Behind Greatness by Inspire North

We speak this week with Steve Lichtman in California, a veteran TV series writer and producer. A deep thinker and excellent conversationalist, Steve brings us through his journey and his own philosophies on what really matters. He reminisces with us on his Long Island upbringing and his time as a young academic and lawyer grinding in NYC. Then his story takes a turn upon his decision to leave NYC with his wife for LA - the day before 9/11. We then discuss how the following chapter of his life focused on the exploration of the right side of his brain. We talk fiction and reality, creativity and being at the top of the mountain vs stepping down from it. Steve gives us a wonderful insight on real “play” and why we should do it more. He had us at “hello”. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2582398/ Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: inspire_north Behind Greatness TW: inspire_north

Today we sit down with Gunnar Peterson in Beverly Hills. Gunnar is one of the most highly respected Personal Training & Fitness entrepreneurs in North America, a former Director of Strength & Endurance for the LA Lakers and a “go-to” personal trainer for Hollywood celebs. We discuss his entrepreneurial path - from selling ice in New Orleans to setting up his nerve center in Beverly Hills. More importantly, we discuss the tenets he lives by as a professional and as a dad. Not someone who minces words, he gives his straight take on personally important themes: fun, levity, communication and connection. And finally we also hear his stance on competition vs collaboration. “… There’s room for everybody.” To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. Website: www.gunnarpeterson.com IG: gunnarfitness Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: inspire_north Behind Greatness TW: inspire_north

Adrian is the CEO and Co-Founder of MOSHN.fit, an on-demand streaming fitness platform that connects trainees with world-class coaches. A long time friend to Inspire, Adrian has worked as a top Digital Marketing and Advertising Exec (and Agency Owner) for the better part of 20 years. We chat about his take on life, the value of his experiences and how they serve him with his new chapter in his life as he moves into new territory in his career. More importantly, we learn about his omni-present passions – sport and “the tactile” - and explore how they serve his being and help define his philosophy on both risk-taking and navigating uncertainty. What he doesn’t consider himself is an artist. But we beg to differ. Listen in and judge for yourself. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriancapobianco/ Website: www.moshn.fit IG: moshn.fit App store download: Moshn app Website: www.botl.store IG: botl.store Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: inspire_north Behind Greatness TW: inspire_north

We spent some time with PJ Byrne: a veteran film, TV and voice actor, living in California. In college, he was preparing for a career in high finance. Having already secured a job on Wall St before he graduated, he started to discover (by chance) his thespian talents. With family roots in business and politics, young PJ never imagined acting as a life-long pursuit. But with good mentors early on, he was persuaded to explore this hidden talent. As he pursued this path, PJ explains how “hearing funny” - a key life skill he learned at home - came in handy. And, like his friend John Quinn from Episode 18, we learn that his dedication to preparation is sacred. A critical lesson he imparts on his host: don’t be afraid of an awkward moment if you’re not getting your questions answered. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. IG: pj_byrne IMDb: P.J. Byrne Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: inspire_north Behind Greatness TW: inspire_north

In this episode, we spend some time with John S. Couch, who lives and works – and plays – in California. He is also currently VP, Product Design at Hulu. We dive immediately into discussing themes of life, work and the creative process. He brings us briefly through his experience in building teams and what philosophy he employs in building positive culture. He also warns about certain pitfalls in investing too much in “labels”. But, this is not before we discuss the lessons of the samurai and the importance of developing skills and a mindset through the mastery of one thing in order to approach other things. We discuss creating and the state of flow. We hear his views on the connection between experiencing different artforms and the “communion of understanding” with others. And, we also learn his thoughts on how any great art is a (necessary) confrontation. He rounds off the discussion with the two things he deems most important for his success and the ultimate lesson he’s learned in his life. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. Website: https://www.john-couch.com/the-art-of-creative-rebellion Twitter: @titaniumsky IG: theartofcreativerebellion Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncouch/ Behind Greatness website: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast Behind Greatness IG: inspire_north Behind Greatness TW: inspire_north

