Episode 28: Chad Bentley, Ultraman World Championships finisher, founder of "Plants. Life. Sports." coaching (Part 1)

Guest Titan: Chad Bentley, Ultraman World Championships finisher, founder of “Plants. Life. Sports.” coaching. (Part 1)

Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s green tea

What we cover: The quest for authentic greatness may mean a complete reinvention. A close examination of your perception of self, of your belief in what you’re capable of, in who you fundamentally are. It may mean asking the tough questions: Who do you spend your time with, how do you invest the hours of your days, what do you decide to focus on? It may mean that in order to make a quantum leap in the direction of positive personal development that you leave your old self and parts of your old life behind entirely.

Today’s guest is someone I have admired for 18 years — and I’ve had a front row seat to witnessing his complete 180-degree transformation. He is someone who never craves or seeks out the spotlight, unlike his obnoxious wife. He is as close to being completely devoid of ego as anyone I’ve ever known. He is humble and unassuming and kind and driven and determined and he believes in the power that we all possess to transform our lives. To reinvent. To climb our own Mount Everest. Whether it’s from quitting smoking, giving up the consumption of fast food and meat products overall, reigning in a relationship with excessive partying and drinking, going back to school to pursue higher education, or starting on a path to see what you’re capable of when it comes to physical fitness — my guest titan has done it all. And I would know, because I am married to him.

When I met Chad Bentley in February 1999 — on the night he grabbed my bum cheeks and slurred “I think you’re awesome” at an Irish pub in Vancouver — I knew he was special (and not because he grabbed my ass). I saw in him a beautiful person, but a beautiful person who didn’t see it in himself yet. I’ve always said that Chad is like buried treasure, the deeper you get, the more richness you find. In the last nearly two decades, I have seen Chad transform — he was always an athlete, don’t get me wrong. He was one-to-watch during his days as a rugby player in Abbotsford before a terrible knee injury took him out of the game and under the surgeon’s knife many times — and onto the sidelines, where he went into a bit of a downward spiral. Reassessing who he was: If he wasn’t this rising rugby star, who was he? Instead, he became what he calls “the club drunk” that person who would binge drink in an effort to appear that he was having a good time, but really it was to mask his own feelings of lack of worth. It was a time of tremendous uncertainty about the direction of his own life. I met Chad on the tail end of this, on the cusp of a new beginning. Almost like the space between two paragraphs. We knew one paragraph had ended and we had no idea where or when or how the next one would begin. But we needn’t have worried. Because when you’re committed to the process, and when you ask the tough questions, the answers and the beauty reveal themselves.

Chad walked away from his old life. If there’s something tough that you have yet to contend with, I can safely ascertain he’s done it. An unsupportive social environment? Moving from sedentary to active? Smoking? Going back to school? Diet and nutrition? He’s dealt with it. He is a guy who not only went back to school, but in addition to tackling various business courses at the undergraduate level, obtained a certificate in plant based nutrition from Cornell University. Chad, who went from living on a diet of chicken wings, is today a vegetarian endurance athlete who represented Canada at the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii. Ultraman, is the equivalent of doing approximately 2 and half ironman distance events in three days — a 10 km (6 mile) swim, a 420 km (260 mile) bike, and an 84 km (52 mile) double marathon.

I am excited to share Chad with the world — we have listeners in 45 countries now. He is as inspiring as they get. And my daughters — our daughters — could not have a better role model. Here’s the thing, he had strep throat when we recorded this chat, and he had to dart off to the dr. So we had to keep the chat to 35 minutes or so. I thought that would be enough time, to you know, give a top-level introduction to this person, this titan, I live with and talk about so much. But we barely scratched the surface. Remember: Buried treasure, right? So, for the first time ever, I am going to do a Two Part interview. Today’s is part one, and I am going to snag Chad to sit down for a part two later this week and we will post that next Tuesday.

Chad calls himself shy. I don’t feel he’s shy, I think he’s just not showy. He’s not arrogant. He’s real and calm and never that Look At Me person — and in this chat, he is open. He’s open about his struggles over the years with self-worth, something we all go through. He’s open about his one-time binge drinking. And I want to thank Chad for that — I think when people achieve greatness as he has as an athlete on an international scale, there’s a tendency for us to gloss over the hard times. To curate a life on social media for example that it’s all about the good times. And this is what makes him such a motivation to so many people. He made the decision to transform. He made the decision to walk through the dark times and the hard times and to come out on the other side.

Nature strengthens through struggle, if we look around us we see examples of that everywhere. And I am honoured to live with a titan who embodies that — Chad has struggled, and fallen (just as we all have) but he rose again, and when he rose it was a whole new him, and a whole new life. And I am so privileged to have been there to see it all.

