Chatter that Matters

Thirty-eight years in business. No salespeople. How does Jody Steinhauer do that? By building a team of problem solvers and being a high achiever. As a child, Jody led the country in Girl Guide Cookie Sales. At 14, Jody talked her way into a job at a women's fashion chain and became the region's top salesperson. Her approach? Instead of selling merchandise, she sold into the moments her customers were dressing for. She started The Bargains Group with $1,000 and repurposed her dining room table as her office. Nearly four decades later, she still runs her business on what people need. That instinct also shaped how she responded when her heart broke. She had learned that a man froze to death in a Toronto bus shelter. Jody asked: How do we fix this? That question became Kits for a Cause, a not-for-profit that connects organizations and individuals who want to give with charities that need support. So many takeaways from someone who deeply cares about her employees and their collective outcomes. You'll hear how to: • Turn a sales conversation into a problem-solving conversation. • "Mine the gap"—find opportunities to add value instead of cutting your price. • Make giving back useful for charities, meaningful for employees, and part of how you do business. At 37:58, I share my idea of the week: Fuel and Friction. Those two compass points can help you navigate a business, brand or career. CHAPTERS 00:00 Head, heart, hands—and closing the say–do gap 03:05 Meet Jody Steinhauer 03:19 A top salesperson at 14: "I wasn't selling anything" 04:50 Honest advice that earns lasting loyalty 05:18 Building a company of problem solvers 06:01 Kindness, family, and a drive for efficiency 07:04 Fashion school and an unexpected salary offer 08:23 From high fashion to the discount business 09:39 Starting over with $1,000 10:27 Why suppliers backed a 21-year-old 11:45 Overachievement: superpower or kryptonite? 12:19 A health crisis forces a business rethink 14:06 Motherhood, delegation, and a nursery at work 15:38 Be authentic, be consistent, and give back 18:25 A message from RBC and Futurpreneur 19:50 What charities actually need 20:59 Making donation dollars go further 24:37 The death that demanded a response 25:39 Rethinking how businesses give back 28:29 500 calls in 83 days: building Kits for a Cause 30:16 No salespeople, no advertising—and Amazon 31:13 Giving employees time to give back 33:58 Advice for dreamers and doers 35:03 Write your eulogy—and learn to delegate 35:45 The impact Jody wants to leave 37:58 Tony's idea of the week: Fuel and Friction 40:41 Thanks for listening

What would you risk to build something remarkable? Andrew Black sold sunglasses from under his bed at Queen's, built a million-dollar business before graduating, and sent his résumé to 500 headhunters before Nike USA gave him a shot. Andrew learned from Phil Knight, joined LEGO when it was struggling, and launched Virgin Mobile Canada after Richard Branson hired him. Today, his firm, BrandProject, has backed 44 consumer brands. Andrew is a winner. Andrew shares why challengers win by championing the customer, why investors back people before ideas, and what the best builders do when things get hard. You'll also hear Phil Knight's unforgettable parting advice and how Richard Branson once knocked Andrew out of a sailboat to win a race. His message is simple: "You have to bet on yourself. You only get so many at-bats, and you better make them count." If you're building a company, considering a career leap, or wondering whether to take your next big swing, this conversation is for you. Stick around to the end. I share my three takeaways and a secret: what most successful entrepreneurs do that you can easily follow.

"Go through your day, find something that pisses you off, and fix it." That might be the best definition of entrepreneurship I've ever heard. It comes from Julie Cole—a "recovered" family lawyer, mom of a growing family and co-founder of Mabel's Labels. For Julie, necessity truly was the mother of invention. And it served her twice. First, Julie noticed parents labelling their kids' belongings with masking tape and markers, only to have those labels fall off in the wash, disappear in the dishwasher, or fail somewhere between school and summer camp. At the same time, Julie's eldest son, was diagnosed with autism at age three. With a toddler and a newborn also at home, she realized a traditional career couldn't bend to meet her family's needs. So she built one that could. Together with her sister and two best friends, Julie began making labels in her sister's basement long into the evening. Twenty-three years later, Mabel's Labels has been recognized twice by the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards, and Avery successfully acquired the business. I then end the episode sharing my small-business tip of the week: This is Episode 3 of Small Business Matters , a five-part conversation series running throughout October, thanks to the support of RBC. Next week: Andrew Black.

