YouPotential

Shaun Maslyk

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YouPotential explores what it truly means to live a life well lived — through the lens of psychology, money, and meaning. Hosted by Shaun Maslyk—Certified Financial Planner®, Financial Behaviour Specialist®, and Positive Psychology Practitioner—the podcast delivers science-backed insights, candid conversations, and real stories that help people live with more intention.

5 DAYS AGO

The Money Story You Inherited (And Can't Shake) | Melissa Leong

The Money Story You Inherited (And Can't Shake) | Melissa Leong Her six-year-old whispered it in the dark: "Mommy, I think there's something wrong with me." He didn't love his old stuffies anymore. This episode will change how you think about every dollar you spend — and every dollar you don't. EPISODE SUMMARY Melissa Leong is one of Canada's most respected voices at the intersection of money and psychology. A journalist, speaker, and author of Happy Go Money, she's spent years unpacking why smart people make irrational financial decisions — and she starts with herself. In this conversation, Melissa opens up about her inherited scarcity mindset — rooted in her Chinese-Canadian family's history of war, immigration, and a 70-year-old restaurant in Winnipeg's Chinatown. Her grandfather helped build that community and quietly funded a pagoda in one of Winnipeg's biggest parks. Her mother taught her that money was scarce, that you worked for every dollar, and that the expensive toilet paper was not for your family. These stories didn't stay in the past. They followed Melissa into adulthood, into her marriage, and into how she eats breakfast (leftover toast crusts, if you're wondering). But the heart of this conversation isn't about scarcity. It's about the pause. Melissa makes a case that our spending is often not a budgeting failure — it's a neurological response to a system designed to hijack our reward systems. Dopamine doesn't reward having, it rewards seeking. One-click buy, frictionless spending, personalized ads that never sleep. And in the middle of all this, a six-year-old kid is already feeling the pull of hedonic adaptation — he just doesn't have words for it yet. Shaun and Melissa explore how couples with opposite money stories can stay connected (her husband's abundance mindset vs. her scarcity lens), what it means to feel "enough" in a world that profits from your dissatisfaction, and why the happiest time of her life involved cockroaches, five dollars, and dollar dumplings in a basement apartment in Taiwan. This is one of those episodes that sneaks past your defenses and sits with you for days. KEY TOPICS COVERED Hedonic Adaptation in Real Time: How a six-year-old's stuffie confession reveals what's happening to all of usThe Dopamine Trap: Why spending isn't a willpower problem — it's a neurological oneInherited Money Stories: How war, immigration, and family restaurants shape financial behavior generations laterThe Grandfather's Legacy: Philanthropy, Chinatown, and what generosity really looks likeCouples and Money Conflict: When scarcity mindset marries abundance mindset — and the ongoing negotiationThe Pause: Why friction in spending is actually a health practiceFinancial Socialization: What your kids learn about money from watching you (not from any course)Enough: What it feels like, why we can't find it, and the meditation of okayness MEMORABLE QUOTES "When I get new stuffies, I don't like my old stuffies anymore." Timestamp: [02:20] "We are swimming in this system that is designed to hijack our reward systems." Timestamp: [03:30] "I don't think that you are being irresponsible. I think you're tired. I think you're overwhelmed. I think you are stressed. I think you're overstimulated." Timestamp: [06:18] "Money is just an accelerant. Money shows you who you are because you use it to navigate this world." Timestamp: [11:08] "Right now, in this exact moment, I am okay." Timestamp: [51:12] "I love you forever. My love is forever, which means wherever I am, and even if I'm not here, you will feel my love." Timestamp: [01:17:01] ABOUT MELISSA LEONG Melissa Leong is a journalist, author, and speaker who has spent her career making money conversations feel human. She's the author of Happy Go Money, a book that bridges personal finance and the science of happiness. A former Financial Post reporter, she's appeared on screens across Canada bringing warmth and wit to a topic most people avoid. But what makes Melissa different isn't her credentials — it's her honesty. She openly talks about eating her kids' leftover toast crusts instead of buying herself breakfast, about the scarcity mindset she inherited from immigrant parents who survived war, and about the ongoing money arguments with her husband that she expects will never fully resolve. She's not teaching from a pedestal. She's teaching from the kitchen table. Melissa grew up in Winnipeg, where her grandfather helped build Chinatown and ran a restaurant for 70 years. She now lives with her husband and two kids (ages 6 and 10), a collection of stuffies in various states of abandonment, and an arcade game with a price tag that may never be fully disclosed. CONNECT WITH MELISSA LEONG Website: melissaleong.comBook: Happy Go Money RESOURCES MENTIONED Happy Go Money by Melissa LeongDaniel Kahneman's research on money and happinessHedonic adaptation researchStudy: Living next to a lottery winner increases bankruptcy risk2020 study: Giving $10K to 200 people — those who spent on others were happierViktor Frankl — "Between stimulus and response there is a space" ABOUT YOUPOTENTIAL YouPotential explores what it means to live a meaningful life — through conversations about money, purpose, relationships, and becoming. Hosted by Shaun Maslyk. "Sometimes it's not the answers we learn from — but the questions."

