Explore every episode of the podcast My Lemonade Stand

Stuart Knight is an expert at Human Connection. He's launched the Human Connection Group among many of his ventures. During this conversation Stuart shares stories, strategies and advice on how we can deepen our human connections to be more effective as professionals and happier as human beings.

I think you'll enjoy this conversation as much as I did and take away some pragmatic strategies.

#stuartknight #humanconnectiongroup #dionneengland #dionnethewriter #mylemonadestand

Hazel Lord is passionate about process design, organizational culture, her team and her clients. We read business books about leaders who focus on the right things.. They're talking about Hazel. Every time we speak I'm inspired by her commitment to fostering a positive and productive culture that embraces her clients and helps her team achieve their potential. She's passionate about operational design which, when done well, sets organizations up for success by saving money, time and delivering an excellent client experience. I think you'll enjoy our conversation and the nuggets of wisdom that Hazel shares.

I could talk to Mark Williams, CEO of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra all day. His vision and guidance has forged deep connections between our uber talented orchestra and the various communities it serves while creating the space for the orchestra to explore innovative ways to collaborate with great artists beyond the traditional scope of classical music. It was a masterclass in innovation and organic engagement. I think you'll love it. Check out the full interview on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Gillian Smith intentionally defined herself broadly as a professional. She focuses on the transferable skills, experience and value that she can offer any organization rather than narrowly defining herself as a specific function in a particular industry.

I really enjoyed our conversation about what she's learned along the way.

Dr. Marcus Collins is the author of the the book "For the Culture". He's brilliant, funny and engaging. There are so many stories and nuggets of information. Check it ou.

Ron Tite is the best selling author of the incredible book "Think Do Say" and he spent some time with me to share why its so important for Managers to walk the talk in order to create deeper connections with the team member, drive employee engagement and higher performance. You're going to love it. Check it out here.

We don't always have time to go to a week long yoga retreat or to take a 4-hour hike but Jacquie Compton says you still have time for restorative acts of self care. In this episode Jacquie shares bit-sized acts of self care that we can engage in anywhere at any time.

Networking is about so much more than getting a job. Prof Bill McEvily shares the many ways that networking makes us more effective as managers. This insightful discussion sheds light on the many reasons why we should foster a large, diverse professional network.

#billmcevily #networking #rotman #rotmanschool #rotmanschoolofmanagement #dionneengland #dionnethewriter #dionnethecoach #mylemonadestand #reciprocity #reciprocityring #giveandtake #profbillmcevily #networkingadvice

Lisa Bragg is the author of "Bragging Rights: How to talk about your work using purposeful self promotion". So many of us feel uncomfortable talking about our professional successes. If feels like showing off. But its critical to know how to confidently talk about our successes to find new opportunities and build our careers. There are so many great tips in this interview. Check it out.
#lisabragg #braggingrights #purposefulselfpromotion #dionneengland  #mylemonadestand #selfpromotion #dionnethewriter
Editing by Josette Leacock

Tina Robinet SVP, Next Evolution of Work (NEW) TD Bank Group. She's a great people manager but I think she's exceptional at holding herself and others accountable and she models this behaviour with those who have the opportunity to work with her. In this conversation we talk about how critical accountability is for any high functioning team and Tina shares some nuggets on how we can become better at this skill as managers.

Brooke Hunter is the Founder and President of Hunters International Insurance. She is also one of the most genuine people I know whom I can always rely on tell me the truth. Its so important for us to have people like that in our lives that we trust. Brooke shares some expert strategies on how we can become more comfortable and effective navigating difficult conversations that come up.

Mike Thomson is the co-founder of Spark Recruiting,. Mike's perspective is that  organizations often tell us that their people are their biggest asset, however when it comes to attracting top talent those same organizations invest way more time and resources in attracting potential customers than they do candidates. Often this leaves their team overworked and their clients 
underserved. Check out this interview to hear Mike's recommendations for how managers can make the recruitment process more productive and engaging  thus increasing the chances that we will attract the talent that our team needs. Recruitment should be a fun opportunity to add diverse, talented people to our teams. 

Dr. Tanya (Toni) De Mello is skilled at taking complex concepts like inclusivity in business and breaking them down so they are easy to understand and, most importantly, easy to action. I really enjoyed my discussion with Toni on the various aspects of inclusivity for an organization and simple ways that managers can foster inclusivity among their teams, peers and clients.

Check out our discussion here.

Kurankye Sekyi-Otu is a good friend and Chief Strategy Officer at an Asset Management firm. He's taken bold steps in his career with the mindset that he belongs in any room he finds himself in. When faced with challenges, he reflects, shakes them off and moves boldly on to the next goal. There's a lot to learn from the stories that Kurankye shares in this interview.

Tanya Walker is a successful lawyer and owner of Walker Law Professional Corporation.  Tanya has created an environment for herself to allow her to do her best work. That includes maintaining a supportive network, nurturing mentor relationships and always knowing her worth. In this episode she shares with us some strategies that we can leverage to set ourselves up for success.

Heather Kerr is a former economist, tax lawyer and retired partner in a global accounting firm.  Her career is a blueprint of corporate success. Heather is unapologetically herself all the time and her biggest professional wins have come from those courageous moments when she kept it real even if it meant she was going left when everyone else was going right. She shares a number of those examples with us in this interview. Today she's a Creativity Coach at Graced Canvas where she supports her clients to embrace the courage to be who they want to be in the world.

With Tamara Seales-Knight, what you see is what you get. She expertly wears many hats. She's the President of the Canadian pharmaceutical company her father founded 30 years ago.  She's the youngest in her family, the mother of three daughters and a wife. She expertly navigates her many roles through intellect, experience, pragmatism and a great sense of humour.

There is never a dull moment speaking with Brendan Calder who is a Professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Brendan is also a serial entrepreneur. I had the pleasure of working for  one of Brendan's companies and it was a highlight in my career. Join us as we discuss some of his strategies in making the work environment productive, motivational and fun.

Ray Williams is always true to who he is in life and especially in business.  You always know where you stand with him and he shares how he's been able to be himself throughout his career. Ray is also deeply committed to giving back and holds leadership roles in some impactful not-for-profits. Volunteerism has been the source of many leadership lessons for him.  Ray is currently the  Managing Director and Vice Chair, Financial Markets at National Bank Financial and has worked for some of the largest banks in North American during his extensive career. There's so much great insights and tips in this fun conversation