Hosted by The Weird Canadian · EN

Episode Notes Founders make decisions about pricing, hiring, investment, and growth every day. Regular reports do not automatically mean they have the financial information needed to make those calls well. Cody speaks with Rob te Braake, founder of Insight Matters, about the difference between compliance reporting and decision-ready financial information. Rob explains why gut instinct still matters, why clean numbers should reinforce it, and why a mismatch between instinct and data deserves investigation rather than a quick dismissal. They also discuss concentration risk. One major client, sales channel, software vendor, platform, or AI provider can quietly gain enough leverage to change a company's costs or control overnight. The conversation offers a practical starting point for mapping those dependencies and creating a repeatable financial decision rhythm. Topics discussed: - Why finance matters even when it is not the exciting part of the business - Rob's path from banking to entrepreneurship and location independence - Financial trust and decision-ready reporting - Gut instinct vs. business data - Business metrics and financial forecasting - AI costs, platform dependency, and vendor lock-in - A practical next step for founders Guest links: Insight Matters: https://financeinsightmatters.com/ Connect with Rob: https://financeinsightmatters.com/connectwithrob/ Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-te-braake/ Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/1eV3-AM5c-Q Visit The Weird Canadian: https://theweirdcanadian.ca Tools used: Async: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn PLAUD: https://plaudca.sjv.io/the_weird_canadian Affiliate disclosure: These are affiliate links. Cody may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. This episode is for general information and discussion. It is not individualized financial, accounting, tax, or legal advice. Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript

Episode Notes Humanoid robots can climb, sort packages, and perform polished demonstrations. Hiten Sonpal does not think that means they are ready for ordinary homes. Hiten is the CEO of RISE Robotics and a robotics executive with experience at iRobot and other automation companies. He joins Cody to explain why he believes practical humanoid robots in the home may still be 10–20 years away. The estimate is Hiten's view, not a settled deadline. His argument comes down to what happens outside a controlled demo: unfamiliar objects, incomplete context, uncertain AI output, mechanical limits, energy demands, and the consequences of a physical mistake. The conversation moves from home humanoids into industrial robotics. Hiten explains the idea behind RISE Robotics' Beltdraulic fluid-free actuation and why the company focuses on narrower heavy-machinery problems instead of trying to build a general-purpose humanoid. Product performance and maintenance statements remain attributed to Hiten and RISE. Cody and Hiten also discuss aggressive deadlines, cutting scope, healthy conflict inside teams, learning through small failures, AI-assisted work, crowdfunding, robot training in simulation, human augmentation, and AI in education. The practical question to carry away is simple: when an AI-controlled machine lacks enough context, does it pause and ask a human for help? Guest links: - RISE Robotics: https://www.riserobotics.com/ - Hiten Sonpal at RISE: https://www.riserobotics.com/team - Hiten on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiten-sonpal/ Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTJ5C9ZC2oM Watch next: Who Teaches Next: AI, Education, and Human Judgment | Damien Schreurs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arHlLdZVtbA Tools used: - Async: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn - PLAUD: https://plaudca.sjv.io/the_weird_canadian Disclosure: These are affiliate links. Cody may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. More from The Weird Canadian: https://theweirdcanadian.ca YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Weird_Canadian Hiten's timeline, RISE product statements, fundraising figures, and business forecasts are attributed claims, not guarantees. The episode includes a discussion of equity crowdfunding. Nothing in these show notes is investment advice or an investment solicitation. Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript

Episode Notes What happens when one person’s private wealth becomes power over everyone else — and can human behaviour actually change? In this episode of The Weird Canadian, Cody talks with Canadian-born author Diana Colleen about the premise behind her novel *They Could Be Saviors*: a thought experiment linking extreme wealth, trauma frameworks, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and social change. The conversation stays pointed without turning Diana’s hypothesis into a clinical diagnosis or a “psychedelics cure greed” claim. You’ll hear: - why Diana frames extreme wealth as hoarding with public consequences - how she distinguishes MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca, DMT, therapy, ceremony, and personal use from her own experience - where Cody pushes for evidence, safeguards, and limits - why integration, trust, community, screening, and contraindications matter more than a single session narrative - practical “what one person can do next” takeaways without fake certainty Guest: Diana Colleen — https://www.dianacolleenauthor.com/ Press: https://www.dianacolleenauthor.com/press-media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diana.colleen.author/ Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/GixhZRutkTM Related episode / next watch: Rick Tumlinson: Why Humanity Must Go to Space — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1NPyAnhjd0 Selected sources discussed or used for context: - Health Canada psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy clinical-trial risk management - Australia TGA authorised-prescriber access notes (MDMA/psilocybin) - U.S. FDA 2024 complete response letter on MDMA/midomafetamine for PTSD - NIDA overview of psychedelic and dissociative drugs as medicines - NASA search-for-life context (no confirmed life beyond Earth) More from The Weird Canadian: https://theweirdcanadian.ca CONTENT NOTE Includes discussion of sexual assault, suicidal thoughts, controlled substances, and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Not medical advice. Laws and access vary by jurisdiction. Speak with a qualified licensed health professional before treatment decisions. Diana’s “extreme wealth as trauma response” framing is a speculative argument and novel premise, not an established diagnosis or treatment finding. Async affiliate link: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn Plaud affiliate link: https://plaudca.sjv.io/the_weird_canadian Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript

Read transcriptEpisode Notes What does "climate-proofing" a home actually mean when no property can be made disaster-proof? Ben Gilliland, founder and chairman of Future Proof Property Intelligence, joins Cody to talk about the connection between local hazards, building vulnerability, insurance decisions, mortgage pressure, and home value. Ben describes a property-intelligence model intended to identify risks and recommend possible construction and financing steps. Those product capabilities and outcome figures remain company claims unless independently verified. For Canadian listeners, the practical takeaway is not to copy a U.S. checklist blindly. Identify the hazards that apply to your property. Read your insurance coverage and exclusions. Compare proposed wildfire work with FireSmart and local code guidance. Ask the insurer what it recognizes before paying for a retrofit. The conversation widens from housing into Ben's six careers, wealth and reinvention, public benefit corporations, AI and employment, writing with AI, quantum theory and consciousness, blockchain identity, water rights, and the growing market for private bunkers. Topics include: - Why homeowners underestimate property risk - How wildfire embers, vents, roofs, landscaping, and nearby properties affect exposure - Why mitigation costs and insurance outcomes depend on the individual property and jurisdiction - How Future Proof describes its assessment and remediation model - What public benefit corporations are meant to balance - AI as an editor rather than an unsupervised replacement - Wealth, purpose, philosophy, digital identity, water, and resilience CURRENT CANADIAN PROGRAM NOTE The Canada Greener Homes Loan discussed in the recording is closed to new applications. Natural Resources Canada says funding is fully committed. Listeners should check current federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, utility, and insurer programs. GUEST AND PROJECT Future Proof Property Intelligence: https://futureproof.org/ Ben Gilliland on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-gilliland-third/ Future Proof methodology: https://futureproof.org/methodology CANADIAN REFERENCES Statistics Canada, extreme weather impacts on consumers and insurers: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2026007-eng.htm FireSmart Canada, Protect Your Home: https://firesmartcanada.ca/firesmart-at-home/protect-your-home/ FireSmart Canada, Home Ignition Zone: https://firesmartcanada.ca/about-firesmart-2/the-home-ignition-zone/ Natural Resources Canada, Canada Greener Homes Loan status: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/home-energy-efficiency/canada-greener-homes-initiative/canada-greener-homes-loan Follow The Weird Canadian and find more episodes at https://theweirdcanadian.ca Async affiliate link: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn Plaud affiliate link: https://plaudca.sjv.io/the_weird_canadian Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/DtBUnfDMr7Q This episode is for education and discussion. It is not individualized insurance, construction, legal, investment, or financial advice. No upgrade guarantees coverage, renewal, lower premiums, financing, or increased property value. Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Why are younger Canadians losing faith that political participation can improve their lives? Michael Harris joins Cody Johnston on The Weird Canadian to explore how affordability pressure, delayed life milestones, and distrust of institutions are shaping youth political engagement in Canada. Michael lays out his views on what caused the affordability crisis and what a different economic approach might look like. Cody presses him on the trade-offs, implementation, and evidence behind those ideas. The conversation also covers supply management and dairy quotas, Austrian economics, Alberta autonomy and independence, civil liberties, misinformation and censorship, Bill C-9, political alternatives, candidate recruitment, and the practical challenge of rebuilding a federal political organization. You do not need to agree with every conclusion to engage with the central question: what would make younger Canadians believe that participating in public life is worth the effort? Topics discussed: - Why younger Canadians feel left behind - Affordability and political disengagement - Supply management and dairy policy - Austrian economics and competing views - Alberta autonomy and independence - Civil liberties, misinformation, censorship, and Bill C-9 - Political alternatives and public trust - Rebuilding an organization and finding candidates Follow Michael Harris: - Official profile: https://www.libertarian.ca/michael_harris - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_harris2525/ - X: https://x.com/MH_For_MP - Libertarian Party of Canada: https://www.libertarian.ca/ Follow The Weird Canadian: - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Weird_Canadian - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_weird_canadian/ Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/p7mGuXhnv8o Elections Canada context: - Deregistration notice: https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=med\&dir=pre\&document=mar0326\&lang=e - Political-party registration information: https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=pol\&dir=pol%2Freg\&document=index\&lang=e This episode reflects the speakers’ views. Political, legal, economic, privacy, surveillance, dairy-policy, referendum, election-registration, and party-status claims are discussed for public-interest conversation and should not be treated as independently verified reporting or legal advice. Elections Canada states that the Libertarian Party of Canada was deregistered effective March 31, 2026; the episode discusses the organization’s rebuilding effort. Subscribe or follow The Weird Canadian for more long-form conversations that test political and cultural ideas instead of reducing them to slogans. Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript

Episode Notes What do you keep control of when your business, audience, and public voice depend on platforms you do not own? Karla Joy Treadway joins Cody for a wide-ranging conversation about marketing, Canadian politics, technology, and self-reliance. Karla explains why she thinks broad online courses have become harder to sell and why a recognizable, trusted brand may be one of the few durable business assets left as AI increases the volume of online content. They also discuss the Freedom Convoy, Bill C-18, Canadian media, online age verification, anonymity, free speech, UBI, internet controls, and independent creators. These political and policy interpretations are presented as the speakers' views; the episode is a conversation rather than a documentary or legal analysis. The final part moves away from theory. Karla describes remote island life on Lake of the Woods, unreliable power and internet, the skills off-grid living requires, and the tension of keeping one foot in digital business while trying to reduce dependence on the system around it. Topics discussed: - Digital burnout and the changing market for online courses - Brand ownership in the AI era - Independent media and Canadian platform policy - The Freedom Convoy and competing media narratives - Online age verification, anonymity, and free speech - Off-grid skills, infrastructure, and island life Find Karla / The Sovereign Sphere: Website: https://www.karlajoytreadway.com/podcasts/the-sovereign-sphere-with-karla-treadway Substack: https://karlatreadway.substack.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-sovereign-sphere-with-karla-treadway/id1616239766 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2AuR4E7kUaambAtP79ZUHW YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thesovereignsphere Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesovereignsphere X: https://x.com/thesovereignceo The Weird Canadian: Website: https://theweirdcanadian.ca YouTube version: https://youtu.be/5q0YhHw3Yvw Services: https://harbourflow.ca Async: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn Disclosure: This is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a commission if you sign up through it. Follow The Weird Canadian for more conversations about AI, Canadian politics, digital rights, economic pressure, creativity, burnout, and building what comes next. Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript

Episode Notes Gig workers, freelancers, creators, and expats are part of the modern economy, but many are still evaluated by lending systems designed for traditional payroll employment. In this episode, Cody talks with Tamara Laine, Founder & CEO of MPWR, about credit access, ethical AI in finance, and why alternative borrower data matters. Tamara explains MPWR’s approach to using AI agents to gather, organize, and explain financial information while keeping final credit decisions accountable and policy-bound. The conversation moves through fintech, regulation, AI guardrails, deterministic decisioning, hallucination risk, human authorship, the UN campaign to stop killer robots, banks for AI agents, voice-based onboarding, stablecoins, and the possibility of a universal credit identity owned by the individual. Chapters / topics from the public YouTube description: - Inclusion vs. risk in lending - Tamara’s path from ballet and journalism to fintech - Service, journalism, and ethical AI - From killer robots to AI guardrails - Why regulation can help innovation - AI creativity, copyright, and human authorship - Why U.S. money rails differ from Canada’s - What MPWR is building - How AI agents find better borrower data - Why MPWR does not use AI for final decisioning - Policy-bound AI and the Tay lesson - Trust, hallucinations, and decision maps - AI brain drain and compressed work - Banks for AI agents and transaction authority - Voice interfaces and onboarding - Blockchain, stablecoins, and financial control - The future for freelancers, creators, and expats - A universal credit score owned by the person Guest links: Tamara Laine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaralaine/ MPWR: https://mpwrai.com/ The Weird Canadian: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Weird_Canadian Website: https://theweirdcanadian.ca Services: https://harbourflow.ca Async affiliate link: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn Disclosure: the Async link is an affiliate link, which means Cody may earn a commission if you sign up through it. Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/LuYQl8046lI Note: This episode discusses financial technology, AI, credit access, and regulation for educational and commentary purposes. It is not personal financial advice. Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript

Episode Notes AI can change how cybersecurity teams monitor threats, respond to risk, and build more adaptive systems — but it is not a magic shield. In this episode, Cody talks with Bhaskar Sawant about where AI cybersecurity should actually start. The conversation, according to the public YouTube metadata, covers zero trust security, adaptive defense, responsible AI, privacy-preserving systems, AI agents, and the basic security mistakes that remain dangerous even when new tools enter the stack. This is a grounded conversation for founders, engineers, operators, and curious listeners who want to think more clearly about security before trusting automation with sensitive systems. Topics include: - Why there is no perfect cybersecurity solution - How adaptive defense differs from purely reactive security - Why AI monitoring can become expensive or complex - Mapping messy legacy systems - Getting teams to adopt AI securely - Responsible AI: reliable, transparent, accountable - Digital literacy and AI agents - Zero trust: never trust, always verify - Personal AI systems and proprietary lock-in - Privacy-preserving AI systems - Blockchain, trust, and tradeoffs - Practical cybersecurity advice for average users Guest: Bhaskar Sawant / Bhaskar Bharat Sawant Guest LinkedIn from public YouTube description: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhaskar-bharat-sawant-533218122 Manual confirmation recommended before publishing because LinkedIn could not be fully verified from this environment. Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/3XS165AIbHY The Weird Canadian: https://theweirdcanadian.ca https://www.youtube.com/@The_Weird_Canadian Services: https://harbourflow.ca Async affiliate link: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn Disclosure: this is an affiliate link, which means Cody may earn a commission if you sign up through it. Note: This episode is educational commentary and conversation, not legal, compliance, or cybersecurity consulting advice. For your own systems, work with qualified cybersecurity professionals and verify any technical implementation in your environment. Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript

Episode Notes You did everything right. So why does life in Canada still feel harder every year? In this standalone audio episode from The Weird Canadian, Cody makes a pointed argument about Canada’s affordability crisis: the problem is not only individual budgeting, one bad government, or one policy mistake. It is also about monopoly protection, cronyism, infrastructure neglect, public dependency, and a culture that often makes ordinary Canadians wait for rescue instead of building power locally. This episode is not a call to be reckless or quit your job tomorrow. It is a call to start building something small and real: a skill, a service, a product, a stronger local economy, or a second path that belongs to you. Topics covered: - Why Canada feels so expensive - The difference between personal struggle and systemic incentives - Managed decline and infrastructure neglect - Covid-era business closures and monopoly advantage - The old education-work-retirement path Canadians were sold - Why “free” programs still have costs - Public dependency and political incentives - Cronyism versus real competition - How small builders can strengthen local economies - Why waiting will not fix Canada’s problems Content note: This is a pointed opinion/commentary episode. Strong claims about public-sector dependency, Covid-era business closures, monopolies, and political incentives are presented as Cody’s argument unless separately sourced. Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/QCGu_iLLu_8 Subscribe to The Weird Canadian on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Weird_Canadian Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript

Episode Notes AI filmmaking is changing the path from idea to finished story — and it may matter most for creators who do not want to wait for traditional gatekeepers. In this episode, Cody talks with Qiushi Zhang, writer-turned-founder and CEO of Leyline, an AI filmmaking platform for storytellers and creators. The conversation explores what AI video generation means for filmmakers, writers, creators, and founders who want to build story worlds, shows, micro-dramas, and direct-to-consumer media. They discuss Qiushi’s path from Wall Street to Hollywood to AI filmmaking, why the entertainment industry has always been more uncertain than it pretends, and how AI can shorten the creative loop. They also dig into fear around AI, the difference between useful tools and AI slop, why human taste still matters, and how communities and creator-led universes could shape the next stage of media. Topics covered: - Why “nobody knows anything” still applies in entertainment - Qiushi Zhang’s path from banking to Hollywood to Leyline - Why AI filmmaking felt inevitable - Direct-to-consumer creators and new distribution paths - Fear, pain, and adopting AI tools - How AI can shorten the creative loop - Leyline’s masterclass and production cohort - Creative bibles and consistency in AI filmmaking - Human taste vs AI slop - Human performers and the future of work - Why community matters for creators - Creator monetization and future story universes Links: Leyline: https://www.leylinepro.ai Masterclass: https://leylinepro.ai/learn The Weird Canadian on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@The_Weird_Canadian Website: https://theweirdcanadian.ca Services: https://harbourflow.ca Async affiliate link: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn Disclosure: the Async link is an affiliate link, which means Cody may earn a commission if you sign up through it. Watch the YouTube version: https://youtu.be/fC-RIP_qEJ8 Note: This episode discusses AI filmmaking, creative labour, Hollywood, and future technology. Forecasts should be treated as perspective from the guest and host, not guaranteed outcomes. Support The Weird Canadian by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-weird-canadian This podcast is powered by Pinecast.Read transcript