The People Teaching People Podcast Tiana Fech

In this episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, we are joined by Noreen Music, an extraordinary speaker, the author of The Unexpected Entrepreneur, and the owner and driving force behind Organize My Space Calgary. 

Noreen's passion is helping people find lasting freedom in their homes and businesses through her transformational organizing services and productivity strategies. Her mission is to support her clients in removing any barriers or blocks to create a stress-free and calm state of flow in all parts of their lives. Out of this state comes abundance, time freedom, deep satisfaction, and greater success.

 

Listen in as we talk about:

02:13 Has Noreen always been organized? 

03:37 Becoming a professional organizer and an unexpected entrepreneur

08:57 Teaching and learning as a professional organizer

12:15 Noreen’s top productivity tips

19:39 "Where do I even start?" when it comes to organization

23:36 The “why” for being more productive and organized 

29:03 Lessons learned through writing a book 

32:34 How to teach kids to be more organized

35:23 Noreen’s favourite home organization products 

38:46 Noreen’s favourite teacher

41:58 What Noreen is most proud of

43:35 Noreen answers some rapid-fire questions

46:48 Noreen’s words of wisdom

 

Connect with Noreen:



Website: https://organizemyspacecalgary.com/

Instagram: @organizemyspacecalgary

Facebook: @organizemyspacecalgary 

LinkedIn:



Noreen Music

Organize My Space Calgary





Book: The Unexpected Entrepreneur: Now You’re Here, Making a Difference While Making a Living



 

Connect with Tiana:



Website: https://tianafech.com

LinkedIn: Tiana Fech

Instagram: @tianafech 

Facebook: @tianafech 

Book: Online Course Creation 101: A step-by-step guide to creating your first online course 



Today’s episode is produced by VOLT Productions, a full-service podcast production agency helping creators and entrepreneurs launch, grow and monetize their shows. You can learn more about the agency’s founder Simona, their work and their team by going to www.voltproductions.co. 

 



NOREEN’S TOP PRODUCTIVITY TIPS

“Productivity isn’t necessarily about doing more but about doing more of the right things at the right time in the right way.”

Noreen emphasizes the significance of managing one's email effectively, describing it as a top productivity tip. She likens the electronic email inbox to the old-fashioned paper inboxes, where physical mail required immediate sorting and action. By treating emails in the same manner—deciding quickly whether to respond, delegate, file, or discard—she argues that individuals can drastically reduce the clutter and inefficiency that typically bogs down their workflow. Noreen notes that this approach is crucial across all levels of professional life, where emails tend to pile up and create a drag on productivity, wasting significant amounts of time each day.

Further, Noreen discusses how the overwhelming volume of emails is a common challenge, yet not a badge of honor. She stresses the importance of maintaining a manageable inbox not only for personal organization but also for maintaining one's credibility and efficiency in the workplace. According to her, effectively managing one's email can have a ripple effect, improving overall productivity and professional standing.

 



“WHERE DO I EVEN START?” WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANIZATION

“Contrary to popular belief, being organized is not a personality trait and not being organized is not a personality trait.”

Noreen discusses the common challenge of feeling overwhelmed when beginning to organize, emphasizing the importance of starting small. She advises choosing the area that causes daily frustration,

In this episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, we are joined by Meg Wilcox. 

Meg loves a great story. Her earliest audio memories are from when she was only 4 or 5 years old, listening to CBC Radio in her dad's art studio. While he painted big sweeping landscapes, she would divide her page into frames to make her own comic strip-like stories -- one frame just wasn't enough!

In hindsight, it probably isn't too surprising that Meg ended up a journalist. She spent many years travelling the country as a radio host, producer and reporter with the CBC, CKUA, and the Banff Centre. Now, she teaches audio storytelling, podcasting, and media freelance in the Journalism and Digital Media program at Mount Royal University in Calgary. She is also co-director of the Community Podcast Initiative -- a place to encourage and explore storytelling and community connection while amplifying and supporting voices that are under-represented and misrepresented in traditional media.

Meg is an award-winning podcaster, and in 2020 she was one of Avenue Magazine's Top 40 under 40. Her first book is called The New Journalist's Guide to Freelancing, and it's out now via Broadview Press.

