Excuses to Connect
Richard Lee-Thai
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43: Livestreaming on Twitch to Create Community with Brady Simpson
Excuses to Connect
06/22/22 • 49 min
Brady Simpson is a Master’s Graduate from the University of Lethbridge and a Twitch streamer. Don’t know what Twitch is? It’s a livestreaming platform where people stream themselves playing video games, playing music, hosting talk shows, and much more. Brady specifically streams Guild Wars II, a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). In this episode, we talk about the challenges he had to go through to complete his Master’s degree, as well as the amazing international connections that he’s built through streaming on Twitch, including a number of his viewers coming to watch his thesis defense!
Highlights & Takeaways- Brady being diagnosed with ADHD in the middle of his Master’s program and how his perception on ADHD shifted from it being some horrible thing to how it’s something extremely common and normal.
- When Brady messaged his professor saying he was quitting, he received this message: “I support you either way, but I want you to know that I hope that someday you see in your yourself again, what I see in you.”
- How he grew his Twitch livestreaming audience from 0 viewers to averaging over 75 viewers regularly
- He ended up meeting some of his viewers in-person when he travelled, and how they became close friends that supported him during his challenges
- “You'll find your people. You'll find your tribe. The number one thing is to not let that fear hold you back and understand that you're gonna get rejected sometimes. But every rejection is getting you one step closer to building that community and finding those connections and then ultimately stay consistent.”
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Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
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06/22/22 • 49 min
1 Listener
30: Being Unapologetically You with Alif Huq
Excuses to Connect
03/04/22 • 49 min
Alif Huq is actually a mutual friend of one of the previous podcast guests, Ahmad Jabbir from Episode 9. He is a Digital Marketing Automation Specialist, and he excels in this role because of his ability to connect and network. However, he was once painfully shy and awkward. In this episode, he shares many stories that are embarrassing, emotional, and about embracing himself fully as the person he is.
Highlights & Takeaways- The ultimate meaning of life is being “so you” that people feel inspired and want to be themselves.
- People who are more strategically inclined in social situations are people who know who can adjust their level of energy to the person they’re talking with. What makes you a social ninja is being adaptable.
- The story of Alif walking home from school and praying that the person in front him didn’t turn around, because that meant Alif had to chat and he didn’t know how to hold a conversation.
- How Alif’s attitude shifted from trying to be popular, to wanting to get to know others, and now focusing on how connecting with others helps get more meaning in his life.
- Hurt people hurt other people - Alif’s perspective on not blaming others, and trying to break the cycle of hurt.
- How in South Asian culture, people don’t normally discuss their emotions, but he witnessed an instance at a wedding where someone crossed that wall, and instead of being shamed, they were able to accept each other unconditionally.
- Contact Alif: Instagram | LinkedIn
- “The Way of the Superior Man” by David Deida
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Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
03/04/22 • 49 min
25: Personal Branding as a Tool for Connection with Isaac Mashman
Excuses to Connect
01/26/22 • 35 min
Isaac Mashman is a businessman, podcast host, and public speaker. Over the span of several years, and nearly a dozen various business ideas, it was in 2020 that Isaac launched his company Mashman Ventures, a public relations firm that specializes in working with people who want to be followed, in-demand, and respected to build their personal brands. In this episode, we hone in on what personal branding means and also how it relates to making meaningful connections with others.
Highlights & Takeaways- An elevator pitch is how you would sum up what you have going on in a short amount of time - Isaac approaches it by building rapport and focusing on the other person, rather than immediately trying to sell
- Personal branding is something that you have already had since you were born - it’s who you are, your reputation, and your relationship with the general public
- How Isaac was able to facilitate a connection between his musician friend and a famous local artist whom he respected, but never met. Now the artist has been managing Isaac’s friend for a year now
- You don't have to grow every relationship, because you might be going in a different direction and have different values than each other
- Aggressive patience is understanding that things take time, but also recognizing that if you have a vision of where you want to get to, why not get there sooner if you can?
