Executive Hotseat Podcast | Episode 22
Featuring: Zak Biggs, Director of Marketing, Goodlawyer

This isn't your average legal story. From pounding lawns in high school with his future co-founder to leading the marketing charge for one of Canada's boldest legal tech startups, Zak Biggs is helping Goodlawyer rewrite the rulebook - by being unapologetically human.

In this episode, Zak shares how a small team of friends turned a stiff, suit-heavy industry into a platform for community, storytelling, and straight-up joy. From cinchilla fleece vests to yacht parties, Zak walks us through how they built a brand people actually want to be part of—and why leaning into authenticity, not automation, is their greatest advantage.

We dig into why lawyers are more human than their headshots suggest, how to turn a LinkedIn post into a brand magnet, and what happens when you make real fun part of your marketing funnel.

Key Highlights:

🗝️ Building a B2B brand through real people, not just polished logos
🗝️ Why creating FOMO with yacht parties beats three average events every time
🗝️ Using storytelling and authenticity to break down the intimidation factor in law

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👉 Connect with Zak:

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/zakbiggs

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👉 Connect with Goodlawyer

🔗 LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/gtssDHW2

📷 Instagram: https://lnkd.in/gNwDJSmN

🌐 goodlawyer.ca

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✨ Founder and Host:

📷 https://lnkd.in/gzx7GFaJ | 🔗 linkedin.com/in/lisabrd

📷 instagram.com/brdagency.ca

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✨ Co-host:

📷 instagram.com/abuhse | 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gVM2zF3v

📷 https://lnkd.in/g7_QX3eM

Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech! 🔥

Executive Hotseat Podcast | Episode 21 | Calgary Series
Featuring: April Brown, Founder & Visionary behind Rootbar

From playing with Barbies to founding one of the most innovative salon concepts in Canada, April Brown has always had a vision and she's making it real. In this episode, April shares how Rootbar was born during COVID as a response to time-starved clients and outdated models. But this isn't just about beauty - it's about building a business where stylists lead, grow, and co-own their future.

With a rotating leadership structure, a franchise-ready system, and a deep respect for joy and boundaries, April is shaping a new standard in the service industry.

We explore how she balances it all: scaling across Canada, mentoring new franchisees, and stepping into motherhood - all while staying clear on what matters most.

Key Highlights:

🗝️ How Rootbar's rotating leadership model helps stylists build real-world business skills
🗝️ What it takes to franchise successfully - without losing your brand soul
🗝️ Why slowing down, setting boundaries, and choosing joy fuels smarter growth

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts.

🌐 Exec Hotseat Website: exechotseatpodcast.libsyn.com
🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7jYiAX2y8MH2JgQmiarmMM

👉 Connect with April:

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/rootbar-inc 📷 Instagram: instagram.com/rootbarsalon
🌐 rootbar.ca

✨ Founder and Host:

📷 instagram.com/lisathompsonbrd | 🔗 linkedin.com/in/lisabrd

📷 instagram.com/brdagency.ca

✨ Co-host:

📷 instagram.com/abuhse | 🔗 linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse

📷 instagram.com/coalandcanary

Big shout out and thank you to The Exec Hotseat Podcast team:

instagram.com/thisistineke

instagram.com/rrcpolytech

instagram.com/brdagency.ca

instagram.com/kylecottrellmedia

Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech! 🔥

Executive Hotseat Podcast | Episode 20
Featuring: Harman Dhaliwal & Gabrielle Zoppa, Co-Founders of Spa Botanica

What happens when two near-strangers launch a wellness spa with no money, no safety net, and no backup plan? You get Spa Botanica - one of Winnipeg's most beloved spas, built on Ayurvedic principles, natural skincare, and unshakable trust.

Harman and Gabby didn't just grow a business. They weathered a pandemic, rebuilt after a fire, and raised kids from the spa floor - literally. Through years of reinvention, they've stayed grounded in their shared vision: to bring ancient healing practices into modern lives, one homemade facial at a time.

This episode is packed with insight, laughter, and lessons learned the hard way.

Key Highlights:

🗝️ The real story behind launching with zero dollars - and zero backup
🗝️ How an unexpected fire (caused by towels!) tested their resilience
🗝️ Why partnership, trust, and community kept them going when everything said "quit"

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or iHeart.

