4 books that shaped the life of Paris Prime Live's Julie Stewart-Binks
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place July 26-Aug. 11
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 are coming up on July 26-Aug. 11 and the Paralympic Games are taking place Aug. 28-Sept. 8. Julie Stewart-Binks is one of the CBC Sports broadcasters bringing Canadians live updates for the program Paris Prime Live.
As a seasoned broadcaster, Stewart-Binks will be covering the Olympic Games for her third time.
You can see a complete schedule of Olympic events here.
She's also a host and reporter for Sportsnet New York and CBS Sports Golazo Network. Currently based in New York, she grew up in Toronto as a competitive figure skater and sprinter.
Ahead of Paris 2024, she connected with CBC Books to share four books that inspired her.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Big Magic was recommended to Stewart-Binks when she was struggling to find the motivation to write a book proposal after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"As soon as I started reading it, I couldn't help but want to get up early and write, hire an editor and find new ways to look at the subject material," she said. "It reminded me of 'why' I was writing in the first place."
Just a few months later, she had an 86-page proposal written and ready to submit to publishers. And while it didn't get published, Stewart-Binks plans to revisit Big Magic when she decides to try again.
No One Wins Alone by Mark Messier
No One Wins Alone is Mark Messier's memoir that details his 25 years playing in the NHL.
"I learned so much about Mark's humility and his unique climb to the astonishing feat of winning six Stanley Cups," said Stewart-Binks.
I learned about Messier as a person — how being a great teammate and leader is a crucial ingredient to any kind of personal success.
"I learned about him as a person — how being a great teammate and leader is a crucial ingredient to any kind of personal success.
"I also learned that Messier is human — when Wayne Gretzky would look at the schedule and say how many points he was going to have, Messier said he would say which bars they were going to."
Off the Record by Peter Mansbridge
"Hearing the many stories behind 'the story' from the face of Canadian news was a real treat," said Stewart-Binks.
"Peter not only has had his own unique path; he's experienced every major event, and interviewed every major politician and celebrity."
Mansbridge is the former chief correspondent for CBC News, anchor of The National, where he worked for 30 years and host of Mansbridge One on One. He is also the author of the Peter Mansbridge One on One and co-author of Extraordinary Canadians: Stories from the Heart of Our Nation.
Peter had a front row seat to the world's events and this book shows you what it was like behind the scenes.
"Knowing how he felt about those interviews, what his next question was, how he reacted to certain people or events or how he prepared to cover wars around the world is insight any journalist or fan of the news would crave. Peter had a front row seat to the world's events and this book shows you what it was like behind the scenes.
"I highly recommend it."
You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero
"What can I say, I love books that remind you who you are, and that's exactly what this one did," said Stewart-Binks.
"It actually helped me see the colours around me in my life I hadn't seen before, and forced me to really figure out what I wanted in life — which led to a life-changing move from Los Angeles to New York."
