High Agency

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Featured Episode

Home is where the interference is

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.

Joanna Chiu

April 1, 2026

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57:56

All episodes

Push and pull in the arts

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.

Leave business to the designers

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.

February 18, 2026

Examining memory lane

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.

February 4, 2026

Growing to love vertical

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.

January 21, 2026

Leadership in a violent world

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.

January 5, 2026

Housing a better future

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.

December 17, 2025

Ego death and business

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.

December 3, 2025

Trust the mad men

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.

November 19, 2025

Death in a better place

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 facing mortality with clarity, community, and courage.

November 5, 2025

Velocity and the Valley

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, and carried the weight of payroll on his shoulders. That founder-first lens has given him a unique view on what’s broken in startup funding and what’s possible when investors have lived the founder reality. In this conversation, we dig into the shifting VC landscape post-2021, the myth of Silicon Valley gatekeeping, and why knowledge, not just capital, remains the most valuable currency in entrepreneurship.

October 22, 2025

Forging neurodivergent leadership

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 understood why. Uncovering his ADHD and autism diagnoses revealed patterns that had shaped his entire career. In this episode we get into the messy reality of building a business while navigating sensory overload, alexithymia (the inability to identify emotions in real time), and what Shawn calls "high masking," which is the exhausting art of creating personas just to survive. This conversation challenges the corporate culture rooted in what Shawn calls "colonial patriarchal mindsets" and shows why psychological safety isn't just a nice-to-have; it's the foundation of effective teams. If you've ever felt like the world wasn't built for how your brain works, this episode will resonate deeply.

October 8, 2025

Fixing the way to leadership

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 in business or revenue and everything to do with how you actually run. We get into the painful reality of agencies drowning in distractions, managing work across messy spreadsheets, and why creative teams often resist the very processes that could save them. Harv shares his lessons about implementing change when everyone's dug in and how the trillion-dollar advertising industry is still struggling to measure what actually matters. This conversation challenges the myth that process kills creativity and shows what it really takes to build agencies that don't just survive, but thrive.

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