The Cherry Kicks Show

Why hasn’t Trump’s tariff war sunk Canada’s economy? Trade economist Dan Ciuriak says the share of our economy actually at risk isn’t 75%. It’s closer to 7.5%.

Jude and Tom sit down with the former Deputy Chief Economist at Foreign Affairs and International Trade to unpack why aluminum is “electricity in an ingot,” why “Fortress North America” is a non-starter, and his surprising pitch to turn Canada Post into Canada’s sovereign cloud.

James Anderson spent nine years building Forged Axe Throwing. Then he ran the numbers on what scaling it would actually take.

Now a sales manager at an AI startup, James gets into what Covid does to a business built entirely on getting people in a room, why entrepreneurs are far more employable than they think, and the conversation in Mexico that changed his mind about the next nine years.

A drop in estrogen can cause frozen shoulder, and most physios miss it entirely.

Physiotherapist and founder Lauren Sutherland gets into pelvic health myths, the real reason physios burn out within seven years, and an unusual choice: paying her team salary instead of commission.

Jason Cridge sold four pharmacies and ran straight into a problem most exits don't leave room for: no more “sufficiently hard goals.”

Jason Cridge built four pharmacies from scratch in Victoria, pioneered a home-nursing model that kept seniors out of hospital for a fraction of the cost, and stepped away before chasing the “Michael Jordan of entrepreneurship” path. Jude and Tom talk exits, the Cridge family's 170-year charitable legacy in Victoria, and why fear of loss beats ambition as a motivator.

Alexis Santacruz grew his Colombian company from 100 to 600 people off one conversation. Then the government changed the rules and it all came apart.

Jude and Tom sit down with the founder of OpenWorks to dig into the weirdest sales data he ever found (the best phone salesperson wasn't the hungry 25 year old techie, it was a woman with one kid), what it actually takes to restart from zero in a new country, and how a half marathon and his EO Forum ended up catching his cancer in time. Honest talk about clarity, resilience, and knowing when AI helps and when it just wastes your time.

What if the patterns quietly running your life were never actually yours to begin with? Trina Parnell (TP Coaching) is an Alignment Strategist who became obsessed with that question after her own long mental health battle — and built a coaching practice around helping people see what's really going on beneath the noise. Jude and Tom dig into why fear is a signal not a direction, why micromanagement is just fear in a suit, the BDC stat that 90% of entrepreneurs are quietly struggling, and the wildly creative "Donna GPT" Trina built using a Suits character to reconnect to her own sense of self.

What happens when a bunch of school bus-sized humpback whales break the surface together, mouths wide open, herring jumping everywhere — and you forget to press the shutter button? Kevin Smith (Maple Leaf Adventures) has spent 25 years captaining expedition cruises through BC's Great Bear Rainforest, and his stories of "charismatic megafauna," COVID-era coastal cleanups, and why 40 million Canadians can't all see this coast will make you rethink what adventure tourism actually means.

She called a bald eagle from three-quarters of a kilometer away—and it landed on her arm. Robin Radcliffe, Director of Pacific Northwest Raptors, joins Jude and Tom (with a spectacled owl named Elton in tow) to talk about the "landscape of fear," why your cat is the number one threat to songbirds, and what it's like to buy a family business your mom funded for a decade.

We also hear about the time Robin's eight-year-old had to hold an eagle in the backseat during a heat dome rescue—and why she still dreams about horses most nights.

🔗 Connect with Robin: https://the-raptors.com/

Why is it getting harder to convince top talent to switch jobs in 2026? According to recruitment expert Kael Campbell (Red Seal Recruiting), it isn’t just about the money—it’s about the "Best Friend" factor and a shifting sense of economic risk.

In this episode, Jude and Tom dive deep with Kael into the "micro-markets" of the Canadian labor force, the "epidemic of loneliness" in remote work, and why your About Us page is actually your most important sales tool.

We also get personal. Kael shares a harrowing story about his son falling overboard in winter waters and how a "Navy-level" approach to communication can save a business (and a life). Plus, we explore The Marriage Habit and how a "safe word" for conflict can improve your relationships with your spouse and your clients.

Key Takeaways:

• The Risk of the Move: How falling housing markets and rental rates are freezing the talent pool.

• Onboarding is Make-or-Break: Why candidates decide to quit within the first two hours.

• The "Navy" Standard: Why repeating orders back (Communication Loop) is a masterclass in leadership.

• Conflict Hacks: Using pattern-interrupts to handle heated business (and personal) conversations.

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: The Marriage Habit

• Safety: Mustang Survival Life Jackets

• Connect with Kael: Red Seal Recruiting

In this episode, Jude and Tom sit down with Stewart Story. We talk about his experience growing up in the family business, his experience as a relatively new member to EO and how he feels very positive about the future of Victoria.