Greg Hemmings: Once A Host, Always A Friend

Emily Rodger  0:00  
Hi, I'm Emily Rodger, host of the Boiling Point podcast. My co-host, Dave Veale, and I will bring you thoughtful discussions with leaders who are positively impacting our world. This is the Boiling Point, where leadership and inspiration meet. What a treat, ladies and gentlemen, we have Dr. Greg Hemmings with us today. Dr. of letters, double. His twin is there.

Dave Veale  0:29  
If you've seen the video- And you do it perfectly to you know exactly what's- how do we describe this to the listeners? Like he just did it to me, and all of a sudden, Greg comes walking in behind, I don't know how he's done it. And then he- you look the opposite way. So you've done this a few times.

Greg Hemmings  0:46  
Well listen, the way I see it, as I say, 99.9% of the time I'm doing Zoom meetings. They're typically means you don't want to be on, or you know, it's just like, nobody's having fun or- or laughing, and I wanted to change it up a little bit. So for the listeners who aren't seeing, there's another version of me that pops his head out behind me every few minutes. And I did it in particular to freak Emily out a number of months ago, maybe a year ago. And I decided to keep it as part of my virtual background settings.

Emily Rodger  1:16  
Well, so with that, you just said that you typically do it when basically, I heard, people are boring to talk to. And I'm over here thinking, you did that to me.

Greg Hemmings  1:28  
No, no, no, I did that- I do it only to the people I love that need that- need their spirits to be brought up. No, I'm talking about me being the boring person. Like I need to make people laugh a little bit. You know?

Emily Rodger  1:38  
Here's the story of when Greg did it to me. Monica Adair and I, we were filming. It was a recorded Zoom, that Greg was creating this thing. So kind of an important conversation.

Greg Hemmings  1:52  
It was a pitch to a broadcaster in the United States for a TV show.

Emily Rodger  1:55  
Yeah, where we are having a serious conversation about something. And then in pops Greg Hemmings' double in the background. I had just been recovering from the flu, was not even feeling well that day. And I started thinking that I'm, like, hallucinating.

Greg Hemmings  2:13  
Oh, man. 

Emily Rodger  2:14  
You definitely got me. Yeah. 

Greg Hemmings  2:17  
You're a good sport, Emily.

Dave Veale  2:20  
So dear listeners, this is the Boiling Point. And we started completely differently than we have, because our old friend Greg Hemmings, founder of the Boiling Point has joined us. Or Dr. Greg Hemmings. We can- this conversation can go a million different ways. Greg, the great connector of people, connected Emily and I. Eternally grateful for that. And the three of us met the first time just kind of happen chance? Is that the word? You just brought Emily in, and she sat down beside us, you said Dave, she's got a great story. And let's do this. So I had no- no contexts. And next thing I know, I'm hearing Emily's amazing story, but...

Greg Hemmings  3:01  
She's an incredible replacement to me as well. So I didn't want to leave you hanging by yourself, Dave. Not that you wouldn't have done a great job as a solo podcaster. But you need somebody to do this with.

Dave Veale  3:12  
No, no Emily, like- you know, you- you both in your own way raise the bar. And Emily certainly does. You should've heard some of her questions in the last interview, I was like, my god, like frig, I gotta spend questions ahead of time. It's so good. It's so good. So it's been- Yeah. And you know, of course, we've missed you. And it's been a lot of fun. And it's just brings a whole new element. And we've had a lot of fun with this. And I- I so appreciate you just saying, hey, go with it, guys. Do what you can, right? And then I pitched Emily on, hey, would you be- like a really awkward pitch to try to get her to come in and actually be the lead host, you know, this thing. She said sure. And here we are.

Greg Hemmings  3:53  
Emily, thank you for doing that.

Emily Rodger  3:54  
Big shoes to fill, replacing Greg Hemmings. There is no replacing, that's for sure.

Greg Hemmings  4:00  
Well, I gotta say, I don't know how many years ago we did our first episode. But I remember very clearly, sitting on a patio having a beer with Dave, enough years ago that when I said, Dave, we should do a podcast. Dave said, What's a podcast? It was that long ago that we started the Boiling Point.

Dave Veale  4:18  
No, no. I said, Sure. That would be awesome. What is a podcast? Because I knew I wanted to do something with you. I just wasn't exactly- that's- that's dating ourselves, eh? 

Greg Hemmings  4:28  
Yeah! I mean, like, think about that. Podcast is just a part of our daily language now. But like back then it really was- It was very rare. And of course, I went to that podcast conference, in Arizona or somewhere, and there was only a small- I'd say three or four hundred people there. And that was the world's leading podcasters, like it wasn't that big when we started, you know? So we're- we're early- early adopters, Dave, and now Emily, you're taking it to the next level.

Dave Veale  4:56  
One of my favorite stories I- so we're just ju- we're just launching into this because, are we- do we have a particular angle we want to take, or we- can we just have a good conversation and get sort of caught up with Greg Hemmings, and- one of my favorite stories about the podcast was, you were- I'm gonna say, like in Portland or Seattle or something like that. And you- you sent me a picture of this- this woman who's waving, and she recognized you somehow. And it was a listener of the podcast. And I was like, oh, my God. Look how big we are.

Greg Hemmings  5:28  
Not only that, it was in Washington State. You're right. I was in Portland- I actually was in Portland, Oregon. And not only that, the woman was from the UK.

Dave Veale  5:36  
From the UK. She had a very British accent. Yeah. 

Emily Rodger  5:39  
No way.

