My First Season

Today’s guest was name-dropped in an earlier episode. Name-dropped? By whom? Well, her husband Marty of course! He came on the show and told us how they met so we will now get her version of the events! She was interviewed for Club Med by Kenton Smith and her first season was at the opening of Club Med Sandpiper in 1986 as a Baby Club G.O. She also worked at Punta Cana and Ixtapa and was a Mini Club and Aerobics G.O. and this is my favorite part, despite never having worked with kids or taught Aerobics!! While working in the Baby Club, she was a “Puree Food G.O.” and she is here to tell us all what the heck that was! Please help me welcome, from California, Katherine Kotler Glassman! Before Club Med, Katherine attended California State University, Northridge, and was living and working in Switzerland (that’s another story!). Her mother suggested she apply to Club Med, and she did. Katherine takes us through what it was like opening the resort of Sandpiper in 1986 (including a hurricane)! Although Katherine met her future husband Marty in Club Med Punta Cana and unlike most G.O. couples who were “in couple” in the village, they were not an item until they left Club Med many years later. We talk about all of Katherine’s seasons, and we also talk about life after Club Med. Katherine attended culinary school and opened her bake shop called “Sticky Fingers” which she owned and operated for twelve years in Ventura, California. If you were a mid to late 80s G.O., then this episode is for you. Please enjoy! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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. 

My guest today worked for Club Med from 1979 to 2001 (22 years!), but he still went back for the odd season to help until 2012. Before Club Med, he was in the Mexican Navy and was a Combat Diver when he left. He is also a Chef and studied Kitchen Theory and Practice in Spain. In Club Med, he did everything from Traffic, Archery, and Waterskiing to a million other things. We will not condense a career like his to just one hour, so hopefully he will come back for part two in the near future. I had the pleasure of working with him in Club Med Columbus Isle in 1996 where he taught me how to do the “Brouette” in the waterski show! His first season was in Club Med Playa Blanca in 1979 as an Assistant Traffic G.O. Who else could I be talking about other than the one and only, Jose Francisco Elizalde Teyssier, but you probably know him better by one name, please help me welcome to My First Season, Pancho!! Pancho might be one of the only EXGOs on the podcast who was at the openings of three Club Med villages: Ixtapa, Punta Cana, and Sonora Bay. Pancho also worked in the resorts of Djerba La Douce, Skanes, St. Mortiz, and Magic Isle in Haiti, to name a few. He worked for Chiefs of Village such as Philippe Labat, Ben Ducobu, Gerard Barough, Patrick Cormery, Jerome Clavier, Jean Viviani, and Michel Proriol. Because he worked for Club Med for 22 years, and if you worked for Club Med and are listening to this, chances are you were fortunate enough to work with Pancho and got to experience his laugh, infectious energy, and smile. Please enjoy! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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. 

My guest today studied theatre then Communications at California State University, Northridge. He had his interview for Club Med in Los Angeles at Universal Studios and was interviewed by none other than Kenton Smith. His first season was in Club Med Punta Cana in 1987/1988 as DJ. He met his future wife there and has been married for over 30 years now. There is much more to this story on how he met his wife that we will dive into, so buckle up Seasoners! He is also the owner of the “Silent DJ” Southern California’s only locally owned, operated, and interactive silent disco company. What the heck is that?! Well, keep listening Seasoners, and we will tell you! From the Golden State, please help me welcome, Marty Glassman! Marty takes us on a joy ride from his university days to his interview with Club Med and then landing in the Dominican Republic to getting pranked immediately upon his arrival in Punta Cana and buying the wrong size speedo (wrong size?)! Marty goes into detail about how he met his future wife Katherine, and the amazing thing in common they both shared. I ask Marty to go into detail about his company, “Silent DJ” so please check out the link that accompanies this episode. Marty is a very positive, happy, and upbeat guy so I hope you enjoy this episode! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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 the link to "Silent DJ" below:

The Silent DJ: SoCal's ORIGINAL Silent Disco Company!

