Thank you so much for spending your time with us on the playground. Hanging out together is one of my favourite things!

A massive thank you to Holly for sharing your story and your journey with us. In a very inspiring episode, here is my key takeaway:

Authenticity is the key to living a happy and joyful life. That’s really it. When you live your authentic life, sharing your natural gifts with the world in a way that feels right, that is when you will feel joy. When you are not living your authentic life, being who you truly are, that is when you feel a sense of inner conflict between what you think you should be and who you truly are. Who you you KNOW you truly are.

Being secure in who you are, knowing and living by your values is essential to living an authentic life and I can’t thank you enough Holly for living your authentic life and sharing your gifts with the world. This chat really inspired me to make sure I continue to support people to live their authentic lives – because that is how I can live my own life with authenticity and security.

Remember to share the podcast with a friend so more people can join us on the playground!

Also, you can find more information on Pflag in the show notes it is an important organization making a huge difference to many people. Especially at this time.

Links:

Holly Jacobs | LinkedIn

Understanding Transgender People: The Basics | A4TE

Gender dysphoria - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Laverne Cox Biography

Pride Season - Canada.ca

50 Personal Values Examples & How To Live By Yours

For all Families - pflag Canada

Thank you so much for sharing your time with us! And thank you Ledianis for sharing your career journey and insights with us on the playground.

My Big Take Away:

When you are new to a country, or a city or maybe new to the labour market, you need to be seen. Engage with others. Volunteer at different organizations. Find out about opportunities, and be visible. Don’t just stay at home. You need to be in places where other people can see you and think of you.

Okay, another timely tidbit – although you may not be able to control what people do and how they treat you, we can control our responses. So, even though the American administration has chosen to wage a trade war against us Canadians, their long-time friends and allies, there is nothing we can do to change that. What we can do, what is in our control is our ability to respond to these completely unnecessary and economically very dangerous tariffs. So, we are taking a Team Canada approach and keeping our elbows up.

Finally, I want to thank you all so much for keeping me company on the Playground Project for two years now! I remember when I was taking Frank, our dog, on his morning walks while listening to the MASH Matters podcast with Jeff Maxwell and Ryan Patrick. I really enjoyed it, and was inspired to finally start my own podcast that I had wanted to start for 10 years.

One day I started listening to Captivate’s instructional podcast about starting your podcast, I was hooked. Our first assignment was to decide on the launch date. What better date to launch than March 8th, International Women’s Day.

And now, close to 100 episodes later, we are celebrating our 2nd anniversary – woo hoo! This is awesome!

Links:

The Official Travel Guide to Cuba · Visit Cuba

Federal Skilled Worker Program

3rd edition of UNA BULLA: A Cuban Salsa Extravaganza Tickets, Fri, Jun 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite

elbows up

MASH Matters podcast

World Skills Employment Centre - Ottawa World Skills

Thank you so much for spending your time with us today, and thanks to Shamuna for sharing your story.

Here is what I am taking away from today’s chat on the playground –

This was a conversation filled with power. We talked about the power of being exposed to multiple nationalities and religions at an early age – and the belief of Shamuna’s mother that all religions teach you good things. And of course, the lessons she learned through dance.

Shamuna had a global upbringing - Bangladesh, the Middle East, Virgina, Australia, finally settling down here in Ottawa, Canada. 

We talked about the power of feminism, learning how to think critically, how to listen to other people’s opinions, the power of quiet, of hearing, the power of tuning it to really pay attention to what other people are thinking and feeling.

As you can imagine, losing her mother was a significant pivot for Shamuna. And when we talked about joy, she said that something that brings her joy is coming home to her neighbors that feel like friends.

Shamuna has a truly positive attitude to life and the joy just bursts out of her. She shared a quote from Henry Miller - – to make living itself an art that is the goal.

Shamuna’s goals include publishing books, and I can’t wait to read them! She will definitely be back on the playground to talk about them when the time is right.

