Alex Mustakas built one of Canada’s most successful theatre companies from a single small-town stage in Drayton, Ontario. He’s an actor, theatre director, and the Founder and CEO of Drayton Entertainment which is a not-for-profit that’s now home to seven theatres, hundreds of artists and staff, and some of the absolute best live performances in the country.

In this episode, Alex shares his journey from immigrating to Canada from Cyprus to finding his place in the arts and building a legacy that blends creativity, business, and heart. We talk about how community, connection, and a whole lot of persistence shaped his path.

In this episode we covered:

• Growing up as an immigrant kid and chasing big dreams in a new country
• The friendship and “that’ll never work” moments with The Wealthy Barber author David Chilton
• Building Drayton Entertainment from one tiny playhouse to a seven-theatre powerhouse
• Running a world-class theatre company with zero government funding
• Creating the Drayton Youth Academy and teaching life skills through the arts
• The little things (like flowers in the theatre washrooms) that end up being the big things
• How Alex is shaping his legacy and passing the torch

Alex was such a pleasure to chat with. He’s living proof that when you mix heart with hustle, the standing ovation eventually comes.

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Alex Mustakas

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Drayton Entertainment Website

Drayton Entertainment on Instagram

Drayton Youth Academy on Instagram

The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton

If It Ain’t Broke… Break It! by Robert Kriegel

We’d love to connect with you. Here’s where to find us:

Vienna Waits Website

Subscribe to Vienna Five Newsletter

Waypoint Retreat

Vienna Waits on Instagram

Greg’s LinkedIn

Whitney’s LinkedIn

Every other Thursday, we talk to people who got UNBLOCKED. You'll hear stories about finding clarity, career paths, career pivots and living with intention. Our guests tell us how they realized something had to change, made bold moves, and built lives that feel more aligned, more alive, and more intentional. We’ll share some of our own stories too, because we’re right here, figuring it out like everyone else.

In this episode, we sit down with Sam Yarborough (former Chief Growth Officer, partnerships and GTM leader, podcast host, and co-founder of Arcadia) for a conversation about courage, harmony and building something meaningful with the person you love.

After years in the SaaS world leading partnership strategy within the Salesforce ecosystem, Sam had what many would call a dream career (big title, big impact, big paycheck) but she felt disconnected from herself. When her husband Jason looked at her and said, “Your spark is gone,” it became the wake-up call she needed.

Together, Sam and Jason took a leap and built Arcadia, a leadership community and retreat series helping revenue and partnership professionals reconnect with purpose and create more harmony between work and life. As a fellow husband and wife duo building a business, we could relate to their story on every level.

We talk about:

• Walking away from “success” on paper to rediscover your spark
• How Arcadia began as an idea and became a movement for intentional leadership
• Building a business with your partner (and learning to stay in your lanes)
• The power of relationships and authenticity in work and life
• Why perfectionism kills progress (and why action is the antidote)
• Creating harmony over hustle in your career and home life
• How clarity comes from taking the first step, not waiting for the plan to be perfect

This is a conversation about courage, reinvention, and redefining success on your own terms (with a little bit of Montana magic mixed in).

Enjoy this conversation with Sam Yarborough.

Episode Links:

Arcadia Constellation

Arcadia Leadership Experience (ALX)

Subscribe to ‘The Friend Zone’ Newsletter

Friends with Benefits Podcast

Sam on LinkedIn

We’d love to connect with you. Here’s where to find us:

Vienna Waits Website

Subscribe to Vienna Five Newsletter

Waypoint Retreat

Vienna Waits on Instagram

Greg’s LinkedIn

Whitney’s LinkedIn

Every other Thursday, we talk to people who got UNBLOCKED. You'll hear stories about finding clarity, career paths, career pivots and living with intention. Our guests tell us how they realized something had to change, made bold moves, and built lives that feel more aligned, more alive, and more intentional. We’ll share some of our own stories too, because we’re right here, figuring it out like everyone else.

In this episode, we dive into another one of the core values that shapes Vienna Waits: gratitude.

Fresh off hosting our first-ever Waypoint Retreat, we reflect on the experience, the lessons we learned, and the deep sense of appreciation that continues to ripple from it. We talk about how gratitude shows up as both a feeling and a practice, how it connects to our Pause, Prioritize, and Pursue framework, and why slowing down can actually be the fastest way to move forward.

We explore:

• What it means to live with gratitude beyond the buzzword
• The three proven benefits of practicing gratitude
• The connection between gratitude, generosity, and presence
• Why creating space to pause can spark deeper connection and clarity
• Our simple GLOW Framework to help you build your gratitude practice

We also share personal stories from the Waypoint Retreat, our daily reflection habits, and even a few funny moments (like the banana incident) that show how gratitude can shift everything from your mood to your mindset.

Episode Links:

Waypoint 2026 Waitlist

The GLOW Framework (Ground, Linger, Observe, Write) — Try it for your own gratitude practice

TED Talk: “Want to Be Happy? Be Grateful” by David Steindl-Rast

The Vienna Five Newsletter — where we share more reflections on gratitude, intentional living, and life off autopilot. Subscribe at vienna-waits.com/newsletter

We’d love to connect with you. Here’s where to find us:

Vienna Waits Website

Subscribe to Vienna Five Newsletter

Waypoint Retreat

Vienna Waits on Instagram

Greg’s LinkedIn

Whitney’s LinkedIn

Every other Thursday, we talk to people who got UNBLOCKED. You'll hear stories about finding clarity, career paths, career pivots and living with intention. Our guests tell us how they realized something had to change, made bold moves, and built lives that feel more aligned, more alive, and more intentional. We’ll share some of our own stories too, because we’re right here, figuring it out like everyone else.