The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 68: Lead with grit and self-awareness Hi friend, I'm conducting a new series of video interviews with Toronto-based high-impact public, nonprofit, and private sector leaders. The latest episode of The Rășcanu Show features a conversation with Alexander Morsink, the Co-Founder and CEO of Equivesto. Alexander is a key figure in the Canadian startup ecosystem and serves on the Registrant Advisory Committee of the Ontario Securities Commission. You can watch the...
9 days ago • 1 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 67: Legacy is the ground we pave for the future Hi friend, In preparation for the #ExperienceTO: Cabbagetown Historical Tour that will take place on Saturday, April 18, I was recently researching the life of Lieutenant Francis Gwillim Simcoe, the first private owner of land in the Cabbagetown neighbourhood. Francis Simcoe’s story is a fascinating look at the very early days of York (now Toronto). Born in 1791 at Wolford Lodge in Devon, England, Francis was...
14 days ago • 2 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 66: What we choose to preserve vs. replace defines the character of our community. Hi friend, If you stand at the corner of Toronto's Gerrard St. E. & Broadview Ave. today, you see a modern glass facility overlooking the Don Valley. But this specific plot of land has been through many iterations since the mid-19th century, each one reflecting a different, and sometimes conflicting, priority for our city. The history of this site offers a sobering life lesson:...
24 days ago • 2 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 65: Why smile when it rains? It's raining outside. Across the street, the owners of the coffee shop, the grocery store, and the fashion boutique are discouraged. To them, rain usually means lower traffic, which leads to the mounting pressure of meeting payroll, covering rent, and managing the cost of goods... all while trying to provide for their own families. The bakery owner, however, loves the rain. It brings back joyful memories from his youth: jumping in...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 64. Consistency Beats Intensity: How to Move Your Mountain Hi friend, We all have one. That single, looming challenge that feels less like a hurdle and more like a brick wall. Maybe for you, it’s a mountain of financial debt that keeps you up at night. Maybe you’ve been job hunting for six months, and the silence from recruiters is starting to feel personal. Perhaps it’s a health crisis, or the emotional weight of supporting a loved one through their own dark...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 63: Build Ladders for Others Hi friend, We often measure success by what we accumulate: our titles, our networks, or our financial milestones. But the true measure of a life well-lived is often found in the "ladders" we leave behind for others to climb long after we are gone. This week, I’ve been reflecting on the legacy of Andrew Carnegie. His journey from a "bobbin boy" in a cotton factory earning $1.20 a week to becoming the richest man in the world is a...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 62: Serve the pubic good, even when it costs you. Hi friend, Have you ever done the right thing and suffered losses because of it? William Peyton Hubbard did. And he kept going anyway. Hubbard was born in 1842 in a small cabin near what is now Bloor and Bathurst, the outskirts of Toronto at the time. His parents, Mosely and Lavenia, had escaped enslavement in Virginia and made their way to Canada via the Underground Railroad just two years earlier. From those...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 61: Your Bucket List belongs on the calendar. Hi friend, There is a lot to be thankful for right now. It’s easy to feel weighed down by the headlines: the economy, politics, and the complexities of our physical and digital security. But the truth remains: we are here. We have the opportunity to make a positive impact in the time we have. Whether it’s loving our families, building a business that solves real problems, or acting as intrapreneurs for the common...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The Rășcanu Weekly Update Lesson 60: How to Lay Foundations That Endure Hi friend, While preparing for the upcoming Riverdale historical tour, I spent time reading a carefully researched paper by T.A. Reed titled “The Scaddings, A Pioneer Family in York” Reed begins with a sentence that feels remarkably contemporary: “In these modern days we are prone to forget those who went before, to whose vision, foresight and courage we owe the foundations which were so well and truly laid.” That...
2 months ago • 4 min read