Perry Miele is someone I have admired since the first day we met many decades ago. Perry shares his remarkable journey from growing up in Thunder Bay as the son of Italian immigrants to becoming a serial entrepreneur, investor, and mentor to many. Perry's story is about resilience, optimism, and the enduring lessons that come with having both grit and grace.

In this episode, Perry reflects on politics, entrepreneurship, and pursuing the Canadian Dream as individuals and as a country.

Alan Depencier from RBC joins to share how small business owners are the engine of our economy and all RBC does to fuel their dreams.

A show about positivity and possibility and all things Perry Miele.

Many people dream of owning their own business and being their own boss, especially today when careers can be suddenly disrupted by tariffs or technology. I would encourage those who dream to also do.

Judy Lewis is my guest this week, and she doesn't follow paths; she creates them. An inductee into the Marketing Hall of Legends and co-founder of Strategic Objectives alongside her sister Deborah Weinstein, they have redefined what it means to build with purpose.

Their campaigns have received every PR honour, as well as recognition from the United Nations for promoting social change.

Judy shares her story and how vision, grit, and a simple "What if?" mindset enabled her to leave the corporate world and establish one of the world's most respected public relations agencies. Stay tuned for my three key takeaways, and then ask yourself, What if I applied Judy's lessons in life to my own life?

To find out more about RBC's Women of Influence Awards: https://www.womenofinfluence.ca/rbc-cwea/

Scott Stirrett grew up in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, a hockey town where he never fit in. Bullied, struggling in school, and privately wrestling with his sexuality, he felt like a misfit destined to sit on the sidelines. Instead, those early struggles became the foundation for his life's work.

Scott left a prestigious role at Goldman Sachs to start Venture for Canada, raising more than $80 million and helping over 10,000 young Canadians embrace entrepreneurship. Now, with his book, The Uncertainty Advantage, he shows how to go beyond resilience to antifragility—how actually to thrive because of chaos.

Scott shares how small wins build confidence, why wide and deep networks are essential, and how rethinking risk is the key to growth. His story is proof that the very things that make us feel different can become our most significant edge.

And at the close, Alan Depencier, Chief Marketing Officer, Personal and Commercial Banking at RBC, will discuss their deep commitment to supporting Canadian entrepreneurs with the resources, mentorship, and capital they need to succeed.

To purchase Scott's book: https://a.co/d/bqK05mx

To learn about RBC and Small Business: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=rbc.com%2Fsmall+business&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

This episode was taped in front of a live audience at Canavision, which is a fantastic conference made possible through the vision and creativity of Randy Rowe. My guest is Michele Romanow, one of Canada's most fearless entrepreneurs, a Dragon, a disruptor, and a mentor who built seven businesses before the age of 35 and changes the way founders access capital.

From launching a sustainable coffee shop at Queen's University, to cold-calling chefs and starting a caviar company, to co-founding Clearco and providing over $5 billion in funding to 10,000 companies, her story is proof that entrepreneurship is less about waiting for the perfect idea and more about diving in, scrapping, iterating, and moving faster than the giants around you. Michele is all in.

In this conversation, Michele opens up about resilience, speed, and scrappiness, the difference between ego and conviction, and why storytelling is the real currency of entrepreneurship. She also speaks candidly about becoming a mother and how that shifts her perspective on the world we're building for the next generation.

Alan Depencier joins the show to discuss small business and why it matters to you, to me and to RBC.

If you've ever wondered what it truly means to go "all in" on your ideas, your business, and your life, this conversation will light your way.

I love the famous Walt Disney quote, Dream it and Do it. It is also the battle cry for Entrepreneurs and Artists as they seek sponsors, support and a paying audience. But what if an idea came to you in an actual dream, and that dream manifested into a destiny that touched your entire universe?

In the rawest days of her sobriety, Jenn Harper had a dream of three Indigenous girls wearing lip gloss. Her subconscious became her living quest, one that allowed her to reclaim her indigenous roots, conquer her addictions, carry her through the heartbreak of losing her brother, and fulfill her dream by create Cheekbone Beauty. This business brings beauty to our world in so many wonderful colours-shades of survival, purpose, resilience, and purpose.

