My First Season

Kimberly Eberwine

I had the supreme pleasure of working with my guest today in Club Med Columbus Isle during the 1997/1998 season. Her first season was in Club Med Sonora Bay in 1997 as a Fitness and Landsports G.O. From Columbus, Ohio and now living in Toronto, Canada, please help me welcome the amazing Kimberly Eberwine!!! Before Club Med and between the junior and senior year of her Creative Writing degree, Kimberly went to Sonora Bay as a G.M. and fell in love with Club Med and the culture. Ever the maverick, she did not apply via the usual route to Club Med and instead faxed the village of Sonora Bay asking if they were hiring. They were, and that’s how she got to work there! Kimberly shares so many stories from her seasons and some of my favorite stories are from her time in Sonora. Like the time when she first encountered the concept of “French Math” and two unfortunate diving mishaps she had with a first-stage regulator rupture and the second one involved bumping into a Portuguese man o’ war on her ascent after a safety stop, whilst wearing her “cute” bathing suit instead of the practical one (she explained me the difference!). Kimberly also performed that time-honored, first-season G.O. rite of passage of being on the “Black List”, but this was due to Gatorade and not partying. Gatorade? Yup, you must listen to find out why! When we get to her season in Columbus Isle, we share stories of our love of all things Jean-Paul Morales. After Club Med, Kimberly got certified as a scuba instructor on Grand Cayman (and reveals her favorite pastime while there) and then she got her law degree from Case Western Reserve University, where she was second in her class of over two hundred and graduated summa cum laude. We get into the three things she misses the most about Club Med and how Club Med helped her in her law career. **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available 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.

Kate Coltman

In the two-plus years of this podcast, I have never had a guest with such a unique perspective on Club Med, more than my special guest today. She lived for a time in Club Med all over the world, but she was not a G.M. and technically, did not work in the villages either. Confused? From age 0 to 16, she changed countries every 6-12 months and started the flying trapeze at age four and she and her brother had 200 big sisters and brothers everywhere they went. She is the daughter of a very famous Chief of Village (whose episode aired in May of 2023), and she was born in Zinal, Switzerland, and has UK and US citizenship. In 2010 she was hired by Cirque du Soleil for the show, La Nouba, as part of the Aerial Tissue Team, and she stayed with the show until 2017 (based in Orlando, Florida) when it closed its run, doing ten shows a week. Who is this mystery person? If you had the pleasure of being in a village with her and her dad, then you already know. For those that do not know, please help me welcome and get to know, the amazing, Kate Coltman!! In this episode, we cover Kate’s earliest memories and what it was like growing up in Club Med until she was sixteen years old. And we do cover quite a lot of Kate’s time spent at La Nouba because she is the first guest on MFS to have worked at Cirque du Soleil. Kate tells us what the application process was like, visiting Montreal for five days to sign her contract and get fitted for her costume (and running into an EXGO she knew from Circus), to performing in the shows and her memory of her first-ever show for La Nouba. If you were a Circus G.O. or are a big fan of Cirque du Soleil shows, then you will love this interview with Kate. I really hope you enjoy this episode with a very amazing person!! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available 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 below to Kate's Pilates studio in Orlando:

Oak Tree Pilates

 

 

 

Julie Ford

I never had the pleasure of working with my guest today, but she worked for Club Med from 1988 to 2000. Her first season was in Club Med Eleuthera in 1988 as a Mini Club G.O. Everyone, please help me welcome one amazing Aussie, Julie Ford!! When she was a young twenty-something first-grade teacher, Julie went to Club Med Moorea by herself as a G.M. at the suggestion of her mother. Even after that vacation Julie still was not sure she would apply one day to become a G.O., but she eventually did and had her interview in the Club Med New York offices with John Shelly. Julie worked in such villages as St. Lucia (89), Ixtapa (91), Noumea (92), Lindeman Island (93), Cherating (94), and Copper Mountain (95). She worked with Chiefs of Village such as Pierre Ruffaldi, Andrea Livingston, Patrice Prual, Carlos Castro, and Jean-Pierre Franquin. Julie was at the opening of Club Med Lindeman Island with Carlos Castro in 1993. I ask Julie to go into detail about the opening and she was kind enough to oblige me. Julie shares a story about a “borrowed” VCR and a future Chief of Village that you really must hear! She remembers watching the live telecast of the Olympics announcement on September 24, 1993, in the theatre of Lindeman and the place going nuts when Australia won the bid. Julie told herself then that when the Olympics came in 2000, she would be a part of it somehow. Did she? You will have to listen to find out!! We cover a lot in this episode so get comfortable! At the end of the interview, Julie tells us what she is doing now, the things she misses most about Club Med, and if she would do anything differently. Please enjoy this episode with Julia Ford!!  **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podchaser, 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.

