What does patriotism mean in a cyber context — and how should leaders balance mission, judgment, and profit in a rapidly changing world?
In this episode of Wired for Change, host Amy Yee is joined by George Al-Koura — CISO, former Canadian Armed Forces Signals Intelligence Specialist, and co-host of Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks.
This reflective conversation goes beyond tools and trends to explore cyber leadership as a values-driven practice. Amy and George discuss patriotism over profit, the real constraints leaders face, trust and intuition as decision-making skills, and how to navigate responsibility in an era shaped by AI, misinformation, and geopolitical tension.
They also touch on ethical data use, entrepreneurship, and what it means to choose the path ahead — personally, professionally, and nationally.
A thoughtful end-of-year episode for leaders in cybersecurity, technology, public service, and beyond.
Canada is navigating an evolving threat landscape where cyber risks, physical security, disinformation, geopolitics, and human behavior increasingly converge.
In this episode of Wired for Change, host Amy Yee is joined by Lina Dabit, former Unit Commander of the RCMP Cybercrime Investigative Team and former Field Unit Commander with the Canadian Air Carrier Protective Program, for a wide-ranging conversation on trust, leadership, and resilience in a hybrid threat world.
Drawing on decades of frontline and executive experience, Lina shares how security challenges have evolved — and why siloed approaches no longer work. Together, Amy and Lina explore what hybrid threats really mean in practice, how misinformation erodes trust, and why culture, instinct, and collaboration are as critical as technology.
They discuss:
How hybrid threats combine cyber, physical, information, and human risks
Why misinformation doesn’t need to be true to be effective
Lessons from global events and the road to FIFA 2026
The importance of unified command and public-private collaboration
Why psychological safety and culture are essential to resilience
The role communities can play in strengthening national readiness
This isn’t a checklist or a playbook. It’s a clear-eyed conversation about the pressures Canada faces — and how leaders, institutions, and communities can navigate them together.
Subscribe to Wired for Change for thoughtful, independent Canadian conversations on technology, leadership, security, and the systems shaping our future.
What does it take for a small hospital to deliver big results? In this special Wired for Change episode, host Amy Yee sits down with the senior leadership team of Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) — Frank Vassallo (CEO), Katie Hogue (VP Nursing & Clinical, and Chief Nursing Executive), and Brittany Rivard (CFO & VP Operations) — for a rare inside look at how a 40-bed community hospital is reshaping care in one of Ontario’s fastest-growing regions.
Together, they explore how KDH blends compassionate patient care with innovative partnerships, strong culture, and system-level collaboration. From powerful patient stories to the realities of rural hospital funding, the team shares how they keep care close to home while navigating rising complexity and demand.
This episode shines a light on the people, processes, and leadership practices that allow a small hospital to punch far above its weight — and offers insights for anyone working to strengthen community-based care.
In this conversation:
The realities and opportunities of rural healthcare
How culture, psychological safety, and frontline leadership drive performance
Patient stories that reveal the heart of KDH
Partnerships that expand access and capacity
The importance of “care closer to home” in a growing region
Why systems thinking is essential for healthcare transformation
A thoughtful, human-centred episode about leadership, resilience, and the future of community care.
Guest: Matt Davies — Former CTO, Shared Services Canada | Board Member | Senior Advisor, StrategyCorp
Technology has shifted the centre of gravity in the boardroom. Once focused primarily on risk and budgets, today's boards must understand AI, data, cybersecurity, cloud, and the culture shifts that accompany them.
In this episode, Amy Yee and Matt Davies explore how boards can build fluency in emerging technologies, support leadership teams through uncertainty, and provide forward-looking stewardship rather than reactive oversight.
Together, they unpack:
How directors can move from oversight to foresight
What AI, cyber, and data governance mean for modern governance
The rising importance of culture, tone at the top, and talent readiness
How board composition and committee structures are evolving
Practical ways boards can accelerate learning (tabletops, outside expertise, briefings)
Why continuous learning is now essential for every director
Whether you sit on a board, advise one, or aspire to join one, this episode offers clear insight into what leadership looks like in a fast-changing technological era.
