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.
Mark Borowiecki built his reputation in the NHL as one of the league’s toughest defensemen — fearless, relentless, and never afraid to drop the gloves. But what makes him remarkable is not just his career, but the heart behind it.
Known to fans as “BoroCop,” Mark has become one of hockey’s strongest advocates for men’s mental health. From speaking out about men's mental health to sharing his own journey with OCD and anxiety, he’s used his platform to break stigma in a sport that often prizes silence.
In this episode, Jenny Chen sits down with Mark to talk about:
🏒 Lessons from his decade-long NHL career with Ottawa and Nashville
💛 Why even as an enforcer, he leads with kindness and compassion
👨👩👧👦 How fatherhood is shaping the legacy he wants to build for Miles, Leigh, and Devyn
🌍 Why the next generation of athletes needs to see strength redefined
This is a conversation about toughness, tenderness, and leaving the game better than you found it.
In this powerful episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, host Jenny Chen sits down with the trailblazing Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel Judge Albert Wong—a retired citizenship judge, decorated Canadian Armed Forces Lieutenant Commander, peacekeeper, strategist, and proud father—whose career has been marked by a series of meaningful “firsts.”
Albert began his public-service journey in 1976, has dedicated 39 years to the Canadian military, and has sworn in over 300,000 new Canadians, embodying nearly five decades of continuous public service. From being the first of Chinese descent to serve as Chief Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to his ongoing community leadership, Albert’s life work has centered on service, humanity, and transformational leadership.
But this conversation goes beyond titles. Jenny and Albert explore what it means to lead from behind—lifting others, challenging patriarchal systems, and creating space for people, especially Asian Canadians, to rise on their own terms.
Jenny reflects on meeting Albert at the Senate of Canada in 2023 during the centennial commemoration of the Chinese Exclusion Act—a moment that reignited her connection to her Chinese identity and deepened her commitment to storytelling, representation, and truth-telling.
Recorded shortly after Albert received his honorary doctorate from the University of Waterloo on October 24, this episode honours his legacy while looking forward—to the systems we need to transform, the people we need to champion, and the world we’re all responsible for shaping.
Albert will also be speaking and leading during the Canadian Armed Forces’ public apology for systemic racism on October 30 at Old City Hall in Ottawa—another pivotal moment in his lifelong commitment to service and change.
To find out more about Judge Albert Wong, follow him on LinkedIn here.
Fertility care has long been treated as a personal, private struggle. But what if we reframed it as a public health issue—rooted in equity, access, and modern realities?
In this episode, Dr. Rhonda Zwingerman—OB-GYN and co-founder of Twig Fertility—joins Jenny to talk about why it’s time we rethink reproductive care. Together, they explore why traditional systems haven’t kept pace with how people live, work, and plan families today—and what proactive, inclusive, compassionate fertility care could look like.
We discuss:
How career timelines and biological realities are colliding
Why education around fertility needs to happen before crisis
What equity really means in fertility care
And how we can move from reactive treatment to empowered planning
🎧 This episode is released in honour of World Fertility Day (Nov 2), because awareness is the first step to empowerment.
To find our more about Twig Fertility, visit https://twigfertility.com/
What happens when you build a business rooted in humanity—and still deliver elite-level results?
In this episode, Jenny sits down with Jenniffer Alvarenga, co-founder of Good Story Realty Group and one of Ottawa’s Forty Under 40, to talk about redefining success in real estate and beyond.
From immigrating to Canada as a student to launching a boutique real estate brand with her husband Leo, Jenniffer’s journey is one of resilience, leadership, and purpose. Together, they’re proving that luxury service doesn’t have to feel cold—and kindness is never a liability in business.
They discuss:
✔️ How Jenniffer turned her immigrant story into a leadership blueprint
✔️ Building a values-driven brand in a competitive industry
✔️ Why real estate is about relationships, not just transactions
✔️ What it means to be visible as a Latina entrepreneur in Canada
📍This is a story about integrity, excellence—and doing business differently.
For more information on Jenniffer and Good Story Real Estate Team, visit https://goodstory.ca/
In this special episode, Jenny sits down with her daughter, Trinity, just before she heads off to university—for a raw and beautiful conversation about motherhood, healing, and rewriting the story you came from.
Jenny reflects on how becoming a mother changed her, how anger and generational trauma shaped her early years of parenting, and how Trinity became the catalyst for the healing they both needed.
