My First Season

My guest today and I have never met, but his name was mentioned on a previous episode by an another EXGO. His first season was in Club Med Sonora Bay during the summer of 1998 as the Animator/DJ. Everyone, please help me give a warm welcome to a very, very funny EXGO from Montreal, Christopher “Christo” Williams!! Christo worked for Club Med from 1998 to 2000 and went on vacation to Club Med as a teenager to the resorts of Huatulco, Playa Blanca and Martinique, so he was no stranger to the life. Christo did many things before applying to Club Med. Among them, Christo attended a comedy school in Montreal called “École National de L’Humour” and even sold men’s underwear! Remembering the great times he had as a G.M. in Club Med, Christo decided to apply to Club Med and had his interview in Montreal. He was sent for two weeks training to Playa Blanca to train under none other than, “Adrenaline” and was even picked up at the airport by the CDV, Houria! After his training was over, he went to Sonora Bay where Hammer was the CDV and the rest is history. As an Animator, you can imagine that Christo has many funny stories and one of his funniest stories involves the magician/nail polish gag that someone did not find amusing! Christo was in Club Med Cancun for Y2k with Hammer and then Paradise Island with Kevin Batt. After Club Med, Christo continued his comedy career in Montreal and even performed at the “Just for Laughs” comedy festival, which is the largest international comedy festival in the world. Christo has nothing but good memories about his time in Club Med and I hope you have as much fun listening to this episode as we did recording it! (special shoutout to MC Mario!!) **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. *You can download any episode on your smartphone and listen to it later.

Please check out his Facebook below:

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.williams.7902

And his YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/secretmaverickboy

And the "Evil Hand" number we spoke about during the interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfiQegzjERY

My guest today and I have never met, but I did interview her brother-in-law, Boone, for this podcast in February of 2022. Her first season was in Club Med Cancun in 2013 as a Waterski and Wakeboard G.O., but you could say her actual first season was when she was conceived in Club Med Turks & Caicos (both her parents were G.O.’s for nine years)! Everyone, please help me welcome the amazing and talented, Carly-Ann Dell! Before Club Med, Carly attended the University of Washington and obtained a degree in Early Childhood and Family Studies. Carly then enrolled in a Master’s program in School Counseling at Seattle Pacific University, but left after a year to pursue a Club Med experience. Carly has her own podcast called “Crazy Over Easy” (available on all podcast platforms) as well as a Health and Wellness website and her Instagram account (@carlyanndell-the links are provided below). She wrote and published a book called “Choosing Crazy over Easy” and it comes out tomorrow on her website and will be available on Amazon in two weeks. One fun fact about Carly is that she competed in the Junior Olympics in Downhill Skiing when she was fifteen years old and another is that she met her future husband Casey in Turks & Caicos while on vacation in 2012 and then got married to Casey there in 2019!! Carly worked in the Club Med villages of Cancun, Turks & Caicos and Sahoro Hokkaido in Japan and is kind to share her stories with us. We have something in common in that we both LOVE the movie “Christmas Vacation”, so I would be remiss if I didn’t ask her what her favorite scene or quote is. In this episode we cover a lot, but some of the highlights are Carly and Casey’s unconventional love story, her cherished JoJo the dolphin recollection and the absurdity of being “in couple” in Club Med then having to adapt their relationship when going back to “reality”. Please enjoy this episode with, Carly!! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please take a moment to visit her website:

https://carlyanndell.com/

And her Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/carlyanndell/?hl=en

My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Playa Blanca during the 1996/1997 season, but his first season was in Club Med Cancun in April of 1996 as a Tennis G.O. From Mexico City and now living in Cancun, please help me welcome Vladimir Mayllen! Vladimir worked for Club Med from 1996 to 2014 in resorts such as Cancun, Playa Blanca, Sonora Bay, Sandpiper, Turks & Caicos, Ria Bintan in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand. Vladimir did everything from Tennis, Landsports, Chief of Traffic, Community Liason, Chief of Sports, Leisure Services Manager to interim Chief of Village. Before he started working at Club Med, Vladimir (who was 7 years old at the time) and his family would live at Club Med Ixtapa while his parents would manage some businesses they had in the area. After that, Vladimir would go on to attend UCLA and obtain a Communications degree. A chance meeting with ex-CDV Ricardo Gonzalez at a BBQ in Mexico City, led to Vladimir being offered employment with Club Med. Although Vladimir may have started as a Tennis G.O. his first weeks in Club Med, he quickly went from Tennis to Bar to Standard (phone operator) all in the span of his first season, but I will let him explain that progression! Since we both worked at Club Med Playa Blanca in 1996/1997 and had an amazing season, we reminisced a little over our time there. We shared “Uncle Larry” stories and I tell Vladimir how in awe I was the first time I saw a Mexican G.O. celebrate his birthday in the main restaurant. This memory has stayed with me the entire time, so you will just have to listen to his amazing episode to find out why and also if you don’t know who Uncle Larry (RIP) was. Vladimir is currently a General Manager for Royalton Luxury Resorts at the Royalton Rivera Cancun Resort & Spa. **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out his social media below:

