This week on The Open House, Ben and Richard sit down with Ashley Downs, the owner of Saturday Afternoons in Midland, for one of the most honest and inspiring conversations the podcast has had yet.

Ashley shares her journey from becoming a mom at 17, pulling a sled with her daughter to daycare at school, building confidence through adversity, breaking into the automotive industry with zero experience, and eventually becoming a partner in a Dodge Jeep Chrysler dealership.

The conversation dives into resilience, self worth, mentorship, small town life in the 90s, entrepreneurship, parenting, betting on yourself, and what happens when you refuse to let other people decide your future for you.

Also discussed:
• Midland in the 90s
• Why the Dodge Caravan deserves a comeback
• Building confidence before you feel ready
• Trading time for money
• Mentorship and leadership
• The realities of balancing business and family life

One of those episodes that starts funny and ends up hitting you right in the chest in the best way possible

From basement radio shows and charging family members for tickets to building global brands and redefining industries.

This week on The Open House, we sit down with entrepreneur and longtime friend Justin De Bernardi to talk about his journey from competitive dance, to scaling View into an international powerhouse, to building luxury jewelry brand el&elle with his partner Louis.

We dive into burnout, ambition, leadership, OKRs, live shopping, entrepreneurship with your partner, and what it really takes to build something meaningful from the ground up.

Plus:
• Ben accidentally admits this wasn’t his first podcast
• Richard discovers Justin’s mosquito sticker empire
• Madonna gets name-dropped casually
• And somehow we end up talking black moissanite bracelets and emotional maturity in business

Honestly, one of our favourite conversations yet.

Check out el&elle.

#TheOpenHousePodcast #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPodcast #Leadership #Jewelry #Moissanite #SmallBusiness #CanadianPodcast #RealEstatePodcast #LuxuryBrand #FounderStory

In this episode of The Open House, we sit down with Georgian Bay artist Alex McLaughlin and her story is anything but a straight line.

From growing up in Honey Harbour surrounded by nature… to working as a Toronto paramedic… to eventually taking a leap of faith into full-time art, Alex shares what it really looks like to follow a creative calling (even when it doesn’t make logical sense at first).

We get into:

• What it was like growing up in a small waterfront community—and how that shaped her work
• The reality of leaving a stable career to pursue something uncertain
• Why water has such a powerful emotional pull (and the science behind it)
• The behind-the-scenes of building a successful art business
• How creativity, mindset, and energy all play a role in her success

This one’s part mindset, part entrepreneurship, and part “maybe I should quit my job and follow my passion”… but responsibly.

If you’ve ever felt pulled toward something bigger or wondered what it actually takes to bet on yourself, this episode’s for you.