The Innovation Day Podcast

Kassia Meador has crafted an incredible career as a professional surfer, wellness advocate, and entrepreneur. From turning pro at 16 through to her very recent decision to set a new path for her business, Kassia has dropped in with focus and intentionality. In this episode Kassia brings her trademark candour, humour and warmth as she reflects on her journey, and shares her thoughts on what might come next.

The Innovation Day Podcast...

For many, newspapers may not exactly be synonymous with “innovation”, but that opinion may change after listening to this episode. In 2017 musician and author Dave Bidini was inspired to start up a community paper in his west end Toronto neighbourhood. It was a labour of love and, with the help of his team and community, the West End Phoenix was born. The paper, and now the WEP’s office and event space, bring people, family and fri...

The path to entrepreneurial success is winding, steep and treacherous – just ask anyone who’s started a business. As with so many founders, Robert Kirstiuk had to make a ‘pandemic pivot’, and the result was Freshline. Robert’s story is one of starting local, with what you know, scaling up, scaling down and then rebuilding something new from the pieces. It’s a story about staying committed and being resilient, and one that we think ...

Britta Shillingsburg has been hands-on in her quest to create a product that is just right
for her customers and the best it can be for the planet. As you’ll hear in the episode. It's a high bar to meet, one that has set Britta on a multi-year journey from the hiking trails to her kitchen to her new online store. Britta’s story is one of commitment to the vision through the twists and turns of bringing both a product and a...

Founders like Ali Sabti, who have built a product are inventors at heart. Every inventor has their “Eureka” moment, for Archimedes it was in his bathtub and for Ali it was on his front lawn. Dealing with wasps and watering was the problem and, eventually, OtO was the solution. In this episode Ali shares his journey to create the product that was named one of the “Best Innovations” at CES and one of the “Best Inventions of 2022” by ...

It’s astounding to think of all the puzzle pieces that need to fall in place for a successful product launch. From a great design, to manufacturing, to product market fit, to shipping and sales and so (SO) much more. In this episode Tony take us from a conversation that inspired the RUX system through to today, where the product is sold online and in major retailers across North America, Europe and Asia. It’s an amazing product and...

This episode is for everyone sitting in their cubicle (if that’s still a thing!) or working from their kitchen table dreaming of following their passion and starting up a business. Bern shares his journey from self-funded festival founder running the event on vacation time and credit cards, to pre-pandemic heights through the inevitable pandemic pivot. Filled with insight and humour, this is a story of passion, resilience and the p...

Dieter Rams, the legendary industrial designer, created with the ethos of “less, but better” and that pretty neatly sums up Ralph Dunning’s approach to Foreign Rider Co. Based out of Toronto, Ralph is channeling his experience from creating Dunning Golf in his newest venture. Ralph is passionate about getting it right: for his customers, his suppliers and for the planet. Purpose is one of the most commonly misused words in business...

As businesses across North America struggle with the concept of “hybrid” work, employees are experiencing record levels of stress. In this episode Jennifer Moss shares her insights on what makes work meaningful. Strong bonds, individual contributions and empowered teams all contribute to happy employees, but remote work can stand in the way and employees are often trading the commute for real connections at work. Jen brings years o...

“Innovation”, the very subject of this podcast, is still a mysterious concept to most. Often understood to be a magical moment of “eureka”, the process of innovating is actually slow, messy and fraught with emotional landmines. In her new book, Experiencing Design: The Innovator’s Journey, Karen and her co-authors break down the innovation journey and, most importantly, focus on the barriers and biases that often limit our capacity...

Getting outside is good for you, that is a well-established fact. Fresh air, exercise and being in nature have positive, and measurable, health benefits. Now, powered by AI and machine learning, NatureQuant is putting a number on nature and working to quantify the positive impacts of getting off your screen and out of your home. This start-up is mapping North America and Europe, pulling in data from myriad sources and providing ins...