Together, they open up about:
💔 The pain of repeating patterns—and the power of choosing differently
💬 Forgiveness, growth, and the messy, honest work of breaking cycles
👩👧 What it means to evolve not just as parent and child—but as women
🌱 And how healing can happen across generations, when we do the work together
Whether you're a parent, a child, or someone trying to heal from what you were handed—this conversation is a reminder that transformation starts with truth.
🎧 Listen, share, and keep tuning up your warrior.
What if the way we talk about mental health is actually part of the problem?
Chris Ide is a father, advocate, and President of the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health—and in this powerful conversation, he shares why it’s time to stop treating mental health like a separate issue. As his son once asked, “If it’s your brain, isn’t it just… health?”
In this episode, Chris and Jenny explore:
🧠 Why the language we use around mental health matters more than we think
👨👨👦 His family’s powerful adoption story and the role of visibility in breaking stigma
🏥 How the Royal Ottawa is leading innovation for treatment-resistant depression
💡 What it looks like to lead with compassion—and still create lasting change
Whether you’re a healthcare leader, a parent, or someone trying to make space for healing—this episode reminds us that care isn’t a side issue. It’s the issue. And our path forward starts with how we see, support, and talk about health.
🎧 Listen, reflect, and share. To find out more about The Royal Ottawa Hospital Foundation, visit https://www.theroyal.ca/get-involved/about-foundation
What does it mean to lead as an immigrant woman of colour in spaces where you’re still seen as a “first” or an “only”?
In this episode, finance executive and bestselling author Nadine Niba joins Jenny to talk about rising through the ranks of corporate Canada with courage, conviction, and an unapologetic sense of self. From leaving Cameroon to writing Quarterbacking Your Life, Nadine shares her journey of building what didn’t exist—for herself and for the next generation.
We talk about:
Sponsorship vs. mentorship
Speaking up when it's risky
Leading with integrity in corporate
Lifting others as you rise
Redefining “merit” through a DEI lens
This conversation is honest, empowering, and a rallying cry for anyone who’s ever had to fight to be seen.
👉 Order Nadine’s bestselling book here.
👤 Connect with Nadine on LinkedIn.
When your child struggles with their mental health, parents often feel powerless, isolated, and unsure where to turn. For Michelle Crogie, that experience shaped not only her personal journey as a mother, but also her calling as the Executive Director of PLEO (Parents’ Lifeline of Eastern Ontario).
In this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Michelle shares how her daughter’s mental health challenges illuminated the loneliness parents face—and why peer-to-peer support is a lifeline for families navigating the unknown. Together, we explore:
The power of parent-led peer support and why lived experience matters
Common misconceptions about youth mental health and family support
How PLEO has grown into a 25-year grassroots movement supporting parents across Ontario
Michelle’s definition of leadership, hope, and resilience when it comes to both family and community
We also spotlight PLEO’s upcoming Art of Support Gala on October 9, 2025, celebrating 25 years of connection and advocacy.
If you’re a parent, caregiver, or ally who has ever felt alone in the journey of supporting your child’s mental health—you are not alone. Michelle’s story reminds us that hope is found in community.
👉 Learn more and get involved: pleo.on.ca
In this deeply moving episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, host Jenny sits down with Tamy Bell, founder of The Golden Society and mother to Griffin — a boy whose light continues to inspire a movement.
Tamy shares her family’s journey, from Griffin’s premature birth and early weeks in the NICU to his brave battle with pediatric cancer. Through raw honesty and remarkable resilience, she reveals what it means to turn unimaginable grief into advocacy, community, and hope.
Together, they explore:
The power of “golden moments” and how they keep Griffin’s spirit alive
The reality of pediatric cancer and why it remains deeply underfunded
What it means to be a caregiver, advocate, and parent navigating the unimaginable
How legacy is built not only through big campaigns but also in everyday acts of love
This episode is both a tribute to Griffin’s lasting impact and a call to action: to rally for better research, more funding, and brighter futures for children everywhere.
Follow Tamy’s work at @thegldnsociety on Instagram and join the movement to #MakeCanadaGold during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
What’s in a name? For many of us, it’s our beginning. Our legacy. Our first connection to where we come from.
In this episode, Jenny Chen sits down with Onome Ako—CEO, global development leader, and author of I Am Cherished—to talk about how names carry the weight of our culture, our identity, and our worth.
Named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women, recipient of the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award for Social Change, and a lifelong advocate for global equity, Onome brings both lived experience and deep professional insight to this powerful conversation.