For decades I've admired Bruce: his integrity, his personality, his intuition and his drive. He helped build Lavalife before most of us trusted the internet, became one of Canada's best-known Dragons on Dragons' Den, and co-founded Round13 Capital. Few people have had a front-row seat to nearly four decades of disruption. Fewer still are this honest about what it takes. This isn't an interview. It's a masterclass woven into a podcast. Hard-won lessons from someone who will tell you that anyone who claims to bat a thousand isn't telling the truth. We will also learn about 13th Round: Fight for Life, which has brought 700 kids into the boxing ring for discipline, belonging and self-esteem and then my Tony Takeaway: My lesson in life for all who dream and do. Episode 2 of Small Business Matters, honouring our Small Business heroes, and presented by RBC. CHAPTERS 00:00 Three kinds of people: who makes things happen 02:57 Curiosity at 65, and what never changes about success 05:21 Lessons from his father: grade eight, $50 and humility 06:50 Dragons' Den: the fame, the brand and why he left 08:43 Lavalife: building trust before anyone trusted the internet 10:19 Why founders fool themselves, and the feedback loop 11:32 Passion vs. introspection: what Bruce looks for first 12:38 The pitch every investor dreams of 14:06 Billion-dollar valuations, AI and getting back to basics 15:39 The 51/49 rule, and Bruce's Achilles heel 19:18 Taking the emotion out of investing 20:25 Why Canada is the best place to build a business 22:52 Celebrating entrepreneurs like hockey players 24:01 13th Round Fight for Life 25:35 The letter Bruce hopes to receive 26:33 Tony's three takeaways 28:15 Stand for something before you try to stand out If this episode moves you, share it with one person who's building something. A business, a brand or a career. Round13 Capital: https://round13.com/ 13th Round Fight for Life: https://13thround.life RBC Small Business: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html

What if the greatest threat to your business isn't what's broken but what's working beautifully? To launch my five-part Small Business Matters series, I sit down with Sid Paquette, Head of RBCx for a powerful conversation about building enduring businesses and Canada's new economy. Sid explains why entrepreneurs must disrupt themselves before someone else does, how unexpected value turns customers into advocates, and why passion, resilience and execution are essential to attracting exceptional talent. He also explores the importance of embracing failure, hiring people who complement your weaknesses and creating a culture where bold ideas can thrive. The conversation then turns to Canada's defining economic opportunity: helping homegrown technology companies secure the capital, expertise and connections they need to scale here—and compete everywhere. I close with an essential lesson for everyone: Attention is the oxygen of every endeavour. In an age of relentless noise, earning attention begins by listening generously and becoming part of your customers' stories, not simply telling your own. Whether you're growing a business, building a team or reinventing your career, this episode will challenge you to disrupt what's working, create value no one expects and turn attention into meaningful engagement. Chatter That Matters is presented by RBC. To learn more about why RBC Small Business banking works as hard as you do: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/business/index.html To learn more about RBCX Ventures: https://www.rbcx.com/portfolio/ RBCx $1.4 billion growth fund: https://www.rbcx.com/investments/rbcx-growth-fund/

Our Loves - Avi Nesher Can a film change how we see the world and ourselves? At the Toronto International Film Festival, I sat down with celebrated Israeli filmmaker Avi Nesher to discuss Our Loves , his moving new film about seven strangers whose personal struggles are overtaken by the events of October 7, 2023. Nesher reflects on five decades of filmmaking, the balance between structure and creativity, and why actors and audiences are partners in the storytelling process. In a deeply personal conversation, he also explores grief, artistic freedom, second chances, and cinema's power to build empathy, bring people together, and help us heal. And our world needs healing.

In the summer of 1972, a group of young, largely unknown performers gathered in Toronto to stage Godspell. The cast included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, Dave Thomas and Jayne Eastwood, with Paul Shaffer at the piano. What happened in that rehearsal room would help shape comedy for generations. I sit down with director Nick Davis and writer Jane Mendelsohn about their documentary, *You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (in a Canadian Kind of Way). We explore how an ensemble built on friendship, trust and joyful experimentation became an incubator for extraordinary talent and how Martin Short's hidden audio recordings helped preserve a production for which no film footage exists. The conversation also honours Gilda Radner's enduring spirit, reflects on Avril Chown's more painful experience in show business, and asks whether such an unguarded creative community could emerge in today's era of personal brands and constant cameras. It's a moving story about collaboration, risk, memory and the rare moments that change culture before anyone realizes history is being made. CHATTER THAT MATTERS is live at TIFF with ODIENCE, an exciting and immersive content platform created by Montreal-based Summit Tech. To learn more about: The documentary: https://tiff.net/films/you-had-to-be-there RBC and TIFF: https://www.rbctiff.com Odience360: https://www.odience.com

