Coffee With Convery

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s Black History Month Talk, I have invited Betsy Danso to join me. Betsy is a Honors Graduate of the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Labor Relations & Communications, Media & Film. Betsy is a passionate leader in all things involving people, strategy & technology and she has a knack for problem solving. She is a champion for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and she has an outstanding track record across Banking, Program Management, and strategic initiatives at RBC and now at BMO. Betsy also is an entrepreneur and owns her company RICH For Him For Hur — a one stop shop for Organic Luxury Skincare. You can find her products at richskinfh.com. I had the chance to sit down with Betsy to discuss Black History Month, confidence and acceptance and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s Black History Month Talk, I have invited the one and only Hugh Lawson to join me. Hugh is a Wilfrid Laurier University (go hawks) graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. While school, Hugh was busy with his studies and with his athletics and community involvement. He was the Resident Don for the C.H. Little House Men’s Residence and while on the Varsity Football Team he was CIAU All Canadian, 3-Time OUAA Conference All Star, Captain Of National Championship Winning Team, JP Metras Award Nominee – Top Lineman, Ontario Conference, Team Defensive MVP Award, Draft Pick: Toronto Argonauts Football Club (CFL) and the WLU Athletics Hall Of Fame Inductee in 2016. Hugh has over 25 years of experience helping clients drive business results by designing, executing and managing effective B2B solutions for Enterprise size clients. He has worked for Staples for most of his career and supported other organizations along the way. Most recently, Hugh joined EHN Canada Home to the country's largest network of industry-leading mental health and addiction treatment centres as the Head of Business Development. Hugh and I met each other through the Black Talent Initiative in 2020 which focuses on equity in career access for Black Canadians and we have never looked back. I had the chance to sit down with Hugh to discuss Black History Month, social justice, and sports with Hugh Lawson and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. On today’s Black History Month Talk, I have invited Troy Elleston to join me. Troy has a Bachelor of Science, Honors Degree, in Biology/ Biological Sciences from Ontario Tech University and an Advanced Biotechnology Diploma from Centennial College. Full-time, Troy currently functions in a virtual Fintech Operations space, aiming to navigate 21st century technical IT/SaaS tools to drive real-time financial solutions processes, which will transform the ways several companies adopt B2B digital payments. Part-time, Troy has remained involved with young people aged 15–25 in both a teaching & mentoring capacity, in order to promote continuous learning and suggest logical ideas for effective learning habits. As a professional/private educator, he aims to successfully optimize today’s social tools to enhance the virtual (cognitive) learning experience(s) of BIPOC youth. I had the chance to sit down with Troy to discuss Black History Month, tech and emotional intelligence and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #BHM #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. This podcast is an intimate, upfront and personal coffee chat approach with some of the amazing and inspiring talent I have met over the years. On today’s podcast, my guest is Ariana Shamsuddin. Ariana is in high school attending the Terry Fox Secondary School and resides in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. Ariana and I got connected through a very special person in both our lives, the one and only Sarah Wells. If you do not know Sarah Wells you should. Sarah is an Olympic hurdler and Pan Am Silver Medalist, an Amazing Race Canada participant and founder of her Believe Initiative founded fittingly on a message of resilience. Through 6 degrees of Sarah Wells, both Arian and I have been deeply involved in Sarah’s Believe Initiative. If interested, you can find more information on the Believe Initiative at believeinitiative.com. Ariana is not just your average high school student, Ariana is a TEDx Speaker who recorded her first talk “Keys to Growth” as a Grade 11 student in June 2022 with the TEDxGleneagleSecondary. Ariana is the Believe Leadership Student Director and past Chapter Head of the Believe Leadership Course at Terry Fox Secondary. She was also Loran Scholar Semi Finalist this year. Founded in Toronto in 1988, the Loran Scholars Foundation is a national charitable organization awarding scholarships for students entering post-secondary in Canada. I had the chance to sit down with Ariana to discuss Affirmation, acceptance and adaptability and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. This podcast is an intimate, upfront and personal coffee chat approach with some of the amazing and inspiring talent I have met over the years. On today’s Careering Talk, my guest today is Angelo Suntres. Angelo is a graduate of Western University with a Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering. Angelo is a passionate leader in the construction industry with 17 years of experience in designing and building in the ICI sector. His competencies include project management, estimating and leadership. He has represented both contractors and owners and understands the struggles form both sides of the fence. Angelo believes that focusing on the human principles of connection including effective communication and fostering healthy relationships is a critical part to ensuring a successful future for the construction industry. In addition to having worked for Bering Mechanical, University Health Network, Black & McDonald Limited and Ellis Don, Angelo is the founder of his company AGS where he helps construction professionals be the best that they can be. He is also the author of his new book “The Human Side of Construction: How to Ensure a Successful, Sustainable and Profitable Career as a Contractor, Project Manager, Estimator or Superintendent” and a facilitator of online resources for construction education. You can learn more at his website suntres.ca and sign up for his Sunday newsletters and some professional 1:1 coaching as well if interested. I had the chance to sit down with Angelo to discuss Construction, humans and connections and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy!

