Starting her journey as a feminist leader at university in the 80s, Madeleine shares untold stories of over 30 years as an activist, social entrepreneur and author. She is famously known for her venture Aisle (previously known as Luna Pads), G day and her book The Greater Good.

0:00 - Episode Intro

Growing up, Koji found his passion for entertaining from an early age through his father who used to be a juggler. But it was only until his summer before university where he found his love for music. In this episode, Koji shares his journey of he became a professional music producer, started his own event company - Kumo Vancouver and is now on a mission to build a platform for other artists to fulfil their dreams as a creative.

After going on exchange in Belgium, Niyati realized the importance of Sex Education for youth and the lack of it India - her home country. This inspired her to start her own nonprofit that has empowered over 29,000+ people in India. Niyati's work has been featured and recognized on various platforms like Forbes India, NDTV, TheGuardian and more. She is an author of her own book 'Under the Carpet' and was recently invited to speak in New York at the United Nations Headquarters.

Starting his career as a Basketball player, Kamar Burke (also known as KB) shares with us how he played for the Moncton Miracles and the All-Star team of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). He also shares how he transitioned his career from starting his own academy, to working as a videographer for famous artists like French Montana, Massari and Tory Lanez and eventually co-founding his own media company Joybox.

Starting her journey when she was only 15, Vedanshi shares her story of how she started her non-profit organization - Bolt Safety to create safer and more equitable communities around the world!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Intro

1:00 - background and childhood

2:00 - moving to Canada

3:50 - family life

5:35 - earlier school life

7:00 - BOLT inception

9:50 - continuing after a loss

12:00 - finding your cofounders

14:10 - expanding BOLT

16:38 - think like an entrepreneur

18:28 - what is an “entrepreneur”

19:56 - break #1

20:17 - founder & ceo - solo person & fake it till you make it

23:15 - integrity & work ethic

25:30 - leadership style

27:35 - building meaningful relationships

29:33 - taking BOLT to the next step

31:18 - what is SAFEHUBS

33:33 - how can we all be allies

36:47 - securing funding

38:30 - selling bracelets to make $

40:06 - break #2

41:26 - taking care of one’s self

43:45 - setting priorities

45:55 - dealing with expectations

48:15 - what do awards mean to you?

50:22 - relationship with her sister

53:00 - project LIGHTNING

56:40 - being proud of your culture

58:30 - piece of advice

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly resources, opportunities, and behind-the-scenes content: https://leaders-of-today.ck.page/c780a10061

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadersoftodaypod/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@leadersoftoday?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziyaanvirji/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vedanshivala/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vedanshivala/

Growing up in a small town in Canada, Derek shares his story of how he became a finalist in Canada’s most-watched reality TV show (Big Brother Canada) and his journey of how he became a full-time social media content creator.

0:00 - Intro

1:03 - Growing up in a small town

2:50 - Small-town living shaping who you are as a person

3:35 - Being a people pleaser

6:15 - Working in the construction & oil industry

7:30 - hating my job

8:30 - the sum of your closest 5 people

10:00 - moving out and taking that next step

12:20 - big mindset shift

17:00 - relationship with best friend

20:35 - break

22:15 - transitioning into business and reality tv

26:30 - starting first business

33:30 - getting into Big Brother Canada

37:00 - Big Brother experience

46:00 - break #2

47:15 - impact of Big Brother

50:10 - day to day life

56:50 - maintaining success

58:40 - working on mental wellbeing

1:03:25 - toxic masculinity

1:05:06 - understanding your why

1:10:00 - piece of advice

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe to our channel to help us elevate our mission!

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly resources, opportunities, and behind-the-scenes content: https://leaders-of-today.ck.page/c780a10061

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadersoftodaypod/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@leadersoftoday?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziyaanvirji/

Derek

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekjacobkesseler/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekjkess

On Michelle’s 8th birthday, when she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said “she wanted to change the world and do something positive”. Naturally, she was given three options “a doctor, a lawyer, or an accountant”.

