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, risk, and collaboration. We unpack how DIGITAL built one of Canada’s most ambitious innovation ecosystems by prioritizing outcomes over process, and why trust-based networks, fast decision-making, and coordinated action became critical during COVID-19. The conversation also explores Canadian business culture, the tension between caution and ambition, and why Sue believes the country’s future depends on becoming bolder, more accountable, and more willing to back winners. At its core, this episode is about leadership beyond the playbook, building systems that reward execution, and reimagining what Canadian innovation can become at scale.

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 acquisition in 2022. He reflects on the early chaos of startup life, including a near-catastrophic database failure that forced him to confront the fragility of fast-moving systems, and how that moment reshaped his thinking around risk, resilience, and responsibility. We explore the tension between speed and security, and why many high-growth companies underestimate the cost of getting it wrong. Ian introduces his current work at Stingray Security, where he’s focused on protecting users from increasingly sophisticated scams and phishing attacks. The conversation expands into the evolving threat landscape, the psychology behind social engineering, and why people remain the most exploited layer in modern systems. This episode also examines the mindset required to move between building and defending technology, the discipline of anticipating failure, and the importance of embedding security into products from the very beginning. At its core, it’s about navigating growth with awareness, understanding where systems break, and building with a deeper sense of accountability in an increasingly risky digital world.

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 intergenerational connection today, and how that gap, alongside under-resourced education systems, leaves many students making life-defining decisions with limited support. We unpack the shortcomings of traditional career guidance and the growing mismatch between education and the future of work. She introduces FutureTwin: AI-powered digital counterparts designed to help individuals explore multiple possible futures. These “twins” extend mentorship, offering ongoing guidance across education, career decisions, and personal growth. This conversation also explores the weight of uncertainty, the tension between opportunity and anxiety in the age of AI, and the importance of learning to work with emerging technologies. At its core, it’s about expanding possibilities, rethinking how we make decisions, access opportunity, and shape more intentional futures.

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 Beijing, driven by a deep sense of connection to a place she was taught to leave behind. We unpack the limits of “neutrality” in media, the persistent flattening of complex regions like China into simplified narratives, and why diverse lived experience is often dismissed rather than valued. Chiu shares how disinformation flows in multiple directions, how Western institutions routinely misread global power dynamics, and why nuance is often the first casualty in both journalism and policy. This conversation also examines the quiet realities of foreign interference, the uneven attention given to different communities, and the emotional weight carried by those whose identities are entangled in geopolitical conflict. Chiu offers a candid look at the structural decline of international reporting, the risks faced by journalists covering sensitive issues, and her transition into building a consultancy designed to bring deeper, more applied understanding to global affairs. This is a conversation about identity, power, and perception. About what gets lost when complexity is stripped away, and what it takes to rebuild a more honest, informed view of the world.

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 risk, cultural exchange, and embodied practice. She believes live performance remains one of the last true ritual spaces for connection in a fragmented world. In this conversation, Gabrielle explores the tension between will and agency, the role of art in times of crisis, and what it means to lead with instinct while programming for the “culturally fearless.” A conversation about risk, responsibility, and the power of art to expand how we see the world, and each other.

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 the tension between design as decoration and design as strategy, why great designers must act as translators between business, engineering, and user needs, and how “good design” isn’t about polish, it’s about delivering meaningful value. The conversation dives into perennial industry debates: Should designers code? How much should data shape decisions? How do you avoid designing by committee? Dominic shares his perspective on mentorship in a hybrid world, the shift from hard skills to discernment and systems thinking, and why the future belongs to designers who can think, not just execute.

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 aging isn’t simply decline but a complex rebalancing of strengths and vulnerabilities. We discuss groundbreaking research showing how socioeconomic conditions and environment can shape brain health decades before symptoms appear, challenging assumptions about genetic destiny. This is a conversation about plasticity, resilience, and the science of understanding change, in the brain, in society, and in ourselves.

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, ambition, and passion for narrative as a force for transformation. She opens up about childhood adversity, identity, and a life-altering near-death experience that reshaped her understanding of love, purpose, and limitlessness. Together, we dive into the explosive rise of vertical microdramas — a multi-billion-dollar global phenomenon rewriting how stories are created and consumed. Alicia shares insider insight into this intimate, data-driven format, its emotional pull on audiences, and what it means for the future of entertainment. This is a conversation about reinvention, agency, entrepreneurship, and why storytelling remains one of humanity’s most powerful tools for connection and change.

In this episode of High Agency, 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 the director of Sikh Federation Canada, he shares what it means to balance an executive career with unapologetic activism, even in the face of credible assassination threats from a foreign government. This is a grounded conversation about courage, identity, and choosing principle when silence is safer, exploring diaspora politics, transnational repression, and why ethical leadership demands action, regardless of the cost.

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 overdose response, and when culture is treated not as a luxury, but as infrastructure. We explore dignity as a non-negotiable, the difference between placemaking and placekeeping, and what it means to design systems that give communities real power—not just a seat at the table. A wide-ranging conversation on leadership, accountability, and why the future of cities depends on how we care for the people most impacted by our decisions.

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 candid conversation on ego death, franchise thinking, and why real leadership isn’t about control, but about designing environments where people, and businesses, can compound.

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, he transformed a local shop into a national creative powerhouse known for the country’s most talked-about and award-winning campaigns.