Ben Mulroney has spent his life carrying a famous last name while choosing a different path on his own terms. That is why I wanted to share his story.

We recorded the show in front of a sold-out room at The Toronto Hunt. Ben takes you behind his public persona and into the moments that shaped him, tested him, and surprised him. He shares wonderful stories that are funny, candid, and genuinely human, including what it really feels like to work on a red carpet and suddenly find yourself face-to-face with someone like George Clooney.

Over the past year, I had the chance to join Ben on his national radio show, on Corus, and I have watched his rare ability to take complex, sometimes controversial issues, synthesize competing viewpoints, then land on a perspective with clarity, confidence, and courage. In this conversation, that same clarity turns inward, toward family, fatherhood, identity, reinvention, and what it takes to build a life in your own voice.

If you like interviews that move fast, go deep, and leave you thinking, press play.

And as always a big thank you to RBC and RBC Wealth for all you do to allow me to share weekly stories of people who overcome circumstances to chase dreams and change their world and ours for the better.

One of the greatest lessons I've been gifted as host of Chatter That Matters is seeing how much impact one individual can have when they choose purpose over comfort. This episode is a powerful reminder of that truth.

At the centre is Tim Cormode, whose life changed during a moment of stillness alone on a glacier. That clarity led him to build Power to Be, using nature as a pathway to dignity, confidence, and possibility for people told their limits were fixed. Tim shares what two decades in the charitable sector taught him, not just about impact but about what is broken in how we give, from fear of risk to a scarcity mindset that holds good organizations back.

That experience sparked his next chapter, Power to Give, a bold rethinking of philanthropy rooted in trust, shared resources, and treating generosity as the investment it truly is. From a kayak on the water to a small-town skate park that drew an unexpected visit from Tony Hawk, Tim's story shows what becomes possible when imagination meets action.

The conversation then widens with Andrea Barrack, Senior Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and ESG at RBC. Andrea shares how RBC's new Purpose Framework is turning values into action. With a $2 billion commitment by 2035, RBC is focused on skills for a changing world and more equitable prosperity.

If you believe impact is built by people, not slogans, and that purpose is found by doing, not saying, you will love this episode as much as I did making it.

I open my 2026 season with fireworks of positivity. One of the best Chatter that Matters yet. A human journey marked with humility, humour and extraordinary. Someone knuckles decided to knock on the door of opportunity.

What does a Dragon, Best Selling Author, a McDonald's drive-through, a beat-up pickup truck, and a simple multi-million-dollar question have in common? 1-800-GOT-JUNK? The one and only Brian Scudamore.

Brian turned hauling junk into a $700 million empire by embracing a mindset he calls "WTF, willing to fail". His story is more than a business case study; it is a profoundly human one, marked by courage, doubt, family pressure, leadership missteps, and the power of seeing possibility where others see nothing.

Brian shares how firing his entire team saved his company, why culture is the ultimate competitive moat, and how systems, not people, fail. He opens about the moment his accomplished father said, "I'm proud of you,".

If you are an entrepreneur, a leader, a parent, someone young searching for their ladder to climb, or quietly wondering whether there is another path to follow, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.

A special thanks and love to RBC for continuing to support the sharing of human stories that matter. Stories of ordinary becoming extraordinary.

As you listen, and if you have young adults around, listen together and then ask yourself two questions that changed everything for Brian Scudamore.

What if?

and

Are you Willing to Fail?

Happy New Year's, Everyone. Thanks for listening, and here's to a fabulous 2026.

Dear Canada. It is now or never. In this fifteen-minute podcast, I state that we stand at a crossroads. A century ago, the world emerged from the trenches of war and the shadow of a brutal pandemic. The optimism of the Roaring Twenties gave way to recklessness. We gambled our destiny, left it to chance, and crashed in 1929. Prosperity built on illusion never lasts.

Today, we face another critical time. The first quarter-century of this millennium has not been gentle, from the shock of 9/11, to the 2008 financial collapse, to pandemics, October 7, Ukraine, and a steady erosion of our freedoms.

While other nations seized their decade, Canada lost theirs. This is not partisan politics. It is our lived reality. Look around at food insecurity, job uncertainty, unaffordability, unchecked crime, and antisemitism spilling into schools, malls, streets, and places of worship, often met with a shrug by those in power. A feeling of impossibility, massive cracks in our confederation, and the Western Provinces squeezed, yet abandoned.

A decade of scathing Auditor General reports, with most buried in the shadows, without a flashlight in sight.

I end my podcast by saying our story is not over. I read a letter to Mark Carney. Why? There is no doubt in my mind that our footloose and party-free style of democracy will give the Liberals a majority.

The pen remains in his and our hands. Canadians can still choose destiny over chance, but only with courage, unity, and conviction.

Mark Carney has to make a choice. Continue more of the same and risk the fracture of this country, or earn his place among our greatest Prime Ministers by changing our course.

