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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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,...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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...
info_outline
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 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 BRANDJITSU, helping you find, shape, and share your story with the world.
Their conversation runs fast and loose through the evolution of the hospitality industry, the challenge of keeping pace with rapid change, and the mental health cost of working in an often-glamourised but demanding business. Shawn shares how he helps entrepreneurs stop “running around like a chicken with their head cut off,” and shift toward building processes and systems that actually serve their vision.
He also opens up about getting sober, the identity crisis that followed, and how he’s reshaped his life and business in the years since. His no-BS honesty about addiction in the service industry, burnout, and boundaries hits home. At the same time, his passion for teaching, mentoring, and helping others build sustainable businesses is clear.
Shawn also reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic forced a hard reset across the industry and why that presented a necessary opportunity for reevaluation. His work with Soole Hospitality Concepts and the Post Shift podcast continues to challenge the status quo while giving business owners tools they can actually use.
For anyone working in—or orbiting around—the hospitality world, this episode is a refreshing gut check.
PULL QUOTES
“We’ve been glamorizing a toxic industry for a long time.” —Shawn Soole
“Success doesn’t mean burnout.” —Michael Dargie
“I hit that point where I said, if I’m going to get out of this industry, it’s going to be on my own terms.” —Shawn Soole
“I help people stop working in their business and start working on their business.” —Shawn Soole
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
[00:01,000] Origin Story | Shawn’s start in hospitality at 13
[00:04,000] Soole Hospitality Concepts | Why and how he started his consultancy
[00:09,000] Pandemic Reset | How COVID-19 shifted the industry and mindsets
[00:12,000] Sobriety and Identity | Navigating a major lifestyle change
[00:18,000] The Systems Fix | Helping owners escape chaos with structure
[00:25,000] Mental Health in Hospitality | Burnout, addiction, and making it sustainable
[00:30,000] Post Shift Podcast | Teaching the next generation of hospitality pros
[00:36,000] Legacy Projects | What’s next for Shawn
LINKS FROM EPISODE
Soole Hospitality Concepts (https://www.soolehospitality.com)
Post Shift Podcast (https://www.postshiftpodcast.com/)
Great Northern Cocktails (book) (https://www.amazon.ca/Great-Northern-Cocktails-Shawn-Soole/dp/1907434534/)
BC Spirits (https://www.bcspirits.com/)
BrandJitsu Book by Michael Dargie(https://brandjitsu.com)
Get Your Copy of Michael's Book:
"BrandJitsu™: Move Your Brand From 'Meh' To Memorable"
Indigo | Barnes & Noble | MichaelDargie.com