Episode 33 — The Cavalry is Us: How Cyber Leaders are Rewriting the Future
Recorded live at BSides Ottawa 2025, this episode brings together leaders from across Canada’s cybersecurity, policy, and critical infrastructure communities to explore a message that resonated throughout the conference:
The cavalry isn’t coming. The cavalry is us.
Host Amy Yee speaks with keynote speakers, policy advocates, engineers, researchers, and organizers who are helping shape Canada’s digital resilience. Through candid conversations, they unpack:
Why Canada struggles with cohesion in cyber defence
How policy and legislation shape national readiness
The real fragility of critical infrastructure
The widening gap between retiring experts and new talent
The power of grassroots communities like BSides
Why cyber practitioners must help inform public policy
How trust, mentorship, and collaboration strengthen resilience
Whether you work in cybersecurity, public policy, critical infrastructure, defence, or digital leadership, this episode offers grounded insight into what it takes to build a stronger and more resilient Canada.
Featuring (In order of appearance):
George Al-Koura, CD — CISO @ ruby | Principal Advisor @ Ceiba Law | Co-Host @ BKBT Podcast | Canadian CISO of the Year (2025)
David Shipley — CEO & Field CISO, Beauceron Security
James Troutman — Co-Founder & Director, NNENIX IXP | Chief of Staff, Skytalks
Cheryl Biswas — Cybersecurity Analyst & Researcher | Speaker | Mentor
Katie Noble — Organizer, Hackers on the Hill (Washington, DC)
Julien Richard — Canadian organizer, Policy Village & Hackers on the Hill
What does service design look like inside government?
In this episode, Amy Yee talks with Shannah Segal, Experience Design Lead at the Ontario Digital Service, about the craft behind designing public services that work for people.
Shannah shares honest, grounded insights from her work across government and the private sector — from the role of user research and contextual inquiry, to the realities of navigating policy, silos, and organizational culture. Together, they explore why traditional approaches often fall short, how design teams build trust inside complex systems, and what it takes to balance innovation with accountability.
Topics include:
• Why service design is uniquely suited to the public sector
• The difference between policy consultations and true user research
• Designing for diverse populations when “everyone is the user”
• Lessons from the Verify App during the pandemic
• The human and emotional context behind public services
• Working with executives and overcoming silos
• The risks of over-valuing deliverables (and why blueprints aren’t the whole answer)
• Trauma-informed research and ethical design
• The future of service design and the skills that matter most
Whether you work in government, UX, public-sector innovation, digital transformation, or policy, this episode offers a realistic and human perspective on the practice of public service design.
AI is changing the rules of adaptation.
In this episode of Wired for Change, host Amy Yee sits down with transformation strategist, serial entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker and Flipwork founder Nikki Barua to explore what change management must become in the AI era.
From AI FOMO and culture traps to identity shifts and continuous reinvention, they discuss how leaders can help their people thrive instead of fear the future.
Highlights:
Why change management needs to change
The danger of unstructured AI experimentation
How to build AI-native mindsets and psychological safety
Shifting from labor to leverage—empowering humans through AI
Redefining success and scale in transformation
A practical, human conversation for anyone shaping the future of work.
#FutureOfWork #Leadership #AI #ChangeManagement #DigitalTransformation
As artificial intelligence becomes part of how Canadians access mental health care, trust, safety, and inclusion have never mattered more.
In this episode of Wired for Change, Amy Yee speaks with Maureen Abbott, Director of Innovation at the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). Together, they explore how digital tools can expand access to care while protecting the dignity and privacy of every user.
You’ll hear about:
Canada’s new e-Mental Health Strategy and its six priorities for ethical innovation
How the MHCC is developing AI guidance to safeguard mental health and substance-use care
The risks of unregulated chatbots — and the tragic lessons shaping safer design
Cultural safety, lived experience, and app-assessment frameworks that build public trust
Why human oversight still matters in an age of machine empathy
From Stepped Care 2.0 to late-night peer-support apps that save lives, this conversation dives deep into what it really means to design for trust — and to build a digital future Canadians can believe in.
