The Weird Canadian

The Weird Canadian
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

What if the system isn't broken, it's just finished? What comes next, and who's building it? The Weird Canadian is a show about the people answering that question with action. Engineers writing the protocols that route around outdated institutions. Economists rethinking money, work, and ownership for an AI-native world. Policy advocates dragging Canada out of a decade of decline. Founders building tools, communities, and movements that give regular people leverage they've never had. I believe technology, used right, is the most powerful equalizer humanity has ever invented. AI isn't the threat. Concentration is the threat. So this show platforms the people pushing in the opposite direction: open systems, individual sovereignty, distributed power, and a future where being free isn't a luxury. You don't have to agree with me on everything. You just have to be building, creating, or fighting for something real. If your work makes a regular person stronger, smarter, freer, or less dependent on a system that's failing them, this is your audience. Canadian focus, global lens. No fluff, no talking points, no algorithm-chasing. Just the conversations we should be having out loud.

  1. 4h ago

    Can a Human-Only Social Network Restore Online Trust? with Ross Thorpe

    Episode Notes When an image, comment, or account can be synthetic, how do you decide who to trust? Ross Thorpe, founder and CEO of Rooverse, joins Cody to discuss a social network built around verified human users, no AI-generated posts, chronological feeds, and community reporting. The conversation goes beyond the human-only pitch and into the trade-offs: identity friction, privacy, metadata checks, false positives, content provenance, growth, and how the platform plans to make money. Ross says no AI-content detector is perfect. That limitation becomes the centre of the episode: a platform can make human-first rules and choose different incentives, but it cannot turn verification into certainty. In this episode: - Why deepfakes and synthetic content can erode trust even after the deception is exposed - How Rooverse approaches user verification, AI-content detection, and human reporting - The tension between privacy and identity checks - Why chronological feeds change the platform's incentives - The Rooverse-Lonestar collaboration, as described by the companies - Quantum-safe messaging, growth, and Rooverse's business model Guest and project links: Rooverse: https://rooverse.app/ Ross Thorpe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-thorpe-01768a45/ AI Trust Council roster: https://theailab.org/ai-trust-council Sources: Imperva 2025 Bad Bot Report: https://www.imperva.com/resources/resource-library/reports/2025-bad-bot-report/ Vaccari and Chadwick (2020), deepfakes and trust in news: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2056305120903408 Rooverse-Lonestar announcement: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rooverse-and-lonestar-partner-to-protect-human-data-in-space-302774310.html Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/ju6ZbB7YICk Watch next, `Your Search History Is the Product`: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZpL4sXvFyA Tools used by The Weird Canadian: Async: https://async.com/?ref=zjdlyzn PLAUD: https://plaudca.sjv.io/the_weird_canadian PodMatch: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/the_weird_canadian Affiliate disclosure: These are affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. Follow The Weird Canadian for more conversations about AI, digital rights, privacy, creativity, and the systems shaping everyday life. Note: Product, detection, verification, privacy, and growth claims reflect the guest's and companies' descriptions unless otherwise sourced. No detector or identity system is infallible. 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

  2. 5d ago

    Gut vs. Data: Why Founders Fly Blind with Rob te Braake

    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

  3. Jul 27

    Why Humanoid Robots Aren't Ready for Your Home, with Hiten Sonpal

    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

  4. Jul 22

    Can Psychedelics Change Billionaires? The Psychology of Hoarded Wealth

    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

  5. Jul 20

    Can You Climate-Proof Your Home? Insurance Risk and Practical Resilience with Ben Gilliland

    Read transcript Episode 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.

  6. Jul 15

    Why Young Canadians Feel Left Behind — Michael Harris on Affordability, Politics and Alberta

    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

  7. Jul 13

    Digital Burnout, Canadian Free Speech and the Off-Grid Exit Ramp with Karla Joy Treadway

    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

  8. Jul 8

    Why Gig Workers Get Denied Credit — Tamara Laine on MPWR, AI Lending, and Financial Inclusion

    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

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5
out of 5
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About

What if the system isn't broken, it's just finished? What comes next, and who's building it? The Weird Canadian is a show about the people answering that question with action. Engineers writing the protocols that route around outdated institutions. Economists rethinking money, work, and ownership for an AI-native world. Policy advocates dragging Canada out of a decade of decline. Founders building tools, communities, and movements that give regular people leverage they've never had. I believe technology, used right, is the most powerful equalizer humanity has ever invented. AI isn't the threat. Concentration is the threat. So this show platforms the people pushing in the opposite direction: open systems, individual sovereignty, distributed power, and a future where being free isn't a luxury. You don't have to agree with me on everything. You just have to be building, creating, or fighting for something real. If your work makes a regular person stronger, smarter, freer, or less dependent on a system that's failing them, this is your audience. Canadian focus, global lens. No fluff, no talking points, no algorithm-chasing. Just the conversations we should be having out loud.

Information

  • Creator
    The Weird Canadian
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    149
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    The Weird Canadian

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