Waste No Potential

“Sometimes the difference between the unfinished painting and the finished painting is as simple as finding the right frame.” — Rick Rubin

A plumber knows when a job is complete. Water turns on. Water turns off.

But when we plumb the depths of our soul to create an original idea, how do we know when the idea is complete? When do we stop putting the finishing touches on something and let it breathe a life of its own? When did Mic...

When you have nothing, you appreciate everything.

Mark Brand would know. He had everything going for him: successful careers as a DJ and chef, a home, a loving partner. He was living the dream. But when a medical condition dashed his chances of staying in his adopted country of Australia, he was forced to leave everything behind and come back to Canada, the place he was born. It became a rebirth.

Even though life had taken a turn, Br...

Hustle. Rise and grind. Fake it till you make it. Today’s work culture believes the only way to get ahead is to put your nose to the grindstone and maximize the hours in the day. The harder you work, the more successful you become, right?

On the flip side, burnout rates are on the rise — people’s bodies are physically revolting in a desperate attempt to tell them to rest. No one knows this better than our guest, author, an...

Nakuset, Executive Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, has seen how the stuffy rooms of institutions and officials perpetuate a cycle that discludes the voices of marginalized groups. That’s where she has planted herself. She stands between the forces that would continue the cycle and acts as a beacon for others. Her work — her voice — is creating positive momentum.

And it is just the beginning.

Nakuset was taken from...

James Bond has nothing on Sabino Marquez. The latter is stealth. Covert. Marquez works in the shadows. And he intimately understands the minds of the world’s most potentially dangerous criminals: hackers. Bond may be able to ride a motorbike through a wall of flames, but can he penetrate a network firewall to steal a list of client names? Didn’t think so.

In the encrypted world of data security, Sabino Marquez is a big deal. Corpora...

Incredible is a word that’s used so often it can lose its meaning. But in the case of our guest, Chris Wilson, his impossible-to-believe story offers insight into the power of resilience, understanding self-worth, and manifesting your own destiny. Your eggs benny isn’t incredible — this story is.

We believe there are two ways to move forward with decisions in life: agree and get on with it; or disagree and make it better. Sounds rea...

Scars. We all have them. But do we see them as reminders of mistakes or marks of progress? At Waste No Potential, we are infinitely curious how people push their limits to find out what they are truly capable of. The thing is, when we push ourselves to the edge sometimes we end up falling off. Good, now we know how far we can go. We pick ourselves up, put on a bandage, and carry on with a new scar — little or big — to add to the co...

Ever seen a fish in a suit? They don’t fit in — but you sure do notice them.

Gavin Armstrong spent university trying to “fit in”. He thought getting a suit-&-tie job in finance was the secret to success — and a way to inflict retribution on his high school bullies. But Armstrong’s career path hit a snag: he was miserable.

It took an unexpected and eye-opening trip to Botswana to change his perspective towards his goals. Being a f...

Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author of "Hooked" and "Indistractable," Nir Eyal is fascinated with how companies get us ‘hooked’ on their products and services. From the endless scroll on social media to the fatty foods we love (something Nir says he struggles with himself), how do companies optimize themselves to suck us in? On this episode of Waste No Potential, Nir wonders, “Can we optimize ourselves to take our atte...

Kristina Libby is acting like a 4-year old — and she couldn’t be happier about it. In a world where we often convince ourselves we can’t do certain things, Libby is giving herself permission to follow the weird impulses that pop into her brain, much like a child would. Even though this fresh approach to life came to her unexpectedly, Libby discovered she is becoming the truest version of herself.

At Traction on Demand, the mant...

Greg Malpass saves screws. Why? As a successful CEO, he knows every screw, idea, code snippet, or passion has the potential to be useful, it’s just a matter of having it when you need it.

Entrepreneur Derrick Emsley knows the same. When his first business venture didn’t get off the ground, he didn’t scrap the idea completely. He took the valuable lessons he learned and applied them to a different concept.

While still in high school,...