🎙️ Hosted by Amy Yee
📍 Guest: Maureen Abbott, Director of Innovation, Mental Health Commission of Canada
🔗 Explore more episodes at wired-for-change.com
How do you build digital trust in one of the world’s most complex and high-stakes industries?
In this episode of Wired for Change, cybersecurity meets transformation as host Amy Yee sits down with Iain Paterson, CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) at Well Health Technologies—a digital health leader managing thousands of clinics and software assets across North America.
From his early days in banking and red-team operations to leading cyber strategy in healthcare, Iain shares a masterclass in resilience, risk, and culture.
They explore:
How healthcare’s digital expansion reshapes risk and resilience
Why cybersecurity must be treated as a team sport built on “shared fate”
The new frontier of AI-driven threats and agentic AI inside organizations
What small and mid-sized businesses can learn from healthcare’s cyber evolution
Why trust—not technology—is the real foundation of digital transformation
This episode is a must-listen for CISOs, healthcare innovators, and anyone navigating the intersection of cybersecurity, leadership, and change.
Keywords: CISO, cybersecurity, digital health, resilience, risk management, AI agents, leadership, transformation, digital trust, Well Health Technologies, Iain Paterson, Amy Yee
Trust isn’t just earned — it’s engineered.
In this fifth installment of the Digital Transformation Dream Team series, host Amy Yee explores how cybersecurity, privacy, and systems thinking come together to build transformations people can believe in.
Meet three essential archetypes:
The Cyber Defender (Winston Churchill) — protecting systems and foresight under siege
The Trust Guardian (George Orwell) — designing for dignity, transparency, and human rights in a data-driven world
The Systems Steward (Rachel Carson) — anticipating long-term impact and unintended consequences across interconnected systems
From wartime radar to Orwellian warnings to environmental foresight, this episode reveals the care and courage it takes to engineer trust — and what happens when those values are ignored.
🔗 Learn more at wired-for-change.com
Financial services is a global dependency. Payments, trading, and banking platforms are the backbone of modern economies — and adversaries know it. That’s why fraud, ransomware, DDoS, supply chain exploits, and even deepfakes are converging into systemic risks.
In this special session, (note - may be easier to consume on video via Spotify and YouTube due to visuals) Amy Yee (Chief Digital Officer at Relevantz, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at C3SA, and host of Wired for Change) lays out a practical five-step roadmap for Zero Trust adoption in financial services. Drawing on regulatory expectations, real-world case studies, and FS-ISAC threat intelligence, she maps today’s threats to concrete actions that boards, CISOs, and technology leaders can take now.
📌 What you’ll learn in this session:
Why financial services is now treated as critical infrastructure, alongside energy and healthcare.
The five biggest systemic challenges facing the sector — from legacy systems to cloud/API sprawl and third-party concentration risk.
The 10 Zero Trust domains and how they align with FS regulators (OSFI, OCC, EU DORA, etc.).
A five-step roadmap to resilience:
Governance & Incident Preparedness – counters The Extortionist
Defensible Architecture – counters The Sleeper Agent
Strong Identity & Endpoint Controls – counters The Manipulator
Securing Data, Apps & Third-Party Access – counters The Disruptor
Continuous Monitoring & Threat Intelligence – counters The Opportunist
How to sequence Zero Trust for different types of FS institutions (retail vs. investment).
The role of storytelling and “villain personas” in driving engagement and understanding — one of the biggest barriers to adoption.
🎯 Who should listen:
CISOs, CIOs, CROs, and Chief Digital/Transformation Officers
Risk, compliance, and fraud leaders
Executives who need to translate Zero Trust into board-level and regulatory language
🔗 Connect with Amy Yee:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyyee/
Podcast: Wired for Change on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music
What happens when the lights go out?
In this episode of Wired for Change, host Amy Yee sits down with Cheryl Biswas, Strategic Threat Intelligence Specialist, to explore the real-world impact of cyber threats on critical infrastructure — from power grids and water supplies to hospitals and financial systems.
