Gettin Chai Podcast

What does it actually take to stay at the top for over two decades? Natasha Koifman is the founder and president of NKPR, one of Canada's most respected PR agencies with offices in Toronto and New York. A Ukrainian immigrant, a teenage mom, and a basement entrepreneur, she built something extraordinary from nothing and has spent years doing it entirely on her own terms. She's been named one of Canada's most powerful women four times, raised over $35 million for the children of Haiti, and has a 47-story condo in Toronto with her name on it. She joins us to talk about what actually drives longevity in business and in life.We get into why she only takes on clients she truly believes in, how she knew to open a New York office in 2009 when the market crashed and everyone told her not to, and why how you end something matters just as much as how you begin. Natasha also breaks down the state of PR right now, from influencers and GEO to why AI is word salad if it's not managed properly, and shares the one compliment that surprises people more than anything else.Follow Gettin ChaiInstagram: @gettin_chaiYouTube: @gettinchaipodcastFollow NatashaInstagram: @natashankprWebsite: nkpr.net00:00 Intro03:13 What Actually Builds Loyalty05:39 Gut Instinct and Choosing Clients09:30 Endings Matter as Much as Beginnings11:41 The Power of No: Opening NYC in 200916:49 When Gut Knows Before Logic Does19:35 Loyalty Over Money21:39 Quick Fire Round24:14 The Building With Her Name On It29:33 How PR Has Changed32:57 GEO, AI and Moving the Needle38:09 Final Thoughts


On the Record: Natasha Koifman on Building NKPR, Trusting Her Gut and Why Reputation Is Everything

What if you&#39;ve been thinking about longevity all wrong? Dr. Kevin Jardine is a high performance coach, chiropractor, and founder of FPR Longevity Gym, and he joins us to break down why chasing your &quot;best self&quot; in the future might actually be costing you your health today. From building seven health and wellness businesses to working with Olympians and elite athletes, Dr. Jardine has seen what actually works, and what doesn&#39;t.We get into postpartum recovery and why pregnancy is the most physically demanding thing a human body can do, the difference between health span and performance span, and why the longevity space is full of noise that distracts people from the fundamentals. He also unpacks the caregiver paradox, mom guilt, and why negative self-talk is an evolutionary feature, not a flaw.Plus: the real deal on Ozempic and GLP-1s, why stronger legs mean a longer life, the one wellness trend he says is sending people straight to his clinic, and the 10-minute daily routine he&#39;d give anyone who&#39;s too busy to prioritize their health.Guests on Earth (use code GC20 for 20% off): guestsonearth.comFollow Gettin ChaiInstagram: @gettin_chaiYouTube: @gettinchaipodcastFollow Dr. Kevin Jardinewww.drjardine.comwww.theurbanathlete.cafprlongevity.comResources MentionedWhey IsolatePsyllium Husk00:00 Intro01:06 Meet Dr. Kevin Jardine07:47 Ad: Guests on Earth08:44 Women&#39;s Bodies and Postpartum Recovery16:46 The Caregiver Paradox and Mom Guilt19:32 Why Negative Chatter Is Evolutionary22:03 Living in the Present vs Chasing the Future29:49 Longevity: Cutting Through the Buzzword32:41 Function Over Form and the Ozempic Reality37:00 How FPR Longevity Gym Works38:29 Top Injuries and Why Aging Isn&#39;t the Supervillain42:17 A 10-Minute Daily Wellness Routine46:35 Fix the Fundamentals Before Trying Hacks47:42 Protein, Fat, Fibre and the Supplements Dr. Jardine Takes Daily53:48 Final Thoughts


Health Is the Investment: Dr. Kevin Jardine on Performance, Longevity & Living Without Limits

Aja and Alexa are the co-founders of Duet, an event planning company. We talk about how they each came up in different corners of the hospitality and corporate events world before ending up at the same company and eventually deciding to build something together. They get into what it was like starting the business at 23 and 26 with no real credibility yet, why they put their heads down and had no work-life balance in the early years, and how that foundation is what made everything after it possible. We also get into how they stay calm on event days when things go sideways, why over communicating with clients is the most underrated part of the job, and what it means to be only as good as your last event. 00:00 — Intro04:25 — How Lani Knows Both of Them and How They Found Each Other06:08 — Aja's Path From a Gym at 17 to Corporate Events07:05 — How Aja and Alexa Met at Platters and What They Saw in Each Other17:34 — How They Started Working Together and What They Thought It Would Be20:38 — We're Only as Good as Our Last Event22:02 — The School Carnival Story and What It Feels Like to Trust Your Planner25:32 — What Each Partner Brings and Why It Works30:00 — Managing a Team and Setting Expectations on Event Days33:53 — Overcommunicate Everything or It Becomes Disaster34:14 — Toronto Venues: Hot or Not40:05 — Smash or Pass: Wedding and Event Trends51:12 — Dream Venues Around the World


