You are listening to the Business Leadership Podcast with Edwin.

Paul: I'm Paul Newton, creative producer of the Future Narrator miniseries, and I'm joined by Edwin Fzo, host of the Business Leadership Podcast.

We are recording live at Web Summit Vancouver 2025, and we're exploring how today's leaders shape the future, not just through strategy, but through story.

We believe that a strong point of view is what inspires communities, builds movement, and cuts through the noise in uncertain times.

So let's dive into this conversation.

Today's guest is transforming chaos into clarity.

One system.

One strategy, one life at a time.

Adrian Jung is the CEO of Eva, a lifestyle tech company revolutionizing the way people manage their households and daily lives.

With over 15 years of leadership experience spanning startups, high growth ventures, and large scale transformations, Adrian brings a rare blend of operational precision and human-centered leadership.

A McGill, MBA, and nationally recognized mental health advocate.

Adrian has saved organizations, millions guided digital transformations and build systems that support both performance and wellbeing.

At eva, she's doing it again.

This time by building technology that simplifies life and supports families behind the scenes where the real work happens.

She's been featured in Forbes lectures at McGill, and serves on multiple nonprofit boards.

When she's not re-imagining how we live and lead, she's likely walking her dog savoring quiet time or coaching the next generation of leaders.

Edwin: Welcome to the Business Leadership Podcast, Adrian.

How, how are we doing today?

We're doing great, and I feel even better after that description.

Wow.

I'm feeling great about myself.

Amazing.

Um, as Paul mentioned, we, we are here live at.

Web Summit.

Vancouver, how is your day going, Adrian?

Adrienne: It's been a whirlwind, but I love it.

I love Vancouver.

I love that We're by the sea and I'm energized.

Let's go.

Edwin: That's amazing.

Adrienne: Yeah.

Edwin: I know you're here, you're pitching.

Yeah.

How, how, how's that going?

Give us the update and this, you know, when this airs.

May, maybe there's other updates and everything.

It'll be future updates.

I'm Adrienne: hoping.

I just got off the stage literally two minutes ago and I made it into the semifinals, which are tomorrow, so tune in then.

Wow.

We'll be looking out.

Yes, please do.

Edwin: That's amazing.

That's amazing.

We we're so excited and we're so happy to be sitting here, here with you.

I guess for those listeners who may not know, Adrian, if you could just tell us about Eva and I guess the problem you're solving in household management and.

Daily life organization.

Adrienne: Yeah.

I started Eva because, um, I realized pretty quickly we have billions of dollars worth of tools at work to help us become more efficient and manage all of the information.

I can track my billable time down to the minute, uh, but then I go back home and I'm using whiteboards in my kitchens or post-its or lists on the counter.

And the disparity was just.

Uh, not right in my opinion.

And so we created eva, which is, we're we're taking inspiration from those corporate tools, the ERPs, the CRMs, things like that, and created something really powerful for your home and daily life.

So something to help you kind of manage your day to day and operating system.

For your life.

Edwin: Oh my God, Adrian.

I, I think I got to get my wife to listen to this because we, everybody Adrienne: says that Edwin: we have post-it notes lists.

Yes.

Clipboards, whiteboards, applic applications.

Yes.

We have written in calendars things.

So great text.

Yeah.

That's, that's amazing.

So I'm just, I'm just visualizing it right now.

You know Adrienne: what?

I'm glad that you said you need to tell your wife about that.

'cause we've heard people say, I don't need Eva.

My wife is Eva.

Okay.

So you have the better response.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

Edwin: Did you, did you hear that Betty?

Adrienne: So Betty, about us.

Edwin: Um, Adrian, can you, I mean, given your experience and, and you know.

Where have you've come from?

I'm curious, what is your unique point of view when it comes to, you know, solving this problem?

Adrienne: Mm-hmm.

My background is in operational leadership.

So before starting eva, I held roles like, um, COO Operations Director.

My strength is going into organizations and structuring their resources to make them as efficient as possible so that they can work on their mission.

Um, and so I have a, a decade of experience working with tech tools, with people, with information databases and stuff like that, and structuring them for the mission at hand.

And so when I saw that there was a a, a mi a a blank space kind of in the personal and daily lives, I decided to use that.

Skillset to create something and structure the resources that we have, especially technology to solve that problem.

So we're really taking inspiration from the corporate world where we do work and bringing it where it matters most, our home and daily lives.

Paul: Yeah.

Well that makes sense from a business, uh, perspective.

I Adrienne: think so, Paul: for sure.

Um, but I mean, your, your background and, and just like how you like to support mental health and Yes.

Empower, empower women.

Uh, yes.

What, uh, why do you care about these things?

Adrienne: So this problem, um, is.

There's, there's a whole kind of history behind it.

Traditionally, my opinion, what, based on the research I've done, we have seen that a big disparity in the tools that we have available at work, because it's an area that's been historically dominated by women, right?

Women have traditionally been responsible for the household.

