episode 042: Matt Corker & Chad Clark

Matt Corker and Chad Clark have a strength of bond that is undeniable—their love feels deep and true. Matt spent years in people & leadership development at lululemon and The Corker Collective, and is now the COO of global fashion & lifestyle brand Smash + Tess. Chad spent decades in retail and hospitality, getting his retail start at Banana Republic & Holt Renfrew before transitioning into restaurants as a maitre’d and, eventually, director of operations at The Hawksworth Restaurant Group. He’s now a director at L’Abattoir. 

Chad was born in Michigan and raised in Montreal—his mother is Filipino and his father is Caucasian, and both were educators. He was a resilient teen who taught himself to deal with difficult situations at a young age, and that ability to handle hard situations with grace is a talent he brought to his career. 

Matt grew up on the east coast in Aurora, Ontario. His parents divorced when he was 10 and, around the same time, he was deep into musical theatre as a child, indulging in his love for singing and performing. He also got involved in leadership development at 13, a passion that transformed into what became his work down the line. 

In this conversation, we explore their different upbringings and stories of coming out to family and friends; the way their respective careers unfolded; what made Chad successful at running a restaurant floor; the future of the restaurant industry; Matt’s experience in people development and what it taught him about humans & company culture; what it means to be courageously creative; how they became fathers to their son and the surrogacy journey; and more.