Happy New Year, Seasoners! Get ready for an exciting 2024 as we bring you more incredible content! Today’s guest has been on our radar for over a year and despite a missed message, we’re thrilled to finally connect with her! From 2015 to 2022, she played various roles at Club Med, starting as a Reception G.O. in Club Med Cancun and eventually becoming a Resort Manager from March 2019 to September 2021. Later, she took on the role of Public Relations & Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for North America and the Caribbean. Who is this mystery guest? Well, it’s the one and truly only, Sophia Lykke! Fun fact: Sophia’s mother was a Traffic and Planning G.O. in the 80s! Sophia graduated magna cum laude from UCLA with a degree in International Development Studies with a minor in Global Studies. Before her stint as a Resort Manager, she served as a Supervisor and Resident Manager for the Exclusive Collection in the French Alps at Club Med Valmorel and Val-d’isere. Sophia shares her captivating journey, including insights into the rigorous CDV selection process. She recounts the unforgettable night she was named Chef de Village in Club Med Punta Cana in March 2019, coinciding with International Women’s Day, where her mother was secretly flown in for the announcement! Taking the reins as General Manager at Club Med Ixtapa in 2019, Sophia navigated unprecedented challenges in June 2020 when she was tasked with reopening Sandpiper, the first Club Med resort outside of China post the COVID-19 outbreak. She and her G.O. team successfully implemented the “Club Med Safe Together” protocols, earning the distinction of passing the first POSI (Prevention of Infectious Disease) audit in the world. Throughout the episode, Sophia shares insights into her mentors, and collaborations, and reflects on what she misses most about her Club Med experience. Join us for this super-sized episode with an exceptional and talented individual. Enjoy! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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. 

My guest today is from Ontario, Canada and her first season was in Club Med Turks & Caicos during the 1996/1997 season as a Boutique G.O. Before working for Club Med, she was a G.M and went to Club Med Playa Blanca in 1989 and then went to Turks each year from 1989 until she was hired in 1996. So, you could say she knew that village very well! She worked for CM from 1996 to 2000 in such villages as Punta Cana, Sonora Bay, Eleuthera, Cancun, and Coral Beach in Israel. She worked her way up to Chief of Boutique eventually and worked for CDVs such as Kevin Batt, Hammer, and Pierre Letellier Gagnon, to name a few. Please help me welcome, just 15 minutes from Niagara Falls, Jeanette Arbour!! Fun Fact: Jeanette might be the only EXGO I know of to have had their first season in Club Med Turks & Caicos and her last season in Club Med Coral Beach…the same as yours truly! Jeanette first heard about Club Med from a high school friend of hers who showed her the brochure. During her last vacation as a G.M. in Turks, she approached the CDV Kevin Batt and asked for a job and Jeanette was placed in the Boutique. Jeanette shares a Christmas story from her season in Eleuthera where a plane was chartered to Nassau so they could buy 150 gifts for the kids of the village during Christmas week. Another Christmas memory comes from Jeanette’s season in Cancun in 1999/2000, where Hammer somehow found pine trees in Cancun at Christmastime! Another story Jeanette shares is from her season in Punta Cana in 1998 where the village was bought out by hairdressers. She spent the entire week being an “updo model” because she had the longest hair in the village and did not even get her hair cut that week! We share fond memories of our time spent in Israel and the name “Mark Vanderhoef” came up a lot during this interview! Please enjoy this interview with Jeanette! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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. 

I had the pleasure of working with my guest today twice at Columbus Isle in 1998 and 2000. She was a G.M. three times before she was a G.O. and her first season was in Club Med Turks & Caicos in 1997 as a Scuba Instructor. She became a Scuba Instructor to conquer her fear of the ocean and sharks after seeing the movie “Jaws”. She saw her first shark during her first season and conquered that fear! She flew from Canada on her own dime to her interview in Los Angeles, which Kevin Batt was hosting. She worked for Club Med from 1997 to 2001 and since 2007, she has worked for Parks Canada in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Please help me welcome, from British Columbia, Crystal Bolduc!! Crystal worked three times in Turks and Caicos and twice in Columbus Isle and is kind enough to share her stories with us. Stories like the “washing machine” in Turks, how a frog got into her scuba tank one day, a frisky JoJo story, scuba pranks, and getting her 1000^th dive in Club Med. Club Med Columbus Isle was Crystal's favorite village and we both enjoyed working with Jean-Paul Morales who was the Scuba Chief there. Crystal also lets us know what it’s like seeing a school of Hammerhead sharks swim by you. We end the interview with the things Crystal misses the most about having worked for Club Med and if she would have done anything differently. Please enjoy this interview with a very charming Canadian! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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. 

My guest today worked for Club Med from 2011 to 2018. Her first season was in Club Med Cancun as a Salsa Instructor, but then later switched to becoming a Circus G.O. during that same season. So that means she can dance AND Fly! She is From Mexico and studied TV Production at university. She has been living in New South Wales in Australia for the last 4 years and you know how much I love Australia, so we’ll talk a bit about that too! Please help me welcome, the amazing, Marifer Calderon! Marifer worked in the Club Med Resorts of Ixtapa, Turks and Caicos, Phuket, Ria Bintan, and Cherating. A former colleague of hers in television production went to work for Club Med and suggested she give it a try. Some highlights of Marifer’s interview are experiencing a wardrobe malfunction during the Music Factory show in Cancun, haggling with Tuk-Tuk drivers in Thailand, planning an event at the French embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and squaring off against monkeys during a fruit passage in Cherating! Marifer takes us on her Club Med journey in 2011 starting as a salsa instructor to being a Chief of Animation/Potential CDV during her last season in 2017. We also talk about what it’s like moving from Mexico to Australia and the culture shock that comes with that. We end the interview by talking about who she liked working with, her three favorite Crazy Signs, and the things she misses the most about Club Med. Please enjoy this interview with a very charming person! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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. 

