Episodes
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Tom Wright, General Director of Vancouver Opera, to explore what it takes to lead a centuries-old art form through a period of rapid cultural, economic, and technological change. Tom shares how a childhood immersed in music and theatre evolved into a lifelong career in arts leadership, and how his experiences across Canada and the United States shaped his approach to innovation, audience development, and cultural stewardship.
We unpack the financial realities facing arts organizations, the challenge of balancing artistic risk with sustainability, and why opera continues to resonate in an era defined by algorithms, fragmented attention, and shifting cultural expectations. Tom discusses the importance of community engagement, Indigenous partnerships, arts education, and creating pathways for the next generation of performers, creators, and audiences.
From reimagining audience access to advocating for arts infrastructure in Vancouver, this conversation explores why culture remains essential to civic life and what it means to preserve tradition while embracing change.
Featuring
Tom Wright
General Director
â Vancouver OperaâTom Wright is the General Director of Vancouver Opera, one of Canada's leading opera companies and the largest professional opera company in Western Canada. With more than two decades of senior arts leadership experience across Canada and the United States, he has overseen the creation of more than 50 opera productions and guided Vancouver Opera through a period of significant transformation. His leadership has included navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding audience engagement, advancing Indigenous partnerships, and advocating for new arts infrastructure in Vancouver. Raised in North Vancouver and trained at the Banff School of Fine Arts, Tom is a passionate advocate for opera as a living, evolving art form and cultural beacon.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
â Skyrocket DigitalâSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator, and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand, and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformation
Instagram: â https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod/
LinkedIn: â https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod
X: â https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: â https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypodâ
Presented by â Skyrocket Digitalâ
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Radha Curpen, Group Head of ESG and Sustainability at McMillan LLP to explore the growing tension between corporate sustainability, political polarization, and economic growth. Radha shares how an unconventional career spanning environmental law, Indigenous relations, crisis management, and cross-border corporate governance shaped her systems-based approach to leadership, risk, and resilience.
We unpack why ESG became politically fragile, how companies can navigate rising expectations without falling into performative reporting, and why governance is what makes sustainability durable.
Featuring
Radha Curpen
Group Head of ESG and SustainabilityMcMillan LLP
Radha Curpen is Group Head of ESG and Sustainability at McMillan LLP, where she advises leading organizations on environmental law, Indigenous relations, corporate governance, crisis management, and sustainability strategy. She has spent over three decades helping major energy, mining, infrastructure, and industrial companies navigate complex regulatory systems and high-stakes operational risk. She is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading ESG and environmental lawyers and is known for her work at the intersection of law, governance, resilience, and economic development.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket DigitalSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator, and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand, and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
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High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and TransformationInstagram: @highagencypod on Instagram
LinkedIn: High Agency on LinkedIn
X: @highagencypod on X
TikTok: @highagencypod on TikTok—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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Missing episodes?
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Sue Paish, CEO of DIGITAL, to explore why Canada struggles to turn world-class research into globally competitive companies, and what it takes to change that. Sue reflects on an unconventional career spanning law, healthcare, diagnostics, and national innovation, sharing how repeated leaps into unfamiliar territory shaped her approach to leadership, risk, and collaboration.
We unpack how DIGITAL built one of Canada’s most ambitious innovation ecosystems by prioritizing outcomes over process, and why trust-based networks, fast decision-making, and coordinated action became critical during COVID-19. The conversation also explores Canadian business culture, the tension between caution and ambition, and why Sue believes the country’s future depends on becoming bolder, more accountable, and more willing to back winners.
Featuring
Sue Paish
CEODIGITAL
https://digitalsupercluster.ca/
Sue Paish is the CEO of DIGITAL, Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster, where she leads collaborative innovation among over 1,700 Canadian organizations. Under her leadership, DIGITAL has driven remarkable outcomes, including 750+ IP assets, 190+ commercial products, $1.4 billion in follow-on investment, and $4.5 billion in projected five-year revenue for member companies. She champions partnerships across industry, public sector, and community organizations to develop transformative digital solutions in natural resources, life sciences, and talent development.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket DigitalSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformation
Instagram: â https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod/
LinkedIn: â https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod
X: â https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: â https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod
—Presented by Skyrocket Digital
â â Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Ian MacKinnon, serial entrepreneur and cybersecurity expert, to unpack the realities of building and protecting products at scale. Ian traces his journey from a scrappy 2014 hackathon project to co-founding Later, which grew into one of the most widely used Instagram marketing platforms in the world, serving over 6 million brands before its acquisition in 2022.
