What do we really mean when we say “Nice to meet you”?
We all do it, often automatically, because it’s the courteous thing to say to someone when we meet them for the first time. But, really, we should be saying how grateful we are to meet them — yes, grateful, because whether we like it or not, every encounter we have with a stranger is a gift that will eventually have an impact on us … whether we like it or not.
Studies have proven that talking to strangers helps us feel that we belong in the world, and these micro-interactions can sometimes be more beneficial than speaking with a relative or someone we know: since strangers we encounter do not know us and do not know our past or our secrets, there is the possibility of less awkwardness and more truth.
Well, in that regard, we are more fortunate than many, since our job as publishers is to meet new people — and not just to have brief exchanges, but to share a few hours where we can be inspired and touched by their life stories.
Our interview with Patrick Bet-David was empowering, to say the least. Here is a man who experienced extraordinary hardships growing up and could have been content with just a “normal” middle-class life. Yet, as he told us, he had a fire in his belly that propelled him forward to work harder and longer hours than anyone else in his company to earn the achievements and the massive entrepreneurial success he is experiencing today along with a popular podcast, best-selling books and part-ownership of the New York Yankees.
In our interview Patrick quoted the old adage that if you want something done, you give the task to someone who is busy. He was right! Our initial ask for an interview had been a DM at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday, and with his over 5 million followers, we might have been crazy to think he’d reply at all. So imagine our surprise when we got his text giving us the coordinates of his executive assistant, at 9:00 a.m. that same morning — and perhaps that is one of the secrets of his success, getting things done today. Patrick’s dream as a boy collecting baseball cards manifested when he became an owner of one of that sport’s most successful franchises, and the spark he had as a child is now a full-blown bonfire. It will continue to burn, fuelled by his desire to challenge himself and others with new creative ideas and business opportunities. Story on Page 46.
Innocence and creativity — qualities that young children have but often lose as they become adults — is what Raine Maida, frontman of Our Lady Peace and humanitarian, strives to preserve. We first met Raine at the War Child Gala on December 8, 2025, at the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto, where he was honoured with the Founder’s Award, which recognized his over 20 years of activism and support for that humanitarian organization. Touched by his humility and genuine interest in making this world a better place, we had to be in touch for an interview with Dolce. Story on Page 36.
What began as a phone call to our office asking about a Dolce cover of Salah Bachir wearing a diamond crown turned into a meeting with someone we’d call a real-life empress of mining. In the male-dominated world of mining Nadine Miller is a bright star — and she buys and collects her own diamond tiaras! What struck us most during our conversation was her conviction that if you want the fairy tale to happen, you need to go out there and make it happen for yourself, and that if you want to get ahead, education will be your currency — that you might lose your house, your car, your wealth, but that no one can take away your education. Story on Page 58.
If you have the pleasure of attending one of Suzanne Roger Presents’ legendary fundraising events, you might feel like you have been transported into a storybook fairy tale. On such nights you’ll be rubbing elbows with the city’s and country’s elite, a testament to the popularity of her sold-out events. Suzanne is fully aware of what such an event can mean to the success of a charity or fundraising initiative. In a world where people usually only want to take, or use their connections to get ahead, we feel so grateful to be around people who are generous, kind and elegant both in their actions and in their character — people like Suzanne Rogers. Page 40.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Dolce Magazine — and hope you, too, remember how fortunate you are to meet strangers who can have a positive impact on your life.
