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 affordability

• Why regulation must shift from blocker to enabler

• How innovation happens when certainty, speed, and trust align

• Why designing for belonging — including inclusive housing for seniors and marginalized communities — makes outcomes better for everyone

  
  

This isn’t about ideology.

It’s about building housing that ages well, supports community, and reflects the realities of the people who live here.

If you care about cities that work — now and 20 years from now — this conversation is for you.

To learn more about GOHBA and the work they do, visit https://www.gohba.ca/

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 TFO, Rebelles tells the stories of courageous Canadian women and their "FU moments" who challenged power, resisted assimilation, and reshaped our world — even when photos, records, or recognition barely existed. In some cases, there were only a handful of images. In others, none at all.

Rather than letting history disappear, Renée and her team made a deliberate choice: use emerging AI tools not to erase artists, but to restore visibility to women whose stories were nearly lost. Through painstaking experimentation, patience, and artistic intent, Rebelles uses AI as a bridge — filling gaps left by history while honoring truth, context, and creative integrity.

This conversation is also deeply personal for me. Tune Up Your Warrior was created because I was once told to “tone down” my voice after naming inequities that made people uncomfortable. But history doesn’t move forward through comfort. It moves when stories are told — especially the ones we tried to silence.

As this episode airs in alignment with International Women’s Day, it’s a reminder that when we stop talking about the past, we start taking progress for granted. And what we take for granted can disappear.

This episode is about courage, storytelling, and why the women who challenged power still matter — now more than ever.

Watch the Rebelles series here.

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 and gas to entrepreneurship, the lessons he learned from burnout and growth, and why he believes the future of engineering—and leadership more broadly—depends on communication, trust, and culture. We explore how removing unnecessary layers can help organizations move with greater speed and integrity, why representation in engineering still matters, and how leaders can create environments where both people and performance thrive.

This episode also reflects on breaking stereotypes—about engineers, leadership styles, and who belongs in technical spaces—and invites listeners to rethink what strong leadership actually looks like in a rapidly evolving world.

If you’re a leader, builder, or someone interested in designing systems that work better for people and business, this conversation will resonate.

To find out more about Daniel and the work he does at Ultimus, visit https://ultimus.engineering/

⚠️ 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 — when families and young people are left carrying the weight of that harm.

This conversation is rooted in the life and legacy of Jamie Hubley, Allan’s son, whose story continues to shape how our community talks about bullying, responsibility, and care.

Jamie’s legacy continues through the Jamie Hubley Memorial Scholarship, which supports Ottawa youth pursuing post-secondary education with a connection to mental health — through lived experience, advocacy, or future care work.

It’s about ensuring lived experience is recognized as strength, and that young people have pathways forward, not barriers.

To learn more about the Jamie Hubley Memorial Scholarship or to apply before March 31, visit ysb.ca.

We also talk about breaking cycles.

Just because someone was treated a certain way in the past doesn’t mean they’re destined to repeat that behaviour. In fact, it creates a powerful opportunity to choose differently — to decide that no one else should ever feel the way you once did.

This episode launches February 25, in recognition of Canada’s Day of Pink.

It’s not about blame. It’s about responsibility. And it’s about understanding that every one of us has more influence than we think.

🎧 Episode is out now: https://linktr.ee/catalais

If this conversation brings up anything difficult for you or someone you love, support is available:

📞 Talk Suicide Canada: Call or text 988 (24/7, Canada-wide)

📞 Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa: 613-260-2360 / ysb.ca

If you’re outside Canada, please reach out to local emergency services or a trusted mental health provider in your area. You are not alone.

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 about food, identity, belonging, and the stories that shape us. Trevor is known for using food as a tool for connection, inclusion, and cultural truth telling. He builds belonging one table at a time, and this conversation is no exception.

We recorded this episode in Trevor’s space, filmed by our friend Brian Tong, after Trevor quite literally made room for me at his table. That detail matters. Because food is never just food. It carries history, memory, power, and often pain.

In this conversation, we explore:
• How food racism shows up in both subtle and overt ways, and why naming it matters
• Our shared experience growing up in traditional Chinese households, and how our relationship with heritage has evolved over time
• What it means to be part of the generation now carrying the voices of forgotten Chinese communities in Canada and the United States — telling the full story, both the pride and the harm, so history is not repeated

As this episode airs during Lunar New Year, it feels especially meaningful. This is a time rooted in reflection, renewal, and honoring those who came before us. It’s about remembering where we come from, reclaiming stories that were never fully told, and shaping a future grounded in dignity, truth, and belonging.

This is a conversation about culture, courage, and what happens when we choose to remember — and speak up.

To learn more about Trevor Lui:
https://quellnow.com/profile/trevor_lui/

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 seen authentically matters more than ever.

Jenny shares her own journey with headshots — from DIY kitchen photo shoots to rushed sessions that left her unseen — and how meeting Lindsey transformed not just her photos, but her confidence.

Together, they explore:
✨ Why headshots are about visibility, not vanity
✨ How authentic images can shift both perception and self-belief
✨ The role of presence and storytelling in personal branding
✨ Practical tips for taking better photos (even at home!)

Lindsey reminds us that a strong photo isn’t about looking perfect — it’s about being seen the way you want to be seen.

🎧 Tune in to discover how to show up more confidently, intentionally, and authentically — both online and in life.

Learn more about Lindsey and her work here.

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 Tax, which launched January 6. In this timely conversation airing February 4, just ahead of her Toronto book launch, Renée breaks down the hidden costs of singledom and the practical, no-nonsense ways solo earners can build security, confidence, and freedom on their own terms.

This episode lands in the heart of Valentine’s season, but it takes a different approach. This is not about being anti-relationship. It is about agency, advocacy, and understanding that coupling does not make someone more worthy of stability, adulthood, or belonging.

I also share my own lived experience of spending most of my life in relationships, missing a “single chapter” because of timing, divorce, COVID, and later choosing to marry my best friend during his cancer journey. Together, we unpack why these conversations matter even if you have never been single yourself.

In this episode, we explore:

• What the “singles tax” really is and why it exists

• The policy and workplace blind spots that disadvantage solo earners

• Financial independence as self-trust, not selfishness

• Aging, care, and community without default assumptions

• How to advocate for fairer systems without waiting for permission

This is a conversation about money, yes. But more than that, it is about dignity, choice, and redefining what a full, secure life can look like.

To find out more about Renée, visit https://budgette.substack.com/

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 & Managing Partner of OSEG, Roger’s influence stretches across governance, community-building, sports, and philanthropy. He is also a Member of the Order of Canada and a proud recipient of multiple civic and industry awards — all recognizing his decades of service and leadership.

But behind the titles is a leader defined by something far more enduring: humanity.

In this conversation, Roger opens up about:

• The true meaning of legacy — not buildings or balance sheets, but people

• What it takes to lead with humility, curiosity, and respect

• How honest management and governance shape thriving organizations

• The real story behind Lansdowne 2.0 and why context matters more than headlines

• Ottawa’s future as our population races toward 1.6 million by 2046

• Why saying “no” too quickly slows progress — and how we can build differently

Through decades of leadership, philanthropy, and community-building, Roger embodies a kind of quiet influence that shapes cities from the inside out.

This episode invites listeners to rethink what it means to build legacy — and what becomes possible when we replace knee-jerk criticism with curiosity, facts, and collaboration.