He reflects on the early chaos of startup life, including a near-catastrophic database failure that forced him to confront the fragility of fast-moving systems, and how that moment reshaped his thinking around risk, resilience, and responsibility. We explore the tension between speed and security, and why many high-growth companies underestimate the cost of getting it wrong.
Ian introduces his current work at Stingray Security, where heâs focused on protecting users from increasingly sophisticated scams and phishing attacks. The conversation expands into the evolving threat landscape, the psychology behind social engineering, and why people remain the most exploited layer in modern systems.
This episode also examines the mindset required to move between building and defending technology, the discipline of anticipating failure, and the importance of embedding security into products from the very beginning. At its core, itâs about navigating growth with awareness, understanding where systems break, and building with a deeper sense of accountability in an increasingly risky digital world.
Featuring
Ian MacKinnon
Co-founder
Later.comIan MacKinnon is a serial entrepreneur and cybersecurity expert currently serving as Founder of Stingray Security, where he focuses on protecting users from online scams and phishing threats. He previously co-founded Later.com, transforming a 2014 hackathon project into the leading Instagram marketing platform serving over 6 million brands before its acquisition in 2022. A CISSP-certified professional, Ian holds a Bachelor's and Master's in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo and a Master's in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford. He actively mentors startups and continues to teach coding at bootcamps.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket DigitalSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformation
Instagram: â https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod/
LinkedIn: â https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod
X: â https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: â https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod
âPresented by Skyrocket Digital
â â Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with ChloĂ« Swain, Founder and CEO of FutureTwin, to explore how young people can navigate an uncertain future, and what it means to come of age in a world where AI is constantly reshaping careers. ChloĂ« traces the origins of her work to Indigenous communities, where elders serve as pillars of knowledge and guidance. She reflects on the absence of that intergenerational connection today, and how that gap, alongside under-resourced education systems, leaves many students making life-defining decisions with limited support. We unpack the shortcomings of traditional career guidance and the growing mismatch between education and the future of work. She introduces FutureTwin: AI-powered digital counterparts designed to help individuals explore multiple possible futures. These âtwinsâ extend mentorship, offering ongoing guidance across education, career decisions, and personal growth. This conversation also explores the weight of uncertainty, the tension between opportunity and anxiety in the age of AI, and the importance of learning to work with emerging technologies. At its core, itâs about expanding possibilities, rethinking how we make decisions, access opportunity, and shape more intentional futures.
Featuring
Chloë Swain
Founder & CEO
FutureTwinChloë Swain is the Founder and CEO of FutureTwin, an innovative company pioneering AI-powered digital twin technology. Based in Canada, she leads the development of cutting-edge solutions that create intelligent digital replicas to transform how businesses and individuals interact with artificial intelligence. With a passion for emerging technologies and entrepreneurial vision, Chloë is dedicated to shaping the future of human-AI collaboration. Her leadership at FutureTwin reflects her commitment to building transformative tools that bridge the gap between people and their digital counterparts.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket DigitalSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypodâ
Presented by Skyrocket Digitalâ â Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Joanna Chiu, award-winning journalist, author of China Unbound, and co-founder and managing partner of Nüora Global Advisors, to explore how geopolitics shows up in everyday life, especially for diaspora communities living between worlds. Chiu reflects on her path from growing up in suburban Canada to reporting on the ground in Hong Kong and Beijing, driven by a deep sense of connection to a place she was taught to leave behind.
We unpack the limits of “neutrality” in media, the persistent flattening of complex regions like China into simplified narratives, and why diverse lived experience is often dismissed rather than valued. Chiu shares how disinformation flows in multiple directions, how Western institutions routinely misread global power dynamics, and why nuance is often the first casualty in both journalism and policy.
This conversation also examines the quiet realities of foreign interference, the uneven attention given to different communities, and the emotional weight carried by those whose identities are entangled in geopolitical conflict. Chiu offers a candid look at the structural decline of international reporting, the risks faced by journalists covering sensitive issues, and her transition into building a consultancy designed to bring deeper, more applied understanding to global affairs.