If you think Chad is someone you’d like to connect with, in 2017, Chad will be launching “Plants. Life. Sport.” coaching — dedicated to helping others transform their lives in the way he has. No, you don’t have to do an ironman to work with Chad. All you need to have is the desire to make a positive change, and he will be there for you, step by step — because guess what? He’s been there. I remember when he and I did our first 5k run together — and he remembers too. And it doesn’t matter where you live on the planet, reach out.

How you can learn more:

Reach out to Chad: PowerBentley@gmail.com
Twitter: @PlantLifeSports
Tea supplier: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House

What book do we recommend you download for free? Right here, right now? Finding Ultra by Rich Roll

Episode 071: Dr. Russ Kennedy — The Anxiety MD

What we cover: “In this moment, we are safe.” —Dr. Russ Kennedy Today’s guest is Dr Russ Kennedy – someone I have known since 2004, when I launched my brief stint into the stand up comedy world. Russ was a fellow comic, and I got to know him then, and I always really liked him. […]

Episode 070: Stacey Shand — Ultra-distance athlete and adventurer

What we cover: “I took the road less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.” —Robert Frost Today’s guest is Stacey Shand. If there is a woman more easy to have a Girl Crush on that Stacey Shand, I have yet to meet her. Stacey is an ultra-extreme endurance athlete and adventurer. She […]

Episode 069: Kevin Reynolds — Olympic Figure Skater

What we cover: “Take the past for what it is. And then, focus on moving forward.” —Kevin Reynolds Today’s guest is Kevin Reynolds. He is, of course, the Canadian figure skating super star who won silver at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, as part of the mixed team event. According to the official […]

Episode 068: Sherry Strong — Chef, Nutritionist, Food Philosopher

&lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”&gt;&lt;/span&gt; Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “Addiction is the body’s way of telling you that you’re not listening to your soul.” —Sherry Strong Today’s guest is Sherry Strong – and strong she is. She is a woman who, after 35-years […]

Episode 067: Mary-Jo Dionne — writer/speaker/performer/podcaster

Tea supplier: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House In the interest of full disclosure, I have been ridiculously spread thin – as we all can get from time to time – and completely run down, wrapping up deadlines before I shut the office down until the new year. I have been up late into the night with […]

Episode 066: Anna Rice — Two-time Olympic badminton player

Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “The most important things I’ve learned in life, I’ve learned on the badminton court.” —Anna Rice Today’s Guest Titan is two-time Olympian, Anna Rice – a woman who admits that, as far as life goes, everything she’s learned so far, she’s learned on the badminton […]

Episode 65: Mary-Jo Dionne — Learning to let it go

<span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span> Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House What we cover: “You have to lose sight of the shore to discover new lands.” (paraphrased) —André Gide For those of you who listen to the show on a regular basis, it’s not news that I am […]

Episode 064: Karin Fortin Jackson — Part Two (“After”) Triathlete / Weight loss success story

What we cover: “For temporary results, commit to temporary changes. For permanent results, commit to permanent ones.” —Karin Fortin Jackson, 3-time Ironman finisher, who lost 120 pounds In 18 months of conversations with people I admire, this might rank as my most favourite chat yet. And I say that with the full admission that I […]

Episode 063: Karin Fortin Jackson — Triathlete / Weight loss success story (Part One: Before)

&amp;lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt; What we cover: “For temporary results, commit to temporary changes. For permanent results, commit to permanent ones.” —Karin Fortin Jackson, 3-time Ironman finisher, who lost 120 pounds In 18 months of conversations with people […]

Episode 062: Rhian Wilkinson — Three-time Olympic Soccer Player

Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “If you want something badly enough, you don’t make sacrifices. You make choices.” —Rhian Wilkinson Today’s Guest Titan chat is a wee bit of a deviation from the norm – and I am so glad about it. Today, I have a guest co-host in the […]

Episode 061: Mike Shaw — Freestyle Skier, Coach, Entrepreneur, Speaker

Tea of choice: We opted for Vega shakes instead! What we cover: “Boom! Gratitude.” —Mike Shaw This week’s Guest Titan – Mike Shaw — is beyond inspiring. I have thought about our chat daily since it happened. He is just that impressive. I don’t want to give too much away, his story is incredible, and […]

Episode 060: Terri Tatchell — Oscar-nominated screenwriter

What we cover: Reinvention. I have been calling myself a writer since I was 5 years old. I’ve had a fun and memorable career as an ad copywriter in agencies in Vancouver, as an editor, as a features writer for various magazines. I’ve written my one-woman show and am currently working on the sequel. I […]

