

Coffee With Convery
Brien Convery
Explore how success isn’t just about climbing the corporate ladder, sometimes it’s about building your own jungle gym. From students to seasoned professionals, this career development podcast is your launchpad for job search strategies, personal branding, leadership growth, and workplace success. Dive into real-life career transitions, resume tips, interview preparation, mentorship, and future-ready skills. Produced by talent, for talent to empower emerging professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives to thrive in today’s evolving job market. Listen now to level up your career!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 2, 2026 • 49min
From Camera to Story Telling with Giulio Becatti
Welcome to Coffee With Convery, the podcast that’s yourlaunchpad for career inspiration.Today’s guest is someone who understands that in today’seconomy, attention is earned — but trust is built.Giulio Becatti is a filmmaker and video strategist basedin Canada, founder of GHMedia, and someone who helps construction brands turncredibility into clients through the power of visual storytelling.But what fascinates me about Giulio isn’t just that heshoots great video.It’s that he understands positioning.He understands trust.He understands how creativity becomes strategy.And he recently filmed a documentary in South Sudan.We’re going to unpack all of it.

Mar 26, 2026 • 41min
From Systems to Safeguards with Rob Chaykoski
Most organizations do not fail because they lack technology.They fail because they misunderstand trust.In an AI driven, hyper connected world, the real risk is not speed. It is vulnerability.Today’s conversation is about what leaders miss before something breaks.Rob Chaykoski is a cybersecurity and information technology expert with more than twenty five years of experience. He is a Zero Trust architect, AI researcher, educator, and public sector security leader working across healthcare, government, education, and enterprise systems.But this is not a conversation about firewalls.It is about responsibility.It is about digital trust.It is about why cybersecurity is now a leadership decision.If you lead people, manage data, or work in tech, this one matters.

Mar 19, 2026 • 43min
From Creative Chaos to Strategic Clarity with Glen Lowry
Most institutions do not struggle because of funding.They struggle because creativity and strategy stop talking to each other.And when that happens, innovation stalls before anyone notices.If you are leading a team, building a program, or navigating your own career, today’s conversation is about how to build bridges before silos harden.My guest is Dr. Glen Lowry, senior academic leader, former Associate Vice President at Centennial College, Executive Director of Partnerships and Research at OCAD University, and long serving academic leader at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.But here is why this matters.Glen has built institutions at the intersection of creativity, research, industry, and community without losing the storyteller inside him.Today we are breaking down:Why partnerships fail before they even startWhat colleges must change right now to stay relevantand The leadership signal most people miss under pressure

Mar 12, 2026 • 52min
From Students to Industry Innovators: The Power of Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning
Coffee With Convery – Special Edition | Live with Northeastern University Toronto StudentsToday’s Special Edition features four exceptional graduate students from Northeastern University Toronto who are navigating the Canadian job market as innovators, newcomers, and future leaders.Meet the GuestsJohn Justice AbbanJohn is a biotechnology graduate student with experience spanning GMP manufacturing in Canada and regulatory operations in Ghana. From placing 2nd in an AI in Life Sciences Hackathon to researching HER2-targeted biologics, he’s building a career at the intersection of biotech manufacturing, compliance, and data science.Rita AladiRita is a Project Management graduate student and ONYX Scholar who specializes in stakeholder coordination and operational efficiency. With experience leading teams across Nigeria and North America, she brings a data-driven, customer-centric mindset to every project she touches.Victor AdekunleVictor is a Project Management professional with a foundation in architecture and systems thinking. Skilled in governance, Agile and Waterfall methodologies, and cross-functional collaboration, he is positioning himself as a high-impact co-op candidate ready to drive measurable results.Alexis HerculesAlexis is a biotechnology graduate student passionate about translating molecular research into therapeutic impact, particularly in women’s health. With hands-on experience in antibody research, GMP/GCP/GLP principles, and student leadership as President of BioNeXt, she is committed to advancing equitable innovation in drug development.

