Founder In Progress

In Episode 124, we sit down with Phil Robertson to explore the journey behind building Phil & Sebastian and nearly two decades spent pushing the boundaries of specialty coffee. Phil shares how his engineering mindset shaped his approach to quality, why he refuses to accept industry assumptions at face value, and what years of experimentation taught him about focus and long-term thinking. We al...

In Episode 123 of Founder in Progress, we sit down with Jayson Krause of Level 52 to explore what it really takes to become a better leader. Jayson breaks down why being great at your job doesn’t automatically make you a great leader, the danger of always having the answer, and how strong leaders create space for their teams to grow through challenge, feedback, and discomfort. We also dive into bu...

In Episode 122, we sit down with Chase Miller, founder of Impact Applications, a company helping Canadian businesses access the grant funding they need to grow. Chase shares how an unexpected opportunity in the grant space turned into a growing company and why solving a real market need mattered more than starting with the perfect business idea. We dive into the early grind of earning just $900 du...

In Episode 121, we sit down with Amish Morjaria, founder of Forward Level, to explore the 15-year journey of building a company centred around people, culture, and authenticity. Amish shares how getting fired became the unexpected push he needed to bet on himself and start his own business. He explains why entrepreneurs should think in decades rather than years, how hiring the right people allows...

In Episode 120, we sit down with Jordan, entrepreneur and creator behind the YouTube channel Nomadic Movement, to unpack how getting laid off led to buying a school bus, travelling through Central America, settling in Panama, and eventually building a completely different life. Jordan shares what it was really like building an audience from scratch, surviving the difficult early years, launching a...

In Episode 119, Matt Widmer, co-founder of Wild Life Distillery, shares how a handshake over whiskey became a successful Rocky Mountain craft spirits brand. Matt discusses building the company alongside a trusted business partner, dividing responsibilities as the business grew, and relying on trust and transparency to overcome difficult moments. He also explains why Wild Life prioritizes character...

In Episode 118, we sit down with Cole Torode, founder of Forward Coffee, at his home and headquarters in Boquete, Panama. Cole shares how a job in a small coffee shop turned into nearly two decades in specialty coffee, international competitions, world championship coaching, and building multiple businesses. He breaks down why he paused Forward Coffee in Canada, took the risk of moving to Panama,...

In Episode 117, we sit down with Sabrina Souto to explore belief systems, healing, resilience, and the deeply human side of entrepreneurship. Sabrina shares her journey from overcoming extreme shyness and studying Chinese medicine to building a career helping patients understand the connection between the heart, mind, and body. She explains why stress may not be the real problem, how limiting beli...

In Episode 116, we sit down with Louis-Julien Roy of Mountain Exposure to discuss his journey from ice climbing and mountain guiding to building and scaling a successful business in the outdoor industry. Louis-Julien shares lessons on bootstrapping, hiring the right people, building employee ownership, relationship-based selling, and playing the long game in business. We also discuss productivity,...

In Episode 115, Taylor Ekrebe shares her powerful journey from working at Wells Fargo in Philadelphia to becoming a business owner and entrepreneur in Edmonton, Alberta. Taylor opens up about the health scare that changed the way she viewed work, life, and purpose. After moving to Canada and struggling to find traditional employment, she created her own opportunity by building a business focused o...

In episode 113, we sit down with Matt Aubin, who has been running Keen Creative for over two decades, to talk about his journey as a creative entrepreneur, business owner, advisor, and community builder. Matt shares how his early days as a photographer shaped the way he sees business, creativity, leadership, and problem-solving. He also opens up about building culture, learning from failure, knowi...

Episode 113 features Kristyn Carriere, founder of Seven Summit Snacks, a chocolate brand built for adventure, endurance, and everyday fuel. In this episode, Kristyn shares her journey from professional figure skating with Disney on Ice, to working in chocolate science at Cadbury, to launching her own CPG brand after a life-changing moment. She opens up about building Seven Summit Snacks from the g...

In Episode 112, we sit down with Charles Wong, a Harvard graduate and founder of CarePros, to unpack how a side hustle built around culturally competent home care grew into a purpose-led care organization serving vulnerable children, youth, adults, and families across Alberta. Charles shares the personal experience that sparked the business, the challenges of scaling in the care industry, and why...