In my letter, I offer my thoughts on how.

Champion ideas over ideology. Restore critical thinking, law and order, and stand firmly against antisemitism and all forms of hate. Pursue smart immigration that welcomes those who will enrich our nation while sharing our values and respect for one another. Recommit to true reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and rebuild bridges with the West so all feel part of a united Canada. And practice fiscal stewardship, because we cannot borrow our way to greatness.

I even derail a $100 billion plan to connect Montreal and Ottawa with high-speed rail in favour of connecting Canadian IP and our resources to the world. R&D, Patents, Refurbished ports, Pipelines and more.

Mark Carney, don't chase the comfort of ideology or the safety of a base. Choose Canada, all of Canada. If you do, history will remember your name.

Canada, it's now or never.

Tony Chapman

Our global food system is feeding more people than ever, yet some argue it is also making more people sick, more unequal, and more vulnerable. How did we get here, and more importantly, how do we change course?

In this timely and deeply human conversation, global nutrition expert Dr. Stuart Gillespie joins Chatter that Matters to unpack the forces shaping what we eat, who profits, and who pays the price. Drawing on decades of frontline experience across India, Africa, and within the United Nations, Gillespie blends memoir and manifesto to expose the structural realities behind ultra-processed foods, corporate power, broken policy, and the growing tension between undernutrition and obesity worldwide.

This is not a theoretical discussion. It is a grounded exploration of food justice, political will, activism, and the difficult trade-offs facing governments, industry, and consumers alike. Gillespie challenges the idea that individual choice alone can fix systemic problems, and makes a compelling case for coordinated, courageous action.

The conversation expands to Canada's role in shaping the future of food, with insights from Lisa Ashton, Agricultural Policy Lead at RBC. She shares how Canada's agricultural strength, innovation capacity, and collaborative ecosystems can help drive healthier, more equitable food systems at home and globally.

If you care about health, sustainability, equity, or the future we are building through the food we produce and consume, this episode will change how you see your plate.

Listen now, and join the conversation about what comes next.

To purchase Dr. Gillespie's Book Food Fight: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/food-fight-from-plunder-and-profit-to-people-and-planet/9781443475297.html

In this profoundly moving episode of Chatter That Matters, I sit down with Pierre Mousseau to talk about loss, grief, faith, and the long road back to meaning after tragedy. During the height of the pandemic, Pierre lost his 20-year-old son, Parker, after weeks of surgeries, setbacks, and moments that felt like miracles, followed by an impossible decision no parent should ever have to make. To say there is no more, to say goodbye to their child.

Pierre speaks openly about watching his son fight, signing the papers to let him go, the guilt that followed, and the silence that filled every corner of his life afterward. He shares how grief became both his armour and his prison, how depression nearly claimed him too, and how a moment on a dark country road forced him to choose between ending his life and continuing it for those who still needed him.

From the Ashes is not just a story of loss. It is a story of what can rise from it. Pierre reflects on rebuilding faith after anger and doubt, on unexpected moments of spiritual connection, and on how love, purpose, and responsibility reshaped his marriage, his leadership, and his view of what truly matters. He also speaks candidly about masculinity, vulnerability, and why men, especially, need permission to talk about grief instead of carrying it alone.

This episode is for anyone searching for light after darkness. It is a reminder that while grief may never leave us, it need not define the end of our story. Sometimes, from the ashes, something meaningful can still grow.

To purchase the book: From the Ashes: A Father's Journey Through Grief, Grace and Faith https://a.co/d/a82HrgI

Some people dream. Others help weave those dreams. This episode is about two women who refuse to separate the two.

It begins with Karla Briones. Raised in an entrepreneurial family in Chihuahua, Mexico, her first business was a schoolyard candy empire at six years old. Then the drug cartels arrived. Threats followed. Friends disappeared. At eighteen, her family dismantled their entire life and drove nearly four thousand kilometres to Canada with no safety net, no jobs, no guarantees.

What followed was survival. Credentials did not transfer. Her parents fell into depression. Karla became a provider before she had finished becoming a student. Three jobs. A new language. University. Failure. Grit. Then entrepreneurship again. Pet stores. Restaurants. Retail. Some worked. Some collapsed. All of them taught her the same lesson: everyone can use and benefit from a helping hand.

That lesson eventually became Immigrant Entrepreneur Canada to help weave the dreams of others.

One of the many who benefited is Lina Asmah, the Hot Pepper Lady. From Ghana to Canada, Lina carried fire in both food and spirit. She works full-time. She farms. She grows over 160 varieties of peppers. Her turning point came at a last-minute event she almost skipped. Karla spoke. Lina applied. She entered Immigrant Entrepreneur Canada and found something rare, a system that did not talk about immigrants as numbers, but as builders. She found mentors. She found clarity. She found momentum. She found her dream.