Together, we explore:
– Why names matter far beyond pronunciation
– The pressure to assimilate, and what it costs
– How preserving culture is an act of resistance
– The stories behind our names, and the people who gave them to us
Whether you’ve changed your name, reclaimed it, or are still figuring out what it means to you—this episode will stay with you long after it ends.
Get your copy of I Am Cherished today.
In this episode, Jenny Chen sits down with Craig Meeds, Head of BMO Private Wealth Canada, to explore what it really takes to lead with impact in today’s evolving world.
From transparency and trust to systemic change and sponsorship over mentorship, Craig shares how he's helping shift the finance industry—one honest conversation at a time.
Together, they dive into Malcolm Gladwell’s Revenge of the Tipping Point, discuss what legacy leadership looks like, and reflect on why empathy, courage, and accountability must be at the core of business strategy. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to lead with both head and heart, this conversation is for you.
Featuring: Craig Meeds, Head of BMO Private Wealth Canada
Topics: Trust, equity in leadership, sponsorship, systems change, empathy in action
Bonus: A little Ted Lasso wisdom (because football is life)
As kids return to school this fall, the conversation around youth mental health is louder than ever—and one question keeps coming up:
Should we ban social media for kids under high school age?
To kick off Season 2 of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny sits down with high school teacher and mom Tara Borowiecki to unpack what’s really happening in today’s classrooms—and homes—when it comes to screens, stress, and overstimulation.
Drawing on Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation and their own lived experiences, they explore:
Why today’s youth are more anxious, distracted, and overwhelmed
What teachers are witnessing on the front lines of education
Whether social media bans help—or hinder—students and families
The importance of informed, not fear-based, decision-making
And how to support young people in a world that rarely slows down
This episode isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about rethinking the systems we’ve built—and asking how we can create space for kids to thrive inside of them.
Because building stronger kids isn’t about control.
It’s about responsibility.
"In the end, we are all stories — so let’s make it a good one."
In this special solo season finale, I open up about the journey that shaped me: from immigrating to Canada, to navigating a childhood where I never felt I belonged, to breaking generational cycles as a mother, to walking away from a 16-year career to launch Catalais Consulting and the Tune Up Your Warrior podcast.
🎧 What you won’t hear: perfection, watered-down lip service, platitudes, or empty buzzwords.💡 What you will hear: truth, vulnerability, and the story of a warrior who found her voice — and chose to use it.
This is not a story about pain — it’s about the spark that inspires change.
I share why I believe respecting people as human beings is the foundation of every thriving business, why leaders need to evolve with the world we live in today, and the powerful lessons I’ve learned from my Season One guests.
Whether you’re a leader, a changemaker, or someone navigating your own transformation, I hope this episode sparks something in you.
Season 2 drops September 10.Thank you for being here.This podcast is as much yours as it is mine.
🎙 Hosted by Jenny Chen
🌐 Learn more: catalais.com
📩 Consulting inquiries: jenny@catalais.com
On this episode of Tune Up Your Warrior, Jenny sits down with her friend, longtime journalist and community builder Sam Laprade for a raw and courageous conversation about emotional abuse, reclaiming your identity, and what it takes to rebuild a life on your own terms.
Sam opens up about the disconnect between who she was publicly and the pain she endured privately—and how finding her voice changed everything.
This episode is about more than leaving a difficult chapter. It’s about rediscovering yourself, leading with authenticity, and inspiring change from a place of truth.
Released on International Forgiveness Day, this story is a powerful reminder: forgiveness isn’t always about others. Sometimes, it’s the first step in setting yourself free.
For more information about Sam Laprade, visit https://samlaprade.com/
What does it really take to be an inclusive leader in today’s world—especially when conversations around equity and belonging are being challenged, politicized, or dismissed?
In this episode, Jenny sits down with Silvio Stroescu—President of BMO InvestorLine and Head of Digital-First Wealth Management at BMO, transformational executive, and one of her greatest career mentors—to explore the core of leadership grounded in purpose.
Silvio was the one who taught Jenny the Three Cs of Inclusive Leadership: Curiosity, Courage, and Collaboration. And this conversation reveals why those values aren’t just principles—they’re a way forward.
Together, they talk about: ✔️ The difference between mentorship and sponsorship—and why performance unlocks both ✔️ How storytelling can shape identity and career agency ✔️ What it means to lead with fortitude when the world pushes back ✔️ Why inclusion isn’t about noise—it’s about intentionality
This is a conversation for anyone leading a team, a mission, or their own path forward.
📍Because real leadership isn’t loud. It’s thoughtful. And it’s earned.