Written By: Teresa Greco
The studio doesn’t hum so much as breathe—measured, curious, unhurried. When a defence analyst broke down NATO’s structure on air, host Mike Wixson didn’t posture; he leaned in. “There are two operational hands we don’t even talk about,” he said, almost rueful—openly acknowledging he was getting schooled in real time. The exchange captures the network’s thesis: when better facts arrive, the volume goes down and the learning begins.
That humility is the point. True Patriot Love—the independent Canadian podcast platform co-founded by Shara Micucci and Mike Wixson—is built on a simple premise: adults solving real problems need clean information, not performative outrage. “We go into discussions with our own ideas,” Mike says, “but if we’re wrong, we say so… We accept that we were wrong. We get an education.” The house rule follows: respect, rigour, and signal over noise.
The Guiding Pillars
True Patriot Love doesn’t organize around personalities; it organizes around nine pillars—Economy, Energy, Health Care, Housing, Immigration, Crime, Defence, Politics, and Happiness—the issues Canadians live with every day. “We frame episodes as primers: usable, researchable information before opinion,” Shara explains. On the economy, for instance, they walk listeners through federal revenues and expenses from 2019 to 2024, then situate the ~$500-billion federal spend in plain language—pointing to what changed and why the line items moved—without turning it into a blame game. “We show you the numbers and why the numbers are there… We don’t say it’s bad or good,” she says.
The approach repeats across other pillars. On immigration, the team sits down with specialists to translate new rules and temporary visas so people can make real decisions. “We just did an episode explaining… what the new laws and rules are,” Mike notes. “Maybe if you’re coming to Canada, it’s not a great idea [under certain visas]… Nobody is doing that out there, and listeners are finding usable information here.”
Independent, Not Partisan
In a media climate where trust and temper both run thin, their stance is steady. “We’re not out there trying to push a narrative down people’s throats,” Mike says. “We’re pulling these narratives apart to see if they actually have a narrative.” Shara frames it as civic responsibility: free speech matters because we’re all shareholders in this country; participation requires facts, not fury. “It’s our fundamental right… so we need to participate in the conversation and the debate,” she says.
There’s also context: Shara points to Canada’s public spending on media—about $3 billion a year, covering entities like CBC, Corus, Rogers, and Bell—and a projected federal deficit that shapes the backdrop for audiences seeking credible independent voices. “We wanted to face the truth about the condition of our nation… explain and educate people on our true condition with humility and courage,” she says.
Patriot, Reclaimed
About that name. In some circles, “patriot” draws reflexive heat. Mike doesn’t flinch. “If you love this country and you want things to be better always, that’s how I define a patriot,” he says. “True Patriot Love is exactly what it says. We’re going to tell the truth. We’re going to be patriotic and humble—and do it from a place of love. Nobody needs to start their discussions from hate. We just won’t do it.”
The Co-Founders
Shara Micucci, co-founder — operations & growth.
Shara blends entrepreneurship with community building. After growing a successful health and beauty business, she moved into charitable gaming at Rama Gaming House, where she leads marketing and human resources. A licensed realtor and co-founder of the Meadowvale Business Association, she also co-founded M Pulse, a community newspaper distributed across Mississauga and Scarborough (about 100,000 copies a month). That established print reach now supports the platform’s audience strategy—print for depth, digital for dialogue.
Mike Wixson, co-founder — host & executive producer.
Mike is a veteran radio host, television producer, and early corporate podcast producer whose shows have crossed into traditional media—an inversion of the old pipeline. “I was one of the first podcast producers in Canada on a corporate level… a number of the things I produced as podcasts became traditional media in the end,” he says. He’s building a network with True Patriot Love where production standards and evidence are non-negotiable.
Roster, Reach, and How to Listen
This is a multi-show platform: flagship long-form interviews; shorter primers that decode budgets, policies, and processes; and pillar-specific series across the nine-pillar spine. The roster includes The Social Experiment, The Daily Cancelled, and The Jim Lang Show, with more rolling out. Distribution is broad by design—audio on 50+ platforms, video on YouTube and Rumble, and the network website at tplmedia.ca. In print, a planned 20-page True Patriot Love Media edition will surface key articles and lead readers back to the site, providing another on-ramp for deeper engagement. “Early response has been outstanding,” Mike says. Supporters can expect donation/subscriber options and tasteful sponsorships that respect the editorial line.
Why We’ll Be Listening
Shara and Mike aren’t promising easy answers; they promise better questions and the discipline to sit with them. In a season of hot takes and headline churn, True Patriot Love builds something rarer: a room where facts gather first, voices stay low, and minds change in public. Discussion, not decibels. Pillars, not personalities. Patriotism, reclaimed—truth told with humility, country first.