Ivan Touko speaks on the importance of culture and why sticking to your roots is vital in modern society. Ivan is a founding member of La Connexional, a dance instructor and a current student in an Environmental & Conservation Sciences undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta.

Originally from Cameroon, Ivan moved to Edmonton about 6 years ago and started training in West African Traditional Dances in 2014 while he was part of SANGEA. Ivan then went on to form an Afro Fusion Dance group named IOLA with his friends and performed regularly around the city for over two years. He has now been teaching Afrobeats & Afro Fusion dance classes and workshops for about 2 years and currently teaches at the UofA as part of their Recreation program and with La Connexional, a startup he co-founded that aims to build capacity and showcase the talents with communities of Afro & Latin Descents.

My favorite quote is: "If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far go together" This quote is the perfect embodiment of what La Connexional stands and where my love for building communities comes from, as well as, how important it is to build resilient and strong communities that do not only build together but build each other.

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Kenny Bhullar @Kenny_Bhullar Yousaf Saeed @Gainztalk Omid Qaderi @Qashus

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2:30 - why sports psychology as a profession 5:52 - use fear and failure as a compass 9:35 - maladaptive vs adaptive perfectionism 13:50 - support vs challenge coaching style 16:55 - is proving someone wrong the wrong mentality? 18:51 - developing the why with athletes - mission, purpose and philosophy 23:27 - building on flow state to capitalize on the present moment 36:55 - rule of 3 on process to outcome 41:47 - ideal state of awareness and performance out of 10 46:45 - peak your mindfulness training 57:30 - being comfortable confronting your challenges 1:09:07 - staying neutral in a team setting and independently 1:16:40 - what is 2nd floor all about?

Marek is in the pursuit of mastering the mental game. As a high performance psychologist, Michael Gervais says: There are 3 things you can train; your mind, your body, and your craft. But too often we neglect how vital our mind is for our performance. Marek helps people train their minds for peak performance, whatever performance that may be! Growing up as an athlete, Marek thought he was technically decent enough, but his mental game was always lacking. . He didn't have the resources to tackle the persistent mental barriers. He took it upon himself to get to the bottom of it and study the mind and performance, which led to two masters degrees in sport and exercise psychology. He is also a certified mental performance consultant with the Canadian Sport Psychology Association (CSPA). Currently, Marek is working with a number of different individuals and teams from a variety of sports and other performance domains. His personal blog is also ranked in the Top 40 Sports Psychologist Blog In The World, which you can find on www.flowperformancepsych.com

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Kenny Bhullar @Kenny_Bhullar Yousaf Saeed @Gainztalk Omid Qaderi @Qashus

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3:14 - Creating connections online from building influence 5:22 - ball is life and so is video creation and photography 9:00 - fake it till you make it 11:22 - long and short term vision 14:00 - battling insomnia and depression 20:14 - is catering your personality to others to fit in the right thing to do or wrong thing to do? 27:26 - intrinsic motivation and time management 37:23 - start imagining things

Khurram has the athletic ability of a pro basketball player and the entrepreneurial drive that it takes for someone to indoctrinate the 2nd Floor mentality.

As a high performing basketball athlete, Khurram played at a high level since high school and his university career; at Lethbridge he averaged 18 buckets a game as a rookie! Khurram Sultan knew he wanted to shape his career around his love for the sport of basketball while he managed to become aware of his emotions during the ups and downs.

Outside of the court, Khurram is a creative visionary who is not afraid of turning ideas into a reality. He started crafting skills in content creation on social media through high resolution videos and photography. A true artist of his own craft.

Khurram's love for ball and community building has led him to creating “In The Dark Athletics” - Train In the Dark, Shine in the Light. This in his own words is "for all the people who have the blind faith that the hard work they put in the dark will pay off when the opportunity is given to shine in the light and be in the spotlight!"

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Kenny Bhullar @Kenny_Bhullar Yousaf Saeed @Gainztalk Omid Qaderi @Qashus

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3:00 - team sport vs individual sport 4:42 - mental health awareness through sport activity 6:35 - adjusting to a contact sport to channel aggression 8:48 - getting in a serious accident changes your entire outlook on your mental and physical health 15:00 - taking the pressure of yourself and creating balance 20:00 - does what you consume on social media define you or define who you want to be? 26:25 - Buddha's Brian theory 31:50 - the depressive state of mind our generation is facing 34:50 - be real to yourself and you will be real to others 41:00 - value driven mentality 44:27 - validating and questioning your ability, as well as those you have strong relationships with 49:19 - trust is for all relationships no matter where you are in the world 51:50 - Gagan's career aspirations

Gagan's worldview encompasses an innate desire to help the less fortunate, put a spotlight on equality, and bring awareness to bringing aid to vulnerable populations.
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Gagan packs a punch with both brains and beauty, graduating from a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in just 3.5 years, whilst doing continuous volunteer work, research, and keeping herself healthy physically and mentally by participating in extracurricular activities.
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Gagan always told herself that "believe in yourself and know your worth", which is what has helped her achieve success today.
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Gagan is currently working as a Medical Adjudicator for the Government of Canada and has recently fell in love with practising in the art of jiu jitsu to keep her mind and body sharp.
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As a well travelled tourist, Gagan has volunteered for certain programs affiliated through international health programs. One particular journey, Gagan provided various types of health services to those in need on a mission to Nepal after its very unfortunate and large earthquake in April 2015. She attended health camps in rural communities of Nepal where individuals did not have accessibility to healthcare. She was also privileged to experience the mastering art of mindfulness and meditation from Buddhist Monks.

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Kenny Bhullar @Kenny_Bhullar

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Omid Qaderi @Qashus

www.2ndfloorpodcast.com

KB "Bengal" Bhullar is an undefeated professional mixed martial artist (MMA Fighter) with a record of 4 Wins - 0 Losses. With a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Accounting, KB worked for one of the largest accounting firms in the world.

The Bengal started to notice the time he put in to training martial arts was steadily decreasing due to the demands of the corporate life 😤 He realized time was slipping away from his fingertips and getting back in the cage was all he could think about after completing school. . Since taking action and fueling his passion, KB went to California to affiliate himself as a certified @speedofsport personal trainer 💪

Upon his arrival back home, he now balances his love for teaching martial arts and fitness training with his fighting career where he feels like he's putting his time into what drives him to the next level!

Find us on all streaming platforms :

Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Stitcher

Instagram @2ndfloorpodcast

Facebook @2ndfloorpodcast

Your Hosts on Instagram

Kenny Bhullar @Kenny_Bhullar

Yousaf Saeed @Gainztalk

Omid Qaderi @Qashus

www.2ndfloorpodcast.com