The High Octane Friends podcast is where Rob McMullan & Trevor McKee discuss a variety of subjects in an authentic and unvarnished way, and where we celebrate remarkable journeys and share powerful insights that fuel motivation and personal growth through every episode.
Insights on Canada’s digital economy, AI investment, and economic sovereignty with John Ruffolo
Send us Fan Mail This episode of High Octane Friends is our most important one yet. Trevor & Rob host special guest John Ruffolo, the distinguished founding partner of venture capital firm Maverix Private Equity in Toronto, Canada. Together we examine Canada’s digital economy, AI investment, and economic sovereignty. Major themes: • Canada needs stronger domestic capital, talent, and customer access. • AI infrastructure may face significant overbuilding and correction. •...
15 Jun 2026
Silicon Valley VC Shares Insider Tips for Tech Founders & Other Investors
Send us Fan Mail Special guest Divya Raghavan is a venture capitalist at Hitachi Ventures in Palo Alto, California. She shares details with Trevor & Rob about her route into the profession, and what the key success factors are in today's dramatically different tech investment world. You will also learn why she thinks Canada's tech startups and scaleups are such attractive investments now. This episode of High Octane Friends is a must listen for all aspiring VC, ambitious tech ...
14 Apr 2026
Do no Evil? A tech investor's view of AI’s impact.
Send us Fan Mail On High Octane Friends' latest podcast, Caitlin Carter from VC firm/venture studio Highline Beta discusses where Artificial Intelligence is going and how it is affecting investment, startups/scaleups, and society as a whole. Join co-hosts Rob McMullan & Trevor McKee with Caitlin on this insightful and far-ranging conversation. Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple and other podcast platforms. Also on our website. High Octane Friends | Highoctanefriends.com The High Octan...
9 Apr 2026
Queen Nerdine's inspiring entrepreneurial journey
Send us Fan Mail Our good friend Nadine ("Nerdine") Miller is a true "Renaissance person" with degrees from MIT and Oxford, she has shifted from engineering and mining to board work, which led to self-funding a tech startup. Her career included advanced soil mechanics work to design and close tailings facilities in mining, and now advisory roles on three mining boards. Her new age tech startup "Nightingale" is a good example of "User Entrepreneurship", in which a challenge in monitoring aging...
20 Feb 2026
Beyond the Angels: Bryan Watson's Masterclass on Tax Credits and Canadian Capital for the Early-Stage Founder
Send us Fan Mail Rob McMullan and Trevor McKee are joined by Bryan Watson, who discusses his extensive history in the Canadian angel investment and tech ecosystem, including work in building angel groups and his perspective on the SR&ED tax credit as a due diligence tool. Bryan Watson detailed how the SR&ED process and financing the receivable through services like Easley and Fund Through help companies manage cash flow and emphasized the importance of a broad capital stack beyond jus...
21 Jan 2026
Boost Motivation and Willpower today, and for 2026!
Send us Fan Mail Returning to productivity after a break—such as the holiday season—requires addressing motivation from biological, psychological, and environmental angles. Foundational habits like consistent sleep, morning sunlight exposure, and stable blood sugar are critical, as poor sleep and ultra-processed foods create cycles of fatigue and demotivation. High-protein, savory breakfasts and meal pre-planning help sustain energy, while removing junk food from the environment reduces relia...
1 Jan 2026
How living abroad enhances life, love and mind
Send us Fan Mail The main topic of the podcast was the importance and value of living abroad in an increasingly insular society, which led to a discussion of Adrienne Nemeth's move from Hungary to Paris due to the fall of communism, Trevor McKee's formative experiences in South Africa before immigrating to the US, and Rob McMullan's move from Canada to Japan to gain perspective. The participants concluded that living abroad, or even experiencing different perspectives through internal divides...
12 Dec 2025
Why your Couch Potato investment plan might have prediabetes
Send us Fan Mail Rob McMullan, Trevor McKee, and Patrick de Kruyff discussed the episode topic, "Your couch potato investment style has pre-diabetes." Patrick de Kruyff, an executive for Owens McFaden Group, critiqued the passive investing "couch potato" style, highlighting the concentration risk in ETFs and the need for personalized financial planning integrated with tax considerations, arguing that the gamification of investing preys on emotions. The participants also discussed the necessit...
3 Dec 2025
Reversity and Exclusion
Send us Fan Mail Rob McMullan, Trevor McKee, and guest Sheliza Jamal discuss the state of DEI (perhaps regrettably now more aptly described as "reversity and exclusion"), focusing on the challenges of implementing DEI, the concept of "reversity," and the impact of AI on bias and education. Sheliza, a Harvard aluma and founder of Curated Leadership (https://www.curatedleadership.com/sjamal-bio), shared her firm's work on inclusive workplace cultures and highlighted concerns about AI's potentia...