This is a conversation about identity, power, and perception. About what gets lost when complexity is stripped away, and what it takes to rebuild a more honest, informed view of the world.
Featuring
Joanna Chiu
Managing Partner
Nüora Global Advisors
https://www.nuoraglobal.com/
Joanna Chiu is an award-winning journalist, author, internationally recognized expert on China, and Managing Partner at Nüora Global Advisors. She's reported for The Economist, AFP, The Guardian, and South China Morning Post, while providing broadcast analysis for BBC World, NPR, and Al Jazeera.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram:
â https://instagram.com/highagencypodâ
LinkedIn:
â https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/â
X:
â https://x.com/highagencypodâ
TikTok:
â https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypodâ
—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
â https://skyrockdigital.com/â
â â Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Gabrielle Martin, Artistic Director of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and a leader reshaping how we gather, experience, and make meaning through art.
From performing over 1,400 shows as a circus artist to leading one of Canada’s most boundary-pushing festivals, Gabrielle’s work sits at the intersection of creative risk, cultural exchange, and embodied practice. She believes live performance remains one of the last true ritual spaces for connection in a fragmented world.
In this conversation, Gabrielle explores the tension between will and agency, the role of art in times of crisis, and what it means to lead with instinct while programming for the “culturally fearless.”
A conversation about risk, responsibility, and the power of art to expand how we see the world, and each other.
Featuring
Gabrielle Martin
Artistic Director
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
Gabrielle Martin is an executive arts and culture leader with over 20 years of experience guiding organizations through transformation. As Artistic Director of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, she co-leads this $2M organization, shaping its artistic, strategic, and financial direction. In 2025, she received the Canada Council's John Hobday Award in Arts Management, recognizing her exceptional leadership trajectory. With advanced French proficiency and deep cross-sector expertise, Gabrielle is dedicated to creating purposeful experiences that foster connection, belonging, and imagination—believing live performance remains one of society's vital ritual spaces for renewal.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod/?viewAsMember=true
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod
—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Dominic Wong, Managing Director of Invoke, to explore what it really means to design at the intersection of craft, commerce, and emerging technology.
Dominic reflects on Invokeâs evolution from its early association with Hootsuite to its renewed focus on building zero-to-one digital products for founders, startups, and innovation teams. We unpack the tension between design as decoration and design as strategy, why great designers must act as translators between business, engineering, and user needs, and how âgood designâ isnât about polish, itâs about delivering meaningful value.
The conversation dives into perennial industry debates: Should designers code? How much should data shape decisions? How do you avoid designing by committee? Dominic shares his perspective on mentorship in a hybrid world, the shift from hard skills to discernment and systems thinking, and why the future belongs to designers who can think, not just execute.
Featuring
Dominic Wong
Managing Director
Invoke
Dominic Wong is the Managing Director at Invoke, a digital consultancy, bringing over 20 years of experience as a multi-disciplinary product designer. He has collaborated with global brands, startups, and founders to create compelling digital product experiences from discovery through launch. His expertise spans interaction design, UX/UI, and complete product lifecycle management. Known for connecting teams, simplifying processes, and leading design sprints, Dominic excels at honing product visions and validating solutions with real users.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: / highagencypod
LinkedIn: / high-agency-pod
X:https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: / highagencypod
â
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Dr. Gagan Wig, cognitive neuroscientist and program head at The University of Texas and director of the Wig Neuroimaging Lab, to explore how the brain reorganizes itself over time, and what that means for memory, aging, and cognitive health. Dr. Wig unpacks the reconstructive nature of memory, the network-based architecture of the brain, and why aging isnât simply decline but a complex rebalancing of strengths and vulnerabilities. We discuss groundbreaking research showing how socioeconomic conditions and environment can shape brain health decades before symptoms appear, challenging assumptions about genetic destiny. This is a conversation about plasticity, resilience, and the science of understanding change, in the brain, in society, and in ourselves.
Featuring
Dr. Gagan Wig
Program Head
The University of Texas
Gagan is the director of the Wig Neuroimaging Lab. He is an associate professor in the Center for Vital Longevity and School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas, and in the Department of Psychiatry at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Prior to moving to Texas, Gagan completed his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience at Dartmouth College followed by post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard University and Washington University School of Medicine.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: / highagencypod
LinkedIn: / high-agency-pod
X:https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: / highagencypod
â
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with actor, producer, and vertical microdrama consultant Alicia Read to explore the rapidly changing world of storytelling and the personal journey that led her to its cutting edge. From growing up immersed in the arts to navigating careers in entertainment and luxury brand consulting, Alicia reflects on the experiences that shaped her resilience, ambition, and passion for narrative as a force for transformation.
