The Calgary Sessions

Jeff Humphreys
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  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

The Calgary Sessions is a podcast about the people who make Calgary interesting. Hosted by Jeff Humphreys, each episode is an honest conversation with artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, and community builders about where they came from, what they have learned, what they are building, and what life has taught them along the way. It is a way to get to know the city through the people who live here.

  1. 2d ago

    Reed Shimozawa: A Life in Music Beyond the Record Deal

    Reed Shimozawa is a Calgary guitarist, songwriter and founding member of Zuckerbaby who now performs with Wide Mouth Mason and other Canadian artists. Reed grew up in Lethbridge in a Japanese Canadian family shaped by internment, farm work and the expectation that he would pursue a more traditional career. Music took him in another direction, from six-night-a-week bar bands to Calgary’s original music scene, a major-label record deal, MuchMusic and national touring. When the industry changed and Zuckerbaby’s momentum disappeared, Reed had to figure out who he was without the version of success he had spent years chasing. We talk about the rise and end of Zuckerbaby, the Calgary music scene of the 1990s, becoming a father, spending more than 20 years working in a guitar store, being laid off during COVID and finding his way back into music as a freelancer. Now 61, Reed reflects on ambition, identity, past mistakes and why the time he has left feels less like a countdown and more like an opportunity. Connect with Reed Shimozawa: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reed_guitar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reed.shimozawa/⁠ Connect with Jeff Humphreys: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeffhumphreys⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhumphreys_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhumphreysyyc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Location & Production: Off Set Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.offsetstudios.ca

  2. Aug 12

    Tiffany Petite: From Self-Doubt to Building a Counseling Company

    Tiffany Petite is a Calgary therapist, Registered Clinical Social Worker, and co-founder of Virtuous Circle Counseling. She grew up without much confidence in what she might become, but the people and experiences around her kept expanding that picture. Social work gave her a place to belong, frontline mental health work gave her a sense of purpose, and job loss eventually pushed her toward building a counseling company with her wife. Tiffany talks about self-doubt, ambition in a helping profession, the emotional weight of caring for others, and the relationships that helped her grow into leadership. Connect with Tiffany Petite: Website: ⁠⁠https://vccounselling.com/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tnpetite Connect with Jeff Humphreys: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeffhumphreys⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhumphreys_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhumphreysyyc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Location & Production: Off Set Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.offsetstudios.ca

  3. Aug 5

    Mandy Balak: Success, Survival Mode and Why More Was Never Enough

    Mandy Balak has spent more than a decade building businesses, communities, and experiences across Calgary. Behind that work was a much less visible story about pressure, grief, survival mode, and the belief that more work might eventually feel like enough. In this episode, Mandy talks about building Date Night YYC, launching Branded, creating spaces for people to belong, and what was happening underneath all that momentum. She also shares how 2020 forced everything to stop, why that pause changed the way she understood ambition, and how those experiences became the foundation for her book, Chasing Enough. We get into success, identity, community, and what can happen when the drive that helped build everything becomes hard to turn off. Connect with Mandy Balak: Website: ⁠https://mandybalak.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandybalak⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mandybalak⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Jeff Humphreys: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeffhumphreys⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhumphreys_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhumphreysyyc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Location & Production: Off Set Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.offsetstudios.ca

  4. Jul 29

    Evan Birch: What 20 Years in Emergency Dispatch Cost Him

    Evan Birch spent nearly 20 years in emergency dispatch, including roles with STARS and Calgary 911. He became the person who could stay calm, carry pressure, and help people through some of the worst moments of their lives. Over time, that ability came with a cost: panic attacks, sleeplessness, PTSD, and the realization that he had taught himself not to feel just to keep doing the job. In this conversation, Evan talks about hiding what was happening, trying to win at therapy, and the complicated role running played in his recovery. It gave him peace, but it also gave him somewhere to keep moving. We also get into KidSport, ultrarunning, identity, and what it looks like to build a life that is no longer defined by one job. Connect with Evan Birch: Website: https://ultrabirch.com/ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/ultrabirch⁠⁠ LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/birchevan⁠⁠ Connect with Jeff Humphreys: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeffhumphreys⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhumphreys_⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhumphreysyyc⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Location & Production: Off Set Studios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.offsetstudios.ca

  5. Jul 22

    Louis-Julien Roy: What 20 Years of Building a Business Actually Looks Like

    Louis-Julien Roy moved west from Quebec in 1996 to climb and guide. What started with construction work, long days in the mountains, and a small sales territory eventually became Mountain Exposure, a Calgary-based business he has been building for more than 20 years. We talk about starting without a financial backup, learning how to grow through relationships, and why the business did not take off all at once. Louis also shares how his approach to goals, risk, mentorship, and responsibility changed as the company grew. This is a conversation about the steady work behind a business that lasts, and what it takes to build something that can eventually continue without you. Connect with Louis-Julien Roy: Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.mountainx.ca/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://ca.linkedin.com/in/louis-julien-roy-575b9538⁠ Connect with Jeff Humphreys: Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeffhumphreys⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhumphreys_⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhumphreysyyc⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Location & Production: Off Set Studios: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.offsetstudios.ca

  6. Jul 15

    Matt Gillespie: Joe Media and the Business of Creative Work

    Matt Gillespie is the President, CEO, and Executive Producer behind Joe Media Group, but his path into production started long before the company did. In this episode, Matt talks about growing up in Wetaskiwin, finding video through community television, getting into SAIT, building a network, and learning the business side of creative work through a lot of real-world trial and error. The conversation gets into business dips, partnerships, borrowing money to get started, buying out partners, acquiring V Strategies, and why Calgary has been the right size of city for the kind of work and life he has built. Episode 211 of The Calgary Sessions with Jeff Humphreys. Connect with Matt Gillespie: Website: ⁠⁠https://joemedia.tv LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://ca.linkedin.com/in/matt-gillespie-9920b013 Connect with Jeff Humphreys: Website: ⁠⁠https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeffhumphreys⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhumphreys_⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhumphreysyyc⁠⁠ Podcast Location & Production: Off Set Studios: ⁠⁠https://www.offsetstudios.ca

  7. Jul 8

    Colby Delorme: From Job Sites to Indigenous Business Leadership

    Colby Delorme is a Métis entrepreneur, President of Imagination Group of Companies, and co-founder of Influence Mentoring Society. In this episode, Colby talks about growing up in Winnipeg, moving to Calgary, and figuring out where he fit as a kid from different backgrounds in a city that felt very different from where he started. We talk about getting kicked out of high school, starting his first business at 18, working in construction, learning some hard lessons, and eventually building a career around Indigenous business, consulting, ceremonial tobacco, mentorship, and community. A big part of this conversation is also about his relationship with his mom, Dr. Marie Delorme, and how their work together shaped both the business and the way he thinks about responsibility, trust, and opportunity. Hosted by Jeff Humphreys. Connect with Colby Delorme: Website: ⁠https://imaginationgroup.ca LinkedIn: ⁠https://ca.linkedin.com/in/colby-delorme-cist%C3%AAm%C3%A2w-napio-icd-d-71212315 Connect with Jeff Humphreys: Website: ⁠https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeffhumphreys⁠ TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhumphreys_⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhumphreysyyc⁠ Podcast Location & Production: Off Set Studios: ⁠https://www.offsetstudios.ca

  8. Jul 1

    Danijel Slisko: From Commercial Painting to Marketing, Tech, and Magazines

    Danijel Slisko has been self-employed for almost 30 years, starting in commercial painting before building a wider path through Calgary construction, marketing, technology, and publishing. In this episode, Danijel talks about learning business from his parents, earning trust with demanding clients, using systems before they were common in the trades, selling the company, and moving into a new chapter built around people, magazines, and community. Connect with Danijel Slisko: Website: https://www.danijelslisko.com/ LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/danijel-sli%C5%A1ko-1639a61b Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danijel_slisko/ Connect with Jeff Humphreys: Website: https://www.jeffhumphreys.ca Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffhumphreys TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeffhumphreys_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhumphreysyyc Podcast Location & Production: Off Set Studios: https://www.offsetstudios.ca

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About

The Calgary Sessions is a podcast about the people who make Calgary interesting. Hosted by Jeff Humphreys, each episode is an honest conversation with artists, athletes, entrepreneurs, and community builders about where they came from, what they have learned, what they are building, and what life has taught them along the way. It is a way to get to know the city through the people who live here.

Information

  • Creator
    Jeff Humphreys
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    231
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Jeff Humphreys
  • Show Website
    The Calgary Sessions

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