Hi, I'm Joel

I design systems, both technical and human. CTO at Agility CMS, building AI-native content infrastructure for 21+ years without a dollar of VC. Football coach, theatre performer, small town Ontario dad. Here's my story. Want me at your event? Let's talk.

Glinda and Elphaba in a Mirvish production of Wicked

World Theatre Day

3rd Spacestheatre

Today is World Theatre Day. For me, that means remembering the productions I've been part of, the incredible performances I've been lucky enough to witness, and the connections that make all of it matter.

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Joel throwing a football — the athlete mindset that shaped a lifetime of health decisions

Choosing to Drive

sportshealth

A former college athlete's honest reckoning with middle-aged health — from powering through injuries to finally sitting down with a cardiologist and asking the right questions.

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Screenshot from Nat Geo of Scotland
Scotland Hiking Expedition

The Anti-Bucket List

Travel

I'm going to Scotland. Not for work. Not with family. Just me and a pair of hiking boots. At 50, I'm rethinking what a bucket list even means.

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Joel out for his first outdoor run of 2026 on a cold winter day

First Run Outside for 2026

3rd Spacessports

The first outdoor run of 2026, an Apple Fitness+ Time to Run through the streets of Toronto, and a hint about what's coming next.

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Farm fields with silos in the background, reminiscent of the Varty family farm

Leading From the Rear

Workleadership

Growing up on a farm, I learned that your value is measured by how hard you work and how much you do yourself. It took more than two decades in tech leadership to understand why that instinct, left unchecked, was holding my whole team back.

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Lisa Heitzner as Donna, standing front and centre with the Mamma Mia ensemble - photo by Sherwood McLernon
Mamma Mia

When the Mic Goes Out and the Magic Steps In

3rd Spacestheatre

A microphone fails mid-show during Mamma Mia, and what happens next is the most purely theatre moment you can imagine - the whole room holding its breath together.

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Director Val Russell
Mamma Mia

I'd Run Through a Wall for Val

3rd Spacestheatre

What it's like to do a show with Val Russell directing Mamma Mia, and why her approach to connection, family, and theatre makes you want to give everything you've got.

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Joel in the lighting grid above the stage at Capitol Theatre during the Mamma Mia hang
Mamma Mia

Up in the Grid

3rd Spacestheatre

I was invited to help with the lighting hang for Mamma Mia at the Capitol Theatre. What I found up in the catwalks was more than just heavy instruments and steep angles.

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TASS teams with Joel Varty

What Does Your Team Need from You?

3rd Spacessportstheatreleadership

Leadership isn't about what you can get from your team. It's about asking a different question entirely, one I learned from high school coaches and a theatre director who changed how I see the whole thing.

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3-month training load chart showing upward trend with dips that become bouncing off points

Bouncing Off Points

3rd Spacessports

When you zoom out on your training load, the dips that felt like setbacks start looking like launch pads. Showing up is the whole game.

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