Sean (00:05)
I am also a WestJet pilot so I was flying all weekend. Well not all weekend, but I was gone.

Host (00:09)
Yeah, we got a little talk about that because that's kind of wild. You don't come across too many commercial pilot. Well, you probably do. Yeah, but like for us Lehman people, don't.

Sean (00:16)
Yeah, nature of the job.

You can kind of it's like teachers you can kind of spot a pilot from a mile away usually

I grew up in Princeton. So I was born in Edmonton, grew up in Princeton until, well, right until the end of high school. And then I guess just, you know, after the summer ended, then I moved to Kelowna for a couple of years.

Host (00:37)
finished school and getting away from the parents at home or why'd you end up coming?

Sean (00:42)
had a really good childhood family life. There's no secondary education in Princeton, so closest thing was here. I guess I could have probably gone to Vancouver because I love Vancouver, but I also like Kelowna

OUC back then, ⁓ when I first started, were just at the last full semester of classes at the KLO campus and they were just about, I think for January that year, North Campus, whatever they called it, that opened January of that year.

Host (01:19)
The one out by the airport? the airport. Okay. What did you take?

Sean (01:24)
Just general arts stuff, guess. I was more of kind of a science geek kind of growing up, like math and all that kind of stuff. But I was just taking general courses, honestly, because I had always wanted to fly. My parents weren't really encouraging that, so I was just taking whatever, honestly.

Host (01:44)
So at this point, had you taken any classes? I mean, sorry, flying like pilot classes. ⁓

Sean (01:46)
Yeah, I did.

No. ⁓

guess I probably didn't start flying until sometime in 1994.

Host (01:58)
How does that even come about?

Sean (02:00)
The flying? Yeah. My grandfather was a pilot. And I was really lucky. So I can't remember how old I was, but I was pretty young. And they took me with them to Maui. So we remember we drove down to Seattle, flew on Northwest Airlines at that time.

Host (02:02)
Okay.

Sean (02:15)
on a 747 which I thought was fantastic to Honolulu and we're sitting in emergency exit rowing man because there's lots of room and the pilot came and talked to my grandfather and I knew my grandfather was a pilot and he's got he already had great stories so that's kind of where the whole flying thing started

Host (02:32)
Was that back in the day when you could actually go up and see into the cockpit and stuff?

Sean (02:35)
We probably did. don't remember going. It might have been a DC-10 actually. Because I do remember going up to a cockpit in a DC-10, but yes, you absolutely could.

Host (02:44)
Yeah, that's cool. It was cool. Yeah. So you got the little bite back then. And then how come your parents discouraged it was a lifestyle or the fear of

Sean (02:53)
No, neither the problem and and they weren't wrong actually the problem back then was getting a job I mean you kiss I don't want to say super easy to get a flying job now because it's not it was a couple years ago, but it was so hard to get a job and then Any kind of job you're getting is a like a really? shitty paying not great hours kind of job yeah terrible

Host (03:12)
Really? ⁓

wow. I don't know why in my mind I always think pilots are like, you know, this like professional, got the wings, got the the strut, you know? ⁓ okay,

Sean (03:26)
No, like back then you could make more money at Tim Hortons than you could flying in a smaller job.

Host (03:30)
Wow. I'm probably

more reliable at Timmy's. Your hours? Yeah. Okay, so anyways, beyond all that, your love for wanting to fly took over. That was in Kelowna at the aerospace place over there?

Sean (03:35)
Yeah.

Yeah, it started in Kelowna. It was ⁓ I started at Southern Interior Flight Center, and I really wanted to get things moving So I ended up finishing my stuff in Vancouver, but I started here in Kelowna

Host (03:55)
That's almost... It almost sounded like a train whistled, it? ⁓ is that your phone? ⁓ thought it was coming from outside. I'm like, that is not a familiar noise. I do remember when the trains used to come through town, though.

Sean (03:56)
reminder as those reminder

I do too. actually remember when I grew up in Princeton, we used go down to the tracks and put coins on the tracks for the trains to run over. But yeah, if I don't set reminders nowadays, it's like it never existed.

Host (04:17)
Yeah, that's pretty cool.

It feels like you've got a lot that you're shuffling in your life.

Sean (04:25)
It's enough and we have two kids as well so that adds to the chaos. 11 and, or sorry, almost 11 and 13. Boy and a girl.

Host (04:29)
What are their ages?

Okay.

Wow. Yeah, we're right behind you at the nine almost seven.

Sean (04:38)
yeah, was looking at all your stuff.

Host (04:40)
Yeah, the craft table. That's it cleaned up by the way. ⁓

Sean (04:43)
Yeah,

that's way more clean than what we Those run through our place.

Host (04:46)
I like, aww.

The first couple guests, made this valiant effort to make it super clean. I'm like, this is not sustainable to any capacity.

Sean (04:58)
As

parents? Yeah, it's crazy. It's non-stop.

Host (05:00)
But you know, I love the creativity of, you know, when it's out they sit down and they just start gluing and cutting and taping and you know, I just like, I like them listening to music and spending their time doing that. But with it just comes this like monstrosity of just collection of stuff.

Sean (05:13)
Absolutely.

My daughter does the same thing.

Host (05:21)
and then if you throw out any if they catch you they catch you throwing out anything every scrap piece of paper is this like meaningful sentimental thing i'm like okay this is this is like

Sean (05:31)
I'm kind of like that too, so I totally get it. I'm not a hoarder. My wife might disagree with that, but I do have a hard time letting things go.

Host (05:39)
Especially if I like it. Okay, that's fair. Yeah. Okay, so you're you're doing your pilot lessons. Then this is a while or after you're I'm trying to get the timeline down here. While or after you're at the college doing your science.

Sean (05:53)
Yeah, eventually I started. So I still doing courses at the college. I guess I was working just towards a general arts degree at that point. And then I started flying at the same time.

So I did a little bit of that here. got my commercial pilot's license here. And then I guess at that point I was still living here, but I was going to Vancouver back and forth to get my, you have to get a multi-engine license. So when you first start flying, it's usually on a little single engine airplane. And then if you want to do it as a career, you get a multi-engine license and then an instrument rating and kind of go from there. So I decided my multi-engine license and my instrument rating in Vancouver.

Host (06:21)
⁓

Yeah, you need a lot of hours. I'd imagine Like you need a lot. Is it hours that you need flying to get two different levels?

Sean (06:30)
And what about our?

It is,

and it's funny how things work because they had hard limits for flying hours. At ⁓ WestJet, initially, you needed 5,000 hours to get hired. ⁓

Host (06:47)
Oh

wait, let me put that into context. 5,000 hours.

Sean (06:51)
Not just 5,000 hours. if you had 5,000 hours of like if you're just ⁓ we call them weekend warriors flying a little airplane around and you have 5,000 hours that's not good enough. So you would need 5,000 hours a lot of that has to be airplanes over a certain weight. Jet aircraft is obviously a benefit and that kind of stuff so.

Host (07:10)
So how long does it take the average person to attain that? Like we're talking years and years.

Sean (07:12)
a long time.

Yeah, mean, your transport Canada has hourly limits of what you can do in a day, what you can do in a week, and on and on and on. And I think the limit in one year is 1,200 hours, and very few people do 1,200 hours in a year.

Host (07:29)
so they put they they max out your limit like a truck driver these days. Yeah. ⁓ okay. There are like, are you having to pay? Like, how do you fan dangle that when you're you got to pay for all those hours? Yeah.

Sean (07:35)
exceptions but

Building hours, yeah, absolutely.

And that's why for the longest time, a few years ago, people didn't want to do aviation. So you have to pay as much as a doctor pays to get all their schooling done. You have to pay that much to get your licenses. And then you start at a job making lesson, someone making it to more.

Host (07:58)
Yeah, the math just doesn't add up. No, I just assumed I have no idea why I just assumed that it was a great paying gig because I I did know that it took a long time to get it not that long, but like

Sean (08:09)
Yeah, it's not bad now. My position now is decent.

Host (08:12)
You've worked your way up. interesting. I have so many questions about being a pilot. Okay, so you've gone and then did you finish? Did you end up finishing your degree?

Sean (08:23)
Yes, but not at the college so I moved ended up moving to Vancouver because I loved Vancouver At that point I think had broken why she broke up with me. I've broken up with a girlfriend I was in Vancouver Trying to finish my licenses and that's When I started looking for other non-flying work and ended up working at Earl's So then I was working at Earl's and

Host (08:41)
Okay.

Sean (08:44)
building hours and then eventually got a job. actually I ended up in Yellowknife for a while then came back.

Host (08:51)
I love how that's just like this little side thing in your life. Oh yeah, and by the way, I worked up in...

Sean (08:56)
Yeah,

that was interesting because I drove up there and I drove up there and I got to Hey River and at that point they have there was kind of a transition where there's a like an ice bridge across the river but it wasn't or no maybe it was a the bridge was out because of the ice flowing down anyways I had to have my helicopter my car helicopter over

the river so could get up to Yellowknife. It was pretty cool actually, I'd never been in a helicopter before but I had to call my parents because I had no money, like I need to get my car lifted across the river. But anyways I was in Yellowknife which was cool for a few months and then came back down. I was working on, did you ever see Ice Pilots? I was working on the ramp for Buffalo.

Host (09:22)
wow.

What did you do there?

ghetto. Wow. So you did that kind of for a season or a months? Okay, as he came back down. Yeah. wow.

Sean (09:48)
and then got on at Earls because I needed a job.

Host (09:51)
Were you hostessing or waitering?

Sean (09:53)
I

wanted to be in the bar, but I basically have a face for the kitchen, so they throw me in the kitchen. Which I ended up actually really loving. And actually most of my good long- not all, but most of good long-term friends are still Earl's people.

Host (10:07)
interesting yeah i do remember back in the day you basically had to like have a professional photo shoot as your resume like my friends who would go apply there it was all just like based on what you looked like yeah not in kitchen

Sean (10:19)
Yeah, not in the kitchen. So

but it was like said, it was ended up being really enjoyable. And the nice thing about that because I, I'd get laid off from a flying job. And I call Earl's my hotel California because I could check it out. I could never leave because I'd get laid off from a flying job. And I always did a decent job at Earl's so they'd always take me back.

Host (10:38)
Hey, that's a great analogy. Yeah. Yeah, that's cool. Okay, so you're working out Earl's doing your flying thing and Then where did life take you from that? I guess you're working in and out of Earl's in and out of Earl's

Sean (10:49)
I was. So I was lucky to be able to stay in Vancouver for the longest time. Well, I ended up there for 18 or 19 years, I guess. So I was flying different jobs and still literally working at Earls. I mean, I worked at different Earls on and off for.

