Behind every great company, every groundbreaking idea, and every game-changing innovation, there’s a leader on a mission. Welcome to Mission Critical with Lance Chung—the show where we break down the blueprints, the bold moves, and the battle-tested playbooks of today’s most impactful leaders. From CEOs and founders to artists, designers, and athletes, we’re talking to the visionaries who build, innovate, and lead.
Mission Critical
Claim This Podcastby GLORY Podcast Network
4.5(36 reviews)
149 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇨🇦
82
Podcast Authority
BetaExcellentBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality92
Social0
YouTube86
Engagement93
Podcast Overview
Behind every great company, every groundbreaking idea, and every game-changing innovation, there’s a leader on a mission. Welcome to Mission Critical with Lance Chung—the show where we break down the blueprints, the bold moves, and the battle-tested playbooks of today’s most impactful leaders. From CEOs and founders to artists, designers, and athletes, we’re talking to the visionaries who build, innovate, and lead.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/1/2020
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82
Podcast Authority
BetaExcellentBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality92
Social0
YouTube86
Engagement93
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excellent
Episode Length
43 minutes
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Recent Episodes
July 29, 2026
Alessia Cara (Recording Artist): How to Build a Successful Career Without Losing Your Sense of Self
<p>What happens when the goalposts for success keep moving, and you decide to stop chasing them?</p><p>In this episode of Mission Critical, Grammy Award-winning Canadian recording artist Alessia Cara reflects on a decade in the music industry and the lessons she's learned about building a career on her own terms. From navigating an industry that has fundamentally changed to letting go of perfection, trusting her instincts and embracing creative freedom, Cara shares a candid playbook for anyone trying to evolve without losing sight of who they are.</p><p>Her journey offers a powerful lesson for entrepreneurs, creatives and ambitious professionals alike: sustainable success isn't about constantly proving yourself. It's about creating work you're proud of, staying open to change, and defining your own version of what it means to win.</p><p></p><p>Key Takeaways</p><p><strong>1. Stop creating for approval and start creating from conviction.</strong> The strongest work often comes when you stop optimizing for approval and trust your own instincts.</p><p><strong>2. Let experience make you more free, not more rigid.</strong> After a decade in the industry, Cara says she feels she has less to prove and more freedom to experiment. Experience shouldn't narrow your thinking; it should give you the confidence to explore.</p><p><strong>3. Don't let perfection get in the way of impact.</strong> For anyone building something, the takeaway is clear: perfection and impact aren't always the same thing, and sometimes the most memorable work is the work that feels human.</p><p><strong>4. Your identity doesn't have to be fully formed before you begin.</strong> You don't always need to have the full vision before you start. Sometimes the work itself reveals who you're becoming.</p><p><strong>5. When the goalposts move, redefine what winning means to you.</strong> When external measures become unstable, the most sustainable definition of success is one you control yourself.</p><p></p><p>About the Guest</p><p><strong>Alessia Cara</strong> is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter who rose to global prominence with her breakout hit "Here" before earning international recognition for songs including "Scars to Your Beautiful" and "Stay." She went on to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and establish herself as one of Canada's most distinctive voices in contemporary pop.</p><p>Beyond her success as a recording artist, Cara's career offers a compelling case study in navigating early success, public expectations and personal evolution. From finding her voice as a young artist to redefining what success means on her own terms, her journey reflects the challenges and opportunities that come with building a career while continuing to grow as a person.</p>
June 26, 2026
Adam Minster (Managing Partner, Food Dudes): How to Reinvent Your Business When Customers Change
<p>If your customers are changing, your business has to change too.</p><p>In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Adam Minster, managing partner of Food Dudes and co-founder behind Toronto restaurants RASA and SARA, to unpack what happens when an entire market shifts (and how smart business owners adapt before it's too late.)</p><p>As rising costs reshape the restaurant industry and consumers become more intentional about where they spend, Adam explains why the traditional "middle" of the market is disappearing, what prompted SARA's bold pivot to a tasting-menu-only concept, and how customer behaviour should guide your biggest business decisions.</p><p>Whether you own a restaurant, retail store, agency, or service business, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on recognizing market shifts, creating experiences customers are willing to pay for, leading teams through change, and building a business that's designed to evolve.</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p><p><strong>Pay attention to changing customer behaviour, not just your sales: </strong>The biggest opportunities often come from recognizing shifts in how customers think and spend before they become obvious. SARA's transformation wasn't driven by instinct, it was driven by listening to customers and following the data.</p><p><strong>A great experience is becoming more valuable than simply offering a good product: </strong>As consumers become more selective with discretionary spending, businesses need to create memorable experiences that justify the purchase. People are increasingly willing to pay for something they'll remember.