Greg Hemmings  5:40  
Yeah. And she might be listening to this right now. It's hard to say, because I think she's subscribed after- after that, because I think we might have even had her on as a guest after that, I can't even remember. But yeah, we had at least one international listener, which was great.

Dave Veale  5:55  
And Emily has introduced some- some really good logic, and specifically about how much energy you have, and how- how many interviews you should really do in a day. Greg and I, in this very hot room, would do like five back to back, or sometimes six. Guests would always be, of course, very interesting. But it was so funny, because at one point you'd just see like, we're both, you know, like yawning away from- because we're just trying to keep the action going. So Emily said three, do three in a row. We can't do any more.

Yeah, well, I remember listening to like, previous episodes that you guys have done. And like, you can tell which ones were recorded later in the day, because you both start talking about how hungry you are. And I'm like-

Greg Hemmings  6:40  
Really? 

Emily Rodger  6:41  
How many days have you been in there?

Dave Veale  6:44  
Oh, geez. So embarrassing. Yeah. Well, the other thing is, you know, Greg, you want a beer? Well, sure. Like that does not help the energy. You just like, yeah, we'll just have a beer or two. Why not? Why- why are we feeling- you know, four o'clock? We're tired.

Greg Hemmings  6:59  
You feel way more energized now, Dave, now that you're- now that I'm not there feeding you beer. It's good.

Dave Veale  7:03  
That is true. That was always the hardest part. Because, you know, hard for me to say no. And at the same time, that four o'clock, you know, so that's hilarious. We would have said that, Emily. So actually, you know, we have to find out, Emily is- and listeners, if they aren't aware, but why- why you called Greg, Dr. Greg Hemmings. And I'm assuming everyone knows, but in the event that someone doesn't know, why don't you tell us, Greg, what- what's with this doctrine?

Greg Hemmings  7:29  
I learned on Wikipedia just yesterday that if you've got an honorary doctorate, an honorary degree of which I have, I've got an honorary Doctor of Letters in the humanities, you're not really allowed to use the word doctor, unless you're in an academic setting. So if I was to lecture at university, 100%, they could- But I can't go around with my business card saying Dr. Greg Hemmings. Nor do I want to, but I gotta say I was quite thrilled and honored when University of New Brunswick called to see if I would be interested in being awarded an honorary degree, which to me is great, because I only did one year of university. And now I can feel like I actually graduated, because I did. Just as last May, I became a, an honorary graduate of the University of New Brunswick and St. John. So here here, and I do- I do recoil when they say Dr. Hemmings, because that's actually my wife's real name.

Dave Veale  8:30  
Like full legit medical doctors. But you- you- there's a level of discomfort for you as well.

Greg Hemmings  8:38  
Obviously, and obviously I'm honored, and I would say yes in a second to that incredible award. But yeah, like hey, we all have our friends who are PhDs and our friends who are going through that process. There's a lot of work that goes into that. So you don't want to you don't want to diminish that, or be seen as somebody who's flaunting a- you know, a title that other people work so hard with. Now, the counterpoint to that, that people have pushed me on is, number one, you don't choose to be honored with a degree, somebody else in the mystical world of academia says, oh, that guy built a business or lived a life or served the community in a certain way that would be equivalent to doing some sort of, you know, a degree. So I gotta take that into consideration. But all I have to say is if- you know, if- if we can have a few jokes about it, then that's great, and- and also, if I go to the university at any point and they call me, doctor, I'll just have to get used to it. In fact, Haley from my work, my CFO, she made me this amazing shirt that says Dr. Hemmings on it, which is hilarious. Now, am I going to wear that out in public? I want to because it's so comfortable. The shirt is a beautiful shirt. I just can't do it, but I'll wear it with you guys, though. No problem. 

Dave Veale  9:49  
You just wear it at home. 

Greg Hemmings  9:51  
Not even yet.

Emily Rodger  9:54  
Was there like a little imposter syndrome?

Greg Hemmings  9:56  
Oh my gosh, yeah, huge. That's legit, like impostor syndrome, especially if you're an entrepreneur. I think we all get a little bit of that, for sure.

Emily Rodger  10:05  
Yeah. So I was wondering how- cause since your- your celebration party...

Greg Hemmings  10:05  
Which was a lot of fun, we had a blast. 

Emily Rodger  10:14  
Ton of fun. 

Greg Hemmings  10:14  
Dave didn't come, he had our more important things to do. Legit.

Dave Veale  10:19  
I was- I had a pre planned trip to Nova Scotia with my family. And I was just like, Marilyn, is there any way we can change this? It's like Dave, we have-

Greg Hemmings  10:28  
I would have been upset if you changed your plans for the family. But yeah, we had a good time. You were there in spirit.

Emily Rodger  10:33  
But around even that, like you seemed a little uncomfortable just having a party for you.

Dave Veale  10:39  
Well, Jessica had the party for you.

Greg Hemmings  10:41  
Yeah, but those rare, amazing moment moments when your wife is like, I want to throw a party to honor you. That doesn't happen every day. So like, I can't say no to that. Plus, it's just gonna be a group of my awesome friends. And that's all- that's all good. But yeah, yeah, it was- It was a bit of a trying thing, Emily, for sure. But absolutely no regrets. I had a great time. And it's just good to have people that you love around you to celebrate whatever that is.

Dave Veale  11:10  
Look at- lookit, he's trying to get off this topic. He's trying to totally get off this topic. He's like, come on change the topic.

Greg Hemmings  11:15  
Moving on.

Emily Rodger  11:18  
So speaking of moving on, like obviously Dave and I, we get to chat with you all the time. So for listeners who are like, what in the world is Greg having been up to?

Greg Hemmings  11:29  
Yeah, well, a whole whack of things. One is I am continuing to work with my team at Hemmings House, I'm not the CEO anymore, I promoted my- my former 2IC, Steve Foster, who's been with me almost since day one in this company. He's now the CEO. And I act as a chair person of the company. So an executive chair, that is. There's a distinction between the two. The buck still stops with me, if if the bank comes runnin', they're- you know, the CEO is liable. But really, it's the executive chairperson who is ultimately liable. So I'm heavily involved in influencing the direction of the company, it's been a really fun role to step away from the real day to day, but still be involved daily, but really focus on, what does growth look like? And we've explored a whole bunch of really fun models, including, you know, mergers and acquisitions, like finding other companies around the country that maybe we could join up with or purchase, you know, things like that. That's a whole- that's a whole exciting adventure in learning how that is done. And even, you know, our CFO and Steve and I, we took a course on m&a. And, you know, I didn't go to business school. So this is a lot of fun, just to learn, you know, the- the structural elements of doing something like that. Now, we haven't gone down that road yet. But I tell you, we've- we've really gone through the movements and you know, found other companies that we're interested in, got our company valuated, did due diligence, flew their team over  to- over to here, we went over there, all that sort of thing, you know, to- just to try it out. And something like that's always been, in my mind, a real fun way to grow out of the region, is find other companies like your own, that you might be able to, you know, grow with, so the idea of one plus one equals three. So that's one little thing that I'm doing. And another thing I've been working on is a startup, an engineering startup, where we're developing an electric motor for the EV industry. But not necessarily for cars, though our motor will be awesome for- for cars as well. Our motor is specifically designed for really rugged, harsh-condition vehicles. So picture a- you know, any sort of, you know, equipment that needs to be traveling around in the Arctic in minus 40 degrees, or in the Sahara Desert, you know, it's a real rugged, high torque motor. But our motor has a little bit of a twist, we're not using any permanent magnets. So it's- the rare earth mining is not part of what we're doing. And I'd say 95% of every other EV motor on Earth, uses rare earth magnets. So we're going to build the world's most sustainable, powerful electric motor, and very excited to be learning about that as well. And as a co-founder of that project, that does not come from an engineering background ,it's a whole new learning path for me. Like it's really fun to be able to, now, kind of learn a little bit about being an engineer, even though I'm not an engineer, but being part of the ownership group of a company like that. What a cool way to learn. So that's a little bit of what I've been up to. And sailing a lot. Of course, that too.

Yes, new boat. The summer of the new boat.

That's right. That's right.

Dave Veale  14:57  
I think last time we caught up over a beer, and I think you were headed off to do a race across the Digby.

Greg Hemmings  15:04  
Yeah, that's right. So I don't race sailboats. Last time I raced a sailboat was in 1989, and it was a Laser 2. And I was just a young lad. So that's really the last time I raced. And just about a month ago, we entered my boat into a race, a little bit of an ocean race, sailing between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia across the Bay of Fundy. And we actually came in second place, which is really crazy, because I'm not a racer, but we had a ball. It was so fun. So thrilling, slightly hair raising, because it was really nerve wracking. Because the first time I've taken my boat out into the ocean, and we just had a ball. It was awesome.

Emily Rodger  15:46  
So Greg, on our last episode, we had the author Quentin Casey on, and he was talking about his book with John Risley. And he was saying how John was like, just such a risk taker. And then we were speaking about how- he had- he- his thought is that either like, that's something that you have, or you don't have. That you're either a risk taker, or you're not. And so for you to kind of dive into these new industries, that you say you know nothing about, is that- like, how do you see that as far as a risk?

Greg Hemmings  16:23  
It's all high risk, for sure. And I would say, before marriage and children, I would be a much- a much higher risk taker than I am now. 

Emily Rodger  16:33  
Okay. You've subdued. 

Greg Hemmings  16:36  
You know, for financial risks and whatnot. But I also have that belief that- so I would say I've got a- I've got a mature level of risk taking at this point. But I fully realize, and I talk to my kids about this all the time, if you don't choose to walk through a door, nothing's gonna happen. You know, so, if you're okay with status quo, just keep it status quo. But if you're thinking, hmm, there's only one life to live, and, you know, I'm in the middle of it now. And I kind of want to try something else. You got to dip your toes into it, and- and, you know, be smart about it. But there's very little risk outside of, you know, financial risk of course, but little risk in trying something new, you know, especially if you've got an amazing team or amazing family to support you in- in doing that. So, though I am definitely more on the risk taking side of the spectrum, I wouldn't consider myself a high risk taker much anymore. Though when I was younger, my biggest thrill was jumping off the highest cliffs I possibly could into any- whatever body of water possible. I used to do really stupid, risky things all the time. But I do less of that now. Having children kind of scraps that doesn't it? It's like, maybe I shouldn't be hanging on- you know, underneath this bridge, over the Reversing Falls for fun. Yeah, and things like that.

Emily Rodger  17:57  
Even without having children, I don't think that's fun. It's funny, because I think that people- people quite often say that I'm like, a high risk taker, where I don't think that I am.