Nastasja Glume

J'ai eu le plaisir de travailler avec mon invitée d'aujourd'hui pendant une saison extraordinaire au Club Med Lindeman Island en Australie pendant la saison 2000/2001. Avant le Club Med, elle est allée en tant que G.M. avec sa famille dans les Club Med de Santa Theresa, Djerba La Douce, Da Balaia et Marrakech. Sa première saison a été au Club Med de Kos en 1999 en tant que G.O. du Petit Club. Elle a ensuite travaillé à Valmenier-Valloire (1999-2000) avec l'incroyable CDV, Gibus, et elle a également travaillé à Palmiye (2000). Aidez-moi à souhaiter la bienvenue à Nastasja Glume, de Bruxelles! Nastasja nous raconte comment elle allait au Club Med avec sa famille lorsqu'elle était plus jeune et nous fait part de nombreuses anecdotes sur son séjour au Club Med. Nous parlons de notre séjour sur l'île Lindeman avec Gibus, et de tout le plaisir que nous avons eu avec lui. À la fin de l'interview, nous parlons de ce que fait Nastaja aujourd'hui. Profitez de cet épisode avec Nastasja! **Le podcast My First Season a toujours été sans publicité et son écoute est gratuite. Il est disponible sur: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Samsung Podcasts, Podbean App, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, Pandora, Podchaser et Listen Notes. Et si vous aimez ce que vous entendez, veuillez laisser un commentaire sur Apple Podcasts.

N'hésitez pas à consulter son Instagram où vous pourrez voir ses magnifiques dessins:

Nastasja Glume (@nastasjaglume.le_contour) | Instagram

 

 

 

Jamie Neilson

My guest today worked for Club Med from July 1993 to 2001 as Mini Club, Chief of Mini Club and Circus. His first season was in Club Med Ixtapa in 1993 as a Mini Club G.O. From Ontario, Canada, please help me welcome, Jamie Neilson!! Before Club Med, Jamie visited Club Med five times starting in 1986. He actually told his guidance counselor in high school that he wanted to be a G.O.! As a G.M., he went to Bermuda, Paradise Island, and St. Lucia. Jamie worked in villages such as Eleuthera, Roi Soleil in Saint Moritz, Guadeloupe, Huatulco, Arziv, and Punta Cana. Jamie took the train to Montreal for his interview in March of 1993 and not many prospective G.O.s can hand a reference letter from Ryan Leach and give it to the person interviewing him, in this case, Kevin Batt! Jamie met Ryan as a G.M. in St. Lucia, but I’ll let him tell that story. Jamie worked for Chief of Villages such as Toutoune, Teach, Hammer, and Alain Pistolesi, to name but a few. Jamie learned a lot from the late, great Darwin Hamilton and he remembers him fondly here. Jamie also reveals which CDV taught him everything he knows about leadership, management, and being a G.O. and who he considers to be a big brother. Jamie shares a pretty funny story from Eleuthera involving Darwin, Fergy, and a golf cart that you absolutely have to hear! When he was in Arziv in 1998, he created the Spice Girls' “Who Do You Think You Are” Crazy Sign and was pleasantly surprised to see that his Crazy Sign was being performed in Punta Cana in 2001! Jamie was also one of the first Field Recruiters hired by Club Med in 2000 and he talks about that as well. Please enjoy this episode with Jamie! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and 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.