Host (11:04)
decade? Wow.

Sean (11:06)
at least. Yeah, and then you you progress through the ranks of different companies and eventually I got on with jazz, so Air Canada jazz, and then I left Air Canada jazz to go to WestJet where I am now.

Host (11:18)
that's cool. Yeah. So would like, ⁓ there's gotta be so many memorable first moments in being a pilot, Like your first single engine, your first double engine, your first going solo ride, your first commercial flight.

Sean (11:30)
The first time flying a jet was weird because normally you have two big engines on either side of the wing that you can literally sail to the pilots window because you're not usually flying a super big airplane. And I remember first time flying it as a little citation business jet we were doing medevacs with. And I looked out over on the wing and usually there's a big propeller there, but there was nothing because the engines are in the back. And I just thought that was super cool. But yeah, there's definitely lots of first memories for sure.

Host (11:54)
Like your first ⁓

storm encounters, I'd imagine too, and things like that. Yeah.

Sean (12:00)
Really bad turbulence.

Really good landings. Really maybe not so good.

Host (12:04)
Do you rate your landings each time? ooh, that's-

Sean (12:06)
⁓

I know but you you've been flying for so long you kind of expect to have a decent landing and when when you don't have a landing that's maybe not bad but not as good as you think you could have done it's always like

Host (12:19)
They might remember that one.

Sean (12:21)
But luckily I literally just the other day flew hockey parent friends from Kelowna to Calgary because they were going to Boston for a tournament and it was windy as hell in Calgary and I was flying and I just greased it on luckily because if I had drilled it on I never would have heard the end of it. But he actually came up and said that's literally the best landing I've ever experienced. That was actually really lucky on my

Host (12:43)
part.

you just did you just like play it off like yeah it's always like that. Absolutely. That's wild. That's so cool. Is the Kelowna Airport challenging to land in because of the mountains?

Sean (12:46)
Yeah, what did you expect?

I know I know some pilots who aren't used to mountains kind of get nervous Flying in mountains. I mean we flew up to Terrace a lot when I was doing medevac or smaller companies And you know, that's a big the Bulkley Valley is like a Shallow Valley not shallow Valley, but it's it's a narrow Valley. That's what I'm looking for with big Mounds on either side and it's fairly intimidating. But when you've been flying your whole life, it's ⁓

not as intimidating I But then you go to the east coast like St. John's where the wind's blowing you know 40-50 knots all the time and gusting and they land in that no problem whereas for us we're like sweating like beads of sweat coming down because you're not used to stuff I guess just what you're used to.

Host (13:35)
Yeah. Yeah. I feel like the gust would be scary though because you can't really prepare for when it might come, you

Sean (13:42)
Yeah, what you

do in you add a little bit. So you have a landing speed you target when you're coming in and you add to that landing speed depending on on what the

Host (13:53)
⁓ I see. And you do always have a co-pilot? Yep. Like always, always? Always. And they're not getting rid of those or anything?

Sean (14:01)
There's been pushes for that. can't see it happening anytime soon. Although, you know, I was in Phoenix a little while ago and I've heard of Waymo. They had driverless taxis. Those things drive better than half the people I know. So maybe it's only a matter time before we have AI flying our air.

Host (14:10)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I've only heard of them. Did you take one? Did you go in one? Yeah, like how do you hail a wireless? Driverless taxi. they have yeah, and it pulls over I guess it knows where you are. You have to share your phone GPS with it.

Sean (14:31)
Sometimes it wasn't exactly you'd have to walk a little bit, sometimes literally would pull right in front of you.

Host (14:37)
wild like how do they drive when there's construction and the line like you know on Glenmore right now right the lines are all messed up and they've shuttled all the traffic over to the left like how do they figure this out

Sean (14:48)
Yeah, they do it.

I went into an In-N-Out Burger parking lot in Waymo because I don't have a very exciting life and I had to go to In-N-Out when I was in Arizona and it was a crazy parking lot, super busy, that thing pulled around everyone. Amazing. Yeah, it's pretty cool actually.

Host (15:05)
Interesting. I wonder if there'll be a day where like none of us drive anymore and we just they're just everything's just automated vehicles.

Sean (15:12)
Might be and then you only drive recreationally. actually really know. Driving.

Host (15:15)
I really enjoyed it.

Oh yeah, well I feel like you're a pilot so I feel like you like to drive. You like to be in control. Yeah.

Sean (15:22)
Yeah, it's definitely can type per type a personality kind of job.

Host (15:25)
do you have trouble? So my uncle is a pilot. Not a commercial one, But hopefully he doesn't listen to this podcast. he's like, if I can land a whatever plane on the runway going whatever speed you're going, he justifies how fast he drives in his car because he can like control an airplane really fast on a runway. you have trouble?

not speeding in a car because you're used to like piloting this really fast.

Sean (15:54)
I to definitely have a heavy foot. I've never actually related that to flying though before, that's interesting. I'm usually in a rush.

Host (16:01)
I don't know if it's just an excuse or if this is like a pilot thing that's true.

Sean (16:04)
have to ask some of my friends I've never actually I've never related the two that's interesting yeah but yeah the only like if I'm on a highway like if you know I drive to the cafe in Princeton quite a bit I'll probably do that tomorrow yeah you know you know where the cop speed checks are so in between the speed checks I'm definitely not going

Host (16:22)
speed

limit. Yeah. interesting. Okay so the pilot life is a fascinating life because do you have to have a passport for every kind like does your passport get checked for your country landing like everybody else? You got through is there like a special customs you go through though because you're a pilot?

Sean (16:36)
No, usually there's a separate line for aircrew.

Host (16:38)
Okay, so many countries do you think is your maximum you visited in a year?

Sean (16:43)
Well, we don't go to as many places as they're Canada. So, you know, it'd be the US, Mexico, UK. You know, I'm on the 737 now. So when I was on the big airplanes like the 67 or the 87, the UK went to Amsterdam, France, Spain and Italy.

Host (16:58)
a lot of countries relative to your average person though. Yeah. you take the advantage of actually going out into them?

Sean (17:00)
It is, yeah.

Yeah, usually you have, well, going to Europe, you'll have 24 hours for sure, sometimes 48. And if the frequency is low, like you're just starting or finishing a season, you might get 72 hours. ⁓ and Ireland, I guess. so yeah, I you go out for sure. And then if you do it enough, like when we first started going to the UK, you're only flying in a Gatwick. So you have, I would have a routine that things I would always kind of do. I really liked it actually.

Host (17:14)
cool.

That's so cool,

So how did you go from being a pilot working at Earls to now, like I know where you are now, like what happened after that?

Sean (17:37)
well, it's interesting because, I, had a restaurant before the cafe, the restaurant was called the Vermillion Fork. No. So what happened was a couple of things happened at the same time. And I don't think my wife, Heather was overly impressed, but so, and I don't remember which happened first, but so flying for WestJet, and I guess.

Host (17:42)
Is this you and your wife?

Sean (17:57)
would have been Thomas. We're having Thomas. He's our old

Host (18:00)
So

you also you've met your wife in Vancouver then or where?

Sean (18:04)
Was living Vancouver at the time as she was living in Saskatoon we met through WestJet, guess

Host (18:11)
Okay.

Sean (18:13)
We didn't actually work together for... She's a flight attendant. We didn't work together for... We'd been dating just under a year, just over a year before we actually worked together. Yeah, so we met through WestJet.

Host (18:22)
here.

Yeah. All right. Okay. So you've so you're working with WestJet you're dating and What did you do that? She wasn't too thrilled about?

Sean (18:32)
Well, just a whole sequence of events happened kind of unexpectedly at the same time. And I guess there was just too much at once. So we must have been married already. We were, I don't actually remember if we living in Vancouver. We know we must have been living here. So we were in Vancouver, we moved to Saskatoon, then we came to Kelowna.

And yes, we had just moved to Kelowna. That's what happened. So all in a very short span of time, we had Thomas and then I was in a trip on a trip, I should say in Edmonton. It was the last day of the trip. And I threw my toothbrush out. So I finished brushing my teeth in the morning. I threw my toothbrush out and the toothbrush, it was a plastic toothbrush.

bounced in the garbage can like the garbage can was plastic and empty there's not even a bag in there and I just threw it out because it was done and it bounced and it was kind of like one of those aha moments I'm like I've always been kind of environmentally conscious I'll say and it just bounced and all I could think about was that that is such a waste of plastic like you're throwing out a piece of plastic that's not gonna decompose or break down for

hundreds if not thousands of years. And the next thing my wife Heather knew, we had 4,000 toothbrushes, bamboo toothbrushes in our living room. And at the same time, one of my really good friends, Doug Hare, one of my best friends, Doug Hare, was a realtor in Princeton where I grew up. Lady came to him to sell her restaurant.

And he knew I'd worked at Earl's for on and off forever. So he's like, hey, can we make this work? And initially we said no, and then they sweetened the offer. And then we started the Vermilion Fork restaurant at the same time. So we had the toothbrushes, the restaurant, and a new baby.

Host (20:10)
We

So basically, the toothbrushes, was you starting your own business, essentially? Yeah.

Sean (20:19)
I

nothing about it either. And the reason it kind of happened at the same time. So the other thing there was West had always only had one base in Calgary and Greg Sretzky at the time was a CEO. He opened a base in Toronto. And because of that and where I was, you know, on the pilot list, all I can think of is I'm going to first officer forever. So I kind in the back of my mind, I wasn't looking to leave flying because I actually really enjoy flying.

Host (20:45)
But wait, give me some context here. What do you mean? What is a first off?

Sean (20:49)
So

you have the two pilots, there's a captain and first officer. So the captain's kind of in charge of everything in the first officer. Kind of what happens though. mean, I think some people think pilots, the captain does the flying all the time, but usually just alternate legs. So we call it pilot flying pilot, non-flying. one guy flies, one guy does everything else. And then you, kind of switch. but the captain makes more money than the first officer.

Host (20:56)
The sous-chef kind of or? Okay.

Sean (21:14)
So when they opened the second base, I knew I was going to go to the sec, like I could move to Toronto or I could commute to Toronto to get an upgrade in Toronto. But with a young family, I wasn't going to do that. So that means me getting upgraded to captain was going to take even longer. So that's I think in the back of my mind, that's how I was kind of looking to do something else. I remember a teacher in high school really wanted

was pushing me to kind of look into entrepreneurial activities.