- Contact Isaac: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
- Mashman Ventures
- Chase the Vision Podcast
- “Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence” by Isaac Mashman
- “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
- “Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork” by Dan Sullivan
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Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Email: [email protected]Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
01/26/22 • 35 min
02/16/22 • 50 min
Corey Nathan is the host of a podcast called Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other. His aim is to have a home for engaging conversations about the topics that matter most in our culture. He talks about the screamers that are taking all the oxygen out of the room, and instead he wants to have civil conversations that explore nuance and understand different points of view. In this episode, we do a deep dive into connecting across differences, and how to have human-to-human conversations with people whose beliefs might differ significantly from our own.
Highlights & Takeaways- You might still disagree with someone’s views, but you can understand and appreciate each other on a human level - lead with curiosity and empathy
- Assumptions and generalizations often come in the question form of: “Why do all...?” For example, Corey grew up Jewish and became a Christian, and he has been asked: “Why do all you Jews vote Democrat?”
- He defuses generalizations by saying: “I can’t speak for all Jews. We're all different. Some vote this way, some vote that way. So I'll speak for myself.” And he encourages others to re-examine their assumptions
- Corey was met a lot of resistance and heated dialogues with his family after he converted to being a Christian, but it was his dad’s inclination to value their father-son relationship more than other cultural and political convictions that would allow them to cut through the weeds and walk the path together.
- Focus on building relational rather than transactional connections: “The good news is you can nurture those relationships. You can earn that credibility and get into the room. There's more opportunity than ever. But if it's simply like banging the phones, dialing for dollars, it's just not going to happen.”
- Find excuses to connect: “It amazes me to this day, how approachable and accessible all kinds of folks are at every level. If you have something to talk about, if you have points of common connection or a common cause. I'm not saying that everybody's going to get back to you, but it's going to be more than 1/100 or 2/100, if you approach it that way.”
- Contact Corey: Instagram | Twitter
- Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
02/16/22 • 50 min
27: Unleashing the Potential of Immigrants with Hyder Hassan
Excuses to Connect
02/09/22 • 44 min
Hyder Hassan is the CEO of Immigrant Services Calgary. Immigrating from Pakistan in 1999, he had a one-liner about his dream in Canada. It was the line: "I want to create massive change within myself and others around me." Since then, he has been at the head of the innovative Gateway Program, which is transforming the newcomer experience, and also being highly involved in his community, including through Toastmasters, Rotary, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, among many other organizations. In this episode, we explore his 3 R's that are central to his worldview, the story of how he became the CEO of Immigrant Services Calgary, and his values when it comes to leadership and mentorship.
Highlights & Takeaways- In a healthy debate, one person can come with their Point A and the other person with Point B. But instead of arguing about who’s right, Hyder says there is a new Point C that both people can reach and that stimulates growth
- What are your dreams? What are your goals? What are your priorities? These are the 3 questions that the innovative Gateway program asks to help newcomers with integrating into Canada quicker and more smoothly
- The story of a newcomer from Nigeria who was asking how he could remove qualifications from his resume so that he appeared more “Canadian” - instead Hyder flipped the narrative and emphasized how immigrants are our future leaders and have all this potential that just needs to be unleashed
- Trust-building comes from having the courage to own one’s failures, and also the ability to give and receive candid feedback. Hyder utilizes adaptive leadership to create a compelling vision and organizational culture that values clear communication
- There are times when Hyder feels lonely when he makes calls as the CEO, but is being questioned and fingers are being pointed at home. In those moments, he calls his mentors who encourage him and provide him with valuable insight
- “The kite always rises against the wind. And when you get to the top of the mountain, forgive the people that got you up there.”
- Contact Immigrant Services Calgary: Email | LinkedIn | Website
- Gateway Connects
- Immigrants of Distinction Awards
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
02/09/22 • 44 min
02/01/22 • 41 min
Justin Peters is a fellow podcaster and runs a podcast called The Struggle is Real - I love the name by the way - on his podcast, he chats with a variety of experts on topics that are relevant to people in their 20s. In other words, the things we should've really learned more about in school, but didn't. Things like personal finances, networking, relationships, and your career. Now that he's 28, we explore the important lessons that he's learned throughout this decade and what's next for him. How do you make connections when you're out of school? How do you talk to people who are twice your age? If you're currently in your 20s or know someone who is in their 20s, this podcast will be very relatable.
Highlights & Takeaways- Justin wants to help 20-somethings thrive through such a defining decade and that every 20-something should leave this decade more excited about what's ahead of them versus the years that are behind them.
