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Season 2 Episode # 10 – Giving 100%
In this captivating season finale episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast, host Dustin McIntyre interviews former star goalkeeper for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack men’s soccer team, Jackson Gardner. Now playing professionally for the Glenorchy Knights in Australia’s National Premier Leagues, Jackson details his journey from Kamloops, British Columbia to the island state of Tasmania. Jackson fondly remembers key moments from his time with the Wolfpack, including winning the 2022 USPORTS Men’s Soccer Championship. Jackson credits his coaches and teammates at TRU for helping him develop the physical and mental skills to succeed professionally. He describes the differences between college and pro soccer. Jackson encourages current student-athletes to pursue opportunities outside their comfort zone and appreciates the lasting relationships built during his time at TRU. This episode is a must-listen for any soccer fan
Season 2 Episode # 9 – The Power of Data
In this episode of the TRU Alumni podcast, we are excited to welcome Rashmit Singh Sukhmani (MBA ’15), the founder of SatSure, a cutting-edge technology company that is revolutionizing the way we use data in agriculture. Rashmit shares his journey as a TRU alumnus, from his time studying for his MBA to his work for NASA and the European Space Agency. He also discusses the work of SatSure and how they are helping farmers across the globe make better decisions by leveraging satellite data and AI. Join us for a fascinating conversation with one of our own alumni who is changing the world.
Season 2 Episode # 8 – Amplifying the Way
In this episode, we talk with Aleece Laird (BBA ’98), CEO of Amplify Consulting Inc., about her journey of entrepreneurship, community involvement, and balancing multiple commitments. During the interview, Aleece shares her journey of starting Amplify Consulting, her passion for community involvement, and how her time as a student at TRU helped her develop the skills needed to juggle multiple commitments. Join us as we gain insight into Aleece’s experiences as a TRU alum and her motivations for starting the Amplifriday initiative.
Season 2 Episode # 7 – At-bat for TRU to Grand Slams at Blackrock
On this week’s episode of the podcast, we are joined by Alex Condon (BA ’12), a TRU valedictorian who has achieved success in the fields of baseball, law, and Wall Street. Alex shares his journey of how his time at TRU and playing for the WolfPack baseball team helped him pursue his dream of going to law school, and ultimately led him to his current position in New York City. Tune in to discover the key role that TRU played in Alex’s inspiring career path.
Season 2 Episode # 6 – From Student to Teacher
In this episode of our podcast, we dive into the exciting world of tourism, entrepreneurship and innovation with David Carter (BTM ’06). Join us as we explore Thompson Rivers University’s new Tourism Innovation Lab and how its development came about during the pandemic. We’ll hear about some of the incredible ideas pitched by TRU students, such as Jada’s fossil bed tour and Steffen’s guided mountain biking tour, that were brought to life through the Lab. We’ll also discover more about the innovative concepts currently being developed by Tourism Management students. Don’t miss out on this week’s captivating episode!
Season 2 Episode # 5 – Premier of the North
Join us for our discussion with the Premier of the Northwest Territories, Caroline Cochrane. Caroline graduated from TRU receiving her Bachelor of Social Work in 1999. As the 13th Premier of the Northwest Territories, Caroline is only the second woman to hold her position and one of three currently serving female Premiers in Canada. In this episode we cover Caroline’s TRU experience, her journey to becoming the Premier, advice for new graduates and some top recommendations of things to do and see when visiting the Northwest Territories.
Season 2 Episode # 4 – Curling, Wildfire and WolfPack
On this week’s episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast, we welcome Corryn Brown to the show. Corryn is a TRU graduate with distinction, having earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree while also making her mark on the TRU WolfPack curling team. Not content to limit herself to university play, Corryn continued to compete at a high level on another team during her time as a student.
Join us as we sit down with Corryn to hear all about her incredible achievements, memorable moments, and the thriving curling community in Kamloops.
Season 2 Episode # 3 – Ohm to Homes
This week’s podcast episode features Cailan Libby. Cailan graduated from TRU in 2010 as a Red Seal electrician. Following his time at TRU he went on to complete a degree in electrical engineering at UBC before founding his business, Happipad, in 2018. Happipad was started to help combat the housing crisis and create more sustainable communities across the country.
Interested in learning more about Cailan and Happipad? Tune in to the TRU Alumni podcast on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts.
Season 2 Episode # 2 – Your TikTok Trauma Counsellor
From TRU to Tik Tok star. Cecile Tucker graduated from TRU with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2015. She then went to complete her Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology and is now a registered counsellor and supervisor at WellMind Counselling in Kamloops. You can find Cecile on TikTok using her platform to educate over 190,000 followers on counselling and how to help heal trauma.