Host (21:42)
so even back then when you were young, you were showing signs of... Interesting. wonder what that... So I was a teacher for 15 years. I wonder what the little flags were that you were giving.

Sean (21:45)
I guess.

I

would- I can picture the teacher, I totally forget his name actually. I would love to know, I don't know.

Host (21:56)
Yeah.

That's fascinating. That's a very unique thing, like to just, yeah. Okay, so you start, but like how did you, so you had the idea of going away from plastic toothbrushes. You ordered 4,000. I feel like there's like a big gap ⁓ and like how did that come to be? when you ordered these toothbrushes, had you already branded them and came up with the name and had them in nice boxes ready to sell or?

Sean (22:23)
No, I came up with the name. Well, I've come up with all the names. So the vermilion fork is called the vermilion fork because Princeton used to be called Vermilion Forks because the two rivers, the Tulamina and the Similkamin join in Princeton. So that was a, we thought that was a great name for the restaurant. Brush naked, just, I don't know how I came up with that. Yeah, I liked the branding and then I kind of had an idea.

Host (22:41)
It's a great name.

Sean (22:45)
in my head. I always have ideas in my head that maybe sometimes work out, sometimes don't, but you just, get, I get an idea in my head and it's hard for me to start focusing on other things because that kind of grabs all of my attention.

Host (22:58)
it becomes all encompassing and your thoughts kind of... Yeah, okay.

Sean (23:02)
Yeah,

almost, and other things get pushed aside.

Host (23:04)
Do

you become like obsessed with your ideas?

Sean (23:07)
I'm not

quite obsessed, but on the way for sure.

Host (23:09)
Yeah,

Yeah, keep going. Keep going.

Sean (23:11)
Yeah, I thought it was a great idea. It was kind of the right idea at the right time. I thought we were one of the first ones to start doing it. I know what I wanted the handle to look like. I had an idea of the branding in my head. So I went to an ad agency in town here who were great. And they told me the chances of this coming a business idea was basically zero.

Host (23:31)
Why is that?

Sean (23:32)
You know what? I'll have the report somewhere. They just said it was just not going to happen. There's no demand for that kind of stuff.

Host (23:38)
What year was this when you first started this?

Yes. You're ish.

Sean (23:42)
when

Sophie was born anyways 10 or 11 years ago.

Host (23:45)
Okay, because I feel like this idea would take off. Like has it taken off?

Sean (23:50)
Yeah, well, it's a long story too. you know, all my background was only working in a restaurant, kind of doing like assistant manager stuff at some point, but mainly just cooking on the line and flying. So when I had this idea, I knew nothing about it and just kind of jumped both feet in.

Host (24:08)
Now tell tell the listeners exactly what this is what's this idea and don't hold back here.

Sean (24:14)
most manual toothbrushes have a big plastic handle with plastic nylon bristles. And I just thought there's a better way. I kind of went out, I threw that toothbrush out. All I can think about was there's got to be some better way to do this. And then, you know, what better way to do that wouldn't handle. So I tried to find a wooden handle in North America, couldn't.

And then bamboo is basically like a wonder plant. mean, it's technically a grass, actually think. So, you you can cut down a tree and the tree dies. You cut down bamboo and it just grows again. So, it's highly sustainable. doesn't need pesticides. Very little irrigation. It goes super fast. know, then someone always thinks of a bad thing about something then. So people are saying,

Host (24:47)
Yeah, it's all in. Yeah.

gross.

Sean (25:00)
you know, as soon as I say, oh, we're going to do bamboo handle toothbrushes, or first comment some people make is, what about the pandas? But the pandas don't eat this kind of bamboo, so it kind of works out for every.

Host (25:10)
There's always something. It doesn't matter what you do, there's always something.

Sean (25:13)
Feels

like it. then, you know, we had there's some other brands out there that have a flat handle. Ours is a round handle. I call the flat ones tongue depressors. I really don't.

They are, yeah, it's more. the tongue depressor ones that they're cheaper to make actually. So, I mean, we could do that, but they would be, we're not a premium brand, but we're not a low cost brand either. So I had in my head what I wanted the, the handle to look like found one company did our toothbrushes initially. And then.

one of their employees actually branched out on his own and we've been using him ever since.

Host (25:51)
Your box is cool. Designed with love in Kelowna, BC. That's neat.

Sean (25:54)
Well, the box is a funny idea as well how that came out. So all these things you learn as you're progressing. So our model is like you don't pay for shipping and the reason you don't pay for shipping is because that toothbrush can go as an oversized letter. So our initial boxes were literally like one or two millimeters too thick and we were getting some of them sent back. So that box was literally specifically designed to fit as an oversized letter and it just barely

Host (26:21)
That's fascinating. Hey, it's light too. Yes. So how many uses like how long does this last?

Sean (26:27)
It's just like a normal toothbrush, so they recommend you change it every three months. It's a dentist thing. I think that's kind of... depends what's going on. ⁓ I tested one myself to see how long it would last and it ended up lasting five or six months. But, you know, if you're really sick, sometimes they recommend you throw it out just because of all the bacteria and stuff like that on that.

Host (26:34)
Yeah.

Well, that's another thing is like, yeah, like when you're sick, you're, well, we've always been told to change your toothbrush after, but this would be something if you, if one of your kids is sick, like bust out one of these, use this while they're sick and then you can dispose of it and not feel so guilty about it, you know? Yeah, that's cool.

Sean (27:02)
Yeah, so then it still has nylon bristles though, it's the same as a conventional or regular toothbrush, but the bristles are only 1 % of the mass of the toothbrush. you're basically able to, not recycle, but you can repurpose or compost or, mean, even if you throw it out, you're only throwing out a piece of bamboo.

Host (27:20)
Bamboo. Yeah, that's a great idea. And do you sell these at a storefront or all online? Both. Both? Yep. Where can you pick them up?

Sean (27:29)
Well, brushnaked.com is my favorite place for you to go, but there's lots of online retailers that have them and we have hundreds of online or sorry, physical locations where you can pick them up.

Host (27:40)
I haven't seen them before. Although I don't look for toothbrushes very often. So where in town do you pick them up?

Sean (27:46)
No, that's not true, sorry. ⁓

Host (27:49)
You forgot? You forgot the name of the...

Sean (27:52)
I'll think. They're fantastic too. Chickpeas.

Host (27:53)
It's gotta be like a little boutique place. It is.

chick

piece. Yeah. Chick piece is amazing. ⁓ She's coming on next week. I'm pretty stoked. It's funny because so many people have connections to chick piece. Yeah. Cause that Brielle from the lazy batch. I'll have to pull out one of her cookies for you. And then, big fat lion, Casey, the gluten free. ⁓

Sean (27:59)
Alicia at Chickpeas is fantastic.

is she? Yeah.

really? Yeah.

⁓ yes, I've actually.

Host (28:24)
Soy,

sesame, everything. She got her first kind of commercial start in their kitchen in the back. Yeah, so she really helps out a lot of people get their footing.

Sean (28:30)
I've seen her kitchen,

Yeah, Alicia has been great. We've been, she's been selling our toothbrushes for years. We actually sell some of her products in our cafe in Princeton. We have a little market table.

Host (28:42)
interesting. Yeah.

Okay, so you've got so this is at the same time here. You've just had this kid. You've had your kid your first. Yeah. So this, this was obviously 13 years ago.

Sean (28:52)
I

actually screwed that up. I think that was actually Sophie. So we had Thomas.

Host (28:56)
so it's 11 years ago. So you have Sophie now you have two kids. You started a toothbrush company. You've bought a restaurant. But do you still own that restaurant?

Sean (29:04)
Yeah.

No, so funny thing. Doug's not my partner anymore. Still one of my best friends, we ended up the owner of the building sold the building kind of out from under us. Wasn't really expected and Doug didn't want to continue and I didn't have the funds to buy the building myself. Yes. So the current owner bought that building and got all our,

Host (29:24)
Have seen it?

Sean (29:30)
Our rental was fabulous, thought, so I was really, and the location was good, so I was really sad to lose that location, but we moved up to the Sandman and I'll operate that on my own until our lease, our lease was terminated just before it was gonna end anyways. And that was with the Sandman and they were the worst. We were.

Host (29:49)
they were. ⁓

I was not expecting that.

Sean (29:53)
Well,

we were so excited. I'm like, I'm not gonna have to wear anything. We're working with a big company. It's gonna be fabulous. It was absolutely the worst business experience I've ever had in my entire life. And it will take a lot to change that experience.

Host (30:07)
can you give some ideas? was it communication? What was it?

Sean (30:11)
Everything

everything so we had no heating no cooling the electrical was horrendous and they just wouldn't do anything Yeah, I we could talk I could literally talk this whole podcast about how bad they were and show pictures and videos and like literally my our our crew we call them crew members because we're in an aviation but Wearing jackets in the winter inside and you can see your breath

Host (30:35)
⁓ wow.

Sean (30:35)
So anyways, they that relationship is maybe a generous way to describe that but that relationship ended. actually wanted to continue the restaurant. I really enjoyed it. I still like cooking. And I liked the business. So there was one other location in town which is still there. And at the time, the owner of the building

He had a restaurant in there, which he was not running anymore because he had a drug problem. We tried desperately to get in there and just couldn't get in there. And that is still one of the best locations in town. And that building is still been, it's been empty now for three and a half years, at least maybe four and a half or five. Wow. So the only other location we could find was the old Elks building. So we call it the Elks hall.

it wasn't being used so I contacted the owner but it had no commercial kitchen so that's when we pivoted from the Vermilion Fork restaurant to the cafe.

Host (31:27)
Okay. Yeah. You know, we didn't really discuss on how you even entered.

becoming a business owner of your own restaurant. it's one thing to work for a restaurant in Earls, but then to make the decision to open up your own restaurant. Like that's, yeah.

Sean (31:40)
Well, that was my buddy. Yeah,

he came to me because the lady in town was selling her restaurant. He knew that I had worked in Earls and he's like, can end there. He has a way of phrasing things, I think. So he's like, can we make this work? Oh, he's like, can we, should we start? Well, it was, you know, like said, at that point, um, West Jed had opened the Toronto Bay. So I was going to be forever to get an upgrade. Um, so it.

Host (31:57)
You don't want to let them down,

Sean (32:07)
it definitely was owning a restaurant was never or a cafe for that matter was never on my bucket list i had actually i'd always wanted to open up a brewery but um so you know it was kind of like twisting a rubber arm i guess for him but we initially said no and then they sweetened the pot for us to actually open

Host (32:27)
okay. And then did you divide and conquer with, did you run the kitchen and stuff or how did you mostly? What type of food did you serve?