After trying everything, Michelle spent her teenage years pursuing being a doctor. In high school, Michelle would spend her summer at research labs which led her to pursue a pre-med degree at Western University.

Going to university across the country have Michelle a chance to have her “first sense of real freedom and exploration”. This led her to explore her other passions as a digital marketer, content creator, and other business projects and opportunities. She continued saying “YES” to every opportunity in university which led her to work with major brands like Headspace, Bumble, Disney, Nike, Raptors, and more.

After receiving a message from her brother and receiving an acceptance email from NEXT 36, Michelle decided to switch paths. She switched her degree, graduated early, and moved to Toronto for this accelerator program. This is where she met her roommate Ravina (who eventually became her co-founder) and started FLIK -  a platform to connect female founders with female students looking for work experience.

Fast forward 2 years after, FLIK has gone on to help over 15,000 people in over 70 countries around the world. Given the demand for the platform (especially during COVID), FLIK eventually got acquired by Rumor Avenue. For her work, Michelle has won numerous awards including BC Business 30 Under 30, YWCA Women of Distinction and Conversationa - LIST GenZ Honoree.

Michelle is currently building a new start-up Bonfire a space to share meaningful moments globally every day.

0:00 - Intro

1:20 - growing up and being pushed at a young age

3:00 - what do you want to be when older?

7:00 - exploring entrepreneurship

9:05 - path to present Michelle

11:45 - relationship with parents

15:05 - all-girls high school and her experience

18:15 - exploring other interests

25:40 - switching away from medicine

32:00 - reflecting on her decision

34:00 - Next36 experience + FLIK

38:40 - Starting FLIK

43:00 - relationship with co-founder

45:30 - impact on people

48:00 - advice to young women

49:30 - men’s role

52:00 - FLIK business model

53:15 - FLIK exit

57:45 - post-FLIK

1:02:00 - new venture

1:05:00 - advice to young people

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe to our channel to help us elevate our mission!

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly resources, opportunities, and behind-the-scenes content: https://leaders-of-today.ck.page/c780a10061

Michelle:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellebkwok/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellebkwok/

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadersoftodaypod/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@leadersoftoday?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziyaanvirji/

Growing up, Teon Gibbs had to move around a lot every couple years from Botswana, South Africa, Angola, UK and eventually Canada. He was first introduced to music and hip hop when he would listen to his brother's CD's when he was away from home. As he moved around a lot, Teon built strong connections and felt consistency in his life through music. He was even actively involved in Church while playing guitar and the bass. This helped him find a sense of community at the time as well as taught him a lot about performing in front of an audience.   

Teon eventually moved to Kelowna, BC in Canada where he initially had to compromise a lot to fit into his community. Initially, he even stopped releasing hip hop music and was playing in India alternative bands to cater for his community.   As Teon settled in to Canada, he would work a full time job at Shaw Communications and Shopify during the day and then make music until 2-3 am at night. This went for a couple years until he eventually decided to do music full time. This came with lots of challenges and uncertainty.  

It's been 3 years since he quit his job. He is now Canada's most well known artists being a trailblazer in the industry. From selling out shows to working with Grammy Award winning producers to releasing multiple albums, Teon is continuing to raise the bar and reach heights never seen before. In addition to his show-stopping performances, what sets him apart his ability to take risks with his art. Complex UK has stated that Teon's work has “hit on a fusion sound that has been sorely under-explored" as he continues to always push the boundaries of genre and innovation. Exclaim! has described Teon as having a natural ability to blend serious themes with soulful tracks, delivering a thoughtfulness that sets him apart from many of his contemporaries.  

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you follow our channel and leave a review to help us elevate our mission!  