Aja and Alexa of Duet on Building an Events Company and Making High-Pressure Days Look Effortless

Dani Kagan is the co-founder of Mave &amp; Chez, a luxury ergonomic slipper brand designed for women. We talk about how the brand started from a real health problem she experienced during pregnancy, how she figured out manufacturing and product development with no background in either, and what it took to get from prototype to a Kickstarter that sold out in 12 hours. We also get into building in public, why she thinks founders need to be the face of their brand, the realities of ethical sourcing and manufacturing costs, and why staying curious has kept her going more than any end goal ever could.Follow Lani:IG - @gettin_chaiYouTube - @gettinchaipodcastFollow Dani:IG - @maveandchezWebsite - maveandchez.com00:00 — Intro04:18 — Why Collaboration Always Wins and the Story Behind the Name Maeve &amp; Shea07:13 — The Health Problem That Started It All and How She Built the Product11:09 — Trusting Her Gut, Finding the Right Partner, and Getting Through the Hard Days14:13 — Launching on Kickstarter, Selling Out in 12 Hours, and Why She Didn't Wait Until It Was Perfect20:36 — Building in Public, Ethical Sourcing, and the Realities of Manufacturing27:56 — Conscious Consuming, Profit for Purpose, and Why Founders Are the Brand Now33:09 — Getting Comfortable Asking for Things and Sitting in Discomfort to Grow


Dani Kagan: Building From Scratch, Staying Curious, and Knowing When to Walk Away

This week on Gettin Chai, I’m joined by Alison Albright, who works in victim services on the front lines of crisis and care.We talk about what the work actually requires — making decisions under pressure, building trust in minutes, and carrying responsibility most people never see.00:00 – Intro02:04 – What Is Victim Services Toronto?03:15 – The Range of Cases &amp; Specialized Programs07:00 – How the System Works: From Charges to Court09:43 – The Year of Waiting &amp; Its Impact on Young People11:34 – What Testifying in Court Actually Looks Like15:26 – &quot;Court Was Worse Than the Abuse&quot;16:25 – The Gap in Post-Court Therapy &amp; Support20:24 – No Specialized Program Exists Anywhere22:34 – Finding a Leader Who Got It &amp; Building Something New28:33 – Fundraising the Gap: Creating the Rise Event31:49 – Community Support, Celebrity Involvement &amp; Sponsors36:28 – Being Part of the Solution &amp; Why Talking About It Matters


Where Systems Meet Humanity: Alison Albright on Care Work in High-Pressure Systems

Samantha Diamond joins me to talk about building Bird&amp;Be from personal frustration, lived experience, and science. We get into PCOS, pregnancy loss, why so much of fertility care still feels stuck in the past, and how empowering people with better data can change everything about how they move through the journey.00:00 – Intro04:16 – What Is Bird &amp; Bee and How Did It Start?05:38 – A PCOS Diagnosis While Dating a Fertility Doctor07:02 – Blending Western Medicine &amp; Naturopathic Care08:50 – Spotting a Gap in the Market for Reproductive Health12:10 – What Was Actually on the Shelf Before Bird &amp; Bee14:35 – Building Credibility Through Education First16:39 – The Product Range: Tests &amp; Supplements17:03 – Reaching People in Reproductive Care Deserts18:13 – Male Fertility Is a Feminist Issue20:45 – The Number One Reason People Seek IVF in Canada22:01 – How the At-Home Tests Actually Work27:12 – Why You Need to Start Prenatals Before You Start Trying28:26 – The New Three-in-One Collagen Product32:40 – Breaking Down Perimenopause &amp; What It Actually Means37:43 – Why You Need to Be Lifting Heavy Weights39:36 – How Sam Fills Her Cup: Workouts, Walking &amp; Coaching44:00 – Closing Thoughts &amp; Why This Conversation Matters