What if the moment that broke you was also the moment you began to wake up? Aymie Daniels, author of An American Awakening , shares her raw and deeply personal journey through depression, addiction, psychosis, misdiagnosis, and spiritual awakening. Together, we explore the fragile line between revelation and delusion—and ask whether a mental health crisis can also be a profound search for meaning. Aymie's story exposes the cracks in a mental healthcare system that can leave people feeling controlled, overmedicated, dismissed, and misunderstood. It also reveals what may become possible when compassionate guidance, personal agency, and hope replace fear and judgment. Blending lived experience with reflection and practical mental health awareness, this episode challenges what we think we know about sanity, consciousness, healing, and transformation. This is more than one woman's story. It's a powerful conversation for anyone who has ever felt unheard—and a wake-up call for a system that claims to care.

In Finding Grace , Rocco Rossi's brilliant new debut novel follows a ruthless executive who survives a fatal plane crash, only to discover a stranger walking the Camino de Santiago under his abandoned birth name. What inspired this book was the sudden death of his mentor, which forced Rocco off the corporate ladder and onto a 1,000-kilometre walk across Spain . Rocco shares his transformation from an executive chasing wealth to validate his immigrant parents' sacrifices to a man who has dedicated 24 Camino walks to those who couldn't finish their own journeys . Tune in to discover how intentional stillness can chip away at the inauthentic parts of your life and reveal the true path you are meant to walk . To purchase Finding Grace: https://www.amazon.ca/Finding-Grace-Camino-Santiago-Story-ebook/dp/B0H37XH472

What if the parts of your story you most want to escape are the very parts that can lead you toward purpose? Growing up, Peter H. Bailey always felt that something was wrong, and somehow, he was it. After a brain hemorrhage and unsuccessful surgery transformed his father from a heroic Navy pilot into a man with significant disabilities, Peter carried a painful mix of embarrassment, confusion and shame. He was even ashamed of feeling ashamed. Being the smallest kid in his class intensified what he calls "the disease of comparison." Dangerous stunts, alcohol and drugs became ways to earn acceptance and escape what he didn't know how to feel. But Peter's story didn't end there. In this deeply human conversation, Peter explores how travel, adversity, his wife's cancer journey and Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey helped him reframe his past and discover a more purposeful way forward. He shares excerpts from his bestselling book, The Epic of You. I ask Peter the question we often ask ourselves. How do we find genuine meaning in a world engineered to distract us, compare us and keep us numb? Some fantastic takeaways on how to realize that the epic is you. To learn more about Peter and to purchase his book: https://www.peter-bailey.com

I fear retirement. Work is where I find my passion, purpose and pursuit. Much of who I am is tied to what I do. Not easy to write, but the truth. And here is my reality and yours: many of us could spend as many years after our careers as we spent building them. Think about that. My guest, Mehbs Remtulla, achieved financial freedom and stepped away from work at 50. What his success hadn't prepared him for was the loss of identity, connection, inspiration and a reason to get out of bed. Mehbs turned that struggle into What's neXT50, a global community that helps people use their experience and wisdom to create a meaningful next chapter. I then chat with Tammy Vigue, who explains why financial readiness is only half the journey. We must plan not only for what we're leaving, but for the life waiting on the other side. This conversation is not only for people contemplating retirement, but for a world where AI and Robotics will take away many jobs, leaving many to navigate change, search for purpose, or ask: Who am I, and what am I here to do next?

Jonathan Todd Schwartz was once entrusted with the fortunes and futures of some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Beyoncé, Linkin Park, and Alanis Morissette. Behind the image of the disciplined CPA and trusted Hollywood business manager, however, Jonathan was living a secret life. Childhood trauma, cocaine use, and an out-of-control gambling addiction consumed him. He lost millions gambling and, as his addictions spiralled, embezzled over $7 million from the clients who trusted him most. What began in his mind as money he would "borrow" and quickly repay became an elaborate betrayal built on falsified records, concealed withdrawals, and years of deception. When the truth finally surfaced, Jonathan lost his career, reputation, marriage, relationship with his sons, and his freedom. He was sentenced to six years in federal prison. In this raw and unflinching conversation, Jonathan confronts the damage he caused without seeking sympathy or forgiveness. He opens up about suicidal thoughts, the moment his double life collapsed, facing his wife and children, the brutal reality of prison, and the slow work of accepting responsibility for harm that can never be undone. More than a decade into sobriety, Jonathan now works as a therapist, helping people confront addiction, trauma, and the secret lives that keep them trapped. "I make very little money, but I'm the happiest I've ever been."

