TURN it up!

“ Doing that in a fun environment only works harder towards silencing the stigma towards mental health. It's not a negative thing. We can do it in a positive and fun way. We can do it together in a fun atmosphere." - Arjun Atwal

"Break the Silence" is an initiative in Edmonton focused on raising awareness about domestic violence and supporting victims of abuse. The campaign seeks to create an open dialogue around the issue, encouraging individuals to speak out, support those in need, and foster a community where domestic violence is no longer tolerated in silence. It may include events, educational programs, and support services designed to help individuals who are experiencing abuse and to bring attention to the need for social change." - Susie Randhawa  

At the beginning of their sit down, Sapreet talks to Susie and asks her to introduce herself a bit more to the audience (1:00), Arjun is then also introduced briefly as he has already made an appearance (2:30), they discuss how south asian mental health hasn’t been touched on recently (4:00), How has the trajectory or possibly the boundaries being pushed when it comes to self Asian mental health (4:30), when it comes to South Asian stigma around mental health, how have they seen that evolve over the past few years (5:43), How has the support of the community in general help support causes such as breaking the silence (6:45), how Susie has seen the power of community play a role in mental health (8:11), how was the Breaking the Silence event last year and how would they measure the success when it comes to these events (9:00), the focus on Break the Silence (10:38), , how they are hoping  upcoming generations are able to further understand mental health and have these conversations and break that stigma that exists in our community (16:00), and finally how this years event is happening at the West Edmonton Water Park and the details of the event (18:04), 

IG: @breaksilenceab 

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“Time has never been ours, or limited. And in a lot of cultures and traditions, they made us feel bad to use time to be ourselves. Giving yourself permission to use that time will do wonders for your mental health if you keep it up.” - Dr. Sogand Zakerhaghighi

Dr. Sogand Zakerhaghighi is a mental health professional and educator based in Edmonton, Alberta. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy, a Doctor of Theology, and a Master's in Counselling.

As a trauma-informed specialist and community strategist, she integrates her extensive academic background into her practice.

At the beginning of their sit down, Sogand and Sapreet highlight her throughout her career, and further discuss how her work impacts others (2:37), how therapy plays a role in becoming a better person, and changing the narrative of being open to therapy (6:00),  how important the healing process for a person and how people handle the process differently (8:44), How cultural values and generational trauma play a role in mental health perception (10:24), what advice would she give them to start this conversation even when it comes to loneliness (12:05) ,anything that she can suggest for the listeners that they can incorporate into their daily lives (22:00), discussing if it is necessary to go through the process of having a journal, jotting it down, or thinking about it and just reflecting on our day (26:24), how important gratitude is in our day-to-day lives (30:24), and finally discuss her event with Skillcity (34:10)

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“I’ve never really felt like an outsider. The community has always been generous, and i really see the community as the strength as where positive change can come from”  -  Karen Tang

Karen Tang serves as the City Councillor for Ward Karhiio in Edmonton. She is a public health advocate and community organizer, she brings a wealth of experience from her work in public health, community development, and human-centered design. 

At the beginning of their sit down, Karen and Sapreet highlight her background and her experiences before being a city councillor (), how women can change the narrative around the table (8:05) how important the connection with her daughter is, how someone can get their name forward so they can follow in her steps (10:05), discuss about the municipal elections and gender equality (16:05), the steps it took for Karen to get where she is right now, and how u can build your own path (22:10) and how it plays a part in guiding her daughter through life (30:00) 

IG:kerentangyeg 

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David Bhatti, Candidate in the running to be the Conservative Member of Parliment for Edmonton Southeast

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“By being able to access international, it opens up opportunities to trade, for business, and tourism” – Adrian Warchola

Adrian Warchola is the Director of Air Service Development at Edmonton International Airport where he has accumulated over 10 years of experience.In his role, he leads initiatives aimed at enhancing air service offerings and developing partnerships within the aviation sector. Warchola is recognized for his ability to manage projects effectively and foster collaborations that benefit the airport and its stakeholders.