Sean (32:33)
most

It was like a small town version of an Earl's. So Ruben Major, who was the product development chef at Earl's, he actually helped do our menu initially.

Host (32:47)
that's cool. Nice connection to have.

Sean (32:49)
It is and he owns, well, part owner, Belgard Kishen and Havana in Vancouver still. Yeah.

Host (32:55)
Okay, so you've been through this horrendous experience at the Sandman and then you went into, you got a new location at the Elks. You had put in a commercial kitchen. That must have been pricey.

Sean (33:03)
That's all.

Well, we didn't. that's how it switched to a... We still had to put in a kitchen. It wasn't a commercial kitchen. We pivoted to the cafe. We still had to... It was kind of a square empty shell. It was finished inside, but we added a kitchen inside.

Host (33:10)
⁓ I see. There wasn't a commercial kitchen, but you pivoted to the kitchen.

more like deli style things or are you still?

Sean (33:29)
Yeah, no, we serve sandwiches. make our own sandwiches and pastries and all that kind of stuff.

Host (33:33)
It's just so fascinating that you just were like, yeah, I'll just open up a cafe and there's so many pieces and components and decisions and plays so much that goes there.

Sean (33:38)
Well, I guess.

But as you go along you get you get some stuff that you know how to do well and you kind of build on that So I didn't know the coffee business at all But so far so good and our I already knew which beans I wanted to use So what before I even had the cafe we used to go to geo bean I would visit my parents because they lived here and we'd go to geo bean and I loved his coffee and we still use his coffee

Host (34:06)
Right! interesting. when did you decide to then go into the GeoBeans old location downtown Kelowna?

Sean (34:13)
We noticed and it always remembers myself or Heather noticed that yeah, Eurobean was for sale. And you know, Princeton, we're kind of at the point and me especially, well, Heather was too, but Princeton's small. So that cafe is never, it pays for itself, no problem. But it's never, it's not something I can generate enough revenue on to retire with. So.

At that point, we were kind of already talking about, we either kind of have to shitter get off the pond. So do we just close it, call it a day, and pack it in, or do we kind of move forward and, try and make a go of the cafe and build this business up. Then literally at the same time, we're making, talking about that decision, Eurobean came up for sale. So we ended up buying Eurobean in.

finalized August 3, I want to August 2.

Host (35:03)
of this.

Was it just this past year? Yeah, just last year, right?

Sean (35:07)
And then we continued operating it as your being until December when we switched it to Franny's.

Host (35:11)
And you rebranded and all that. interesting you were able to keep like the coffee makers and all that stuff. No? Where'd that beautiful beast go to?

Sean (35:17)
No, so we...

Well, we have a great relationship. So the company that roasts Geo's coffee is Votes Coffee in Vernon. Guy and Marion own that and they're fabulous as well. So we got rid of that beast of an espresso machine. It's a good brand, but it was probably older than I am. And we replaced it with a Swiss made...

Host (35:41)
⁓

Sean (35:42)
We actually have another one we just bought, so there'll be another one sitting beside it

Host (35:46)
And so this is your first go like downtown clone is busy now in the spot

Sean (35:50)
That yeah, the foot traffic in the summer is pretty crazy. The winter is kind of like tumbleweeds are blowing down that.

Host (35:56)
That's true. That's true. But the spring summer, it's like that's a happening spot for people to go get their morning call, especially on a Sunday, right?

Sean (36:05)
Well, and even

on the weekends last summer, you know, like I said, we took over August 3rd and even 10 p.m. and still packed out there.

Host (36:12)
You're... How late are you open till?

Sean (36:13)
Right now we're only open until four.

Host (36:16)
you just mean the area is.

Sean (36:18)
Yeah,

well, Thursday and Sunday will stay open till 8 and Friday Saturday will probably be 9 or 10

Host (36:22)
that's

cool. Get that evening crowd. What are your biggest challenges you've had so far with with this new location?

Sean (36:28)
Well, the biggest challenge when we took over Eurobean was different operating philosophies, we'll call it. you know, it was not like Princeton where we built it from scratch. We built it using our own systems, our philosophies and all that kind of stuff. we initially kept everyone on that the owner of Eurobean had on and

I may not have really loved a lot of the way he did things, but he actually had really great staff. So that was a huge bonus, but we didn't run things the same way. employees kind of default to what they've been doing. They also default to maybe the easiest way of doing things. So probably the biggest challenge was taking over someone else's way of doing things and trying to switch it over to how we do things.

Host (37:13)
Yeah, that would be really challenging.

Sean (37:16)
Yeah, so I think we've gotten there and we still, we have some new, new crew members, but they're all fabulous, we think anyways. They've mostly embraced the change.

Host (37:24)
Yeah.

Now did he retire? Is that why he sold?

Sean (37:31)
No,

I don't know the full story. know he initially it was himself and his son who operated the business but the son moved to Germany because I think that's where his wife first from and they were either had or were about to have a baby as well. So they moved to Germany and he has some sort of mortgage broker business or something like that that he would

I think maybe the the cafe might have been more his son's passion than his that's kind of the impression I got but I don't know for sure I haven't had a lot of interaction with him okay even during it was more between you know our broker and his broker kind of thing

Host (38:01)
Gotcha, yeah.

So when you say you bought the business, do you own that building? Are you still leasing, like you the space? The Delta Grand? okay. Because is there that fear that the same thing's gonna happen again where they could just, I guess you always have that fear,

Sean (38:16)
Now we lease it from the Delta.

Well lesson learned I guess. We do have, so we took over Eurobean's lease with the Delta and then extended for another five years so we'll hopefully be there for at least eight years.

Host (38:36)
you got some breathing room to just relax. Yeah.

Sean (38:39)
So that is a good thing about us. know, when we did have a lease with the building owner in Princeton, but maybe not as airtight as it should have been.

Host (38:48)
What does that mean? What type of things in your lease did you discover you should have had in it?

Sean (38:53)
Well, we probably should have had a lot more in it and, you know, again, lessons learned. So the I didn't have a lawyer look over the lease that we had with the owner in Princeton. So it's not is my fault, not his fault. And then just things you learn as you're going through the processes, what you want in there, what you don't want in there.

The good thing about leasing from a big company like the Delta is they have been doing that for a while. And it might be a bit more restrictive what I can do, but them kicking me out is not really something that I expect.

Host (39:24)
It's

probably very unlikely. unlikely. Oh yeah, true.

Sean (39:26)
default of course.

So yeah, dot your I's and cross your T's.

Host (39:31)
Yeah, man, you've had a very interesting life. Like it's gone. And you're still, but you're still a pilot though.

Sean (39:36)
Yeah, I still do that full time. then crazy. And then we have two kids who both play higher level hockey.

Host (39:38)
So what's your schedule like?

my goodness, you're hockey down top of it.

Sean (39:46)
and they're goalies, so I'm in therapy now.

Host (39:48)
my god, they're both goalies. They're both goalies. my goodness. Yeah protect those hips. Yes 13 and 11 almost yeah, that's like you can play at that age. That's actually hockey where it's fun to watch

Sean (40:01)
It

is, yeah, and they're both really good. They've been on really good teams. You know, lots of, well, it's nice to get them out or they're less likely to, you know, I've had this conversation with friends a lot because I think sports in general, but hockey for sure is, it's full on, like I grew up playing hockey, but you know, when the regular season ended, you went and you played baseball.

Host (40:22)
Yes. Next season.

Sean (40:24)
Or you

just did something else for the entire summer. you know, because they're goalies and goalies are kind of always in demand and they're both decent. I could literally have them on the ice 365 days a year, including Christmas. So, you you do the regular season, then you do spring and then there's camps they can do and then try out start in August. it's very relentless. you know, always question, it actually worth it?

you know they're they're enjoying themselves and you know if they're doing that much extracurricular activity they're not going to get into or less likely get it and get into trouble that you ⁓

Host (40:58)
It's true. Some other kids might.

Kids that stay active in sports usually are. Yeah, less likely. Less likely to do other things.

Sean (41:06)
to get in trouble, you know, it's harder to play other sports at the same time. I think so. Well, and they say too, like, you know, it's better for, it's better for their development as, you know, in that particular sport, if they're actually able to do other sports as well. But you don't have the ability to do that.

Host (41:10)
Isn't that sad?

Yeah.

Like my kids are younger than yours and and we kind of took this year I was having my knee replay or not replaced knee surgery. Yeah. And I didn't know like when it was going to be in all this stuff and I couldn't drive for a couple months after and long story. Anyways, they took they play ring out. So they took this year off and they're young. Yeah, they're so young. Like when they were playing, were five and seven. Yeah. So they took six and eight off. So next year they'll be seven and nine.

they are so young, yet it feels they're falling behind because they didn't play for one season. And Oh, absolutely. Not only if it's not one season, even though like all the soccer. So I was played high level soccer when I was growing now those, these kids, I want to play soccer. It's all year. You got to do your outdoor.

and you gotta do your indoor and yada yada yada. I'm like, man, you never get a break. You never do. You never get, and if you do take a break, it feels like you're falling behind. Because other kids aren't taking a break.

Sean (42:19)
Have you had pressure to get Switch from Ringette to Girls Hockey?

Host (42:22)
Not yet. No, I play hockey. I learned to play as an adult. Well, not that many opportunities when I was young. Yeah.

These children are not like high end ... They're not going to be playing the PWHL, let's just say that, you know what I mean? I love them dearly, but I would rather them just play all different sports and get decent at a bunch of different sports because they're just not that like naturally ... There's that natural ability that if somebody really really good has.

If you have that it's like, okay develop it but if you don't you

Sean (42:58)
You definitely

have to have a base level of skill, think. And there's natural talent, but, and you do definitely have to have that level of competence, I guess we'll say. But I fully believe hard work, Trump's talent.

Host (43:10)
Okay, this is the thing though like nine times out of

ten they they not only They're just kind of like mid-average athletes, but they don't have the heart To care to want to do better. So they're not you know, yeah, like if they were mid-level But they had the desire to train every day and you know practice your skill. Yeah, you could probably make a go of it But when you don't have that You know, you know, absolutely. Yeah that yeah, there's no there hasn't been

Sean (43:33)
I do.

Host (43:37)
a switch over yet? I don't personally I don't really know if I want them to play hockey.

Sean (43:42)
I just wondering if there was an ab- Because what I found in general is that girls skate better than the boys.

Host (43:48)
Well, ring out players skate way better than hockey players. The game's totally different. It's faster.

