What if the way we talk about mental health is actually part of the problem?

Chris Ide is a father, advocate, and President of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health—and in this powerful conversation, he shares why it’s time to stop treating mental health like a separate issue. As his son once asked, “If it’s your brain, isn’t it just… health?”

In this episode, Chris and Jenny explore:

🧠 Why the language we use around mental health matters more than we think

👨‍👨‍👦 His family’s powerful adoption story and the role of visibility in breaking stigma

🏥 How the Royal Ottawa is leading innovation for treatment-resistant depression

💡 What it looks like to lead with compassion—and still create lasting change

Whether you’re a healthcare leader, a parent, or someone trying to make space for healing—this episode reminds us that care isn’t a side issue. It’s the issue. And our path forward starts with how we see, support, and talk about health.

🎧 Listen, reflect, and share. To find out more about The Royal Ottawa Hospital Foundation, visit https://www.theroyal.ca/get-involved/about-foundation

What does it mean to lead as an immigrant woman of colour in spaces where you’re still seen as a “first” or an “only”?

In this episode, finance executive and bestselling author Nadine Niba joins Jenny to talk about rising through the ranks of corporate Canada with courage, conviction, and an unapologetic sense of self. From leaving Cameroon to writing Quarterbacking Your Life, Nadine shares her journey of building what didn’t exist—for herself and for the next generation.

We talk about:

• Sponsorship vs. mentorship

• Speaking up when it's risky

• Leading with integrity in corporate

• Lifting others as you rise

• Redefining “merit” through a DEI lens

  
  

This conversation is honest, empowering, and a rallying cry for anyone who’s ever had to fight to be seen.

👉 Order Nadine’s bestselling book here.
👤 Connect with Nadine on LinkedIn.

When your child struggles with their mental health, parents often feel powerless, isolated, and unsure where to turn. For Michelle Crogie, that experience shaped not only her personal journey as a mother, but also her calling as the Executive Director of PLEO (Parents’ Lifeline of Eastern Ontario).

In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Michelle shares how her daughter’s mental health challenges illuminated the loneliness parents face—and why peer-to-peer support is a lifeline for families navigating the unknown. Together, we explore:

• The power of parent-led peer support and why lived experience matters
  

• Common misconceptions about youth mental health and family support
  

• How PLEO has grown into a 25-year grassroots movement supporting parents across Ontario
  

• Michelle’s definition of leadership, hope, and resilience when it comes to both family and community
  

We also spotlight PLEO’s upcoming Art of Support Gala on October 9, 2025, celebrating 25 years of connection and advocacy.

If you’re a parent, caregiver, or ally who has ever felt alone in the journey of supporting your child’s mental health—you are not alone. Michelle’s story reminds us that hope is found in community.

👉 Learn more and get involved: pleo.on.ca

In this deeply moving episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, host Jenny sits down with Tamy Bell, founder of The Golden Society and mother to Griffin — a boy whose light continues to inspire a movement.

Tamy shares her family’s journey, from Griffin’s premature birth and early weeks in the NICU to his brave battle with pediatric cancer. Through raw honesty and remarkable resilience, she reveals what it means to turn unimaginable grief into advocacy, community, and hope.

Together, they explore:

• The power of “golden moments” and how they keep Griffin’s spirit alive

• The reality of pediatric cancer and why it remains deeply underfunded

• What it means to be a caregiver, advocate, and parent navigating the unimaginable

• How legacy is built not only through big campaigns but also in everyday acts of love

  
  

This episode is both a tribute to Griffin’s lasting impact and a call to action: to rally for better research, more funding, and brighter futures for children everywhere.

Follow Tamy’s work at @thegldnsociety on Instagram and join the movement to #MakeCanadaGold during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

What’s in a name? For many of us, it’s our beginning. Our legacy. Our first connection to where we come from.

In this episode, Jenny Chen sits down with Onome Ako—CEO, global development leader, and author of I Am Cherished—to talk about how names carry the weight of our culture, our identity, and our worth.

Named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women, recipient of the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award for Social Change, and a lifelong advocate for global equity, Onome brings both lived experience and deep professional insight to this powerful conversation.

Together, we explore:
– Why names matter far beyond pronunciation
– The pressure to assimilate, and what it costs
– How preserving culture is an act of resistance
– The stories behind our names, and the people who gave them to us

Whether you’ve changed your name, reclaimed it, or are still figuring out what it means to you—this episode will stay with you long after it ends.

Get your copy of I Am Cherished today.

As kids return to school this fall, the conversation around youth mental health is louder than ever—and one question keeps coming up:
Should we ban social media for kids under high school age?

To kick off Season 2 of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny sits down with high school teacher and mom Tara Borowiecki to unpack what’s really happening in today’s classrooms—and homes—when it comes to screens, stress, and overstimulation.

Drawing on Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation and their own lived experiences, they explore:

• Why today’s youth are more anxious, distracted, and overwhelmed

• What teachers are witnessing on the front lines of education

• Whether social media bans help—or hinder—students and families

• The importance of informed, not fear-based, decision-making

• And how to support young people in a world that rarely slows down

  
  

This episode isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about rethinking the systems we’ve built—and asking how we can create space for kids to thrive inside of them.

Because building stronger kids isn’t about control.

It’s about responsibility.

In this episode, Jenny Chen sits down with Craig Meeds, Head of BMO Private Wealth Canada, to explore what it really takes to lead with impact in today’s evolving world.

From transparency and trust to systemic change and sponsorship over mentorship, Craig shares how he's helping shift the finance industry—one honest conversation at a time.

Together, they dive into Malcolm Gladwell’s Revenge of the Tipping Point, discuss what legacy leadership looks like, and reflect on why empathy, courage, and accountability must be at the core of business strategy. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to lead with both head and heart, this conversation is for you.

Featuring: Craig Meeds, Head of BMO Private Wealth Canada

Topics: Trust, equity in leadership, sponsorship, systems change, empathy in action

Bonus: A little Ted Lasso wisdom (because football is life)

"In the end, we are all stories — so let’s make it a good one."

In this special solo season finale, I open up about the journey that shaped me: from immigrating to Canada, to navigating a childhood where I never felt I belonged, to breaking generational cycles as a mother, to walking away from a 16-year career to launch Catalais Consulting and the Tune Up Your Warrior podcast.

🎧 What you won’t hear: perfection, watered-down lip service, platitudes, or empty buzzwords.💡 What you will hear: truth, vulnerability, and the story of a warrior who found her voice — and chose to use it.

This is not a story about pain — it’s about the spark that inspires change.

I share why I believe respecting people as human beings is the foundation of every thriving business, why leaders need to evolve with the world we live in today, and the powerful lessons I’ve learned from my Season One guests.

Whether you’re a leader, a changemaker, or someone navigating your own transformation, I hope this episode sparks something in you.

Season 2 drops September 10.Thank you for being here.This podcast is as much yours as it is mine.

🎙 Hosted by Jenny Chen

🌐 Learn more: ⁠catalais.com⁠

📩 Consulting inquiries: jenny@catalais.com