Season 2 Episode # 1 – Arctic Freeze to Old Growth Trees
Have a passion for adventure? Join us for our chat with TRU Alumni, Mark Brophy. Guiding in the arctic, horseback riding in Mongolia, and teaching, ranching and ski guiding in Japan only begin to scratch the surface of Mark’s story. Having graduated with an Adventure Guide Diploma from Thompson Rivers University, Mark currently holds the title of mentor and lead guide at Clayoquat Wilderness Lodge on Vancouver Island.
Season 1 Episode # 10 – Kamloops to NASA, ft. Dr. Bruce Damer
Dr. Bruce Damer (Distinguished Alumnus) is a leading scientist who is asking the question ‘how did life begin?’ He joins Dustin as they dig deeper into Dr. Damer’s research into the question of the beginning of life, as well as his other research and projects.
Season 1 Episode # 9 – An Authors Journey, ft. Maureen Brownlee
An author’s journey, interview with Maureen Brownlee (BCOU). Dustin chats with the author of “Cambium Blue”, and discusses her path from small-town newspaper owner to acclaimed novelist.
***Preamble is a speech written by Maureen Brownlee and delivered at the Cambium Blue book reading at TRU on April 8, 2022. Read by Heather Wisla (TESL ’15).
Season 1 Episode # 8 – Branding Building, ft. Manoj Jasra
Manoj Jasra (CSOM ’02) is the Executive VP Marketing with Northland Properties, the force behind Sandman hotels, Denny’s, Dallas Stars, Revelstoke Mtn, and more. He joins Dustin as they talk about the ins and outs of marketing in the hospitality industry post-COVID and the future looks bright!
Season 1 Episode # 7 – Basecamp to the North, ft. Colin Carson
Colin Carson (BBA ’14) joins Dustin on this week’s episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast. CEO of Tourism Prince George breaks down for us the challenges of tourism during COVID and how his organization had to keep pivoting to not only support his community but keep tourism operations going. The future is bright for Tourism PG focusing on indigenous partnerships and sustainable tourism.
*The contest mentioned in this episode is now closed*
Season 1 Episode # 6 – Climbing on Wheels, ft. Sebastian Carrasco
Sebastian Carrasco (DipADV ’05) joins Dustin on this week’s episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast. Hailing from Ecuador, Seb lets us into his journey of hand biking up some of the highest mountains in the world, including Mt. Kilimanjaro and most recently a volcano in Ecuador, in which he paraglided off the top!
Resources
Watch Libre Documentary (password: cayambe)
Season 1 Episode # 5 – Demystifying Death, ft. Emily Bootle
Emily Bootle (BA ’14) joins Dustin on this week’s episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast. As a funeral director and embalmer in BC, Emily specializing in navigating the death system and helping families advocate for them and their loved one. She is passionate, caring, and empowering, just the person to help demystify death and explain what dying in BC could look like in the future.
Season 1 Episode # 4 – From Sugar Rush to CEO, ft. Max Rivest
Max Rivest (BTM ’10) joins Dustin on this week’s episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast. Co-founder and CEO of Wize Tea, Max lets us know the ins and outs of starting a brand new product, one that aims to compete with sugary drinks in a saturated market, but is also ethical and sustainable. From his time on campus to getting the product stocked in major super markets every step was integral to the success of Wize Tea.
*The contest mentioned in the episode is now closed*
Season 1 Episode # 3 – Future of Food, ft. Claire McLoughlin
Claire McLoughlin (MEEM ’22) joins Dustin on this week’s episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast. Claire explains the intersection of her scholastic journey into food security as part of her master’s thesis and her entrepreneurial start-up. Claire is the co-founder of Friendly Composting in Kamloops, BC. A door-to-door composting company, that also delivers farmer’s market goods. She brings a thoughtful insight into the difficulties facing modern day food security.
Season 1 Episode # 2 – A Ukrainian-Canadian speaks on the war, ft. Andrew Skapenko
Andrew Skapenko (PDHR ’14) joins Dustin on this week’s episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast. Originally from Ukraine, Andrew talks about the war in Ukraine and shares ways how one can help Ukraine from aboard.
Season 1 Episode # 1 – Olympic Champ, ft. Greg Stewart
Greg Stewart (BBA ’12) joins Dustin on this week’s episode of the TRU Alumni Podcast. He talks about his journey that started with basketball at TRU eventually leading him to Paralympic gold in shotput the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Greg’s sense of humour and pride in his school and city shine throughout the episode.