She opens up about childhood adversity, identity, and a life-altering near-death experience that reshaped her understanding of love, purpose, and limitlessness. Together, we dive into the explosive rise of vertical microdramas — a multi-billion-dollar global phenomenon rewriting how stories are created and consumed. Alicia shares insider insight into this intimate, data-driven format, its emotional pull on audiences, and what it means for the future of entertainment.
This is a conversation about reinvention, agency, entrepreneurship, and why storytelling remains one of humanity’s most powerful tools for connection and change.
Featuring
Alicia Read
Actor and Producer
Type Eh Media
Alicia Love Read is an actor, producer, and vertical microdrama consultant whose screen work has reached over 200 million viewers across platforms including ReelShort, GoodShort, and DramaWave. With more than two decades of experience scaling luxury and beauty brands in strategy and growth roles, she now serves as executive partner at Type Eh Media and co-founder of the Vertical Film & Short Series Alliance (VFSSA). Praised by Harper's Bazaar for her ability to elevate special brands without sacrificing their identity, Alicia bridges artistry, technology, and strategic storytelling to create emotional resonance.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod
—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode, we sit down with Moninder Singh, a Canadian-born Sikh activist who has spent his life operating at the intersection of leadership, risk, and conscience. From growing up in a small town in British Columbia shaped by both community and racism, to becoming a global voice for Sikh human rights, Moninder reflects on the experiences that forged his sense of justice and moral clarity. As the director of Sikh Federation Canada, he shares what it means to balance an executive career with unapologetic activism, even in the face of credible assassination threats from a foreign government. This is a grounded conversation about courage, identity, and choosing principle when silence is safer, exploring diaspora politics, transnational repression, and why ethical leadership demands action, regardless of the cost.
Featuring
Moninder Singh
Director
Sikh Federation Canada
Moninder Singh is a seasoned health and safety leader. He holds a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies from the University of Guelph's Lang School of Business and Economics and an Associate's Degree in Occupational Health & Safety from BCIT. Specializing in workplace safety, conflict resolution, and disability management, he champions organizational culture as the cornerstone of effective wellness strategies. A lifelong Sikh activist, Moninder serves as Director of Sikh Federation Canada, advocating for Sikh rights, justice, and self-determination.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod
—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United Church Community Ministry Society and a leader working at the intersection of culture, care, and civic power. From her early work in arts and philanthropy to leading one of Vancouver’s oldest frontline institutions, Amanda offers a rare perspective on what happens when fundraising galas meet overdose response, and when culture is treated not as a luxury, but as infrastructure. We explore dignity as a non-negotiable, the difference between placemaking and placekeeping, and what it means to design systems that give communities real power—not just a seat at the table. A wide-ranging conversation on leadership, accountability, and why the future of cities depends on how we care for the people most impacted by our decisions.
Featuring
Amanda Burrows
Executive Director
First United
Amanda Burrows, MA CFRE, is the Executive Director of First United in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, bringing over 15 years of non-profit experience to her role. With credentials from Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Toronto, and the University of Victoria, she specializes in capacity building and creating equitable communities. Amanda co-created DTES Response during the COVID-19 pandemic and serves on the Vancouver Opera Board of Directors and the Ken Lyotier Fund Advisory Committee. Her career includes leadership positions at NYU Langone Medical Center and Asia Society, reflecting her dedication to dignity, belonging, and justice.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod/
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod
—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Prabh Heer, COO of Mobio Brands, an operator whoâs helped scale service businesses in some of the most unforgiving, low-margin environments. From his evolution as an individual contributor to a builder of systems, teams, and communities, Prabh shares how operational discipline, humility, and relentless curiosity became his competitive edge. A candid conversation on ego death, franchise thinking, and why real leadership isnât about control, but about designing environments where people, and businesses, can compound.