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly resources, opportunities and behind the scenes content: https://leaders-of-today.ck.page/c780a10061  

Teon: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teongibbs100/ 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@teongibbs?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Follow us on: 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadersoftodaypod/ 

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@leadersoftoday?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc 

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziyaanvirji/

Harpo Mander is a visionary, thought leader, community builder, storyteller, and cultural producer. Her mission is to be the vessel through which one experience's love. She is a brown girl who adores being a brown girl and is navigating and unpacking her brown girl guilt, while continuously exploring what a world without that guilt looks like for herself and her didis.  

Growing up in Surrey, BC in an immigrant South Asian family, Harpo always wanted to be part of something bigger than herself. As she navigated her identity during her university years at Simon Fraser University and McGill, she was able to embrace her identity as a second generation Canadian.   When she came back to Surrey, she had an opportunity to start her famously known podcast and online community - 'Brown Girl Guilt', being a voice for so many South Asian women and girl in North America. Brown Girl Guilt is the unique and nuanced experience of brown girls and women that is shaped by the expectations to adhere to stark gender roles, familial expectations, and cultural norms. The podcast is archive of her spiciest and softest stories as a brown girl. All the stories in the archive are momentous, authentic, vulnerable and have long desired to be told.  

As she grew her impact in her community and a stint in Radio, Harpo had a full circle moment when she received an offer for her dream job. She was invited to be the manager of Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society (VIBC), where she used to volunteer growing up. They are famously known for hosting the 5x Festival - Canada's Largest South Asian Youth Event.   Harpo is a beacon of hope and a role model for youth in her community. She continues to break societal expectations, standing up for an equal and just world while also empowering others through her journey. For her efforts, she was awarded Surrey's Top 25 under 25 2021.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you leave a review to help us elevate our mission!

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly resources, opportunities and behind the scenes content: https://leaders-of-today.ck.page/c780a10061

Harpo:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/itsharpo/

TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@itsharpo?lang=en

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadersoftodaypod/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@leadersoftoday?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziyaanvirji/

Sam Park moved to Canada when he was 7 and grew up in a single parent family with his mum and two sisters in Vancouver. When he first moved, he lived in a 380sq ft one-bedroom apartment with his family of 4. His early days growing up really seeded the ambition and passion for him to live a life where he can take care of the ones that he loves. In grade 11, Sam was first introduced to entrepreneurship by his friend but that was not the first time he knew about business. He actually despised business given that his dad went bankrupt and lost everything at an early age. Instead of going to school, Sam decided to his entrepreneurship journey. He started multiple media companies including CrunchMedia, InstinctX and more. He would also document his journey on Linkedin - allowing him to expand his network and grow his personal brand. At some point, Sam almost even worked with his role models at the time - Garyvee who tweeted his resume after how impressed he was by his efforts. As part of his journey, Sam was also selected to be part of Canada’s most prestigious entrepreneurship programs in Canada including being part of the first batch of League of Innovators (LOI) and Next 36. These experiences really gave Sam the toolkit to grow as an entrepreneur. At this point, he also made enough money to buy his mum her first house which was his biggest team growing up. But it was only until the end of 2019, when Sam was at his mum’s hair salon, where a customer asked him about TikTok where Joybox was born. With his co-founder Kamar Burke (KB), Sam grew Joybox with short-form content to garner millions of views across the platform. Just like any service-based company, it was difficult for that to results in recurring revenue given it was the early days of TikTok. This led to an incident, where they were at the verge of quitting and were left with only $4000 in their bank account. Sam decided to split that with KB and they decided to give it one final shot. Joybox ended up getting multiple clients and eventually got acquired by Gamelancer - the fastest and largest growing social networks in the gaming space garnering over 1.8 billion monthly views across their platforms. Sam now splits his time serving as the CEO of JoyBox, while also helping to grow the Gamelancer network as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly resources, opportunities and behind the scenes content: https://leaders-of-today.ck.page/c780a10061

Sam:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/imsampark/

Linkedin -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsampark/

Follow us on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/leadersoftodaypod/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@leadersoftoday?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziyaanvirji/