High Agency Podcast

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Tom Wright, General Director of Vancouver Opera, to explore what it takes to lead a centuries-old art form through a period of rapid cultural, economic, and technological change. Tom shares how a childhood immersed in music and theatre evolved into a lifelong career in arts leadership, and how his experiences across Canada and the United States shap...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Radha Curpen, Group Head of ESG and Sustainability at McMillan LLP to explore the growing tension between corporate sustainability, political polarization, and economic growth. Radha shares how an unconventional career spanning environmental law, Indigenous relations, crisis management, and cross-border corporate governance shaped her systems-based...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Sue Paish, CEO of DIGITAL, to explore why Canada struggles to turn world-class research into globally competitive companies, and what it takes to change that. Sue reflects on an unconventional career spanning law, healthcare, diagnostics, and national innovation, sharing how repeated leaps into unfamiliar territory shaped her approach to leadership,...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Ian MacKinnon, serial entrepreneur and cybersecurity expert, to unpack the realities of building and protecting products at scale. Ian traces his journey from a scrappy 2014 hackathon project to co-founding Later, which grew into one of the most widely used Instagram marketing platforms in the world, serving over 6 million brands before its acquisit...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Chloë Swain, Founder and CEO of FutureTwin, to explore how young people can navigate an uncertain future, and what it means to come of age in a world where AI is constantly reshaping careers. Chloë traces the origins of her work to Indigenous communities, where elders serve as pillars of knowledge and guidance. She reflects on the absence of that in...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Joanna Chiu, award-winning journalist, author of China Unbound, and co-founder and managing partner of Nüora Global Advisors, to explore how geopolitics shows up in everyday life, especially for diaspora communities living between worlds. Chiu reflects on her path from growing up in suburban Canada to reporting on the ground in Hong Kong and Be...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Gabrielle Martin, Artistic Director of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and a leader reshaping how we gather, experience, and make meaning through art.   From performing over 1,400 shows as a circus artist to leading one of Canada’s most boundary-pushing festivals, Gabrielle’s work sits at the intersection of creative...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Dominic Wong, Managing Director of Invoke, to explore what it really means to design at the intersection of craft, commerce, and emerging technology.   Dominic reflects on Invoke’s evolution from its early association with Hootsuite to its renewed focus on building zero-to-one digital products for founders, startups, and innovation teams. We unpack...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Dr. Gagan Wig, cognitive neuroscientist and program head at The University of Texas and director of the Wig Neuroimaging Lab, to explore how the brain reorganizes itself over time, and what that means for memory, aging, and cognitive health. Dr. Wig unpacks the reconstructive nature of memory, the network-based architecture of the brain, and why agi...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with actor, producer, and vertical microdrama consultant Alicia Read to explore the rapidly changing world of storytelling and the personal journey that led her to its cutting edge. From growing up immersed in the arts to navigating careers in entertainment and luxury brand consulting, Alicia reflects on the experiences that shaped her resilience, ambiti...

In this episode, we sit down with Moninder Singh, a Canadian-born Sikh activist who has spent his life operating at the intersection of leadership, risk, and conscience. From growing up in a small town in British Columbia shaped by both community and racism, to becoming a global voice for Sikh human rights, Moninder reflects on the experiences that forged his sense of justice and moral clarity. As...

In this episode of High Agency , we sit down with Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United Church Community Ministry Society and a leader working at the intersection of culture, care, and civic power. From her early work in arts and philanthropy to leading one of Vancouver’s oldest frontline institutions, Amanda offers a rare perspective on what happens when fundraising galas meet...

In this episode of High Agency , we sit down with Prabh Heer, COO of Mobio Brands, an operator who’s helped scale service businesses in some of the most unforgiving, low-margin environments. From his evolution as an individual contributor to a builder of systems, teams, and communities, Prabh shares how operational discipline, humility, and relentless curiosity became his competitive edge. A candi...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Frank Palmer, the legendary Canadian ad man who reshaped the country’s creative landscape. From his humble beginnings in Vancouver to building Palmer Jarvis into Canada’s most creatively acclaimed agency, Frank’s 50-year career is a masterclass in vision, grit, and unapologetic originality. As the architect behind the merger that formed DDB Canada,...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Ngaio Davis, founder of KORU Cremation, whose Māori heritage and unconventional path from carpenter to funeral director are reshaping modern deathcare. Ngaio brings compassion, cultural wisdom, and environmental intention to an industry long dominated by sterile convention. We explore natural deathcare, green burial, and the transformative power of...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Chris Neumann, a four-time founder, investor, and global startup mentor, to explore how venture capital is being reshaped from the inside out. After building and selling both venture-backed and bootstrapped companies, Chris transitioned into investing, bringing with him the perspective of someone who has coded into the night, battled runway anxiety,...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Shawn Johnston, founder of Forge & Smith and Refoundry, to talk about how neurodivergence can become a superpower in leadership and entrepreneurship. After 13 years running Forge & Smith, Shawn learned the hard way that burning out developers and perpetuating broken processes wasn't sustainable. But the real breakthrough came when he und...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Harv Nagra, Head of Brand Comms at Scoro and host of The Handbook Operations podcast, to learn how the right systems can transform agency chaos into strategic advantage. From growing up in Vancouver's Maple Ridge to spending 13 years leading operations in London's agency world, Harv reveals why business maturity has nothing to do with years...

Featuring   Jay Giraud Co-founder, Damon Motorcycles In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with serial entrepreneur and inventor Jay Giraud to trace a journey that spans from dropping out of high school and chasing dreams as a pro snowboarder, to raising nearly $200 million and taking companies public. Jay is best known as the co-founder of Damon Motorcycles, but his story is about much...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with serial entrepreneur, author, and startup strategist Tanis Jorge to explore what truly makes (or breaks) cofounder relationships. Tanis has cofounded four tech startups with the same business partner, including the billion-dollar identity verification company Trulioo. But her story isn’t just about exits and scaling; it’s about...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Sarah Edmondson, actor, author, producer, podcaster of @alittebitculty, and the whistleblower who risked everything to expose the NXIVM cult. From her first steps into what seemed like an ordinary self-improvement course, to becoming a leader inside the organization, Sarah unpacks how blurred lines between growth and exploitation can entrap eve...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Adrian Moise, CEO and Founder of Aequilibrium, for a conversation on resilience, vision, and the art of transformation. Adrian shares how martial arts, Formula 1, and a “human meets digital” philosophy fuel his approach to change.    Featuring Adrian Moise CEO and Founder Aequilibrium   Adrian Moise is the Founder and...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Cenk Uygur, founder of The Young Turks, for a raw, no-holds-barred conversation about how outsider identity became a strategic advantage. From Turkey to YouTube, Cenk unpacked why disrupting legacy media was never just about airtime, it was always about power and accountability. Featuring Cenk Uygur Co-creator The Young Turks Cenk Uygur is the co-fo...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Carol Anne Hilton, founder of the Indigenomics Institute, and the mind behind a movement that’s reshaping economic narratives through an Indigenous lens. Carol Anne takes us from a single tweet to a national economic agenda, unpacking how a hashtag sparked a framework for redefining value, ownership, and power in Indigenous economies. We dive into t...

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Josh Haas, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Bubble, the no-code platform that’s quietly powering a new generation of builders. Josh takes us from philosophy lectures to platform engineering, sharing how he bootstrapped Bubble from a scrappy prototype into a robust foundation for over six million apps and billions in transactions. Along the way, we dig into...