Leslie Anderson | Rising to Excellence: Leadership, Resilience, and the Cost of Silence

Leslie Anderson | Rising to Excellence: Leadership, Resilience, and the Cost of Silence

In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny sits down with Leslie J. Anderson, a senior financial services leader, 2024 VersaFi Champion of Change, cancer survivor, and someone whose leadership has left a lasting impact on the people around her. VersaFi’s Champions of Change Award recognizes leaders helping advance women in Canadian finance, and Leslie’s recognition reflects the advocacy and sponsorship she has brought to the industry. For Jenny, this conversation is deeply personal. During one of the hardest chapters of her career, when she was navigating discrimination and trying to make sense of what she was experiencing, Leslie was one of the people who reached out to check in. And she shared a line that has stayed with Jenny ever since: “Mediocrity breeds mediocrity. Mediocre people will always try to pull you down to their level. But all we can do is rise to our excellence.” That moment became part of the standard Jenny still holds herself to today. That same story and quote sit at the center of your episode intro draft. Together, they talk about meaningful leadership in inclusion, the difference between performative support and real advocacy, the cost of leadership, the resilience required to hold onto your sense of self in environments that do not always make space for your excellence, and the difficult question of why some leaders go silent when things get hard. They also explore what accountable systems actually look like, what courage requires in today’s climate, and what it means to keep rising in environments that try to shrink you. Those themes are all built directly into your episode outline. This is a conversation about excellence, integrity, resilience, and the kind of leadership that refuses to go quiet.

Josh Dorfman | The Climate Economy Is Already Here

What if climate action did not have to feel like sacrifice? In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, I sit down with Josh Dorfman for a conversation about climate innovation, sustainability, and why the future does not have to be framed as deprivation in order to be meaningful. Josh brings both deep professional credibility and a refreshingly practical lens to this conversation. He has spent years working at the intersection of climate, business, and innovation, and now helps spotlight companies that are proving sustainability can be both scalable and profitable. In our conversation, he shares his personal origin story, including how time spent in China sparked a deeper awareness of the challenge of raising living standards sustainably on a finite planet. What I appreciated most about this conversation is that Josh bridges something so many people struggle with, myself included: the gap between knowing climate change matters and feeling like the solutions are either too complicated, too political, or too daunting to really understand. Together, we talk about why climate solutions are often mistakenly framed as suffering and sacrifice, when in reality, many of the most exciting innovations are about efficiency, profitability, and building a better future. Josh shares examples like Planted, a company he built with two former SpaceX engineers that turns perennial grass into carbon-negative building materials, and BrainBox AI, which helps make buildings more energy efficient at scale. We also talk about electrification, renewable energy, electric vehicles, the role of business in driving change, and why the most effective climate conversations are often the ones that meet people where they are. This is a conversation about innovation, accessibility, practicality, and the opportunity to reframe climate action as something hopeful, smart, and achievable. To learn more about Josh and his work, visit: https://getsuper.cool/about/https://getsuper.cool/about/ [https://getsuper.cool/about/]

Marc Forgette | Reconciliation Through Identity, Belonging, and Building Forward

In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny sits down with Marc Forgette, an Anishinaabe educator, speaker, and founder of Makatew Workshops. Marc is a proud member of the Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, belongs to the Bear Clan, and is currently learning the language. Through his work with Makatew Workshops, he leads cultural awareness workshops, speaking engagements, and conversations focused on Indigenous education, inclusion, and reconciliation in practice. Together, Jenny and Marc explore Indigenous culture, reconciliation, and how we create safer, more human spaces for learning. Marc shares the story behind launching Makatew Workshops six and a half years ago after noticing a lack of Indigenous representation in hospitality conferences, and how that work has grown into creating spaces where people can learn through hands-on experiences, ask honest questions, and build deeper understanding. They also discuss what genuine reconciliation looks like in practice, the distinction between cultural appreciation and appropriation, and why land acknowledgments only matter when they are delivered with care, authenticity, and intention. Marc emphasizes that reconciliation requires both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples working together, and that meaningful learning often begins with courage, curiosity, and a willingness to ask questions without shame. The conversation also highlights how powwows, Indigenous cuisine, and community spaces can offer meaningful ways for everyone to experience and appreciate Indigenous culture firsthand while supporting Indigenous businesses and relationships in the process. Marc also invites listeners to check out the Summer Solstice Powwow, taking place June 20 and 21 at Wesley Clover Park, 401 Corkstown Road. Everyone is welcome. This is a thoughtful, forward-looking conversation about culture, connection, reconciliation, and the kind of understanding that grows when people are willing to engage with openness and respect. To learn more about Marc, visit: https://www.makatew.ca/ [https://www.makatew.ca/]

Trevor Lui & Abby Albino | Expanding the Narrative: Identity, Belonging, and Being Asian on Our Own Terms

Expanding the Narrative is a live AAPI Heritage Month panel recorded at STACKT’s Asian Night Market. In this special episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny Chen is joined by Trevor Lui and Abby Albino for an honest, layered, funny, and thoughtful conversation about identity, belonging, visibility, stereotypes, mental health stigma, representation, and what it means to take up space on our own terms. Trevor Lui is an entrepreneur, chef, author, and hospitality leader whose work has helped shape the cultural and culinary landscape of Toronto. As President and CEO of Highbell Hospitality Group, co-founder of Quell, and Chair of Destination Toronto, he brings a powerful lens on storytelling, community-building, and creating spaces where culture is truly valued. Abby Albino is a brand strategist, builder, and community-minded leader whose work sits at the intersection of sport, culture, and purpose. Through her leadership in brand and business strategy and her work as co-founder of Makeway, she brings a thoughtful perspective on identity, belonging, and building platforms that reflect people more honestly and fully. Together, they explore family expectations, cultural pride, the tension between fitting in and fully being yourself, and the importance of making room for fuller, more nuanced Asian stories. This is not a performative conversation. It is a real one. The kind that opens doors, widens the room, and reminds us there is no one way to be Asian. Special thanks to STACKT, Highbell Hospitality Group, Quell Now Inc., ALLNXNE Productions Inc., Isaac Bobb, Brian Tong, and MILO’s Doan Nguyen for helping bring this live recording to life.

Karen Ta | Beyond the Bamboo Ceiling: Why Intersectionality in Leadership Matters

In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny sits down with Karen Ta for a thoughtful conversation about intersectionality, identity, and why leadership conversations fall short when they treat women or Asian professionals as a monolith. Karen Ta is passionate about helping those who feel invisible become visible so they can break through doors and ceilings. While she is best known for her role in leading a Women in Leadership program at PwC Canada, she is also an Associate Certified Coach, a Chartered Professional Accountant, and a Certified Training and Development Professional, bringing a unique blend of active listening, strategic thinking, and creative problem-solving to the way she supports others. Together, Jenny and Karen explore why the corporate world so often groups people together in ways that erase nuance, why the “bamboo ceiling” conversation needs to evolve, and how Asian women navigate the compounded realities of race, gender, culture, and visibility in leadership. They also talk about the tension of being Canadian-born Chinese versus immigrant Chinese, the feeling of never being “Asian enough” or “Western enough,” and the need for organizations to move beyond representation counts toward real power, sponsorship, and structural change. Those themes are central to the episode outline as well, especially the call to move past numbers and simplistic diversity framing toward actual leadership transformation. This is a layered, honest conversation about identity, belonging, leadership, and what it takes to stop waiting for permission to lead.