The WorkNotWork Show
I Can't Believe I Get Paid for Doing This
About the show
Have you ever met someone who seemed to have the dream job? Ever wonder how they managed to get it? Has it turned out the way they had planned? The WorkNotWork Show tracks down people with interesting jobs which in many cases started with a lifelong passion for the subject which they have managed to make into their career. Each episode, we talk to one person who is 'living the dream'.
The WorkNotWork Show on social media
Episodes
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Glenn Street: Top Dog
June 30th, 2019 | 1 hr 5 mins
entrepreneurship, mascots, sports, sports marketing
An in-depth conversation with the premier purveyor of sports and corporate mascots.
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Don Tse: Beer Writer
January 31st, 2019 | 1 hr 1 min
beer, career, entrepreneurship, writing
Even as he practiced law at a prestigious firm in Calgary, Alberta Don Tse knew that he didn’t have the control over his life for which he yearned. He also realized he was doing something which, for him, no longer had the lustre it once did. He then did something unthinkable and began the second act of his life: Don Tse walked away from the law so he could pursue his passion for beer which, at last count, he had tasted 20,812 different kinds. He can seemingly recite the characteristics of each of them from memory. But there’s so much more to Don’s story than his encyclopedic knowledge of beer and the stories he tells about it.
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Emily Hicks: President and Co-Founder, FREDsense
December 4th, 2018 | 44 mins
biotech, genetic engineering, life science, water quality, water testing
Emily Hicks is President and Co-Founder of FREDsense, a Calgary, Canada based biotechnology startup focused on the measurement of water quality. Emily Hicks is a passionate scientist and entrepreneur. In our wide ranging interview, she not only eloquently explains the FREDsense technology in terms we can all understand but also the pleasures and pitfalls of the entrepreneurial life. It's a candid discussion for which the answer to at least some of the questions will come as a surprise to our listeners.
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Carol Pilon: Wingwalker
March 31st, 2018 | 58 mins 17 secs
adventure, aviation, careers, dream job, interview, wingwalking
Imagine climbing up and out of the cockpit of a Stearman biplane into the hurricane propwash. You then climb up and onto the top wing, secured only by a small metal frame. Then imagine that once you're there, the experience is so transformative you decide then and there that's what you want to do for the rest of your life. Unlikely? Well, it's just the beginning of the story of Carol Pilon's life.
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Dr. Eve Crane: Pathologist
December 14th, 2017 | 1 hr 2 mins
careers, pathology
When Dr. Eve Crane was just five years old, her father became gravely ill with what was eventually diagnosed as an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis. It eventually rendered him a quadriplegic and tragically led to his early passing. It was during this period Eve made up her mind that she was going to grow up and dedicate her life to finding a cure for her father’s illness. Hear her tell her amazing story.
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Sean Loutitt: Aviator
August 30th, 2017 | 1 hr 4 mins
adventure, amundsen-scott, antarctic, arctic, aviation, borek, exploration, south pole
Sean Loutitt was the chief pilot of the first and second rescue flights to the South Pole in the middle of the Antarctic winter. It was a feat which had never been accomplished previously and was urgently required to save the lives of desperately ill members of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole staff. Sean tells this and other stories of a life flying at high latitudes and low temperatures on episode 013 of The WorkNotWork Show.
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Sebastian Sztabzyb: Co-Founder, Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters
August 16th, 2017 | 1 hr 19 mins
cafe, coffee, coffee roasting, dream job, entrepreneur, espresso
Love coffee? Love hanging out in your local coffee joint? Ever thought of starting your own? Or just interested in a great story? In any of these cases you will not want to miss this ride through the life of our guest, Sebastian Sztabzyb on episode 12 of The WorkNotWork Show.
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Gary Burns: Storyteller | Filmmaker | Educator
July 6th, 2017 | 50 mins 40 secs
dream job, educator, filmmaker, storyteller
Our guest on this, our eleventh episode, is Calgary, Canada-based storyteller, filmmaker and educator Gary Burns. We talk with Gary about his films in the context of his strong opinions about urban planning, the built environment and modern society.
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Paul Brodie: Fabricator | Artist | Educator
June 6th, 2017 | 59 mins 40 secs
artist, brodie bikes, educator, fabricator, mountain bike, paul brodie
Our next guest on our tenth episode is the legendary Paul Brodie of Brodie Bikes and more recently Flashback Fabrications. We sat down with Paul an extended discussion at his shop in Langley, British Columbia.
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Rob 'Scratch' Mitchell: Aviator | Actor | Producer/Director
April 11th, 2017 | 58 mins 36 secs
airforce, aviation, interview, pilot, rcaf, snowbirds
Rob 'Scratch' Mitchell was born into a flying family, and would go on to become a third generation fighter pilot. He would also go on to become a CF-18 demonstrator pilot and did two tours with the Canadian Snowbirds precision aerobatic team. But that wasn't all: after 20 years in the Royal Canadian Airforce, Scratch Mitchell gave it up for a career in acting, producing and directing for television and movies.
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Tamir Moscovici: Filmmaker
March 8th, 2017 | 1 hr 1 min
dream job, filmmaker, interview, podcast, worknotwork
Tamir Moscovici is one of the premier filmmakers working today. He has a signature, highly sought-after visual style that is instantly identifiable in his work. Starting in 1995, he has worked his way through virtually every aspect of his art which includes music videos, commercials, longer form branded content and documentary films.
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Dr. Sean Morrison: Stem Cell Researcher
February 3rd, 2017 | 54 mins 20 secs
interview, medicine, research, science, stem cells
Dr. Sean Morrison is the Director of the Children's Medical Research Institute of Dallas, Texas. In this role, he is on the leading edge of the fight against cancer using stem cells. The Institute looks for breakthroughs that change scientific fields and yield new strategies for treating disease and is also a leader in tightly integrating scientific research with clinical work with patients.
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Wayne Thomas Yorke: Actor
January 19th, 2017 | 1 hr 17 mins
actor, dream job, interview, podcast, worknotwork
You may know him as Ned, The Orkin Man, but that’s just the beginning and only a small part of the story. Wayne Thomas Yorke is a veteran of movies and the stage, a star of hit television series and has appeared in over 150 TV commercials. Most of all, Wayne's story is a story of following his dreams to Hollywood and making it.
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Philip Raby: Automotive Writer
December 29th, 2016 | 1 hr 4 mins
automotive, magazine, porsche, writing
Philip Raby lives a life every Porsche enthusiast will envy. He is currently proprietor of Philip Raby Porsche, a boutique pre-owned Porsche dealership in Chichester, England. He is also a columnist for GT Porsche magazine, former co-founder of Total 911 magazine and author of newly-released book ‘Save Your Life’ which provides his formula for work/leisure balance.
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Dr. Robert Thirsk: Astronaut | Engineer | Physician | University Chancellor
November 29th, 2016 | 1 hr 49 mins
astronauts, environment, nasa, science, space
Dr. Robert Thirsk is a veteran of two epic spaceflights: Space Shuttle STS-78 in 1996 and as a member of Expedition 20/21 to the International Space Station in 2009. Dr. Thirsk is also an engineer, a doctor and now Chancellor of the University of Calgary. He has already lived a life many of us can only imagine.
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Dave Thomas, Publisher Emeritus, The Pragmatic Bookshelf (Part 3)
September 30th, 2016 | 36 mins 32 secs
agile software development with rails, andy hunt, c#, dallas texas, dave thomas, elixir, imperial college, interview, java, pragmatic bookshelf, programming ruby, southern methodist university, unit testing, us citizenship, version control
A software icon reflects on his career to date and what's next. Part three of a three part, in-depth interview.