, “Is it Cake?” which combines foodie culture with a good old fashioned reality baking competition series.
The show is hosted by Saturday Night Live star Mikey Day, and has a panel of celebrity judges who will attempt to distinguish between hyper- realistic cakes and everyday objects.
Tune in to learn more about April’s artistry in producing hyperrealistic cakes. Plus hear about some her insights about being part of a burgeoning hit Netflix show!
You can connect and follow April here:
Website
Instagram:
TikTok: 
Facebook:
 
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe! It helps the show grow. ;)
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com 

EP16: Life as an ”Australian Winemaker” with guest, Elka Parsons

Elka Parsons is the owner of Elk Wines, a family owned and operated winemaking operation in the Barossa Valley, Australia. Her mission involves perfecting each vintage in order to create exceptional wine that stands up to the best in the market.
Every Elk wine is handpicked from a single vineyard, representing only the best from the Barossa and Eden Valley Regions of Australia.
Varietal regionality sits at the core of Elk Wine’s boutique brand. Elk Wines uses natural, vegan-friendly techniques to produce outstanding quality wine which embodies the spirit of the Barossa Valley.
After many years in the airline industry, in spite of her love of travel and adventure, she had the sense that something was missing. It only took a gentle nudge and a fortuitous win at the track to literally turn her passion for wine into fruition.
After a weekend at the races in Melbourne, with a small win in hand, Elka returned to the Barossa with ‘lady luck’ on her side. She sourced the most spectacular Riesling fruit, and through skill and determination created their flagship – Elk Wines Eden Valley Riesling – and thus Elk Wines was born!
Recognising that providing something unique in a highly competitive industry requires ongoing learning and exploration, Elka combines her love of travel and learning by continuing to explore vineyards across the world and studying viticulture and Oenology at the University of Adelaide.
Tune in to learn more about Elka and the winemaking industry as a whole in this engaging talk.
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe! It helps the show grow. ;)
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com 

EP15: Life as a ”Media and Crisis Communications Expert” with guest, David Wagner

David Wagner is a Senior Advisor, Media & Crisis Communication Expert. He is widely acknowledged as one of Asia’s leading authorities on media, crisis, and business communications skills.
 
Over the past 30+ years, David has coached over 30,000 trainees including Presidents, CEO’s, Ambassadors, top government officials and even billionaires on communicating persuasively in business and managing the media through effective message delivery.
 
He has conducted over 4,000+ workshops for over 550+ organizations for firms including Goldman Sachs, Oracle, Johnson & Johnson, Singapore Airlines and Wal-Mart throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle-East and North America.
 
David has lectured extensively on business communications at a number of institutions including Waseda University in Tokyo and the Institute of Public Administration and Management in Singapore.
 
He is also the author of 24 books in Japan on business communications and language usage with translations in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
 
Tune in to hear David break down all of what this profession entails!
 
To learn more about David you can find him here:
Linkedin
Twitter
 
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe! It helps the show grow. ;)
 
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com 

EP14: Life as an ”IT Systems Analyst” with guest, Rich Young

The thought of technology can elicit a myriad of emotions. For some it can represent excitement while for others frustration. It’s such a polarizing word for many reasons, not the least, for its ability to really alter our work, days and moments.
On this episode, my guest has a job charged with ensuring tech stays on the positive side of things for you and the clients he serves. 
Rich Young is an IT systems analyst who works in Buffalo, NY for a company called MVP Network Consulting. He has been a systems analyst for over 20 years with 18 of those being with his current employer.
Acknowledging the breakneck speed at which the tech industry has altered itself in recent years, the changes have been dramatic. Rich however, has seen it all, experienced it all and most importantly, embraced it all. 
One of his firm’s aims is to be the most secure and efficient business processes provider through the intelligent use of technology. That sentence, to me, encapsulates a lot and is something Rich will help unpack for us today.
In addition, we’re going to learn about what this word, “technology” means for someone who not only lives and breathes it, but also plays a key role in shaping it for companies and individuals like you and I.
Tune in to hear all of this and much more!
 
