Mission Critical with Lance Chung

Mission Critical with Lance Chung

by GLORY Podcast Network
Entrepreneurship
Season 7

Wes Hall (Founder, The BlackNorth Initiative): How Long Does It Take to Create Meaningful Change?

Take a look inside the boardrooms of corporate Canada and you’ll find that over the years, they’ve largely stayed (and looked) the same. While it has been proven again, and again, and again that a diverse executive suite directly contributes to the growth of a company’s bottom line and overall performance (and is just generally the right thing to do,) straight, white cisgender men have kept the c-suite looking pretty much the same for a long, long time. Wes Hall is working to change that. One of Canada’s most powerful figures on Bay Street, Wes is the executive chairman and founder behind Kingsdale Advisors, an investor on Dragons’ Den, and the founder of the BlackNorth Initiative—a non-profit whose mission is to end anti-Black systemic racism in the corporate world.In the wake of the George Floyd murder and Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Wes was moved to take action by doing what he does best—by using business as a vessel for change. Specifically, by having the country’s top executives and companies commit to diversifying key decision-making positions. Almost two years since he founded the non-profit, Lance chats with Wes on today’s episode about building BlackNorth, their Racial Equity Playbook, and how long it takes to make progress. 
S7 · E37
Feb 10, 2022
44:17

Tata Harper (CEO, Tata Harper Skincare): How to Build a Beautiful Brand from the Inside-Out

When Tata Harper pivoted her career from industrial engineer to beauty entrepreneur, no one could have predicted that she would soon go on to be known as the Queen of Green Skincare. Yet today, Tata’s eponymous skincare brand has reached astronomic levels of popularity counting the likes of Gigi Hadid, Jessica Alba, and Tracee Ellis Ross among loyal brand fans. But Tata’s commitment to restoring the beauty counter with more transparent and sustainable options doesn’t end with the serums and creams within her bottles. It extends into every aspect of her company, from her Vermont farm right down to the type of ink used on her paper packaging. But perhaps it’s Tata’s personal, intimate approach to her business that is the company’s greatest asset. She is a glowing (quite literally) category leader that takes a hands-on approach to her principles of maximalist beauty. In this episode, Tata and I talk about how her Colombian upbringing influenced her worldview of beauty, the future of the industry, and what “clean” and “natural” beauty even mean. Are all synthetic ingredients bad? And are all natural ingredients good? Listen to find out.
S7 · E36
Jan 27, 2022
50:59
Season 6

Paul Davison & Rohan Seth (Co-founders, Clubhouse): What To Do After Capturing Lightning in a Bottle

At the start of the pandemic, Paul Davison and Rohan Seth launched Clubhouse, a new type of social network that underscored the power and influence of the audio format. As the world collectively sheltered at home, Clubhouse’s popularity skyrocketed with Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, and other notable figures engaging on the platform. Unless you were living under a rock, it was hard not to hear about the platform—from friends, colleagues, your Instagram feed, LinkedIn connections. It seemed like everyone was on Clubhouse, or at least clamouring for an invite to the platform. By the start of 2021 (less than a year later), they were hitting 10 million weekly active users. So, how does one handle such meteoric growth? What Rohan and Paul experienced as founders is an entrepreneur’s dream but comes with its own set of challenges. Where do you go once you’ve already reached the stars? How do you maintain momentum? On today’s episode, Paul and Rohan join Lance to talk about capturing lightning in a bottle, cultivating community, and the road ahead. 
S6 · E35
Jan 13, 2022
45:44

Tan France (Queer Eye): How to Walk Into a Room With More Confidence

On this episode of Mission Critical, we’re joined by one of the most influential and universally-beloved figures in the fashion world, Tan France. Tan’s journey to becoming a television sensation may have started with his role as a fashion expert on Netflix’s Queer Eye, but his entrepreneurial path was filled with triumphs long before he entered the mainstream spotlight. In this mini-episode, Lance speaks with Tan about the origins of his fashion sense, the importance of how we present ourselves, and how he’s empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses. From reflecting on his storied career to discussing his life as a father, Tan’s insights offer a fascinating roadmap to overcoming obstacles and maintaining joy along the way.
S6 · E34
Jan 6, 2022
19:24

Johanna Rief (Head of Sexual Empowerment, WOW Tech Group): What Can the Business of Sex Toys Teach Us About Empowerment?

