If you're a social impact leader, serial entrepreneur, or high performer who wants to lead with purpose and real-world impact, this episode is for you!
Angela Nguyen, leadership coach, consultant, and podcast host, sits down with Lourdes Juan — Co-founderand CEO of Knead Tech, award-winning Canadian entrepreneur, and urban planner who has founded six ventures across food security, hospitality, climate tech, and social enterprise. Since 2022, Knead Tech has facilitated the rescue of over 2 million pounds of surplus food and 1.67 million meals — equivalent toremoving 56 cars from the road each year and saving water equal to 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools. All with a team of eight.
Lourdes shares how she leads through uncertainty without having all the answers, how she navigated thebrutal reality that only 2% of venture capital goes to women, and how a stack of parking tickets in her twenties was the wake-up call that changed how she leads.
You'll learn:
• Why collaboration — not going it alone — is Lourdes's defining leadership strength
• How to separate your identity from your company's hardest seasons
• Why systems thinking is one of the most essential leadership skills for 2026 and beyond
• How writing down your priorities (not willpower) is the real boundary-setting tool
• "No is a full sentence."
If you're searching for systems thinking in leadership, food insecurity solutions, or social impactentrepreneurship — start here.
Connect with the Guest
▪️LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lourdesmercedesjuan/