JFKsWorld Podcast James Kennedy

Melissa Maher is a Certified Generational Healer® and Teacher, Licensed Soul Therapist™ and Soul Parent | Spiritual Child™ Educator.  From a young age, all she knew was that when she grew up she wanted to help people. With grand and sometimes unique ideas of how that would look, she was really taken by surprise in 2014 when she was guided to begin a healing practice to serve those who are experiencing their spiritual awakening. Melissa discusses the personal and professional journey that led her to become an entrepreneur, as well as the mindset shift that needed to take place to become successful as an entrepreneur. Melissa shares some great advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, including, but not limited to the importance of mentorship, and recognizing that an internal spark to pursue a passion, is not just a gut feeling, but rather divine guidance, that you have a duty to follow through on to serve your true purpose.

Ryan McNeill turned a love and passion for sports and sharing athlete stories from side hustle to full time job. As the founder of the Athletes Unfiltered Podcast and now new podcast Unfiltered Conversations, Ryan and James take a trip down memory lane as Ryan shares his journey from receiving Toronto Raptors media credentials, to being a teacher with a pretty cool side hustle, to making the jump to full time sports reporter/ story teller. Ryan has found a niche in “micro-pods” format to bring his stories to the world, and we did the interview just as he had celebrated his first full year as a full time entrepreneur… 15 years in the making. For aspiring entrepreneurs Ryan gives some great advice on how effort, a good accountant, and a commitment to your craft can help any passion become a sustainable and rewarding business. From partially tearing his ACL while covering an NBA tryout, to literally having to start over due to a house fire, Ryan’s story and perspective on faith, effort, and chasing your passion can be so rewarding, for anyone who sticks with it.

La Toya Bedeau… or MsToya as she is known to her students and in the dance industry, is a Dancer, Choreographer, Instructor, and Co-Director (with her talented husband Ron) of In Tha Groove Productions. In Tha Groove is a company created out of their passion and experience in the entertainment industry that caters to all areas of entertainment. MsToya can also be found teaching dance classes and workshops… oh and she is also currently the Head Coach of the Toronto Argonauts Dance Team. To say it was fun catching up with MsToya is an understatement. For aspiring entrepreneurs MsToya gives some great advice in following your passion, as well as utilizing skills and contacts you pick up along the way to help navigate a business venture. Having performed on stage in over 20 countries with some of the biggest names in the music industry this self proclaimed “plant-mom” continues to live her dream of sharing dance with the world!

The JFKsWORLD Podcast is back!  In this episode I sit down with Humble & Hungry Founder Vivek Mehmi and his Co-Host/ Partner Dante Waechter as they are gearing up to host Humble & Hungry's first live event in over two years.  Vivek - the first - 2 time guest of JFKsWorld gives us an update on his personal growth as an artist since we last spoke (Episode 001).  Dante - who while working a full time job has joined Humble & Hungry as a side hustle, explains what being part of Humble & Hungry means to him, as well as an update on what Humble & Hungry has been up to over the past year.  The main focus of the episode is to highlight the upcoming show, how it came to be, and the work behind the scenes that the team is preparing for - a live concert @ the MSC Amphitheatre on September 23rd, 2022.  

Audra Esper is a founding partner at Esper Innovative Solutions.  Simply put, Audra helps businesses creatively communicate.  Audra and I met working on cruise ships, a job that we both jumped into right out of University.  As you will see from this episode, Audra is the definition of positive energy, and in our time working together I got to witness first hand her ability to have a positive impact on everyone that she came into contact with.  Fast forward over a decade later and Audra has combined her knowledge of the Cruise Ship industry, her love of soccer, and her passion of visual storytelling into an entrepreneurial endeavour that was truly born out of her desire to help people.  For aspiring entrepreneurs Audra shares her philosophy of doing something for the right reasons, and the ability to find the solution to a void for companies or customers is the foundation of an entrepreneurial mindset.

Shannon Kapitor is the co-founder and owner of Bloom Skincare Co, a family run business based on providing small batch, , natural, high quality ingredients in all of their skincare products. Shannon is a friend that I met through my wife, and when I found out that she had recently launched a new website for Bloom, I knew I wanted to have her as a guest. Currently, much like my podcast, Bloom is a side hustle for Shannon, and one of the topics covered is the balancing act of a successful career, a side hustle born out of a passion for skincare, and a busy family life. Aspiring Entrepreneurs will get some great advice on the steps Shannon took to start her business, following your passion, and not being afraid to succeed. Another first for the podcast is that Shannon offers a special promo code to any JFKsWORLD listeners who place on order on the Bloom website by May 31, 2021!!