Mission Critical with Lance Chung

There are few people in media who radiate the kind of glowing, positive, and unabashedly joyful energy quite like Jonathan Van Ness. Known primarily for their co-hosting duties as the resident beauty guru on Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot, it is the magnetic charm and personality of Jonathan (who is non-binary and uses “they,” “he,” and “she” pronouns) that has helped them build the foundation of a me...

There are many parallels that can be drawn between running a kitchen and leading a business. Both require leadership, focus, tenacity, and, above all, passion to get you through the inevitable hills and valleys that come along the way—something that internationally-renowned chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson knows a thing or two about. With restaurants around the world from Miami to Sweden to...

“If you want specific outcomes in your life, then you are a designer.”These are the immortal words of Canadian multi-hyphenate visionary, Bruce Mau. From architecture to advertising to product design, Bruce has worked across a broad spectrum of disciplines that have changed the way we approach problems and see the world. His name is exalted by many and yet unfamiliar to others. What is certain, ho...

For 27 years, Jeanne Beker was the voice in fashion media—a trailblazer that earned her stripes by reporting on the industry’s most spectacular events and personalities. The host of Fashion Television, her show was syndicated around the globe to 130 countries, offering a glimpse into a pre-social media world that was often guarded and gated. It was her tenacity, warmth, and unapologetic pursuit of...

If the eyes are the windows to your soul, then what does a pair of eyeglasses say about you? For many, eyewear is an extension of one’s self. Quite literally, when you consider the fact that approximately 68 percent of Canadians wear corrective lenses, and figuratively as a reflection of personal style and expression. For years, however, the $160 billion global eyewear industry was controlled by a...

When it comes to international studies, Canada is a top pick for students thanks to the quality of our education system and multicultural reputation. According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education, the years between 2010 and 2019 saw a 154 percent increase in international students visiting Canada, 60 percent of which planned on pursuing permanent residence. In 2021 alone, there were...

It’s a big responsibility when you’re given the keys to an international community platform with an audience in the millions. So, what do you do with that kind of power? That ability to influence both micro and macro community and industry change? Certainly, there are individuals out there that would take the opportunity to amass further growth by any means necessary and with reckless abandon, and...

Food has always been a powerful way of exploring themes beyond its function as a means of sustenance. Think about the best meal you’ve ever had or your fondest food memory. Chances are they involved being in the company of others by breaking bread or engaging in long-held traditions. Food is culture—it brings people together, cements our most cherished memories, promotes powerful dialogue, and for...

The year is 2016 and a new phenomenon has thrown the world into an absolute tizzy. People are out in the streets, running into traffic, and flocking to seemingly random destinations. They are zombies attached to their phones on a singular mission to catch them all. And what exactly are they looking to capture? Pokémon. If we rewind and look past the pandemic, you might remember the sheer fren...

Dating at the best of times can be an awkward experience. So how does one find romance during a pandemic? In this encore episode, Justin McLeod, founder and CEO of online dating platform Hinge, joins us to talk about love and data. Described as a dating app designed to be deleted, Lance chats with Justin about Hinge, digital courtship in the age of a pandemic, and how he's using data to crack the...

Take a look inside the boardrooms of corporate Canada and you’ll find that over the years, they’ve largely stayed (and looked) the same. While it has been proven again , and again , and again that a diverse executive suite directly contributes to the growth of a company’s bottom line and overall performance (and is just generally the right thing to do,) straight, white cisgender men have kept the...

Aurora James is a force to be reckoned with. Those of you who are tuned in to the world of fashion will likely recognize her name as the designer behind sustainable accessories brand Brother Vellies, a favourite amongst fashion heavyweights like Beyonce, Zendaya, and Solange (to name a few). You may also recognize her for gracing the cover of American Vogue’s coveted September issue in 2020 and, m...

When Tata Harper pivoted her career from industrial engineer to beauty entrepreneur, no one could have predicted that she would soon go on to be known as the Queen of Green Skincare. Yet today, Tata’s eponymous skincare brand has reached astronomic levels of popularity counting the likes of Gigi Hadid, Jessica Alba, and Tracee Ellis Ross among loyal brand fans. But Tata’s commitment to restoring t...