https://www.instagram.com/vladimir.mayllen/

https://www.facebook.com/vladimir.mayllen

My guest today and I have never met, but we do have 46 mutual friends in the Club Med family. Her first season was in Club Med Turks and Caicos as a Scuba Instructor in April of 2014. From Quebec City, please help me welcome Jennifer “Jen” Keays! Jen was born in Quebec City, but moved to Whistler, B.C. when she was seventeen years old. Before Club Med, Jen attended Capilano University (CAPU) in Vancouver and obtained a degree in Tourism and Outdoor Recreation. Jen was actually on an internship at Club Med Turks & Caicos as part of her degree requirement! Jen also worked as a Financial Accountant for one year for Norwegian Cruise Line, but in her spare time on board the ship, would also dress up as “Dora the Explorer” to entertain the kids as breakfast time! Jen worked for Club Med from 2014 to 2020 and worked in not one but TWO different villages in China: Club Med Dong’ao and Club Med Guilin. Jen also worked in Club Med Cancun and she helped open Club Med Charlevoix (the first Club Med 4-season resort in Canada) in December 2021. There, she had two jobs at that resort: Boutique and Club Med Artist in Circus. Jen was working in Club Med Punta Cana in March of 2020 when Covid hit and she tells us what that experience was like. One of Jen’s many funny stories, this one involving culture shock and chicken soup, happened in Club Med Dong’ao, but I’ll let her fill you in on that one! Jen worked many jobs in her time at Club Med: Landsports, Fitness, Sailing, Circus, Chief of Sailing, Chief of Circus, Water Activities Manager, Guest Relations/Creactive and Boutique. Please enjoy this interview with a very special person! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please checkout all her Social Media links below:

https://www.instagram.com/jenkeays.cpt/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/majestik.sports/

https://www.arbonne.com/ca/en/arb/JenniferKeays?fbclid=IwAR2M9JDeZrDRMhboKl-1Gv_cnjtsksuHxnZkmpngKReoOTpN67kS2u83DHw

My guest today and I met at an EXGO Reunion in Cancun in 2008 or 2010 (we’re both not sure), but his first season was in Club Med Turks and Caicos in 1989 as a Sailing and Windsurfing G.O. Fun Fact: he did not know how to do either of those things!! Everyone, please help me welcome, from Vancouver, Cheez! Before Club Med, Cheez (Glenn Jensen) was at the start of a three-month, ten-stop Pacific Rim tour with his brother Jenner and friend, Hammer. They stopped off at Club Med Moorea before the trip began and met Hansel Moss there, who was the Chief of Sports. The rest they say is history. Cheez might be the only G.O I know of who bought an acre of land while he was an au pair at Turks in ’89 and then sold said acre years later for a tidy profit. He had the chance to buy more acres in Turks and become very well off, but I will let Cheez tell that story! Hurricane Hugo hit Turks that year and he was evacuated to Sandpiper. Cheez then went to Playa Blanca in November of 1989 as a Sailing G.O., but wound up doing circus as well. He got married in February of 1992 in Paradise Island where Jenner was working and conceived his daughter Emily (her episode link is posted below) there on his honeymoon. He has many stories to tell so please enjoy this episode with Cheez! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

His daughter Emily's interview:

https://www.myfirstseason.com/e/my-first-season-emily/

And check him out on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/cheezjensen/

My guest and today and I worked together in Club Med Cancun in 2004/2005. His first season was also in Club Med Cancun, but in September of the 1999/2000 season as a Bar G.O. From beautiful Montreal, please help me welcome, Eric Laflamme! Before Club Med, Eric was attending Concordia University in Montreal for Jazz Interpretation (Eric plays the sax) and a friend suggested he would make a good bartender. Then another friend, who he was working with at a golf course, suggested he’d make a good fit at Club Med and to apply. That friend turned out to be a recruiter for Club Med, but she did not tell Eric that! Eric had his interview in Montreal and was sent to Cancun not long after that. He recounts his first season in great detail and the highlight for him that season of many highlights, was hosting Atlantis for the week. After our season together in 2005, Eric went back to work for Club Med in Punta Cana in 2019 to be the GM of the Indigo beach lounge, but also to unwind and recharge his batteries. Fun fact: his niece started working at Club Med the same year he went back! Eric also shares his tip when asked how to get the bartender’s attention and to get served first (assuming you cannot tip and looks are not a factor), when it’s very busy at the bar. Please enjoy this episode with Eric! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

And please check out his YouTube Channel & Instagram:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdxdAfD7v7K3WykbRrfQk0A

https://www.instagram.com/laflammeperso/

My guest today and I have never met, but I did interview her daughter Sydney Gaudreau for this podcast in February of 2022. Her first season was in October of 1989/1990 in Club Med Ixtapa as the G.O. Nurse. From California, please help me welcome to MFS, Lili Bronner Gaudreau! Before Club Med, Lili was a professional ballet dancer, but a knee injury from a wipeout in skiing caused her to change vocation. Lili went to school to become a nurse but would also accompany her mother (who was a travel agent) on Club Med “Fam Trips”. She is probably one of the only G.O.’s I know who could not leave on their assigned departure date to Club Med because a 6.9 magnitude earthquake shook San Francisco on October 18 1989 (during game 3 of the World Series and not game 2 as stated during this interview). The damage closed the runways of the airport and Lili arrived a week later in Ixtapa, where, she also met her future husband! Lili worked for Club Med for two years in the villages of Ixtapa, Cancun and Sandpiper. Today, Lili runs a Circus company called Trapeze Arts with her husband and they are based in San Francisco. **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts.

