Tune Up Your Warrior

What does it mean to succeed at someone else’s success, not at their expense? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Mike Lipkin : motivator, coach, consultant, entrepreneur, author, and creator of the Potentiator framework, a leadership philosophy built around helping other people perform at their best. Mike has spent decades helping leaders, teams, and organizations think...

This July 1 episode of Tune Up Your Warrior is not a surface-level Canada Day conversation. It is a deeper reflection on humanity, dignity, compassion, and what it means to build systems that do not just function, but actually see people. Jenny sits down with Nadia Ferrara, whom she first met while speaking on a panel together for International Women’s Day on Parliament Hill. What began as an inst...

What does it actually take to change systems, not just conversations? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Barbara Cartwright, CEO of Humane Canada, to explore the intersection of policy, advocacy, and leadership — and why compassion is far more strategic than we give it credit for. Barbara has played a key role in shaping some of Canada’s most significant animal protecti...

In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Leslie J. Anderson , a senior financial services leader, 2024 VersaFi Champion of Change , cancer survivor, and someone whose leadership has left a lasting impact on the people around her. VersaFi’s Champions of Change Award recognizes leaders helping advance women in Canadian finance, and Leslie’s recognition reflects the advocacy and...

What if climate action did not have to feel like sacrifice? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , I sit down with Josh Dorfman for a conversation about climate innovation, sustainability, and why the future does not have to be framed as deprivation in order to be meaningful. Josh brings both deep professional credibility and a refreshingly practical lens to this conversation. He has spent year...

In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Marc Forgette , an Anishinaabe educator, speaker, and founder of Makatew Workshops . Marc is a proud member of the Apitipi Anicinapek Nation , belongs to the Bear Clan , and is currently learning the language. Through his work with Makatew Workshops, he leads cultural awareness workshops, speaking engagements, and conversations focused...

Expanding the Narrative is a live AAPI Heritage Month panel recorded at STACKT’s Asian Night Market. In this special episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny Chen is joined by Trevor Lui and Abby Albino for an honest, layered, funny, and thoughtful conversation about identity, belonging, visibility, stereotypes, mental health stigma, representation, and what it means to take up space on our own ter...

In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Karen Ta for a thoughtful conversation about intersectionality, identity, and why leadership conversations fall short when they treat women or Asian professionals as a monolith. Karen Ta is passionate about helping those who feel invisible become visible so they can break through doors and ceilings. While she is best known for her role...

On this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Sarah Chamberlin , communications strategist and founder of Pin Drop Communications . With a background in leading complex communications in high-impact environments, Sarah brings a grounded, real-world perspective on how organizations navigate reputation, leadership, and trust in moments that matter most. This conversation explores: W...

For the second episode in Tune Up Your Warrior ’s three-episode Season 4 opener for AAPI Heritage Month , Jenny sits down with Christopher Tse for a powerful conversation about silence, identity, diaspora, and reclaiming voice. Christopher Tse is an educator, organizer, and writer based in Whitehorse, Yukon. According to the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, he has spent 15 years working alongsi...

What happens when you stop shrinking, stop filtering, and finally let your real voice take up space? To kick off Season 4 of Tune Up Your Warrior and celebrate AAPI Heritage Month , Jenny sits down with stand-up comedian and podcast host Julie Kim for a conversation about comedy, identity, voice, representation, and what it means to stop trying to fit into roles that were never built for you. Juli...

This week on Tune Up Your Warrior, I sit down a second time with Judge Albert Wong for the final episode in our three-episode Season 4 opener, and it is a conversation that feels especially important right now. Not because it adds to the noise. But because it asks a deeper question underneath it: What does freedom actually mean? Albert brings a rare perspective to that question. After 40 years in...

In this solo Season 3 finale of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny reflects on why she started the podcast in the first place and what a year of conversations across sectors, identities, and lived experiences has taught her. What began as a platform for thoughtful conversations has become something much deeper: a bridge. A wider room. A place where listeners can meet voices, stories, and perspectives th...