 

Listen in as we talk about:

3:51 Meg’s journey in becoming a journalist

8:49 Key learning experiences as a journalist

11:05 The importance of being curious

14:17 Creating a safe space for learning

15:54 Developing and teaching a podcasting course

21:19 Meg’s PhD studies with the University of Glasgow

26:22 Meg’s collaboration with Inside Out Theatre

29:44 The role of podcasting in education now and in the future

38:17 Indigenous voices, knowledge, and expertise in podcasting 

46:10 The Community Podcast Initiative

49:42 Meg’s book: The New Journalist’s Guide to Freelancing

55:28 Meg’s words of wisdom 

 

Connect with Meg:



Websites: 



Meg Wilcox: http://www.megwilcox.com/

The Community Podcast Initiative: https://thepodcaststudio.ca/





Instagram:



@meghw

@communitypodyyc





Twitter: @meghw

Book: The New Journalist’s Guide to Freelancing: Building Your Career in the New Media Landscape 

Podcast: Community Podcast Initiative (CPI) Podcast



 

Connect with Tiana:



Website: https://tianafech.com

LinkedIn: Tiana Fech

Instagram: @tianafech 

Facebook: @tianafech 

Book: Online Course Creation 101: A step-by-step guide to creating your first online course 



Today’s episode is produced by VOLT Productions, a full-service podcast production agency helping creators and entrepreneurs launch, grow and monetize their shows. You can learn more about the agency’s founder Simona, their work and their team by going to www.voltproductions.co. 

 

KEY LEARNING EXPERIENCES AS A JOURNALIST

“Journalists have to be curious. Without curiosity and wanting to look at things from other people’s points of view, you can’t translate that to an audience.”

Meg emphasizes the paramount importance of expertise, facts, and context within the realms of journalism, particularly in an era burgeoning with misinformation and disinformation. She highlights the shift in journalism towards acknowledging not just academic experts but also individuals with lived experiences, underlining the richness this diversity brings to understanding stories. Engaging with a broad spectrum of experts, Meg underscores the continuous learning and enriching encounters that journalism facilitates as well as the expertise required in crafting informed narratives.

Furthermore, Meg reflects on the unique allure of live radio broadcasts, stressing the irreplaceable experience of real-time conversations and the organic, compelling nature of such interactions. She underscores the significance of collaboration and the human element i...

In this episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, we are joined by Tim Truax, a geologist and CEO of PodSummit, a Canadian company focusing on podcast events. 

Tim discusses the inception of PodSummit and its aim to bring together the Canadian podcast community for collaboration and learning. The podcast touches on the importance of curiosity, continuous learning, and balancing various life roles, including being a parent, professional, and entrepreneur. Tim highlights the significance of storytelling in podcasting, his listening habits, and the mentors who've influenced his journey.

Tim is a career Geologist and has been working in the oil & gas industry for over 15 years. He is a family man with a wonderfully supportive wife and two beautiful kids. As part of a journey to get more out of his passion for podcasting, Tim recently became the CEO at PodSummit, a new Canadian company that is focused on delivering unparalleled podcast events in Canada. PodSummit will launch their first event on September 20-21, 2024 with PodSummit YYC, hosted in Calgary, Alberta. This event will bring together the entire Canadian podcast community & industry to celebrate the art of storytelling and to create a collaborative focal point where podcast communities and industry can come together to exchange ideas, interact, and learn from one another.

 

Listen in as we talk about:

03:13 Tim’s journey in becoming a geologist

07:48 Tim’s podcast: The Nerd Room Podcast

11:40 The unexpected personal benefits and joys of podcasting

17:12 The story behind PodSummit

23:37 What to expect from the PodSummit experience

29:17 The mindset of ‘success and learning’ versus ‘success and failure’

31:04 The pillars of connection, collaboration, and creation

35:46 Juggling all the hats - husband, dad, geologist, podcast host, and entrepreneur 

40:47 Teaching and learning in podcasting

46:17 Tim’s favorite teachers

49:17 What Tim is most proud of 

54:46 Tim’s words of wisdom 

 

Connect with Tim:



Website: https://www.podsummit.com/

Instagram:



@podsummit 

@thenerdrm 





Facebook: @PodSummit

Podcasts: 



The Podcast Experience

The Nerd Room Podcast







Connect with Tiana:



Website: https://tianafech.com

LinkedIn: Tiana Fech

Instagram: @tianafech 

Facebook: @tianafech 

Book: Online Course Creation 101: A step-by-step guide to creating your first online course 



Today’s episode is produced by VOLT Productions, a full-service podcast production agency helping creators and entrepreneurs launch, grow and monetize their shows. You can learn more about the agency’s founder Simona, their work and their team by going to www.voltproductions.co. 

 

THE UNEXPECTED PERSONAL BENEFITS AND JOYS OF PODCASTING

Tim stresses the importance of parents, especially those with young children, maintaining their personal interests and identities beyond their roles as mothers or fathers. He shares his own experience, describing how easy it is to lose oneself in the all-consuming nature of parenting, emphasizing how it led him to a period of self-discovery once his children reached a certain age. He reflects on the significance of remembering who you were before children and highlights how engaging in personal hobbies, like podcasting, has aided in rediscovering his identity beyond just being a husband and father. This rediscovery is crucial for personal fulfillment and maintaining a sense of self amidst the busyness of parental life.