Episode 059: Jeff Symonds — Professional Triathlete (mini-episode)

Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. This is a mini-episode. Just a wee one. It’s sort of Part Two in my chat with the unbelievably well-respected professional Ironman triathlete, Jeff Symonds Asia Pacific Ironman Champion, the year before last. But it’s also a stand-alone. So I’m not really thinking of it as a continuation […]

Episode 058: Jeff Symonds — Professional triathlete

Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “A diamond is a lump of coal that did well under pressure.” —Henry Kissinger This week’s Guest Titan is flipping amazing. I have loved him from afar for many years now – not like as a stalker, dressed as a plant, hiding in a corner. […]

Episode 057: Teryl Rothery — Actor, Stargate SG-1, Cedar Cove, Best in Show, The Good Doctor

Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “A fall doesn’t have to be perceived as a fall. It can be a trip. Or a stumble.” —Teryl Rothery This week’s Guest Titan is flipping amazing. I first met Teryl Rothery, about 18 years ago – I’ll tell you how I know it was […]

Episode 056: Mary-Jo Dionne — host, Tea with a Titan

Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “Where will we be 5 years from today?” Welcome to Season #2 of Tea with a Titan: Conversations Steeped in Greatness. This is the series where I get to sit down and have tea with entrepreneurs, athletes, entertainers, artists, philanthropists, thought-leaders, difference makers, — those […]

Episode 055: Pamela Martin — Broadcasting icon and philanthropist

Guest Titan: Pamela Martin, Broadcasting icon/philanthropist. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson A few weeks ago, I was speaking on a panel for the organization called Dress for Success. […]

Episode 054: Wendy Williams-Watt — Activist / Artist / Designer

Guest Titan: Wendy Williams-Watt, Activist/Artist/Designer. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.” —Burt Bacharach & Hal David About three weeks ago, my four-year-old, JouJou had her first ballet recital with North Vancouver’s stellar organization Pink Petal Ballet, designed less to teach young girls […]

Episode 053: Mary-Jo Dionne — host, Tea with a Titan

Guest Titan: Mary-Jo Dionne, Walking through the discomfort. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “We can’t go over it, we can’t go under it. Oh no, we have to go through it.” —Michael Rosen JouJou very recently has taken to riding her bike up and down the carpeted hallways of our […]

Episode 52: George Shapiro — Legendary Hollywood Manager and Executive Producer of Seinfeld

&amp;lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt; Guest Titan: George Shapiro, Talent manager/Executive Producer (Seinfeld). Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. We talk: Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Kaufman, Elvis Presley, and the importance of bombing on stage. (And really, in life.) I’m a big believer that every once in a while, […]

Episode 51: Ashley Wiles — Brooks Running 2016 Inspiring Coach of the Year

Guest Titan: Ashley Wiles, Brooks Inspiring Coach of the Year. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” —Napolean Hill This is a conversation about running. But not in the way we typically equate talks about running. It’s not about encouraging […]

Episode 050: Elle Wild — Award-winning novelist

Guest Titan: Elle Wild, Award-winning novelist. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” —Samuel Beckett I have known Elle Wild for the better part of the last two decades. She and I were ad copy writers together in Vancouver. And […]

Episode 049: Matt Hill — Run for One Planet, runner and environmentalist

Guest Titan: Matt Hill, Run for One Planet. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “Just take one small step — every day.” —Matt Hill There are some people on this amazing planet who you just know when you meet them are the ones who are on a mission to make it […]

Episode 048: Gary Robbins — Ultra-runner, The Barkley Marathons

Guest Titan: Gary Robbins, Ultra-runner: The Barkley Marathons. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “You can do this. You will do this.” —Gary Robbins Every once in a while you have a conversation with a person — a person so exceptional, that’s the only word for it — that the stories […]

Episode 047: Jennifer Heil — Three-time Olympic skier

Guest Titan: Jennifer Heil, Three-time Olympic skier. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “Everything is perspective.” —Jennifer Heil A few months ago, my friend Susanne Biro, Guest Titan Episode #6, put together a dinner party of six people who didn’t necessarily know one another, but who she all thought would hit […]

Episode 046: Mary-Jo Dionne — host, Tea with a Titan

Your host: Mary-Jo Dionne, Just say “yes!” Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House. What we cover: “It is not our job to ask ‘how?’ It is our job to say ‘yes!’” —anonymous A few years ago, a friend of mine made me a mixed CD. One of the songs was Snow Patrol’s “Just Say […]

Episode 045: Mary-Jo Dionne — host, Tea with a Titan

Four-time Stanley Cup winner and Original Six NHL Hockey legend, Ab McDonald shares insights about what separates the good from the great.

