Coffee With Convery

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where we caffeinate your curiosity with bold stories, real conversations, and fresh perspectives on what it means to build a career —and a life — with purpose.Today’s guest is someone who embodies reinvention, creativity, and the power of community:Jon Levesque - global community builder, AI and automation evangelist, keynote speaker, YouTube creator, and founder of Seeq, the world’s first Experience Network.Jon has built massive global communities at Microsoft and DocuSign, spoken on international stages, architected award-winning engagement programs, mentored over 130 MVPs, and helped millions learn how to turn technology intopossibility.  And now?He’s building Seeq — a platform designed to kill “save-and-forget” discovery and turn curiosity into action.Jon’s story is a masterclass in following your creativity, betting on yourself, and building communities that actually care.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where we caffeinate your curiosity with bold stories, actionable insights, and fresh takes on how you can define and design your own success.Today’s guest is a career professional turned coach who is helping high-performing men reset, rewire, and reclaim control of their lives. Please welcome Gareth Hellen — Certified Life & Accountability Coach, founder of EvolvedMen Coaching, and experienced financial services professional.Gareth’s career spans over a decade across roles at Deloitte, Capita, Huntswood, and the Development Bank of Wales. From managing financial risk and compliance, toleading client engagement and conflict resolution, Gareth has worked at the sharp end of finance where trust, problem-solving, and resilience is essential.These experiences gave him a front-row seat to how stress, pressure, and burnout affect professionals — and inspired him to create The Reclaim Method, his 12-week coaching framework helping men reset their nervous systems, rewire their habits, and reclaim their sense of purpose.Whether you’re a student exploring a career in finance, an emerging professional balancing ambition with well-being, or someone looking for practical lessons on resilience and leadership, Gareth’s story will spark ideas for your own journey.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where wecaffeinate your curiosity with bold stories, actionable insights, and fresh takes on how we define and design success.Today’s episode is all about breaking the mold —deconstructing the old ways of hiring and reimagining what recruitment can look like in an age of ethical AI, human connection, and smart technology.My guest is Nick Mastromattei, Co-Founder and ChiefTechnology Officer at Picsume — the Windsor-based tech company transforming how employers and job seekers connect.Nick is a seasoned technical product leader, solutionarchitect, and AI advocate with over 15 years of experience leading digital innovation for global organizations — from Ticketmaster to Harvard and Steelcase.At Picsume, Nick is the architect behind the platform’spowerful, bias-reducing AI — proving that when you combine technology with empathy, you don’t just build better systems, you build a better way to connect people and work.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where we caffeinate your curiosity with bold stories, actionable insights, and fresh takes on how we define and design success.Today’s episode is extra special — we’re shining a spotlight on one incredible student from the University of Windsor, winner of the 2025 Rising Star Award.This award celebrates students who have excelled during their co-op placements and demonstrated the qualities that make them true leaders of tomorrow.Cameron Anderson, a third-year mechanical engineering student whose curiosity and initiative turned a co-op at Stellantis into a journey of technical discovery and personal growth.Cameron story remind us of the power of work-integrated learning, resilience, and the courage to ask questions. Whether you’re a student just beginning to explore your career options, or a professional reflecting on your own journey, their insights will inspire and challenge you to keep growing.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where we caffeinateyour curiosity with bold stories, actionable insights, and fresh takes on how we define and design success.Today’s guest is a leader in AI innovation, a keynotespeaker, and an advocate for mental health and resilience. Please welcome TJ Walia — creator of the PWR-AI Framework, former Microsoft leader, and passionate mentor helping professionals and entrepreneurs thrive withoutburning out.TJ’s journey is one many can relate to — after 15 yearsof corporate success, he hit rock bottom in 2021 with severe burnout and anxiety that forced him to completely rebuild his life. From that moment, he transformed his struggle into a system — one that now helps thousands harnessAI, protect their mental health, and accelerate their careers and businesses sustainably.Whether you’re a student entering the workforce, a youngprofessional feeling the pressure to always be “on,” or a man navigating the unspoken challenges around mental health, this episode offers real talk and real tools.