Career Buzz

We see headlines about refugee camps—but what does it actually look like, and what does it feel like, to live and work inside one?

On this episode of Career Buzz, host Mark Franklin interviews  Dr. Maria Milland, a Danish obstetrician and gynecologist whose humanitarian work has taken her to some of the world’s most challenging environments. Drawing on her experience working in the al-Hol refugee camp in northeast Syria, Maria shares powerful insights from her new book, *Born at the Gates of Hell*, offering a rare and deeply human perspective on life inside the camp—particularly in the maternity ward where new life begins amid extreme conditions. Together, they explore her career journey, the skills and values that sustain her work, and what her experiences reveal about resilience, ethical tension, and making meaningful career choices. 
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

A Career journey into Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering sits at the intersection of advanced science, complex systems design, and the timeless human ambition to fly. From the earliest aircraft to today’s highly sophisticated jets and emerging sustainable aviation concepts, the field continues to push the boundaries of innovation and engineering precision. Behind every aircraft is a multidisciplinary effort involving structural design, advanced materials, manufacturing technologies, and rigorous safety standards. As the aviation industry looks toward more efficient and environmentally responsible aircraft, engineers are reimagining how airplanes are designed, built, and operated. Stephen Armstrong and Andrew Bondarchuk explores the world of aerospace engineering and the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of flight.
 
Guest BioAndrew Bondarchuk is an aerospace engineer specializing in aircraft structural design and future aircraft development. He earned his Aerospace Engineering degree from Carleton University and gained early industry experience through an internship with Airbus in the United Kingdom. He began his career at Bombardier working on the production and design of aircraft including the Global 5500, 6500, and 7500 programs. Today he is a Senior Design Engineer in Bombardier’s Research and Technology group in Montreal, contributing to next-generation aircraft concepts such as the EcoJet blended wing body.
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

Challenging our understanding of the role of Career Development

Join Hoda for conversations that boost your career literacy. In this episode, Dr Brian Hutchison shares, “Particularly in the west we can get this idea of individualism in our head and I think that that’s an inaccurate idea”. Do you agree? Comment and share your thoughts and experiences.
 
Guest BioDr Brian Hutchison, also known as Global Career Guy, Dr Brian Hutchison Ph.D., LPC, CCSCC is Core Faculty of Clinical Mental Health Counseling in the School of Counseling at Walden University, USA. He received his doctorate degree in Counselor Education Supervision from Pennsylvania State University and has worked as a career, school, and mental health counselor and clinical supervisor.
Brian’s career consultation and education work operates within the brand of Global Career Guy where he specializes in consultation, research, speaking, and training focused on how career development fosters mental health well-being, school engagement, and social justice.
He has worked in more than 50 countries and written more than four dozen publications including the 12th Edition of School to Career, a career textbook for high school students.
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

Canada’s Electric Future: Are We Ready for the EV Transition?

Canada is accelerating toward an electric future—but are we truly ready for the EV transition? Beyond the headlines, this shift raises real questions about infrastructure, affordability, and grid resilience. Today, we ask what’s working, what’s missing, and whether Canada is prepared for what comes next. In this episode, Stephen Armstrong is joined by guest Andre Mech.
 
Guest BioAndre Mech is an Environmental Engineer who has been a climate change proponent for the past 25 years.  Andre works in the areas of electrical generation, emission reduction, energy efficiency project evaluation, project development, finance, management, verification, including carbon offset generation activities to minimizing climate change. He has direct experience with carbon related planning in the commercial institutional building sector, transportation sector and combined heat and power sector. He is a regular speaker at national and international energy conferences. He holds a BEng Mech Eng from the Royal Military College Canada and an MBA from Western University.
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!
 

Your comfort zone is killing your dreams, move from exclusion to inclusion

Join Hoda for conversations that boost your career literacy. One quote that stands out in this episode, is by Ahmed Mostafa Kamal who shared many useful career and life tips staying in our “comfort zone is killing our dreams”. Do you agree? Next, Ruth challenges us by stating “you can move anything that you do from exclusion to inclusion”. Comment and share your thoughts and experiences.
 
Guest 1 Bio
Ahmed Mostafa Kamal, a career development leader and expert in the Middle East. He is the founder of Career Development in the MENA Region, founder of AM Foundation for Career Development, the Co-Founder & Senior Partner of GROWAT Saudi Arabia and a UNICEF Advisor. His work has included training more than 1000 counselors, facilitators, coaches, and guides in Egypt, KSA, Qatar, and Turkey.
Ahmed began the first career development project in Egypt funded by USAID in 2006. Then, he extended his efforts to other countries in the MENA region as well as in Europe, Asia, USA and Canada. His focus is enriching Arab individuals, teams, organizations, and countries with the required knowledge, materials, tools, and experiences to benefit from a professional career development process—all translated and adapted for the Arab culture.
Ahmed won the merit award from the National Career Development Association (NCDA) in 2022, best international career development practitioner award from NCDA in 2011, and best international Global Career Development Facilitator award from the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) in 2015.
He holds many certifications in the fields of career development, mental health, business, and distance learning that are associated with several global associations including NCDA and CRG.
 
Guest 2 Bio
Ruth McAteer, a Career Development Professional. Ruth's work in the careers space focuses on exclusion to inclusion, investigating how to rethink career curriculum design, resources, and events as well as traditional one-to-ones, to maximise accessibility. 
By critically examining who we are designing for, she challenges traditional approaches to ensure career education can reach the widest demographics. Grounded in the globally applicable Employability Capital Growth Model and aligned with the global Sustainability Development Goals this approach helps people identify how and where they want to make an impact - the first step on any career journey! 
As a member of the Deaf community, Ruth is also a passionate advocate for people with disabilities especially regarding equality and inclusion in the workplace. 
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

Building a better future through earn-and-learn

On Career Buzz, we’re stepping into one of the biggest questions facing Canada, the U.S., and every advanced economy navigating digital transformation:
How do we redesign the bridge from education to employment?
Ryan Craig, is a Managing Director at Achieve Partners, a US firm investing in the future of learning and earning. Ryan has been tracking and forecasting these shifts for more than a decade. He’s the author of the insightful Gap Letter, and three books:
College Disrupted, on the unbundling of higher education and competency based hiring
A New U, examining faster and cheaper last mile pathways into digital careers
Apprentice Nation, a compelling case for scaling apprenticeships as a stronger and fairer alternative to traditional post-secondary programs
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

The Homeless in Toronto- Revisiting 9 years Later – Much Worse

We explore the plight of the homeless in downtown Toronto with Stephen Armstrong and Bob Duff, by focussing on the St Simons Shelter in Cabbagetown. “The measure of a society is found in how they treat their weakest and most helpless citizens”…. Abraham Lincoln. “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” ~ Mahatma Ghandi
 
Guest BioOur guest today is Bob Duff who was a guest in 2017, and again in 2023. Bob is the executive director of the St Simons Shelter for the homeless in the Cabbagetown area of downtown Toronto – now located in the Isabella Hotel. Bob shared his personal story of his trajectory from Bay Street family man, to homelessness, to becoming a tireless front-line worker with the downtown homeless population. He holds Degrees: B.A. in journalism from Ryerson University, and a MA economics from University of Ottawa, and a Juris Doctorate from Stetson University Florida.
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

What happens when a 7-year-old kid falls in love with the wind — and never lets go?

On this episode of Career Buzz, host Mark Franklin interviews Max Robinson, a lifelong wind enthusiast, water athlete, and coach who turned his early spark for windsurfing into a world-class career. From the shores of Georgian Bay to the Wingfoil World Tour, Max has flown across oceans, competed at the highest level, and returned home with a mission: to coach the next generation of riders and help others find their flow on the water. 
Tune in to hear Max’s story of passion, performance, reinvention — and how the wind can shape not just your sport, but your whole career.  
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

The Evolution of AI in Aerospace – From Hype to Secure, AI-Native Operations

AI is rapidly transforming the aerospace industry, with Boeing recently deploying over 70 generative AI applications across engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance, positioning AI as a “co-pilot” to support human decision-making under supervision.  This shift marks a significant step in integrating AI into core aerospace operations, enhancing productivity, safety, and innovation across the value chain.  The global AI market in aerospace and defense was valued at US$22.45 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$43.02 billion by 2030. Join Stephen Armstrong and Dominique Spragg in this discussion.
 
Guest BioDominique Spragg is an accomplished leader in the aerospace industry, specializing in integrated operations, business development and sustainable technologies. With experience ranging from CEO roles in sustainable aviation startups to strategic planning and operations management, Dominique has made significant contributions across North America, Europe, Russia, and China. Dominique is currently consulting in the sustainable aviation space, with companies ranging from Advanced Air Mobility (AMM) start-ups to Fortune 100 multi-national companies exploring alternative propulsion and sustainable aviation fuels.  Dominique’s holds an Aerospace Engineering degree, an MBA, and an IFR pilot Private Pilot License.
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!

A career to live the life you want, finding value in writing goals

Join Hoda for conversations that boost your career literacy. In this episode, Manana Jaworska shared, “I believe it’s possible for everyone to find a career that enables them to live a life that they want”. Do you agree? Dr Alan McAlpine told us how he finds value in writing his goals down and checking on them regularly. Do you think writing your goals down will help you accomplish them?
 
Guest 1 Bio
Manana Jaworska, a career transition coach and freelance frontend engineer. Manana has made two career transitions herself: from psychology to engineering, and then to coaching. She is passionate about helping people find work that makes them happy and fulfilled. You can follow Manana on Instagram @careerchangeguide and on LinkedIn.
 
Guest 2 Bio
Dr Alan McAlpine, Deputy Director of Student Success at Curtin University, Australia, Dr Alan McAlpine.
Dr Alan is a tragic 70’s music rock lover, he enjoys playing his guitar (badly) and sings in a (non performing) band – The Geriatrics. As much as he would like to focus on his music, that doesn’t pay the bills. 
His portfolio comprises Careers and Employability and a Social Impact Hub. He has over 20 years’ experience in the career development field and has been involved nationally and internationally for many years through his involvement in NAGCAS (National Association of Graduate Career Advisory Services), where he is currently National President. 
Alan's extensive experience includes past roles such as Associate Director, Student Success at QUT and Careers and Employment Manager for over a decade. He serves on the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA) Executive Committee and chairs the board of Graduate Careers Australia.  
 
For career counselling for you or someone you care about, start with a free discovery call: careercycles.comFor gamified, story-based professional development, learn about and schedule a demo of Who You Are Matters!