1h 22m
26 FEB

The Voice You Ignored Has Been Right All Along | Craig Mannix

Craig “Big C” Mannix has spent four decades at the intersection of culture and commerce in the Canadian music industry. From championing the domestic release of Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the 36 Chambers and Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die, to turning Sean Paul into Canada’s per-capita number one territory in the world, Craig has been the person in the room fighting for the music everyone else wanted to ignore. But this conversation goes deeper than career highlights. Craig opens up about what it feels like to be told your culture doesn’t matter—on Day 1, and then repeatedly over 40 years. He talks about the tension between the art he loves and the business that profits from it, and why he believes the industry has traded culture for content and creativity for process. We explore how growing up in Toronto while spending formative years in Antigua gave him the cultural fluency that would later become his superpower. How fatherhood changed his lens on everything—including music. And what led him to co-found ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective, to ensure the next generation doesn’t face the same barriers he did. The episode closes with Craig’s definition of a good life—borrowed from a friend’s simple but devastating observation: go to bed easy, wake up excited. It’s a conversation about what you refuse to compromise when the machine asks you to trade in everything you believe. KEY TOPICS COVERED Fatherhood and Legacy: How becoming a father at an older age reshaped Craig’s priorities and his relationship with golf, music, and time Music vs. Music Culture: The critical distinction between what you hear and the lifestyle, community, and meaning that surrounds it Cultural Roots: How formative years in Antigua and Toronto created a unique lens for navigating the music business Industry Gatekeeping: Being told on Day 1 that Black music wouldn’t succeed in Canada—and proving them wrong with Wu-Tang, Biggie, and Sean Paul The 10% Rule: Why the music industry runs on a 10% success rate for new signings and what that means for patience and vision ADVANCE and Systemic Change: Co-founding Canada’s Black Music Business Collective and changing internship policies across the industry The Culture Erosion: How stripping culture from music turns art into noise—and why the future belongs to bespoke, mid-level companies Hip Hop and Money: The evolution from aspirational to layered—and the financial education gap that still plagues artists MEMORABLE QUOTES "I’m not going to put on skates. I’m not going to play basketball. But I’ll golf with you. And so that’s what we did." 📍 Timestamp: 01:23 "Once you have people handling it that don’t respect the culture around it, it just becomes noise." 📍 Timestamp: 08:41 "We’re selling art here. It’s much more nuanced than that. This is art. It’s living, breathing." 📍 Timestamp: 09:24 "Every successful artist you see right now charting, they had a 3 to 5 year journey to get there. I guarantee it." 📍 Timestamp: 21:13 "My series isn’t canceled." 📍 Timestamp: 01:05:27 ABOUT CRAIG MANNIX Craig “Big C” Mannix is a Toronto-based music industry executive with over 30 years of experience shaping the Canadian music landscape. His career spans Virgin Records, EMI Music, Sony Music, and Universal Music Canada, where he rose to Vice President of Black Music—integrating marketing and A&R to champion Black Canadian artists. Beyond his corporate career, Craig is a founding member of ADVANCE, Canada’s Black Music Business Collective, and co-chairs The Remix Project’s Board of Directors. He sits on the boards of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall and represented Canada on Universal Music Group’s Task Force for Meaningful Change. In 2025, Craig joined the CMRRA as an Industry Relations Consultant for Community Engagement while running Big Consulting, his own firm focused on artist development, marketing, and protecting the culture he’s spent a lifetime championing. He’s a father, a golfer, and a man who wants to go to bed easy and wake up excited. ABOUT YOUPOTENTIAL YouPotential explores what it means to live a meaningful life—through conversations about money, purpose, relationships, and becoming. Hosted by Shaun Dwyer Maslyk. “Sometimes it’s not the answers we learn from—but the questions.”