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where we caffeinateyour curiosity with bold stories, actionable insights, and fresh takes on how we define and design success.Today’s guest is the definition of homegrown innovation.From small-town beginnings in Blenheim, Ontario to leadingone of Canada’s most exciting tech startups — Picsume, Jordan Goure’s journey proves that big ideas can be built anywhere.Jordan is a serial entrepreneur, ethical AI advocate, andco-founder and CEO of Picsume — the Windsor-based company transforming how employers and job seekers connect. He’s also a creative force behind severalsuccessful ventures in hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, and winemaking.Whether he’s crafting a bold new business model or a bottleof wine, Jordan has one mission: to make work — and life — more human, connected, and meaningful.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where wecaffeinate your curiosity with bold stories, actionable insights, and fresh takes on how we define and design success.Today’s guest Steve Jaffe is a seasoned advertisingand marketing executive, author, and resilience advocate. Steve’s book The Layoff Journey: From Dismissal to Discovery is reshaping how we think about job loss, recovery, and renewal.Steve’s professional career spans decades in advertising,media, and marketing leadership. But behind the polished campaigns and successful boardroom pitches, Steve—like many of us—faced unexpected career turns, including layoffs. Rather than letting those setbacks define him, he reframed them intodiscovery. His book draws directly from those lived experiences, offering a deeply personal yet practical roadmap for navigating job loss.The Layoff Journey walks readers through the seven stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, reconstruction, and renewal—reminding us that careersetbacks are not just about losing a paycheck, but about losing identity, routine, and stability. Through relatable stories, actionable strategies, and real-world exercises, Steve shows how each stage can be transformed into astepping stone toward growth.If you’ve ever wondered how to move from dismissal todiscovery, from grief to growth, and from uncertainty to renewal—this episode is for you.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where wecaffeinate your curiosity with bold stories, actionable insights, and fresh takes on how we define and design success.Today’s guest, Vijay Rajendran, is a venture builder, founder, UC Berkeley Certified Executive Coach, and author of TheFunding Framework: Secure Startup Funding with Confidence. Vijay helps leaders scale not only their startups but also themselves. Vijay has spent over 20 years at the intersection ofentrepreneurship, venture capital, and leadership. From building fintech and ecommerce startups to leading portfolio value at 500 Global — a venture capital firm with $2.7 billion under management — to mentoring founders in over 80countries, his career has been about helping great ideas find the leadership they need to thrive.Whether you’re a student dreaming of your first startup,a job seeker eager to break into venture, or a professional ready to turn your vision into reality, this conversation will give you the roadmap to start.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, the podcast where purpose meets passion, and every episode serves up a hot dose of inspiration for students, emerging professionals, and leaders navigating the future of work and life. Now, today’s episode is truly something special. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to blend decades of corporate leadership with down-to-earth entrepreneurship—or how a childhood in New Jersey can turn into a mushroom-powered mission in Texas—then you’re in for a treat. My guest today is Keri Hissim, a dynamic executive leader who’s driven multi-billion-dollar business growth, innovation, and high-performing teams at one of the world’s most recognized companies—AT&T. But that’s only part of the story.Keri is also the co-founder of Millbrook Mushrooms, a premium mushroom farm she built alongside her husband and high school sweetheart, Kyle. From Lion’s Mane toKing Trumpets, they’re growing gourmet fungi that fuel everything from fine dining to cognitive health. She’s a mom, a mentor, a marketer, a mushroom whisperer—and one of the most grounded and inspiring leaders out there. Keri’s journey is a beautiful blend of faith,family, and fearlessness, and today we’re digging into how she did it all—and what advice she has for you.

Welcome back to Coffee with Convery, where we caffeinate your curiosity with bold stories, actionable insights, and fresh takes on how we define and design success. Today’s guest Aidan Brannigan is not your typical founder, not your typical marketer, and definitely not your typical career story. He is the creative force behind No Boring Brands, the agency making memes and skits forsome of the biggest B2B brands in the world, generating over 1 million organic views a day! Aidan has built a career that mixes comedy, content, and a little bit of chaos. He’s spoken at SXSW about memes, helped grow The Marketing Millennials to a million-plus followers, run campaigns for brands like Palo Alto Networks,ClickUp, Semrush, and even Gillette—and somewhere along the way, he lost $500k in crypto, lost a spam-eating contest to Joey Chestnut in front of 14,000 people, and got doxxed for launching a fake software called LayoffBot that actually turned into a lead magnet. But here’s the kicker—Aidan’s story is one of making your own lane. He’s proof that you don’t have to wait for the perfect job posting, the perfect timing, or the perfect title to make a name for yourself. Whether you’re a student, a newgrad, or a job seeker wondering how to stand out, this episode is packed with lessons on creativity, resilience, and building a career that doesn’t just pay the bills—but gets people talking.