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What if the skills that make you great in your sport are the exact same ones that unlock success in life and business?

In this episode, we sit down with Rae Irelan, transformational business strategist, speaker, and former professional dancer, to explore how discipline, identity, and creative thinking translate far beyond performance environments.

Rae shares how spending the first two decades of her life in dance shaped the way she approaches growth, pressure, and execution today. From relentless training and high expectations to stepping into the entrepreneurial world, she breaks down the transferable skills athletes often overlook and how to actually use them.

We dive into:

• How performance environments (like sport and dance) build discipline, resilience, and adaptability
• Why so many athletes struggle with identity when they step away—and how to navigate it
• The shift from external validation to internal alignment
• How to think like a creator, not just a performer
• Leveraging your unique story to build authority and impact
• The role of AI and modern tools in expanding opportunities for athletes beyond sport

This episode is a powerful reminder that your your sport may just the beginning. The real advantage comes from how you apply what it taught you.

About Rae Irelan

Rae Irelan is a transformational business strategist, speaker, and #1 international best-selling author. She is the co-founder of Evolved Podcasting and has been featured in Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine. Rae helps visionary entrepreneurs amplify their authority, expand their impact, and unlock new revenue streams by blending creative leadership with smart AI-driven strategies.

Her foundation was built in the dance studio, where she spent the first two decades of her life as a professional dancer developing the discipline, mindset, and performance skills that now fuel her work today.

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What does it take to stop trying to fit in and start standing out? In this powerful episode, we sit down with two-time Paralympic gold medalist, world champion shot-putter, author, and speaker Greg Stewart for a conversation that goes far beyond sport.

Born without his left arm below the elbow and standing 7'2", Greg spent much of his life trying to shrink himself so others would feel comfortable. He chased belonging through basketball courts and volleyball floors, racking up accolades along the way, yet something was always missing. It wasn't until he stopped listening to external voices and started doing the inner work that everything changed.

In this episode, Greg opens up about growing up feeling different, the moment he realized his athletic success meant nothing without self-love, and how transitioning to shot put became the catalyst for finally taking charge of his own life. He also shares why he believes vulnerability is the answer to most of the questions we're afraid to ask, and what it really means to trust yourself.

We dive deep into:

• Why fitting in was actually pulling Greg further from fulfillment
• How sport teaches us to fail and why that's a gift
• The difference between self-love and ego
• How to have the hard, uncomfortable conversations that change everything
• Teaching youth to tune into their bodies instead of the noise in their heads

Whether you're a young athlete navigating identity and belonging, a parent watching your kid go through it, or someone who has spent years trying to fit into a box that was never meant for you, this episode will meet you right where you are.

About Greg Stewart

Greg Stewart is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, world champion shot-putter, author, entrepreneur, and one of the most powerful voices in Canada on vulnerability, resilience, and human performance. Standing 7'2" and born without his left arm below the elbow, Greg's life has never been about fitting in, it's been about standing out. Yet his path wasn't defined by medals or records at first. Growing up in small-town British Columbia, Greg grappled with identity, belonging, and the complicated emotions that come with looking "different." He spent years trying to shrink himself to make others comfortable, until he learned that the stories he was hiding were the very ones that could set him free.

Greg went on to play university basketball, become a national champion, and eventually transition into shot put, where he discovered not just his sport, but his voice. In 2021, he won gold for Canada at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. In 2024, he defended his title in Paris. And in 2025, he cemented his place in history with a world championship in New Delhi.

Today, he is the founder of Mindfulete, a speaking and coaching platform built on what he calls Mindful Vulnerability: the idea that true strength isn't about perfection but about owning your story, facing discomfort head-on, and choosing growth over protection. Greg's talks for corporations, schools, and communities explore the three principles at the heart of his life and work: Trust, Ownership, and Integrity (what he calls Life's Golden Standards).

Greg is also the author of Stand Out, a children's book written in verse that traces his journey of growing up different and discovering confidence, courage, and community. He's currently writing the follow-up book, focused on teaching kids how to build habits rooted in those same golden standards.

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What happens when everything you’ve built your identity around suddenly gets taken away?

In this episode, we sit down with Dallas Soonias, a former Team Canada volleyball player turned filmmaker, to unpack the reality of chasing elite performance, breaking down physically and mentally, and rebuilding from the ground up.

Dallas shares how a career-altering injury forced him to confront more than just rehab and pushed him to face the parts of himself he had been avoiding for years. What started as a pursuit to “get back on the court” turned into a deeper journey through mindset, identity, and resilience.

We dive into:

• The difference between being competitive vs. being consumed by it
• How injury became the catalyst for growth, self-awareness, and better performance
• Why being at 70% physically made him a better teammate and player
• The mental skills that separate athletes in high-pressure moments
• How to stay calm, focused, and effective when everything is on the line
• What it really means to add value to a team even when you’re not playing
• And how the lessons from sport translate directly into leadership, creativity, and life after sport

This episode is a powerful reminder that sometimes your biggest setback becomes the exact thing that elevates you if you’re willing to face it.

About Dallas

Dallas is a multi-talented actor who also writes, directs, and produces his own projects. His first short film, Frank Gets the Job Done, was commissioned by ImagineNATIVE Film Festival and TELUS Storyhive. He followed that by writing, directing, and starring in The Saint and the Bear.

In 2024, Dallas directed the western short One Click and the TV series Renegade Fever. With strong ties to the sporting world, he is also proud to be the first male Indigenous athlete to represent Canada in volleyball.

During the 2024 Summer Olympics, Dallas produced and hosted a segment for CBC Olympics, directed the Olympic opening, and worked as an analyst for CBC Sports covering volleyball.

Dallas is Nehiyaw/Anishinaabe, registered with The Chippewas of Nawash, with close ties to his father’s band, Red Pheasant. He grew up off-reserve in Red Deer, Alberta.

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