Greg Hemmings  18:07  
Right. Well, it's because you're living a life of really cool adventure to other people, like you appreciate the adventure, you're- you're living a lot, but like, this is what you do. This is who you are. So traveling to the jungle in Bolivia, Argentina. That's not necessarily way out of your comfort zone. But for everybody else looking at you, they're like, Oh, I could never do that. You know how everybody puts their own fears onto other people. It's interesting, eh? Like-

Emily Rodger  18:36  
So do you think that risk is like- kind of a thing like confidence, and that we can like build upon it and make ourselves-

Greg Hemmings  18:41  
I think the more confidence you get, you're able to judge if this is a real risk or not. Right? For example, I remember going to Bogota, in Colombia, which is notoriously dangerous. And me and my buddies are like, oh, let's- let's go walk the streets and go find a restaurant or a bar or whatnot. And no, it was fine. It was- it was fine. You had to have your your guard up a little bit. And but this is nighttime, and it was fine. So right now, I've got a little bit more data right now saying that, you know, walking the streets of, you know, the old part of Bogota is fine. So next time I go, I'll have a little more confidence. Risk is a little bit lower. When I went to Caracas, Venezuela, in the middle of the day, I felt my life was in danger multiple times. Which means, in this moment, right now, if you invite me to go to Caracas, or Bogota, just like, take me to Bogota in a second, no problem. When I went to Haiti before the most recent crisis, there was an edge. Edge of high risk of walking around those streets. And we did. And some people that were with told us we were idiots for walking on us on certain streets that we were on, but now that that country is going through what they're going through, the risk is much higher. So like, it's- I think the more we do things, the more we understand how to, you know, to manage the risk, or just be smart about it. But if you're just dumb and just walk into a place like, that's just stupid.

Emily Rodger  20:06  
What some people view as risks and other people don't. And then when do you have like the knowledge to kind of support of like, actually, how risky is this?

Greg Hemmings  20:15  
I love that you say that, because I think risk is a- it's a numbers game. It's statistics. But what you're talking about is fear. Fear of the unknown, like, those two are totally different things. People say, oh, that's so risky. Well, based on what? Like, why you think it's risky? But there are numbers, like you could say, out of a population of X, you know, 20% of people get kidnapped in this particular country, if you go at this time of year. That's a statistic, we know the risks. Or if you're just assuming, oh, you're going to this particular country, that's such high risk. But that's just fear.

Dave Veale  20:50  
I feel like the pandemic was a big test around, you know, what risk really is, right? Because every time you get in your car and drive somewhere, there's inherent risks, right? And actually, statistically, a lot higher than other things that are considered and deemed risky. But we do that all the t- you know, most of us do it all the time, as an example, right? Like, you wouldn't really think, oh, I wonder- this is risky. But, yeah, no, it's- it's a fascinating topic, for sure. But the other thing about- you know, you're taking these risks, Greg, but there's always a project, there's always something. You're not idle, I would say.

Greg Hemmings  21:25  
Oh, no, no, no, no, because there's two forces within- within- Well, it's probably more than two in my soul. But there's two of them that are- dictate my- my day to day. One is the need to make money, to create an income. And the other is the- my artistic desire to create something that may or may not be funded by a client or you know, somebody to account to. So with that, I'm continuously selling projects for our company, for Hemmings House and Hemmings Films, lots of really cool- cool projects on the go right now. But I'm also on more of the, you know, I don't like using the word passion projects, because it almost demeans it a little bit. But passion projects are the ones that are really cool projects that I personally direct, that aren't necessarily tied to big financial potential, but keeps my skills sharp, allows me to live the life of adventure. Similar to the- you know, the adventures Emily goes on. Mine a little bit different. And so I'm just putting together right now the edit on one of these projects that we shot. So the day- I left here on Boxing Day last year to go to Brazil, into the jungle, to create a film following the family of the famed ecologist, Dr. Tom Lovejoy, who passed away just a number of months earlier. So we made a film about his ashes being spread throughout the Amazon forest and into the Amazon River. And it was a beautiful experience for me to be part of. But I made this lovely little film, shows his life, and- but the really neat thing is, as you know, through that experience of family, I was able to tell the world who doesn't know who Dr. Tom Lovejoy is, get to tell a little bit of his biography through that. So it's a nice little film that honors the life of a very, very important climate researcher, ecologist, he is the- literally the guy who coined the term biodiversity. So if you're somebody that can coin something like that, you are somebody of significance. And I have to tell you this really interesting story. Just last week, as I'm going through, you know, hundreds of photographs that the family has given to me digitally, just to put into the edit. And I see this one audio file, in a folder filled- filled with photos. Interesting, click, David Attenborough sending a voice message to the family about- family and friends and colleagues, about his personal relationship with Tom at all the accolades. And this is David Attenborough, you know, the voice of science on television on BBC, you know, and I was like, oh, my gosh, this is incredible. So I reached out to the family, I was like, is there any way, do you think, that we can get Attenborough's permission to use this? So we're looking into it. I've already put it into the edit. And it narrates the film perfectly. So to be able to have a film with David Attenborough as one of the voices, speaking to the- the greatness of this amazing man who has passed away, is very, very cool. So as you can see, I get excited about work like that. So that's not- for me, that's not a money game. Of course, we get paid to make it, we get enough money to offset the costs, but that does push my career as a filmmaker forward. And I do that on a regular basis. So I'm always busy doing projects, Dave, as you- as you said, and Emily and I have always been scheming up continued film projects together, and one of them's gonna close soon, we know it. And yeah, lots on the go.

Dave Veale  25:07  
I've seen you pitch a few ideas over the years. And Emily's seen it a lot more closely, probably recently. I kind of marvel at it, and the one- you know, it wasn't for money, but it was pitching the- the Chamber of Commerce on us being- doing a- instead of going up, and I'm over on one podium, Greg's on the other one, and we co-moderate, I guess, Greg pitches, like, let's do a podcast. Like podcast style, we're going to be sitting down, we got our microphones, all this kinda stuff.

Greg Hemmings  25:49  
For a fundraising luncheon, or was it a dinner or luncheon? 

Dave Veale  25:52  
No, it was- it was- it was the business awards. 

Greg Hemmings  25:55  
Business awards, yeah. So it's like a three hour- big- with like 500 business people. And we just went with it, we jammed it.

Emily Rodger  26:05  
One of the things that I love so much about you, Greg, is that like you do just go for it.

Greg Hemmings  26:12  
That's the name of my sailboat.

Dave Veale  26:13  
Go for it. There you go. I love it. You know, and to me, there was some inherent risk in that because I was like, if we really screw this up, man, this is gonna be like, kind of embarrassing, because it's the whole business community.

Greg Hemmings  26:27  
We pulled it off.

Dave Veale  26:29  
It went actually really well. And it was a- it was a different approach. But- but that's the beauty of being creative and confident. So when you talk about pitching these ideas, I can just imagine what it's like. What's the- like your journey, both of you, been like, you know, around your film, Emily, and just- because like you guys met just previous to when I met you on the podcast, correct? Like, you-

Correct. We met an hour before.

Greg Hemmings  26:54  
That's right. So I met you on the phone first, we've- I think me and Tim and Steve, maybe Megan, we were all having a chat with you. Was it that day, or the next day that-

Emily Rodger  27:05  
It was like, I think the next week. I came down, we had lunch together. And then I thought you said, come and see the Boiling Point studio. So that's when I showed up at the Boiling Point. And then I hear you guys introducing your next guests, your dad was there. And you're like, oh, I have this incredible woman, she's done this and this, and- and I jokingly say I'm here, and then find out that it actually was me that you were introducing, and I wasn't just going to visit the podcast studio, I was going to be on it. 

Greg Hemmings  27:40  
Clearly my communications with you were-

Dave Veale  27:42  
A little- little piece of information missing from that. So since that time, for listeners that don't know, like, what's happened, like in terms of your collaboration?

Emily Rodger  27:53  
Well, it's been two documentaries put out about me. Greg produced then directed Cadence, which has done film festivals around the world. And then the CBC documentary, Chasing the Current, that Greg directed, and yeah. There's been a lot that has happened these last few years since that- that one day in St. John's.

Greg Hemmings  28:19  
And amongst a number of other pitches that have yet to find funding, but all very interesting and cool and will find their day. So I've got a whole folder in my Google Drive, it's just called Emily Rodger. That's it. And underneath it, there's like nine or ten different, totally sellable ideas that we've collaborated on. So.

Dave Veale  28:39  
So Greg, what makes- like, I have my own theory on this, but for you, what makes Emily so sellable? Like what is it? What are the features or the attributes?

Greg Hemmings  28:39  
There's a lot, my gosh. One thing- Emily is a go for it personality as well. So there's not a ton of- you know, I don't think there's any, like convincing, it's just yeah, that's a great idea, Greg, let's do it. So very, very willing to do something interesting. I really think Emily and I share a lot of similar values, which sometimes isn't the case with people you collaborate with. And you can still do really good collaborations with people that don't have the exact, you know, parallel vibe. But, you know, I think Emily and I, I think we've got enough of a parallel that we- there's not much friction between us, I can't picture any actually. So those are a few moments. Now, the other thing, you know, just straight up is the- everything that we've pitched to date had some sort of, you know, connection to outdoor adventure of some sort, of which Emily stands out anyhow, just by nature of, you know, how you show up on Instagram and with sponsors and, you know, all that sort of thing. So that part's a no brainer. But there's a bunch of people in the world that have great Instagram followings and are known in their industries, but they would suck to work with. Emily's not one of them.

Emily Rodger  30:02  
Well, thank you.

Dave Veale  30:06  
Well, I've known Greg for a long time, he doesn't have a folder with Dave Veale and a whole bunch of things.

Greg Hemmings  30:11  
We've reached our- all- we- like, how much further could we go after doing the airplane journals? 

Dave Veale  30:17  
That was the pinnacle.

Emily Rodger  30:21  
Actually, I was thinking about you also on this this previous episode with Quentin, where he- I asked him, I was like, what made John, or do you think made John, say yes to you being the one who wrote a book around? And he had said that there was already a bit of a relationship established, some trust. And even when we started talking about the idea of Cadence, and I had had other people before, say, oh, I want to do a film on you. And I was like, absolutely not. But just being able to have the trust in you and sharing the similar integrity and values that like, that is what made it- for me, it'd be like, yep, absolutely. Because it's kind of like selling your life to somebody to then put it together and create this narrative. 

Greg Hemmings  31:11  
Absolutely. And in a lot of cases, once you sign over that- that right to tell your story, a lot of producers are, they're like, Okay, thank you, bye, bye. We're in control now. You know, and- and you're- you've lost your ability to have a say in how your story is presented. And we don't work that way. You know, in our in our work, but a lot of- a lot of producers do. And I almost get- I do understand why, because they are working, in a lot of cases, with a broadcaster, let's say. A broadcaster has pitched something, and then the broadcaster says, yeah, we'll give you the money, but you're promising you're gonna give us this thing. And the producer says, yep, promise, and then you go and get this signed off. So I can understand the logic, but you're never gonna get- it's not going to be a good flowing experience. Because someone in your position is always going to feel like, you know, nervous and anxious that their stories can be abused, you know, and the producer is gonna be like, Oh, geez, the person is going to be- is going to hate me after they see this edit. But I- you know, I gotta deliver it the way it is. So it's not good. So we don't work that way. That's- I learned that very early on working with Dave.