Mike Coltman

My guest’s name is frequently brought up on this podcast when I ask them which CDV they enjoyed working with, so I am very happy he agreed to share the first part of his story with us. Why just the first part? Well, he worked for Club Med from 1967 to 1999 and spent twenty of those years as a Legendary Chief of Village! His first season was in 1967 in Club Med Caprera in Sardinia, Italy as a Scuba G.O. Everyone, please help me welcome the amazing, Mike Coltman!! I hope you are sitting comfortably because Mike came with some stories!! It’s impossible to take a distinguished career like Mike’s and condense it to one hour, so Mike will be back at a later date to talk about his Chief of Village years. Before Club Med, a leg injury curtailed his burgeoning football career, so he went into the Merchant Navy as an Engineer Officer. But a chance viewing of “Thunderball” in 1965 starring Sean Connery as James Bond and being entranced by the underwater scenes, led Mike to scuba diving. Twelve months later from that viewing, Mike was a certified Scuba Instructor. What’s included in this interview? Well, if you worked in Martinique as I did, you probably wondered where those cannons came from. Wonder no more, because Mike helped in raising those cannons to the surface from the Diamond Rock dive site!! He tells the amazing tale of how they found the cannons and the incredible amount of work it took to raise them. Mike also opened the village of Club Med Fort Royal in Guadeloupe in 1969/1970 and lets us know in vivid detail what that was like. So many stories in one hour, too numerous to mention here! Mike also worked with a lot of the legendary Chief of Villages back in the day, so if you are a Club Med historian, you will love this episode! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and 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.

Robin Brogdon (Kopilnick)

I never had the pleasure of working with my guest today, but we do have 16 mutual friends in our Club Med family. Before Club Med, she studied Communications & Marketing at Eastern Michigan University and is a diehard Michigan Wolverines fan-Go Blue! Her first season was in May of 1988 in Club Med Paradise Island as a Hostess. She worked for CM from 1988 to 1990 in St. Lucia, Huatulco, and Punta Cana and she was also a Sailing G.O. Please help me welcome from Baltimore Maryland and now living in Huntingdon Beach, California, Robin Brogdon (Kopilnick)! During her first season, the American game show “Hollywood Squares” actually came to Paradise Island to film some episodes, and yes, we will talk about that experience. Robin first went to Club Med Guadeloupe as a G.M. in 1985 and then to Sonora Bay in 1986. Robin explains how after university she was a young working professional who had a good job and a house and a car at a very young age, but something was missing. She decided to change her life around and apply to Club Med, even though people around her thought she was a little crazy for giving all that up. Robin had her interview in Washington, D.C. with a group of people, and a few weeks later she got a letter in the mail telling her she was accepted. While waiting for her village, she decided to go to Club Med Paradise Island as a G.M. While Robin was there, she told the CDV, Bob Fagan, that she was going to be working for Club Med and Bob told her to go back home, get her affairs in order and then come back to Paradise Island, which is what she did. And the rest is history. So, if you were a late 80s or early 90s G.O., you will love this episode! Please enjoy! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and 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.

Howard McCarley

I heard about my guest during my first season in Turks and I did not meet him until 28 years later! So, as you can imagine, I am very excited to have him on the podcast! His first season was in Club Med Eleuthera in 1983 as a Sailing G.O. He worked for Club Med from 1983 to 2020 and held positions such as Sailing & Windsurfing, Public Relations, Chief of Sports, Chief of Village to Director of Training and Corporate HR in Miami and Director of UDT. Still don’t know who I am talking about? You have either all worked with him, or you know his name, as it is synonymous with Club Med. Of course, I can only be talking about the one and only, legendary, Howard McCarley!! Up until Chief of Sports, Howard worked in villages such as Ixtapa, Playa Blanca, Sonora Bay, Fort Royal, Île Maurice, Eilat, Luxor & Hurgada and Copper Mountain. Howard first heard about Club Med from a couple that he was giving windsurfing lessons to in California. It turned out that this couple frequented Club Med and told him all about it. Howard applied and drove down to the Scottsdale office to be interviewed by none other than CDV Sylvio de Bortoli, who was going on a recruitment drive. Howard helped open the beautiful village of Sonora Bay in 1984, with CDV Michel Proriol and we fondly reminisce over windsurfing on the Red Sea in Eilat. Howard shares with us which Chief of Village he modeled himself after and who became his mentor and ends the interview talking about his Chief of Sports stage in France. Please enjoy this first part of the interview. Hopefully, Howard will return in the near future for the second part! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available 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.

