SpeakUP! International Inc.

What is it like when decades of hard work & isolation suddenly become public recognition (Order of Ontario)?

For decades, Dwayne Morgan was building a life of private sacrifice before the public recognition of his achievements.

In our latest episode, legendary spoken word poet and community leader Dwayne Morgan sits down with us to pull back the curtain on long-game creativity. From building culture in Scarborough and across Toronto to pioneering equity work, Dwayne opens up to Rita and me about what it’s really like to build a vision before it becomes popular.

Artist, Educator, and Change Makers – this conversation is for you!
Watch the full episode now!

Video: https://youtu.be/oB_1BZm0lXA

Subscribe, share with someone who is starting out and needs a push, and leave a review with the line or lesson that has resonated with you!

Video channel: https://bit.ly/speakuppodcastvideo

Audio channel: www.speakuppodcast.ca

You can reach Dwayne Morgan using the following link:

https://www.dwaynemorgan.ca/

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Burnout gets framed as a personal problem far too often, so we sit down with author and DEI speaker Rochelle Ramatte to name what many people are living: sometimes the workplace is the hazard. Rochelle shares her journey from being overlooked in school in Edmonton to earning a master’s degree in social work, and how one moment of being truly seen by a professor changed her identity and direction.

Ms. Ramatte discussed practical tools you can use today to beat burnout.

If this conversation helps you name what you’ve been carrying, subscribe, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more people can find it.

To view the podcast: https://youtu.be/zdzINAReDhg

LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochellespeaks/ 

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559479420061

Website is www.rochellespeaks.info

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3% is a number that should stop you cold. C.J. Stewart tells us you’ve got roughly a 3% chance of making it to pro sports and, in Atlanta, a similar shot at escaping poverty if you’re born into it. C.J. knows both worlds. He’s a former Chicago Cubs outfielder, and he’s now the chief visionary officer and co-founder of the L.E.A.D. Center for Youth, a sports-based youth development non-profit built to help marginalised youth build real paths into adulthood.

The conversation gets personal and practical: the difference between guilt and conviction, why mentorship is the floor, not the ceiling, and why sponsorship and advocacy are what move young people from potential to power. C.J. also shares a vision for a more connected Atlanta, including programs that bring together kids from Bankhead and Buckhead, and a definition of civic engagement that goes beyond voting into real, consequential living.

If you care about youth development, equity in sport, or building stronger communities, listen through and then share this with someone who mentors, coaches, or hires. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what’s one relationship that changed your trajectory?

Until the day of release, feel free to visit and enjoy the collection stories using the following links:

Website: https://leadcenterforyouth.org/

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

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/cj.stewart.773

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjstewartatl/

https://youtu.be/v8rEuxx1kg4 (Video podcast)

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Somebody is making money off Black suffering, and that truth changes how we understand everything from politics to philanthropy to the stories we tell about ourselves. We sit down with Dennis Maurice Dumpson, author and founder of Invest Black, to name what he calls the black pain economy and how racial capitalism turns harm into a revenue model that rewards extraction while demanding endless durability from Black bodies. 
 
Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more listeners can find these stories and tools. What part of this conversation do you want to build on next?

You can view the video podcast using the following links: 

https://youtu.be/Zl4npwMDbvI  (Video)

Website: https://www.dennismaurice.com/

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmdumpson

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@dennismaurice

Substack: https://www.substack.com/@dennismaurice

To review our collection of conversations please visit the following links:

www.speakuppodcast.ca (audio)

https://www.youtube.com/@speakupinternational (YouTube)

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SPIRITUAL TRAP OF OVERGIVING
 
During our latest episode of SpeakUP! International, we sit down with the incredible Rev. Dr. Denise Gillard, pastor, transformational coach, and entrepreneur.

Dr. Gillard starts the podcast by reading a beautiful, quiet excerpt from her children’s book, Music from the Sky, before diving into a much braver conversation. What happens when a strong, capable woman keeps giving until there is nothing left? From her roots in Oakville, Ontario, to a life-altering wake-up call in the ICU while caregiving for her husband, Denise shares how she broke free from the spiritual trap of being needed.

If you are a leader, a caregiver, or a Christian woman running on empty, this episode is your permission to stop overgiving and start healing. Learn about her *Whole Woman Reset* and discover what a truly aligned, impactful life looks like.
 
Share this with someone who needs it today, and leave a review telling us how you are moving from depletion to overflow!
 
We invite you to enjoy our latest addition to our podcast collection. 
https://youtu.be/M6mc0HBheIM (video)
www.speakuppodcast.ca               (audio collection)

 You can reach Dr. Gillard using the following link:  wordwalkglobalministries.ca 

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That’s the exact line a potential funder threw in Roger Dundas’s face when he was trying to launch a new venture.

For most, it would be a door slammed in their face. For Roger, it became pure, unadulterated fuel.

In this explosive new episode of the SpeakUP! International podcast, we sit down with Toronto-based entrepreneur and ByBlacks co-founder, Roger Dundas, to dismantle this myth and expose the raw reality of building a Black media empire in Canada.

Why You Need to Listen to This Episode:

• The Birth of a Movement: Travel back to the early 2010s, where blatant mainstream bias and the sudden collapse of a vital publication left Black Canadian stories completely erased. Discover how ByBlacks rose from those ashes.
• Mission vs. Survival: It’s easy to talk about community; it’s brutally hard to fund it. Roger pulls back the curtain on the operational grit, inbound marketing, and bulletproof strategy required to keep a mission-driven business alive.
• Real Journalism over Celebrity Gossip: Find out why ByBlacks deliberately rejects the cheap highs of celebrity clickbait to invest in long-form journalism that actually reflects lived experiences and tackles real community issues.

