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The Business Development Podcast

Episodes

A Personal Update: Standing With Foxx
361
July 21, 2026

A Personal Update: Standing With Foxx

In this deeply personal update, Kelly Kennedy speaks from the pediatric oncology ward at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton. Kelly and Shelby’s one-year-old son, Foxx, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. As their family begins navigating treatment and an entirely new reality, Kelly is placing The Business Development Podcast on hold so he can focus fully on Foxx, Shelby, and their other boys. This is not goodbye. The podcast will return as soon as Kelly and his family are able. ...
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The Clearest Voice in the Room Wins with Salvatore Manzi
360
July 18, 2026

The Clearest Voice in the Room Wins with Salvatore Manzi

In Episode 360 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with communication expert, leadership coach, and bestselling author Salvatore Manzi to explore why the clearest voice in the room often becomes the most influential. After losing his voice during an early speaking experience, Salvatore dedicated more than two decades to understanding the neuroscience, psychology, and storytelling principles behind powerful communication. Today, he helps executives, entrepreneurs, TEDx sp...
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Is Money Trauma Making Your Business Decisions with Brittney Ashley
359
July 14, 2026

Is Money Trauma Making Your Business Decisions with Brittney Ashley

What if the biggest thing influencing your pricing, growth, and business decisions has nothing to do with strategy? In Episode 359 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with growth strategist, certified business coach, Trauma of Money Certified Practitioner, and Imposter Syndrome Coach Practitioner Brittney Ashley to explore the hidden ways money trauma, scarcity, self-worth, and imposter syndrome can quietly shape the way entrepreneurs lead and grow. From sitting on propo...
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Faith Starts the Journey and Resilience Finishes It with Mitch Jacobsen
358
July 11, 2026

Faith Starts the Journey and Resilience Finishes It with Mitch Jacobsen

In Episode 358 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy welcomes Mitch Jacobsen, Founder and CEO of Rviita Inc., back to the show for a powerful conversation about entrepreneurship, faith, and the resilience required to build something from nothing. Mitch shares his journey from petroleum engineer to beverage entrepreneur, risking his student line of credit, spending two years developing a product that initially finished dead last in a blind taste test, and ultimately growing Rviita En...
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The Biggest Bottleneck in Your Business Is Probably You with Michèle Hecken
357
July 7, 2026

The Biggest Bottleneck in Your Business Is Probably You with Michèle Hecken

Episode 357 of The Business Development Podcast features entrepreneur, executive advisor, international keynote speaker, and bestselling author Michèle Hecken. After building and successfully exiting a global company that eventually ran with only a handful of hours of her time each week, Michèle shares the mindset shifts that allowed her to stop being the center of her business. Together, Kelly and Michèle explore why so many founders unintentionally become the biggest bottleneck in their own or...
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Your Success Strategy Could Be Killing You with Steven Langer
356
July 4, 2026

Your Success Strategy Could Be Killing You with Steven Langer

In episode 356 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with international keynote speaker, leadership expert, and Well by Design founder Steven Langer for a powerful conversation about the hidden cost of success. After years of leading schools, developing provincial wellness curriculum, and building high-performing teams, Steven found himself facing burnout, anxiety, panic attacks, and a life-changing warning from a doctor who told him he was on the path to a heart attack, s...
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The Power of Emotional Neutrality with Alyssa McMasters
355
June 30, 2026

The Power of Emotional Neutrality with Alyssa McMasters

What does real confidence look like when life refuses to slow down? In Episode 355 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy welcomes back Founder of Let Me Introduce Yourself and Confidence Coach Alyssa McMasters for a powerful conversation about confidence, emotional neutrality, resilience, entrepreneurship, sales, leadership, and the realities of balancing a high-performing career with parenthood. Alyssa shares her own journey through burnout, imposter syndrome, motherhood, and rebui...
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The Future of Business is More Human Than You Think with Kari Enns
354
June 27, 2026

The Future of Business is More Human Than You Think with Kari Enns

Episode 354 of The Business Development Podcast features serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and ScaleIQ founder Kari Enns for a thought-provoking conversation about the future of business in an AI-driven world. Drawing from her own journey of rebuilding her life and business from scratch twice, Kari shares why resilience, community, and authentic human connection will become the greatest competitive advantages as technology continues to evolve. Together, Kelly and Kari explore why so many ent...
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Your Company Is Probably Telling the Wrong Story with Simon Ostler
353
June 23, 2026

