The Immigrant Story Podcast

Lekan is the Founder/CEO of Obsidi by BPTN, an online platform that's very quickly becoming an ecosystem for Black professionals and allies in Tech to connect on multiple levels, from career advancement opportunities to interesting events and much more. On this episode, Lekan and I delve into his childhood, we unpacked some of the struggles his family went through, and how those experiences shaped his ethos and approach to how he leads today. We take a deep dive into Obsidi by BPTN, how it all started, the challenges he faced and some of the drivers for the success the network has experienced so far. Lekan also shares his vision for Obsidi by BPTN, his take on the meaning of Black History Month and Blackness and concludes with advice from his experience on how to navigate the road to success. It is a packed episode, enjoy.

Theresa Nyabeze is a Professional Mining Engineer who prides herself as a contributor to an industry that produces the materials with which the modern economy is built. In addition to her 20+ years career in mining, Theresa is actively engaged in promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the mining industry. As co-Chair of Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, she has led engagements aimed at educating professionals and organizations on the positive impact of diverse and inclusive workplaces. Theresa is an advocate for women and girls, and has published papers peering into the careers of women in mining and also written a children's book - Underground my mining adventure - to spur young girls to take up careers in STEM, using mining as a gateway. Theresa was recently named among top 100 Accomplished Black Women in Canada, an honour she shares with many notable figures including the Honourable Jean Augustine. On this episode, Theresa and I unpack her childhood which brought back many fond memories of her time growing up in Harare, Zimbabwe before emigrating to Canada with her family. We talk about her experience in Canada, her work in the mining industry and her involvement in Inclusion and Diversity. This is a packed episode, enjoy! 

On this episode, I seat down with Isaac Olowolafe Jr., an entrepreneur extraordinaire, who through his many ventures has changed the face of industries from real estate to venture capital. We talk very candidly about his early years growing up in the Greater Toronto Area, touching on the lessons he learned from his parents through their sacrifices and devotion to him and his siblings, and how those experiences shaped him into the man he is today, personally and professionally. Through his vertically-integrated enterprise - Dream Maker Inc. - he has created opportunities for minority groups, especially Black individuals and businesses to participate in the real estate economy as a avenue to create and sustain "generational wealth", a term we unpack further in the conversation. Isaac is also empowering Black founders in the tech space through the Black Innovation Capital, a $10M fund aimed at providing access to capital which before now was impossible or painful at best to reach. This episode is loaded with lots of wisdom, please dive in and enjoy.

Rahul strongly believes that "the immigrant story is the Canadian story". On this episode, we talk about his childhood, how watching his immigrant parents work tirelessly to build a better life for their family shaped his work ethic, resilience and overall world view. We spend some time talking about the political climate in Canada and how Canadians, especially new Canadians, should engage with political parties and make their voices heard through the power of the ballot. If political punditry is your thing, you'll enjoy every second of this episode, if it's not, it might just be after listening to Rahul.

Rahul is a Principal at Earnscliffe Strategy group where he leverages his deep experience in government to advise his clients on government relations and other engagements. Enjoy!

Hyder Hassan emigrated from Pakistan to Canada in 1999 as a teenage with his family. On this episode, Hyder shares stories of the challenges his family faced in their home country and those they encountered as they tried to settle and thrive in Canada. He talked about his first job in Canada, the decisions he had to make along the way, and most notably the people who took a chance on him and gave him an opportunity to grow and develop professionally. Today, Hyder is the CEO of Immigrant Services Calgary, leveraging his experience as an immigrant to develop programs and processes aimed at helping newcomers settle in the beautiful city of Calgary.

Stan migrated to Canada with his mother and step-father about 21 years ago from Kazakhstan as a teenager. In this episode we talk about everything from his childhood, the fall of the Soviet Union, the decision to migrate, his first job at Dairy Queen, post-secondary education, and navigating the professional scene in Canada. Stan shares great tips all through the conversation that I hope you'll find very insightful. Enjoy! 

I seat down with Charles Osuji, the owner and Managing Partner of Osuji & Smith Lawyers in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Charles shares his journey as a young man growing up in a large family in SE Nigeria, he shares details of his legal training in Nigeria and steps he took to become a foreign trained lawyer licensed to practice in Alberta. We take a deep dive into his journey from an articling student at Smith Law Office to his eventual acquisition of the law practice which is today Osuji & Smith Lawyers. We talk about diversity, race and racism, and end with nuggets of wisdom that many will find insightful.

Concluding part of my conversation with Jurin Dangbedji as he shares his experience with life in Canada. 

In this first episode of the Immigrant Story Podcast, I speak with Jurin Dangbedji, an impressive gentleman I met a few years ago at Business School and since then have become friends with. We dive into his childhood, explore the drivers of the decision to immigrate to Canada for post secondary education, and unpack his experience on arrival in Montreal and the few years he spent studying at the University. We finish off Episode 1 on the concept of networking as applied to job hunting in Canada. We conclude this conversation in Episode 2.

This is an introduction to the Immigrant Story Podcast. Please listen and come back for more episodes. The first full length episode debuts on April 5th.