1h 17m
19 FEB

The $3 Million Rule That Changed How I Think About Enough | John Buckman

John Buckman started with an idealistic vision inspired by Buckminster Fuller — build global conversations that make war impossible. He created Lyris, email software so successful that at its peak, one third of the email on the internet ran through it. But idealism has a shelf life when payroll is due. What began as technology for tracking jelly bean flavor preferences became a tool for political micro-targeting — suppressing paragraphs in newsletters based on a voter's tracked behavior. When John refused to sell to Philip Morris, his sales team learned a simpler lesson: don't ask the boss. And when the White House called asking for 24-hour tech support so they could send an email at 2 a.m. to declare war in Iraq, John knew he'd crossed a line he couldn't uncross. This conversation traces the full arc — from a childhood watching his parents buy a Porsche with a legal settlement while facing bankruptcy, to making $100,000 in shareware donations by age 18, to selling Lyris and creating Magnatune, a fair trade music company with legal provisions so radical his own lawyer resisted. Now in Hong Kong, John builds high-end espresso machines with Decent Espresso, trying to create something that outlives him — not because it makes money, but because it matters. What emerges is a portrait of someone who has wrestled with money, morals, and meaning across a dozen companies and three decades — and arrived at a deceptively simple philosophy: always be ready to die next year. KEY TOPICS COVERED The White House call: How building email software led to being part of the war effort — and the moral reckoning that followed.The slippery slope: How small compromises — feminist porn, political newsletters, tracking dots — compound until you wake up somewhere you never intended to be.The Porsche story: A childhood financial flashpoint — watching his parents buy a Porsche with a legal settlement while facing bankruptcy — that shaped everything.The $3 million rule: A VC's advice on the number you need to never work again, and why John didn't listen until it was almost too late.Fair trade music: Building Magnatune with legal poison pills so no acquirer could corrupt its mission — and convincing his lawyer to draft agreements that screwed the founder.Decent Espresso: Why giving someone a better cup of coffee in the morning became John's most meaningful venture.BookMooch: Creating BitTorrent for books, processing 10 million books a month, and receiving three lawsuit threats from Amazon."Why employees suck": John's contrarian argument that productive people should quit and sell the fruits of their labor instead of their time.The immigrant mindset: Growing up in France until age 10, arriving in the US without English, and choosing to be a nobody again in Hong Kong.Legacy and enough: Trying to build something that lasts five years after you leave — and why that's harder than it sounds. MEMORABLE QUOTES "And I realized at that moment, I was gonna be part of the war effort." 📍 Timestamp: 05:39 "It is absolutely a slippery slope. So I had a rule, which was no porn, no politics. That was our rule. Otherwise, freedom of speech." 📍 Timestamp: 08:49 "They're about to go bankrupt. And they got a settlement and they bought a Porsche." 📍 Timestamp: 21:19 "I've got the moving quality outlook of a Frenchman, but the business acumen of an American. And thank God it's not in reverse." 📍 Timestamp: 29:44 "I'm glad I found my limit. It's much, much worse to have that, could have been a contender." 📍 Timestamp: 01:06:35 "Always be ready to die next year." 📍 Timestamp: 01:12:07 "You gotta live well now. Even if you're working your brains out, if you're having a bad day, you gotta figure out how to get out of that because this might be all you got left." 📍 Timestamp: 01:12:30 ABOUT JOHN BUCKMAN John Buckman is a serial entrepreneur who has started over a dozen companies across email technology, music, publishing, and coffee. He built Lyris, email software that at its peak powered one third of the email on the internet, and sold it after the moral compromises of scale became untenable. He then created Magnatune, a fair trade music company with legally binding ethical provisions, and BookMooch, a book-swapping platform that processed 10 million books a month and drew legal threats from Amazon. Now based in Hong Kong, John runs Decent Espresso, a high-end espresso machine company competing with billion-dollar Italian families. He has served on the boards of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Creative Commons. He grew up in France until age 10, didn't speak English until arriving in the US, and describes himself as having the quality-of-life outlook of a Frenchman with the business acumen of an American. His guiding philosophy: always be ready to die next year.