Cheryl shares her personal journey into cybersecurity, sparked by the discovery of Stuxnet, and explains why threat intelligence is not just about collecting data but about providing context, meaning, and timely action. Together, they dive into:
How nation-state adversaries exploit fear and disruption
The lessons of Stuxnet, Ukraine’s power grid attacks, and Volt Typhoon
Why OT/ICS systems present unique risks for critical infrastructure
How tabletop exercises expose hidden organizational gaps
The role of diversity, community, and the next generation of cyber defenders
This conversation connects geopolitics, technology, and human psychology — reminding us that defending critical infrastructure is ultimately about protecting the things of life.
🔔 Subscribe to Wired for Change for more conversations on digital transformation, cybersecurity, and resilience.
The Hon. Sergio Marchi has lived a remarkable public life — from community activist and city councillor to federal cabinet minister and Canadian ambassador. Now, in his new book Pursuing a Public Life, he reflects on three decades in politics and diplomacy, and makes a call to action for a new generation of leaders.
In this conversation with host Amy Yee on Wired for Change, Marchi shares candid lessons on trust, compromise, and perseverance, and explains why, despite today’s cynicism, politics can still be a force for positive change. From his early activism to leading in the environment, trade, and immigration portfolios, Marchi explores both the challenges and the satisfactions of public service.
📖 Pursuing a Public Life launches November 4 and is available now for pre-order on Indigo, Chapters, and Amazon.
🔔 Subscribe to Wired for Change for more conversations on transformation, leadership, and the people shaping our future.
Leadership drift is real — teams start aligned, but over time priorities shift, communication breaks down, and performance slips.
In this episode, Amy Yee talks with Michelle Chambers about how leaders can recognize the signs of drift, rebuild alignment, and coach their teams back to high performance.
Practical insights on:
Change leadership vs. change management
Spotting early warning signs of drift
Building trust, psychological safety, and resilience
A must-listen for anyone leading through transformation.
Cyber threats to critical infrastructure are no longer hypothetical — they’re already inside the walls. In this special SecureWorld session, Amy Yee (Chief Digital Transformation Officer at C3SA, Chief Digital Officer at Relevantz, and host of Wired for Change) breaks down a practical Zero Trust roadmap designed for OT and ICS environments.
With a unique comic-book “villain persona” framework, Amy brings to life the real adversaries targeting energy, water, transportation, and healthcare systems — from state-sponsored groups like Volt Typhoon and Cyber Av3ngers, to ransomware crews behind Colonial Pipeline–style attacks, to precision saboteurs modeled on Stuxnet/TRITON.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why every country defines “critical infrastructure” differently — and why adversaries don’t care.
A five-year timeline of global CI cyberattacks (2020–2025).
The five systemic challenges facing OT and ICS security.
How insecure legacy protocols (IEC-104, DNP3, Modbus) widen the attack surface.
A step-by-step Zero Trust roadmap aligned with SANS ICS Critical Controls.
The four cyber villain personas — Sleeper Agent, Saboteur, Loud Intruder, Extortionist — and how Zero Trust layers stop them.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them in CI cybersecurity programs.
This isn’t theory — it’s a roadmap you can apply right now to strengthen resilience, break down silos, and protect the systems everyone depends on.
#ZeroTrust #Cybersecurity #CriticalInfrastructure #OTSecurity #ICSSecurity #SecureWorld
Logistics may be invisible to most of us, but it’s one of the biggest forces shaping our daily lives — and one of the largest sources of global emissions.
In this episode of Wired for Change, host Amy Yee sits down with Richard Savoie, engineer, entrepreneur, and CEO of Adiona Tech, to explore how AI and advanced optimization are transforming deliveries, reducing costs, and driving sustainability in supply chains.
Richard shares his journey from his first childhood business to building a company that has powered tens of millions of deliveries and worked with global giants like Coca-Cola. Along the way, he explains why:
Re-optimizing existing fleets is the cheapest way to cut emissions
AI is uncovering hidden inefficiencies in logistics that humans can’t see
Regulations, EV adoption, and sustainability pressures are reshaping the industry
Startups can thrive — even when working with slow-moving enterprise giants
We also look ahead at agentic AI, electric vehicles, and quantum computing — and what they mean for the future of logistics.
