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

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.

Sarah Chamberlin | Storytelling, Stigma, and Why Discomfort Is Necessary for Change

On this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny sits down with Sarah Chamberlin, communications strategist and founder of Pin Drop Communications. With a background in leading complex communications in high-impact environments, Sarah brings a grounded, real-world perspective on how organizations navigate reputation, leadership, and trust in moments that matter most. This conversation explores: * What effective communication actually looks like in high-stakes environments * The gap between intention and impact in leadership messaging * How organizations can build trust instead of just managing optics * The emotional and human side of communications work that often goes unseen * Why clarity, accountability, and courage matter more than polished messaging Sarah also shares her journey into launching her own consulting practice, and what it means to step into ownership of your voice, your work, and your impact. This is a conversation about leadership, communication, and the systems behind both, not just what we say, but how and why we say it. Learn more about Sarah and her work here: http://pindropcomms.com/ [http://pindropcomms.com/]

Christopher Tse | Reclaiming Voice: Silence, Identity, and the Asian Diaspora

For the second episode in Tune Up Your Warrior’s three-episode Season 4 opener for AAPI Heritage Month, Jenny sits down with Christopher Tse for a powerful conversation about silence, identity, diaspora, and reclaiming voice. Christopher Tse is an educator, organizer, and writer based in Whitehorse, Yukon. According to the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, he has spent 15 years working alongside community leaders on decolonization, environmental justice, migrant advocacy, and structural racism. He is also a former runner-up at the Poetry Slam World Cup and teaches social work at the University of Victoria. Together, Jenny and Christopher explore how silence has functioned in Asian communities as both a survival strategy and a form of resistance, how the model minority myth has reinforced expectations of quietness and compliance, and why the Asian diaspora cannot be treated as a monolith. They also talk about art as resistance, storytelling as truth-telling, and the tension between assimilation and solidarity. We close the episode through the spirit of Eyes Open, Chris' widely shared anti-Asian racism PSA/poem written and narrated for Asian Heritage Month. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGQtaCyp8f8 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGQtaCyp8f8 ] This episode is personal, thoughtful, and deeply relevant for anyone who has ever felt the tension between belonging and authenticity, between adaptation and erasure, and between inherited silence and reclaimed voice.