Your Company Is Probably Telling the Wrong Story with Simon Ostler

Episode 353 of The Business Development Podcast features Simon Ostler, a former newsroom leader, media strategist, and founder of Simon Ostler Consulting. With more than 20 years of experience in Canadian media, including senior leadership roles at Global News Toronto, Simon spent his career deciding which stories earned attention and which ones were ignored. In this conversation, he explains why most companies do not have a marketing problem, they have a storytelling problem. Kelly and Simon e...
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Great Salespeople Don't Sell with Rob Durant
352
June 20, 2026

Great Salespeople Don't Sell with Rob Durant

In Episode 352 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with Rob Durant, CEO of U.S. Operations for the Institute of Sales Professionals, founder of Flywheel Results, and author of The Social Enablement Blueprint. What follows is a powerful conversation that challenges everything most people think they know about sales. Rob shares his unexpected journey from customer service to sales leadership and explains why the best salespeople are not focused on convincing, pressuring, o...
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Your AI Growth Strategy Is Just Noise
351
June 16, 2026

Your AI Growth Strategy Is Just Noise

In Episode 351 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy breaks down why so many modern growth strategies are becoming nothing more than noise. From automated emails and LinkedIn DMs to AI-driven outreach tools promising quick wins, Kelly challenges the idea that more activity automatically means more progress. He explains why vanity metrics can be misleading, why downloads in podcasting are similar to meaningless outreach numbers in business development, and why the real metric that ma...
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Dreaming for a Living with Paul Barry
350
June 13, 2026

Dreaming for a Living with Paul Barry

In milestone Episode 350 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, actor, filmmaker, and Ikigai consultant Paul Barry for a conversation that goes far beyond business. As this episode releases, Paul is nearly 1,000 miles into his 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail journey, walking from Mexico to Canada while raising funds for cancer awareness and prevention in honour of his mother. Together, Kelly and Paul explore the Japanese concept of Ikigai, th...
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Why Success Is Never Enough with Stacey Berger
349
June 9, 2026

Why Success Is Never Enough with Stacey Berger

In Episode 349 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with mindset expert, transformational coach, and entrepreneur Stacey Berger for a powerful conversation about why external success is never enough if it comes at the cost of fulfillment, purpose, and personal well-being. Stacey shares her journey from growing a corporate subsidiary from a million-dollar balance sheet to $60 million, to realizing that the career she once loved no longer aligned with the life she wanted to...
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The Business of Mushrooms, Mental Health, and Human Potential with Colin Christensen
348
June 6, 2026

The Business of Mushrooms, Mental Health, and Human Potential with Colin Christensen

In Episode 348 of The Business Development Podcast, Colin Christensen returns for his fourth appearance on the show to explore one of the most fascinating and misunderstood industries in the world today. As CEO of Tidal Care Inc. and a mentor to more than 2,000 founders, Colin shares his journey into the mushroom industry, the differences between functional mushrooms and psilocybin, the emerging research surrounding mental health and wellness, and why entrepreneurs, researchers, and healthcare p...
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The Future of Podcasting, Media, and Audience Attention with Paul Riismandel
347
June 2, 2026

The Future of Podcasting, Media, and Audience Attention with Paul Riismandel

In Episode 347 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with Paul Riismandel, President of Signal Hill Insights and one of the leading voices in podcast audience research, to explore the future of podcasting, media, and audience attention. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in digital audio, podcasting, advertising, and audience measurement, Paul shares what creators, entrepreneurs, marketers, and business leaders need to understand about where the industry is hea...
Guest: Paul Riismandel
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The Warning Signs Your Company Has Outgrown Its Brand with Rudy A. Zacharias and Terry Elkins
346
May 30, 2026

The Warning Signs Your Company Has Outgrown Its Brand with Rudy A. Zacharias and Terry Elkins

In Episode 346 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with Rudy A. Zacharias and Terry Elkins of About That... to explore one of the most misunderstood topics in business: branding. Drawing on decades of experience helping organizations navigate growth and transformation, Rudy and Terry explain why a brand is far more than a logo. It is the sum total of what people think, feel, and experience when they interact with your company. Together, they unpack the warning signs that...
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Why Most Businesses Never Sell with Robert Welke
345
May 26, 2026

