Intentifiers

Jenn Milne joins me to talk about intentional entrepreneurship and the unconventional career path that took her from fitness and coaching to construction and eventually owning JD’s Apparel. We explore the threads connecting her choices, what has shaped them along the way, and how she’s intentionally creating community impact through her work. 
An invitation to reflect, learn and find inspiration in the stories of other humans.

What if the most radical thing we could do is simply leave people alone?
In this unfiltered, deeply human episode of Intentifiers, Jodi Rai and Lina Buffington find themselves mid-conversation before the record button even hits - and what follows is one of the most honest exchanges the podcast has produced yet.
They explore the tension between doing meaningful, social-justice-rooted work and refusing to sacrifice yourself for it. Between holding strong convictions and letting other humans live their lives without interference. Between being committed to change and protecting your own peace.
Together, they dig into:
Why "martyrdom or sell-out" are not the only two options for working professionals committed to doing good in the world
The simple, radical principle: if you're not doing harm, people should leave you alone
How systems - not just individuals - empower harm, and why that changes the conversation entirely
The exhausting reality of being bothered from all directions: outside your community, and sometimes from within it
Why dogma - even in social justice circles - can become its own form of control
What it looks like to be committed to people, not a country, not an ideology - and why that distinction matters
The ongoing, unresolved question: how do you do meaningful work, protect yourself, and actually enjoy the life you're living?
This conversation is candid, politically honest, spiritually grounded, and deeply human. It's for anyone who's tired of being told how to exist - and is still showing up to do the work anyway.

Running an organization is meaningful work. It's also complicated, exhausting, and full of pressures that nobody really prepares you for.
In this episode of Intentifiers, Jodi Rai and Executive Director Lina Buffington get candid about the real challenges that come with managing people and organizations in today's world - and what it actually looks like to navigate them with intention.
Together, they unpack:
The pressure on organizations to respond to everything on social media - and why staying grounded in mission is more powerful than staying reactive
What happens when team members blur the line between personal voice and organizational voice online
The messy, unresolved reality of doing meaningful work without losing yourself in the process
Why "work-life balance" isn't quite the right frame - and what might be a better one
The value of defining your own personal mission, purpose, and non-negotiables as a way to navigate impossible choices
Why investing in yourself deserves the same seriousness as investing in your organization
This conversation is real, reflective, and full of the kind of honesty that usually only happens behind closed doors. If you're a working professional trying to do good work without burning out - this one's for you.

What does it really cost to be the “first,” the “only,” or one of very few BIPOC people in predominantly white organizations?
In this deeply honest and reflective conversation, Jodi Rai and Lina Buffington explore the invisible labor, emotional burden, and mental health impacts that often come with navigating leadership, academia, and professional spaces as women of colour.
Together, they unpack:
The pressure of constantly having to prove yourself
The emotional weight of hypervisibility and invisibility
Burnout, self-worth, and the mental health toll of “performing excellence”
The realities of being the “first” or “only” in a room
Why representation and mentorship matter
Legacy, creating opportunities, and building better workplaces for future generations
The tension between meaningful work and personal cost
This conversation is candid, layered, vulnerable, and ultimately hopeful — centering lived experience, identity, power, purpose, and the ongoing work of creating more human workplaces.
If you’ve ever felt unseen, underestimated, exhausted by invisible labor, or driven to create change anyway, this episode will resonate deeply.

Dima Salame, an HR professional and leadership coach, shares her journey through burnout and back to intention. She speaks candidly about the signs of burnout, the lessons learned, and why listening to your inner voice is essential for both wellbeing and leadership.

Christopher Scipio has spent over a decade in Canada’s federal public service, advancing anti-racism, gender equity, and policy innovation. In this conversation, he reflects on leadership as an act of care, the importance of courage in creating systemic change, and the love that underpins his work.

Bryce shares a deeply personal story of moving through religious trauma, depression, and the search for meaning. His journey includes facing both emotional and physical pain, and finding pathways toward healing, self-understanding, and light.
Today, Bryce speaks with honesty and vulnerability about resilience, the importance of safe support systems, and his belief that love is light. His story is a reminder that even in the darkest times, there is always the possibility of renewal.

Joel Solomon is a Founding Partner of Renewal Funds, Canada's largest mission venture capital firm, at $240 million assets under management. Investing in climate tech and organic foods in Canada and the USA, Renewal Funds is GIIRS-rated, a founding Canadian B Corp (5x “Best for the World”), a “1% for the Planet” member, recognized as ImpactAssets “Top 50 impact fund managers.” Joel is also 2021 Clean50 Canada lifetime achievement honoree, frequent public speaker, board member of the University of British Columbia, co-producer of the Just Economy Institute, and co-author of The Clean Money Revolution: Re-Inventing Power, Purpose & Capitalism. I saw it’s power, and also its ability to define and control humanity, in turn our effect on all life, human society, and experimentation with how it may be used more fairly and generatively for a better future for all. Joel's Story of Intent stems from his curiosity and drive for a more intelligent and long term perspective on the great societal questions around how money could be used to shift economic activity to a generative, more fair, and powerful force - one that could create a better future for humanity and ecology. While at the same time opening up the possibility of how money (and how we spend it) might having a more enlightened human influence on society, a long term evolution for a more just, safe soft landing for civilization and future generations. This is Joel and his Story of Intent connected to intentional spending.

Trixie Ling was born in Taipei, Taiwan and grew up in many places from Taiwan, Singapore, United States of America, and Canada. She launched Flavours of Hope in March 2018 as a labour of love, stemming from her passion for creating intercultural spaces, o learn together, break down barriers, and build bridges between cultures through food, stories, and entrepreneurship. In Trixie's Story of Intent she speaks to her hope of people being intentional in thinking about their identity, culture, power and privilege, and the connection between food and race. This is Trixie and her Story of Intent.

Abneet Sandhar is a trained classical Indian yoga guide, receiving her 300hr teacher training with Master yoga lineage holder: Maitreyi Yogacharini from the Arkaya foundation in 2019. She is also a Feminine Embodiment Coach receiving Woman's Temple facilitation training with Awakening Women in 2017, and also is a certified Holistic Nutritionist + Chef. Abneet is OBSESSED with guiding women back to their inner healing capability and reclaiming inner power. She knows that the healing of the world takes place as the Sacred Feminine is brought back into balance. A former burlesque model, nude art model and life-long sacred arts dancer, she encourages women in her practice to enter their bodies more fully in order to show up more deeply in every aspect of their lives; in intimate relating, communication, money and . Her Story of Intent is about how after years of studying spiritual self-healing techniques, meditation, classical tantric yoga and dance, she curated "The Nourished Woman" - a safe space for women of all walks of life to come together in community to celebrate and express their most honest raw selves. She shares how defining Sankalpa has helped shaped her personal spiritual journey and the work I do with my clients. This is Abneet and her Story of Intent.