UN-Faqs Mary Lee, Host & Producer

Episode 2, Season 2
After a long hiatus I am back with another thought-provoking and intriguing conversation with one of my favourite Comox Valley community members. She's a devoted mom and an energetic, fiery radio host that landed in media because she took a chance and believed in herself. 
Robyn Clarke is a radio host with here in the Comox with 98.9 Jet FM. She's my inspiration and a reminder to us all that, with a little passion and a whole lot of drive, we can set our mind to anything. It's not in the receiving that  makes the journey a success. It's in the trying and seeing just how far you can grow and become. 
But what I love most about Robyn is her raw, authenticity and a willingness to surrender to vulnerability in sharing her backstory. There is courage in being vulnerable and it invites deeper more meaningful connections with others. If you don't believe me, follow the years of research by Brené Brown. Somewhere out there some one will lean into your story to find hope and inspiration to walk out of their darkness. I also admire Robyn's awareness that no matter what she feels in any given moment whether from external factors or her own hidden beliefs about herself, she has to show up a her best, most supportive self because others depend on it, namely, her daughter. 
In this episode we talk books and among this list, the first is Robyn's favourite. Listen to her story, you will understand why. 

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

"We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course.” - Arthur Golden

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We are proudly into a second season. Un-Faqs is a one-of-a-kind platform about brand storytelling with entrepreneurs in many industries and sectors from start ups to mature organizations, solo-preneurs to leaders of small, medium and large teams. 
In this first episode I meet up with a fellow podcast pitch course mate, Kristen Moore. Kristen is more than just a math teacher. She's a modern day badass teacher that is shaking up the classroom and busting the conventional model of learning numeracy. She launched her brand, Moore Than Just X with the aim to help educators take their math class to the next level whether virtually or in a school setting. 
Her experience and education has shown her how to teach others to break free from the boxed curriculum and design kick ass projects that ignite a passion for learning and excite students by using real world problem solving skills and relevant project-based techniques.
Her personal brand journey, like so many entrepreneurs you met in Season 1, involved a pivotal point and a traumatic life experience that helped shape who Kristen is today. Experiences that also help her endure through the pandemic by having a resilient mindset and the tenacity to thrive in a pandemic environment to reach her goals and excel in her purpose.

In this episode we talk about some great books, as always. Kristen shares two of her favourites:


You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler

Here are two key take-aways from this episode:


Math is a metaphor for life. There is too much emphasis on the end result, rather than the process at arriving at solutions. No matter what the problem or the subject, or the learning environment - synchronous or asynchronous - it is necessary to alter our perspective.

"Alter Your Perspective," a key to Mastery, as explained in Robert Greene's book by the same name. When we operate in the Conventional Mind to solve problems we become enslaved to a mental shorthand relying on patterns or past experience. Creative people resist this mental shorthand and look deeply at the situation with a kind of wonderment. Katherine Johnson and her fellow mathematicians are examples of this mindset at work.


Mindset matters - Greene defines mastery as having a child-like spirit only at a higher level of intelligence. The pandemic forced many of us on a steep learning journey to discover new processes thus enabling the mind to be more fluid and adaptable. Neuroscientists call it brain plasticity. It allows us to retain a level of creativity and become more intuitive. Greene states that Intuitive powers at the mastery level are a mix of instinct and rational thought - the conscious and the unconscious mind. As children we have it, evident in our imagination and spontaneity. Over time it is lost. Masters are able to return to this state. 

More about mindset can be found on Kristen's blog at moorethanjustx.com. You can find her on IG & Twitter @moorethanjustx

Un-Faqs is a podcast original. If your are enjoying the show, be sure to like, share, subscribe on your favourite listening app. I am your host Mary Lee of MGG Communications Inc. 


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Another series of candid interviews with entrepreneurs who share their tales of wisdom, lessons learned and lived experience from the pandemic as they grow, thrive, transform, and manage brand success amid all the challenges that keep coming their way. 

We live in interesting times, says Confucius, so why not redefine ourselves to be a better version of who we truly are and were always meant to be. Never thought you'd be asked so much about resilience and vulnerability, now did you? That's why this is the one and only podcast platform for those un-frequently asked questions because there has never been a time like the here and now!

UnFaqs is an original podcast by MGG Communications Inc., a PR strategy firm that builds brand authenticity by sharing the individual's backstory. Get real and be relatable and relevant to your clients and customers. We are all in this together so let's create those deeper more meaningful connections because some where in there is a unique solutions to someone’s problem.




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Episode 14 - My next guest is a wonderful, deeply caring and charismatic man of faith. Daniel Smith is a pastor and teacher in the Comox Valley, British Columbia who currently serves on staff at both Northgate Church and Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Academy.

Daniel and his wife, Mariah, are passionate about working with and empowering young leaders, caring for the needy, and ensuring that everyone in the Comox Valley and beyond has the opportunity to discover their best selves. 

Daniel is currently working on his Master's Degree in Christian Studies at Regent College, a UBC-affiliated school of Theology, and desires to see the world become a better place through the love of Jesus and inspiring leadership. 

By way of hobbies, Daniel loves going for runs and playing sports, hanging out on a patio on a sunny day with Mariah, and taking in a good podcast or book. Indeed we talk mention a few including:


The Holy Bible - Daniel's favourite book of all time!
Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth

Many wonderful takeaways from this episode. Here are five worth sharing. I hope you also get some more great takeaways to apply right away in your life.


Empathy - Ensuring to address and relate with people with a degree of understanding of their position and their own personal relationship and experiences with the pandemic.
Consistency - Being consistent in our character, energy and joy.
The Flaw of Self-Focus - Fear, worry, depression, and any egotism actually flowed from an over-emphasis or focus on self. Stop focusing on the self because it is destined to make mistakes. Instead, turn to the one source of abundant joy and energy
Resilience - It takes an element of 'grit' to push through hard things and a degree of patience. In fact, resilience "is best built by patience."
Clear and Transparent Communication - One of my objectives in life and serving in serving my client's public relations needs. Even when you don't have all answers, be honest, open and clear with those you lead. It instills trust and helps dispel the often-imagined "mirage of information."

No matter where you are in life, what your spiritual journey may be, the team at North Gate invite you to come explore your faith. Join their Sunday service  online or watch on-demand throughout the week. Visit www.ngate.ca.

In the episode I mention The VIA Survey of Character Strengths, a free self-assessment that in less than 15 minutes provides intriguing results too help you understand your best qualities. Visit https://www.viacharacter.org

I am your host Mary Lee. You can find episodes and more on my website at mggcommunications.ca/un-faqs-podcast and follow me on IG at mary_mgg_inc.




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Episode 13 - Jodi-Ann Smith, owner and founder of Abundance of Jo is a Personal Finance Coach. Her perfect client and niche market is young women who are starting off on their own and are learning techniques to save and make money so they can live an abundant life.

She arrived in Canada from Jamaica only a few years ago to pursue an MBA a an international student at University of British Columbia (UBC). As her story goes, she needed to organize her finances and get on top of her money life. In doing so, she quickly came to realize that there was not enough personal finance information for some very key groups in society – young women fresh out of school and immigrants.

She launched her business,  Abundance of Jo, in 2020 to teach young women and immigrants, like herself, to to become money-wise, beginning with the right mindset. She is a self proclaimed Personal Finance Geek and loves  consuming content on saving money, investing and all things related to smart money management.

Her experience and knowledge gained from Business School taught her how to operate a successful business of her own - a foundation that has changed the trajectory of her career from retail and Public Relations (PR).

Jodi herself became for ingrained on the topic of finances by following podcasts. Three she mentioned are:


More Money, a Canadian-based podcast hosted by Jessica Moorhouse;
Budgetnista hosted by Tiffany, America's Favourite Financial Educator; and 
Money After Graduation hosted by Bridget Casey

In this episode we talk books. Here are her top two:


Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence by Dr. Ben Caron; and 
The Holy Bible. 

If you are like me, you wish you had more time to read the stories and verses of the Bible. To get my daily dose I rely on handy apps. Today, there are so many out there. My personal favourite that I have been using for several years now is YouVersion. Each morning  there's a new verse that I can lament over for the rest of the day. You can also subscribe to any number of plans from a few days to 30 days. It's also a platform to connect, share a profile and the plans and readings you are following.  I often share them on Instagram. IG has many you can follow as well such as @verseoftheday.

Jodi writes a blog, which is on her website abundanceofjo.com  with each article full of great advice regarding money from financial planning and budgeting to mindset work and learning to be in control of what you make and spend. She also shares in her blog some valuable money podcast worth tuning into. You can find Jodi on and on Facebook and IG at @abundanceofjo, Pinterest at pinterest.ca/AbundanceofJo/ and Twitter at twitter.com/JoAbundance

Thank you for tuning in. I am your host Mary Lee. You can find episodes and more on my website at mggcommunications.ca/un-faqs-podcast and follow me on IG at mary_mgg_inc.






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Episode 12 - This character is describe as compassionate, caring, stubborn, opinionated, highly competitive, and outgoing. Fearless and focused on her objectives, she prefers to avoid conflict but if pressed she will engage in battle.    

I've just given you the description of a true warrior princess - Princess Diana - the superhero that is, not the one we fondly remember as part of the monarchy. Also known as Wonder Woman. Who is lucky enough to have a living breathing superhero on a podcast episode? If there is anything close to that, my bets are on my next guest. Once you listen to her story, you will agree. She is unstoppable in her tracks, has the strength and personal fortitude of a genuine fighter and will do whatever she can to support society - specifically, local  businesses and non profits in her community.    

Linda Thomas, also known -  to herself - as batshit crazy and loving every minute of it, is a gal's best girlfriends, a guy's best gal friend, a devoted mom and a deeply committed and immensely integrated member of her community.    

By day, she is the Promotions Director for the Jim Patterson Media group, which, among many stations, owns The Eagle FM in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, B.C. By night, weekends and any free hours in between, Linda is a student pursuing her Master's Degree in Communications through Royal Roads University. And then there are her ambitious athletic pursuits in marathon races and conditioning training with CrossFit. The list isn't done. She is also a member of the Auxiliary police force for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.    

Coincidently, her fiancé is Steve Trevor. For those of you who know the most revered female superhero icon created in 1941 by William Moulton Marston will know that Trevor is the famed love interest Wonder Woman. Of course he is! Humbly, Linda will not fess up to being all these amazing things we her colleagues and friends will describe her as.   

There is no doubt, Linda is a woman of wonder. Wonder what she will say next. Stick around for this episode to find out. A word of caution, you will laugh and you may even cry. You will probably be shocked and will most certainly be inspired.    

In this episode we talk books, a must for all my guest's questions. Linda's all-time favourite read is:  How I became the Fittest Woman on Earth, by Tia-Clair Toomey   

We also briefly mentioned, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski. 

Wondering where to find this amazing woman? Linda is on Instagram @linda.thisis40ish   

If you don’t see Linda hitting the pavement training for her next 1/2, she’s hitting stuff at 30-Minute Hit or hauling heavy stuff at StrongHearts Fitness both located in Courtenay, BC. 

UN-Faqs in a Spotify original podcast created by MGG Communications Inc. with your host Mary Lee. If you are enjoying these episodes, like, share, subscribe. You can also leave a review on Apple Podcast. You can find me on Instagram @mary_mgg_inc


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