To learn more about Rich you can find him here:
Linkedin
MVP Network Consulting
 
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe! It helps the show grow. ;)
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
Youtube
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com 

EP13: Life as a ”Professor of Forensic Psychology” with guest, Dr. Leigh Harkins

Dr. Leigh Harkins is an Associate Professor at Ontario Tech University in Canada. With a PhD in Forensic Psychology, her current research interests focus on understanding sexual aggression and aggression in groups including factors influencing perceptions of the acceptability of sexually coercive behaviour, technology and sexual violence, and multiple perpetrator sexual offending. Her work has focused on understanding and improving assessment and treatment of sexual offenders.
This combined work has highlighted the importance of accurate and evidence-based approaches to assessment and treatment. She also has practice experience working in treatment groups for sexual offenders, and completing psychological assessments in prisons and community criminal justice settings in Canada and the UK.
Dr. Harkins has published numerous manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, and has co-edited a book in the area of forensic psychology and has presented her research at international conferences. Leigh has supervised Honour’s thesis, M.A., M.Sc., Forensic Psychology, Doctorate and Ph.D. students in forensic psychology.
Aside from her professional endeavors, she is an avid traveller, having explored and traversed most countries around the world. Outside of her work and global escapades, you can find Dr. Harkins cooking up delicious vegan dishes, or cycling around Toronto. Not to be left out is her passion towards all things canine. She and her rescue dog, Sadie are often out together socializing with friends and exploring the world.
Tune in to hear all of this and much more!
*Dr. Harkins does reference work on mental health. Life as a.. just so happened to cover a talk with a mental health advocate. To listen to this talk, tune in here.
To learn more about Dr. Harkins you can find her on these platforms:
Linkedin
Instagram
 
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe! It helps the show grow. ;)
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
Youtube
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com 

EP11: ”Life as an English Teacher in Japan” with guest Steve Hampshire

Steve Hampshire is a teacher, materials writer and teacher trainer. He began his career in education nearly 40 years ago as an elementary school teacher in London. Working with many multi-cultural and multi-lingual classes sparked his early interest in the design and development of imaginative teaching and language learning materials.
Following a year teaching in Thailand, he returned to the UK where he worked as a senior EFL teacher for The English Language Centre, Bristol, eventually becoming a Director for their summer school courses.
For the past 20 years he has been teaching in Japan and was until 2012, head of English Communication programs at a large Junior Senior high school in Hiroshima.
He is currently a lecturer at Fukuyama City University where he runs year round language study programs for students ranging from intermediate level to advanced, and summer training courses for Japanese teachers of English.
On this episode, you’ll hear from Steve as he describes his experiences of teaching in Japan and all that entails relating to both the joys and challenges.
Tune in to hear about all of this and much more!
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can access the show via YouTube you are in luck! We just launched a YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe! It helps the show grow. ;)
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com 

EP12: Life as a ”UN Vulnerability Analysis Advisor” with guest, Rossella Bottone

Being inspired to enact positive change within the world is one thing. Executing on it is another. In this episode you’ll hear from someone who specializes in the latter.
Rossella Bottone is a Vulnerability Analysis Advisor for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Currently based in the Panama Regional office, she has more than 15 years of experience in the Humanitarian sector. She is an expert in emergency food security assessments, vulnerability surveys, and data analysis in support of early warning and emergency preparedness.
She has worked in Nepal, Guatemala, Haiti, Senegal, DRC, Italy and has conducted needs assessments for the World Food Programme in more than 20 countries in Latin America and Africa.
You’ll hear about how all of those experiences as a UN Vulnerability Analysis Advisor have shaped her and her views on life and living. Plus you will most certainly come away with a clearer understanding of what some of these issues she speaks about truly mean on a much deeper humanistic level.
Finally, you may even be nudged to turn your own inspiration into action!
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:
If you'd like, you can WATCH the full conversation on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe! It helps the show grow. ;)
*You can also follow the show on your favourite social platforms via these links:
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Linkedin:
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To learn more about the program, visit the website www.life-as-a.com