Emily Rodger  32:23  
The way that Dave portrayed you on the Boiling Point? You're like, I will never do that to anybody.

Dave Veale  32:31  
Well, you know, when- the time I experienced that was when Liam was on Canada's Smartest Person Junior on the CBC, this series. And I remember signing and thinking, oh, it's the CBC. But- but the experience- and they were, you know, they're all kind people and stuff, but they're making the show, they want something to sell. And they're not probably totally thinking about, you know, how's it going to affect this one kid? Right? But that's your kid. And it's on national television. And it was an eye opening experience. And I mean, ultimately, it was a good experience. But, you know, there was some interesting, interesting things that I was like, wow. And especially when you're dealing with children, right? It was- it was quite- it was quite interesting. So good on you to do it that way, Greg.

Greg Hemmings  33:16  
Well, like I say, we try to create safe environments, because if you- if you don't have a safe environment, where people aren't feeling anxious and nervous, you're gonna get a better performance and you'll get a better product.

Dave Veale  33:29  
I remember once I was in Imperial Theater, and I came out and of course, you know, I had a couple glasses of wine. And your crew was outside stopping people and interviewing them. And I was like, ah, I probably shouldn't. They've had a couple gla- and I was like, ah, it's the Hemmings House guys. Like, they'll edit out anything if I don't sound good, or slurring or anything. You know what I mean?

Greg Hemmings  33:47  
That's a nice reputation to have. What was that, Dave? I don't remember that.

Dave Veale  33:50  
I don't know, six, seven years ago. I can't remember what the event was. Like, you guys- it was- it's funny. I don't really remember what it was about. But yeah, you- you- obviously, the Imperial hired you guys to do something. And in terms of promotion of it or whatever. Yeah, so the boys are out there. I was like, hey guys! But like anyone else, I would've just like ehh, get me the hell out of there.

Emily Rodger  34:12  
Actually, I think was shortly after Cadence came out, and a network had pitched me to be on one of their reality TV shows. And I remember talking to you about it, Greg, and you're like, yeah, yeah, go for it, go for it. And I was like, yeah, no, unless Greg can be the final one who does the editing, I'm like, I don't know how these people are going to- and it was like- it was a hunting show. And I was like, I have no idea how they're going to portray me, and I don't want that. Like for sure, this fear around- people they want it for entertainment, and they want what the viewers are gonna like, and yeah, I don't need that.

Greg Hemmings  34:55  
And if you're not giving them what they think they want, they'll get it from you anyway in how they edit it together.

Dave Veale  35:03  
Actually I never thought of this. But you're- so you're- when you're making, especially the kind of films that you make Greg, like, there's kind of moral decisions all the time, about what to show and what not to show, right? And something you- I'm guessing you'll see. And you go, this would actually, you know, really pump up the viewership potentially because it's salacious or something. But then it's like, well, this is my friend, or this is the person I care about, or whatever, maybe I shouldn't put that in.

Greg Hemmings  35:29  
We've bumped into that years ago. You remember when we did our wrestling show, Dave. Well, I did two different wrestling shows, but there was stuff that we got on camera that was- it would have made the edit amazing. Made the story like such high drama, but you just can't do it because it had something to do with the- you know, the actions of a- one of the particular people that were filming. And I knew that it would hurt their lives in the future, if they- if we put it out, though, they wouldn't have seen that. So there's definitely some-

Dave Veale  36:02  
And there's- he's probably this big 250 pound guy, that maybe you don't want to be pissed off at you.

Greg Hemmings  36:10  
They could all eat me, all of them.

Dave Veale  36:11  
They love you, man. They love you. We had- remember we had the one guy on that does security now, and-

Greg Hemmings  36:17  
Aww yeah, man. Yeah, that's Trash Canyon. Yeah, he now is- and I nominated him to be in the Wallace McCain institute. I don't know if he got in this year or even applied. But he's got a very successful security company in Halifax now, incredibly successful, called Five Stair- Five Star Bailiff. So he started as a bailiff company, but that's extended now. He's got security guards doing the Halifax- the new Metro Center or whatever, the convention center. So he's doing awesome. And you know, he was one of our guys, one of our wrestlers on our TV show way back. And you know, that TV experience was part of his life trajectory, which is pretty neat. Yeah.

Emily Rodger  37:00  
So Greg, I love that I- I feel like I can now just like sit and ask you all the questions that I always wonder. What time do you normally go to bed at?

Greg Hemmings  37:09  
You don't wonder that, you already know. I think the question is, Emily, what time is it that either I send you an email or you send me an email, and we immediately respond within- within minutes? We'll start there.

Emily Rodger  37:22  
5:00 in the morning.

Greg Hemmings  37:24  
Right. So. 

Dave Veale  37:25  
Long before I'm out of bed.

Greg Hemmings  37:26  
I'm a 5 to 5:30 guy, and I immediately start jumping into work, immediately in the morning. I probably should do other things, but that's what I do. But that means I- I really- like, I'm turning off the lights at 10. Like I'm already in bed, and Lights- Y'know, shows are done. 10 o'clock, head on the pillow. Because I need, I need, seven to eight hours. I have to have it.