Sean (43:53)
The game is there,

you know, girls hockey is developing at such a rate that I was just wondering if there's pressure from, you know, like the hockey group to get from ringette to slide over.

Host (44:00)
and

I'll you know. Yeah.

I'll let you, it's too bad they can't do both, Yeah. I'll let you know in a few years. Sure. I'd imagine, like, and then I feel like a lot has to do with your peer group too though, you know? Like if they're friends or if they get some friends who playing hockey. Yeah. You want to play with your friends or vice versa. Component for sure. But, and it's interesting cause, so I learned to play hockey as an adult. I love that. That's great. And you can see, oh, there's nothing like putting on your gear.

Sean (44:19)
They're definitely social.

Host (44:30)
You know? Like sitting in that changing room, getting your gear on, the smell of the rink, waiting for that Zamboni door to close. the sound of your skates on the ice. I just love it. I love it so much. The camaraderie, all of it. Yeah. ⁓ where was I going? I got off in a tangent. learning to as an adult. Yeah. So I learned, I learned, I could always, like I rollerbladed.

Sean (44:49)
That's great tendon.

Host (44:54)
Growing up. I was really good rollerblader. So I took to skating like super easy. no, but, but I was a real athlete growing up. Like I had three brothers. did everything. So I feel like because we played everything, like we skateboarded, we rollerbladed, we wakeboarded, we volleyball, basketball, badminton in the backyard, tennis squash with my dad, like because we did golf, right? Cause we did everything when it's really easy to like pick up a new sport.

Sean (44:59)
Not everyone does.

Did you grow up here? Sorry, I up in Princeton. We did the same thing. We played all sports. Yeah. And golfing. We used to throw our golf clubs on our back and bank to the golf.

Host (45:21)
Yeah.

that's cool.

There used to be so many more golf courses in Kelowna. you know, one by one, we're kind of losing them all.

Sean (45:36)
think so, just limited areas.

Host (45:39)
It's true and you know, I miss the days of Like you could go golf and you didn't have somebody like shooting shooting up into your butt, you know, yeah, I get it's so packed now it is and I definitely enjoy the Which is such a privilege aid to be able to golf but be to go out without it being jam-packed I miss those days of just You can go play around and it's not

Waiting for two groups ahead of you on the next tee while your people behind you and yeah, I just feel a little stressed the whole time Yeah Yeah, it's expensive now way it's not even to hit a bucket of balls is It adds and you need to and this the thing with golf is like you need to consistently You need to consistently be hidden to maintain like a certain standard of for sure. Yeah

Sean (46:09)
used to be way cheaper too.

Host (46:29)
And if you and it takes a lot of a of lot of buckets at the driving range a lot of money Yeah, it does so that you can But I actually I was really I grew up playing golf left-handed actually. ⁓ So I play hockey left grew up playing left because all the golf clubs and the hockey sticks we had were left-handed

Sean (46:42)
Bye.

No

way, so that's funny because I shoot hockey left-handed but golf right-handed. Do you really?

Host (46:53)
now i golf right handed

well because growing up it was actually at eagle quest i was a teenager and there was no back in the day back in the day like i'm so old i'm getting on in age but they didn't have women's they didn't have a good selection of women's golf clubs and with that selection to then have left-handed golf clubs for for women it was like you couldn't find them interesting so the guy was like just learned to golf right and then you

So I just learned to golf right.

Sean (47:20)
Well, that's like teachers telling kids not to write with their left hand. need to write Yeah, but yeah, so I golf I sure I shoot hockey left-handed and golf right-handed Both my kids shoot left-handed for hockey, but they golf left-handed which I thought was

Host (47:23)
You're right.

Oh, interesting. You know, and the whole thing about being for me with hockey, if you're left handed, to me that actually feels right handed because it's your hand, your right hand's at the top and it's doing all the stick handling, all the nimble dexterity. But I feel back in the day when you had those heavy sticks that you used to slap shot, you would need your power hand at the bottom to get the shot. Well now

There's not a lot of slap shots anymore in hockey. No, the sticks. it's all the quick whippy whip. So you don't need that dominant hand on the bottom. You kind of want it up top to... So I feel like playing left-handed is actually more right-handed.

Sean (48:02)
There's so much flex with it.

Well it is and actually there's a, I don't know, I maybe was watching YouTube or something but they said basically your dominant hand should be on the top of your...

Host (48:22)
Yeah,

left side. that's what I think too. So anyways, are you watching the playoffs? yeah. man. It's like That last game was not good It does well, I am an Edmonton fan. What about you?

Sean (48:24)
Who figured that out?

Well, I'm unfortunately a Canucks fan. So we're going to be in the wilderness for a decade, but I have actually been cheering for Florida. Well, you know what, because I, ⁓ I started watching Florida about 10 years, well, at least eight, 10 years ago. So I was on the seven, we had a 767 airplane at WestJet for a while and I

Host (48:41)
Yeah.

it for what particular reason.

Like they're ⁓

Sean (49:03)
I bit onto that and got awarded that position and our training was in Miami. So I started kind of Following them there and actually Went to a Panthers game after a training event one time I took an uber up to sunrise and it's funny because It's so much different down there. It took an uber up there. No one else wanted to go I said screwed I'm gonna go anyways because I just like hockey and I needed something to do

And I didn't have a ticket and I just went up to the box office. I'm like, I'm okay, man. What can I get for about 50 bucks? And he just looks at me dumbfounded. He's like, are you serious? I'm like, oh man, is that not good? And he's like, no, man, I can get you whatever you want. What? So yeah, I had like a like four rows up because he's like, you don't want the very bottom because you're kind of looking up a little bit. I'll give you four rows up for 50 bucks.

Host (49:46)
What? ⁓

Sean (49:47)
And back then Sam Montembeau, who's the goalie for the Canadians now, he was playing back. So it's, I mean, it's been at least eight years since I've been kind of following them. And then they didn't do anything for a while. And then, yeah, the last few years, they're just relentless.

Host (50:00)
Yeah,

Bennett's having a run. That's ⁓ for sure. I became an Edmonton fan just because so I'm like a diehard Rockets fan. And like when Leon Dreisaitl played for us. Yeah, like it was man, he never moved his feet. Didn't skate very well back in the day, but his stick ability, his precision, his backhanded pass was better than most people's front pass.

Sean (50:04)
Yes.

Host (50:26)
He was incredible to watch. so he went to Edmonton and we don't have, we've never had cable TV. So I'd always have to stream it. That's why I watched it. And the NHL, the NHL app back in the day where you'd stream the games from. was all the Vancouver games were blocked out. So I couldn't follow Vancouver. Like I couldn't actually watch the games. There's a 24 hour hold on it. And I'm like, well, in 24 hours you already know the score of the game, right? So then I just

started watching Leon and playing Edmonton and then just from watching him I became an Edmonton fan.

Sean (51:01)
And

I don't dislike like I know there's lots of oilers haters out there. I don't I don't know there's at all And I won't be upset if they win. No It's like yeah, and you know, McDavid and dry side or so good and then I really being a hockey goalie parent now, too I really I don't like how much Stewart's gonna get on

Host (51:05)
Meh.

Yeah,

he gets it. Yeah.

Sean (51:23)
you everyone blames Skinner for this or that I'm like you can't

Host (51:26)
I feel like that's like the goaltender position though, right? playing goal is tough because at the end of the day, that's, know, you say that and I automatically think of like Toronto and how hard it doesn't matter what those boys do. It will never be enough for Toronto. Even if one day they win the Stanley cup, it will never be enough. Cause you know what the expectation is they need to win it the next year and then it's not going to happen. And then it'll never be.

Yeah, I'm just like

Sean (51:53)
know what you do if you're Toronto, cause that team is solid. And like I I look at the, the goaltenders all the time. Now that is an incredible goaltending duo. And they're great team.

Host (52:01)
Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, I love I when I would I went to University of Calgary and he has to take the sea train down Yeah, like no one would go to the game. I was on a female wing at the dorm the first year Yeah, and I used to just take the sea train down and get they'd have $15 student night really like no money totally broke Yeah, 15 bucks. You could go down there. You get to be in the Saddle Dome You'd sneak in your bevy or whatever. He had your big winter coat on

And you were so high up in the nosebleeds that you couldn't actually see the ice because the giant HVAC system covered half your view. they put TVs up on the HVAC system. you're like in the arena and you can see half the ice and then you just watch the game on the TV. But man, but you were in the ambiance. You're there. sure. matters lot. And yeah, those were fun days.

Sean (52:54)
Thank

Host (52:59)
But there's nothing like hockey's such a good sport to watch live. I think so.

Sean (53:03)
I can't do baseball. I went to Toronto's Blue Jays game. I can't do, well depends. I mean, it's just so boring. I mean, I couldn't get drunk enough. it was, I wanted to throw myself off the balcony. It was so boring. And unfortunately,

Host (53:07)
You can't do baseball live?

⁓ Can

you Can you sit and watch a baseball game at home though? Yeah. ⁓ see, see you won't do either. that's not.

Sean (53:24)
on TV or channel.

No,

so I'll go to a game. So that's the other nice thing about working for WestJet is, you know, I've actually gone to a few Detroit Lions games so you can squeeze that stuff in. Like I was in New York a few months ago and I went to a Rangers game. cool. So you can squeeze that stuff in. you know, I will go to a baseball game. Would I watch it on TV? No, I don't care if it's a World Series. I'd rather watch bowling.

Host (53:52)
You don't even watch the World Series?

well bowling is fun to watch too. So starts. I love sport though. I just, I love it all.

Sean (54:02)
I'm a big football fan.

Host (54:03)
CFL NFL both, are you talking soccer?

Sean (54:07)
No, you know what? I would like to like soccer, but I can't get past them trying to draw penalties. Like the wind changes direction and someone's lying on the ground. ⁓ But it's too bad because they're so talented, right? But I can't, until that changes, I can't do it. But yeah, I like the NFL mostly, but I'll definitely watch the CFL. The level of athleticism in the NHL or NFL is just absolutely insane.

Host (54:16)
You gotta watch the female.

It is. And they do such a good job at marketing and it gets a spectacular, it's spectacular. Everything about it's great. And then, it was, we have this old friend of mine, Richard, he brought us out one day, invited us out to watch us, this was years ago, to watch his son play flag football in town. up until that moment, I'd never watched flag football. I had no idea what the rules are, anything.