Featuring
Prabh Heer
Chief Operating Officer
Mobio Brands
Prabh directs day-to-day operations across Mobio's brand companies, ensuring consistent standards, operational efficiency, and superior customer experiences. His expertise in business coaching and leadership development has been instrumental in optimizing operations and supporting franchise growth. Prabh's strategic vision continues to enhance value across the organization while driving sustainable business success.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram:/ highagencypod
LinkedIn: / high-agency-pod
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: / highagencypod
â
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Frank Palmer, the legendary Canadian ad man who reshaped the countryâs creative landscape. From his humble beginnings in Vancouver to building Palmer Jarvis into Canadaâs most creatively acclaimed agency, Frankâs 50-year career is a masterclass in vision, grit, and unapologetic originality. As the architect behind the merger that formed DDB Canada, he transformed a local shop into a national creative powerhouse known for the countryâs most talked-about and award-winning campaigns.
Featuring
Frank Palmer
Former CEO
DDB Canada
Frank Palmer is a legendary Canadian advertising pioneer with over 50 years of experience in the industry. He built Palmer Jarvis, Canada's most creatively acclaimed marketing communications agency. As the architect behind the merger with DDB Worldwide, Frank established DDB Canada, creating a powerhouse network renowned for producing the country's most talked-about and award-winning campaigns. A visionary leader who transformed Canadian advertising, Frank continues to shape the industry through innovative brand strategies and his unwavering commitment to creative excellence.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod/
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypodâ
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Ngaio Davis, founder of KORU Cremation, whose MÄori heritage and unconventional path from carpenter to funeral director are reshaping modern deathcare. Ngaio brings compassion, cultural wisdom, and environmental intention to an industry long dominated by sterile convention. We explore natural deathcare, green burial, and the transformative power of facing mortality with clarity, community, and courage.
Featuring
Ngaio Davis
Founder
KORU Cremations
Ngaio Davis is the founder and principal owner of KORU Cremation, a pioneering deathcare practice transforming end-of-life services. Drawing from her MÄori heritage and unconventional background as a red seal carpenter, Ngaio has brought authenticity and innovation to the deathcare industry. After years in corporate funeral services, Ngaio established KORU to foster meaningful conversations around death and dying. Her practice combines traditional wisdom with modern approaches, offering compassionate, personalized ceremonies that honour life's final transition. She champions courageous dialogue about mortality while creating space for healing and connection.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket Digital
Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod/
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Chris Neumann, a four-time founder, investor, and global startup mentor, to explore how venture capital is being reshaped from the inside out. After building and selling both venture-backed and bootstrapped companies, Chris transitioned into investing, bringing with him the perspective of someone who has coded into the night, battled runway anxiety, and carried the weight of payroll on his shoulders. That founder-first lens has given him a unique view on whatâs broken in startup funding and whatâs possible when investors have lived the founder reality. In this conversation, we dig into the shifting VC landscape post-2021, the myth of Silicon Valley gatekeeping, and why knowledge, not just capital, remains the most valuable currency in entrepreneurship.
Featuring
Chris Neumann
Founder and Venture CapitalistChris Neumann is a seasoned venture capitalist and four-time founder who brings a unique multi-dimensional perspective to the startup ecosystem. Having successfully built and sold venture-backed and bootstrapped companies, he leverages his hands-on experience in coding, product development, and delivering returns, to guide entrepreneurs globally. Chris has partnered with founders across Silicon Valley and more than 20 countries, championing accessible venture capital knowledge. He's dedicated to demystifying the VC landscape, helping founders worldwide navigate fundraising challenges while building successful companies, regardless of where they're located.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket DigitalSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/high-agency-pod/
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypodâ
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Shawn Johnston, founder of Forge & Smith and Refoundry, to talk about how neurodivergence can become a superpower in leadership and entrepreneurship. After 13 years running Forge & Smith, Shawn learned the hard way that burning out developers and perpetuating broken processes wasn't sustainable. But the real breakthrough came when he understood why. Uncovering his ADHD and autism diagnoses revealed patterns that had shaped his entire career. In this episode we get into the messy reality of building a business while navigating sensory overload, alexithymia (the inability to identify emotions in real time), and what Shawn calls "high masking," which is the exhausting art of creating personas just to survive. This conversation challenges the corporate culture rooted in what Shawn calls "colonial patriarchal mindsets" and shows why psychological safety isn't just a nice-to-have; it's the foundation of effective teams. If you've ever felt like the world wasn't built for how your brain works, this episode will resonate deeply.