If you’re interested in AI, sustainability, or how innovation scales inside complex systems, this episode pulls back the curtain on the hidden world of logistics.
Keywords for SEO: AI logistics, sustainable supply chains, last-mile delivery, emissions reduction, entrepreneurship, Richard Savoie, Adiona Tech, optimization, supply chain innovation
What does it really take to change — yourself, your team, or your organization?
In this episode of Wired for Change, host Amy Yee speaks with Jill Reilly, author of the upcoming book The 10 Permissions, about why transformation begins with giving ourselves permission first.
Drawing from three decades of global work — from South Africa’s transition to democracy to leading HIV/AIDS programs in Zimbabwe and advising boardrooms — Jill shares how change is rarely linear and why permission is the missing ingredient for lasting transformation.
You’ll hear:
Why inaction is wildly draining and how to reclaim energy.
The difference between routine correction and routine adaptation in culture.
How to practice micro-permissions that unlock change in everyday life.
Why permission is a 21st-century skillset for leaders and organizations.
If you’ve ever hesitated to speak up, lead boldly, or take the first step toward transformation, this conversation will inspire you to rethink what’s possible.
📕 Jill’s book The 10 Permissions launches mid-September.
https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Permissions-Redefining-Adulting-Century/dp/1963827295
Ransomware is no longer just smash-and-grab — it’s a long game. Attackers are more persistent, better resourced, and increasingly using "Ransomware as a Service" to scale their impact.
In this episode of Wired for Change, Amy Yee is joined by Greg Davison (Mimic) and Jarett Parent (C3SA) to explore why organizations must rethink how they defend critical systems. From closing the 20% detection gap to preparing boards for tough questions, this conversation highlights practical strategies for CISOs, IT leaders, and executives who need resilience today.
Chapters:
00:00 – The Modern Ransomware Landscape
05:00 – Mimic’s Origin Story & Mission
09:00 – The Mimic–C3SA Partnership
12:00 – Deflection vs Detection: A New Defense Strategy
19:00 – AI, Innovation, and the Next Wave of Threats
26:00 – What Boards & CISOs Need to Ask
36:00 – The Future of Cyber Resilience
41:00 – Final Reflections
For more information about C3SA: https://c3sa.comFor more information about Mimic: https://mimic.com/
OKRs and rigid performance targets are supposed to help teams focus — but too often, they push us toward short-term wins that chip away at our long-term vision.
In this episode of Wired for Change, host Amy Yee talks with Radhika Dutt, author of Radical Product Thinking, about why conventional goal setting can unintentionally kill innovation and how to replace it with a more powerful approach: puzzle setting and puzzle solving.
We explore:
Why goals can create “vision debt” and performance theater
How reframing projects as puzzles unlocks curiosity and collaboration
Real-world examples from startups, global companies, and regulators
Practical tools to keep products and transformations vision-driven
How to foster psychological safety so teams can question, adapt, and innovate
If you’ve ever hit your targets but felt further from your mission, this conversation will help you move beyond the checkbox and make real progress.
Episode guest: Radhika Dutt – Author, Radical Product Thinking
In this episode of Wired for Change, host Amy Yee explores what it really takes to keep transformation efforts on track when things get messy — because they always do.
When priorities shift, trust falters, or unexpected disruptions hit, how do you build a team that can bend without breaking?
Amy introduces three essential roles from her Digital Transformation Dream Team framework:
🔹 The Adaptive Organization Designer – Inspired by Florence Nightingale, rethinking team structures and systems under pressure
🔹 The Velocity Catalyst – With lessons from Taiichi Ohno, removing friction and building trust and momentum
🔹 The Strategic Diplomat – Channeling Eleanor Roosevelt to keep alignment, trust, and tough conversations on track
Whether you're leading digital transformation, designing resilient organizations, or just trying to adapt to rapid change, this episode offers practical insights rooted in real-world experience — and a few historical surprises.
🎧 Subscribe and explore more at: www.wired-for-change.com
#DigitalTransformation #OrganizationalDesign #Leadership #SystemsThinking #ChangeLeadership #WiredForChange