Explicit
This episode contains content that is of a sexual nature. If that’s a thing that might bother you or you’re not quite in the right setting for it, then maybe skip this one for now. Sex sells. That’s nothing new, but how much? According to a 2021 report by Statista, the business of pleasure is thriving with recent projections of the global sex toy market expected to grow to about $52.7 billion US dollars by 2026, up from $28.64 billion in 2019. That growth, according to Johanna Rief, can be attributed to a handful of different factors, including culture, technology, and media. As the Head of Sexual Empowerment at WOW Tech Group (the parent company to a group of brands that develop and produce innovative, premium sex toys), Johanna has witnessed the explosive growth of the industry over the course of her career, which has provided her with a unique perspective into its future. From her vantage point, the dialogue around sex and sexuality is one that continues to evolve in tandem with the cultural norms and taboos of society. In many ways, they’re a reflection of what we value and where we stand on matters of politics, religion, business,  On today's episode, Johanna joins Lance to discuss her fascinating job, the growth of the industry, and what the business of sex toys can teach us about empowerment.
S6 · E33
Dec 16, 2021
47:34

Noura Sakkijha (CEO, Mejuri): How to Build a Buzzy D2C Brand

“Buy yourself the damn diamond.” Such is the gospel of Noura Sakkijha, CEO and co-founder of fine jewelry company Mejuri. In 2015, she started her Toronto-based brand to reframe the conversation around jewelry, mainly around the idea that the industry was built for men gifting women. Instead, Noura wanted to empower women to celebrate themselves.  This notion of agency and self-expression is precisely what has grown Mejuri into one of the most exciting and dynamic lifestyle brands today. Noura, who is a third-generation jeweler, has proven her business thesis and built her company into a global direct-to-consumer brand that has not only influenced the purchasing behaviour of women but completely turned the industry’s distribution model on its head by pioneering weekly style drops. Today, Mejuri has been able to amass a following of brand evangelists like Oprah, Bella Hadid, Ariana Grande, and Lizzo - along with thousands of other women - who believe in Noura’s mission.  In today’s episode, Noura joins us to discuss how her upbringing shaped her approach to design, building a company while raising a family, and what it takes to create a buzzworthy direct-to-consumer brand.  Bold by Veuve Clicquot: https://bit.ly/30rmbIl
S6 · E32
Dec 2, 2021
39:29

Penny Oleksiak (Olympian): How to be Unapologetic About Your Success and Ambition

Bold by Veuve Clicquot: https://bit.ly/30rmbIl Bay Street Bull's 2021 Women of the Year: https://baystbull.com/women-of-the-year-2021/ See photos from Penny Oleksiak's Cover Shoot: https://baystbull.com/women-of-the-year-2021-penny-oleksiak/ At just 21 years old, Toronto-born swimmer Penny Oleksiak has already been crowned as Canada’s most decorated Olympian with seven medals to her name. Before her dominant display this past summer in Tokyo, Penny became the first Canadian to win four medals in the same Summer Games and the country’s youngest Olympic champion. If that weren’t enough, she closed out her Olympic debut by becoming the first athlete born in the 2000s to claim a medal in an individual event, further underscoring her status as a generational talent. Five years later, Penny returned to the Olympic stage to compete under the bright lights of the Tokyo Summer Games and, once again, represented Canada in spectacular fashion. By securing a silver and a pair of bronze medals, she immortalized herself as Canada’s most decorated Olympic athlete.  But holding a reputation like hers comes with its own set of challenges. When you’re thrust onto a podium and heralded as one of the greatest athletes in the world, that can sometimes affect your mental health, as we’ve seen in other instances with athletes (notably, young female athletes) like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka.  Despite these challenges, it’s undeniable that Penny (and her contemporaries) have all earned their success—and have every right to celebrate it without apology or validation.  In today’s episode, Lance chats with Penny on the set of our very first Women of the Year issue about navigating the discomfort of high-pressure environments, her philosophy on victory, and what it means to own your ambition. 
S6 · E31
Nov 18, 2021
34:11
Season 5