Please check her social media for Trapeze Arts below:

https://trapezearts.com/

https://www.instagram.com/trapeze_arts/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/trapezearts/

My guest today and I worked together in Club Med Cancun in October of the 2004/2005 Winter season, which just happened to be her first season as a Bar G.O. From Vancouver, please help me give a warm welcome to Nicole Morrow! Nicole had just completed a degree in Hospitality Management and was planning to move to the city to work at the Hotel Pan Pacific when a friend of hers introduced her to an EXGO. This EXGO then gave Nicole the name of another EXGO, who then set up her interview with Club Med. Not soon after that, she had the good fortune to be sent to Club Med Cancun under the guidance of the one and only, Hendel. Since it was Nicole’s first and only season, she has quite vivid memories of her special time there. She shares a hilarious story about an anteater showing up the to the bar one night and literally dancing on the bar to music (I swear this is true!). I ask her what her favourite bar was in downtown Cancun and it’s the same as mine (hint: it rhymes with Moco Gongo!). **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts.

Please check her out on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/nicmor/

And on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/nicole.morrow.7792

My guest today is a British-born, Spanish-based adventurer, writer and windsurfing instructor. In 2015 he achieved his childhood ambition to windsurf around Britain, becoming only the fourth person to complete the circumnavigation this way, and the first to complete it alone and without support. Everyone, please help me welcome to MFS, Jono Dunnett! Jono’s expedition started and ended at the town of Clacton-on Sea. The voyage included the following crossings: Devon to South Wales via Lundy Island; South Wales to Southern Ireland; and Northern Ireland to Scotland. During this time, Jono used his expedition website to raise funds for the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). Jono is the author of the book “Long Standing Ambition: The First Round Britain Windsurf”, which chronicles this incredible expedition. In this interview, we talk about where he got the idea to windsurf around Britain, what the preparation was like, the gear that he used and the close calls he experienced in this 98-day voyage. And if that were not incredible enough, in May of 2017, Jono set off on a solo expedition to windsurf the European mainland coastline. He windsurfed a continuous track from Norway’s Artic as far as Batumi, Georgia, in the Black Sea. He finished this incredible expedition on June 10 2017. In two years he had sailed about 16,000km, a distance that almost doubled the record for a windsurfing journey. Jono is in the midst of publishing a book on this European expedition, so the hope is that he will come back on the podcast and talk about that exciting expedition. **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts.

Please check out his links below and please give him a follow:

https://twitter.com/jonodunnett

https://www.instagram.com/jonodunnett/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChLPNwhDWYpJJF4d_2040ww

https://www.facebook.com/jonodunnett

https://onebubble.earth/

The link to his book:

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Standing-Ambition-Britain-windsurf-ebook/dp/B06XWVQV19/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1JXCV5NED6XXI&keywords=long+standing+ambition+jono+dunnett&qid=1648308714&sprefix=long+standing+ambition+jono+dunnett%2Caps%2C37&sr=8-1

My guest today and I have never met (though we do have 78 mutual friends) and his Club Med career ended when mine began (1994). His name was dropped on another episode of MFS (Jenner) and I did hear his name mentioned throughout my career. His first season was in October of 1987 in Club Med Cancun as a Sailing G.O. From England and now living in Virginia Beach, please help me give a warm welcome to Grant Simmons! Grant worked for Club Med from 1987 to 1994 and before Club Med, he taught sailing in England and Australia. Grant even had a summer job as a waiter in Ontario, Canada and applied to Club Med from there. Grant was interviewed in New York and left the following day for Cancun! Grant worked at so many diverse villages and we try to cover them all: Huatulco, Paradise Island, Martinique, Sestriere in Italy, Corfu Ipsos and Guadeloupe. Grant’s post-Club Med life is very interesting as well, as he is an online marketing strategist, motivational and keynote speaker, entrepreneur and much, much more. We touch on his area of expertise in SEO (search engine optimization) and I try to follow! Grant has so many stories that take place over seven years that you will just have to listen to the whole episode! **My First Season podcast has always been free to listen to and is available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review on Apple podcasts.

Please check out Grant’s social media links below:

https://www.instagram.com/grantisms/

https://twitter.com/simmonet

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simmonet/

https://www.grantsimmons.com/

http://www.grantisms.com/?fbclid=IwAR23e0UKZFwZ12qYOiVhQklfVWpwjekuaTsiAw3IG1GsM06SY8oBmCt8AzA