"We didn't need another gossip column. We needed a mirror. And we needed an economic engine for Black-owned businesses."

Are you ready to change the narrative?

If you care about Black Canadian entrepreneurship, independent media, and concrete, practical ways to build fierce local economies, you cannot afford to miss this conversation. You can reach Roger Dundas using the following link: https://byblacks.com/

Listen now to SpeakUP! International.

Don't just listen, watch, subscribe, share, and leave a review. Let’s make sure these stories are too loud for the mainstream to ignore.

You can watch the podcast in its entirety by clicking on the following link: 

 https://youtu.be/_t4-86YwJTA?si=sLLNQsLIwXNhEY6e (YouTube)

Enjoy our audio and video collection using the following links:

https://www.youtube.com/@speakupinternational (YouTube)

https://www.facebook.com/speakupintl (Facebook)

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A formal White House event, a glass of wine she never wanted, and a President calling her by name while she’s trying to keep it together. That’s how our conversation with Dr. Trudi Michelle Morrison begins, and it only gets more honest from there. We talk about what recognition can mean when you’re a Black woman in spaces where you’re treated like a symbol before you’re treated like a person, and how long it can take to understand the quiet strategies operating around you.

If you care about civil rights, diversity and inclusion, accessible workplaces, or what resilient leadership looks like under pressure, press play. Subscribe, share this conversation with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

You can view the podcast if you like: https://youtu.be/QKNW8ZI-B9A

Connect to Mr. Morrison please go to LinkedIn and search for Trudy Michelle Morrison.

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What happens when the career you’ve built suddenly vanishes, and you realize—with terrifying clarity—that you could be broke by 65?

Most people would panic. David Nassif decided to build a compass.

In this episode of SpeakUP! International, we sit down with David to unpack an extraordinary story of resilience, reinvention, and financial survival. After traditional job hunting felt like a dead end, David stopped drifting, bet entirely on himself as an independent sales agent, and completely revolutionized his relationship with money.

Whether you are navigating an unexpected career shift, planning for retirement, or simply looking for a clearer, calmer approach to personal finance, this conversation will leave you with concrete steps and a mindset you can deploy at any age.

Don't miss this masterclass in turning a setback into a setup for financial freedom!

For a better understanding of the One Page Wealth Compass, check out the following links:

Free PDF: www.onepagewealthcompass.com/free

Book: https://www.amazon.com/One-Page-Wealth-Compass-Nearly-Millionaire/dp/B0GCNSGRLG  

Watch the podcast here! https://youtu.be/cR2OtnUM_wo

Website:  https://onepagewealthcompass.com/

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One careless “you can’t” can stick to a young person for years, but it can also light a fuse. We’re joined by Dr. Beverly-Jean Daniel, scholar, educator, and advocate whose work spans more than 35 years at the intersection of race, equity, and urban education. She shares what it was like migrating from Trinidad and Tobago at 16 and hearing, for the first time, that her goals were unrealistic, not because of grades, but because of who she was. 

  The heartbeat of her book, We Were Not Built to Break. Dr. Daniel explains why attacks on Black history and the constant pathologizing of Blackness are not random, and why she teaches Black youth to see themselves as the blueprint and to stand in their greatness. We also talk about how the old advice to “work twice as hard” can fail younger generations, and what it looks like to work smarter by understanding systemic barriers, naming power, and protecting your sense of self. 

Dr. Daniel also takes us inside the realities of higher education in Canada as a Black woman professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, where credentials do not erase anti-Black racism or gendered stereotypes. Then we get practical with The Bridge program she founded at Humber College: the wraparound, hub-and-spoke supports that move students from crisis and withdrawal risk to retention, academic confidence, and even the honour roll. We unpack “stop out” versus “drop out,” the danger of OSAP debt with no diploma, and what happens when Black student success disrupts the stories people expect. 

If you care about education equity, Black student retention, community mentorship, and real strategies that change outcomes, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave us a review with your biggest takeaway.

 You can reach Dr. Daniel by using one of the links below:

LinkedIn:   linkedin.com/in/dr-beverly-jean-m-daniel-ph-d-34a26114

 Canadian Scholars: https://canadianscholars.ca/product-category/child-and-youth-care/

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Is your bank account suffering from "death by a thousand cuts"? Most of us are overpaying for our basic existence without even realizing it. In this episode, Rita and I sit down with Kirby D. Wilson, a North Carolina based financial strategist and entrepreneur, to learn how to turn those "dead weight" expenses into serious leverage.

What We’re Diving Into:

• The "Bills To Bags" Blueprint: Kirby explains how she helps households and business owners across the US and Canada slash costs on telecom, energy, and healthcare.
• The Origin Story: How the pressure of first-time homeownership led Kirby to uncover the hidden money systems they never taught us in school.
• Escaping the "Not Broke" Trap: Why the "if it’s not broke, don’t fix it" mindset is actually costing you thousands in hidden fees and outdated rates.
• Shifting from Consumer to Strategist: A deep dive into using credit to build opportunities rather than funding shopping sprees.
• Generational Wealth: Tackling student loan stress, common borrowing pitfalls, and why financial literacy is the ultimate head start for the next generation.

Most people aren't broke; they're just overpaying for a life they haven't optimized yet.

Listen now and stop guessing with your money!

Website: www.speakuppodcast.ca (audio)

(video)

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