Or catch it here:
🎧 Spotify: Exec Hotseat on Spotify

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👉 Connect with Harman & Gabby:

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/spabotanicawinnipeg

👤Facebook: facebook.com/SpaBotanicaWinnipeg

1459 Corydon Avenue

info@spabotanica.ca

204-489-8107

🌐 spabotanica.ca

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✨ Founder and Host:
📷 @lisathompsonbrd | 🔗 linkedin.com/in/lisabrd
📷 @brdagency.ca

✨ Co-host:
📷 @abuhse | 🔗 linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse
📷 @coalandcanary

🎥 Video: Kyle Cottrell Media

Big shout out and thank you to The Exec Hotseat Podcast team:

Tineke Buiskool-Leeuwma
RRC Polytech
BRD | Brand Revival & Design Inc.
Kyle Cottrell

Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech! 🔥

Episode 19 | Christine Thiessen, Founder of the Winnipeg Women's Conference & Community

What started as an idea during lockdown is now Canada's largest women's conference. In this episode, Christine Thiessen shares how trusting her gut (while pregnant, no less), ignoring the naysayers, and leaning on her love for Excel turned a vision into a movement.

As the driving force behind both the Winnipeg Women's Conference and its thriving year-round Community, Christine opens up about the power of authentic connection, the challenge of being the one others look up to, and the magic that happens when women gather with purpose.

✨ In this episode, we explore:

🗝️ How Christine launched a sold-out conference when the world was still on pause
🗝️ What "community over competition" really looks like in practice
🗝️ Her unapologetic belief that "hobbies don't make money" and why it matters

👉 Tune in on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or iHeart to hear how Christine is building real spaces for women to connect, grow, and lead boldly.

Or catch it here:

🌐 Exec Hotseat Website: exechotseatpodcast.libsyn.com

Or here:
🎧 Spotify / Exec Hotseat Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/7jYiAX2y8MH2JgQmiarmMM

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👉 Connect with Christine!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christineturczyn

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/mrschristinethiessen

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shoulders-back

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/shouldersbackwpg

🌐 shouldersback.org

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👉 Follow Winnipeg Women's Conference!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/winnipeg-women-s-conference

📷 Instagram:
instagram.com/winnipegwomensconference
instagram.com/winnipegwomenscommunity

🌐 winnipegwomensconference.com

🌐 winnipegwomenscommunity.com

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✨ Founder and Host:

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/lt_wpg

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandrevivaldesign
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/brdagency.ca

🌐 brdagency.ca
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✨ Co-host:

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/abuhse
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse

👏 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, @rrcpolytech! 👏

Episode 18 | Your Idea Is Enough: Jane Helbrecht & Margaux Miller on TEDx Talks, Storytelling, and Building a Speaking Career

In this episode of Executive Hotseat, we sit down with two globally recognized speakers - Jane Helbrecht, leadership expert and founder of Uplift Engagement, and Margaux Miller, TED-featured MC and connection strategist - to unpack how they each built and delivered standout TEDx talks that captured global attention.

Their journeys are woven with grit, stagecraft, and community. Jane speaks about disrupting leadership norms and helping teams thrive, while Margaux dives into the art of online connection in a hyper-digital world. Together, they reveal the real behind-the-scenes work - from chaos-run rehearsals to choosing the exact talk title that lands you on TED.com.

You'll hear how each speaker turned childhood stage dreams into global visibility, and how building the business of speaking requires as much strategy as crafting a killer talk. Whether you're chasing your first keynote or scaling as a solopreneur, this episode delivers a powerful roadmap.

Key Highlights:
🗝️ The mindset shift from "Do I have the right idea?" to "Who needs to hear this?"
🗝️ Behind the curtain of the TEDx rehearsal process, from application to on-stage blocking
🗝️ Turning visibility into a business: building reach, community, and sustainable speaking gigs

👉 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, or iHeart and take notes - because this one's full of practical wisdom you won't want to forget.

Or catch it here:

🎧 Spotify / Exec Hotseat Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/7jYiAX2y8MH2JgQmiarmMM

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👉 Connect with Margaux!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/margauxmiller

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/margauxamiller

🌐 speakwithmargaux.com

👉 Connect with Jane!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in//janehelbrecht

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/janehelbrecht

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✨ Founder and Host:

👉 Lisa Thompson
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/lt_wpg

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandrevivaldesign
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/brdagency.ca

🌐 brdagency.ca

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Co-host:

👉 Amanda Buhse
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/abuhse

👏 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech! 👏

Episode 17 | RRC Polytech Alumni Series episode 6

Todd Burns of Cypher Environmental and Terry Sulpher of Mountainside Earthworks share how a single project sparked a two-decade partnership that's now transforming how Canada thinks about sustainability. From Red River Polytech beginnings to global clean-tech impact, this conversation dives into education, innovation, and the relationships that make real change possible.

Lisa Thompson guides a conversation filled with insight, gratitude, and vision — exploring why aligning values matters more than any contract, how education drives environmental progress, and what it looks like when business becomes a vehicle for stewardship.

Key Highlights:

🗝️ How Cypher Environmental and Mountainside Earthworks turned shared values into a lasting clean-tech partnership
🗝️ The Cypher Green Roads Program and how it gives back to local and Indigenous communities
🗝️ The leadership lessons behind collaboration, gratitude, and the "triple-win" philosophy

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👉 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and iHeart to hear the full episode!