Moreover, Tim touches upon the impact of parents embracing their individual passions on their children. He discusses creating a space for his own interests, like a room filled with nostalgic collectibles, which serves as an example for his children to find and embrace what they love.

In this episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, we are joined by Lusiana Lukman and Wanda Bussiere, co-directors of the Classical Music Conservatory (CMC) in Toronto. They share their individual journeys in music and education, and how these paths led them to create a nurturing and supportive music community.

Lusiana, originally from Jakarta and a third-generation teacher, delves into her early musical experiences and the establishment of CMC during her graduate studies. Wanda, transitioning from a career as a nurse in cardiology, discusses her passion for music and how it led her to partner with Lusiana in expanding the conservatory. Together, they talk about the evolution of CMC and its role in fostering a sense of community, support, and musical growth among students, parents, and teachers.

They also reflect on the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of adaptability, and the continued significance of music as a source of healing and connection. The discussion extends to the transformative impact of music education on personal growth, confidence, and emotional well-being, coupled with their advice for aspiring musicians and educators.

Lusiana and Wanda, both integral to the Toronto Roncesvalles neighbourhood, have cultivated a space where music education thrives alongside community spirit. Their work exemplifies the power of music to connect, teach, and inspire, reinforcing the importance of personalized teaching and community engagement in the arts.

 

Listen in as we talk about:

3:15 The role music has played in Lusiana and Wanda’s lives and the story of CMC

8:55 What CMC looks like today

12:49 The importance of music and how music enriches our lives

19:07 Supporting each student with their personal musical learning journey

24:27 The value of music lessons vs. learning from YouTube 

28:38 How music has played a role in Lusiana and Wanda’s families

32:07 Key considerations when looking for a music teacher and music lessons

36:22 Why there isn’t one perfect age for children to start music lessons

40:39 Lusiana and Wanda talk about their favourite teachers

43:37 What Lusiana and Wanda are most proud of

46:18 Lusiana and Wanda answer some rapid-fire questions

 

Connect with Juliane:



Website: https://www.cmccanada.com

Instagram: @cmccanada97

Facebook: @cmccanada97



 

Connect with Tiana:



Website: https://tianafech.com

LinkedIn: Tiana Fech

Instagram: @tianafech 

Facebook: @tianafech 

Book: Online Course Creation 101: A step-by-step guide to creating your first online course 



Today’s episode is produced by VOLT Productions, a full-service podcast production agency helping creators and entrepreneurs launch, grow and monetize their shows. You can learn more about the agency’s founder Simona, their work and their team by going to www.voltproductions.co. 

 



HOW MUSIC ENRICHES OUR LIVES

In discussing the profound impact of music, Wanda and Lusiana highlight the multifaceted ways in which music enriches lives. They emphasize music's intrinsic value in today's society, particularly noting its power to heal and provide solace in times of widespread anxiety and depression, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. They recall personal experiences, such as turning to the piano to navigate teenage emotions, to illustrate how music serves as a powerful outlet for expressing feelings and fostering emotional and spiritual well-being. Moreover, they stress that music acts as a universal language, transcending words and connecting individuals across various dimensions of humanity.

Both Lusiana and Wanda delve into the educational benefits of music, pointing out its role in enhancing self-confidence, discipline, cognitive development, and memory,

In this episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, Juliane Gallant shares her journey from starting as a pianist to her current role as a conductor. She talks about the significance of music and the role of a conductor in an orchestra, explaining how music can unite people and provoke powerful connections. 

She highlights her work in education and her enthusiasm for community outreach programs including interactive opera workshops and concerts. Julianne expresses her commitment to fostering equality on the podium by broadening the scope of what leadership is. She also talks about the power of being open to new opportunities.

New Brunswick-born Juliane Gallant is the Resident Conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. She is one of two conductors chosen for the inaugural cohort of the Tapestry Opera Women in Musical Leadership Fellowship. Since relocating to Canada during the pandemic after a decade in the UK, she has appeared as a guest conductor with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Kingston Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, and Symphony New Brunswick.

A passionate collaborator, Juliane first trained as a pianist and vocal coach and began her conducting career in opera. She has led productions throughout the UK for a number of companies. She made her Royal Opera House conducting debut in 2021 in collaboration with Pegasus Opera. 

A strong believer in music as a vehicle for joy and human connection, a large component of Juliane's portfolio career in the UK was in the community outreach and education sectors. She led interactive opera workshops in schools in underserved London boroughs, with communities of refugees, and with people living with physical and mental disabilities. She has also extensively worked with Lost Chord, a charity that brings live music to people living with dementia.