1h 15m
12 FEB

Why Billionaires Aren't the Happiest People He Knows | Dave Chilton

Dave Chilton doesn't need an introduction in Canada. The Wealthy Barber sold over 3 million copies and shaped how an entire generation thinks about money. He's been on Dragons' Den, built multiple successful businesses, and counts billionaires among his close friends. But in this conversation, Dave reveals something unexpected: the retired teachers in his life seem happier than the ultra-wealthy. And he wouldn't trade places with any of them. What unfolds is a masterclass in gratitude, grounding, and what Dave calls "enoughness" — a disposition he admits he was lucky to be born with, but one we can all cultivate. He shares how his 93-year-old father's philosophy of radical acceptance shaped him, why he never changed his friend groups despite his success, and the one thing that still "knocks him backward" after all these years: the speed of time. This isn't a conversation about money management. It's about what money can never manage — our relationships, our contentment, and our sense of enough. KEY TOPICS COVERED Tiger Stadium and three-generation bonding: How Dave's most powerful memory involves his father, grandfather, and the Detroit TigersThe speed of time: Why this is the only thing that disrupts Dave's positive dispositionGreat parent privilege: Dave's reflection on the advantage of loving parentsStaying grounded through success: Why he never changed friend groups and what that taught himBillionaires vs. retired teachers: His observation that moderate wealth + good relationships = more happinessThe enoughness mindset: Why Dave has no interest in becoming a billionaireHis father's acceptance philosophy: "What has happened has happened — get to acceptance quickly"Homeschooling and parenting: Trading opportunity for presence with his kidsFriends are family: The frame that's guided his most important relationshipsSpending summaries: Why this simple tool creates the biggest ripple effect in financial planning MEMORABLE QUOTES "I've got friends who are ridiculously wealthy, like literally billionaires in some cases. And then I've got all my friends who tend to be teachers, retired teachers. I find that the latter group tends to be happier." 📍 Timestamp: 17:02 "I wouldn't even want to be a billionaire, by the way. I have no interest in that. I don't want a lot. I find stuff weighs you down." 📍 Timestamp: 18:42 "The only thing that tends to knock me backward is the speed of time. I do find it dismaying." 📍 Timestamp: 04:08 "You never lose your temper ever and are glad after the fact you did." 📍 Timestamp: 38:27 "Friends are family. And that's how I've always thought of my friends — that we're a family." 📍 Timestamp: 01:12:03 ABOUT DAVE CHILTON Dave Chilton is a Canadian author, entrepreneur, and financial educator best known for The Wealthy Barber, which has sold over 3 million copies since its original publication in 1989. The book pioneered a storytelling approach to personal finance that made complex concepts accessible to everyday readers. Dave appeared as a Dragon on CBC's Dragons' Den from 2011-2015 and has invested in numerous Canadian businesses. Despite his success, he still lives in a small house in Wellesley, Ontario, drives a Jeep with 120,000 kilometers on it (full of dog hair, he'll tell you), and measures his wealth primarily in relationships. His 2025 updated edition of The Wealthy Barber brings his timeless principles to a new generation facing very different financial realities — and reminds us all that the psychology of money matters more than the math. CONNECT WITH DAVE CHILTON 🌐 Website: thewealthybarber.com 📖 Book: The Wealthy Barber (2025 Updated Edition) — available at Indigo, independent bookstores, and thewealthybarber.com 🎧 Audiobook: thewealthybarber.com (read by Dave himself) RESOURCES MENTIONED The Wealthy Barber (2025 Updated Edition) by Dave ChiltonThe Wealthy Barber Returns by Dave ChiltonSpending summaries — the simple tool Dave calls "the best starting point" ABOUT YOUPOTENTIAL YouPotential explores what it means to live a meaningful life — through conversations about money, purpose, relationships, and becoming. Hosted by Shaun Dwyer Maslyk. "Sometimes it's not the answers we learn from — but the questions."

