For the first time, I share my story.

I sat down with Gayathri Shukla, host of the Heart2Heart podcast, at the CJSW 90.9 studio in Calgary for an open and reflective conversation about life, talking about where we’ve come from, where we are now, and where we might be headed.

We explore our upbringings, the journeys that took us across continents, the work that gives our lives meaning, and the values that continue to shape our choices. The conversation moves naturally between the personal and the global, including a thoughtful look at what the rise of AI may mean for humanity.

Along the way, we pause to appreciate the quiet perspective offered by the Rocky Mountains, the landscape we’re both fortunate to call home, reminding ourselves of scale, beauty, and possibility.

This was a deeply enjoyable and grounding exchange. I hope you find as much value and connection in listening as I did in sharing it.

Meenakshi “Meena” Lamba has helped hundreds of newcomers build new lives in Calgary through her work at Immigrant Services Calgary. Deeply fulfilled by this work, she finds joy in watching newcomers discover their strengths, find their footing, and secure opportunities that allow them to support their families.

Meena’s commitment is deeply personal. An immigrant herself, she moved from India to Canada years ago with curiosity, resilience, and an open mind. In this conversation, she reflects on her own journey navigating multiple moves across Canada, finding community in different places, and ultimately arriving in Calgary, where she now supports others on their settlement journeys.

This episode is a thoughtful exploration of belonging, service, and the quiet impact of helping people find their place in a new home.

Jay is an award-winning keynote speaker, Amazon bestselling author and a master at Change Fluency. Jay guides organizations through the process of navigate change is world where the only constant phenomenon is change. He has created more than $2B of impact for 400+ executives by designing, developing, and delivering organizational transformation across North America and around the world. Jay shares his growing-up story on this episode and challenges us to re-imagine work in this era of AI.

See Jay's work at: www.changefluency.com

Our guest on this episode is Bukola Ojemakinde, she is the Executive Director of Ladies in the Family Foundation and Bridge to Oasis Foundation - two amazing organizations doing good work in Canada. She is a passionate community builder and a strong advocate for girls, women and seniors of Afro-Caribbean heritage. Through her work at Ladies in the Family Foundation, Bukola empowers Black girls through the transformative power of art, music, poetry, and crafts in the fight against racism. Her work with Bridge to Oasis focuses on supporting seniors of African and Caribbean heritage in Canada with programs and tools to enable them to live full lives after years of building and contributing to society.

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!