Links:

Shamuna Mizan | LinkedIn

Home - V-Day

Kuwait country profile - BBC News

Melbourne, Australia - visitmelbourne.com - Official travel and accommodation site

What is Feminism? Feminism Explained Simply

Ode to my STEM sisters

Video about Immigration

Thank you so much for joining us on the playground today.

Thank you so much Adama, for sharing your story and your experiences, your trauma, and your thoughts and insights with us.

This has been such a moving and meaningful conversation, and I am confident her voice will continue to be heard, and that she will continue to be a positive agent of change in the world for many years to come.

My top 5 takeaways –

1. When all hell breaks lose and everything that you knew has been taken away from you, you are not focused on your future. You are focused on making it through each moment.
2. Even though her dad did not want his daughters to go to school, Adama was curious and would hang around school, not dressed in a uniform and her sister eventually registered her in school.
3. Adama moved from a bubbly, strong confident girl as she went through the trauma of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and was not allowed to speak about it or get help to deal with it. When she finally received the therapy for the sexual violence she experienced she never discussed the trauma from FGM. Only recently are the different pieces of the puzzle starting to fit together.
4. Finding her dearest friend, Askia, so many years later was a catalyst for Adama, and with his support and her trustees, she was able to take WHAN to another level.
5. Adama is a force of nature, and a strong advocate for other women to obtain support to work though the sexual violence they have experienced.

Her philosophy is to take things one day at a time and that tomorrow is another day. This conversation has changed my life, and I am so grateful to have connected with Adama.

Thank you Adama and Askia. I appreciate you so much.

Please join us next time for another chat with a fabulous mystery guest, and until then, please join the Playground Project group on FB.

Please do visit the WHAN website – the link is below.

Links:

Charity | Women's Health Advocacy Network (WHAN)

Female genital mutilation

(20) Facebook Live | Facebook

ADAMA NYAMA (SILLAH) BAH | LinkedIn

BBC Two - The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, Series 3, Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone State House Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone State House – The Republic of Sierra Leone State House

Sierra Leone | Culture, History, Maps, Languages, & People | Britannica

Humane Canada

Sexual violence and trauma – how the Women’s Health Advocacy Network can change the

world  

Thank you so much for spending your time with us on the Playground today. It really means a lot to me! And a big thank you to Mushama for sharing her journey and her insights with us.

Here are my top 5 takeaways -

Mushama wanted to be a talk show host, and her favourite no-fear host of all is Wendy Williams.

In her life, Mushama has cultivated a strong sense of self-awareness. She knew that nursing was not for her and focused on communications. She is an exceptionally hard worker, and was able tosecure two jobs in communications plus participating in more than one mentorship program. I am tired just thinking of that!

But she knew that in order to find stability and keep achieving, she needed to find a place that gave her a good foundation. She was looking for that and has found it.

Faith is what brings her peace through the good times and the bad.

She has something percolating, but is not ready to share it with the world just yet….but when it is the right time, she will be happy to join us on the playground to tell us all about it.

So thank you so much Mushama for coming on and sharing your journey to this point with us. I am really looking forward to seeing your next step!

Just a reminder to download us where you get your podcasts, and check out P4H Global – a link is in below.

And I wanted to share some news with you.

As you may know, I started a position in the government last year. I am incredibly happy and humbled to start my career as a public servant. But, the reality is that for the next year at least this will be an important priority for me.

This means that I will be spending less time on the playground, and will be publishing one episode per month. So same amazing content, but just scaled down for the immediate future.

My guests will continue to inspire and delight you – so get ready for an awesome 2025!!!

So for now, please be good to yourself, to others, to animals and the environment. Looking forward to next time when we will jump into the future together!

Links:

Mushama Pierre | LinkedIn

Ottawa Tourism

P4H Global

| Training People To Transform Nations

15 Most Popular Daytime Talk Shows Ranked

Thank you so much for spending your time with us on the playground today! And a big thank you to Prerna for sharing her pivots and her passion with us.

Here are my top takeaways from our chat:

Prerna was born in New Delhi to parents whose careers as hoteliers meant moving around a lot.

