What if failure isn’t the end, but the gateway to your true identity?

Entrepreneur and storyteller Hussein Hallak shares how rejection, imposter syndrome, and honest feedback shaped the leader and creator he is today. From being overlooked for a creative director role in Dubai to rebuilding his life in Canada, Hussein’s story is one of radical ownership and reinvention.

In this episode, Hussein and Jenny explore:

🎨 How rejection and imposter syndrome became catalysts for reinvention
🧠 The power of storytelling as proof of value — and why Hussein started his LinkedIn newsletter during a career transition
📰 How that same instinct inspired Jenny’s CEO Corner newsletter, using storytelling to make complex, human work visible
💬 The leadership feedback that changed everything — when serial entrepreneur Rob Craig helped Hussein see the gap between good intentions and real impact
🌍 Why authenticity and connection matter more than titles or credentials
❤️ The lesson that not everyone will like you — and why that’s a sign you’re showing up as your true self

Whether you’re navigating change, redefining success, or learning to own your story — this episode is a masterclass in growth, humility, and the art of becoming who you already are.

🎧 Listen, reflect, and share.

Learn more about Hussein’s work at https://www.husseinhallak.com/

✨ Courage isn’t always loud — it’s the whisper that sparks change. ✨

In this week’s Tune Up Your Warrior episode, I sat down with Lindiwe Davis — Global Organizational Effectiveness and People Engagement Leader at Google, founder of FutureState Collective, and an award-winning culture shifter whose work continues to redefine what leadership looks like when it’s grounded in humanity, courage, and truth.

From her storytelling projects like A Stranger Down the Hall to her upcoming podcast They Tried It, Lindiwe’s voice is powerful and unshakable — proof that courage can be both gentle and fierce at the same time.

What she said about not letting others paralyze you into a little box — into these stereotypes just to make them feel comfortable about you — hit me hard. Because I’ve been there. I’ve felt that pressure to make myself smaller so others could stay comfortable. But the truth is, real change doesn’t come from shrinking. It comes from standing fully in who you are, even when the world isn’t ready for it.

Like Lindiwe, I’ve learned that courage means putting yourself on the line — your comfort, your promotion, even your stability — when you see something that isn’t right. It’s not about being an ally who notices what’s wrong. It’s about being a warrior — someone who won’t stop until it’s made right.

💡 My Takeaways from this Episode:

✨ Leadership comes with a cost — but silence costs more.

✨ Representation creates ripples that redefine belonging.

✨ Culture work is human work — values have to live in action.

✨ Courage is contagious — one act can ignite many.

Because as Lindiwe says, “Our inner thug is stronger than you think.” And for those who treat others badly? Karma always finds its way back. 😉

And I couldn’t agree more.

Learn more about Lindiwe here: https://www.lindiwedavis.com/

#TuneUpYourWarrior #CourageWhisperer #LeadershipWithIntegrity #CourageInAction #WarriorMindset #SystemsChange #HumanLeadership #RepresentationMatters #FutureStateCollective

Season Three of Tune Up Your Warrior kicks off with a conversation that feels both timely and deeply personal.

My guest is Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, a lifelong Ottawan and the leader of Canada’s capital at a moment of real change and opportunity.

Before entering municipal politics, Mayor Sutcliffe spent more than three decades as an award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, mentor, and community builder. He covered public life, built and led businesses, advised leaders across sectors, and served on boards that shape Ottawa’s social, cultural, and economic fabric.

Today, he brings that experience to city leadership with a focus on collaboration, clarity, and long-term impact. From accelerating housing supply and advancing the goal of ending youth homelessness by 2030, to working across levels of government to reduce barriers and modernize how cities operate, his approach centers on moving from arbitrary “no” to thoughtful “how.”

In this episode, we talk about:
• Leading through complexity when change takes time
• Why cross-sector collaboration matters more than ever
• Building trust in moments of uncertainty
• What it means to plan for the next generation, not just the next headline

This is a conversation about leadership that makes things make sense. About collaboration over criticism. And about building a future-ready city that reflects the people shaping it.

Whether you care about housing, community, leadership, or the future of cities, this episode invites you to listen, reflect, and stay curious about what’s possible when progress is grounded in people.

You can learn more about all the great work Mayor Sutcliffe is doing here: https://marksutcliffe.ca/

This special season finale brings together two women who refuse to shrink themselves to fit into the world — and instead choose to make the world bigger, kinder, and more human.

Soula Burrell, Director of Member Services & Engagement at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association, joins me for a conversation that feels like home.

