Career Buzz

CIUT 89.5FM
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Careers
  • Biweekly

Since 2006, we’ve broadcast unrehearsed and informative conversations featuring extraordinary career stories of ordinary people, and insights from future-of-work thought leaders including National Geographic explorer-in-residence Wade Davis, former Member of Parliament, Helene Leblanc, and career experts Sareena Hopkins, Norm Amundson, Roberta Borgen, Rich Feller and many more. We also look at the intersection of real-world business practice and people’s career and life choices. We explore how individuals turn their personal passion for innovation into tangible commercial success. And we learn about innovation management best practices, and lessons learned. Listen to Career Buzz to hear inspiring career professionals share useful insights to increase awareness about the importance of career literacy and share tips to support you to clarify what’s next for you. Hosts: Mark Franklin, MEd,PEng, (he/him) leads CareerCycles, co-founded OneLifeTools, co-authored Who You Are Matters! and Online Storyteller, and teaches career management at University of Toronto. He received the Stu Conger Career Development Award. Mark consulted in his earlier engineering career, before earning a Masters in counseling then leading student services initiatives in universities. Mark started Career Buzz in 2006. Stephen C Armstrong, Professor of Innovation, University of Toronto and founder of AMGI Certified Management Consultants. A native of Belfast, N Ireland, Stephen is an award-winning state licensed Professional Engineer, Entrepreneur and Professor of Innovation at the University of Toronto. Initial pedigree in the aerospace industry. Founder (1993) of AMGI Management Inc, Certified Management Consultants. Stephen founded Innovation Nation on Career Buzz in 2014. Hoda Kilani (she/her), Certified Professional Career Coach and the Founder of Right Career Fit, a coaching practice that focuses on career education. Hoda is on a mission to have #careerliteracy trend across social media and works with a variety of media to create awareness including a YouTube channel and two podcasts released on a biweekly basis, Hoda’s Musings and Hoda’s Career Info. If you care to join her, reach out for a chat!

  1. 6d ago

    The modern Conundrum of the value of Learning: The path from university to industry

    Today’s show explores the gaps in educational outcomes with evolving industry needs through the life of emergent talent and student-led efforts to bring the two into closer alignment. There is a growing disconnect between the traditional, high financial cost of formal higher education and its actual, measurable return on investment (ROI). This is especially a growing gap in a rapidly shifting AI-driven job market, and general disconnect of ways of learning and career utility. This will be discussed through lived experience.   Artem Kushnirenko is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, conducting translational neuro-oncology research at SickKids in Toronto. Born and raised in war-torn Ukraine, he earned his first degree in biology and biotechnology in Kyiv, where he also began his journey in science. Having lived through turbulent times, he came to appreciate firsthand the true value of education and innovation, and the challenges of sustaining them. This shaped his commitment to advancing science for societal impact through entrepreneurship and venture capital, and to helping others move from education into innovation careers. Founded in 2017 Innovation OnBoard (IOB) is a student-led NGO and UofT-recognized student group on a mission to connect emerging talent with the people that help turn academic potential into new ideas, solutions, and ventures contributing directly to Canada's innovation economy.  For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.com For gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