</p><p><strong>Your employees are often your best source of business intelligence: </strong>Adam explains how regularly gathering feedback from his team helped shape major strategic decisions, including SARA's evolution. The people closest to your customers often have the clearest view of what's changing.</p><p><strong>Hospitality is about people, not just service: </strong>Customers may talk about the food, but they remember how they were treated. Building loyalty often comes down to small, thoughtful moments that make people feel welcomed and valued.</p><p><strong>Great businesses evolve without abandoning what makes them special: </strong>Innovation doesn't always mean starting over. The strongest businesses stay rooted in their core values while adapting how they deliver value as markets and customer expectations change.</p><p></p><p><strong>About the Guest</strong></p><p>Adam Minster is the co-founder of Food Dudes, one of Canada's leading hospitality companies, and a partner behind acclaimed Toronto restaurants RASA and SARA.</p><p>Over the past two decades, Adam has helped grow Food Dudes from a catering business into a multifaceted hospitality group spanning restaurants, large-scale events, and culinary experiences. Under his leadership, RASA has earned two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand recognitions, while SARA has been recognized by the Michelin Guide for its flavour-driven cuisine and guest-first approach to hospitality.</p>
June 3, 2026
Jayme Jenkins (Co-founder, Everist): How This Canadian Beauty Brand Turned Product Innovation Into a Competitive Advantage
<p>What does it take to create an entirely new product category—and convince customers to change habits they've had for decades?</p><p>In this episode of Mission Critical, Lance sits down with Jayme Jenkins, co-founder of Everist, the Canadian beauty brand behind the world's first shampoo, conditioner, and body wash concentrates. What started as a mission to reduce waste in the beauty industry evolved into a masterclass in innovation, customer education, brand storytelling, and sustainable growth.</p><p>In their discussion, Jayme shares the realities of building a category-defining company, from developing a product that manufacturers said couldn't be made to learning how to simplify messaging, earn customer trust, and scale without sacrificing the brand's purpose. She also offers practical insights on customer feedback, retail expansion, founder wellness, team building, and why today's most successful brands win by solving real problems—not just telling compelling stories.</p><p>Whether you're launching a startup, growing a consumer brand, or navigating the challenges of scaling a business in a rapidly changing market, this conversation is packed with actionable lessons on building a company designed to last.</p><p></p><p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p><p><strong>Lead with the customer problem, not your mission:</strong> One of Everist's biggest breakthroughs came when they stopped leading with sustainability and started leading with performance. Customers care about the problem you're solving first; your mission becomes a powerful differentiator once you've earned their attention.</p><p><strong>Innovation only matters if people understand it: </strong>Creating a breakthrough product was difficult—but explaining it was even harder. Jayme shares how simplifying Everist's messaging and making the unfamiliar feel familiar became critical to scaling the business.</p><p><strong>Customer feedback is a competitive advantage: </strong>Every review, comment, and customer email is analyzed by the team. Everist's growth has been fueled by an obsessive commitment to listening, iterating, and improving based on real customer experiences.</p><p><strong>Sustainable growth beats growth at all costs: </strong>The era of chasing unicorn valuations has given way to a more durable approach. Jayme discusses why building intentionally, profitably, and for the long term creates stronger companies and healthier founders.</p><p><strong>Differentiation is worth the pain:</strong> Many of Everist's biggest challenges stemmed from doing something completely new. But that same uniqueness is what made the brand memorable, defensible, and capable of creating an entirely new category in beauty.</p><p></p><p><strong>About the Guest</strong></p><p>Jayme Jenkins is the co-founder of Everist, an award-winning Canadian beauty brand reinventing the hair, skin, and scalp care industry through concentrated, waterless products. Alongside co-founder Jessica Stevenson, Jayme launched Everist in 2021 after spending years in the beauty industry with global companies including Procter & Gamble and L'Oréal.</p><p>Driven by a desire to reduce waste in personal care without compromising performance, Jayme helped create the world's first shampoo, conditioner, and body wash concentrates—an innovation that has positioned Everist as one of Canada's most exciting emerging beauty brands.</p><p>Today, Everist is recognized for its category-defining products, sustainability-first approach, and growing community of loyal customers. Jayme is passionate about innovation, conscious consumption, customer-centric brand building, and helping the next generation of founders navigate the realities of entrepreneurship.</p>
149 total episodes available
Recent guests on Mission Critical
Guests from recent episodes — sign up to see every guest that has ever appeared on this show.
Shayla Stonechild
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Latoya Nugent
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Jonathan Van Ness
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David Moltz
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Kavi Moltz
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Mission Critical?
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This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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