Why Most Businesses Never Sell with Robert Welke

Episode 345 of The Business Development Podcast dives into a conversation that almost never gets talked about in entrepreneurship: what happens at the end. Kelly Kennedy sits down with Robert Welke, business growth strategist, Certified Exit Planning Advisor, entrepreneur, and Co-Founder of MExit Inc., to explore why so many business owners spend decades building companies only to discover they have nothing they can actually sell. Together, they unpack Canada’s growing entrepreneurial challenges...
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Start Young and Scale Fast with Chris Vasiliou
344
May 23, 2026

Start Young and Scale Fast with Chris Vasiliou

After launching CTK at just 24 years old in the middle of a global pandemic, Chris Vasiliou didn’t wait for perfect timing, certainty, or permission. In this episode, Chris shares the realities of scaling a construction company in one of Canada’s toughest industries, the lessons learned from growing from a handful of people to a national operation, and why entrepreneurship can’t truly be taught, it has to be lived. From earning trust as a young founder to building credibility through responsiven...
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10 Must Have Tools for Business Development in 2026
343
May 19, 2026

10 Must Have Tools for Business Development in 2026

In episode 343 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy breaks down the 10 must-have tools every business development professional should be using in 2026 and beyond. From timeless essentials like the phone, email, LinkedIn, notepads, Excel, and CRM systems to modern tools like ChatGPT, Apollo.io, Surfe, AI note takers, and Canva, this episode provides a practical look at the tools that can improve efficiency, consistency, prospecting, follow-up, meeting preparation, and overall BD per...
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Reinvent Yourself and Build a Brand People Remember with Jamar Jones
342
May 16, 2026

Reinvent Yourself and Build a Brand People Remember with Jamar Jones

Episode 342 of The Business Development Podcast features the return of entrepreneur, speaker, author, and Foureva Media founder Jamar Jones for one of the most powerful conversations yet on reinvention, visibility, personal branding, and becoming the person your future requires. From opening for artists like Snoop Dogg, T.I., Common, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to losing his voice and rebuilding his entire life through entrepreneurship, Jamar shares the hard-earned lessons that transformed his mind...
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Saving a Canadian Wool Clothing Brand with Stephanie Gross
341
May 12, 2026

Saving a Canadian Wool Clothing Brand with Stephanie Gross

Episode 341 of The Business Development Podcast features an incredibly honest and inspiring conversation with Stephanie Gross, Founder & CEO of Bumby Wool, a Canadian wool clothing brand built from the ground up through resilience, creativity, and relentless determination. Stephanie shares her journey from working in oil and gas and raising a family to launching a sustainable manufacturing company that has grown from homemade cloth diapers into a recognized Canadian apparel brand focused on ethi...
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The Skilled Trades Crisis No One Is Talking About with Manja Horner
340
May 9, 2026

The Skilled Trades Crisis No One Is Talking About with Manja Horner

Episode 340 of The Business Development Podcast features a powerful conversation with Manja Horner, founder of Boost LD, on the hidden skilled trades crisis happening across North America. As experienced tradespeople retire, companies are losing decades of knowledge, systems, instincts, and expertise that were never properly documented or passed down. Kelly and Manja dive deep into workforce development, retention, onboarding, leadership, and why the future of the trades depends on capturing and...
Guest: Manja Horner
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The Ten Follow Up Rule
339
May 5, 2026

The Ten Follow Up Rule

Episode 339 of The Business Development Podcast breaks down The Ten Follow Up Rule, Kelly Kennedy’s personal standard for building real pipeline through consistent, disciplined business development. Kelly shares why most sales and BD professionals stop far too early, how fear of rejection and lack of structure kill opportunities, and why every qualified prospect deserves at least ten follow-ups before being disqualified. Through real stories, including the time it took thirty follow-ups to book...
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Why Your LinkedIn Content Isn’t Getting You Clients with Charlotte Lloyd
338
May 2, 2026

Why Your LinkedIn Content Isn’t Getting You Clients with Charlotte Lloyd

In Episode 338 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with Charlotte Lloyd to break down one of the biggest misconceptions in modern business development: that content alone will bring you clients. With over 20 years in B2B sales and millions in closed revenue, Charlotte shares how LinkedIn is often misunderstood as a content platform when in reality, it’s a conversation platform. She explains why most entrepreneurs struggle to convert attention into revenue, and how the re...
Guest: Charlotte Lloyd
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