Exec Hotseat Website: exechotseatpodcast.libsyn.com

Spotify / Exec Hotseat Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/7jYiAX2y8MH2JgQmiarmMM

Connect with Terry!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/terry-sulphur-501b6179

MS Environmental Solutions

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/mountainside-environmental-solutions
🔗 Facebook: facebook.com/ms.environmental

🌐 Website: ms-enviro.com
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Connect with Todd!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/toddburns81

Cypher Environmental

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/cypher-environmental-ltd
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/cypherenvironmental

🌐 cypherenvironmental.com

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Your Hosts

👉 Lisa Thompson
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd
🌐 brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse
🌐 coalandcanary.com

👉 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech!

Executive Hotseat Podcast - Episode 16 | RRC Polytech Alumni Series - Episode 5

Featuring: Doug Darling, CEO and Executive Creative Director, Tripwire Media Group

Doug's friends tease him for talking about story all the time. He wears it as a badge. In this conversation, Doug traces a very Winnipeg arc: meeting his future wife at RRC Polytech, launching a small video outfit in the Exchange during the DSLR wave, and steadily evolving into a Strategic Storytelling agency that trains leaders to communicate with clarity and heart. The throughline is purpose, backed by the art and science of story.

The journey is textured and real. Early wins gave way to tough months before COVID, a whiplash boom during lockdowns, and fresh headwinds once in-person returned. That volatility forced a reset: niche with intention, teach story structure, and install process so creativity has room to breathe. Today, Tripwire is known for helping teams ask better questions, codify workflow, and craft stories that people actually remember.

What you'll hear inside: why authenticity beats perfection, how "reading the label from inside the bottle" trips up even smart teams, and a simple framework to choose between polished productions and phone-shot clips. Doug breaks down hero's-journey basics, the power of conflict and resolution, and why culture rituals and core values aren't corporate fluff when you live them.

Key Highlights:

🗝️ The three-question filter for any project: who the audience is, what they care about, and the exact action you want next

🗝️ From video production to storytelling agency: training leaders, strengthening in-house teams, and cutting through AI-era clutter

🗝️ Systems that unlock creativity: EOS rhythms, time tracking for visibility, hiring complements, and choosing clients by values

👉 Listen now and learn how to build story, structure, and culture into work that sticks.

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👉 Connect with Doug!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dougdarling

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/dougdarling

Tripwire Media Group

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/tripwire-media-group

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/tripwiremedia

🌐 Website: tripwiremedia.com

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Your Hosts:

👉 Lisa Thompson

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/lt_wpg

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brandrevivaldesign

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/brdagency.ca

🌐 brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse

📷 Instagram: instagram.com/abuhse

🌐 coalandcanary.com

👏 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech! 👏

The Exec Hotseat Podcast | Episode 15

Featuring: Natalie Bell, Founder of Natalie Bell Consulting

Amanda Buhse and Lisa Thompson sit down with Natalie Bell, Founder of Natalie Bell Consulting, for a powerful conversation about leadership, authenticity, and the power of using your voice with purpose.

With over 25 years of experience in People & Culture, Natalie shares how speaking from lived experience — especially as a Black woman in HR and leadership spaces — has shaped her approach to coaching, consulting, and building workplaces that actually work for people. From facilitating leadership sessions and guiding executive teams through change, to moderating panels and showing up authentically online, Natalie's message is clear: human connection is at the heart of great leadership.

• What does it take to lead with listening instead of assumptions?
• How does authenticity become your most powerful strategy?
• And why does presence matter more than polish or perfection?

This isn't your typical business podcast — it's thoughtful, real, and full of wisdom you can apply right now.

🎙️ How Natalie uses her voice as a superpower to lead, coach, and influence change
🎙️ The importance of authenticity, listening, and presence in leadership
🎙️ Building inclusive, people-first workplaces rooted in connection and trust

👉 Tune in now on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and iHeart to hear the full episode!

Exec Hotseat Website: https://loom.ly/xuUTXXs
Spotify / Exec Hotseat Podcast: https://loom.ly/GZg7MvA

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Connect with Natalie!

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nataliebell
📷 Instagram: instagram.com/nataliebell.ca & Instagram.com/pegcitylovely

🌐 Website: nataliebell.ca & pegcitylovely.com

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Your Hosts:

👉 Lisa Thompson
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisabrd
🌐 brdagency.ca

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👉 Amanda Buhse
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amanda-buhse
🌐 coalandcanary.com

👉 Thank you to our amazing Presenting Sponsor, RRC Polytech!

Interested in sponsoring or partnering? DM or email us at exechotseat@brdagency.ca