Careers Under Construction keeps it real—sharing personal stories of grit, growth and how to build meaningful careers from the ground up. Host Justis Pederson sits down with leaders who open up about the wins, the struggles and the lessons that shaped their success. Produced in our professional studio in Winnipeg, Manitoba, you can watch or listen on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. Build with us. Powered By: The Pederson Group (TPG)
In 2018, 20-year-old Hailey Dugay was sitting in the back seat of her boyfriend's truck, heading home with friends. Earlier that night, Jesse Paluk had been involved in an altercation at a bar near Fraserwood. Later, when three vehicles approached on a gravel road, Paluk stood in the road holding a rifle and told William Comber to have his back. What no one inside the truck could see was Comber standing off to the side. As Hailey's boyfriend drove away, several shots were fired. A bullet from Comber's hunting rifle struck the truck and hit Hailey. Her boyfriend rushed her to the hospital, but she did not make it. It took almost a year for Dana to learn who fired the shot that took her daughter's life. Years later, Manitoba's highest court reduced Comber's second-degree murder conviction to manslaughter. The court found there wasn't enough evidence to prove he intended to harm someone inside the truck rather than damage the vehicle. In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Dana shares what happened that night and why it took nearly a year to learn the truth, how a jury ended up being selected from a Walmart parking lot and how Hailey's Way has supported more than 100 youth across the Interlake. To support youth programs in Hailey's memory, follow Hailey's Way on Facebook and Instagram.
Dale Weise was cut multiple times during junior hockey before going on to play 513 regular-season NHL games. Today, he buys and grows established businesses in Winnipeg. In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Dale shares: How getting cut built his determination The time he thought he made the Rangers, only to be cut two days before opening night How he recorded the fastest Gordie Howe hat trick in Philadelphia Flyers history Why signing a four-year, $9.4 million contract with Philadelphia didn’t go as planned Getting traded while his wife was eight months pregnant with twins Why a business he opened in March 2020 became one of his biggest lessons How looking at approximately 1,000 businesses led him to buy established companies instead of starting from scratch Watch the full episode to hear Dale’s journey from the NHL to business ownership.
Jenna was studying to become a dentist when she watched an episode of Cake Boss and decided to make a cake just for fun. She made it in the tiny apartment she shared with her twin sister Ashley. She was hooked right away. Then a competitor called the city on her. That push forced her to turn a hobby into a real business. Today Jenna and Ashley run Jenna Rae Cakes: 4 locations and around 40 employees, heading into their 12th year Grew from Jenna's solo custom cake business into a full lifestyle brand with two national bestselling cookbooks Plus their Dazzle Dust edible glitter and Liquid Flavours product lines Jenna stepped away from a path toward dentistry and a hockey career at the University of Manitoba to chase cakes Ashley is a graphic designer who built the logo, website and visual brand and was named a 2025 WXN Top 100 Award winner Featured as judges on Wall of Bakers on Food Network Have collaborated with brands like Coach, Mercedes-Benz and Smirnoff Ice, partnered with Loacker for its 100th anniversary, and worked as food stylists on a Hallmark movie
Jaime Mann believes one thing above all else: connection isn't soft, it's strategic. As a keynote speaker, leadership coach and partner in a construction company, she blends psychology, leadership and a little sass to help people lead with more clarity, courage and confidence. In this episode of Careers Under Construction , Jaime shares: Why connection is one of the most overlooked leadership skills What years of anxiety, loss and perfectionism taught her about looking fine versus actually being fine The two-word email that made her realize how much perfectionism was quietly stealing from her Why beating yourself up never works and what the science says to do instead• How to befriend your inner bully instead of letting it run your life Why she decided to go back for her master's degree at 47
In 2019, Jason Tyler McLean put a brand new gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. It jammed. The odds of that happening are one in millions. He woke up the next day, wrote himself a letter and made a promise he has kept ever since. Long before he became a coach, Jason was just trying to make it through each day. Drugs at 13. The streets of Winnipeg at 15. Gangs. A sales career that brought financial success, but not peace. Then a two-year battle with depression brought everything to a breaking point. After his attempt, he taught himself how to heal and that work became his first book, One Drop of Water. Today he is a 3x author, runs men’s mental health retreats and coaches people out of the darkest places he once lived in. In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Jason shares: Why he never joined a recovery program and built his own roadmap instead How drugs at 13 and life on the streets of Winnipeg at 15 shaped who he became The motorcycle crash that nearly killed him Losing his dad to cancer How writing One Drop of Water became part of his healing How his biggest failures became the reason people trust and work with him today The message he wrote to himself the morning after his suicide attempt How he's helped people in suicidal crisis make it to the next day What happens when men finally open up “It takes a very strong man to embrace your feelings and your emotions, and to go against the grain of society.”
