Hey Weirdos,
Welcome back to the weekly drop.
Two new episodes hit this week, and while they tackle completely different crises, they share one uncomfortable truth: the systems we rely on are fundamentally broken, and ignoring them won't save us.
One story asks what happens when the people holding all the resources are driven by deep, unhealed trauma instead of logic. The other asks what happens when the climate bill finally comes due. When the insurance companies decide your home is no longer a safe bet.
Both are about the courage it takes to stop looking away and start fixing the foundation.
Let's get into it.
What If Billionaire Greed Is a Trauma Response?
There's a question nobody asks about billionaires: what's broken inside them?
We study hoarders on reality TV. People buried under mountains of stuff they can't let go of. We call it a disorder. But when someone hoards enough capital to end hunger in entire nations and chooses not to, we call it genius. We put them on magazine covers. We elect them into office.
This week's guest thinks that's insane.
Diana Colleen is a speculative fiction writer, a trained psychedelic facilitator, and a survivor who was pulled back from the edge by an underground MDMA therapist when nothing else worked. Her award-winning debut novel, They Could Be Saviors, asks a radical question: what would happen if you kidnapped five billionaires and forced them into psychedelic therapy? Not to punish them, but to cure them?
Because in Diana's framework, extreme wealth isn't a reward. It's a symptom. A trauma response operating at a planetary scale.
Here's what stopped me in my tracks during this conversation:
The Hoarding Delusion. When you hoard a billion dollars, you aren't just collecting money. You're actively depriving the rest of humanity of resources and gaining unelected power to make decisions for our future. As Diana put it: "He is making decisions for all of humanity, and we have no say in it."
Facts Don't Change Behaviour. The truth nobody in social change wants to admit? Decades of facts about inequality, climate change, and public health have not moved the needle. Because human beings are driven by psychology, not data. Fear, trauma, competition, and ego override logic every time.
The Healing Model vs. The Medical Model. As psychedelic therapy inches toward legality, the risk is that Big Pharma will synthesize, patent, and control it under a broken "take a pill" model rather than true guided healing. Diana's own journey from severe trauma and suicidality to recovery through MDMA therapy is a testament to what these medicines can do when used with care and intention.
Diana quit her job, sat at her desk for four years, and wrote a book she had no idea how to write. The idea kept coming to her during meditation and wouldn't leave. That kind of conviction is rare. This conversation is worth your full hour.
"When you hoard that much, you're affecting everyone else on the planet and the planet itself... we don't think about it as a mental illness. We see it as success."
Resources:
Diana's website and discussion guide: dianacolleenauthor.com
Her book: They Could Be Saviors
Is Your Home Still Insurable?
Canadian homeowners are paying more for insurance as extreme weather and rebuilding costs reshape household risk. But what happens when the math stops working in your favour?
Most people assume it won't happen to them. That's exactly the problem.
Ben Gilliland is the founder and chairman of Future Proof Property Intelligence PBC, a company building AI-assisted platforms for property-risk assessment, construction recommendations, and resilience financing. He's spent a career connecting technology, construction, and climate-resilient housing. In this conversation, he explains why the denial most homeowners carry is itself a financial risk.
The reality is stark: your home is the bet, and the insurance companies are looking closely at the odds.
Here are the key takeaways every Canadian homeowner needs to hear:
Denial is an Insurance Risk. Assuming "it won't happen to me" is no longer a viable strategy. Local hazard exposure and building vulnerability compound your risk, and your insurer is already running the numbers.
Harden Before You Spend. Practical wildfire measures like ignition-resistant materials, vent screening, and defensible space matter. But ask your insurer which mitigation work they actually recognize before paying for upgrades. Not every improvement translates to a premium reduction.
The Limits of Mitigation. No home can be made disaster-proof. No upgrade guarantees a premium reduction or renewal. Costs, eligibility, and insurance treatment vary wildly by property and jurisdiction. Confirm decisions with qualified local professionals.
The Canada Greener Homes Loan is closed. If you heard about it in the recording, note that Natural Resources Canada has confirmed funding is fully committed. Check current federal, provincial, and municipal programs instead.
Ben also goes deep on AI, quantum computing, water rights, and the philosophical implications of a world where data is as essential as clean drinking water. This one runs long and earns every minute.
"How local hazard exposure, building vulnerability, mortgage requirements, and insurer decisions can compound homeowner risk."
Resources:
Future Proof Property Intelligence: futureproof.org
Ben on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ben-gilliland-third
Tools I Actually Use
Since we're talking about fixing broken systems, here are two tools that have fundamentally fixed my own workflows as a creator:
Async is the all-in-one AI video editor I use every week. Record, edit, generate clips, add subtitles, dub in 15+ languages, upscale footage, and repurpose content for every platform without ever switching tools. If you're a podcaster or video creator who can't edit for sh*t (same), this one's for you.
Plaud records my meetings and turns them into clean summaries with action items. I forget half of what's said in a conversation while I'm still having it. Plaud fixes that. I own the notes. I get to stay present in the room. Game changer for anyone who interviews people for a living.
The Common Thread
Two very different crises. Two very similar root causes.
Whether it's an economic system that rewards trauma-driven hoarding or a housing market built on the denial of climate reality, the challenge is the same: someone has to have the courage to look at what's broken and actually fix it.
Diana is writing the fiction that names the disease. Ben is building the tools to harden the foundation. And every week on this show, we find the Canadians and the people who care about Canada who are doing the same.
What's one system in your industry or community you wish you could rebel against? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.
Until next week,
Stay weird.
Cody
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This newsletter is for education and discussion. It is not individualized insurance, construction, legal, investment, or financial advice. Confirm decisions with qualified local professionals.