  2. Oct 22

    Taking Back the Steering Wheel: Agency, Choice, and Career Literacy

    Join Hoda and her guests as they bring Career Literacy to life. Reflect. Share. Start the conversation. Sean shares, "If you resign yourself to just the way things are going to be and you give up the agency to do something about it, then you’re really not in a position to have any control over anything that happens”. Think about that. When we stop trying to change our circumstances, we hand over the steering wheel of our own lives. So, I have to ask you: Where in your life right now have you accidentally quieted your own voice, and what is one small thing you can do today to take back your control? Reflect and share.   Guest Bio Sean Grainger is an educator, writer, speaker, and founder of HOPE Alliance, whose work examines the conditions that shape human development, belonging, and flourishing.  Across a 33-year career as a teacher, counsellor, school administrator, and mental health and wellness coordinator, Sean has worked with children, families, educators, and leaders from diverse communities, including six years working alongside First Nations peoples. These experiences have informed a lifelong inquiry into how relationships, systems, adversity, opportunity, and belonging influence the people we become.  Sean’s work challenges deficit-based thinking and the tendency to locate problems solely within individuals. He invites people to look beyond visible behaviour, consider the story behind the story, and ask what experiences and conditions may be shaping a person’s response. His approach draws together phenomenology, systems thinking, design thinking, resilience, and an ethic of care.  He is the creator of the HOPE Wayfinder, a framework that helps individuals and organizations orient themselves within complexity and move from understanding toward responsible action. Through HOPE Alliance, KARE Givers, writing, coaching, consultation, and speaking, Sean supports educators, caregivers, and leaders in creating more thoughtful, relational, and humane environments.  Sean believes that hope is not simply an emotion or a personality trait—it is a condition we can intentionally create through the environments we design and the relationships we cultivate.  At the heart of his work is a central question: What becomes possible when we stop asking what is wrong with people and begin asking what they have experienced, what surrounds them, and what responsibility belongs to us?   For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.com For gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

  3. Oct 14

    Voices from the Arab Career Development Conference: Career Development Across Borders

    Today on Career Buzz, co-host Hoda Kilani and I take you to the Arab Career Development Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. There, at the conference venue in Al Kifah school, we sat in a meeting room overlooking a hot 40C day. Lined up through the window we saw a mosque’s minaret, a cell phone tower, and a construction crane, signaling the unique mix of old and new. That’s where we recorded conversations with three career development leaders from across the region.  Foad Abdallah shares how he’s using creativity and technology to build career services in Beirut Lebanon, even amid extraordinarily difficult economic conditions. Iman Nahlawi brings an HR perspective from Tunisia, and Stella Da Silva shares her work helping people use LinkedIn more intentionally in Muscat, Oman.  What struck me was the contrast between familiar and different. The attire, the language, oh and the 40C heat was different for me, coming from Canada. What was the same: the shared human questions: How do people find direction? How do they adapt when conditions change? And how can career development help people see possibilities they might otherwise miss?  You’ll also hear some of the energy and connection of Arab Car Dev’t Conference itself, a gathering that reminded us just how global the career development conversation has become.    For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.com For gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

  4. Oct 8

    An inquiry into identity - How farm life helped our guest to be present for the first time

    Today’s show is about a philosophy of living.  Can happiness, and meaning be found in nature?  Many of us have lost our connection to it. Stuck on a hamster wheel chasing an idea of success.  Our guest believes society runs on the currency of fear and doubt. He says “Life in Central Portugal have helped him to meet myself for the first time. To strip away some of the layers. Heal some of the wounds”.  He says “I feel that there is a big movement towards wellness. However, consumer wellness isn't the solution. People don't need a healer. They need to take personal responsibility for self-directed wellness”   Guest Bio: Fénix Rayne (Formally Adam Whyte). Born and raised in Toronto he now lives on a farm in the mountains of Portugal. He hosts visitors, grows food and creates improvised music in languages he doesn't speak. He started one of Portugal's largest Permaculture online communities. He is now building a Grow app (not op) to discover off-grid and natural living projects like his own. He is a law graduate at Trinity College, Dublin and holds a Masters degrees in International Sports Law and Business Administration.   For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.com For gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

  5. Sep 30

    Change Is Hard, Growth Is Worth It

    Join Hoda and her guests as they bring Career Literacy to life. Tricia Berry shared, “Change is good but change is hard… Even good change is still a challenge”. What are your thoughts on change? How have you handled the changes in your life? Peter Pitts said, “There is this unspoken magic that occurs. It all boils down to people. It’s just people meeting people meeting people”. If careers are shaped as much by relationships and conversations as by skills and credentials, how might career literacy help you recognize, navigate, and intentionally build human connections that influence your academic and career paths? Reflect. Share. Start the conversation.   Guest 1 Bio Tricia Berry, a Learning Specialist for Career Education K-12 with the New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. She has been working on the advancement of career education K-12 and more specifically, focused on equitable access for each learner in New Brunswick. Tricia is a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) with extensive experience working in secondary education. Further, she has had the privilege of speaking at a variety of international conferences, collaborating and consulting with the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) on Career Readiness, and to network as a member of Team Canada attending the International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy (ICCDPP) symposia in Norway.   Guest 2 Bio  Peter Pitts retired in 2019 after a 42-year career in college admissions. Over those years, Peter had the pleasure of working with more than 2,000 families as they navigated the admissions and financial aid processes.  At various times during those 42 years, Peter held these titles: Admission Counselor, Assistant Director of Admission, Director of Admission, Assistant Vice President of Admission and Financial Aid, and (for the last 27 years of his career) Regional Director of Admission for Monmouth College of Illinois (Chicago territory).  Upon his retirement, Peter published his first book, After Breakfast I Change Lives, which is a mix of heartwarming and humorous stories about the students he met throughout his career. His second book, Common Sense Guide to Choosing a College: Making a Case for Small Residential Colleges is a collection of essays that help guide students and their parents through the college admission process. His third book, 333 Awesome Small Colleges (that just might save you money!), is an annotated list of 333 colleges that highlights their unique/special programs and some of their available scholarships. His fourth book, Cool Stuff at Small Colleges, features 240 unique/awesome programs at 120 small colleges. His fifth book, Choosing Your College Major (the Ikigai Approach) gives practical advice on choosing a major.    For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.com For gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

  6. Sep 2

    What makes work - worth doing?

    Is work worth doing based on what we accomplish? What we earn? The people we help? The skills we master? The feeling that we belong to something larger than ourselves? And if our work doesn’t feel meaningful, does that mean we need to find different work, or might we need to look differently at the work we already do?    My guest, Samuel Halpern, has dug into those questions. His new book, Wellsprings of Work: Surprising Sources of Meaning in Your Career and Retirement, explores the often hidden sources of meaning and motivation that can run through our working lives, -- and which continue long after the last paycheque.    Sam comes to these questions through an unusual career of his own. His work took him from Wall Street to Warren Buffett to advising investment funds for Major League Baseball players, Broadway stagehands and governments from Beijing to Bangkok.     Then retirement, and an unexpected triple-bypass surgery just weeks before it, prompted a different question: What had all that work amounted to, and what did he want to do next?     On this episode of Career Buzz, we’ll hear some of Sam’s career story, but mostly we’ll explore the ideas it led him to: the role of values, craftsmanship, belonging, competition, mastery, legacy and contribution to future generations; the difference between earning a living and experiencing a life through our work; and whether the search for the perfectly meaningful job might itself send us down the wrong path.    And we’ll ask what happen to all of this as AI changes not only the work humans do, but our relationship with work itself. Sam calls that challenge “protecting ‘I’ from AI.”     For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.com For gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

  7. Aug 19

    The Careers We Imagine

    Join Hoda and her guests as they bring Career Literacy to life through real stories and lived experiences. Liv Pennie challenges us to rethink traditional career education, noting that for many adults, their school‑based career experience “is often a really negative reflection… wrapped up in one bucket of careers.” How would you describe your own experience? You’ll also hear from high school student Christopher Ibarra, who shares how meaningful career learning shaped his future. As Christopher puts it: “Education can change us — who we are and what we wanna do in the future… you’re opening a new chapter in your life that you never knew you could have opened.” If education can open chapters we never knew were possible, what chapter might a young person be waiting to discover?  Reflect and share.   Guest 1 Bio In 2017, Liv started BECOME Education to reimagine careers education. She holds an MA in Psychology and a Postgrad in Career Development. She spent 15 years in advertising, digital product and experience design. Liv brings together these worlds of academia and innovation to close the gap between evidence and practice in careers education. BECOME Education’s work transforming careers education in schools has been recognised by the OECD as an example of global best practice.   Guest 2 Bio Christopher is a high school student who has experienced career education firsthand. I will read his bio as he shared it with me.  Hello everyone, my name is Christopher Vargas Ibarra! I am a senior at Bostonia Global High which is a competency-based school. My goal is to become an automotive technician and I have previous experience by having a pre-apprenticeship at the San Diego Automotive Museum where me and my co-workers restored a 1966 Ford Mustang to life after 25 years of it sitting. I also was at the City of El Cajon: Fleet Services where I serviced fire trucks, police cruisers, utility trucks, and more!

  8. Jul 29

    Interview Smarter, Brand Stronger

    Join Hoda for amazing discussions that boost your career literacy. Lili Foggle highlighted, “just about anybody can learn to interview successfully”. How confident are you in your ability to successfully interview? Urmi Hussein shared, “Your personal brand is portable, no matter where you go, you always have your brand”. How intentional are you about developing your brand? Listen, comment and share your thoughts and experiences.   Guest 1 Bio TikTok @yourinterviewcoach Lili Foggle is the winner of the Momentum Awards 2025 Top Specialty Coach from The Modern Coach, and holds interview coaching certifications from Career Thought Leaders and the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches.  She has taught hundreds of her one-on-one clients—as well as many of her over 70,000 TikTok followers—how to deliver effective and confident answers in job interviews. Her proven, data-driven communication techniques help candidates stand out in a competitive field and secure the offer.  Through the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches, she provides interview skills training and mentoring to other career coaches. Lili is a passionate advocate for the power of interview skills to transform careers and lives. She believes that with training and practice, anyone can learn to give authentic interview answers that get the job.   Guest 2 Bio  Instagram @storiesbeyondborderspodcast Urmi Hossain is a self-published author, speaker, blogger, and podcast host based in Canada.  She works in financial services and holds both the CFA and CAIA designations. Through her work, she empowers women by championing mentorship, education, and public speaking.  She serves as the Co-Chair of the organization Women in Leadership, for the Montreal Chapter. She is the author of Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth from Interracial Struggle and the host of Stories Beyond Borders, a podcast exploring identity, migration, and culture.  Outside of work, she enjoys reading thrillers, boxing, running, and HIIT workouts.   For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.com For gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Since 2006, we’ve broadcast unrehearsed and informative conversations featuring extraordinary career stories of ordinary people, and insights from future-of-work thought leaders including National Geographic explorer-in-residence Wade Davis, former Member of Parliament, Helene Leblanc, and career experts Sareena Hopkins, Norm Amundson, Roberta Borgen, Rich Feller and many more. We also look at the intersection of real-world business practice and people’s career and life choices. We explore how individuals turn their personal passion for innovation into tangible commercial success. And we learn about innovation management best practices, and lessons learned. Listen to Career Buzz to hear inspiring career professionals share useful insights to increase awareness about the importance of career literacy and share tips to support you to clarify what’s next for you. Hosts: Mark Franklin, MEd,PEng, (he/him) leads CareerCycles, co-founded OneLifeTools, co-authored Who You Are Matters! and Online Storyteller, and teaches career management at University of Toronto. He received the Stu Conger Career Development Award. Mark consulted in his earlier engineering career, before earning a Masters in counseling then leading student services initiatives in universities. Mark started Career Buzz in 2006. Stephen C Armstrong, Professor of Innovation, University of Toronto and founder of AMGI Certified Management Consultants. A native of Belfast, N Ireland, Stephen is an award-winning state licensed Professional Engineer, Entrepreneur and Professor of Innovation at the University of Toronto. Initial pedigree in the aerospace industry. Founder (1993) of AMGI Management Inc, Certified Management Consultants. Stephen founded Innovation Nation on Career Buzz in 2014. Hoda Kilani (she/her), Certified Professional Career Coach and the Founder of Right Career Fit, a coaching practice that focuses on career education. Hoda is on a mission to have #careerliteracy trend across social media and works with a variety of media to create awareness including a YouTube channel and two podcasts released on a biweekly basis, Hoda’s Musings and Hoda’s Career Info. If you care to join her, reach out for a chat!

Information

  • Creator
    CIUT 89.5FM
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Career Buzz