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The future of work is changing fast — and few people have a better vantage point on global leadership, talent, and purpose than Jay Rosenzweig.

Jay Rosenzweig is a successful investor and internationally renowned social impact entrepreneur, humanitarian, and CEO of Rosenzweig & Company. Across North America and beyond, he advises global corporations, high-growth founders, and purpose-driven organizations on building world-class leadership teams. He also chairs the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and is the creator of the annual Rosenzweig Report on women in leadership.

In this wide-ranging and deeply thoughtful conversation, Jay and Ashley explore:

• The future of work, talent and leadership
• AI’s impact on creativity, ethics and global security
• The rise of fractional and portfolio leadership
• Why wellness is becoming a strategic imperative
• Canada’s opportunity in AI, clean energy, and global scale-ups
• DEI backlash, ESG maturity, and what boards need to understand in 2026
• How young leaders can find purpose in an uncertain world
• The difference between legacy and ego — and what truly endures

A grounded, meaningful episode for anyone thinking about the future of work, Canada’s innovation economy, and leadership in a world that’s changing faster than ever.

What is ESG?

This episode touches on ESG — a framework that helps companies evaluate their Environmental, Social, and Governance responsibilities. In practice, it’s about long-term resilience, ethical leadership, transparency, and how organizations navigate risk in a fast-changing world. Want to explore this more deeply? Check the show notes for a helpful breakdown (visit Canada Now — show notes coming soon).

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Factory-built homes are back in the spotlight in Canada — but are today’s modular homes actually good enough to help fix the housing crisis and be places people truly want to live?

In this episode of Canada Now, Ashley sits down with Rohan Kulkarni (Co-Founder & CEO, Rohe Homes) and Salik Z. Khan (Co-Founder & Chief Experience Officer) to unpack how factory-built, modular homes can speed up construction, cut costs, and still deliver beautiful, high-quality spaces.

They get into:

• Why modular ≠ “mobile home,” and how Rohe’s building envelopes unfold on-site in 4–6 hours
• How laneway homes, multiplexes, and “missing middle” infill can unlock intergenerational living and wealth
• The real “cost of chaos” in traditional construction: delays, weather, labour shortages, and hidden expenses
• How an AI lot-feasibility tool helps homeowners understand what they can build on their property in minutes
• Rural and disaster-rebuild use cases — including rebuilding after wildfires in B.C.

Whether you’re a homeowner, builder, policymaker, or just curious about the future of housing in Canada, this conversation demystifies prefab and modular construction — and shows how factory-built homes can be more affordable, more convenient, and genuinely beautiful.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between manufactured, prefab, and modular homes
• How Rohe’s foldable building system works — from factory to finished home
• Why modular can save up to 30–40% in time and reduce hidden costs
• How multiplexes and small-scale infill can help solve Canada’s “missing middle”
• Where factory-built housing fits into rural, remote, and disaster-affected communities
• How Canadian homeowners can start thinking like micro-developers on their own lots

Guest links:
Rohe Homes → rohehomes.com

FULL EPISODE SHOW NOTES COMING SOON!

Get updates at https://canadanow.beehiiv.com

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Follow Canada Now for bold ideas and real conversations shaping what’s next in Canada. 🇨🇦
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→ YouTube
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Meet the host, Ashley Smith! 🙋‍♀️
→ Ashley's links (social, website, + more)

Send a text to Canada Now! 💬

What if a major housing unlock is hiding in plain sight?

This week, Ashley sits down with Laura Fortey — co-founder & COO of Reitium — to unpack how churches, hospitals, and other nonprofits can raise capital (donations, debt, or equity) to build affordable housing while keeping ownership of their land. No bulldozers-for-condos script. Instead: preserve the community anchor, add the homes, and make the math work with modern crowdfunding infrastructure.

They also dive into founder realities — burnout and reset, when to pivot vs. persist, what accelerators actually provide, and why the next era of building in Canada is more human, more in-person, and more collaborative.

In this episode:

• The “sleeping land” opportunity: why church & nonprofit sites matter
• How Reitium structures community-owned development (donations / debt / equity)
• Keeping the land vs. selling out: long-term income for nonprofits
• Policy, mayors, and moving faster by working with (not against) regulation
• Founder lessons: first-mover advantages, timing markets, and agile pivots
• Burnout, boundaries, and the rise of fractional/portfolio careers
• Why IRL rooms still beat DMs — and how serendipity changes outcomes

Topics: housing innovation · community-owned development · crowdfunding · founder resilience · fractional leadership · Canada’s next-gen builders

Find the full episode show notes — with Laura’s podcast and accelerator program mentions — at Canada Now HERE! 👈👈

Also, subscribe to the Canada Now newsletter for updates (and vip perks)!

🎧 Timestamps:

00:00 — Intro: Democratizing real estate and the “sleeping land” opportunity
01:15 — Laura Fortey joins: A founder’s journey from burnout to purpose
03:30 — What is Reitium? Crowdfunding affordable housing through community ownership
05:45 — The church land model: keeping ownership while creating homes
08:20 — How donations, debt, and equity fuel nonprofit-led development
10:40 — Tokenization, regulation, and why timing the market matters
13:15 — Lessons in agility: pivoting while staying true to your mission
15:40 — Accelerators, mentorship, and learning from ecosystems abroad
18:20 — Why in-person connection still beats remote networking
21:30 — The rise of fractional and portfolio careers for founders
24:00 — Building sustainable companies without losing yourself
27:10 — Generational shifts: younger builders, new priorities
30:05 — Real-world optimism: the future of housing and impact in Canada
33:00 — Networking events and building Canada’s tech ecosystem
36:00 — Women founders, capital gaps, and fundraising realities
39:30 — Advice for new builders and lessons from global accelerators
43:00 — The future o

Love the show? Help it grow!
→ Subscribe, Review, and Share 🍁

Follow Canada Now for bold ideas and real conversations shaping what’s next in Canada. 🇨🇦
→ All Links (including socials)
→ YouTube
→ Canada Now Newsletter (subscriber perks coming soon!)

Meet the host, Ashley Smith! 🙋‍♀️
→ Ashley's links (social, website, + more)