Episodes
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This episode in a conversation with Lincoln Nikkel about his work with the Chick-fil-A leadership program (which trains young operators who will go on to run their own restaurants). We talk about the future of the company as it moves into Canada and the unique business model that really aims to put the customer experience above everything else. Lincoln also talks about how he can incorporate his faith into his work with Chick-fil-A and use it as a platform from which he can help and invest into people.
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In this episode I talk with Paige about her project working with SFU on climate based solutions to equity issues. We talk about how the team sees the situation and how they plan on best addressing the myriad of variables to work towards a future that both mitigates and lessens the impacts of climate change while focusing specifically on creating green spaces that will benefit areas that do have historically been divested in. It is a really interesting project and topic in general.
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Missing episodes?
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In this episode I talk with my cousin Jordyn about two fascinating subjects: Psychopathy and racial bias (the later subject being the one she just did her thesis defense of her degree on). We discuss why we as a society are so fascinated by Psychopathy and some of the major misnomers many people have about the disorder (including myself as we discovered). We also discuss moral reasoning and how Psychopaths are anomalies in this area. In perhaps the most interesting portion of the episode, we go over the data that will help us understand why her study found that people were actually more likely to give harsher sentences to hypothetical white subjects than to hypothetical black and indigenous subjects in a prison sentencing survey (which is the opposite to what they expected to find going into the study and the opposite to what I would have expected based off of my understanding of the world). The awesome part about science is that it allows us to dissociate from our emotions and look at the data to better understand ourselves and the complex world we operate in. Incidentally, this unemotional, calculating approach is one that Psychopaths - who are overrepresented as not only criminals but also in populations like Surgeons and CEOs - are particularly good at. I really hope that you enjoy this episode and learn something while you watch!
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Welcome back to At The Base of The Baobab Tree! From applying to music conservatories to his time in Switzerland studying hospitality management, I talk with my good friend Manuel about his experiences navigating the world post graduation and many of the take aways he has taken from the ups and downs that accompany such periods of change. I hope that you enjoy this episode!
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In this episode I talk with Joseph Deralus about his project in Haiti and how growing up there before moving to France has helped him to have a unique combination of insights and skills he can apply. We talk about everything from his experiences going to engineering school and working in telecommunications to some of the big picture principles that one needs to keep in mind when starting a business project. This is a really special episode and a project that gets me more and more enthusiastic the more I hear about it. I'm really interested to see where Joseph and his team take this project and hope to have him back here to talk about it soon.
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Welcome to episode nine of At The Base Of The Baobab Tree! Today I talk with my sister Morgan about music, finding your element and the release of her first single "Valencia." Check out Valencia wherever you get your music!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/08Nx650ZER4lemeG1rIpyY?si=a4b3b0355de840e1
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/valencia/1559828642?i=1559828645
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Welcome to the seventh episode of “At The Base of The Baobab Tree.” In this episode I chat with the brilliant Nathan Zemp. We discuss everything from the importance of hobbies to the value of planning and being consistent. Join us as we explore the importance of using both economic intuition as well as sympathy and empathy to understand a variety of large scale issues as rationally as possible. This was really meaningful and stimulating talk for me and I really hope that you, wherever you're listening from, get some value out of it. May I introduce Nathan Zemp!
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Welcome to the sixth episode of “At The Base of The Baobab Tree.” In this episode I catch up with Izzy Cenedese and we discuss everything from wonderfully quirky lyrical strains to the sense of sublimity that can be found even in doorhandles and the simplest of things. Join us as we explore the importance of exposure to - and listening to - a variety of people with a variety of backgrounds and beliefs and much, much more. This was really meaningful and thought provoking talk for me and I really hope that you, wherever you're listening from, get some value out of it. May I present Izzy Cenedese.
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Welcome to the fifth episode of “At The Base of The Baobab Tree.” In this episode I talk with my good friend Julianna Reid about her experiences moving to Manitoba for university and the importance of education. From Vancouver to Winnipeg and back again we have a good discussion about everything from her prior obsession with Montana to the value of carving out the space you need for yourself. This was a very fun one, and I really hope that you, wherever you're listening from, get some value out of this snapshot from Julianna's life. Without further ado, I present Julianna Reid!
P.S. If you're looking for a one liner its probably this: "Montana's not a state, it's a lifestyle."
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Welcome to the fourth episode of “At The Base of The Baobab Tree.” In this episode we take a virtual trip to Zambia to talk with the man himself, Arnold Kalobwe, about the involvement of music in his life so far. From his origins singing and playing bass in church as a kid to his first introduction to hip hop, rap battles at school and the eventual realization that making music might be more than just a dream, music was always there in some way, shape or form. This was a very special episode for me, and I really hope that you guys, wherever you're listening from, get some value out of this incredible story. Without further ado, I present the rapper formerly known as hashtag, currently known as Kay Rok, and sometimes referred to as Mr. phenomenal. Enter Arnold Kalobwe.
(Note: song is ‘drown’ by Kay Rok and is available on Spotify).
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Welcome to the third episode of 'At The Base Of The Baobab Tree' (or ATBOTBT as Christian suggests we call it) where I talk with Christian Boieeie about everything from the lesser known wikipedia origins of this podcast's title, to lessons he learned at the Heineken museum and why leaving for an eight hour hike at four in the afternoon is an unwise decision. Beside the funny stories and comical anecdotes, we cover a wide array of topics from the unifying languages of music and laughter to the importance of not taking nature for granted. All right, 'nuff said! Please enjoy the third installment of ATBOTBT.
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Welcome to the second episode of 'At The Base Of The Baobab Tree' where I talk with my good friend Juhwan Kim about how important it is to overcome your fear and how, like anything, building an audience comes with its ups and downs even if done successfully. We cover many topics from his experiences in the Philippines to the ramifications of misunderstandings to how music observably changed the course of his life. Without further ado, please enjoy episode two!
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How’s it going everyone? I’m Ben and I am immensely interested in people’s stories. In my view, humanity is comprised first and foremost of storytellers. Sometimes I think about the first humans, experiencing the world and coming up with stories to explain the unexplainable. Today we like to think of ourselves as smarter, more advanced, and with a better understanding of the world than our ancestors, but even so we are still dependent on our belief in stories. Sitting here in our comfortable, scientifically driven world, it’s not always easy to see the roots that stretch back to the ancient mystical world were people sat underneath trees and told their children stories that would help them avoid danger throughout their lives. That’s why I’ve decided to call my podcast at the base of the baobab tree. And though the end of the story is not yet written, it begins with a virtual trip to Cabo san Lucas to talk with my good friend Murat Alverez about art, hard earned lessons and the importance of not rushing the process. So here it is... Episode the first...
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