Episode I: James Knight

Talking with James Knight reinforced something I keep coming back to: politics is less about slogans and more about systems, judgment, and execution. From the start, it was clear how much his early environment shaped the way he thinks. Growing up around conversations on business, real estate, and current events gave him fluency, not just opinions. It reminded me that curiosity compounds when you are exposed to serious ideas early, and that access to those conversations is a real form of advantage.

When we discussed Canadian politics, James framed recent shifts through a generational and economic lens. Younger voters, he argued, are responding to messages about mobility, affordability, and the ability to build a future that feels better than the one they see now. Older voters, on the other hand, tend to prioritize stability. The takeaway for me was not partisan. It was that political behavior often reflects economic pressure and perceived trajectory, not just policy platforms.

We also spoke about Trump, but purely as a strategist. That part of the conversation highlighted how politics now operates through culture, media, and markets as much as formal institutions. James pointed to podcasts and attention ecosystems as modern campaign infrastructure. It made me think about attention as a resource that can be earned, engineered, and monetized, and how that reality changes what leadership looks like.

Shifting into geopolitics, we discussed Canada’s Arctic and the gap between rhetoric and strategic investment. James emphasized that navigable waters and sovereignty are not abstract issues. They are tied to economic potential and national security, and ignoring that has real long-term consequences.

What stayed with me most was his advice to students. Progress comes from choosing a real interest, taking risks before everything feels perfect, and putting yourself in rooms where you can learn. That mindset is a big reason I built Opportunity Index. The goal is to understand how influence and decisions actually work, and to make those systems more accessible to students who want to contribute in serious, informed ways.

Finally, James’s answer about the next generation brought the conversation down to something more personal and honest. He wasn’t blindly optimistic or pessimistic, he said the “jury is still out.” On one hand, he sees our generation dealing with real headwinds: social media, AI, and levels of anxiety that feel historically high. On the other, James also sees the upside, creativity, entrepreneurship, and a genuine hunger to build something better. His point was that it may take another decade to see how those forces shake out, but that young people have real strengths that will matter as we enter the workforce and begin shaping institutions ourselves.