Featuring
Shawn Johnston
Founder
Forge & Smith and RefoundryShawn Johnston is the Founder of Refoundry, a revolutionary low-code site builder for WordPress agencies. After 13+ years running Forge and Smith, he transformed hard-won lessons about burnout and broken processes into a game-changing solution. His platform empowers agencies to cut build times by up to 70% while maintaining quality. As a neurodivergent entrepreneur, Shawn champions systems that eliminate bottlenecks and chaos, helping creative teams scale sustainably. He's passionate about revolutionizing how agencies deliver web projects without burning out developers or compromising client expectations.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket DigitalSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypodâ
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Harv Nagra, Head of Brand Comms at Scoro and host of The Handbook Operations podcast, to learn how the right systems can transform agency chaos into strategic advantage. From growing up in Vancouver's Maple Ridge to spending 13 years leading operations in London's agency world, Harv reveals why business maturity has nothing to do with years in business or revenue and everything to do with how you actually run. We get into the painful reality of agencies drowning in distractions, managing work across messy spreadsheets, and why creative teams often resist the very processes that could save them. Harv shares his lessons about implementing change when everyone's dug in and how the trillion-dollar advertising industry is still struggling to measure what actually matters. This conversation challenges the myth that process kills creativity and shows what it really takes to build agencies that don't just survive, but thrive.
Featuring
Harv Nagra
Head of Brand Comms
ScoroHarv Nagra is Head of Brand at Scoro, the work management platform, where he combines his extensive operations expertise with strategic storytelling. Previously Group Operations Director at a pan-European marketing consultancy, he brings structure and clarity to scaling businesses. A Vancouver native now based in London, Harv hosts The Handbook: The Operations Podcast, interviewing industry leaders about business maturity and sustainable growth. His mission is transforming operations from support function to strategic advantage, helping creative and professional services businesses achieve operational excellence through innovative frameworks and authentic brand narratives.
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket DigitalSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
â
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypodâ
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
-
Featuring
Jay Giraud Co-founder, Damon Motorcycles
In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with serial entrepreneur and inventor Jay Giraud to trace a journey that spans from dropping out of high school and chasing dreams as a pro snowboarder, to raising nearly $200 million and taking companies public. Jay is best known as the co-founder of Damon Motorcycles, but his story is about much more than building revolutionary electric bikes. It’s about how failure, injury, and near-bankruptcy shaped his resilience; why most startups collapse by solving the wrong problem; and what it takes to spot opportunity where others only see obstacles. Jay’s path defies convention and reveals what it really means to live with high agency.
â â https://www.jaygiraud.ca/â â
Hosted by Mo Dhaliwal
CEO Skyrocket Digital Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: â â https://www.instagram.com/highagencypodâ â
LinkedIn: â â https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/â â
X: â â https://x.com/highagencypodâ â
TikTok: â â https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypodâ â
—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital â https://skyrockdigital.com/â â
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with serial entrepreneur, author, and startup strategist Tanis Jorge to explore what truly makes (or breaks) cofounder relationships. Tanis has cofounded four tech startups with the same business partner, including the billion-dollar identity verification company Trulioo. But her story isn’t just about exits and scaling; it’s about navigating conflict, balancing family with ambition, and learning that successful partnerships aren’t about luck, they’re built on intention, trust, and open communication.
Featuring
Tanis Jorge
Founder and Author
The Cofounder's Hub and The Cofounder's HandbookTanis Jorge is a distinguished serial tech entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience building successful startups. As co-founder of Trulioo, which achieved unicorn status in 2021, she established herself as an authority on entrepreneurial partnerships. Today, Tanis channels her expertise as author of The Cofounder's Handbook and founder of The Cofounder's Hub, where she advises on building effective cofounder relationships. She also founded Live Learn Launch Academy, developing the innovative P.E.R.T. curriculum to equip students with practical entrepreneurship and life skills aligned with today's realities.
https://www.tanisjorge.com/
Hosted by
Mo Dhaliwal
CEO
Skyrocket DigitalSoftware engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses.
—
High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformationâ
Instagram: https://instagram.com/highagencypod
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/
X: https://x.com/highagencypod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod—
Presented by Skyrocket Digital
https://skyrockdigital.com/â â
Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
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