In her role at GOHBA, Soula is the bridge between builders, developers, and community partners — strengthening relationships, amplifying member voices, and helping move the housing conversation forward with honesty, empathy, and connection.

Soula and I talk about identity, culture, leadership, breaking down mean-girl energy, taking up space with heart, and learning to build a life you’re proud of at any age. We also talk about reclaiming heritage, the power of breaking bread, and why real sisterhood doesn’t ask you to be less — it holds space for you to be more.

It’s the perfect way to close out Season 2 before we return January 14, 2026.

To learn more about Soula, visit her LinkedIn here.

As the holiday season approaches, Supply and Demand prepares to close for their annual winter break — a practice that might surprise people but perfectly reflects the heart of how Jennifer and Steve Wall run their restaurant: with intention, empathy, and sustainability at the core.

In this conversation, they share how they’re reshaping what hospitality means — not just for guests, but for the people who make it all possible behind the scenes.
We talk about:
🍝 Why closing five weeks a year (including Christmas, August & March Break) has become a non-negotiable part of staff wellbeing
💬 How they navigate an industry where service workers still face unacceptable rudeness — and the culture they’ve built to protect and uplift their team
💪 The quiet resilience it takes to run a family, a marriage, and a restaurant that’s still fully booked every weekend in a city of under a million people

It’s a story about leading with heart, standing up for people, and proving that sustainability isn’t just an environmental goal — it’s the key ingredient to lasting success.

🎙️ Come for the food stories; stay for the lesson in leadership and humanity. To reserve a spot for your next night out in Ottawa, visit https://www.supplyanddemandfoods.ca/

What happens when two best friends decide to build a life together—right at the start of a pandemic, amidst personal heartbreak, and with a stage-four cancer diagnosis in the background?

In this intimate and honest episode, Jenny is joined by her husband Dan, as they share the story of how their friendship became love, how they navigated uncertainty together, and why they chose couples counselling from the very beginning of their relationship.

Together, they talk about:

💬 The difference between learning how to love—and learning how to navigate conflict

🧠 Why counselling doesn’t mean something’s wrong, but that you’re doing something right

❤️‍🩹 Breaking the stigma around relationship support and proactive care

😂 And some light-hearted moments—including what annoys Dan the most (yes, we went there)

This isn’t just a love story. It’s a story about choosing one another—intentionally, imperfectly, and with commitment to growing side by side.

🎧 Listen now for a real look at what relationship work can look like—messy, meaningful, and absolutely worth it.

Duong Hoang’s story is the ultimate Ottawa glow-up.

He grew up in Chinatown, always trying to find where he fit in. Years later, that search for belonging turned into a mission to create it—for everyone.

From building spaces like Standard Luxe Tavern, Stay Gold Pizza, and now Good Neighbour, Duong has redefined what community feels like. Whether you’re a local regular, an entrepreneur, or an NHL superstar (which he calls a few his good friends), when you walk through his doors, you’re home.

What started as slinging Detroit-style pizza out the back of a bar during the pandemic has exploded into a globally recognized Stay Gold experience, drawing fans from across the world.

Now, he’s sprinkling that same magic into the holidays with Sippin' Santa and Miracle on Elgin—two festive pop-ups that prove you can’t have a bad time in a Christmas-themed anything.

This episode dives into how Duong built belonging out of hustle, creativity, and heart—and how radical hospitality became his superpower.

🎧 Listen now and get in on the holiday cheer before it’s too late—tables available on Resy and OpenTable.

Most people are intimidated by wine—not because they don’t love it, but because they don’t know where to start. The language, the labels, the culture… it can feel exclusive, even snobbish. But what if someone could help you discover your love of wine by meeting you exactly where you are?

In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny sits down with her good friend Ryan Tapping, Division Manager at Profile Wine Group and former capital markets pro who found his way to the world of wine through life-altering adversity—including surviving cancer and choosing to rebuild around passion and purpose.

Ryan is one of the most down-to-earth, generous storytellers in the industry. He doesn’t come from hospitality—he comes from finance and marketing. And maybe that’s what makes him so good at what he does. His love of wine is grounded in curiosity and connection, not competition or critique.

Together, Jenny and Ryan explore:

• The journey from capital markets to cabernets

• How surviving cancer reshaped Ryan’s definition of a good life

• The beauty of wine as a cultural, global, and deeply human experience

• Why wine doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful

• How trade, tariffs, and global tensions quietly shape what ends up on your table

• And Ryan’s fall/winter wine picks: a red, a white, and a sparkling for every type of drinker
  

This episode is about wine—but it’s also about resilience, reinvention, and how we can all learn to appreciate the world through someone else’s glass.