Lina also named something most people feel but rarely say out loud: we listen to accents before we listen to ideas. Inside that community, she found her voice again.

Immigration Entrepreneur Canada and Karla Briones are helping newcomers weave their dreams.

To find out more about Immigration Entrepreneur Canada: https://www.immigrantentrepreneurcanada.ca

I went in, and she was sitting there in a motel room with a kilo of cocaine on the bed and two bikers helping her break it down into smaller bags. That was the insanity I was living in.

Gordon Lownds has lived multiple lives. He grew up in Toronto and clashed with his father and an older brother who bullied him until he finally fought back at sixteen. That was the moment he said, enough. He left home, hustled at carnivals, and learned some of the sharpest business lessons you will ever hear.

He packed in a philosophy degree, then an MBA, and turned out to be a brilliant business mind. By his forties, he had co-founded Sleep Country Canada with Stephen Gunn and Christine Magee, and later Listen Up Canada. These companies reshaped how Canadians sleep and how they hear.

At the height of his success, on his forty-eighth birthday in 1998, Gordon tried crack cocaine for the first time. It was day one of a thousand-day descent into hell that nearly destroyed everything he loved and all he had built and cost him over a million dollars in drugs. What happened after is a rare and remarkable story of recovery, resilience, reinvention and redemption.

To buy Gordon Lownds' Book: Cracking Up: From Rising Star to Junkie Despair in 1,000 Days-An Unlikely Addict's Memoir - https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/cracking-up-from-rising-star-to-junkie-despair-in-1000-days-an-unlikely-addicts-memoir/9781990700798.html

As you listen to the show, I encourage you to step into Debra E. Meyerson's shoes. Debra had a dream life: a tenured professorship at Stanford, a reputation as a groundbreaking scholar on organizational change and identity, and big adventures with her husband, social finance leader Steve Zuckerman, including sailing across Europe with their three kids.

Then, at 53, a stroke changed everything. In the first 48 hours, Steve watched the Debra he knew slip away. Her speech, her mobility, and everything she took for granted. After her medical leave expired, her academic career, one she had spent a lifetime building, was taken away.

Debra and Steve sit down and share what happens when life happens in an unexpected manner. You will hear Debra struggle to form the sentences she wants to communicate, and Steve talk about what it means to rebuild lives that will never be the same.

You will celebrate how they moved from crisis and almost depression to purpose as they create Stroke Onward to support the emotional side of recovery - how Debra found the strength to write her book Identity Theft, and why they took on a 4.500 mile tandem bike ride across America to raise awareness and funds.

If you have ever faced a before-and-after moment or loved someone whose life changed in a split second, or you want to feel the power of human positivity, Debra and Steve's story will stay with you long after the episode ends.

Recorded in front of a sold out crowd at the Toronto Hunt, this episode captures the energy of a live audience and a message every Canadian needs to hear. We are living longer, and more of us will reach 100, yet our healthcare system is under strain and our daily choices matter more than ever.

My guest, Mike Kessel, CEO of Cleveland Clinic Canada, brings a clear and practical view of what it means to live long and live well. He explains why lifestyle drives most of our health outcomes and how simple habits like movement, sleep, and lowering stress can add years to our lives. He takes us inside the future of virtual care and remote diagnostics and shows how rapidly medical knowledge is accelerating. His message is simple. We are each the CEO of our own wellbeing, and the small decisions we make today shape the life we get to enjoy tomorrow.

Mike frames healthcare in the most human way possible, as the business of creating more meaningful moments with the people we love.

After Mike, Leanne Kaufman, President and CEO of RBC Royal Trust, joins me to share why planning for the later chapters of life matters just as much as planning for your health. Because living longer only works when we prepare for it.

A powerful and timely episode for anyone who wants to understand how to live not just longer, but better.

A special edition of Chatter that Matters. Thirty-five years ago, David Chilton and his record-shattering best-seller, The Wealthy Barber, revolutionized Canadians' approach to money. Its profound impact was not just on the nation, but also on me. I cleared my credit card debts, paid myself first, and found peace of mind. I had the chance to sit with David to talk about the complete remake of his classic. We delve into why David returned to the barbershop, how he rewrote every lesson for a generation facing heavier financial pressures, and why the simplest habits still create the strongest foundations.

We also discuss spending in the age of social media and tap-to-get, the affordability crisis surrounding home ownership, and why Wills and Estate Planning matter. David Chilton, with his humility, honesty, and unwavering commitment, remains a beacon of support for Canadians.

Encountering someone who has reshaped a nation's financial mindset is rare, but witnessing them do it twice is even rarer.

So grab a seat on the Barber's Chair, and listen to my interview with David Chilton.

To buy David's book: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-wealthy-barber-the-fully-updated-all-time-canadian-classic/9781068975004.html

To learn more about Wills and Estate Planning: https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/en-ca/royal-trust