14 Nov 2025
Becoming more attractive inside and out for career, kids and self
Send us Fan Mail Hosts Rob McMullan & Trevor McKee spoke with guest Vivian Yan about the nature of personal magnetism. Vivian shared her transition from living in a small Chinese mining town to becoming a successful journalist and venture capital professional. They discussed several key factors contributing to personal and professional attractiveness, such as confidence, positive perspective, resourcefulness gained from diverse upbringings, effective listening, empathy, respect for ...
2 Nov 2025
Sweat, Grit, and Greatness: How Sports Builds Healthy Bodies, Disciplined Minds, and Community Spirits
Send us Fan Mail This podcast episode focuses on the importance of sports as a community builder and a source of discipline and professional success, with Rob McMullan highlighting the social and public health benefits, and Trevor McKee emphasizing how sports can offer a path out of poverty and a connection point for communities to come together. The High Octane Friends podcast is where Rob McMullan & Trevor McKee discuss a variety of subjects in an authentic and unvarnished way. ...
30 Oct 2025
The High Octane Resilience Playbook: Thriving through life's ups and downs
Send us Fan Mail Rob McMullan, Trevor McKee, and Jori Lichtman discussed "developing resilience in the face of change," covering personal, employment, corporate, and societal changes. Jori Lichtman introduced themselves as the first guest and shared their journey, including career transitions and parental loss, contributing to their "PhD in resilience," whether from personal or career losses, like losing a job prospect were confident about, or even in the face of societal changes, particularl...
28 Oct 2025
How to become a creative genius!
Send us Fan Mail Also available on YouTube Rob McMullan and Trevor McKee discussed the importance of leveraging AI as a tool for business, with Trevor noting that most creative ideas often come from allowing the subconscious mind to ruminate on problems, such as taking a break or walking, rather than actively staring at a blank screen. Rob countered the idea of an "us versus them" mentality regarding AI, suggesting that technology can be used to stimulate thinking and enhance human creativity...
9 Oct 2025
Combatting misinformation in the age of AI: Check your sources!
Send us Fan Mail Rob McMullan and Trevor McKee proposed focusing on how to avoid misinformation, using examples from finance, health claims, and AI's tendency to "hallucinate" false information. The main talking points included critical thinking, identifying self-interest in information sources, the use of Snopes.com and "trusted sources" to verify information, the role of survivorship bias in financial "truth" around mutual funds, the impact of capitalism and negative externalities, and cons...
2 Oct 2025
Fifty ways to get your lover (romantic partner or platonic friend)
Send us Fan Mail Rob McMullan and Trevor McKee discussed the difficulties of establishing romantic and platonic relationships in the modern era, highlighting the importance of in-person contact, effective communication, and shared values. They offered advice on combating loneliness by reducing social media use, engaging in social activities, and initiating simple conversations. Key topics included the nuances of Greek concepts of love, the role of action in communication, and strategies for o...
24 Sept 2025
Your happiness depends most on this!
Send us Fan Mail Rob McMullan and Trevor McKee, hosts of the "High Octane Friends podcast," dedicated their third episode to exploring various aspects of happiness, discussing personal hacks and learned experiences. They delved into topics such as: Personal habits like smilingExperiences with mental health support Overcoming imposter syndrome from the Dunning-Kruger effectBenefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as well as social connections. The speakers also emphasized the ...
18 Sept 2025
These medical breakthroughs can add 5+ years to your life
Send us Fan Mail High Octane Friends Podcast Episode #2 also available on YouTube Co-hosts Trevor McKee & Rob McMullan highlight breakthrough medical research, insights and evidence on these topics: Critical thinking applied to health Current vaccination science The best sources of medical information and how to read scientific articles New research linking intermittent fasting to a higher incidence of heart disease The best nutrients & superfoods, which can improv...
17 Sept 2025
Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurship
Send us Fan Mail Rob McMullan and Trevor McKee introduce their new podcast - High Octane Friends - and discuss secrets of successful entrepreneurship. These two high octane friends with backgrounds in tech, finance and entrepreneurship discuss: Starting a Business with Zero Money The Importance of Simple, Serious Ideas How to Focus Your Thoughts and Efforts in Business Avoiding Over-Engineering and Seeking Feedback Dropping Ego and Identifying Pain Points Embracing Boldne...
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