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

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

Well, we’ve found one.

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

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

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

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

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

Alicia and Shaun took the time to ask Rafi about

• His journey into the world of fundraising

• What keeps him motivated to help others

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

• Whose philanthropy he looks up to

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

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

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

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

https://www.brandingandthebeast.com

Or on our Youtube channel

OR wherever you get your podcasts!

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

Alicia Disantis - 38th and Kip Design and Branding

https://38andkip.com/

IG: @38andkip

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

Shaun Bernstein - The Write Stuff Agency

https://www.thewritestuff.agency/

IG: @thewritestuffagency

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

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

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

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

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

To honor International Women's Month, we wanted to turn our focus to some women in leadership, especially within the branding space.

Alicia was lucky enough to find us two amazing guests - Lauren Culp and Robbie Young, the President & CEO, and VP of Strategic Growth (respectively) of CUInsight, a marketing powerhouse within the credit union movement.

Both Lauren and Robbie are leaders within their space, and also happen to be female leaders navigating a traditionally male-dominated world of finance. Together, we looked at:

• How to create a psychologically healthy and safe workspace
• Recognizing the biases that each of us carry
• Integrating various generations within the workplace
• When we can stop saying 'female CEO' and just say 'CEO'

Plus, hear Alicia wildly mispronounce the word 'Peloton,' and learn why Season 3 is going to be our spiciest one yet!

Follow our website or subscribe to us on Youtube to see video recordings of each of our episodes, or follow Alicia and Shaun professionally and personally at:

Alicia Disantis, 38th and Kip

Website: https://38andkip.com/

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

Instagram: @38andkip

Shaun Bernstein, The Write Stuff Agency

Website: https://www.thewritestuff.agency/

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

Instagram: @thewritestuffagency