1h 18m
5 FEB

The Happiness Portfolio: 8 Things That Matter More Than Money | Marianne Oehser

I Failed at Retirement Twice | Marianne Oehser She had the beach house, the golden parachute, and all the time in the world. By 40, Marianne Oehser was living the dream. So why did it nearly destroy her marriage — and send her running back to work? EPISODE SUMMARY Marianne Oehser doesn't like the word "retirement." And after hearing her story, you'll understand why. At 40, Marianne and her former husband both received golden parachutes after a hostile takeover. They had just built a house in Southwest Florida — a short walk to the beach, wide open water views. It was everything they'd dreamed of. Within months, she was bored, her mind was getting dull, and the conflict that followed ended their marriage. That experience sent Marianne on a journey to understand what actually makes life meaningful after work ends. She became a relationship coach — and discovered that couple after couple was showing up at her door on the brink of divorce, all telling the same story: "We had a great relationship. Now all we do is bicker and fight." The problem wasn't the relationship. It was the transition. In this conversation, Marianne shares her framework — the Happiness Portfolio — which breaks life into eight "asset classes" that matter as much as your financial portfolio. She talks about her father holding up his business card the weekend before retirement and saying, "Today, this card opens many doors. Tomorrow, it won't be worth the paper it's written on." And she challenges the listener with a question that stopped me cold: "At what cost? And how much is enough?" If you're building a career, approaching a transition, or wondering what comes next — this one will make you think. KEY TOPICS COVERED The retirement honeymoon: Why the first 6-18 months feel great — and what happens when it endsInner kill: Richard Leiter's term for what happens when you lose your sense of purpose ("It's like you're dying and you don't even know it")Gray divorce: Why divorce rates for people over 50 have more than doubled — and tripled for those over 65The business card moment: Marianne's father's quiet warning the weekend before his retirementThe Happiness Portfolio: 8 areas of life that need conscious attention — not just your financesAssumptions in relationships: The "laundry story" about a couple on the brink of divorce over unspoken expectationsLiving on autopilot: Why Marianne now insists on intentional choices after realizing she spent years doing what she "thought she was supposed to"The cost question: "The more time you spend, the more money you generate. But at what cost?" MEMORABLE QUOTES "He calls it inner kill. He said it's like you're dying and you don't even know it." 📍 Timestamp: 05:01 "today, this card opens many doors. Tomorrow, it won't be worth the paper it's written on." 📍 Timestamp: 14:13 "I'm bored. I'm not contributing in any way. My mind is getting dull." 📍 Timestamp: 08:09 "a whole bunch of my life I lived on autopilot doing what I was doing because I thought I was supposed to do it." 📍 Timestamp: 39:14 "But then I would say, at what cost? and how much is enough." 📍 Timestamp: 28:48 "you have to grieve that loss of that business card. No question about that. But you have to recognize also that you are much more than just that." 📍 Timestamp: 16:42 "It was the mindset that I had bought into. And so therefore, I thought it was the right way to do it." 📍 Timestamp: 40:09 ABOUT MARIANNE OEHSER Marianne Oehser is a retirement coach, relationship specialist, and author who helps people design what she calls their "next chapter" — the decades after a career ends. She's not your typical retirement expert. Marianne retired twice — and failed spectacularly the first time. At 40, with a beach house in Southwest Florida and a golden parachute, she thought she'd made it. Instead, she found herself bored, unfulfilled, and watching her marriage fall apart. She went back to work, eventually became a relationship coach, and discovered that couple after couple showing up in crisis had the same root cause: they hadn't prepared for the non-financial side of retirement. That insight led her to create the Happiness Portfolio — a framework with eight "asset classes" for life. She's now on the faculty of the Exit Planning Institute, where she helps advisors and their clients plan for meaning, not just money. She holds a Master's of Management from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, and she's been happily married to "a wonderful man" for 25 years. RESOURCES MENTIONED The Power of Purpose by Richard Leiter — The book where the concept of "inner kill" originatesLive Long, Die Short by Roger Landry — Research on how 70% of physical aging is determined by lifestyle choicesNancy Schlossberg — Marianne's mentor and expert on adult transitions (96 years old and still publishing)Exit Planning Institute — Organization where Marianne serves on the faculty ABOUT YOUPOTENTIAL YouPotential explores what it means to live a meaningful life — through conversations about money, purpose, relationships, and becoming. Hosted by Shaun Dwyer Maslyk. "Sometimes it's not the answers we learn from — but the questions."