During her early life, Prerna wanted to be many things including a Black Cat Commando and a police officer.

In university she took commerce but also English literature, political science and history.

She had the luxury of being confused about her path, and appreciated her cousin who was the first female role model who was able to leave and create her own life. We never know who is watching or how people are inspired by our actions and choices in life and in our careers.

The diversity she encountered at a socialist university allowed her to see the world, and she knew after she completed her masters that she wanted to join the public service.

Unforeseen things can happen in our lives, and we need to be resilient in order to get through them. We need to pivot – like Prerna did after her beloved dad had a heart attack and she had to look after his business.

There is no career graph – life is a series of ups and downs (like the up of getting married but the down of having a long-distance relationship.) Like the up of welcoming a baby to the world, but the down of being in a new country during a pandemic with no personal (or professional) network.  

Prerna finds joy in spending time with people and enjoying food together, and is most proud of having been able to say goodbye to her father in the way that meant most to her.

A meaningful quote - Love and compassion are necessities and not luxuries from the Dalai Lama

Thank you again Prerna for hanging out with us – it was so inspiring and wonderful!

Links:

What is P.O.S.H? - Cimmons Information Portal

National Security Guard - Wikipedia

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Official Website of Panjab University Chandigarh ਪੰਜਾਬ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ पंजाब विश्वविद्यालय चंडीगढ़ पंजाब यूनिवर्सिटी चंडीगढ़

Home | Chandigarh, The official website of the Chandigarh Administration

Gurdwara | Sikh Place of Worship, History & Significance | Britannica

The Office of His Holiness The Dalai Lama | The 14th Dalai Lama

NAB India Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies

Thanks so much for joining us on the playground today, and thank you to Simon for sharing your journey with us.

Some take aways:

Simon is a third culture kid – he was born in Vancouver, then moved to Geneva and then afterwards moved to the Philippines. He and his brothers (they are triplets) lived there for 11 years where they were homeschooled for most of it.

Mom had years of teaching experience and with triplets, homeschooling was an excellent option. His Dad who speaks many languages worked with the UN and then in the banking industry.

Simon speaks English, French, German. During our chat I learned in the Philippines they not only speak Tagalog, all of the islands which make up the Philippines have their own linguistic groups.

When Simon and his family were deciding where to live in Canada, they chose Montreal after learning about Nova Scotia’s Come from Away attitude. 

His parents are both musicians, Dad pivoted from viola to law school, mom is an accomplished flute player.

After finishing his secondary education, Simon very nearly went to Concordia for journalism, but a chance encounter with a journalist convinced him that was not his path.

At university he studied political science and possibly intended to perhaps become a lawyer. But he took some German classes – loved German and was even contemplating a career as an opera singer. Afterward he moved to Berlin and taught English and music for a year.

Due to university logistics, he changed the focus of his master’s thesis which he is currently working on right now.

He still really enjoys singing, playing tennis, meeting people, talking to people on the phone, leaving voice messages, crocheting (he needs to teach me!)

His motto - Always be a kid – let yourself be a kid again. Find joy and play. This made me think of a really cool museum I visited – the Marietta Museum of Art & Whimsy in Sarasota, Florida.

Thank you so much Simon – I am excited to see what happens next in your journey!

A shout out to the good folks at the Shepherds of Good Hope, and their team for the outstanding work they do.

Remember to please subscribe to the podcast – a new episode comes out every two weeks. Get ready for another fabulous mystery guest swinging by the playground in two weeks.

Until then, please be good to yourself, to others, to animals and the environment. See you next time when we will jump into the future together.

Links:

Shepherds of Good Hope | Homes for all. Community for all. Hope for all.

