Helping Veterans Succeed in Business and Beyond

August 15, 2025 0:31:47

Joe Blanchard is a results-oriented Senior Executive. He runs VeCATS to assist Soldiers and Veterans transition into Corporate Canada with the right skills to be successful. VeCATS provides a 4 Step Process for veterans 1. Soft-Skills, 2. Hard Skills, 3. Internship, 4. Job Placement. And his primary focus today is to help Veterans move into the entrepreneurial sector successfully. Joe is a former veteran and has travelled the military, corporate and entrepreneurial roads. A proven performer Joe moves easily from vision and strategy to implementation and follows through. He is an innovative and strategic thinker, with sound business judgement and proven analytical, troubleshooting, and critical thinking abilities.

Joe Blanchard’s work with VeCATS embodies a Renewed Vision: Advancing Veteran Empowerment Across Canada. This commitment involves an unwavering dedication to advocacy, which has led to meaningful engagement with both federal and provincial governments. VeCATS is actively shaping a future where post-service life is filled with opportunity, dignity, and recognition, ensuring a successful holistic transition for Canadian soldiers, veterans, and their families. This organization stands out by offering personalized services specifically designed to meet the complex needs of the transition to civilian life. The fundamental 4 Step Transition framework—which includes Soft-Skills, Hard-Skills, Training, and Job Experience—has recently seen its core principles successfully integrated into national Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) initiatives.

Beyond individualized coaching and training, VeCATS is heavily involved in high-level policy advocacy. A key legislative initiative is the push for a Tax-Free Services Program on military installations, designed to mirror successful models adopted by international allies, thereby providing economic advantages to ease the shift into civilian life for CAF and RCMP members. Furthermore, VeCATS is driving the proposed Canadian Veterans Procurement Act, which mandates a robust 10% of all procurement contracts issued by Veterans Affairs Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces be awarded to verified Veteran-Owned Businesses. This specific measure is critical for ensuring economic inclusion and recognizing the entrepreneurial spirit within the veteran community through first-right-of-refusal mechanisms.

Joe’s strategic direction also focuses on the development of a comprehensive National Veterans Strategy centered on four transformative pillars. The first pillar is the Indigenous Veterans PTSD Wellness Program, a culturally rooted healing initiative that incorporates Indigenous wisdom and trauma recovery methods to support both men and women veterans in their mental health journey. The second pillar involves establishing the Canadian Military University, a dedicated institution offering accredited education, certifications, and skills training in vital areas such as technology, management, governance, and entrepreneurship. This university will ready veterans for a successful career post-service. The third pillar addresses infrastructure through the National Veterans Housing Initiative, an ambitious plan to build dignified low-income housing on strategically located Crown Lands near critical amenities for veterans and their families.

Finally, the Veterans Entrepreneurship Hub (Vet-Hub) serves as a national platform designed to meticulously guide veterans through every stage of startup development, from initial launch and critical mentorship to sustainable business growth, succession planning, and successful exits. The VeCATS team provides continuous Personal Coaching and structured Corporate Training & Development. These essential programs adapt effectively, enhance employee skills, and include specialized courses such as Financial Acumen for Managers (understanding P&L), Strategic Planning & Execution, and Leadership Development, which are vital for integrating into middle management and achieving long-term success in corporate life after service.

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From Colleagues to Co-Founders: The Bridge Medical Communications Story

August 6, 2025 0:32:57

Lorie Spence and Carolyn Pritchard founded Bridge Medical Communications, which was built to fill the patient and healthcare provider gap in the healthcare system.

With a combined 40 years in Business and Healthcare Comms, Lorie and Carolyn witnessed the challenges facing the industry. This ignited their passion to bridge the gap between the industry and patients. Bridge’s vision is to empower healthcare professionals to optimize patient outcomes through innovative communication tools, creative solutions, and strategic collaboration. With their unique expertise.

The fundamentals of evidence-based medicine have the power to improve and change lives dramatically. Bridge’s core focus is to optimize the impact of medical innovations with specialized communications that are clear and impactful. They strive to make a positive and enduring impact on patient-centred care, helping their clients excel in our “new normal” with virtual education and engagement strategies. Bridge Medical Communications was founded on the fundamental belief that medical innovations and the established principles of evidence-based medicine possess the power to save and change countless lives for the better. Through over thirty years of collective experience within the specialized healthcare space, the founders observed complex challenges facing a quickly evolving industry; these issues could no longer be ignored or simply tolerated. Consequently, Lorie and Carolyn set out intentionally to address these persistent challenges by starting a dedicated boutique medical communications consultancy back in 2012.