Emily Rodger  37:51  
Yeah, well, and it's like- I mean with you, like, for as much time have we- has we have been together like, as friends, like working on stuff, whatever else, like, you are just, like, Greg Hemmings is Greg Hemmings. And you're always just on, and that same energy, and like- and so yeah, so when you then crash at the end of the night, like you're- you're down and out.

Greg Hemmings  38:16  
My crash starts around 3pm. Like, I wish I could work at night, the way everybody else on earth does, and get all their emails done. Like, my brain is just mush by the time three o'clock hits. So by the time supper happens, and then after supper clean up, there's no time for work. So- because my brain is not working anyway. And then early in the morning, it's like, I'm crazy productive. And then the rest of the day I can be present, and you know, doing things like this.

Emily Rodger  38:43  
Yeah. 

Dave Veale  38:44  
I read an article about this, about- and everyone has a different level of energy at a different time of the day. And they have these kinds of titles for the- you know, the early riser and the night owls and the midday whatever. But it's finding what you're- you know what lane you're in, and sticking with it, I think. You know? Because you're not gonna- that's not going to change. You guys- yeah, I see these emails coming from you guys. It's like, 5:02, it's like, wow, like that's-

Greg Hemmings  39:09  
I just hope they're not dinging on your phone. But I'm assuming that got those turned off.

Dave Veale  39:13  
I got- I got Airplane Mode on. No way, that would not be good.

Emily Rodger  39:18  
I have so many people that will say this to me, they say oh, I wish that I could be a morning person like you. And for you saying you wish that you could stay up later, and then so why?

Greg Hemmings  39:31  
I'm totally spewing BS right now when I say that because I don't wish. 

Emily Rodger  39:34  
Yeah, I didn't think so.

Greg Hemmings  39:36  
My whole life, even though when I was in my 20s, I saw the sunrise many times by being up all night having a lot of fun. That doesn't exist. Once- once I turned 30, y'know, you can't do that anymore. I found my rhythm is, I love being up before the sun rises. That's just my thing. So I don't wish. But I think Dave can recount when he started being my executive coach many years ago. I was battling with- with email management and time management back then. Right? So my whole thing is, I wish we didn't live in a society where communication was so intense. And I'd rather use my morning for things like meditation or exercise or something of value instead of- but my- my day, every single day is meetings. Back to back to back meetings, because it's a relationship based business. But it means if you're emailing me in the middle of the day, and if I'm being present with somebody else, I'm not doing this. I'm not- I'm not glued to this at all. You know, like, I check yesterday's mail in the morning, and that's when I- that's when I do it. But that's a survival thing. You know, so what do I wish? I'd still like to be involved with all the things I'm involved with. But minimize the communication on all of them. I don't think that's possible. But that's- that's- that's more of a better wish.

Emily Rodger  40:55  
Yeah. It is a thing, though, of deciding- like me, gosh, I get an eight hour workday done between 4:30 in the morning and 10am. And- but it's this thing of like, when you're on, you're on, and I want to do everything at that time, because that is when my brain is the freshest. It's like, that's when I want to reply to emails, that's when I want to schedule calls. That's what I want to go to the gym and workout and like- because like- and it's like, oh, my gosh, I need to cram all of this stuff in, that it's almost like choosing. You have to choose what things are going to take your, like, high performance time.

Greg Hemmings  41:34  
Absolutely. Yeah. And using emails and doing all that is not- doing that first thing in the morning is not my favorite thing. But I'll tell you, it allows me to stay present in the daytime. And that is worth it.

Dave Veale  41:47  
So I'd be curious- we can all share, as we're wrapping this up: of all the gas, who's been the favorite? And there have been many great guests, so it's- but who have you really enjoyed interviewing on the Boiling Point?

Greg Hemmings  42:00  
The most special, of course, to me was Seth Godin. But he gave you all the prizes, of him saying, good question, Dave. And I didn't get any. I didn't get any of those from Seth. 

Dave Veale  42:11  
We wrote those down, didn't we?

Greg Hemmings  42:13  
So- and it's interesting, because I- I'm such a huge fanboy of Seth, that I was a little nervous talking to him, even though I- I, at that point, knew him quite well, because we had a couple of projects that we'd been involved with together, and- but I've got such respect for him. I think the Chris Hadfield one was probably my fav. Like that's- that was a cool interview. I'd say. There was many awesome ones though.

Dave Veale  42:38  
Yeah. No, they're- totally, totally. Those stand out because of who they- you know, just the profile too, right?

Greg Hemmings  42:44  
Profile, and yeah, definitely profile, but also the wisdom, like how they spoke, like their- they know their story really well. And yeah, and the guests should look back in our archives and listen to those particular ones that were great. 

Hundred percent. Yeah.

Emily Rodger  42:59  
What was your question, Dave? What was my most what? Or what was our most what podcast?

Dave Veale  43:04  
Most interesting interview.

Emily Rodger  43:05  
Most interesting.

Dave Veale  43:06  
Or, you know, the one that really stood out for you.

Emily Rodger  43:09  
Honestly, like, oh, for guest. Gosh, I mean, how can I not say Greg Hemmings, this one right now?

Greg Hemmings  43:18  
Besides Greg Hemmings, of course. Because I would say the same thing about Emily. But you're here right now. So besides Emily being the most interesting, who's the second?

Emily Rodger  43:26  
I don't know if I can answer that. I can't be put on the spot to answer that.