When Todd Burns took over his dad’s company in 2011, it was a one-man operation running out of a basement. Today, Cypher Environmental sells green infrastructure products in more than 50 countries and Todd is on a mission to replace toxic road salts with better alternatives. In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Todd shares: Why he refused to compete on price and focused on building better products How he spent seven or eight years grinding before his breakthrough around 2019 Why he stopped chasing the public sector and focused on mining and forestry The project that saved nearly $6 million and 934 million litres of water How a competitor who bragged about putting another company out of business indirectly helped Cypher gain market share in Chile Why Cypher donates up to 5% of project value back to local communities through its Green Roads program Because sometimes the breakthrough comes right before you're ready to fold.
Amanda Fiebelkorn didn't know what she wanted to do after high school, so she flew to Tahiti. After six months of nannying and teaching English, she came home with a new mindset and a new direction. Today, Amanda is the founder of The Social Manor, working with brands like Canon, Popeye's Supplements, Melted, Don's Photo and other local favourites. In this episode, Amanda shares: Why she didn't wait for years of experience before starting her own business How she hired her first employees out of her own marketing class How she landed her first client at $10 a post and what it took to raise her prices The Canon campaign that became her biggest break Why she uses Claude over ChatGPT What most businesses still get wrong about social media Watch the full episode to hear how Amanda turned a side hustle into a growing agency!
Three weeks after Nicole Dubé left CTV Morning Live, the role she had just left was eliminated. She didn't know it was coming. She just knew it was time. After 20 years in broadcast journalism, Nicole bet on herself and launched DUBÉ MEDIA, where she helps leaders communicate with clarity, whether it's on stage, on camera or in the conversations that matter most. In this episode, Nicole shares: • How “embarrassment resiliency” as a kid shaped her career • What it took to leave Hamilton and build a career in Winnipeg • Why she walked away from a job she loved • How she built a business despite having no sales background • Why communication skills will become even more valuable in an AI-driven world Sometimes the right time to leave isn't the time that makes the most sense on paper.
Rob Tetrault spent over a decade chasing one number: $1 billion in assets under management. When he finally hit it, he sat at his desk and felt nothing. No confetti. Just the realization that the goal he'd sacrificed so much for didn't change much. Today, Rob is the founder of Tetrault Wealth Advisory Group, overseeing more than $1.2 billion in assets with a team of 16. But the story he shares in this episode is about much more than business success. Rob shares: Why he walked away from a law career to start cold-calling 200 people a day The Ironman journey that helped him quit drinking and the four years of sobriety since Why he was one of the first in wealth management to embrace YouTube, webinars and digital marketing The story behind founding the Run With Rob movement How one diagnosis revealed a hidden problem: hardly anyone knew about CMV, the most common congenital infection and the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss in children Why he ran across Manitoba, New Brunswick and PEI to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity Because sometimes the goals that seem the biggest end up meaning the least and purpose is found where you least expect it.
It started with a beer ad during a Jets game. Taiv co-founder & CEO Noah Palansky was at a bar when he noticed the TV was advertising a competitor’s cheaper pint. He realized restaurants had zero control over the screens on their own walls — and built a solution to fix it. A few years later, Taiv is in over 5,000 locations across North America, with around 100 employees and more than $20 million USD raised. Noah made the call to build it all from Winnipeg — turning down repeated pressure to move to Silicon Valley. In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Noah shares: The bar idea that turned into a North America-wide business Why he moved to Miami for nine months to land his first customers What it really took to get into Y Combinator and raise $20 million+ Why he stayed in Winnipeg when everyone told him to leave His goal to build Winnipeg’s first billion-dollar tech company
Sandy Shindleman started with nothing and built one of Manitoba's largest privately-held real estate companies. Today, Shindico Realty manages close to 200 properties and $3 billion in assets across Canada and the United States. In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Sandy shares: The roles he played in the early days vs now Why he looks at how much he can lose, not how much he can make The 2019 stroke that forced him to rebuild the entire company How a dentist became his very first business partner The rule most entrepreneurs ignore 🎙️ Watch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
Most people don't bet their career on a city.Jim Ludlow did.As President of True North Real Estate Development, Jim has helped shape downtown Winnipeg — the MTS Centre, the return of the NHL, True North Square, and now the $1 billion redevelopment of Portage Place and the Bay.In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Jim shares: What it really meant to be "the first hire" at True North The Phoenix deal that almost happened and why Atlanta turned into the Jets How True North ended up taking on Portage Place when no one else would Why he believes Winnipeg is undersold and underestimated What it really takes to rebuild a downtown It's about playing the long game — one inch at a time.🎙️ Watch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.