Uh, only up until only recently have been they've been able to get jobs and so that they've been able to.

They've had to focus a bit less in the household, but that had, the technology and the innovation we see at work hasn't caught up with the fact that women are now in the workforce and we need more help at home.

And so we're here to bridge that gap.

We're here to help women that, that we know own most of this problem.

The mental load, you reference your wife.

Almost every man I speak to references their wife as well.

Sometimes their mothers.

Um, and we're not here to judge, but, but people at home need help and that's what we're here to provide.

Yeah.

We're relieving that mental load.

Paul: Well, it is really interesting how just over the decades, as you know, as life at home changed and then when we can enter the workforce and just this, this continual evolution, like what do you have to say about like how things are progressing there?

Adrienne: I love the way things are progressing.

But we have to be able to support that progress with, you know, again, the same level of innovation and effort that we see at work.

We need to see that at home.

Things are changing at home drastically.

Everyone talks about the future of work.

I'm all about the future of home.

What does that look like?

The nuclear family is not a thing anymore or less of a thing.

Family is look different.

You don't necessarily have kids.

You might have pets.

Uh, you might have, you know, a family might be roommates, A family might be just you and your dog.

Um, and we're here to adapt to that and whatever that looks like for you, we're here to help.

Paul: Yeah.

And what, what do you think about you is, uh, is uniquely poised to see this and support this?

Adrienne: So, I, the Eva was started from a lived experience, right?

So I bought my first house, uh, during the pandemic, which was.

Something in and of itself that was an experience.

Yeah.

Uh, but when I got my house, uh, there was a whole lot of information that I got from the previous owners, right?

Uh, these are the lights for this.

You have to do this in the spring, you have to use this in the fall and like, call this plumber, don't call that guy.

He's terrible.

And so I'm scrambling, taking notes and so I looked for something that could help me in the way that I had help at work and there was nothing there.

Add to that, that was just the home aspect.

Add to that, you know, I've got a dog, I've got a spouse, I've got all of these other things happening in my life, and it was just.

A lot.

Um, and I think almost, and all adults can kind of relate to that.

Yeah.

Being an adult is super chaotic and it doesn't get any easier.

You, you adapt to it better, but then there's new milestones, new challenges, new things that happen.

And so we just wanted to create something that was there to support you through every phase of your life, uh, with technology at the service of humanity.

Paul: And, and so how do you see this changing how life is lived?

Like.

Adrienne: We wanna make it easier so your daily life easier.

We always say like, everyone wants to change the world and that's great, but do you even know what's for dinner?

Yes.

You know what I mean?

How are you gonna change the world if you're worried about what's for dinner?

And so that changes Paul: my world really.

It changes my Adrienne: world too.

And so our, that's how we are saving the world.

We are making it easier for people to live their daily lives so that all of a sudden changing the world like that becomes possible.

If you're on your way to curing cancer, I wanna make it so your daily life.

So easy, you don't have to worry about it.

You can worry on the cancer to the cure to cancer.

Paul: Well, and I mean, these things that happen at home have such an impact on, on family and community.

Yes.

And things too.

Right.

Adrienne: We've been told we're saving marriages.

Yeah.

Saving relationships.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, Paul: yeah.

And future generations from trauma, future gener trauma.

Yes.

Adrienne: Yeah.

Actually, we've heard a lot from people who are moving out of their parents' house, right?

And they're learning to adult the Gen Z generation.

They've coined the term adulting, like they're learning to adult.

What it takes to like.

Pay a bill and like have dividing up chores with roommates and like all of a sudden they're out in the, in the world.

And we're helping them again with that next phase of life of being an adult and those milestones that come with it, um, using technology to, to make it easier.

Paul: And, and so as you think through this cultural impact that you're facilitating here Yeah.

Like, I mean, that's a big responsibility.

Adrienne: Yeah, it is.

But you know what, who better to tackle it than a woman?

For sure.

Sorry guys.

For sure.

Edwin: We're just gonna go now.

Adrienne: No, it is, it is a big, it's what we're doing is big.

Yeah.

Uh, and that's why, you know, we only launched our MVP back in January.

We've been operational for two and a half years.

It took a while to build what we wanted to build for it to be at the.

Scale that we wanted it to be, because again, we're talking about an operating system for your life that can adapt to whether you have dogs or kids or whatever.

So the, the task is big, it's a big responsibility.

Um, but the, the response has been amazing.

People really resonate with what we're doing.

Everybody.

This is something everybody experiences.

And so yeah, the, the, the, the hurdles have been there, but the validation also has been so it's been great.

Paul: And, and have you given a lot of thought to what, like, what life looks like post Eva?

Adrienne: There is no post eva.

I mean, okay.

I mean like, um, Paul: like post-adoption wide scale of eva, where Oh yeah.

Eva Adrienne: is going to be a household name, guaranteed.

Yeah, absolutely.

But Paul: everyone's using it.

Everybody's using, let's it just say, uh, you know, like all the families are doing it and, uh, yeah, marriages are being saved.