Jen Rubio (CEO, Away): How Can We Better Support Parents at Work?

If you’ve walked through an airport or hotel lobby in the last few years, you may have noticed people using a specific luggage brand, distinguished by its horizontal lines and array of different colourways. That brand is Away and on today’s episode, we're joined by co-founder and CEO, Jen Rubio. Throughout her career, Jen has become one of the foremost authorities on modern retail, using her business philosophies to help redefine exceptional travel standards. It’s not an easy mission, especially following a time where travelling was viewed with perhaps more skepticism than ever before, but Jen and her company are helping to reignite the spirit of exploration and adventure. As the leader of her company, she’s also had to navigate how to run a successful retail enterprise while being pregnant with her son, who was born right on the heels of her stepping into the CEO role. Months later, she’s excelling at both the role of executive and mother, helping to break down archaic and misogynistic stigmas surrounding working parents.  In this episode, Jen joins Lance to discuss the importance of a company’s parental policies, advice for ambitious and career-driven parents, and how to be an empathetic leader. 
S5 · E30
Nov 4, 2021
38:33

Chris Hadfield (Astronaut): What Can Astronauts Teach Us About Stress Management?

As a decorated astronaut, engineer, communicator, author, and musician, Chris Hadfield’s illustrious career has made him one of the most renowned and universally beloved figures in Canadian history. His reputation spread into the international mainstream after becoming the first Canadian to walk in space, flying two Space Shuttle missions and serving as commander of the International Space Station. He then cemented himself into pop culture history for his legendary performance of David Bowie’s Space Oddity while floating aboard the ISS, garnering over 27 million views on Youtube. Inspired by witnessing the famed Apollo 11 moon landing on television when he was a child, Chris’ achievements have helped encourage the next generation of explorers and scholars. His books, which include three national bestsellers in The Darkest Dark, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life, and You Are Here have become some of the most valuable resources available for those searching for fascinating and accessible introductions to the field. His influence on young Canadians and the realm of space exploration at large is simply incalculable. And as we continue to embark towards a future full of more question marks than ever before, the presence of strong leaders and scientific thinkers such as himself is more necessary than ever before. In this episode, Chris joines Lance to talk about his otherworldly experiences, the importance of big-picture perspectives, the future of space exploration, and what it was like writing his latest book (and first fiction), The Apollo Murders. 
S5 · E29
Oct 21, 2021
37:17

Kyle Dubas (General Manager, Toronto Maple Leafs): How to Manage a Team of Elites

At just 35 years old, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas has firmly established himself as one of the most influential minds in professional hockey. But those who have followed Kyle’s career know that being the youngest person in the boardroom is nothing new to the executive. Kyle began his hockey career by becoming the youngest agent ever certified by the NHL Players Association before working his way up the ranks as an OHL executive at just 25 years old. He then moved up and was promoted to the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the 17th in the club’s history. His identity as an executive has always been defined by bold – and sometimes unpopular – decisions, many of which are featured in the new Amazon Prime Video original series, All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs. On today’s episode, Kyle discusses what viewers can expect from the series while offering his philosophies on leadership, managing criticism, fostering young talent, and a wealth of other insights into the world of hockey and business. .
S5 · E28
Oct 7, 2021
22:05
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