We were sitting there in the lawn chairs watching and I thought man like this is actually this it's actually way more entertaining than regular football because it's it's fast and It's so fast and the rules and all that I'm like, how does this not take off? eventually I feel flag football could become something especially if you took NFL talent Yeah, and then every play is

focusing on that incredible playmaking, catching, passing, timing, the duos, all of that instead of having like I'm a big run game person like whatever.

Sean (55:27)
I think a lot of that is the violence factor. People love to see someone just get absolutely smoked.

Host (55:33)
But it's but the new the new NFL there's almost no hidden in there's not as much ever since they that lawsuit Yeah, right. Yeah, and so it's not you know, used to be this Warriors game and it's now that it's not that ⁓ Yeah

Sean (55:46)
in the NHL there's not as much hitting but

but Thomas my son Thomas I could play flag football in the winter so indoors and usually in West Kelowna

Host (55:52)
does he?

cool.

Yeah, that's such a talent, you know. Yes, a lot of fun. You know, that might be within with the NHL and hitting is that like, every time somebody gets hit, there's a penalty now. it's ridiculous. There's no big hits. And then they drop their gloves and jump on the

Sean (56:11)
That's

what I just gonna say a good clean hit you don't need to fight someone for clean. No, like if it's a dirty hit. Yeah, go ahead I'm tired of yeah, the you know fighting because someone got cleanly hit

Host (56:17)
That's one thing.

Yeah,

they're well, there's so little hitting now that when somebody does get hit it's like I'm like just like so deal with it or take it out of the game. Like what do one or the other here? But yeah the playoff hockey how fast they skate how fast the game is? Yeah

Sean (56:37)
You

basically touch the puck and move it, otherwise you're getting...

Host (56:40)
And everybody's finishing their hits. Like every shift is so fun to watch. For sure. I really am the speed, the speed they go at. I'm like, man. Well, that's why they're the best in the world, though. You know? Absolutely. Man, I could talk sports forever. It's very, it's very rare to come across somebody who'll just like sit and chat, like talk sports. Like I don't have very many people who will just like, like shoot the shit about sports.

Sean (57:05)
Yeah,

it was funny because we are we there's lots of air crew, so flight tenants and pilots and colonnade, but you know, there's a bunch of us WestJet pilots who are a group of friends and we have our own separate chat or something. And almost no one talks about sports on the really really like, I'll be watching something and I'll post something I'm like, I can't believe I posted that because no one's only one other guy will respond. So yeah, I get a few

Host (57:26)
⁓

your pain.

Well how cool is it too if your daughter is 11, what's her name Sophie? Sophie? Sophie. That she will is growing up in an age where there is if she wants she can actually aspire to play hockey outside of high school like you can go to university and play and now next year Vancouver and Seattle they're PWHL expansion.

Sean (57:49)
By the coaching for so kofi sophie, you know, you're talking about the rocket sophie's been coached by Jason to learn last

Host (57:56)
no way I used to have his t-shirt Boy, yeah, it's at 14 Jason's Lerman is like a little Tasmanian devil on it This is like my father took me down in the old barn in the Memorial Arena Yeah, and and like we my parents didn't have a lot of Money when we were young, you know for kids in the financial

Sean (57:57)
Yeah, so.

Host (58:15)
market housing crash and all that in the 80s. And so it was a really big deal. the one year I got to pick out a souvenir item and that was the shirt I picked out. He was my favorite player. don't know. No, I wish I totally get my wish. I would. It would be framed if I still had it. I wish I don't know what happened. I wore that shirt to you know, it goes all yellow. Yeah. You know, cause it was white.

Sean (58:27)
having to have that or

Host (58:41)
and the collar got like a hole in it and then the armpit got like a hole and the sleeve was coming off and and it was gotten to the point where like it no longer fit so i probably just i don't know it probably found its way to the trash one year yeah that's too bad man is he still in town

Sean (59:00)
yeah, so he's, he's, he's coaching, girls hockey and the, level. the level of their coaching now is they're doing stuff. she's had him as coach for a few years now and the stuff, not so much goalies, but, the stuff he's doing with the players. They're doing stuff at age, you know, seven, eight, nine that I never did growing up playing hockey.

Host (59:03)
Get out!

Yeah!

Isn't that incredible? He's saying they've got such a background to pull from now. Yeah. wow. He doesn't know it, but he's a little living icon in this little girl's head of mine. you ever watch him play?

Sean (59:37)
You know what I never did, because I think I left the... ⁓

Host (59:40)
Scott McLean,

Sean (59:42)
Was that right?

Just after I think I moved. ⁓

Host (59:46)
Was it 95? 95,

96. Definitely 96.

Sean (59:51)
They weren't here when I was living here. I literally just left when they started, I think.

Host (59:53)
Spartans. okay.

Like that old barn, have you been to the Memorial Arena recently? Like do your kids play there? They, like thinking back in the day, they used to have the half glass. So the glass on the sides only went up like two feet. Yeah. Like it was really, really short. And then they didn't have, like, think of back in the day with the slap shots and there was no netting.

Sean (1:00:06)
did that.

really?

like

slap shot when that organist gets hit in the

Host (1:00:20)
Yeah, there is no netting and those seats behind the goalie are vertical, right? Yeah Thinking when they brought the net in it was all this is impeding our vision and now it's been so long You think how why wasn't there a net before?

Sean (1:00:35)
Yeah.

Host (1:00:36)
yeah that it is the best arena to play because there's character

Sean (1:00:39)
It has the vibe, right? The ambience. it. Thomas loves it. Yeah, it's great.

Host (1:00:41)
the seats. You know,

the banners, you get all that soundproofing stuff. Yeah. Do you travel a lot if they're playing high end hockey? are you constantly traveling in the wintertime?

Sean (1:00:53)
We're lucky because Kelowna is kind of central, so do we travel? Yeah, not a lot. We have a lot of games in Kelowna. People come to Kelowna. But you do travel, you know, up and down the Okanagan, to Vernon, Penticton.

Host (1:01:05)
They're not on the same team, are they?

Sean (1:01:07)
No, well, it depends you higher level teams now like Thomas would go into you 15 So there's teams that will draw all the way from you know Soyus all the way up to salmon arm kind of thing and then yeah the next one down will be Windfield and Kelowna and then that kind of stuff. Yeah, but you know, we we just in spring hockey We just finished tournament tournament in Calgary Vancouver a lot we went down to Arizona this year with his Thomas's team, but that's

Host (1:01:20)
Yeah.

Sean (1:01:31)
It depends on the parent group and what they want to do because you have the ability to register for different tournaments. So you can travel. Most of the league games are, you know, Penticton, Kamloops, Vernon.

Host (1:01:39)
Yeah.

So not too, not too far, still driving, but not too far. But then if your kids are on different, you got to divide and conquer a lot. Is there a lot before school?

Sean (1:01:52)
The practices before school? They're less and less because they're getting older when they're younger. Yeah, we're up at six.

Host (1:01:57)
Yeah, these little

tiny kids are there on the ice before school.

Sean (1:02:00)
So now it just tends to be once. And this year, don't know if Thomas will have any early morning stuff because he's up a. I need my sleep.

Host (1:02:07)
Good they need their sleep.

my goodness that's cool that's really cool.

Sean (1:02:15)
Yeah, it's been a lot of fun for sure, mostly, anyways.

Host (1:02:17)
Do either of them play ⁓ I know a lot of goalies hockey always who then cross over and play net in ring and teams Did that do either of them ever tried playing net and ring it they never

Sean (1:02:28)
No, I think to honestly it's not not a lack of wanting to it. I we don't know when I don't know when we'd fit that

Host (1:02:34)
Yeah, I guess it's like a whole different like skill level because The way the ring moves yeah, because you can lift the ring. Yeah Is that right? This hand has yeah, the left hand has a blocker on the outside and then like fingers because they can grab the ring and throw it

Sean (1:02:42)
There's no glove, there? There's two blockers.

Host (1:02:53)
Okay, do you know what I mean? So though and then you have your blocker with your stick Yeah, but and you're they're not allowed to go inside the blue paint or else it's whistled but they can raise you can raise that ring like in art and less than a heartbeat from all sorts of with hockey you kind of know like front hand back hand. There's kind of a But with with that ring ed stick you can just from behind between your legs like anywhere Out of nowhere you can lift

lift it really fast. So there's a different strategy involved. you would feel it's the same if they look the same, but it's totally a different game. And that's like, Rignette's actually really fun to watch. It's funny, all these sports that don't take off. it's fast.

Sean (1:03:27)
Yes.

It

is funny, it is. I don't know how some things work, some things don't.

Host (1:03:43)
somebody, somebody back in the day was a really good marketer and marketed it. And then it becomes, you know, mainstream or whatever. yeah, like lacrosse is fascinating to watch. You know, we don't have

Sean (1:03:55)
is and I you know I have one of the smaller companies who worked for initially flying we used to fly lacrosse players back and forth between Vancouver and the island and pit meadows

Host (1:04:04)
Okay.

Sean (1:04:04)
So I remember the first time I went to, I think it was pretty sure it Victoria. So we flew a bunch of lacrosse players and a couple airplanes to Victoria and we went with them to the arena to watch the lacrosse play. I'd never seen it before. I heard of it obviously, but never seen it. And the first time I saw it, my jaw was on the floor because I couldn't get over how violent it

Host (1:04:23)
It is

that is a Warriors game. Oh, it's crazy. The wild thing is they can fight like they're an hockey game. They'll drop their gloves and take their cages off. Yeah, they're on there. bare knuckling each other. But you don't have the skates. Yeah, right to fall or be unstable. They're on their they're in their sneakers. Yeah, just pummeling each other.

Sean (1:04:44)
Well, the first looks at my job was on the floor and I'm looking around I'm like are they allowed to do that? This is crazy

Host (1:04:50)
Yeah,

and then the fans are like, ⁓ fans are rough.

Sean (1:04:54)
Yeah, it was really good.

Host (1:04:55)
Yeah, it's just... What else is out there that you like to watch?

Sean (1:04:59)
You know, I don't get, because of the Toothpressed Company, the two cafes now, we're looking to expand the cafe. I don't get to watch. Well, we're just looking to do more. the whole idea-

Host (1:05:07)
You're gonna expand it again?

expand

that location more in that location.

Sean (1:05:13)
No, we're just looking to expand the business as a whole. So we would definitely like to open more cafes. So I only squeeze stuff in usually when I'm so I'm technically based in Calgary. So usually when I'm watching something, it's on my way to or from Calgary to start or finish.

Host (1:05:29)
Yeah, or hitting up those highlights. Yeah. Highlight reels again. Yeah. Exactly. man. Yeah. That's cool.