The business is, genuinely, at its heart, about bridging the critical gap between the innovative industry and the actual patient population. The team believes wholeheartedly that specialized communications directed toward healthcare professionals play an absolutely pivotal role in successfully optimizing the potential impact of medical innovations across the entire healthcare landscape and—ultimately—on the individual patient’s life and health journey. Their defined mission is to transform the entire healthcare landscape through specialized communications delivered precisely to healthcare practitioners and purposefully make change through comprehensive information, essential education, and proactive engagement. Their defined purpose is to bridge the inherent gap between emerging industry innovations and frontline healthcare professionals to make a deeply positive and enduring impact on patient-centred care practices.

The dedicated specialists come from strong medical and science backgrounds, ensuring they completely “get” the technical, complex side of the client’s work and support it robustly with highly-trained, articulate communications specialists. This comprehensive approach is designed to achieve the necessary, measurable effect and desirable outcomes, effectively working to inform, educate, and truly engage the target audience. They are connected and fully informed, knowing all key stakeholders in the dynamic healthcare ecosystem: including practicing physicians, influential key opinion leaders, regulatory bodies, important patient associations, and necessary media organizations. Bridge is further supported by an established team of expert advisors and reliable partners working across a multitude of diverse therapeutic areas, including life-saving oncology, critical respiratory care, vital cardiovascular health, specialized medical cannabis therapies, and many more key areas. With deep access to critical, proprietary insights, current data, and fundamental research materials, the entire organization effectively has its finger securely on the pulse of modern healthcare practice.

The team prides itself on being astute and adaptable. They know exactly when to be technical and when to adopt a more creative approach. They know precisely when to optimize a strategy and when to minimize complexity. This vital quality allows the firm to make substantially more accurate decisions, execute all campaigns effectively and efficiently, reliably increase margins of success for their clients, and ensure a genuinely greater, lasting impact. When a client needs to reach their specific healthcare practitioner audience to fully optimize the significant impact of their medical innovation and valuable solutions—they can confidently turn to Bridge. From high-level consultancy and essential education programs to targeted, professional communication tactics, their proven, customized solutions are specifically designed and tailored to perfectly fit all client needs and desired goals. They boast a great, diverse portfolio of satisfied clients, spanning many critical industries: including major PHARMACEUTICAL corporations, advanced BIOTECH firms, influential MEDICAL & HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATIONS, respected MEDICAL SOCIETIES, and key THERAPEUTIC PATIENT ASSOCIATIONS. The team members engage daily with patients and healthcare professionals to navigate deeply complex challenges through innovative medical communications tactics, always employing a human-centered approach. They deliver science-driven communications that effectively support healthcare professionals, strongly empower individual patients, and reliably spark better outcomes through absolute clarity and genuine connection, fostering creative thinking, innovative problem-solving techniques, and a relentless pursuit of improvement for all tools and solutions offered.

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Cut Costs & Grow Fast: Shaun Stratton’s Strategy

July 15, 2025 0:25:00

Shaun Stratton has spent his career as an expedition leader, international leadership consultant, professional speaker, and bestselling author. He is the founder of the International Vegan Film Festival and World Tour. In 2022, he joined the Planted Expo as an account manager, overseeing vendor and sponsor relations for Planted’s Toronto Expo, helping to maximize service quality while minimizing spend. This is what led him to his current entrepreneurial role as a Business Optimization Specialist at Schooley Mitchell. Shaun combines his prior entrepreneurship, leadership development, strategic sales knowledge, and consulting experience into a role where he is able to directly impact businesses’ bottom lines. Shaun believes every business should pay the right rates, receive the right services, and have the peace of mind from knowing your business is running as efficiently as possible.

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Cut Costs, Boost Profits: Top Tips for Entrepreneurs

July 4, 2025 0:23:23

The newscast for entrepreneurs is all about savings. With all the talk about tariffs and the like, it seems that margins will take a hit. So for entrepreneurs the news is, how can we increase savings to offset lower margins. Today, we’re going to meet Mike Deboer, who is Franchise Development Advisor for Schooley Mitchell, a partner of Canada’s Entrepreneur and the leading cost reduction experts for entrepreneurs to use in Canada. Then we can go into the Top 10 reasons to manage your overheads and the proven benefits of doing this.

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Musicians are entrepreneurs

July 2, 2025 0:34:32

Being a musician and and looking for gigs is is an ongoing process. You’re always selling yourself. They’re always looking for work. But so many of them have other jobs, because that’s what pays the bills.

This podcast is a little different, more of a book review with an entrepreneurial focus. David Eisenstadt, who’s a founder and longtime owner of CPGR a well know communications company is also a very well-known author of a number of books that cover Jewish performers that run under the name Musicians Under The Radar. you know, it’s really interesting to find out what jazz trumpeter, Freddie Stone, Anvil’s heavy metal guitarist, Steve Lips Kudlow, Lorne Green, Robbie Robertson, even singer-songwriter Mendelssohn, Joe have in common. They are all talented Jewish Musicians who appear in David’s latest book. This interview is a little different, because, of course, all these musicians have an entrepreneurial flair as they’re creating their own their own content and selling it. And, of course David is a long time entrepreneur which makes this even more interesting.