Science, Not Guesswork: Samantha Diamond on Modern Fertility Care

This episode dives into the moment Eli Beer realized emergency response needed to change, and how that single realization sparked a movement that now saves thousands of lives a year.We talk about the early days of United Hatzalah, the creativity that led to the Ambucycle, and amazing Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze volunteers, who show what unity looks like in action.It’s raw, insightful, and rich with leadership insights born from a lifetime of service, the kind that reminds you that real impact is built in the moments when you choose to step forward and help.00:00 – Intro03:48 – What United Hatzalah is and how it works06:35 – Why this model only works in Israel11:10 – Uniting Jews, Muslims, Arabs and Christians to save lives13:08 – Training other countries and responding to global disasters15:37 – The rise of antisemitism and what history tells us18:14 – How to respond without losing the war that matters20:21 – Showing the world the goodness of Israel21:05 – What it actually takes to become a volunteer23:40 – Expanding the model beyond emergency medicine26:23 – Why volunteers get more out of it than the people they save29:08 – What Canada and other nations risk if they don&#39;t pay attention36:12 – Getting energy from people, not meditation39:38 – A 95 year old driving to the airport at 5am42:56 – The moment that turned all of his children into volunteers43:52 – His son treating a Palestinian child on the front lines46:00 – Closing thoughts on community, purpose and doing good


From One Idea to a National Lifeline: How Eli Beer Built United Hatzalah

A candid chat with Zoë Paliare, former lawyer turned entrepreneur and transformational coach!She opens up about her journey of making bold career moves, staying authentic in a busy world, and building success on her own terms.00:00 – Intro05:01 – Dropping the GMAT, going to law school and practicing commercial litigation09:00 – Reaching a point of no return and leaving law behind13:23 – Discovering coaching19:07 – A co-founder describes the exact same vision in a coaching call20:46 – Why an all-in-one wellness space was missing in Toronto24:57 – A first visit to Trove and what the experience felt like29:21 – What&#39;s under one roof and how the space was designed32:03 – Finding best in class practitioners and building before it makes money37:14 – Privilege, responsibility and letting go of shame


Reclaim Your Power: Zoë’s Journey from Reinvention to Wellness

My conversation with Dr Michelle Todorow was incredibly eye-opening. As a licensed child psychologist, we talked about how parents can create real change at home — by tuning into their child’s strengths, and knowing when and why to back off, amongst a variety of other pertinent topics that are plaguing us as parents. I know you&#39;ll come out of this one feeling more empowered and positive about how to navigate these relationships and support a healthier family dynamic. 00:00 – Intro03:16 – What a neuropsychologist actually does day to day06:11 – Orchid kids, dandelion kids and understanding temperament10:10 – When to know it&#39;s time to seek professional support12:52 – Getting kids assessed and what that process looks like17:00 – Medication for ADHD, the pros, the cons and the nuance22:09 – The double blind placebo trial and why it works25:07 – Parent training, building the relationship first and catching kids being good29:15 – Structure, routine and what mornings should look like for ADHD families33:19 – Sleep, visual timers and practical tools for the home38:37 – Exercise in the morning and why the brain needs it41:23 – Including kids in the plan and giving them autonomy46:16 – Nutrition, gut health and the link to ADHD symptoms48:05 – Why free play is more important than we think54:04 – Screen time, gaming and finding the middle path01:00:02 – Modeling the behavior you want and raising digital citizens


When to Lean In and When to Let Go: Parenting with Purpose

We’re kicking things off with none other than Lori Morris — designer extraordinaire, lover of all things luxe, fierce entrepreneur, and all-around powerhouse.From bold interiors to bold life choices, Lori shares how she built her empire against the odds, broke the rules, and stayed true to herself every step of the way.Instagram: @gettin_chai00:00 – Intro04:05 – Forty years of building a design empire from scratch06:23 – No social media, no HGTV and muscling through the no&#39;s09:13 – Designing for the person, not the Pinterest board13:02 – How the friendship started and what mentorship actually looks like16:00 – Building a team from one person to thirty five18:36 – Experience, intuition and spotting bullshit from a mile away20:29 – Meeting Scott and why being set up changes everything23:26 – What the right guy actually looks like30:42 – Internal confidence, knowing your worth and breaking patterns34:03 – Staying true to your brand even when nobody&#39;s watching38:13 – How relationships and aliveness show up in the design work41:47 – The client experience and why service is everything44:26 – What gets her high on life


Breaking Boundaries & Living Life On Your Own Terms

Join Lani Levy as she sits down with founders and experts who are making a meaningful impact in their communities. Through insightful conversations, she explores their journeys, innovations, and what’s led them to live out their authentic power. Discover the strategies and stories that are driving change and inspiring others to build a better tomorrow.

Join Lani Levy as she sits down with founders and experts who are making a meaningful impact in their communities. Through insightful conversations, 