The Call Center Rebel with Richard Blank
The RebelRebel Podcast
““You shouldn’t use words to burn. They should be for light and for warmth.” Richard has spent the last 19 years running a near-shore bilingual contact center that thrives on empathy, communication, and human connection in an era dominated by automation. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In this episode, Michael Dargie sits down with Richard Blank, CEO of Costa Rica’s Call Center. Richard has spent the last 19 years running a near-shore bilingual contact center that thrives on empathy, communication, and human...
info_outline
From Teeth to Tech with Brandon Sherwood
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Entrepreneurship is the craziest, scariest roller coaster ever.” What happens when selling RVs leads to buying dental scrap, melting it down for precious metals, and then launching a startup with a mission to bless lives? In this episode, I talk with Brandon Sherwood about entrepreneurship, family, and why it’s just not that serious. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In This Episode In this episode, Michael Dargie chats with Brandon Sherwood, an entrepreneur from Heber City, Utah, whose path has been anything but...
info_outline
The Sound of Success with Jodi Krangle
The RebelRebel Podcast
In this episode, Michael Dargie sits down with Jodi Krangle, a professional voice actor, singer, and host of the Audio Branding podcast. Based just north of Toronto, Jodi has been a full-time voice actor for nearly two decades, lending her voice to clients around the world while exploring the psychology and power of sound . Jodi shares how her journey started in the mid-90s when she volunteered at CNIB, recording articles to reel-to-reel tape for the visually impaired. Years later, after burning out in SEO and internet marketing, she returned to the idea of voice acting and built a thriving...
info_outline
Speed Learning for Rebels with Howard Berg
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Speed reading doesn’t work. Speed learning works.” What happens when a kid from Brooklyn grows up to become the world’s fastest reader and teaches others to learn 100% faster in just four hours? In this episode, I talk with Howard Berg about speed learning, knowledge, and why smarter decisions could change the world. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In this episode, Michael Dargie sits down with Howard Berg, officially recognized as the world’s fastest reader by the Guinness Book of Records. Howard reads at a...
info_outline
RebelRebel Takeover Episode: BrandJitsu Uncovered
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Your value proposition is the reason people choose you.” What happens when Michael Dargie hands over the mic to branding legend JP Lacroix? In this takeover episode, they unpack the lessons behind BrandJitsu and why truth and clarity are the foundation of every brand story. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In this special takeover episode, Michael Dargie flips the script and lets branding veteran Jean Pierre Lacroix take the host’s chair. The focus is Michael’s book BrandJitsu, which JP describes as one of the...
info_outline
Lead It Like Lasso with Marnie Stockman & Nick Coniglio
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Question everything and see it from every perspective.” What happens when a high school math teacher and a computer programmer leave the corporate grind, write books inspired by Ted Lasso, and create a personal leadership app? In this episode, I talk with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio about building businesses, books, and better leaders. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In This Episode In this episode, Michael Dargie welcomes co-authors, entrepreneurs, and leadership coaches Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio....
info_outline
Rebels, Rogues, and Role Playing with Jim Zub
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Sometimes you just have to create your own creative circle.” What happens when a kid from Oshawa who loved Dungeons & Dragons grows up to write the Avengers, Conan the Barbarian, and create new canon for D&D itself? In this episode, I catch up with my longtime friend Jim Zub, a comic writer, teacher, and storyteller who proves that staying in the game is the game. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In this episode, comic writer, teacher, and storyteller Jim Zub joins Michael Dargie to talk about a creative...
info_outline
Bold Moves Only with Dr. Apollo Emeka
The RebelRebel Podcast
“So many people are waiting for permission. A decision is the permission.” In this episode, Dr. Apollo Emeka joins the conversation from Panama City, Panama, where he and his family relocated after wildfires forced them from their home in California. What began as an evacuation turned into a bold life decision—one that exemplifies the very work Apollo now does with leaders and entrepreneurs: helping them make decisions so bold that the path forward becomes obvious. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In This Episode...
info_outline
From Sea Kings to Stout with Rob Truscott
The RebelRebel Podcast
“You don’t know what you don’t know—until you travel.” Today’s guest is Rob Truscott—retired Canadian Forces navigator, brewer, and motorcycle enthusiast. From flying in Sea Kings and responding to Swissair 111 to surviving cancer and brewing in Nova Scotia, he’s living proof that memento mori is less about dying—and more about living. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In This Episode In this episode, Michael Dargie welcomes Rob Truscott—retired military navigator, brewer at Great Roads Brewing,...
info_outline
Ignite Your Neurons with Utkarsh Narang
The RebelRebel Podcast
“I’m someone who’s building life one day at a time—and loving it.” In this episode, coach, facilitator, TEDx speaker, and podcast host Utkarsh Narang checks in from Melbourne—“in the future,” as he jokes—and lays out a life stitched together by courage, curiosity, and conscious impact. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In This Episode Raised in a family of doctors, he followed a straight path into physiotherapy, running three clinics in Delhi. But a restless question kept tugging: what’s my larger...
info_outline“Be a sponge in life. Don’t be a rock.”
From farm life to global brand transformation, Jean-Pierre Lacroix shares how emotional connection, travel, and persistence fuel his 35-year journey in business.
This episode is sponsored by my new book BRANDJITSU, helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world.
In This Episode
In this episode, Michael talks with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of one of Canada’s longest-running privately owned brand transformation agencies. From helping reinvent Dairy Queen’s image to working with global banks, Jean-Pierre has spent 35 years guiding companies through change by focusing on emotional connections over functional features.
Raised on a farm in Chesterville, Ontario, Jean-Pierre traded strawberry fields for design school and built his first firm into the largest independent brand consultancy of its time. His journey spans opening offices in China and the Middle East, writing Think Blink: The Blink Factor Manifesto, and earning an MIT certification in AI for business during the pandemic.
Jean-Pierre shares how travel fuels his creativity, why colour and shape matter in branding, and the need for businesses to understand the emotional needs driving customer decisions. He also opens up about painting watercolours of his travels, his favourite haunts in Toronto, and the importance of persistence for “rebels in waiting.”
Quotable Quotes
“We’re emotional creatures. We don’t reason, we feel.”
“Be a sponge in life. Don’t be a rock.”
“Persistence—the darkest hour is the hour before sunrise.”
“If you resonate emotionally, you make it easier for people to buy from you.”
“My biggest fear is becoming irrelevant.”
Episode Highlights
From Farm to Fortune 500 | How early life shaped a career in creative problem-solving.
The Blink Factor | Why emotional connection trumps functional benefits in branding.
Global Offices | Opening in China and Oman to follow future market growth.
Learning Always | Earning an MIT AI certification before ChatGPT was public.
Colour and Emotion | How hues like green, blue, and orange influence trust and aspiration.
Travel as Inspiration | Connecting the dots between cultures, ideas, and innovation.
Artistic Side | Painting watercolours of European holidays as a creative practice.
Favourite Toronto Spots | Monkey Bar, Sebastien’s pastries, and the local Starbucks.
Rebel Advice | Persistence—the toughest time is just before you succeed.
LINKS FROM EPISODE
Jean-Pierre on LinkedIn (http://linkedin.com/in/jeanpierrelacroix)
Jean Pierre on Instagram (https://www.facebook.com/jeanpierre.lacroix.96)
Website (http://www.sld.com/)
Get Your Copy of Michael's Book:
"BrandJitsu™: Move Your Brand From 'Meh' To Memorable"
Indigo | Barnes & Noble | MichaelDargie.com