Darren Wasson

I had the pleasure of working with my guest today in Club Med Turks and Caicos during the summer of 1994. When I posted Anthony Salerno’s interview about the amazing “70s Celebration” in Turks that summer, he left a nice comment and his recollection of that incredible week. I reached out to him and he graciously agreed to come on the podcast. His first season was in Club Med Sandpiper in 1991 as DJ. Please help me welcome to My First Season, Darren Wasson! Darren was actually in a pool bar in Pasadena when he encountered someone who had worked at Club Med and told him all about it. Darren applied and had his interview in San Francisco and was sent to Sandpiper. He worked in villages such as Playa Blanca, Cancun, Martinique, and Paradise Island. Darren was a Snorkeling/Picnic G.O. for his second and third seasons and he shares some stories from that time. He has a very funny “picnic/porta-potty” story in Sandpiper that you will not want to miss! Darren also shares his recollections of the “70s Celebration” in Turks in September of 1994. He played Scrabble with rule-breaker Ron Palillo and handed over a packed dance floor to guest DJ, Felipe Rose, from the Village People, who probably should have stuck to singing and dancing! Darren recounts a classic Paradise Island ghost story and is patient when I grill him about the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" show in Playa Blanca in 1991. Snow White in Playa in '91?! Okay! Near the end of the interview we talk about his YouTube channel on personal audio called “HeadKarma” and what’s it like living with a 140-pound Presa Canario mastiff. With a dog that size, can he have nice things? Darren lets us know! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and free to listen to and is available 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 visit his YouTube channel and hit that subscribe button!

https://www.youtube.com/@headkarma

 

 

Emmanuel Azuelos

My guest and I worked an amazing season together in Club Med Playa Blanca in 1996/1997, so I am delighted whenever someone from that season comes on, such as previous MFS guests like Dana Winess, Vladimir Mayllen, and Luke “Gus” Neale, for example. His first season was in Club Med Huatulco in January of 1996 as Polyvalent Sports with Myriam Karaohanessian as CDV. He later became an Archery G.O., Animator, and Chief of Animation and then returned to Club Med in 2013 as Polyvalent Animation. From Montreal, Quebec but now living in the Sunshine State, please help me welcome a very funny man, Emmanuel Azuelos!! Emmanuel learned about Club Med from his parents who would frequently go there on vacation. The kids did not get to go with them however, and went instead to, I-kid-you-not, Winter Camp in Montreal (been here my whole life and never heard of that!)! Emmanuel’s parents met Myriam in Huatulco as G.M.’s in 1996 and they said their son would be perfect for Club Med. She told them to get him down to Huatulco and the rest is history. Emmanuel’s second season in Punta Cana coincided with Kevin Batt’s first season as a CDV! Emmanuel worked in villages such as Punta Cana (3x!), Ixtapa, Playa Blanca (2x), and Columbus Isle. He thought Playa Blanca in 1998/1999 would be his last season only to find himself working for Club Med again after almost 14 years. Emmanuel and I talk about our incredible season in Playa Blanca and he is kind to share a lot of funny stories with us! We also talk about what he did in those intervening 14 years and what he is up to now. Please enjoy this hour with, Emmanuel! **My First Season podcast has always been ad-free and 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, Podchaser and Listen Notes. And if you like what you hear, please leave a review at Apple podcasts.

Please check out his social media:

Boutique Emmanuel Menswear (@emmanuelmenswear) • Instagram photos and videos

EMTVLive | Facebook