Writing Through The Darkness with Corey Croft
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Let the ego shrivel up and die on the vine.” In this episode, Michael Dargie sits down with Vancouver-based independent author and publisher Corey Croft for a candid conversation about writing, depression, ego, and the strange compulsion to finish terrible books. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. Corey shares how his path to becoming a novelist began not with ambition, but with anxiety. During a difficult stretch marked by depression, he realized he always had “time” to write — he just wasn’t using it. A...
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Mr. Incredible's Business Case for Boldness with Robert Schmidt
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Awesome hides on the other side of fear.” In this episode, Michael Dargie talks with Robert Schmidt—brand strategist, educator, and senior skydiving instructor based in Calgary, Alberta. Robert runs a national brand strategy firm called Box, where he helps organizations figure out who they are, what they stand for, and how to connect with the people that matter most. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. Robert’s superpower? Helping brands be something for someone—not everything to everyone. He shares the...
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The Biker's Voice Goes Global with India Hayes
The RebelRebel Podcast
In this episode, Michael Dargie talks with India Hayes, founder of Bikers Hangout—a grassroots global movement for motorcycle riders. Broadcasting from Warrington, England, India shares how her idea to connect riders around the world began in a hospital while recovering from pneumonia. Frustrated by the lack of an international biker network, she started a Facebook group. That seed grew into Bikers Hangout, a multimedia platform complete with its own radio station, live shows, club directory, and growing global partnerships. India opens up about riding through personal health struggles,...
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From Academia to Identity with David Mendes
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Sometimes just doing more is not the solution.” In this episode, Michael Dargie talks with David Mendes, a bilingual podcaster, medical writer, and creator of Papa PhD. Originally from Portugal, raised in Belgium, and now based in Montreal, David shares his journey through academia, translation, and eventually podcasting as a form of rebellion and reinvention. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. After completing his PhD in biology, David faced the all-too-familiar crossroads many graduate students encounter: a lack of...
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Prompt Like a Pro with Tris Hussey
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Curiosity is what keeps me moving forward.” What happens when a former scientist becomes Canada’s first pro blogger, publishes four books, and now builds custom AI marketing tools for fun? In this episode, I talk with Tris Hussey about curiosity, content, and building a life around technology that empowers people. 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 talks with Tris Hussey, a lifelong technologist, educator, author, and self-described curiosity-driven geek. Based in...
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Neurodivergent by Design with Rebecca Prejean
The RebelRebel Podcast
In this episode, Michael Dargie talks with Rebecca Prejean, an artist, instructional designer, and fierce advocate for neurodivergent people in corporate learning. Based just outside Austin, Texas, Rebecca brings her lived experience as a mother of an autistic child into her work—designing training that’s inclusive, accessible, and actually usable by everyone, especially folks with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. She shares the deeply personal story of her son’s diagnosis, how doctors told her he would never walk or talk, and how that experience shaped everything that came after. From early...
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Life Lessons from the Arctic with Heather Thorkelson
The RebelRebel Podcast
“You don’t need to know how—just know that it lights you up.” What happens when a creative rebel says yes to a fluke invite to Antarctica? In this episode, I talk with Heather Thorkelson about wild pivots, polar travel, and building a business with impact. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. In this episode, Michael Dargie speaks with Heather Thorkelson—entrepreneur, polar expedition guide, and founder of PolarTracks Expeditions. From growing up as a third-culture kid to building a pair of polar travel...
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Keep the Cocktail, Fix The Brand With Shawn Soole
The RebelRebel Podcast
“I help people stop working in their business and start working on their business.” In this episode, Michael Dargie chats with hospitality veteran and industry provocateur Shawn Soole. With a career spanning nearly three decades, Shawn has seen—and done—it all. From washing dishes at 13 in Australia to building bar programs, authoring books, consulting internationally, and running a podcast, his journey is nothing short of relentless. And that’s exactly how he likes it. This episode is sponsored by my new book , helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world. Their...
