Chatter that Matters

Step inside the recording studio to understand more about one of the greatest voices of our time, Celine Dion. My guest is Vito Luprano, the Sony Music executive and creative force who worked on 21 of Celine's albums and helped shape her rise from a shy francophone teenager into an international superstar.

Vito found the songs. Fought for the sound. Pushed for the reinvention. And helped Celine move from French-language success to global domination.

He shares some of Celine's iconic moments, from "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" to "I Drove All Night," "Taking Chances," "Alone," and the unforgettable story behind "My Heart Will Go On."

This is a rare look behind the curtain at one of the world's greatest stars, her journey to the top, her songs, the tension, and her heartbreak when she lost Rene, the love of her life.

Nick Ferguson grew up in inner-city Miami in a world that tried to define his future before he had a chance to dream. With no father figure, surrounded by poverty, prejudice, and expectations that narrowed life to "jail or a casket," Nick chose another path.

He chose books. He chose belief. He chose football. He chose the hard road.

Undrafted, overlooked, cut, injured, and forced to fight his way through the CFL, Germany, and countless closed doors, Nick refused to let circumstance become his identity. He built a remarkable 10-year NFL career, but this conversation is not really about football.

It is about taking the pencil back and writing your own story.

Nick speaks with raw honesty about anger, isolation, faith, failure, mentorship, and reinvention. His message is simple and powerful: life will test you, people will doubt you, and adversity will find you. The question is whether you retreat or move forward.

Today, Nick is a broadcaster, mentor, and motivational speaker, helping others escape the victim mindset and discover their own gift.

This is a story of resilience, accountability, and the courage to say, "I am here."

I have had the privilege of knowing Paul Meehan for many years. I am a better person for it. There is no finer handshake or twinkle in the eye. Paul is a serial entrepreneur, a lover of family, life, and is guided by a higher purpose to help others. Did I mention that Paul and his wife, Melissa, created, self-funded, and built one of the world's most quietly brilliant brand stories by refusing to shout, by embodying the expression: Less is More.

In a category crowded with sugar, swagger, and sameness, they created NUTRL Vodka, a brand defined by restraint, simplicity, taste, trust and brilliant creativity.

This episode radiates positivity and possibility. I encourage dreamers and doers, creative thinkers, entrepreneurs, and anyone who wants to celebrate the human in humanity. Paul is a partner, father, strategist, entrepreneur, music lover, mentor and a proud Canadian. What you will learn is that success is not luck. It is listening. Learning. Knocking on doors after they have slammed shut. Finding joy in better. Making music when everyone else is trying to make noise.

I then invite Kim Mason to provide context on what it means to be an entrepreneur and to care.  One of Kim's big takeaways is this: 'It's not about demonstrating empathy, it is about being empathetic.' 

I borrowed the title of this episode from Cat Stevens, and you will soon see why.   To Cat Stevens, Tillerman represented, "the man of the Earth," working to make things on this planet.  And Tea, well, my guest knows tea.

In honour of Earth Day, I sit down with Michael Don Ham, entrepreneur, wellness advocate, and co-founder of Wild Orchard Teas, for a beautiful conversation about purpose, resilience, and what it really means to build a business that matters.  A business in constant conversation with Mother Nature.

From the son of immigrants to a teacher to arriving in New York just before 9/11, to finding his passion in regenerative farming, clean air, and human health. Michael's journey is anything but conventional. But what ties it all together is a higher calling: to help people live healthier, more connected, more meaningful lives.   

This is a conversation about longevity, leadership, and the courage to choose purpose over quick profit. It is also a reminder that in a world moving too fast, slowing down, sharing time with others, and building with intention may be exactly what matters most. 

Enjoy Michael's words of wisdom over a cup of Tea.

Jesse Hirsh is one of the most unbridled, unrestrained, intelligent, and entertaining individuals I know, and he doesn't disappoint in this interview. Jesse makes you think, laugh, question, and lean in all at once, on subject matter that is near and dear to all of us.

We also talk about his early hacking arrest, which made him question authority; his warnings about the rising power of platforms; how our education system needs a major reboot; and his decision to leave the mainstream media behind and build a very different life through farming in rural Eastern Ontario. Jesse calls his farm the Academy of the Impossible, an experimental, high-speed fibre-connected, wired-up space that researches the intersection of agriculture, media, technology, and culture.

I don't stray far from the farm to invite Lisa Ashton from RBC's Thought Leadership Team to talk about Canada's potential to become a food superpower.