 

Listen in as we talk about:

4:32 Starting a journey in music

7:08 Shifting from musician to conductor

11:40 Being a conductor and resident conductor

16:05 Challenges and observations as a female conductor

21:00 People-centered leadership

26:43 The profound impact of music 

28:41 Education and community outreach as a conductor

32:28 The current relevance of symphonic concerts

36:16 Music's capacity to unite, move and challenge people

40:57 Juliane’s favorite teacher and favorite learning experience

43:33 Something that Juliane is most proud of

45:02 Juliane answers some rapid-fire questions

 

Connect with Juliane:



Websites:



https://www.julianegallant.com

https://calgaryphil.com





Instagram:



@julianegallant

@calgaryphil 





Facebook:



@julianegallant

@calgaryphil 





Twitter:



@JulianeGallant

@CalgaryPhil





TikTok: @calgaryphil 

LinkedIn: Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra 



 

Connect with Tiana:



Website: https://tianafech.com

LinkedIn: Tiana Fech

Instagram: @tianafech 

Facebook: @tianafech 

Book: Online Course Creation 101: A step-by-step guide to creating your first online course 



Today’s episode is produced by VOLT Productions, a full-service podcast production agency helping creators and entrepreneurs launch, grow and monetize their shows. You can learn more about the agency’s founder Simona, their work and their team by going to www.voltproductions.co. 

 

 

BEING A CONDUCTOR

Juliane shares insights into the multifaceted role of a conductor, emphasizing that it extends far beyond merely keeping time or waving arms. She clarifies that her primary responsibility is ensuring that the orchestra starts together, navigating tempo variations and guiding the musicians through the emotional and dynamic nuances of the music.

In this special episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, we celebrate a significant milestone—four years of podcasting—by welcoming two extraordinary guests, my parents, Susan and Brian Plesuk.

Initially hesitant, with my mom doubting what insight she could possibly contribute and my dad concerned about memorizing lines, they eventually agreed to be on my podcast! I am grateful to my mom and dad not only for being exceptional parents but also for being lifelong teachers of kindness, generosity, community engagement, and the importance of nurturing relationships. These qualities have made them role models and my favourite educators outside of a traditional classroom setting, even though I might not have always seen it that way, especially during my teenage years.

My mom, a retired social worker with an impressive career dedicated to domestic violence issues and community service, and my dad, with a background in community development and public relations, have led lives focused on making a difference. My mom’s work has included various roles at the YWCA and consultancy for the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, alongside volunteering efforts that support causes like the Stephen Lewis Foundation. My dad, after a career in community development and public relations, including significant contributions to the oil and gas industry, now enjoys retirement by travelling, volunteering, and spending time with family. 

Their stories and wisdom are not only a reflection of their professional achievements but also of their personal commitment to family and community, making them the perfect guests for my podcast's celebration of four years of storytelling and learning.

 

Listen in as we talk about:

[6:19] Pivotal moments and influences that led my parents to their respective careers

[10:25] The motivation for and the impact of pursuing a university education 

[12:02] The importance of mentorship

[16:49] Key insights learned from parenthood and grandparenthood 

[20:00] Core values and life lessons to pass on to children and grandchildren

[23:53] The challenges and joys of retirement

[29:50] Staying curious and always learning

[32:33] My parents’ favourite teachers

[35:14] What my parents are most proud of

[40:35] My parents answer some rapid-fire questions

[45:17] Words of wisdom from my mom and dad

 

Connect with My Mom - Susan Plesuk:





Instagram: @susanplesuk 





Facebook: @susan.plesuk 

LinkedIn: Susan Plesuk 





 

Connect with Tiana:



Website: https://tianafech.com

LinkedIn: Tiana Fech

Instagram: @tianafech 

Facebook: @tianafech 

Book: Online Course Creation 101: A step-by-step guide to creating your first online course 



 

THEIR MOTIVATION FOR AND THE IMPACT OF PURSUING UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

When my mom embarked on her university journey, she initially enrolled in sciences due to a late application before discovering her passion for recreation and therapeutic recreation through a high school acquaintance. This pivot was driven by her realization that higher education was crucial for her aspiration to work with people, highlighting a desire for personal and professional growth. My dad’s path to university was shaped by a divergence from family tradition. He was the first in his extended family to attend university. With his family rooted in trades like plumbing and welding, my dad lacked those skills and saw academia as his only alternative. 

 



THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORSHIP

“There are people out there who can teach us things and touch our lives regardless of their age, social status or education. Being open to that is really, really important.” - Brian Plesuk

My mom's journey into mentorship stemmed from her supervisory role within an organization dealing with domesti...