A heart-moving episode about the unimaginable courage it takes to live after loss. When Pamela Shainhouse's daughter, Alli, died at 26 after seven years of fighting Hodgkin lymphoma, Pamela felt that the person she had been died with her. In the silence that followed came a life-altering question: Who would she become now? In this deeply personal conversation, Pamela shares how Alli taught her to live fully, to refuse the limits others place on us, and to understand the profound difference between moving on and moving forward. Pamela also speaks candidly about growing up with a disability, enduring bullying, becoming a caregiver, and navigating a grief that reshaped every part of her life. She reflects on the 16-year journey of writing her memoir, Daughter Dies, Mother Lives On —a testament to the daughter she lost and the woman she fought to become. This is a powerful conversation about a mother's enduring love, the struggle to rebuild an identity after unimaginable loss, and the possibility of finding purpose, not beyond grief, but within the love that remains. To learn more about what Pamela does: https://www.theshainhousegroup.com

Every so often, a guest comes along who challenges us to think differently. Not necessarily to agree, but to wonder. What if intuition is more than instinct? What if the coincidences that shape our lives aren't coincidences at all? What if the moments we dismiss are actually messages, gently nudging us toward the life we were meant to live? What if there are Earth Angels? Leslie Lee Sanders believes we're all born with an inner knowing, that signs, synchronicities, intuition, and even spiritual guidance are available to us if we're willing to slow down and listen. Whether you embrace those ideas, question them, or reject them entirely, they invite us to think about life from a very different perspective. She also brings an extraordinary life story to that conversation. Born into poverty as one of eight children, becoming a teenage mother at fifteen, and overcoming extraordinary adversity, she went on to become an award-winning author of more than thirty books. Writing under the names Leslie Lee Sanders, L.L. Sanders, Leslie Lee, and Lee L. Sanders, she has captivated readers with psychological thrillers, horror, romance, and fiction. Now, for the first time, she's telling her own story. In her memoir, Ready to Listen , Leslie steps out from behind the characters to explore the experiences that shaped her beliefs, her resilience, and her understanding of what it means to trust the voice within. Whether you're deeply spiritual, deeply skeptical, or simply curious, this conversation isn't about convincing you what to believe. It's about exploring the possibility that the greatest answers may come when we stop talking... and start listening to here and beyond. To purchase her memoir 'Ready to Listen' - Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2GP3Q29

Some conversations stay with you long after they are over. This is one of them. Kim Mason is someone I deeply admire for her intelligence, her humanity and the way she makes everyone in her presence feel heard and seen. She dreamed of becoming an anthropologist and journalist, but a summer job at RBC changed everything. Almost four decades later, she holds one of Canada's most senior banking positions. But our conversation isn't really about her career. It's about the paths we walk in life—some we choose and others that seem to choose us. Kim opens up about saying yes to the unexpected, balancing work and family, and how the people closest to her encouraged her to embrace a career-defining move. We explore why empathy can't be performed, what listening reveals that numbers can't, and how thoughtful advice can change lives. I close with the advice I give anyone seeking direction in their career: how to find your passion and pursue it. It begins with the four rewards we seek from our work—and why some matter more than others.

When my 90-year-old mother-in-law moved into our home earlier this year, caregiving became deeply personal. Seeing the stairs, stubborn jar lids, fear of falling and loss of independence through her eyes changed how I understood aging, dignity and love—and inspired this conversation. Millions of people in the middle of their own lives suddenly become caregivers. Most arrive untrained, unprepared and too often unsupported, yet they keep showing up because love asks them to. Few understand that journey more deeply than Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization. As a child, Amy helped care for her brother, who lived with cerebral palsy. Years later, she walked beside her mother through cancer and palliative care. Today, she helps her father navigate life in his late eighties, holding their ordinary moments close because she knows their time together is not unlimited. Amy gives voice to the exhaustion, guilt, anticipatory grief and invisible mental load carried by caregivers. Leanne Kaufman, President and CEO of RBC Royal Trust, then explains how honest conversations and thoughtful planning can answer some of caregiving's hardest questions before a crisis makes them urgent. This is a deeply personal story—but it is also one that may profoundly affect any of us as our lives, and the lives of those we love, unfold.