59 min
29 JAN

I Hate the Word "Retirement” — Designing Your Next Chapter With Susan Latremoille

Retirement isn’t a finish line—it’s a transition into a “next chapter” that can be the best, most fulfilling stage of your life… if you plan for it. In this conversation, Susan Latremoille (co-founder of Next Chapter Lifestyle Advisors) explains why so many people feel rudderless after leaving work, and how to replace the old “Hollywood version” of retirement with something deeper: purpose, relationships, growth, giving back, and health. Susan shares the story of Alan—a financially free retiree whose dream retirement in Florida fell apart—and contrasts it with people who thrive because they proactively make a plan. Along the way, we explore time, identity, money as an enabler (not the goal), and what it really means to live a “RichLife.”

1h 3m
22 JAN

Don’t Count Me Out: Building a Music Company

Music isn’t just something we listen to — it’s something that shapes how we feel, remember, connect, and live. In this deeply human conversation, Daniel shares how a childhood surrounded by basement studios, tape decks, and a musician father evolved into a global career designing soundscapes for some of the world’s most iconic spaces. From DJ booths and record labels to luxury hotels and creative leadership, Daniel reflects on music as memory, mood, and meaning — and how learning to curate experiences became both an art and a business. Along the way, he opens up about mentorship, resilience, being let go, starting again, and what it truly means to build a life that feels good from the inside out. This episode is a powerful exploration of creativity, leadership, money, identity, and the quiet courage it takes to trust your instincts.

1h 33m
15 JAN

Chasing Goals When Certainty Disappears

Former WWE superstar, coach, and owner of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), Al Snow is one of professional wrestling’s most thoughtful and respected minds. This week on the YouPotential podcast, Al shares what wrestling can teach us about belief, identity, and perseverance, especially when the path forward isn’t clear. Drawing on a 40+ year career shaped by rejection, reinvention, and unforgettable moments, Al shares why success isn’t built on confidence or certainty… but on commitment when things get uncomfortable. This episode isn’t just about wrestling. It’s about what it takes to keep moving when the dream is still alive, but the outcome isn’t guaranteed. If you’ve ever wondered whether to stay the course, pivot, or walk away altogether… this conversation is for you.

1h 43m

YouPotential explores what it truly means to live a life well lived — through the lens of psychology, money, and meaning. Hosted by Shaun Maslyk—Certified Financial Planner®, Financial Behaviour Specialist®, and Positive Psychology Practitioner—the podcast delivers science-backed insights, candid conversations, and real stories that help people live with more intention.

Creator

Shaun Maslyk
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

41
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2026 Shaun Maslyk
Show Website

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