Episode 044: Nancy Johnston — Entrepreneur, Founder/CEO of Tengri

Four-time Stanley Cup winner and Original Six NHL Hockey legend, Ab McDonald shares insights about what separates the good from the great.

Episode 043: Melissa Haynes — Author / Adventurer

Four-time Stanley Cup winner and Original Six NHL Hockey legend, Ab McDonald shares insights about what separates the good from the great.

Episode 042: Shaun Frankson — Social Entrepreneur, Co-Founder The Plastic Bank

<span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span> Guest Titan: Shaun Frankson, Entrepreneur, The Plastic Bank. Tea of choice: Vancouver’s Steam Tea House What we cover: To say that guest titan Shaun Frankson and his business partner David Katz are thought-leaders would likely be one of the bigger understatements of our time. […]

Episode 041: Jacqueline Way — Philanthropist, Founder of 365give

Guest Titan: Jacqueline Way, Philanthropist, Founder of 365give. Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Earl Grey Lavender What we cover: “If we all create a daily habit of giving? Holy Hell, we’ll change the world.” —Jacqueline Way On her son Nick’s 3rd birthday, Jacqueline Way decided to consciously turn her back on the idea of wrapping […]

Episode 40: Jody Vance — TV and Radio broadcaster

Guest Titan: Jody Vance, TV and Radio Broadcaster. Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Earl Grey Lavender What we cover: “No matter what happens, I have me.” —Jody Vance I have loved Jody Vance for the better part of a decade. She was instrumental in introducing me to my first regular role in an on-air segment […]

Episode 039 Part Three: Brent Johnson — football star (and still all-round great guy)

Guest Titan: Brent Johnson, football star (and all-round great guy). Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Steam Tea Nuts and Spice What we cover: “You cannot synthetically produce passion.” —Brent Johnson Every once in a while, you have a conversation with someone who is legitimately hilarious. Legitimately insightful. And legitimately fascinating. And you want to bottle […]

Episode 038 Part Two: Brent Johnson — football star (and still all-round great guy) DETAILS

Episode 037 Part One: Brent Johnson — football legend (and all-round great guy)

Episode 036: Betty Jean McHugh — 89-year-old world record marathoner

Guest Titan: Betty Jean McHugh, 89-year-old world record marathon runner. Tea of choice: Steam Tea What we cover: “Don’t let age get in your way.” —Betty Jean McHugh Betty Jean McHugh was born in 1927 in small-town Canada, never knowing that after a childhood that took place in the depression, teen years that took place […]

Episode 035: Krista Guloien — Olympic rower, speaker, and author

Guest Titan: Krista Guloien, Olympic rower and author. Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Organic Earl Grey Lavender What we cover: In the seven months that this series has been my Labour of Love — my Love Child — we’ve been fortunate to chat with a number of those fine human specimens who fall under the […]

Episode 034: Michelle Tremblay — black belt and empowerment advocate

Guest Titan: Michelle Tremblay, 2nd degree black belt and empowerment advocate. Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Liquid Sunshine What we cover: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am […]

Episode 033: Natasha Wodak — Olympic runner

Guest Titan: Natasha Wodak, Olympic runner. Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Organic Earl Grey Lavender What we cover: For those of us who watched the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and sat glued to our television sets for the Opening Ceremonies of the 31st Olympiad, there was a feeling — just like there is at every […]

Episode 032: Roy McBeth — elite cyclist and triathlete and organ donor advocate

Guest Titan: Roy McBeth, elite cyclist and triathlete and organ donor advocate. Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Cherry Kyoto Rose Green Tea What we cover: The one thing we all have in common is that no one is immune. We will all go through periods of adversity. That fact is the great equalizer. What sets […]

Episode 031: Liz Rose — 2nd youngest Canadian to summit Mt Everest

Guest Titan: Liz Rose, 25-yr-old climber who summited Mount Everest. Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Liquid sunshine What we cover: On May 23rd, 2016, Liz Rose became the 17th Canadian woman to climb Mount Everest, the 2nd youngest Canadian overall to summit, and she’s on track to becoming the youngest Canadian to climb all Seven […]

Episode 30: Jenn Dawkins, firefighter, philanthropist, mentor, ultra-athlete, dog-mom

Guest Titan: Jenn Dawkins, firefighter, philanthropist, mentor, ultra-athlete, dog-mom. Tea of choice: Steam Tea’s Liquid sunshine What we cover: What’s it like to transform from a non-athletic background as a serious punk rocker with multi-coloured hair in the 1980s to a trailblazing visionary in her adult years? What does that look like, what does that […]

Episode 28: Chad Bentley, Ultraman World Championships finisher, founder of “Plants. Life. Sports.” coaching (Part 1)