- Rethinking the 30s deadline that so many 20-somethings are up against. You don’t need to be a self-made millionaire by 30, or married with two kids by 30, or a vice-president at my dream company. Think about what success means to you and realize there’s life after you’re 30
- How your sense of identity can change rapidly after you leave college/university and start working full-time in a new environment, or with your friends moving away to different places
- Utilize the “What and Why” strategy to have deeper conversations. For example: “What’s (your podcast about)?” and follow-up by asking “Why (did you cover that topic)?”
- It’s normal that peoples’ social skills are lacking right now, but you don’t have to let it hold you back. Instead voice it out there when talking with people: “Hey, I’m Justin - nice to meet you. I’m kind of nervous about this because it’s been so long since I’ve met somebody new. Tell me a bit about yourself.”
- Contact Justin: Website | Instagram
- The Struggle Is Real
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Email: [email protected]Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
02/01/22 • 41 min
29: Leading a Limitless Life with Lionel Migrino
Excuses to Connect
02/23/22 • 35 min
Lionel Migrino identifies himself as a Filipino-Canadian living with cerebral palsy. He is proud of his Filipino roots and to be a member of the disability community. In this episode, he emphasizes how he does not solely define himself as a person with a disability, because he lives his life without any limitations. His goal is to show people that your obstacles should not stop you from going on adventures and chasing your dreams. He is a photographer, anti-racism and disability advocate, and emphasizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Highlights & Takeaways- Cerebral palsy impacts one’s fine motor skills, but it is also different for everyone and there’s many layers to it. It might just affect a particular group of muscles, or someone might be non-verbal, and so on.
- Lionel points out that society often puts the disability community in a box, and leaves their voice out of important decision-making and policies. He is passionate about promoting equity and ensuring there is a voice for the voiceless.
- The first step of being an ally is recognizing your own privilege and also not being afraid of being uncomfortable. People with disabilities live in an ableist world that is not made for them. “So why can’t others be uncomfortable for a few minutes to learn about another person’s experiences?”
- His “Kwento’t Litrato” project compares and contrasts the experience that white people and racialized people have when asked the question: “Where are you from?” For racialized people, they can be asked this all the time and it’s a microaggression
- “I think it’s so important that the voiceless are heard so that change can happen without being dehumanized, or sacrificed, or without negative implications.”
- “Your voice is as important as everyone else, and we should embrace our uniqueness and differences. Don’t be afraid to be who you are and don’t be afraid to own it.”
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Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
02/23/22 • 35 min
01/19/22 • 43 min
Col Cseke is the Artistic & Executive Director at Inside Out Theatre, which is a Deaf and disability theatre company in Calgary invested in artistic excellence, community development, and deepening our cultures’ accessibility. He also runs a podcast called Mad Practice with his best buddy JD, where they talk about living with madness and generally just revel in their friendship. In this episode, we explore his journey with theatre and the connections he’s made within that industry, as well as the mental health effects of the pandemic and how it’s shifted our interactions with people. A candid and inspirational conversation, he shares a lesson he learned this past year: “Good people know good people.” In other words, connecting with one good person who is very involved in the community can lead to all these other relationships with awesome people.
Highlights & Takeaways- Col has always had an inclination towards storytelling and community building, and so a life in a theatre gave him a chance to do both of these things
- Inside Out Theatre emphasizes that work created by and centered around artists with disabilities or deaf artists is a really vital part of us. It’s not a charitable or “nice thing to do”, but that in itself is a rich and thriving culture.
- How during the pandemic he convinced himself that he was introvert and didn’t need to be around other people, which wasn’t true. But it was his coping mechanism as a way to not ask for help or be vulnerable with others.
- Becoming comfortable with reaching out to friends just to talk and catch up, and not for any other particular reason or facade
- How it’s difficult for a lot of people to make friends as an adult, but recognize that that’s okay too
- Contact Col: Email
- Inside Out Theatre
- PechaKuchaYYC
- Mad Practice Podcast
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Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Email: [email protected]Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
01/19/22 • 43 min
23: Task-Oriented and Relationship-Oriented People with September Plumer
Excuses to Connect
01/10/22 • 35 min
September Plumer is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) currently working towards her MBA. She is also currently the President of the Dinosaur Toastmaster club. She sees Toastmasters as a great middle ground of having activities for both task-oriented and relationship-oriented people. What does she mean by this? Well, a few years ago, she read about people either lean towards being task-oriented which means you’re great that you’re getting stuff done, but struggle in relationships. Or you’re relationship-oriented which means you’re great at connecting with people, but you don’t get as much done. In this episode, we explore this dynamic as well as her project to write down 4500 things she was grateful for.
