In this powerful episode of The People Playbook, Jason Taylor sits down with Ryan Dymond, President & COO of FIKA Company – one of Canada’s fastest-growing cannabis retail organizations with over 237 locations.

Ryan brings 25+ years of hospitality experience into the cannabis space and reveals how he’s flipped the traditional retail script: leading with genuine human connection instead of transactions, treating every guest interaction like a hospitality experience, and building a decentralized, trust-first culture that scales.

You’ll hear raw insights on:

• Why hospitality principles create deeper loyalty than discounts ever could
• How to shift from “manager” to “coach” with young frontline leaders
• The biggest mistakes leaders make during acquisitions (and how empathy prevents cultural disasters)
• Staying grounded and humble when everything is moving at lightning speed
• Why trust deposits/withdrawals and radical authenticity are non-negotiable

If you’re leading (or building) a high-growth team and believe culture eats strategy for breakfast, this conversation is pure gold. Ryan proves that people-first leadership isn’t just nice-to-have – it’s the ultimate competitive advantage.

What does it really take to scale a company from $20M to $300M+ while actually putting people first?

In this powerful episode, scale-up expert and former EVP Brad Furtney pulls back the curtain on the leadership playbook that transformed founder-led software businesses into high-performing, culture-driven powerhouses at Evercommerce.

Brad shares the exact moves he makes on day one when stepping into a growth-stage company, why OKRs became his secret weapon for alignment and accountability, how he built a 5-year leadership development engine that skyrocketed culture scores and profitability, and why most companies talk about “people first” but never actually measure it.

If you’re a leader who believes culture isn’t just a feel-good buzzword - it’s the ultimate growth multiplier - this conversation is pure gold.

Key takeaways:

• The first leadership move that creates instant strategic alignment
• How to turn individual OKRs into real accountability (and what to do when someone doesn’t buy in)
• Why the best performers don’t always make the best leaders (and how to spot the ones who will)
• The unexpected power of investing in first-time managers and “next-gen” talent
• One simple piece of advice Brad wishes he could give his 20-year-old self (and every young leader today)

If you’re ready to stop treating culture as a side project and start building a team that scales with you, hit play now.

In this episode of The People Playbook Podcast, Jason Taylor sits down with Matt Bell, CEO of Shelmerdine Garden Centre and founder of Geller's Design, to discuss what it takes to scale multiple businesses while keeping culture, leadership, and people at the heart of it all.

Matt shares his journey from growing Gellers into Winnipeg’s largest residential landscape company to acquiring Shelmerdine Garden Centre, revealing how thoughtful delegation, profit-sharing, and clear career paths drive engagement and retention. He also opens up about his personal experiences with cancer and how vulnerability and perspective have shaped his leadership style.

If you’re a CEO, leader, or aspiring entrepreneur, this conversation is packed with actionable insights on culture-building, leading with empathy, and staying grounded while scaling your business.

In this episode of The People’s Playbook Podcast, Jason Taylor sits down with Kellie Lefaive, CEO of Go Direct Solutions, to explore what it takes to lead effectively in fast-paced and ever-changing industries. Kellie shares her insights on staying calm amid chaos, aligning teams across multiple departments, and nurturing future leaders. She also opens up about her personal leadership journey, the lessons she’s learned, and the principles she stands by to create a culture of accountability, communication, and engagement.

Whether you’re a CEO, team leader, or aspiring leader, this conversation is packed with actionable advice on how to show up, stay grounded, and build a thriving organization.

In this episode of The People Playbook Podcast, Jason Taylor sits down with Lindsay Wilson, GM of Sales Ontario at Molson Coors, to dive into authentic leadership, building culture through momentum, and nurturing high-performing teams. Lindsay shares her journey through significant organizational change, how she fosters inclusion and cross-functional collaboration, and her framework for spotting future leaders.

Whether you’re a seasoned leader or just starting your career, Lindsay’s insights on vulnerability, authenticity, and saying “yes” to opportunities will inspire you to elevate your leadership style and drive your team’s success.

How do you scale culture, lead through chaos, and keep people at the center? Tim Banick, President of Entegra Procurement Services Canada, joins Jason to share the leadership principles behind his 30+ year career across PepsiCo, Entegra, and beyond. We dig into self-awareness, creating psychological safety (“tops & flops”), leading large teams without silos, staying available to your people, and why diversity + candor beats consensus every time.

What you’ll learn

• Building culture with transparency, cadence, and follow-through
• Why patience (and bringing people along) accelerates results
• How to create a safe room for real talk and learning
• Leading through crises (COVID, tariffs) without losing your people
• Spotting future leaders: passion, attitude, and influence (title ≠ leadership)

On this episode of The People Playbook Podcast, host Jason Taylor sits down with Jason Wentzell - a Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist, past president of CAPhO, and founder of Extend Pharmacy - to explore how oncology expertise can be brought closer to home. Jason shares why community-based cancer care matters, how the Extend Cancer Pharmacy Network (ECPN) trains and supports independent pharmacies, and what leaders should look for when building mission-driven healthcare teams.

You’ll learn:

• Burnout safeguards for high-empathy oncology teams
• How Extend Pharmacy grew from a hospital insight to a community model
• Collaboration > competition: empowering local pharmacists with specialty oncology care
• Traits Jason hires for as he scales beyond Ontario
• Practical hurdles with take-home cancer drugs—and how to solve them
• The future of oncology: immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and care at home

What makes a culture durable - and a team unstoppable? Jason sits down with Jeff Clark (ex-President, Kitchen Partners; now President & CEO, Jeff Clark Consulting) to unpack four decades of building high-performing teams in food manufacturing and multi-unit restaurant supply. Jeff shares the “get the best people” play, how to coach A-players and strugglers, leading through COVID, and why purpose, values, and clear metrics turn “people-first” into performance.

You’ll learn:

• Hiring to a bar, not a vacancy
• Coaching the top 10% to move the middle
• Communicating under pressure (even when you don’t have all the answers)
• Embedding purpose/values so growth strengthens culture
• Keeping innovation alive with “always improving” habits