To look at the creativity of Cheekbone Beauty and this extraordinary entrepreneur: https://www.cheekbonebeauty.com

To learn more about Jenn Harper, 2020 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards Ones To Watch Award Winner:

https://www.womenofinfluence.ca/2020/09/22/meet-jenn-harper-founder-and-ceo-of-cheekbone-beauty-cosmetics-inc-and-2020-rbc-canadian-women-entrepreneur-awards-ones-to-watch-award-winner/

To learn about RBC's Truth and Reconciliation Office: https://www.rbc.com/newsroom/news/article.html?article=125905

Last week, my guest was Oscar Arias, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former President of Costa Rica, who brought peace to Central America. This week, I continue to prove that Chatter That Matters has no boundaries, only journeys of those who overcome, who chase, who change their world and ours for the better.

My guest is Rima Berns-McGowan, a woman who has devoted her life to making the world a better place. She has walked many paths—scholar, author, community builder, politician and then made one of the most unexpected and courageous pivots imaginable: leaving politics to become a Medium connecting those who live here with those who have departed.

What ties it all together is her conviction in tikkun olam, a jewish concept meaning reapir of the world. Whether through evidence-based research, community activism, or channelling messages of love and healing from those who've passed, Rima's life is devoted to building inclusion, belonging, and hope.

In this conversation, we explore:

How her family's escape from apartheid South Africa shaped her identity and lifelong quest for justice.

The lessons she's learned from academia, politics, and the people she's served.

Why she believes our ancestors never leave us, and how as a Medium she can help bring messages from the other side that brings healing and forgiveness.

What her journey teaches us about choosing good over cynicism, compassion over division, and possibility over despair.

Suspend disbelief. Open your heart and listen to the many wonderful messages from Rima Berns-McGown, the Medium.

Presented by RBC, because they believe in stories of human possibility.

To learn more about Rima: IG - @rimabernsm or rimabythesea.com

I had the pleasure of hosting one of the most extraordinary guests I've ever had on Chatter That Matters during the 80th sessions of the United Nations Assembly happening in New York.

My guest is someone who has made a powerful and positive impact on our universe: Dr. Oscar Arias, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and two-time President of Costa Rica. Oscar takes us back to a time when Central America was on fire, civil wars raged, and the United States and the Soviet Union armed opposing sides.

The region was drowning in ideology, bloodshed, and fear.

Then came Oscar Arias, the newly elected President of Costa Rica, a nation that had disbanded their military decades before.

While others escalated the violence, Arias chose defiance.

He stared down Ronald Reagan, had U.S.-backed rebels expelled from Costa Rican soil, rejected global pressure, and authored the Arias Peace Plan. This bold diplomatic initiative helped bring five nations to the table and bring an end to years of war.

Oscar Arias didn't just defy world leaders; he defied the odds and changed the course of history.

In 1987, Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But he didn't stop there.

Through the Arias Foundation for Peace & Human Progress, he helped spark the UN Arms Trade Treaty—the first legally binding agreement to regulate the global weapons trade.

And now, in his 80s, Oscar Arias is on another peace mission.

To build a Global Peace Museum in Costa Rica. A place to remind the world that peace isn't idealistic, it's possible, if given a chance.

(And for history buffs, you will be mesmerized by the stories of how Oscar Arias encountered and, over time, built extraordinary relationships with Reagan, Bush, Thatcher, Gorbachev, Castro, Mulroney, the Pope and many more.)

My guest this week is Sheryl Ramstead a woman whose story defies the odds and redefines what it means to be resilient. At 29, on her first solo flight, a fiery plane crash left her body burned and her survival chances below one percent. But from that inferno emerged not just a survivor, but a force of reinvention who became a federal prosecutor, judge, corrections commissioner, marathon runner, mountain climber, and in her sixties, a nurse.

In this episode, Sheryl shares how faith, family, purpose, and a relentless spirit carried her through unimaginable pain and propelled her into a life of service and impact.

Her memoir, Living Life Full Throttle: Surviving, Serving, and Summiting, is a testament to what's possible when we choose to live with intention and courage.

If you're facing adversity, rebuilding after loss, or questioning whether you have what it takes to begin again, this episode is for you. Sheryl's journey reminds us that healing isn't linear, that fear never truly disappears, and that the most powerful act of resilience is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. This isn't just a story of survival; it's a blueprint for transformation and inspiration.

To buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Life-Full-Throttle-Surviving/dp/1960876805