One of the best things about my chosen career – first as a journalist, then a writer, and now adding other media disciplines – is getting to meet wonderful personalities and visit fun places.

Though a lot of the time I mostly share the personal experiences and podcast personalities on my blog and socials, a big part of my life since March 2017 has been Dockside Publishing.

As we put the finishing touches on our final summer publication of 2025, I thought it would be fun to share a bit about what I do.

Through there, I’ve made friends, seen some of the most spectacular properties and scenery in Muskoka (and Simcoe County) and learned a lot about a lot of different industries.

For those who don’t know, Dockside Publishing’s publications (Dockside Magazine, Listings, Lakeside) are delivered to docks, doorsteps, and pick-up boxes throughout central Ontario cottage country.

Over the years for Lakeside (which is split between advertorials and non-sponsored features) I’ve written about bears, turkeys, spiders, bats, environmental science, the watershed, and more. This year’s piece is about water sampling and I’ll share it around once it’s available online.

My Dockside title says staff writer, but my role is much bigger than that. It’s more of a client manager and planner. I help come up with their story themes, interview and write the stories, coordinate photography, manage editing for text and their page layouts, and provide a level of customer service.

Plus, I write/creatively edit news pieces for the Muskoka Lakes Association newsletter, put text together for Dockside’s social media pages, and even help with distribution now and again.

Some people often wonder where I find the time when adding in freelance gigs for the Huntsville Doppler, doing the podcast and maintaining The Chris O Show blog and socials, plus the soccer club vice president (Huntsville and Muskoka clubs), and getting my kids to where they need to be. I don’t know how, I just do it.

I often half-joke that one day a company is going offer me a dream job and say “just take everything you know how to do, and do it all only for us” and pay me well to do it.

But, I digress. Part of why I’m sharing all this is because there are days when I can’t help but take a moment and smile about where I’m standing or the scenery I’m looking at.

Though due to privacy issues I can’t publicly share every amazing property I’ve had a chance to visit, I can say that some of them are on another level. However, when your job allows you to spend time on all the Big Three Lakes, Lake of Bays, plus a handful of smaller ones, there is a lot of natural beauty to appreciate.

Even some of the smaller lakefront properties are little pieces of heaven as you see dragonflies, fish, birds, otters, trees, and the glistening water on a warm summer’s day.

That happened recently when meeting with clients in two different locations and it spurred on this piece. I snapped some pics – including a silly selfie – and just took in all the beauty around me.

https://videopress.com/v/IUYJYGV4?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fthechrisoshow.blog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F07%2Fmymovie16_mp4_avc_240p.original.jpg&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

I’m not sharing all this to make anyone jealous, it’s more to encourage everyone to take a few moments, breathe deep, and soak in your surroundings when outdoors. That’s a huge part of being in the moment, which helps with both mental and emotional health.

On that note, one of the other amazing parts of being in the media as a writer and podcast host, is soaking up all the expert information and advice from successful people.

Some of my favourite business people I have had the privilege of speaking with frequently and learning from include Bob Clarke of Clarke Muskoka Realty, Kevin Cardwell of Muskokify, John and Trevor from Muskoka Teak, Eric and Nicole from Water Depot, the family at Mike’s Landscaping, and many others. The list of awesome people I get to work with is quite long!

That being said, being able to pick up knowledge on so many subjects – some of it directly related to their fields, some of it about smart business practices – is a huge win in my opinion.

If you ever get an opportunity to learn as much as I have about business and specific fields, I recommend you take it. You’ll give your brain a good workout.

At the very least, pick-up a copy or two of Dockside Magazine and Lakeside too, as you’ll find some great advice and information from the previously mentioned business people and many more.

That’s it for me! Ciao for Now!