Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod are a big part of many people’s childhood memories in Canada– who doesn’t remember the BodyBreak theme song or those ParticipAction spots between Saturday morning cartoons?
So it was a pretty big fangirl moment to actually meet these icons in person. Part of the Generator team flew to Calgary to help our friends at Scleroderma Canada with live social media coverage at their national conference, where Hal and Joanne were leading a walk into downtown Calgary, and an inspirational talk at Eau Claire Market Square.

We captured the event on Facebook Live, and you can watch the whole event here including the talk, which is near the end if you want to skip ahead: Click here to watch the video.

Afterwards, talking with Hal and Joanne, I learned that they were not only fitness celebrities with a positive message of staying healthy and having fun doing it, they are actually entrepreneurs. Every BodyBreak video spot was created by their own production team including Hal as writer & director, and Joanne editing. Together they pitched and sold the spots to channels across Canada. Spin-off ideas and different revenue streams were created as part of their company, and over the past three decades, Canadians have always welcomed the encouraging pair’s message into their homes and schools.
I waved goodbye to Hal and Joanne, inspired not only by how incredibly fit and young they look (both are in their sixties now), but by their sincere friendliness and willingness to share openly about their success in both fitness and business. They are living proof that focusing on the positive equals happiness and success.

-Suzanne, The Generator
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