Dave Veale  43:32  
Okay. That's okay. 

Emily Rodger  43:34  
What's yours? 

Dave Veale  43:35  
I would go with Chris Hadfield too. There's a bit of a backstory. I just was like- I'd just taken Liam to watch him the night before or whatever, he did a- or a couple- maybe was a couple weeks before. One of his shows where he- and he's launched his book and all that kind of stuff. And then- and I didn't think that was going to happen, that interview. And there was something that was- and I would say with Seth too, but just so impressive, the humility with this man who's, you know, prolific and out there and world renowned, but just very kind with his time and his energy. And, you know, like many, many, many guests, but- but that stands out because we were both like- and I didn't honestly think it was gonna happen. I kept on waiting for it to fall through.

Greg Hemmings  44:16  
I think it was Tigby that lined that up. Because Andrew and Chris Hadfield are actually legit close friends and collaborate. So I think we had a closer in there to make sure it happened.

Dave Veale  44:27  
But for me, we- like even today. We just met the- like, you know, obviously with you, Greg, but I get to do this, and you know- and so does Emily, we get to meet up on our own and chat. But I've just so enjoyed getting to know some of the people and the guests and hearing their backstories, and- people are- you know- well- just- it's amazing. It's hard to keep track of, it's like- in a way. That's the thing, I should go back and listen to them.

Greg Hemmings  44:52  
I wonder how many episodes have been released to date. There's a lot.

Dave Veale  44:58  
That is a very good question. I have no idea.

Emily Rodger  45:00  
Yeah, I think well over 500? 

Greg Hemmings  45:03  
At our hundredth, we had a celebration, and we had Wendy create a beer for us. Right?

Dave Veale  45:08  
That's right. 

Greg Hemmings  45:09  
And I talked- I went to the beer tasting at St. John High on Friday- or- Friday night, it was a fundraiser beer tasting or whatever, for the alumni. And all the local breweries were there. It was awesome. And, of course, her group was there. And I was chatting with- with them about Wendy, how awesome Wendy is. And then I said, you know, one time, Wendy made a Boiling Point brew. And they're like, I know, I was there. I helped her make it, and we still make it.

Dave Veale  45:37  
Yeah, they call it something else for some reason, yeah.

Greg Hemmings  45:40  
But delicious, very good beer.

Dave Veale  45:42  
What was fun about that, Emily, was we actually sent a survey out to listeners, and they came back with, you know, how they would describe Greg and I, and what- what kind of attributes should go in the beer, right? And it's like, ginger, and a little bit of spice, and all these different things came out. It was- high alcohol content. Like, I don't know- I don't know where that came from. But I had one of those. I was like, how- what is the alcohol? It's like 8%. I was like, well, I can't have any more. C'mon. Well, this is awesome, man. And the sun is starting to come in just as we're finishing this up.

Emily Rodger  46:19  
You're just radiating, Dave.

Dave Veale  46:22  
It's like, crazy.

Greg Hemmings  46:24  
We're on the same river, Dave, but I just see clouds.

Dave Veale  46:26  
I don't know what's going on. I don't- I'm not sure what's going on. I just got a little- little beam of sunshine here.

Greg Hemmings  46:31  
Do you ever. You have four or five beams coming in there.

Dave Veale  46:33  
Five miles down the river. Anyways, love you, man, we're just- love having you on here. And I'm so glad you came back for an episode. 

Greg Hemmings  46:39  
Well, thanks for the invite. What a treat. 

Dave Veale  46:41  
You can always jump in a co-host seat at any point. Emily might be kicking me off the show, so there might be a- there might be an empty spot for you.

Greg Hemmings  46:51  
I love it. Well, I would only do a one- a one-time shot, Dave, because you are naturally in that seat. So maybe we'll interview Dave, Emily. 

Emily Rodger  47:00  
Okay. No, I actually- I said that to Dave a couple of weeks ago. I said, I want Greg and I to interview you.

Dave Veale  47:09  
You guys set this up.

Greg Hemmings  47:10  
I love that idea. That's a great. We didn't set that up. That's a good idea.

Emily Rodger  47:14  
It's already kind of been set up. I already let Dave Stonehouse know that we were gonna have an upcoming guest, Dave Veale, on the podcast.

Dave Veale  47:23  
The most listened-to podcast.

Greg Hemmings  47:26  
That way, we've all been a guest on the podcast. 

Yeah!

Dave Veale  47:29  
I'm slightly uncomfortable with it, but we'll absolutely have the conversation. 

Emily Rodger  47:34  
We all need to be in the hot seat. 

Dave Veale  47:35  
Yeah, 100%.

Greg Hemmings  47:38  
Well thanks a lot for letting me be on. 

Emily Rodger  47:40  
Yeah! Thank you, Doctor Greg Hemmings.

Dave Veale  47:46  
And Emily's got a- listen to her extro, it's awesome.

Emily Rodger  47:48  
Yeah, so we are going to put all of Dr. Greg Hemmings' information and any extras we discussed in the show notes. The best place to find that is on our website, at boilingpointpodcast.com. This video version, you can see all of our high end recording studios, is available on YouTube and Facebook. And of course, this podcast is available on all of your favorite podcast platforms. Greg Hemmings, we'll see you soon. You rocked it, Emily,

Dave Veale  48:19  
She rocked it, yeah. See you, buddy. See you, Greg.

Greg Hemmings  48:21  
See you, guys.

Emily Rodger  48:22  
Bye!

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