Find out more and check at David’s latest book MUSICIANS UNDER THE RADAR – 46 Notable Canadian Jewish Performers on Amazon or go to www.undertheradarbook.com.

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Be patient, it is a journey

June 25, 2025 0:29:07

Adam Hislop creates videos and movies that help people communicate clearly and effectively. Along with the rest of his team at Atomic Spark, he produces commercials, brand films, promotional videos, website videos, and training materials.

And he’s been doing it successfully for the past twenty five years – so he has some great stories to tell us.

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Reducing the amount of money spent on services

June 12, 2025 0:27:09

Now with Schooley Mitchell I’m helping entrepreneurs save money, which means effectively make money by reducing the amount of money they spend on services.

Stan has over twenty five years experience in management and business consulting. He currently helps business clients of all sizes realize greater profitability and improved cashflow by optimizing their expenses in a range of basic business services such as telecommunications, electronic payments, software licenses, small package shipping, waste management, uniforms and facility supplies. He latest venture being a Strategic Partner of Schooley Mitchell, North America’s largest independent cost reduction consulting organization. For many years Stan’s been a global business unit leader, advanced technology marketer and an innovation advisor to startups, SMEs and innovative entrepreneurs. He’s also an active investor, avid reader and public policy wonk.

#expenseoptimization #costreductionanalysis #expensemanagement #expensereduction #businessconsulting

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How Purpose-Driven Brands Win With Great PR

June 11, 2025 0:19:18

Cathy Cowan is an entrepreneurial success in marketing communications. With more than two decades of agency leadership, she collaborates with nonprofits, agencies, and socially conscious businesses to create communications that drive meaningful change.

She began her career actually working for me and then moved to non profits and PR agencies including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Weber Shandwick and GCI Group, honing my expertise in strategy, management and gold-standard communications. She founded Cowan & Company Communications, a full-service marketing communications agency, where for nearly 20 years led award-winning campaigns and social impact communications for top-tier brands including L’Oréal Paris, Kraft, Jamieson Vitamins and Food Banks Canada. Her work earned more than 15 industry awards, and Cowan & Company was named IABC Toronto’s “Boutique PR Agency of the Year” four times between 2007 and 2017.

Cathy currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment, Board of Advisors for Women’s Nonprofit Network and volunteer as a mentor and Ovation Awards judge for IABC Toronto.

She now focuses all skills and passion for “doing good” at C&C Consulting where she leads integrated marketing communications for nonprofits and corporate social impact programs. Her continual goal is to help purpose-driven organizations transform their communications and maximize their social impact.

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Why Feedback Beats Big Ideas Every Time

June 3, 2025 0:31:38

Toronto-based KnowMeQ Founder and CEO Matt Foran knows how AI can address two emerging and linked issues in Higher Education. KnowMeQ is the leading AI enabled, web-based workforce diagnostic & up-skilling assessment tool that identifies real skill gaps to make predictive decisions to improve your company’s workforce skill, performance and agility. KnowMeQ is an Adaptability Quotient (AQ) indicator tool. AQ is regarded as the most important measure for success in today and tomorrow’s world of work. It provides the ability for employees and companies to adapt and thrive in rapidly changing environments. Matt holds a Masters of Education from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in Adult Education with a specialization in Workplace Learning and Social Change. He is a published researcher and in 2010, founded the world’s first fully online adult literacy program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing adults.

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Everyone Loves Math (or can learn to love it)

May 14, 2025 0:30:53

Dr. John Mighton is an award-winning mathematician, playwright, and best-selling author internationally recognized for his ground-breaking work building children’s confidence, skills, and success in math.

He founded the Canadian charity JUMP Math (Junior Undiscovered Math Prodigies) in 2002 with an equity-driven mission to empower every child to achieve their potential through accessible math education. JUMP Math’s K-8 resources currently support thousands of educators and students in North America and other countries to teach, learn, and love math.

Dr. Mighton holds a master’s degree in philosophy from McMaster University and a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Toronto, where he frequently teaches at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Dr. Mighton has published three books on math education, given hundreds of talks on the subject, including a TEDx Talk and keynote at the Aspen Brain Forum, and has received many awards and honorary doctorates in recognition of his work. His latest book, All Things Being Equal: Why Math is the Key to a Better World, offers a compelling argument for why accessible math education can and must be available to everyone. In a twist of fate in his early career, Dr. Mighton played Matt Damon’s math tutor in the 1997 movie, Good Will Hunting
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