Élise Page and Teri-Lynn Friesen met teaching at a local dance studio. One random conversation changed everything. Now they run Fête Ice Cream & Coffee, one of Winnipeg's most loved scratch-made ice cream shops.In this episode of Careers Under Construction, Élise and Teri-Lynn share: What Covid did to their numbers and their biggest lessons learned Getting into retail stores like VitaHealth The hardest parts of being young mothers and business owners How they complement each other as a duo They thought everybody made their own ice cream. Turns out, almost nobody makes their own base. But these two business owners with zero culinary experience are doing it right here in Winnipeg.
He started a landscaping company in his early 20s. One year later, he was diagnosed with stage three melanoma. Matt Bell is the founder of Gellers — a luxury design-build landscaping company in Winnipeg — and co-owner of Shelmerdine Garden Centre. In this episode, Matt opens up about: Going from mowing lawns to running a 200-person company Being diagnosed with cancer at 25 Beating stage four melanoma and having a son, doctors said would never exist Why he acquired Shelmerdine Garden Centre His people-first culture and why a 97% staff retention rate is no accident How clinical trials literally saved his life and why giving back is non-negotiable What started as $15 lawn cuts is now a 200-person operation. But the business story isn't the only story here. Matt shouldn't be alive. His son shouldn't exist. And somehow, through all of it, he built a company where his people come first, every single time.
She started with $40… and a candle kit in her kitchen after surviving an ectopic pregnancy. Three months later, her product was in the Grammys and Oscars swag bags. Amanda Buhse didn’t set out to build a business but what started as a small side project turned into a fast-growing brand, Coal & Canary — a hand-poured candle company known for bold scents and storytelling. In this episode, Amanda shares: • How she went from $0 to national exposure in 90 days • The reality behind rapid growth (and what broke) • How she rebuilt after her partner left • Building a business after an ectopic pregnancy • Getting her Instagram hacked — and buying it back from “white-hat hackers” You don’t need to be ready. You just need to start.
Katie Hall Hursh walked away from law just three years in. Not because she couldn’t do it — but because she wasn’t fulfilled. Today, as Board Chair of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation, Katie is helping drive real healthcare innovation across Manitoba, including surgical robotics and advanced technology that are improving patient outcomes, reducing recovery time and helping people get home faster. In this episode, she shares: Why she walked away from her law career How innovation is changing healthcare in Manitoba How investing can shape stronger communities How she balances motherhood and leadership From raising $40K as a teenager for cancer care to now helping lead major healthcare and investment initiatives — inspired by her own mother’s battle with cancer — Katie’s story shows how small actions can turn into real impact.
She’s biking 7,500 km across Canada for cancer. Mady Kennedy spent over 10 years building a makeup brand and growing an audience, then walked away from everything and never posted again as the “makeup girl.” For two years, she felt lost. Then she got sober.Started training. Now she’s biking across Canada. Starting this May. In this episode, we talk about: • Why she’s doing it and how • Losing 30,000 followers and starting over • Getting sober and rebuilding her life • Training for an Ironman in just 4 months • What her life looks like now
At 21, Maddie Thompson dropped out of architecture school. Today, she runs MAD Social Agency with a team of 30+ and works with 400+ brands. We sit down to talk about: • The moment she decided to drop out • Why taking risks is easier when you’re young • How she went from $80/month clients to $5,000/month • Why personal brand and outbound is the “cheat code” for growth • How she built a fully remote team based on trust • Why emotional content is what actually drives views and sales 🎙️ Watch the full episode on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts
Kevin Dandewich started in construction at 15. 30+ years later, he’s leading operations at Gator across Manitoba and Saskatchewan — helping grow the Winnipeg team from 1 to 20 in under 2 years. He’s worked on major builds like the Selkirk Hospital and built his career by learning on site. He’s also the kind of leader who will run to the store if his team needs something. No ego. Just gets it done. Outside of work, he’s a hockey dad and coach. Kevin shares his career in construction, lessons from big projects and his thoughts on change orders.
Meet Jasmin Laine: Former Winnipeg morning radio host (Energy 106) turned independent political commentator. When things didn’t go as planned, Jasmin Laine had to make a career pivot. Most people would’ve been terrified to talk about politics publicly, especially as a conservative woman. She did it anyway. In this episode, Jasmin shares: What it really takes to grow online How she broke into a male-dominated space How she lands interviews with high-profile politicians in Canada and the U.S. How she became a speaker at the 2026 Conservative Convention What’s happening right now in Canada’s political landscape Watch and see how a Winnipeg voice is making waves nationally.