Mar 5, 2026 • 35min
From Hiding to Headlining with Ava Val
Most people are not stuck because they lack talent.They are stuck because they are hiding.Hiding their voice.Hiding their truth.Hiding who they really are.Today’s conversation is about what happens when you stop editing yourself and start owning the stage.My guest is Ava Val. She is a John Candy Award winning comedian, musician, and actress. She has written for This Hour Has 22 Minutes, appeared on Roast Battle Canada, and stunned audiences on Canada's Got Talent with a full sweep of yeses.She is also the first trans performer to break multiple barriers across Canadian comedy and television.But this episode is not about credits.It is about courage.It is about identity.It is about leading with truth.

Feb 26, 2026 • 48min
From Practice Rooms to the Podium with Vasili Palantzas
Welcome to Coffee With Convery, the podcast that’s your launchpad for career inspiration.Today’s guest is someone who proves that passion isn’t just something you love, it’s something you build with.Vasili Palantzas is a musician, educator, and leader whose career has been shaped not by shortcuts, but by discipline, curiosity, and a deep respect for craft.From early practice rooms to leading ensembles, mentoring young musicians, and shaping the next generation of creative talent, Vasili’s story is about what happens when commitment meets creativity.This episode is for anyone navigating a non-linear path, building mastery over time, or wondering if what they love can truly become a life’s work.

Feb 19, 2026 • 45min
From Power Lines to Powerful Influence with Barry Moline
Welcome to Coffee With Convery, the podcast that’s your launchpad for career inspiration.Today’s guest, Barry Moline has spent nearly four decades leading in some of the most complex, high-stakes environments imaginable energy, water, infrastructure, public service, disaster response, and now ethical influence and leadership development.He’s been a CEO for 29 years.He’s led statewide and national associations.He’s worked in government, utilities, nonprofits, global organizations and today, he helps leaders learn how to connect, persuade ethically, and build teams that actually work.Barry is also the author of CONNECT! How to Quickly Collaborate for Success in Business and Life, a book that challenges how most of us think leadership is supposed to look.

Feb 12, 2026 • 50min
From Talent Strategy to Leadership Activation with Tiffany Smye
Welcome to Coffee With Convery, the podcast that’s yourlaunchpad for career inspiration.Today’s guest is a powerhouse in the world of human resources, a certified coach, and a master at building high-performing leadership benches. Please welcome Tiffany Smye, Founder and Principal Consultant at TCSTalent Consulting and former Senior Director of Talent, Learning & Development at MLSE. Tiffany’s career is a masterclass in evolving within the talent space. She has led massive recruitment and development portfolios for global giants like RBC and Deloitte,managing everything from campus programs for over 650 annual hires to overseeing HR for banking operations with more than 9,500 employees. Today, she uses that deep expertise to help organizations solve business challenges through a people-and-culture lens, focusing on leadership effectiveness and talentinnovation. Whether you’re a student navigating your first campus recruitment cycle, a professional looking to pivot your career, or a leader trying to build a culture of trust and performance, Tiffany’s insights will change how you think about talent.

Feb 5, 2026 • 52min
From Self-Erasure to The Blue Hour Gospel with Colin Belcourt
Welcome to Coffee With Convery, the podcast that’s your launchpad for career inspiration.Today’s guest doesn’t just work inside systems -- he questions them, rewrites them, and asks who they were actually built for in the first place.Colin Belcourt is an author, certified sustainability practitioner, award-winning DEI & belonging leader, business intelligence professional, and a queer systems thinker.Colin’s career didn’t start with a title or a straight line.It started at the front desk…and moved through administration, HR, recruitment, project management, DEI leadership, international talent, public-sector innovation and now into technology, AI governance, and authorship.His journey is proof that your first job doesn’t define you - but how you learn, adapt, and stay true to yourself absolutely does.

Jan 29, 2026 • 36min
From Chapters to Careers with Ella Weartherilt
Welcome to Coffee With Convery, the podcast that’s your launchpad for career inspiration.Today’s guest understands something most people don’t realize until much later: careers aren’t ladders — they’re stories.Ella Weatherilt is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Medcan, with leadership experience at Walmart Canada, Spin Master, and across agency recruiting.But beyond titles, Ella is a storyteller at heart - an English Literature grad who turned narrative thinking into a career helping people move from one chapter to the next.She doesn’t just hire talent.She helps people make sense of their futures.