Today we sit down and have a camp fire chat with Tyson Yunkaporta. With origins from the Apalech tribe in Northern Australia, Tyson is a Best Selling Author, an Artist and a Senior Lecturer at Deakin University, living in Melbourne Australia. We have an insightful conversation on First People’s philosophy of thinking, perceiving and exploring the world. We discuss how the world might benefit from the understanding of what our languages teach us and what they may lack, the importance of the communication/sharing of failures in scientific research, the role that psychotropic drugs have had in our modern technology, the difference between “increasing” and “growth”,  the unfortunate split between society and nature, the law of the land and our custodial role in all of this. Throw in some Italian bees, sleeping in a hedge and a discussion on the sky camp and we have a great series of yarns … and another series of yarns to be continued. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyson-yunkaporta-04a9b969/ Book – Sand Talk How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/sand-talk-tyson-yunkaporta?variant=32122363445282

We sit down with Matt Larochelle, an entrepreneur and co-founder of Matt & Steve’s in Toronto. Matt charms us with his down-to-earth approach to life and how his small town roots have been important to him in his path of self-discovery. He brings us through some of his adventures in starting his business with his partner Steve: from jars exploding in his apartment to trying to make ends meet while servicing a growing demand for their products. We learn about how the passing of his father taught him what it truly meant to jump into his dream with two feet. More importantly, we learn how this has led to the growth of a man who continues to discover the significance in being courageous in his decisions. Even more importantly, we discuss what impact he wants to make on the world and what “fun” means to him. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. Instagram: mattandsteves Twitter: mattandsteves Website: https://us.mattandsteve.com/

Giacomo Gianniotti spends some time on Behind Greatness to discuss and explore his thoughts on driving change and making impact. We learn how a young Giacomo felt the need to fit in and blend in as an “outsider” for years after he moved from his native Italy. But when his parents saw that he had to free himself from this debilitation, they took action. And this is when his real growth began to take hold. As he freed himself to explore and celebrate his differences and similarities with the world around him he realized how important storytelling was to him in developing his path. We learn how growing up in the summers in Rome helped him hone his wits and appreciate the importance of humour in communicating truth. Using his love of scuba-diving as a metaphor, he explains how he is driven to push his own boundaries and test himself to expand his own artistic imprint. We also discuss about who he holds in high esteem, and why it has become so important for him to help those less fortunate. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. Instagram: giacomo_gianniotti Twitter: @GiacomoKG

Eric San (aka “Kid Koala”) sits down with us to talk about his take on success. He grew up both in the US and in Canada with hard-skilled, no-nonsense immigrant parents who also had an appreciation for music. They started little Eric training as a classical piano player until his piano teacher became annoyed by his experimentation with notes to spin his own musical experience. And spinning he did. Starting by using hamburger wrappers as slip sheets on his sister’s turntable as a 12 year old, Eric went on to spend his adult years touring 6 continents with big bands as a trail-blazing Scratch DJ. Eric considers himself the “ultimate dabbler”, mixing and weaving other facets of art into his universe of experiences – taking his fun when “right side and left side are wrestling”. Today, he’s also a music producer, theatre producer, film composer, multimedia-performer and visual artist. Exploring, learning and living without judgement: lessons he takes from his kids … thanks to his parents. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors.  Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. https://kidkoala.com https://patreon.com/kidkoala twitter: @kidkoala fb: facebook.com/kidkoala IG: @realkidkoala

We are joined by Mary Dalimonte, a 40-year veteran of food retailing and distribution and a venerated industry trail-blazer in Canada. Recently stepping down from her SVP role at Sobeys – the country’s 2nd largest retailer – Mary shares with us the pivotal lessons she learned throughout her career. The daughter of immigrant parents, she learned very early the wisdom of working hard and showing up prepared day in and day out for the job at hand. Always committed to self-improvement, growing the business and punching through the glass ceiling, Mary cultivated a highly successful career in the industry. But, she never forgot about the most important ingredient to her success: her team. We hear about her belief in the sacredness of a mentor’s role and we also get to hear about her 3 biggest fears. And yes, one of them is her mother. To DONATE to the Behind Greatness podcast, please visit here: www.inspirenorth.com/podcast. Tax receipt issued to donors. Behind Greatness IG: @behindgreatnesspodcast & @inspire_north. Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marydalimonte/