Highlights & Takeaways- John Gottman’s concept of bids (any attempt to connect with someone) and the 3 ways it can be responded to. This is what separates long-term happy couples from those who are less happy
- As an accountant, she can spend a lot of her career by herself, but how in her MBA right now, she’s been challenged to think more of how she can manage and motivate others effectively
- Gratitude journaling helped her to be more relationship-oriented by writing down people she was grateful for and then texting them to let them know
- When she hit 4,500 items of gratitude, she felt like she had strengthened that muscle to where it needed to be and that it had totally changed her life, even though her circumstances hadn’t changed
- At one point in her life, her house was bursting with all the things she had bought thinking that it would make her feel like she was enough and was doing okay, but she now realizes that decluttering is one way she could take control of her life
- If she could put any message on a billboard for the world to see, it would be: “Our lives affect and influence the people who are around us [...] So remember you make a difference, no matter how big or how small your circle is.”
- Contact September: LinkedIn | Email
- “The Relationship Cure” by Joan Declaire & John M. Gottman
- “What Happened to You?” by Bruce D. Perry & Oprah Winfrey
- “Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions” by Johann Hari
- “BE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company” by Jim Collins and William C. Lazier
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Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Email: [email protected]Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
01/10/22 • 35 min
31: Igniting Your Inner Flame with Mohsen Youssef
Excuses to Connect
03/09/22 • 47 min
Mohsen Youssef is also known as “The Ignited Flame.” That’s because he found his flame, which is his passion and love for life and people. He is currently running the 3000 Flames project, which is about meeting as many people as possible in a span of a year, and having these meaningful interactions whether it's in the elevator, grocery store, or across the world through virtual platforms. In this episode, he shares his story of being an ex-Amazon manager to reconnecting with himself and his emotions at a men’s retreat. Oh, and also how he once traded a bottle of baby lotion for a Booster Juice at an airport. I hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation.
Highlights & Takeaways- “Why wait ‘till I got all the money in the world, or I'm more established in a career or a job? Why not just go now? I have a car. I have friends who are down to go and I have my adventurous mindset that I will go anywhere.”
- Mohsen would remember a lot of days where he would through the hallway and he would be feeling sad or angry. But when someone said hi to him, he would always smile because he didn’t want people to see me sad. He was scared to show them that side. What if they don't like me? What if they don't want to connect anymore?
- Why Mohsen left his high-paying Amazon job to find inner peace
- His experience of staring another man in the eye, while putting a hand on his own heart and the other person’s heart.
- How he was able to trade a bottle of baby lotion for Booster Juice
- “Do things that allow for a more authentic, genuine, effortless expression of yourself. And as you step into that, witness more of life, passion, and the ignited flame that arises within you, like it did to me.”
______
Enjoyed this episode? Share it with a friend and make sure to follow Excuses to Connect on Facebook and Instagram.
Music by Meghan Rennie - Instagram / Soundcloud
Website: excusestoconnect.com
Watch my TEDx Talk: “How to Find Excuses to Connect”
Email: [email protected]
Leave a Voice Message: https://www.speakpipe.com/excusestoconnect
Support Me: Buy Me A Coffee
03/09/22 • 47 min
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FAQ
How many episodes does Excuses to Connect have?
Excuses to Connect currently has 47 episodes available.
What topics does Excuses to Connect cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Self-Improvement and Education.
What is the most popular episode on Excuses to Connect?
The episode title '43: Livestreaming on Twitch to Create Community with Brady Simpson' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Excuses to Connect?
The average episode length on Excuses to Connect is 41 minutes.
How often are episodes of Excuses to Connect released?
Episodes of Excuses to Connect are typically released every 7 days, 1 hour.
When was the first episode of Excuses to Connect?
The first episode of Excuses to Connect was released on May 23, 2021.
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