On this day five years ago, I registered as a solopreneur (and soon after as a business). What a journey! If you're thinking of starting your own business, just do it. What you'll lose (life is about tradeoffs), you'll regain in spades. Today, I have more wrinkles, less hair, but also less baby fat. 😅 Thanks to everyone who believed, supported, cheered on, and especially those who told me I was crazy!

𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. 🤠🇨🇦 I arrived in Calgary in June 2012, knowing very little about Canada and even less about oil & gas. Yet somehow, this French-Dutch guy ended up interviewing Alberta’s energy leaders for an investment report. I had a LOT to learn! 😅 What I discovered was tremendous warmth, hospitality and support, alongside very real frustrations about Ottawa, market access and being misunderstood by the rest of Canada. I ended up spending four years in Calgary, making friendships I still cherish today. Having since lived in Vancouver and Montréal, I’ve developed a different perspective on Canada. In Quebec, I recognized some of that same regional pride and frustration, but also the same warmth. A bit like the astronauts’ famous “overview effect”, except my spacecraft was usually Air Canada, with considerably less legroom. ✈️ With Alberta’s referendum approaching, I keep thinking about how much more we have in common than we sometimes acknowledge. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆? Let’s remove unnecessary interprovincial trade barriers, respect our regional differences and recognize how much stronger we could be by working together. After 14 years here, I still believe Canada’s biggest untapped potential is what we could achieve together. 🇨🇦 Open to feedback, respectfully, of course.

Grateful for the continued trust! 🙌

I didn’t grow up with Thanksgiving, but I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Canada. 🇨🇦 Thank you to everyone who has supported my work across 3 provinces over the last 14+ years. Friends, mentors, collaborators, clients, partners, sponsors, interviewees, speakers, and all the people who took a meeting, opened a door, supported TheFutureEconomy .ca and @BlockchaiNorth, or simply cheered me on from the sidelines. Looking back, it has been quite the Canadian journey. 𝟯 investor guides. 𝟯 energy conferences. 𝟭,𝟬𝟬𝟬+ leader interviews/𝟯𝟬𝟬 in crypto. 𝟭𝟱𝟬 newsletter issues. 𝟭𝟬𝟬 Spaces. 𝟰 crypto events. Clearly, I chose some of the easiest topics and industries to support…oil & gas, mining, sustainability, Indigenous reconciliation, crypto. 😅 But I’m still here, because I love Canada, and because of everyone who supports me. And despite a fair share of disappointments and frustrations, I still believe in this beautiful country and its people. Canada has given me a home, a wife, a business, a network, great friendships, two fur babies, and more opportunities than I could have imagined when I first landed in Calgary for what was supposed to be a six-month project. Happy Thanksgiving, Canada. 🍁

After Montreal, time for Toronto! 🚀

Proud to add my name to this impressive list. Canada, it’s now or never! 👏

Keeping it short 😉

Such an important message... Is Canada's "Productivity Mega Deduction" enough to secure our economic and technological sovereignty? 🤔

Missed Tokenize North? Recap reel for ya. 🫡

Looking for a Canadian-based freelance crypto copywriter. Strong knowledge of Canadian policy and experience with regulated companies/compliance-first copywriting required. Articling background a plus. Please share or tag your connections. 🙌

Exactly right! Tokenization is THE mega trend in digital assets, and probably even in finance rid large. 🚀 That’s why we created Tokenize North. Missed the first one? Join the next one somewhere near you soon. 😉