At the start of the pandemic, Paul Davison and Rohan Seth launched Clubhouse, a new type of social network that underscored the power and influence of the audio format. As the world collectively sheltered at home, Clubhouse’s popularity skyrocketed with Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and other notable figures engaging on the platform. Unless you were living under a rock, it was hard no...

On this episode of Mission Critical , we’re joined by one of the most influential and universally-beloved figures in the fashion world, Tan France. Tan’s journey to becoming a television sensation may have started with his role as a fashion expert on Netflix’s Queer Eye , but his entrepreneurial path was filled with triumphs long before he entered the mainstream spotlight. In this mini-episode, La...

This episode contains content that is of a sexual nature. If that’s a thing that might bother you or you’re not quite in the right setting for it, then maybe skip this one for now. Sex sells. That’s nothing new, but how much? According to a 2021 report by Statista, the business of pleasure is thriving with recent projections of the global sex toy market expected to grow to about $52.7 billion US d...

“Buy yourself the damn diamond.” Such is the gospel of Noura Sakkijha, CEO and co-founder of fine jewelry company Mejuri. In 2015, she started her Toronto-based brand to reframe the conversation around jewelry, mainly around the idea that the industry was built for men gifting women. Instead, Noura wanted to empower women to celebrate themselves.  This notion of agency and self-expression is...

Bold by Veuve Clicquot: https://bit.ly/30rmbIl Bay Street Bull's 2021 Women of the Year: https://baystbull.com/women-of-the-year-2021/ See photos from Penny Oleksiak's Cover Shoot: https://baystbull.com/women-of-the-year-2021-penny-oleksiak/ At just 21 years old, Toronto-born swimmer Penny Oleksiak has already been crowned as Canada’s most decorated Olympian with seven medals to her name. Before h...

If you’ve walked through an airport or hotel lobby in the last few years, you may have noticed people using a specific luggage brand, distinguished by its horizontal lines and array of different colourways. That brand is Away and on today’s episode, we're joined by co-founder and CEO, Jen Rubio. Throughout her career, Jen has become one of the foremost authorities on modern retail, using her busin...

As a decorated astronaut, engineer, communicator, author, and musician, Chris Hadfield’s illustrious career has made him one of the most renowned and universally beloved figures in Canadian history. His reputation spread into the international mainstream after becoming the first Canadian to walk in space, flying two Space Shuttle missions and serving as commander of the International Space Station...

At just 35 years old, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has firmly established himself as one of the most influential minds in professional hockey. But those who have followed Kyle’s career know that being the youngest person in the boardroom is nothing new to the executive. Kyle began his hockey career by becoming the youngest agent ever certified by the NHL Players Association befor...

Aurora James is a force to be reckoned with. Those of you who are tuned in to the world of fashion will likely recognize her name as the designer behind sustainable accessories brand Brother Vellies, a favourite amongst fashion heavyweights like Beyonce, Zendaya, and Solange (to name a few). You may also recognize her for gracing the cover of American Vogue’s coveted September issue in 2020 and, m...

Death is inevitable. The one true guarantee in life is, ironically, the end of it. So why don’t we plan better for something that is so obviously going to happen? Willful is a Toronto-based startup that is looking to normalize our conversations around death. That is, how we prepare for, talk about, and deal with death. Their first product (as their name may suggest) is an online platform that make...

Harley Finkelstein lives and breathes entrepreneurship. As the president of global e-commerce platform Shopify, he's not only witnessed countless entrepreneurs launch their own companies, he’s had a direct hand in helping them lift off. It’s part of Shopify’s bigger picture to cultivate a thriving and vibrant economic ecosystem by empowering entrepreneurs and the small business community. On today...

Architectural design is like a language. There’s a lot that we can learn about ourselves and the society we’re a part of simply by observing the structures around us. It tells us about what we value as a society, how we gather and migrate throughout the day, how we work, how sustainable we are, and more. It’s a snapshot of culture, our history, and our future. Joining us on the podcast today is wo...