What does it mean to operate on the part of us that holds memory, movement, language, identity, and quality of life? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Dr. Safraz Mohammed, neurosurgeon, educator, and leader at The Ottawa Hospital, for one of the most fascinating and unexpectedly accessible conversations the podcast has featured to date. This is the longest episode Jenn...

Mentorship is not charity. It’s belonging. It’s confidence. And sometimes, it’s the single thing that changes the trajectory of a young person’s life. In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , I sit down with Susan Ingram , Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ottawa , for a conversation that goes far beyond programs and initiatives. What stayed with me after we first met was not just...

What if innovation isn’t about building something new — but reframing how we see what already exists? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Jay Lim , co-founder and principal architect of 25:8 Architecture + Urban Design , to explore how architecture mirrors leadership, culture, and systems change. Jay shares how reframing assumptions — rather than improving outdated model...

Employment law is often treated as a last resort — something we turn to only when conflict has already exploded. But what if we’re getting it wrong? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny sits down with Devin Michelle Jarcaig, Partner at Mathers McHenry & Co. and one of Canada’s leading employment lawyers, to explore how labour law can be used proactively — not reactively — to build t...

Housing isn’t just about supply. It’s about dignity, stability, and who gets to belong. In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , I’m joined by Jason Burggraaf , Executive Director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association, for a long-view conversation on what it actually takes to build housing systems that work. We go beyond headlines to unpack: The policy levers that truly move affordabil...

Well-behaved women rarely make history. And many of the women who changed history were never documented at all. This episode of Tune Up Your Warrior features Renée de Sousa , co-founder of Toronto-based production company Space Pirates and creator of the French-language animated series Rebelles — a bold, fast-paced portrait of women changed the course of history. Funded by the CMF and broadcast on...

Happy World Engineering Day! Have you ever wondered how strong communication and relationships—not just technical skills—are reshaping what great leadership looks like? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , I sit down with Daniel McCaulley, Founder and Principal of Ultimus Engineering, for a conversation that goes beyond blueprints and technical expertise. Daniel shares his journey from oil an...

⚠️ Content note: This post discusses bullying, loss, and suicide. Please read with care. This is one of the most meaningful episodes of Tune Up Your Warrior I’ve ever recorded. In this episode with Councillor Allan Hubley, who I've had the privilege of knowing for almost 20 years, we talk not only about the impact of bullying and the role of bystanders, but also what happens in the aftermath — whe...

This episode of Tune Up Your Warrior was recorded live inside Wok Theory , a vibrant, modern, and deeply authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of Toronto’s Chinatown. It was set around a real table, in real community, during a moment that felt deeply full circle. I sit down with Trevor Lui — culinary storyteller, author, Food Unity chef, and proud Chinatown kid for life — for a conversation ab...

First impressions matter — but what if they could also empower you? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior , Jenny Chen sits down with Lindsey Gibeau , Ottawa-based branding photographer, creative, adventurer, and life-long learner, whose work goes far beyond the lens. This episode launches on World Headshot Day , a moment that invites us to reflect on visibility, representation, and why being se...

More Canadians are living solo than ever before, yet the systems shaping our financial lives still assume everyone has a partner. From taxes to housing to retirement, single earners navigate a reality that is more expensive, more complex, and far less visible than we like to admit. My guest, Renée Sylvestre-Williams , is an award-winning Canadian financial journalist and the author of The Singles...

Roger Greenberg’s name has become synonymous with the story of Ottawa — from Minto’s foundational developments, to leading OSEG (home of the REDBLACKS and the 67’s), to championing the transformation of Lansdowne and helping shape the Campaign to Create Tomorrow for the new Ottawa Hospital campus. As Executive Chairman of the Minto Group, Chairman of Minto Apartment REIT, and Executive Chairman &a...