Kids are just like, you know, they're, they're in the right places at the right time and everybody like, you know, and they're just happy.

Like, what, what happens to life?

We're Adrienne: innovating.

We're innovating, right?

We want to be to like your home and daily and personal life.

What like, you know, Tesla and Apple and Microsoft are doing in the corporate world.

We are all about setting the future of home, the future of your daily life.

Uh, and so we're gonna be, you know, uh, avant garde and setting the stage and leading the charge when it comes to what's next.

Paul: Yeah.

Yeah.

And, and so like, okay, your dogs and everything that you Yes.

You know, that you're doing in your life, like.

Just give it a little taste of what, like, like how transformational it's been for you.

Adrienne: It's been insanely transformational.

I mean, I'm running a business, uh, I don't have time to ma to, to remember all the little details and to manage all of that.

Um, I got a reminder on Eva just a few months ago that it was tick season and I needed to go to the vet to bring my, to get my dog, uh, the te the vet, the tick medication.

Um, and I.

I had taken a picture of what the medication was last year that I put him on and his reaction to it and all of that.

So I had all that information.

So that vet appointment lasted all of five minutes.

'cause I went into it with the information, what I knew I wanted.

All of his, like his weight, his, all of that.

Um, and it was just a seamless experience.

I really didn't have to think about it.

So it relieves a lot of that mental load, that brain space so that I can use it for what I wanna be doing, which is changing the world.

Edwin: Wow.

So cool.

Adrienne: Thank you.

Edwin: Hey Adrian, this is a.

This's been like, I've been, I've been, it's gonna bring back to my wife.

I mean, this is, you should always bring things back to your wife, man.

I mean, I've been trained.

Well, don't worry.

There you go.

This is very from my mother, my strong, from my strong mother and sister.

Right.

There you go.

So I've been raised by women, smart men.

I was actually born in women's college hospital, so I, I always joke when growing up I was, I was, I was raised by women, man, born and raised by women, and you can tell.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Mom.

Did you hear that?

There you go.

You're doing a good job, mom.

Yes you are.

Um.

No, it, it's really inspirational in terms of like what you and the team at EVA are doing and really creating.

And I think when it comes to, like we're, we're at Web Summit Vancouver, there's a lot of innovation, a lot of tech, but some of them.

May not hit home.

Yes.

In terms of the impact.

I mean, there is a promise of AI and it's gonna make you, no one knows what that means yet.

Adrienne: Yeah, exactly.

Like Edwin: they're, they're, they're saying things, but when you speak Adrian and you talk about Eva, like it, everyone's already relating to it.

Exactly.

So it, it's, it's very inspirational and, and really, really excited for that.

But before we let you go.

I'd love to get, and you could take this wherever or whatever comes to mind.

Okay.

Any final advice, thoughts, or recommendations?

It could be to the other, to your competitors out there, the other founders starters, other business leaders 'cause you the way you speak and your experience leading organizations.

Is is cool.

A lot of people who are business leaders are listening as well, or, or the mothers out there?

The wives out there, Adrienne: yeah.

Or husbands I guess.

Um, I think the biggest thing, which, um, you know, the, my path with Eva has taught me is.

Don't be afraid to do things differently.

Mm.

When we launched Eva, or when I launched Eva, we were told to do things a certain way.

There was a certain way of building a tech startup.

Edwin: Yes.

Adrienne: Yeah.

Uh, we, neither me nor my co-founder have a tech background.

Uh, so building a tech company when you don't have a tech background is interesting.

So what we did, we went with our strengths.

Were business people.

So we built the business before the product, we went against the grain and just that set us apart.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, so don't be afraid to do things differently.

Um, that's, you'll, you'll get a lot of advice that tells you to do things in a certain order.

Um, but I think the, the outliers are the ones that get things done and are, are the ones that actually do change the world.

So don't be afraid to follow that.

Edwin: I love that.

And, and I think just to add to, to your point, Adrian, it's also there was a clear problem that.

Not only hits home to you, but you didn't have to go far to get someone to relate to that problem.

I just talked to my neighbor, Adrienne: I talked to my mom, I talked to yeah.

The people that are near and dear to me.

And, uh, everybody gets it Edwin: and you talk to them and the ones Adrienne: that don't get it, usually they go back home, they talk to their wives and then they do get it and they come back to me.

Right, right.

Edwin: That's amazing.

Yeah.

So we want to share a book that.

Paul and I wrote it and we just released, it's called Future Narrator.

Okay.

We were at collision last year.

We interviewed inspiring founders and CEOs like yourself.

Okay.

In terms of it, and we created the stories and then we wrote the book.

I love it from what we learned from it.

So we see you as a future narrator.

We were actually happy that you came onto our show and brought on on Harris, so thank you for having me.

This, this is you.

So thank you.

Thank you for joining us on the Business Leadership Podcast.

Adrienne: Thank you for having me.

This has been great.

You are listening to the Business Leadership Podcast with Edwin.