In episode 111, we sit down with Garvin, a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience building, buying, growing, and exiting businesses. Garvin shares the real side of entrepreneurship — starting with almost nothing, living lean in the early days, surviving “sky is falling” moments, losing a customer that represented 90% of revenue, and learning when it’s time to keep pushing versus when...

April Hickey, founder of Toast, joins us for Episode 110 to talk about burnout, leadership, and the pressure of building a company while trying to stay grounded. As seen on TEDx, April shares her idea of “the box” — the labels we place on ourselves and others that can quietly limit what we believe is possible. She explains how those boxes show up in leadership, entrepreneurship, mental health, and...

In Episode 109, filmed in Monterrey, Mexico, Jorge shares the story of building Aldea, an education platform helping kindergartens focus more on children and less on administration. He breaks down the early days of the company, from launching an MVP and losing customers, to taking the risk of continuing when the project was almost shut down. Through that journey, Jorge discovered that conviction,...

In Episode 108, filmed in Monterey, Mexico, Raul shares a personal conversation about entrepreneurship, perspective, and redefining success. This episode goes beyond startups. Raul reflects on grief, divorce, failure, and the mindset shift that helped him move from constant pressure to building with more meaning. He also shares his journey through multiple companies, his work in digital transforma...

In Episode 107, filmed in Monterrey, Mexico, we sit down with Paola, the first Entrepreneur Agent of PR in Latin America and the United States, to explore the real meaning of visibility, trust, and connection in the entrepreneurial world. Paola shares how she built her business during the pandemic, why PR is about more than social media, and how founders can use media, podcasts, events, and storyt...

In Episode 106, filmed in Monterrey, Mexico, Stella Jimenez shares her journey as an innovation strategist, entrepreneur, designer, and builder who has spent her career creating at the edge of the unknown. Stella talks about how intuition has guided her through business, leadership, motherhood, creativity, technology, and personal transformation. From falling in love with tech through design to bu...

In Episode 105 of Founder In Progress, filmed in Monterrey, Mexico, we sit down with Dagoberto Cedillos, founder of Punto, a mobility platform built for gig economy drivers. Dagoberto shares how he went from working in energy and electric mobility in London to returning to Mexico to build a company focused on solving real-world transportation challenges. After COVID shut down his first startup, Da...

In episode 104, we sit down with Hugo — a lifelong creator who has built, lost, and rebuilt across construction, real estate, entrepreneurship, music, and global leadership. Filmed in Monterrey, Mexico, this conversation explores the deeper thread behind all of it: Hugo’s love of creating from zero. He opens up about failure, losing confidence, rebuilding his identity, and the personal breakthroug...

In Episode 103, filmed in Monterrey, Mexico, we sit down with Walter and his co-founders at Wasco to unpack how they’re turning industrial waste into certified construction materials. The conversation explores the origin of the company, the pollution challenges that inspired Walter to act, and how the team built a business at the intersection of mining, cement, and construction to create solutions...

In Episode 102 of Founder In Progress, filmed in Monterrey, Mexico, we sit down with Ivan Garza—an entrepreneur building across marketing, music, and venture-backed startups—to unpack what it really looks like to build companies with purpose in today’s world. Ivan shares his journey from growing up in an entrepreneurial family to launching a live events company that worked with 150+ emerging artis...

In Episode 101, filmed in Monterrey, Mexico, we sit down with Luisa, the founder of Pico Norte, to explore how she built more than a climbing gym — she built a people-centered community rooted in vulnerability, purpose, and personal growth. From accidentally discovering climbing to leading Pico Norte with a vision of inclusion, conscious leadership, and authentic connection, Luisa shares how the s...

Logistics is a $1 trillion industry — and much of it still runs on email, WhatsApp, and phone calls. In this episode, we sit down with Diego Rhon, a founder building an AI-driven logistics brokerage designed to automate freight coordination without breaking trust or existing workflows. Diego explains why logistics has resisted innovation for decades, why brokers still exist, and why most automatio...