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. This podcast is an intimate, upfront and personal coffee chat approach with some of the amazing and inspiring talent I have met over the years. On today’s Careering Talk, my guest today is Anthony Morra. Anthony is an honors graduate from the University of Toronto Scarborough with a BBA in Business Management. He also holds a MBA in Business Administration and Management from the Hult International Business School based in San Francisco, California. During his schooling, Anthony was the soccer coach at UTSC and captain of the soccer and hockey clubs. At Hult, Anthony was the President of Hult Soccer Club (San Francisco Chapter), Head Coach Hult Undergraduate Soccer Team (West Coast Soccer League/Club). In addition, to his passion for sports and school, he holds a Certification in Cognitive Therapy. Anthony is a driven entrepreneur with Change Management and Project Management experience. He guides companies in a variety of industries with his in-depth knowledge of human motivation and teaches executives on how to create motivating environments and teams. Currently, Anthony is the CEO of Bladetech Hockey. They manufacture replacement hockey skate blades with patented flexible technology (Flex Force Advantage): which improves speed and reduces injuries. Anthony successfully led the company’s product launch in 2015 and positioned it as a premier brand for the NHL and competitive players. He directed the comprehensive market research project and oversaw the creation of the top-tier brand strategy. Anthony also developed and implemented a fully operational e-commerce website and the digital communications strategy. You can learn more about his company at bladetechhockey.com. I had the chance to sit down with Anthony to discuss Sports, entrepreneurship and networking and I am happy to share our conversation with you, enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. This podcast is an intimate, upfront and personal coffee chat approach with some of the amazing and inspiring talent I have met over the years. On today’s Careering Talk, my guest is Adam Rodricks. Adam is a University of Toronto Scarborough graduate with a BBA in Management and Marketing. Adam Rodricks is an international award-winning social media strategist and speaker who has transformed “word of mouth” into a world of mouth for Fortune 500 companies. His first book, Trigger Fingers: Personal Branding through Storytelling skyrocketed to the top of the charts, becoming a #1 best-seller in Canada in the categories of Direct Marketing, Public Relations and Business. For the past 7 years, he’s worked as the National Lead of Digital Marketing Services at KPMG in Canada. In his spare time, Adam teaches the LinkedIn fundamentals course at George Brown College and serves as a Program Advisor on Digital Engagement Strategy at Centennial College. In 2022, the Speakers Bureau of Canada named Adam “Canada’s Top Social Media Strategist”. His work as a social media influencer has been featured on CBC, CTV, Yahoo, BNN, Staples Tech TV, Nintendo.ca and his own site: www.adamrodricks.com. I had the chance to sit down with Adam to discuss Branding, Marketing and Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake, Cake and I am happy to share our conversation with you, Enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. This podcast is an intimate, upfront and personal coffee chat approach with some of the amazing and inspiring talent I have met over the years. On today’s episode, my guest is Elilan Sureskumar. Elilan is a highly driven individual who is passionate about his work and making a meaningful impact. He is currently a fourth-year BBA candidate at the Schulich School of Business pursuing a specialization in finance and strategic management. Elilan is currently a risk analyst intern with the QuadReal Property Group here in Toronto and he has a number of work experiences in his past including being a ServiceOntario Licensing Clerk for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, a Business Development Intern for Neeva Baby, and has worked for the Office of the Mayor for the City of Brampton as an Executive Assistant and a Special Projects Assistant. Some things Elilan enjoys doing in his free time include reading, working out, travelling, learning new things, trying new foods, and spending time with his friends and family. I had the chance to sit down with Elilan to discuss Networking, internships, and diversity and I am happy to share our conversation with you, Enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Podcast #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