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Life as an Independent Vet with Dr. Beth
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Create the things you wish existed.” What happens when a little girl obsessed with animals grows up, faces down fear, and builds a vet clinic on a dream? In this episode, Beth Barrett shares her story of grit, independence, and what it really means to live in alignment with your values. 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 talks with veterinarian and entrepreneur Beth Barrett about her decades-long career, her passion for animals, and the power of doing hard things. From...
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Gen X Women Who Kick Ass with Oonagh Duncan
The RebelRebel Podcast
“Weight loss isn’t controversial in science, only on social media.” What happens when a former smoker and self-described non-athlete turns into one of Canada’s most refreshing voices in fitness and habit formation? In this episode, I talk with Oonagh Duncan about Gen X women, body neutrality, the power of pleasure, and her dream of fronting an 80s hair band at brunch. 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 talks with Oonagh Duncan—fitness coach, author of Healthy as...
info_outline“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 BRANDJITSU, 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 impact? That question pulled him into a start-up tied to Columbia Business School, where “I’ll figure it out” turned a three-month experiment into eight years of filmmaking, production, and later sales and operations.
Then came another leap. In the middle of the 2020 pandemic, Utkarsh quit a stable corporate role to become a coach—despite understandable pushback from family. Those pivots, he says, weren’t acts of recklessness; they were experiments run in partnership with fear. Understand the fear, test it with small actions, then move.
Utkarsh shares the values that anchor his days—freedom, growth, love, discipline—and why he recently replaced excellence with presence after a powerful retreat. He talks parenting two boys, starting the Ignite Neurons podcast to spark deeper conversations, and committing to an 800-plus-day meditation streak as a practice of simply “being.”
Travel, too, shapes his worldview: Melbourne’s four seasons in a day, the energy of New York, and a romantic fascination with Paris. There’s lighter fare—kangaroos, garage spiders named Spidey, and table tennis battles in the backyard—but the thread is consistent: define success on your terms, keep learning, and cultivate the courage to choose your own road—even when you can’t see it to the end. His long-game ambition? Support a billion lives to create more clarity, courage, and conscious impact—one day at a time.
Quoteable Quotes
“I’m someone who’s building life one day at a time—and loving it.” — Utkarsh Narang
“If you can see your path till the end, you’re walking someone else’s path.” — Utkarsh Narang
“Courage to express love, to leave what’s not serving you, to try—courage is the point.” — Utkarsh Narang
“Sometimes you just have to let shit go to make space for what’s next.” — Michael Dargie
“Fear can be a guide if you run small experiments instead of freezing.” — Utkarsh Narang
“What’s the most rebellious thing you’ve done?” — Michael Dargie
Episode Highlights
Melbourne Check-In | “I’m in the future” and yes, the lotto joke.
Many Hats, One Line | Coach, facilitator, speaker, author—“building life one day at a time.”
Doctor’s Son → Physio | Three clinics in Delhi and a fitness centre.
Bigger Impact Itch | From local care to wondering about global reach.
The Three-Month Bet | A start-up gig linked to Columbia Business School turns into eight years.
Filmmaking to Ops & Sales | Stacking skills across creative and commercial lanes.
Pandemic Pivot | Quitting a stable job in 2020 to coach—family shock included.
Values Upgrade | Swapping excellence for presence after deep inner work.
Coaching Focus | Clients across Australia, the US, and India—especially in tech.
Define “Rebel” | Freedom to choose your days; a path you can’t fully see.
Face Fear Thoughtfully | Identify the real trigger, then test with small actions.
Meditation Streak | 800+ consecutive days; “not about success—just being.”
Travel & Empathy | Melbourne’s weather, NYC’s energy, and a Paris daydream.
Backyard Life | Kangaroos in the Grampians, a respectful détente with “Spidey.”
Sport & Play | Table tennis with his kids; tennis fandom lives on.
Rebels-in-Waiting | Know your why, keep learning, define success for yourself.
The Big Goal | Touch a billion lives with clarity, courage, and conscious impact.
LINKS FROM EPISODE
Utkarsh Narang Website (http://www.utkarshnarang.com/)
Utkarsh on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/utkarsh-narang/)
Utkarsh Narang TedTalk (https://youtu.be/5aj0btxnBLo)
Utkarsh on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ignitedneurons?igsh=MTB4aGJyMTdsdmMwdw==)
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