This episode is dedicated to my ENGL 255 course in English Literature for Fall 2023 at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, entitled “Video Games and/as Literature”, under the guidance of Dr. Kelsey Blair. The culmination of this creative final project involves three distinct interviews that delve into the ongoing debate between ludology and narratology and the exploration of the theme of identity in video games. Our diverse panel of guests includes Sarah Loubiri, a full-time employee and part-time Art History student at Concordia University, who has been an avid gamer since 1990. Also joining us is “Krasnog”, a native of Seattle, Washington, and a Twitch streamer with a gaming journey dating back to 1999. Notably, Krasnog is also a Marine veteran, adding a unique perspective to our discussion about identity. Rounding out our trio is Dr. Pippin Barr, a distinguished figure in video games. He serves as an educator, critic, and associate professor, and is currently the Chair of the Department of Design and Computation Arts at Concordia University. Dr. Barr’s extensive contributions to the world of video games include the creation of over 80 games since 2011. His collaborative podcast with David Wolinksi, titled Game Thing, explores video games through an audiobook club format. Additionally, his recent book with the MIT Press, The Stuff Games Are Made Of, offers a comprehensive breakdown of game design, exploring aspects such as computation, graphics, cinema, time, and more. Tune in as we engage in insightful conversations with these remarkable guests! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora and Listen Notes. 

Please visit Dr. Pippin Barr's website at:

https://pippinbarr.com/

Please check out Krasnog's Twitch stream and give him a follow!:

https://www.twitch.tv/krasnog

I had the pleasure of working with my guest today during the 2004/2005 dream-team season with Hendel Duplessy in Club Med Cancun and he is the 11^th guest from that season to be on the podcast. His first season was in Club Med Cancun in 2003 as a Snorkeling, Sailing, and Windsurfing G.O. He is from Virginia but has been living in beautiful Australia since 2006. Before Club Med, he went to the University of Colorado and studied Linguistics & French. He speaks twelve languages and also attended the University of Melbourne for Primary Education and is now a teacher. Please help me give a very warm welcome to Joseph Ramsey!! Joseph visited Club Med Eleuthera at the age of nine, and later, at thirteen, he became a teen club member during his vacation at Club Med Cancun. Joseph grew up sailing at Smith Mountain Lake, in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. He worked for Club Med from 2003 to 2005 in Cancun, Ixtapa and Sandpiper. We of course reminisce about our time working together in Club Med Cancun during the 2004/2005 season and all the fun we had at the beach. I ask Joseph what it’s like being a teacher and teaching 5-13-year-olds and also if he fully understands the Aussie language now (after seventeen years there, he is still discovering new words!). Please enjoy this interview with a very entertaining young man! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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. 

My guest today worked for CM from 1994 to 2006. Her first season was in Club Med Sandpiper as an Excursion G.O. She held other positions such as Reception, Ski Instructor, IGO Trainer, and Recruitment and Affectations. My trilingual guest grew up in Florence, Italy, and has a bachelor’s degree in Italian Renaissance Art History from Harvard University. She now lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and she is here to regale us with her many CM stories. Who is this Renaissance woman? Well, it is the one and only, Shehime Arshad! Shehime worked in the Club Med villages of Sandpiper, Copper Mountain (5x), Paradise Island, and Crested Butte (4x). I hope you like funny stories because Shehime has them! Some of the stories are duct-taping Eric Goldberg to the entrance of restaurant (with a ferret no less!) in Copper, being stranded her first season on the road with eleven French lawyers, epic prank wars with the Four Horsemen of Paradise Island in 2002, to quite possibly being the only woman ever to turn down five-time Olympic medalist Alberto “Tomba la Bomba” Tomba when she was at Copper Mountain in 1996. Trust me, you need to listen to this interview! Shehime worked with CDVs Howard McCarley, Jean-Pierre Grand, Aureo Stern, Angie Boucher, and Ryan Leach, to name a few. Shehime also talks a little about her move to the offices in Miami when she was in Recruitment and Affectations in 2005. If you were an early 90s G.O., you will love this episode with Shehime! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available to download on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Podchaser, 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.