Rami Atallah is the CEO and co-founder of SSENSE, a technology platform that focuses on nurturing emerging talent while simultaneously championing today’s most powerful and established luxury brands.

What started as part of his computer engineering graduate thesis, Rami founded SSENSE alongside his brothers, Firas and Bassel, to address the needs of the new generation of consumers. They wanted to build a platform that was, in his words, "interesting, pushed boundaries, and leveraged the internet to reach a global customer base."

An immigrant from Syria, Rami’s journey is one that exemplifies the power of harnessing diverse perspectives and skill sets, and using your work as a springboard for talent in order to usher a new generation of leaders.

Recorded live at the SSENSE headquarters in Montreal, revisit our episode with Rami, where we talk about his immigrant and entrepreneurial journey, how he uses his engineering background to solve problems, and the future of luxury, commerce, and culture.

Youth voter turnout has historically lagged behind older demographics, and trust in political institutions is at an all-time low. In an era of misinformation, democratic backsliding, and global instability, is democracy failing young people—or have young people lost faith in democracy?

To help unpack these questions, we're revisiting Lance's chat with Samantha Reusch, Executive Director of Apathy is Boring—a national, non-partisan organization that has spent 20 years working to increase youth engagement in Canadian democracy. A leading voice on democratic reform and voter participation, Samantha has dedicated her career to ensuring young people feel heard in the political process. Under her leadership, Apathy is Boring has helped mobilize thousands of first-time voters.

In this episode, we explore:

✅ Why youth voter turnout remains low—and what’s keeping young Canadians from the polls.

✅ How global politics is shaping youth perceptions of democracy.

✅ The role of misinformation, social media, and tech algorithms in political disengagement.

✅ What needs to change in Canada’s electoral system to better serve young voters.

✅ Apathy is Boring’s innovative strategies to mobilize youth, including Count Us In and Table Topics.

✅ Samantha’s call to action for young Canadians ahead of the 2024 Canadian federal election.

🔗 Resources & Links:

📌 Apathy is Boring: apathyisboring.com

📌 Take the vote pledge: https://www.apathyisboring.com/votepledge

📌 The Feed newsletter: https://www.apathyisboring.com/feed

What happens when influence isn’t just about followers—but about power, ownership, and rewriting the rules of an entire industry?

In this re-released episode of Mission Critical, Lance chats with Susan Yara—content creator turned beauty entrepreneur, and the co-founder of Naturium, one of the fastest-growing skincare brands in the business.

She started in front of the camera. Built trust. Built community. And then she flipped the script, turning her influence into infrastructure. Naturium scaled fast, stood out in a crowded market, and was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for a reported $355 million. But behind the success story is a woman who’s navigated every tension: between personal brand and product brand, between representation and responsibility, between being taken seriously and staying true to where she came from.

In this conversation, Lance and Susan talk about what it really means to have influence that lasts—not just in beauty, but in business.

Episode highlights and takeaways:

• Why legacy brands are watching: Susan shares how indie beauty brands like Naturium are driving innovation and forcing legacy players to catch up.

• Representation done right: Susan talks about the responsibility (and strategy) of creating an inclusive brand without tokenism — and how her multicultural background shaped her vision.

• From startup to acquisition: What it really takes to scale fast, keep your soul, and partner with a company like e.l.f. to go global without losing your original mission.

• The power of analytics: She reveals how understanding her audience through content data gave her a roadmap for product development, retail strategy, and growth.

• Creating vs. scaling: The difference between building a personal brand and building a business—and why separating the two is essential if you want to exit.