Aaron Bethune lives his life. Musician. Writer. Strategist. Mountaineer. Seeker. Philosopher. Promoter and Publisher. His approach is one we can all learn from. So many words of wisdom to take away: 'I like to get to the corner to see what's next before deciding to go forward or change lanes.' Or Success is not always the award, the applause, or even the destination. Sometimes success is freedom. Sometimes it is presence, being in the present. I hope you take away as much as I did from Aaron Bethune.

Canada Day is more than flags and fireworks. It is a reminder that this country was not inevitable. It was imagined into being by people who chose union over drift and compromise over collapse. My guest is JDM Stewart, author of The Prime Ministers: Canada's Leaders and the Nation They Shaped . James brings history to life by showing us Canada's prime ministers not as saints or villains, but as flawed, ambitious, and consequential leaders who shaped the country we inherited. We talk about Macdonald, Laurier, Borden, Mackenzie King, Pearson, Louis St. Laurent, the two Trudeaus, Quebec, Western alienation, sovereignty, and why too many young Canadians know more about American presidents than the leaders who built, bruised, defended, and reimagined Canada. This is not a history lesson. It is a Canada Day wake-up call. If we don't know how Canada was made, how can we understand what is at risk? I close the show with my thoughts on what Canada and Canadians must do for us to remain strong and free. To purchase J.D.M. Stewart's book: https://a.co/d/09mFoxzX

My guest today is Tim Moore, a serial entrepreneur with immense character. Tim's upbringing included failing a few grades, studying to become a priest, then becoming a teacher and eventually a truck driver. His life changed when he bought a secondhand pickup truck, covered it with a tarp, placed a newspaper ad, and started a moving business charging seven dollars an hour. From there, he built AMJ Campbell into Canada's largest moving company, then Premier Executive Suites and many more ventures across real estate, storage, mortgages, hospitality, and more. But that is his resume. This conversation is about something deeper. Tim talks about fear as a warrior emotion, humility as a superpower, manners as a business strategy, and why the way you treat people is the true measure of success. He understood early that a move is never just boxes and furniture. It is people trusting you with their memories, their stress, their hopes, and their next chapter. Later in the show, Kim Mason, Executive Vice President and Head of Private Banking at RBC, joins me to talk about Tim and what it means to stand beside entrepreneurs not only when things are going well but also when everything is on the line. Tim is a fantastic storyteller with many career and life lessons. To buy Tim's book: How I Made It: Secrets of a Self-Made Multi-Millionaire https://www.indigo.ca/products/how-i-made-it-secrets-of-a-self-made-multi-millionaire?variant=46831238414546

Happy Father's Day. Did your father ever try to bottle liquid manure, only to watch it explode in the sunlight while sitting in a store window display? Did he ever bet the family's fortune on a machine he believed could extract gold from sand? Did he buy horses before figuring out where to keep them, then decide the house would do? Did he lose the rent, the car, the business, and occasionally the plot, but somehow never lose his love for his children? Welcome to the unforgettable world of Dacker. In my Father's Day special, I sit down with Lori Thicke, author of Dreamer's Daughter: Surviving My Childhood and Raising My Father. Lori was only ten when her mother left. From that moment on, she and her younger brother Brad were raised by their father, a war veteran, salesman, dreamer, schemer, serial entrepreneur, and eternal optimist. Dacker's ideas were often outrageous. His timing was questionable. His plans were usually missing a few important pieces. But his love for his children was never in doubt. Lori's story takes us from Kirkland Lake to Paris, from childhood chaos to a life of purpose, including her role in helping create Translators Without Borders. Along the way, she searches for understanding of her father, her mother, her childhood, and ultimately herself. This is a Father's Day episode with houses burning down, a car taking out three brand-new yachts, the Count and Countess of Albania staging a coup from Dacker's kitchen, plenty of humour, and a whole lot of heart. Because sometimes the most imperfect fathers leave behind the most unforgettable stories and the most unquestionable love. And at the end of the episode, I offer a personal tribute to my own dad, and to all fathers, the ones who are here, the ones we miss, and the ones who did their best with what they had. To buy Dreamer's Daughter: https://www.indigo.ca/products/dreamers-daughter-surviving-my-childhood-and-raising-my-father