Sean (1:05:35)
Yeah, so we'll try my main focus now. It's getting harder and harder. So for the longest time doing both the toothbrushes and the cafe worked out perfectly because I could squeeze it in and I didn't get to watch a lot of stuff like I needed to make time to watch.

stuff but now that the cafe is really starting to progress and we're looking to add more locations it's getting harder and harder to do to do both or to watch anything so yeah lots of i have lots of friends recommend a lot of shows that i would like to watch but haven't but so i do watch some stuff but not as much as i want to actually

Host (1:06:08)
Yeah, well that's fair. It's like, it's almost like you're an adult, hey? Almost. Yeah.

Sean (1:06:13)
I did just finish Department Q though, I thought that was really good. Netflix, it was like a Scottish cold. That was very well done. ⁓ I do too, usually I'm watching a hockey game.

Host (1:06:15)
What's that? Department Q? Peace.

Yeah, I just watch a lot sports.

And you know the funny thing is like I will re- will re-watch the same shows there's so there's endless TV out there and endless telly to watch and I'll just default to the same series that I've seen again and again and again Really? Yeah Well you don't have time yeah

Sean (1:06:39)
I don't. Yeah, I don't know why a lot of stuff like said, I don't get a

So I will, I kind of default to certain genres, but I usually, there is too much out there. unless someone recommends something to me, like I just, I watched Mobland as well. That was fantastic. But yeah, usually if, if the other nice thing about hockey or any sport in general is I can actually have that, it doesn't require as much attention. I can have that in the background and still be doing work. Whereas if I can't really do work.

and watch TV show because I want to I want my attention will focus on the TV show or on the work so

Host (1:07:16)
Yeah, it just doesn't actually interesting thing that I was listening to the other day was that because one of my all time favorite shows is the West, the West Wing. oh, from the 90s, the writing. Writing is incredible. Oh, yeah.

Sean (1:07:29)
Yeah, it's Sarkin and I'm

a political geek, guess, too.

Host (1:07:35)
it's kind of a utopian view on what you think or wish the government would be, you know? But the writing's so good. The character development's incredible. They're the first ones to do that, long take, walk and talk. But they were saying that you can't write like that anymore. So writers nowadays have to write completely different because... And how they do their episodes are different because people are...

we're so passive and we're scrolling on our phones all the time that the West wing you'd actually have to sit down and pay attention you have to be engaged in the show, be listening, following it, full attention. And now because as a society we don't tend to do that the writers are actually writing in such a way that they're doing kind of a monologue about what they're doing like they'll write

they'll write that into the show. So the character will actually say out loud what they're doing because the person watching it isn't actually actively watching it. They're passively watching it. So in order for your audience to keep up with the show, they have to write it in such a way that the listener knows what's happening just by kind isn't that interesting? it totally makes sense.

Sean (1:08:43)
But yeah, that's kind of sad.

Host (1:08:45)
Yeah, well,

you know, I feel like it's just the times have changed. it just it is what it is. Yeah.

Yeah, and maybe it's nostalgia to Watching the same show again and again. There's like a comfort in it you know what and you can passively watch it now because i've seen it so many times

Sean (1:09:00)
See my my wife will rewatch shows And fall asleep to them. Yeah, I can't do that if I'm watching a show cuz I when I sit down watch the show because I don't get to do a lot anymore I'm fully engaged. So yeah, I can't do that. I'll just I won't fall asleep. I'll stay up until whatever watching watching

Host (1:09:16)
Yeah, something.

Oh interesting Are you want to do you read at all? I do are you one of these guys are like when you start a book like you have to finish it He can't go to bed. You have to finish it My husband's like that like he has to be very careful if he starts a book Yeah, because he'll it doesn't matter what how long he has to work the next day. He has to like he has to finish the book

Sean (1:09:23)
if it's good. ⁓

I definitely have books like that. I, and I'm like I said, I'm a bit of a geek. So I'll generally read a lot of nonfiction stuff, but I have certain writers, fiction writers that I read. yeah, if I start one of those, I definitely push it more than I should.

Host (1:09:49)
Yeah, I had trouble with reading in in my early 20s because I went to so I was in science as well at in University if I have time to read I'm not a big reader But if I have time to read I should be reading something that furthers my knowledge about something in the world I'm kind of still like that. So I have trouble or I had trouble reading Fiction. Yeah, you know

Sean (1:10:11)
Yeah, I don't read a lot of fiction anymore. It's mostly what most people think is dry, boring stuff. But I do still, like I said, I have some of my favorite authors. if I see a book of theirs coming out, I'll grab it for sure.

Host (1:10:22)
yeah

you know i was gonna i was gonna interrupt you earlier and ask when you were talking about florida and then going to that game you went down went to that game but you had said you went down because you won a bid for the what is that

Sean (1:10:34)
So

we have different aircraft well now right now at West Joe we have two different types of airplanes one's a 737 one's a 787 787 is a big widebody the dreamliner airplane and We have a list of pilots excuse me and basically

your seniority will allow you to hold a certain position on a certain airplane. you basically have a every pilot at WestJet kind of has a base level of skill. And then after that, as long as you can pass your flight test, your seniority will allow you to choose which aircraft in which position you want to hold. So

Host (1:11:13)
Okay.

Sean (1:11:14)
Usually

a few times a year a bid comes out because people leave people get fired people retire people

Host (1:11:20)
Wait, people get fired in this day and age?

Sean (1:11:24)
Doesn't

happen a lot, but it happens. vacancies come out. So if a captain of a 787 decides that he doesn't want to or she doesn't want to do that anymore and they go, or maybe they retired, that position becomes vacant. So if another pilot, the airline will put out a position bid and pilots can bid on that position and you're awarded that position.

by your senior.

Host (1:11:49)
So

it's kind of like a job opening. And then you're applying for, okay. And is your seniority based on years or hours?

Sean (1:11:56)
When you got hired so yeah, the weird thing about aviation because technically the First officer could have more experience than the captain. Yeah, just the captain got hired at the air particular airline first

Host (1:12:07)
Is that some sort of union thing or what is that?

Sean (1:12:10)
I guess it's been a, it is a problem. know, like I can't, if I chose right now to quit WestJet and go to Air Canada, I don't just slide in with a relative seniority position. I would literally go to the very.

Host (1:12:22)
This like moving school districts. You lose your seniority.

Sean (1:12:26)
Yeah,

so it's not like an accountant like where I would just to different Firm and start kind of where I was you literally go to the very bottom there are exceptions of that if They're really desperate for pilots and they need some sort of level of competence They'll have positions like that some

Host (1:12:28)
Yeah.

Sean (1:12:41)
Middle Eastern and Asian carriers will hire, they call it expat pilots. So there are exceptions, but generally in North America and Europe, you're going to the bottom of the list, unless you're going to a charter airline.

Host (1:12:53)
Do you notice a difference with the younger generation of pilots

Sean (1:12:56)
There's differences for sure. ⁓

Host (1:12:58)
you

just smiled there. That was like, there's...

Sean (1:13:01)
Well, spill the beans. Obviously with my haircut, I can't have a man bun, but now you have, you know, like Chad with his man bun doing selfies for Instagram or TikTok walking around, you know, filming themselves and we're my generation's kind of more like, let's just go and do the job. How it's supposed to be.

Host (1:13:19)
I mean is that allowed? Doing selfies? I feel like that's not a professional thing. Just a new day and age, yeah.

Sean (1:13:23)
Well,

I'm not on, I don't do TikTok, but if you, you'll see it on Instagram where, you know, they're doing their, whatever they're doing.

Host (1:13:32)
Yeah. Interesting.

Sean (1:13:34)
Yeah.

Host (1:13:35)
Yeah, I hold like being a pilot as that like, whatever that is.

Sean (1:13:39)
Well, some countries still do. I think the jobs are respected more in different

Host (1:13:44)
kind like teaching. Yeah. We like walked on gold in Asia as a teacher. really? yeah. Yeah. Especially when I taught in Vietnam. you were treated like royalty. Yeah. But you know, it's a a third world country and education is their way out of their poverty and stuff. So they view view it totally differently. Yeah. Than back home.

Sean (1:14:02)
Yeah, well, mean, but I mean, even you seem to be treated a little better as a pilot in the States than you do here. I think so.

Host (1:14:09)
Really?

Oh, and when how do you what little things do you notice? Is it the way the public perceives you or is it the way the airports treat you? What is it?

Sean (1:14:22)
Mostly everything I guess more professional courtesy. They're just seem to be treated with high regard like going through security is yes or ma'am or whatever and seems to be a level of respect that I don't know that we have here.

Host (1:14:32)
Nice.

Yeah, there's an interesting thing with like the breaking down of hierarchical positions and stuff like that. But then in doing that, you know, in doing that, you lose that respect. And they say, you know, respect should be earned, but I feel you have earned it as a pilot. And you're the one flying this machine, keeping everybody safe. I feel there is, there should be respect with that.

Sean (1:14:57)
Well, you said, respect's definitely your thing, but you do him a certain level of competence. Well, you have to have a certain level of competence to do the job.

Host (1:15:05)
Yeah, you'd hope. you'd hope. Yeah. Do you have a would you feel comfortable sharing a scary pilot moment if you have one? a scary situation?

Sean (1:15:14)
There's been a couple times I've had some bad turbulence before, kind of almost like, you know, a sudden drop and then slam like you're just hitting literally like you hit the pavement during the air though, really bad. I had one instance coming into Vancouver where I was a captain, I gave the first officer control and I was just checking something and

she let the speed go back really really far to the point where we were close to a stall so when I no small airplane so I had to bring the power up really fast to that was probably the biggest pucker factor I've had I I luckily I think we were empty I'll even if we weren't empty I don't actually know that we would have they would have noticed like at jazz I actually

Host (1:15:44)
Is this in a big commercial, please? okay.

Did you have passengers on board?

Yeah.

Sean (1:16:03)
On the way from Vancouver to Kelowna once we actually shut down an engine, came back into Vancouver, landed and half the passengers, made an announcement, weren't listening to the announcement, didn't even realize we landed back in Vancouver and we were on one engine.

Host (1:16:17)
Good thing you have to it is

geez Yeah It now our planes are autopilot it in in like the long with the big ones

Sean (1:16:25)
Absolutely. Yeah, usually put it on relatively soon after takeoff, 400 feet.

Host (1:16:31)
400 feet, that's it.

Sean (1:16:33)
and click it off when you're about to land. can auto land but generally don't unless the weather's super bad. And not that also.