Students, New Grads, and Career Seekers, Welcome to #CoffeeWithConvery. This podcast is an intimate, upfront and personal coffee chat approach with some of the amazing and inspiring talent I have met over the years. On today’s Careering Talk, my guest today is Nitai Ben-Shach. Nitai received his law degree from the University of Toronto with a BA (Double Major History and Political Science) from McGill. After completing his articles at a Bay Street firm, with a primary focus in corporate commercial and real estate law, he began his practice at a boutique entertainment firm in downtown Toronto. Nitai has practiced in the areas of entertainment, media, intellectual property and corporate commercial law, with an emphasis on film and television production and financing. He has advised actors, producers, writers and artists on matters including rights acquisition, licensing and distribution. A wide variety of employment experiences ranging from business and legal development for a major film company to consular security has given Nitai a strong work ethic and a wide skill set. Using his well honed interpersonal skills and ability to communicate in four languages, Nitai has worked in public oriented jobs in Canada and France. A lover of all things fermented and left to age in oak, Nitai is also an avid reader and commenter on anything related to business, technology, law, entertainment, sports and politics. Nitai and I met over coffee literally as he and I partnered on the RBC Ten Thousand Coffees Student Networking Platform at RBC in 2016. We have worked on a number of impactful projects together and I am excited to have him on the show. I had the chance to sit down with Nitai to talk Law, rugby and technology/ strategy with Nitai Ben-Shach and I am happy to share our conversation with you, Enjoy! #CoffeeWithConvery #Listen #Learn #BeInspired

On today’s Careering Talk, I have invited a very special guest Deidre Convery-Bernard. Deidre is not only my younger sister but she is also an accomplished role model, authentic trailblazer, a loving wife, a loyal friend and a mom to her 3 cats Winston, George, Gracie and her dog, Brooke. Deidre's career story is an interesting and inspiring one which started out with a high school experience of classes in typing and focus on clerical skills and development. Her High School guidance counselor advised Deidre in her senior year to not pursue college or university and to take her skills and abilities and seek a career in office clerical work. Deidre went on to pursue an education with the Krissler Business Institute in our hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York and started her career working as clerical support for a law firm. Later in her late 20s, Deidre thought although her career in clerical support was interesting it was not as rewarding as she had originally hoped and she was going to go back to school to pursue a career change. While working, Deidre earned her Associates of Arts in Liberal Arts and Humanities from Dutchess Community College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech and Hearing and a Masters in Communication Disorders from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Deidre's other credentials and certifications include being a Licensed New York State Speech Language Pathologist, a Certificate of Clinical Competence - CCC-SLP and a New York State Permanent Certification – Speech and Hearing Handicapped. In 2019, Deidre was the recipient of the New York Capital Area Speech Language and Hearing Association Service Award. This award is presented to a Speech-Language Pathologist or Audiologist or individual who has made outstanding contributions to the fields of Speech-Language Pathology or Audiology, to the communicatively impaired, or to professional organizations that serve these groups. Today, Deidre works for the Johnsburg Central School in North Creek, New York where she designs and provide intervention services for classified students with mild to severe speech/language delays associated with speech/language impairments, learning disabilities, autism, other health impairments, hearing impairments, multiple disabilities, and emotional disabilities. Deidre has aided, helped, touched and changed hundreds of children and families lives over the years through her love and dedication to her work. I had the chance to sit down with Deidre to talk Thanksgiving, Speech Pathology and Determination and I am happy to share our conversation with you, Enjoy!  #CoffeeWithConvery #Listen #Learn #BeInspired