High Agency Podcast

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. FeaturingShawn JohnstonFounderForge & Smith and Refoundry Shawn 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 byMo DhaliwalCEOSkyrocket 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 Transformation⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/X: https://x.com/highagencypodTikTok: 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.

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. FeaturingHarv NagraHead of Brand CommsScoro Harv 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 byMo DhaliwalCEOSkyrocket 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 Transformation⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/X: https://x.com/highagencypodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod—Presented by Skyrocket DigitalSkyrocket 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 MotorcyclesIn 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.⁠⁠https://www.jaygiraud.ca/⁠⁠ Hosted by Mo DhaliwalCEO 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 Transformation⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/highagencypod⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/⁠⁠X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/highagencypod⁠⁠TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod⁠⁠ — Presented by Skyrocket Digital ⁠https://skyrockdigital.com/⁠⁠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.

Tanis Jorge, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the billion-dollar identity verification company Trulioo, shares her insights on what makes co-founder relationships thrive. She discusses the importance of navigating conflicts with intention and trust, balancing ambitious pursuits with family life, and the dynamic roles within co-founding teams. Tanis emphasizes the need for open communication and vulnerability, drawing from her experiences to illustrate how effective partnerships can lead to sustainable success in the tech startup landscape.

In a captivating conversation, Sarah Edmondson, an actor and whistleblower, shares her harrowing journey from aspiring self-improvement enthusiast to cult insider in NXIVM. She reveals the deceptive tactics used in the self-help industry and the thin line between genuine growth and manipulation. Sarah discusses the psychological impact of belonging and the complexities of cult leadership, detailing her painful escape and the resilience needed to reclaim her voice. With insights into healing and empowerment, her story serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers lurking behind seemingly innocent self-improvement programs.

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Adrian Moise, CEO and Founder of Aequilibrium, for a conversation on resilience, vision, and the art of transformation. Adrian shares how martial arts, Formula 1, and a “human meets digital” philosophy fuel his approach to change.  FeaturingAdrian Moise CEO and Founder Aequilibrium Adrian Moise is the Founder and CEO of Aequilibrium, a digital transformation company specializing in financial services. With over two decades of technology leadership experience at companies like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts, Adrian has developed a unique framework balancing human-centered design with technical innovation. His "AAA" leadership approach has driven Aequilibrium's growth and profitability. https://aequilibrium.com/ Hosted byMo DhaliwalCEOSkyrocket 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 Transformation⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highagencypodLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/X: https://x.com/highagencypodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod —Presented by Skyrocket Digital https://skyrocketdigital.com/ 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.

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Cenk Uygur, founder of The Young Turks, for a raw, no-holds-barred conversation about how outsider identity became a strategic advantage. From Turkey to YouTube, Cenk unpacked why disrupting legacy media was never just about airtime, it was always about power and accountability.Featuring Cenk Uygur Co-creator The Young TurksCenk Uygur is the co-founder and host of The Young Turks, the largest online news show in the world. With a background in law from Columbia Law School, he has transformed political commentary through his progressive, no-holds-barred approach. Known for his passionate advocacy on issues like campaign finance reform and economic inequality, Cenk has expanded TYT into a multi-channel network reaching millions.https://tyt.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 Transformation⁠ 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/⁠⁠ 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.

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Carol Anne Hilton, founder of the Indigenomics Institute, and the mind behind a movement that’s reshaping economic narratives through an Indigenous lens. Carol Anne takes us from a single tweet to a national economic agenda, unpacking how a hashtag sparked a framework for redefining value, ownership, and power in Indigenous economies.We dive into the concept of “Indian Act economics,” challenge Canada’s sanitized self-image, and explore how tech can either deepen bias or become a tool for Indigenous economic intelligence. We explore how Carol Anne is building data architecture for a $100 billion Indigenous economy, and why true reconciliation must be measurable, not metaphorical. This isn’t just about history, it’s about the financial future of a country still reckoning with its foundations.FeaturingCarol Anne HiltonCEO & Founder of Indigenous Institute & Global Centre of IndigenomicsCarol Anne Hilton, MBA, is the CEO and Founder of the Indigenomics Institute and the Global Centre of Indigenomics. A recognized First Nation business leader from Hesquiaht First Nation, she pioneered the concept of "Indigenomics" as a pathway toward economic reconciliation. As the author of Indigenomics: Taking a Seat at the Economic Table, Carol serves on numerous boards, including the BC Digital Supercluster. Her expertise in Indigenous economic design earned her the Order of Canada (2021) and an Honorary Doctorate from Royal Roads University, where she also teaches Indigenous economics.https://indigenomics.com/Hosted byMo DhaliwalCEOSkyrocket 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 TransformationInstagram: /highagencypodLinkedIn: /high-agency-podX: https://x.com/highagencypodTikTok: /highagencypodPresented by Skyrocket Digitalhttps://skyrockdigital.com/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.

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Josh Haas, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Bubble, the no-code platform that’s quietly powering a new generation of builders. Josh takes us from philosophy lectures to platform engineering, sharing how he bootstrapped Bubble from a scrappy prototype into a robust foundation for over six million apps and billions in transactions.Along the way, we dig into what happens when AI-fueled “vibe coding” meets the real-world demands of scalability, security, and sustainability. We explore how Bubble is becoming the serious alternative in a landscape flooded with spaghetti-code startups, and why Josh believes the future belongs to founders who start with product, not pitch decks.FeaturingJosh HaasCo-Founder & Co-CEOBubbleJosh Haas is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Bubble, a no-code platform revolutionizing web application development. With a Princeton University background, Josh has dedicated over a decade to democratizing software creation, allowing non-technical founders to build without traditional coding. Before Bubble, he gained valuable experience at Bridgewater Associates. Josh is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs and regularly shares insights on no-code development, startup growth, and tech accessibility. His leadership has helped transform Bubble into a powerful platform used by thousands to bring their digital ideas to life.https://bubble.io/ai-app-generatorHosted byMo DhaliwalCEOSkyrocket 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 TransformationInstagram: / highagencypodLinkedIn: / high-agency-podX: https://x.com/highagencypodTikTok: / highagencypodPresented by Skyrocket Digitalhttps://skyrockdigital.com/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.

In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Manik Suri, founder and CEO of GlacierGrid, a climate tech company tackling emissions through an unexpected source: commercial cooling. Manik takes us from the West Wing to the grid, sharing how he went from working in Obama’s White House to building tech that helps restaurants, retailers, and hospitality giants like McDonald’s and Marriott reduce energy use, cut food waste, and fight refrigerant leaks, all through smarter HVAC and refrigeration systems.We explore what it means to scale a startup that intersects AI, IoT, and climate in a world increasingly divided on sustainability, and why sometimes the boldest move is just to start, even if you don’t know how it ends.FeaturingManik SuriFounder & CEOGlacierGridManik Suri is the Founder and CEO of GlacierGrid, a software company leveraging AI to transform regulatory compliance for retailers and food businesses. Previously, he co-founded Therma, an IoT startup preventing food and energy waste. A former White House Fellow and Harvard Law School graduate, Manik's work spans technology, policy, and entrepreneurship. He has advised Fortune 500 companies at McKinsey & Company and worked on financial regulation at D.E. Shaw. Manik's thought leadership appears in prominent publications including TechCrunch, Bloomberg, and Forbes.https://www.glaciergrid.com/Hosted byMo DhaliwalCEOSkyrocket 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 Transformation⁠Instagram: / highagencypod LinkedIn: / high-agency-pod X: https://x.com/highagencypodTikTok: / highagencypod —Presented by Skyrocket Digitalhttps://skyrockdigital.com/⁠⁠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.