"Events bring people together." - Shanondoah Nicholson

In a world of remote work, events are a way for us to come back together, and make those face-to-face connections with a dimension beyond what any virtual introduction can achieve.

Whether it's attending a networking event as a small business owner, or exhibiting at an industry trade show as a large organization, events are a perfect chance to tell your target audience who you are, what you do, and how you can help.

Our guests Shanondoah Nicholson and Evan Babins are both seasoned event professionals based in and around Toronto.

Together, they've each worked for both SMBs and multinational corporations, planning and bringing to life stellar events that get people talking.

Evan has frequently appeared on our sister podcast, Shanondoah's Beyond the BEO, but this is the first time that they've appeared as guests together!

Join us for our first episode of Season 3 to hear them talk all things events.

You can follow Shanondoah at @beyondthebeo on Instagram or check out the Beyond The BEO podcast (after you finish listening to ours!), and you can check out Evan at @evanbabins and both are on LinkedIn as well.

As always, you can find us at @thewritestuffagency and @38andkip on Instagram, or on LinkedIn at The Write Stuff Agency and 38th and Kip.

Want to check out our previous episodes? Check out our Youtube page or listen to our audio episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

The world can be a difficult place, and at the end of the day we can all use a little more kindness in our lives.

As Mr. Rogers said it best in times of trouble, “look for the helpers.”

Well, we’ve found one.

For our final episode of Season 2, we were fortunate to welcome Rafi Yablonsky, the executive director of the Canadian Shaare Zedek Hospital Foundation.

Although based in Toronto, Rafi raises money for Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, a pioneering medical facility which exports its research and discoveries to hospitals around the world.

If you’ve encountered Rafi at all or are familiar with his work within the Canadian Jewish community, you would know that his current role is completely on brand. Aside from his professional life working with nonprofits, Rafi has spent years building a personal brand centred around kindness.

With a vast network, he’s usually the first to come to the aid of anyone in trouble. He’s constantly offering to facilitate introductions, make recommendations, or offer strategic advice for others’ benefit.

We had Rafi on the show at a time of serious struggle for Toronto’s Jewish community, where Rafi is an established leader. Antisemitism has been on a steady rise for months, with threats and incidents taking place right in his own backyard. Yet to his credit, Rafi has never stopped leading with kindness.

Alicia and Shaun took the time to ask Rafi about

• His journey into the world of fundraising

• What keeps him motivated to help others

• How he manages to keep a positive disposition in a difficult world

• Whose philanthropy he looks up to

• What advice he has for someone looking to lead with kindness

We also looked at some of our favourite kind celebrities, including a couple of names that may surprise you!

On a personal note, we want to thank you all so much for listening to and watching our podcast. We’ve decided to cut Season 2 a little short, but we’re excited to return to the air for Season 3 with new guests, and maybe even a new format! Stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you get a craving in the off season and want to check out our old episodes, you can do that at:

https://www.brandingandthebeast.com

Or on our Youtube channel

OR wherever you get your podcasts!

Want to follow our professional journeys? You can find us here

Alicia Disantis - 38th and Kip Design and Branding

https://38andkip.com/

IG: @38andkip

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/38th-kip-design-marketing/

Shaun Bernstein - The Write Stuff Agency

https://www.thewritestuff.agency/

IG: @thewritestuffagency

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-bernstein/

So, what would YOU do when your guest has to reschedule at the last minute?

Well, if you're Alicia and Shaun, you improvise! Instead of interviewing our guest for Episode 18 (stay tuned), we did a mini episode asking each other questions about our industry and learning from each other as always.

We spoke about our respective creative processes, how we're handling AI, our favourite parts of our businesses, and the stuff that we just can't stand!

Want us to do more of these? Let us know! Email us at alicia@38andkip.com or shaun@thewritestuff.agency and tell us what you thought of us going off the cuff. If we get some good feedback, we might even make it a regular thing!