Host (1:16:39)
Wait a second is airplane the plane can auto land. ⁓

Sean (1:16:43)
of them

like what we what we do yeah you don't auto land almost I think I've only auto landed once in Halifax because the weather was so bad but generally you only do that in the simulator you want to practice your takeoffs and landings so but it also depends on the airport facility so if the airport doesn't have the infrastructure to you to allow you to auto land you're not gonna auto land

Host (1:17:05)
I did not know a plane could auto land. ⁓ don't is that weird? Your first time auto landing? Like, no, because you're like you said, you're in the simulator. Does the simulator actually feel real though? Like it's like a full

Sean (1:17:07)
Not all of them, but commercial airlines. ⁓

It's pretty damn close,

Yeah, just a screen in front of you and the cockpit's almost identical.

Host (1:17:24)
wow.

I feel like that would be hard to let a plane auto land and not be touching it as a pilot.

Sean (1:17:29)
Yeah, the first couple of times it's interesting for sure. You wonder what it's going to do, but it does a really good job. And that's where I hence, you know, like the Waymo and AI, like how much longer.

Host (1:17:38)
Yeah, planes can auto land, obviously they can auto drive.

Sean (1:17:41)
So this is just a matter of time.

Host (1:17:43)
Yeah, technology, you the technology justice.

Sean (1:17:46)
crazy. It's crazy what AI is doing.

Host (1:17:48)
Yes.

Yeah, do think you're gonna have pilots in the future? Great question. I feel like you always need to have at least one pilot because what if it's there's a technical glitch

Sean (1:18:00)
Yeah, I don't know. What happens if there's a technical glitch in a Waymo?

Would I feel comfortable going up in a driver's aircraft? a chance. Will that change in 20 or 30 years? Probably.

Host (1:18:07)
No.

Yeah,

if it becomes the norm you wouldn't think anything of it, right?

Sean (1:18:14)
So like your kids, will they be flying in pilotless, like a drone almost?

Host (1:18:18)
Can you imagine what the world is gonna be like for our kids' kids?

Sean (1:18:21)
No.

be completely different.

Host (1:18:23)
Yeah.

Sean (1:18:23)
I think AI is a game changer on a lot of things we're going to be doing in the next even decade.

Host (1:18:29)
yeah, I feel we're on the precipice of a mass worldwide change of life with it They say that every week they're just being blown away by what it can do Yeah, even from now from three months ago. What what AI is doing is the shocking that Developers or whoever they are. Yeah, and then you when you start researching a bit about it kind of scares you you're okay Yeah, yeah

Sean (1:18:51)
Well,

I don't think there's any such thing as privacy anymore. mean, you're kidding yourself. Unless you're literally completely off the grid.

Host (1:18:55)
Wow.

Well, this yeah, this is the thing, right? when we have all these, how do you, okay. So I've gone down this little mind spiral cause all of our banking and everything, everything's electronic. We've moved away from cash. Everything's kind of a cashless society. How does a cashless society work with, with AI going to the point where there won't be any security?

It doesn't matter what your passwords are and this and that, they'll be able to just hack it. So then how does one live? So does that mean we're going to have to like de-evolve from like back to cash or something? Do know what I mean?

Sean (1:19:30)
Yeah, I do. I don't know the answer to that.

Host (1:19:33)
these quantum computers are solving things in a matter of minutes that it thought that it would take lifetimes and lifetimes and lifetimes to solve. it's like, well, how was there any cybersecurity?

Sean (1:19:45)
Well, that and just the jobs is going to take away stuff that, like you said, took lifetimes or even months or years is now, like you said, literally taking a computer minutes to figure out.

Host (1:19:56)
Yeah, it's the jobs are going to change from doing the job to now the jobs are going to be What do you call it the power plants like all the power needed to generate for the ai?

Sean (1:20:06)
Well, you have all these, you know, like Metta and all these companies now buying nuclear power. are they going to start? So that that'll probably end up being a game changer for the nuclear industry, making it more safe or smaller, more.

Host (1:20:17)
Well, yeah, the grid can't support the electronics we have right now. And then they're saying that the power that AI needs is more than what our grid is now. So they have to like, where is it coming from? Yeah.

Sean (1:20:30)
Interesting times.

Host (1:20:31)
Yeah,

we're going down a little. It almost feels like a sci-fi book.

Sean (1:20:35)
It does.

But I mean, I was just doing some stuff with AI. A buddy of mine was talking about it at this last hockey tournament we're at, and I was on AI the last two days doing stuff for the cafe that literally two years ago would have taken me a month and it literally took, you know, I had to input some different items, but.

Host (1:20:53)
is it it'll make a business plan for you it will do it will respond write emails respond to emails Yeah, you can say hey I want this to grow it this in this way and then it will tell you all these amazing ideas of how to do that like

Sean (1:21:06)
Game changing. Literally game changing.

Host (1:21:07)
So

yeah, it's like any technology it's so so powerful, but then the flip side to that is like hmm. Yeah Yeah

Sean (1:21:14)
Yeah, what was the AI called in Terminator? SkyNet?

Host (1:21:19)
Yeah, I don't know. I haven't seen the Terminator since the Terminator came out. Oh, you know, you know what that reminds me of? Okay, so I have this uh, drives, I think it drives my my husband a little bit crazy in that uh, like I can't handle scary movies. Oh really? It's like if anything's rated R or mature, I know right away I'm like I'm tapping out. I won't watch it. I can't handle it. Oh really? Oh absolutely. I love that kind of stuff. Oh

Sean (1:21:24)
safe as guinean.

Just be a super violent like, you know, like John Wick and stuff like that.

Host (1:21:50)
not happening not happening. However, I went back and watched all that movie was that it was a rated-r movie from the late 80s early 90s.

Sean (1:21:58)
Well, those are definitely different than the rated armys.

Host (1:22:01)
I totally I'm a 90s girl. I I can watch anything from the 90s. Yeah, even the scary stuff not scary You know why cuz it looked like a movie. It looks like a movie But now it's too real and it's the night guy. You can't control your nightmares. I get ridiculous nightmares really? yeah Yeah, I get the worst nightmare

Sean (1:22:11)
Yeah, now it just looks too real.

I usually remember lots of dreams when I wake up, but I don't really have nightmares. I had a couple of recurring nightmares was always too in particular that I vividly. Yeah. One of them was I ended up in a burning barn for some reason. I, yeah, I would have been in.

Host (1:22:33)
Can you share them like what?

Like as a child in your dream.

Sean (1:22:45)
High school like late late childhood early teenage Kind of stuff ended up in a burning barn with ghosts And at the very end before the fire consumed me the ghosts Like I've actually died in a dream before I people say you can't die in a dream But I've the ghost got me in that one. That was absolutely Kind of

Host (1:23:07)
terrifying like it went in your mouth or went in your no.

Sean (1:23:11)
I

don't even know, it's hard to describe, vividly like a red burning barn, know, have the straw colored hay inside and all kind of stuff and flames are shooting up all around the barn.

Host (1:23:21)
It's like it was one of those ones where like you can't find the way out

Sean (1:23:25)
I think I was looking for a way out. Quite honestly.

Host (1:23:27)
⁓ Psychoanalyze

list now. Yeah.

Sean (1:23:30)
And then the other one was is kind of not quite forested but an outdoor setting with trees and stuff like that and there was kind of a big decomposing log and things just get sped up and sped up and sped up and that one really there's almost like a feeling not of fear but it was just relentless overtaking me. ⁓

Host (1:23:51)
just like

very uncomfortable feeling associated with it. Do you mean sped up like, like, or mushrooms growing on the log? No, just the

Sean (1:23:59)
just the time

like everything was getting quicker and but I don't have those ones anymore but the the ghost one was definitely more terrifying I although I really did not like the other the log one either

Host (1:24:01)
⁓ okay, yeah.

feeling associated with it. Did you always wake up at the same point in the dream? Well isn't that weird?

Sean (1:24:16)
Yeah,

except so that the with the ghost one they did. I did die in it only once every other time I

Host (1:24:22)
Every other time you knew to wake up. Maybe. ⁓ man. Yeah, that's wild. Yeah, so imagine still having dreams like that as an adult, but I always get them after I watch like a scary movie. No, no, it's not my thing. Yeah. Yeah, I can't. I can handle it in the moment, but it's like, it's the afterwards. Yeah. And it's that feeling as you wake up with that feeling from the dream and then you have it all day. You just like can't shake it. Yeah.

Sean (1:24:26)
So.

So do you just not watch?

Do you still go to movies?

Host (1:24:51)
Well, not not like rated R mature. no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

Sean (1:24:55)
Go out to the theater and watch a movie.

Yeah, so did my kids.

I actually didn't mind it, I thought it was pretty interesting.

Host (1:25:16)
They like replayed one of the Star Trek episodes when Captain Picard becomes Borg. yeah. Years ago. The doubleheader. showed it at the Extreme Theater. Years ago. Okay. So I went and saw that. I can't really remember the last movie I saw.

Sean (1:25:27)
That's cool.

I still, that's the best, like, I do like watching movies on, like streaming movies, but still, I don't think it can beat the experience of going to theater.

Host (1:25:38)
Yeah, like your star like i watch star wars your star wars and all that Where it's like the theatrical experience. Yeah

Sean (1:25:46)
Like

Mission Impossible. just went took the kids to the Mission Impossible. Yeah, I did. I was really well done. I think he's I know he's a little bit out there, but he's like the last true movie star.

Host (1:25:50)
⁓ did you it?

I think so. just focusing on him as an, as an actor. He's an incredible actor. Yeah. Next level. It's like, you got to focus on the athlete. Yeah. You know, the athlete, amazing. The person.

Sean (1:26:11)
Why get and I can separate we can separate like not everyone can which I've never really understood Yeah, you know if he's gonna be able to entertain me for two hour two or two and a half hours like yeah, but I don't really care if he's Whatever he's else

Host (1:26:14)
Yeah. ⁓

Yeah.

Yeah, no, agree. No, he's an incredible actor for sure. I remember the first Mission Possible was in grade five when it came out.

It was the first movie my parents let me go to, with, there was like a bunch of us, girls and boys going in. You know, was, is there going to be a parent there? All that stuff. That was a while ago. Yeah. Anyways. Yeah. Anything else you want to shoot the about or? It's fun. I feel like I could just talk all day with you. ⁓

Sean (1:26:48)
No, this would be great.

Host (1:26:56)
Well, it's a real pleasure to meet you. You as well. I really like your toothbrushes. This is cool. Yeah, appreciate everything you got going. Yeah. So, okay. Well, cheers.

Sean (1:27:08)
Yeah, thank you