Fascinating Yet Complicated: The Identity Of A Third Culture Kid. | by Fatimah Alayafi | Be Unique | Medium

Time for Atlantic Canadians to shed ‘come from away’ label for outsiders, Scott Brison says

Philippines Factsheet - The World Factbook

Cities | Switzerland Tourism

Home | City of Vancouver

Things to do | Tourisme Montréal

Show Notes:

Links:

Sudan | History, Map, Area, Population, Religion, & Facts | Britannica

Omdurman - Wikipedia

City of Fredericton

The Oldest Cities in Canada - WorldAtlas

Kingdom of Kush - Wikipedia

The Nubian Queen Who Fought Back Caesar's Army | HISTORY

Civil War in Sudan | Global Conflict Tracker

We live the trauma of those who are living the war and displaced from the war - War and mental health: a brief overview - PMC

War and mental health –

The Immigration Syndrome – the collective changes all that happen in one capsule –

Financial, relationships, professional, educational,

Did not want to move – was rejecting the idea – but her husband was paying attention to the economic indicators and Sulafa was paying attention to the instability –

Hiba Rasheed performing “Mad Musings”

Air Liquide - Wikipedia

3 female employees among 150 men - Women in the Workplace 2024 report | McKinsey

Multicultural Association of Fredericton

Thank you so much for joining the amazing Seza and I on the playground today. I hope you found the conversation interesting and insightful. I know I did!

During our chat we talked about Seza’s transition from political science to a career in political science. We learned about the faculty of political science at Ankara University, and the history of the cow as their mascot because it symbolized the hard-working student.

We discussed careers and the challenges of finding a job with no Canadian experience, even with years of post-secondary education, career experience and loads of accomplishments.

We also talked about the logistics involved in moving to Canada, what brings her joy and what her favourite motto is – not surprisingly for a woman who has extensive global experience in Turkey, Algeria, France and now Canada – I flourish wherever I go.

Yes, you certainly do Seza, and I believe Canada is flourishing because you and your family are here with us. Thank you so much for making this leap!

Please remember to visit UNICEF’s website and please do follow and subscribe to the playground project. It’s so much fun hanging out on the playground with you!

And please join me again next time, when I will be welcoming another incredible mystery guest to hang out with us.

Until then, please be good to yourself, to others, to animals and the environment. Here’s to next time when we will jump into the future together!

Links:

(2) Seza Oktay | LinkedIn

Mülkiye Cow Fest – Siyasal Bilgiler Fakültesi

Ankara University - Wikipedia

Who we are | UNICEF, for every child

Show Notes:

Thank you so much for spending your time with us today on the podcast, and thank you Urmi, for sharing your story with us today. I really appreciate your openness and honesty.

And here are my top 10 take aways – in no particular order:

1. Sometimes we don’t need to know the exact option – just knowing she takes a humanistic approach to life helped Urmi narrow down her choice, but she knew she wanted to study a branch of medicine, she just didn’t know which one.
2. Leadership is innate, and it shows up in the most interesting places – like when she became the leader of the Blue House.
3. When it comes to career development, a healthy dose of realism is important. Like knowing one path is not going to work for you, being open to learning about other paths who will help you achieve your goals and live by your values in life.
4. It’s important to know your strengths, but also know how much and where you can leverage them.
5. Throughout her life, Urmi has always made it her goal to bring people along with her. Just like her mother did when she was the only girl at her college.
6. Always go back to your values and what’s important to you – like work/life balance.
7. There are differences between physio and occupational therapists, and I have a feeling that Urmi’s description of occupational therapy may motivate some listeners to learn more about it as a possible career choice.
8. Urmi makes the important point that pivoting can also mean pivoting from societal or cultural norms.
9. It’s not about pride for Urmi, it is the unparalleled satisfaction of being a human being
10. Her words to live by – touch a life, in whatever way, in whatever capacity and know that who you are today is your contribution to the world.

Remember to please subscribe to the Playground Project podcast. I am all about creating community, and would love for you to be part of it.

Also, a shout out to the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada. Thank you for everything you do for our health care professionals.

Links:

(1) Urmi Sardesai | LinkedIn

Home (royalcollege.ca)

What Is a Physiotherapist? What They Do, When to See One, and What to Expect (webmd.com)

What is Occupational Therapy? - CAOTAnjali Joshi | LinkedIn

ummeed.org

(5) Sari Cantor | LinkedIn

Chutzpah Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster