Career Buzz

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!
 

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Humans have difficulty knowing what to want.
Have you ever wanted something - a certain food, a job - gotten it, then realized you don't like what you wanted? There's a technical term for that - it's called "Miswanting."
According to researchers Dan Gilbert and Tim Wilson, Miswanting happens when we poorly forecast what we'll actually like. "Wanting" is a prediction we'll like what we want, but so often we don't. Miswanting is a common problem we humans have, therefore knowing why it happens and how to avoid it can be a very helpful when you're considering different careers, and in career counselling.
So many people want a job where they can "help people" and "make a difference." We hear it frequently in our CareerCycles practice. But when it comes to generating possibilities people hit a wall.
Mark met Christine Nam, a new car delivery specialist, and noticed how much she loves helping people on a happy day when they get into their new car for the first time. After working in retail for years, Christine thought she'd move up to auto sales. In which she thrived. Yet, despite the better money, she left that role to work as a delivery specialist where she likes making a difference and helping people. 
Tune in to this episode, where you'll hear Christine's story - an illustration of learning what to want, and repairing past miswants.
 
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!

In this episode with Hoda Kilani, the guests shared spectacular stories that showed them stepping out of their comfort zones. You could almost feel Nerel’s passion to support every student transitioning from high school to college or career. What did you think of his approach? Katherine reminded us that we have more strengths, we’ve achieved more than we give ourselves credit and it’s important that we just stop, look back, take stock and celebrate what we’ve achieved. How often do you stop and reflect on your accomplishments? Share your thoughts.
 
Guest 1 Bio
Nerel Winter is the CEO and Founding Principal of Bostonia Global, a TK-14 school model dedicated to creating personalized learning experiences that connect students’ strengths, interests, and values to their future goals. 
Drawing on his passion for school redesign and global learning, Nerel has collaborated with schools nationwide to develop innovative educational experiences. He has extensive experience working in dual and multilingual learning models, with a focus on student advocacy and connecting passions to global understandings. 
Born and raised in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Nerel’s personal experiences with opportunity gaps, along with his work in school redesign and student advocacy, have led him to develop a thriving college and career coaching business. Through this venture, he passionately supports high school and college students in navigating the often-overwhelming transition from high school to college or career, offering personalized guidance that empowers them to connect their unique strengths and passions to a successful and fulfilling future. Information regarding his work can be found at nerelwinter.com.
 
Guest 2 Bio 
Katherine Jennick is a UK-based Career Development Professional, Mentor, and Educator. 
In 2019, she founded What's your strength? ®, which started as a card activity to empower teenagers and has since evolved into a series of award-winning resources for all ages that are used in 16 countries. Katherine’s innovative work has been recognised by the Department of Education, and she has been shortlisted for CDI Careers Adviser of the Year and two business startup awards. 
Her resources are recommended by National Careers Week, the CDI, and The Careers and Enterprise Company. Katherine also offers 1:1 career guidance for young people and delivers collaborative creative workshops to a variety of audiences. She is the co-architect of the #SoMuchMoreThanTalkingAboutJobs campaign and a passionate advocate for the career development sector.
 
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!

When you lose your job, do you need resume-writing tips & job interview best practices?
 
Or, do you need an empathetic sherpa to guide you through the stages of grief, so that when you land your next job, you are prepared for success?
 
Born and raised in sunny San Diego, Steve Jaffe began his writing journey at San Diego State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication. After a 25-year career in advertising and marketing—including work on the iconic “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” advertising campaign—he has returned to his writing roots. His new book is “The Layoff Journey From Dismissal to Discovery: Navigating the Stages of Grief After a Job Loss”.
 
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!