At the beginning of their sit down, Adrian and Sapreet highlight his role with the Edmonton International Airport (1:34), discuss the numbers after covid and highlight expectations moving forward (2:55), discussed multiple different flights including Houston and London (5:25), talk about reasons for not having specific direct flights  (7:00), the possibilities that flight connectivity can open up for YEG (8:12), discuss more about the”YEGwantsmore.com”  (9:33), how they can measure the success of the campaign (10:52), discuss how they can show the community can show their support and how it affects the campaign (12:54)

IG:awarch

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“I always feel proud of the young ones. And it feels great when they reach out to you. Our music has taken to a different level now. Collaborations and artists crossing each other and it's good. “ -Jazzy B

Jazzy B is a popular South Asian artist known for his contributions to Punjabi music. His musical career blends elements of traditional Punjabi folk with contemporary sounds like hip hop, R&B, and dancehall, which has made him one of the leading figures in Punjabi music worldwide. Throughout his career, Jazzy B has collaborated with many prominent artists from both the Indian and international music scenes. His fan base spans across India, Canada, the UK, and other parts of the world, particularly in the Punjabi diaspora.

At the beginning of their sit down, Jazzy and Sapreet talk about his nominations for the 2025 Juno’s  (1:50), discuss how there couldn’t be a Juno south asian award without him (2:35), how his song “COOLIN” came to be and his collaborations on the track (3:58), what Jazzyb is hoping to see when it comes to the canadian south asian music scene (6:05), any news on a potential collaborations in the future (7:49), discuss his newest album “Cobra” (8:55), what he currently has in the works for 2025 (10:48), and finally, any plans to come to Edmonton (12:45),

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“Consistency is key and just keep doing what you’re doing and it will get noticed” – Jonita Gandhi 

Jonita Gandhi is an Indian-Canadian playback singer known for her versatility in Bollywood, Tollywood, and independent music. She was born on October 23, 1989, in New Delhi, India, and raised in Canada. Jonita gained popularity through her YouTube covers of Bollywood songs before making her playback singing debut in 2013 with A.R. Rahman’s Chennai Express title track. Beyond playback singing, Jonita is known for her live performances, collaborations with artists worldwide, and her influence in the indie music scene. Her smooth vocals and ability to adapt to different genres have made her one of the most sought-after singers in the Indian music industry. 

At the beginning of their sit down, Jonita and Sapreet highlight her successes through 2024 and 2024 while releasing her new single ‘Channa’ (0:45), discuss the possibility of any future collaborations this year (1:28),her feelings of the new category honouring south asian music (1:55), her feelings on Canada’s support on emerging artists (2:25), her take on south asian canadian music and what the future i  (3:56), any news on a potential tour in Canada (5:25), her feelings on how we can support more women in south asian canadian music (6:42), how many look up to Jonita’s success and her advice for emerging artists (9:08), discuss her newest track ‘Channa’  and the inspiration behind it (10:39), they discuss any singles or EPs in the works soon (13:34), and finally what part of Canada she is from (14:46) 

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“Well the primary goal for Alberta is to working with the Alberta Medical Association to really make sure that first of all we keep the great doctors that we have here, the great family physicians and real generalists that we have, and also to  make sure we are an attractive place for other doctors because we are a growing province that we need more physicians. We want to make sure we are competitive, paying competitive wages so that others from other places see
us as an attractive place to come and practice.”- Minister LaGrange


Minister LaGrange is a Canadian politician serving as the Minister of Health for Alberta since June 9, 2023. She was first elected to the Alberta Legislature in 2019 as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Red Deer-North and was re-elected in 2023. LaGrange served as the Minister of Education before her position now.

At the beginning of their sit down, LaGrange and Sapreet talk about the primary goal for Alberta when talking about the compensation model (1:00), discuss the possibility of attracting and recruiting physicians from other countries (1:50), how the new compensation model benefits family physicians practicing in Alberta (3:24), How the new compensation model supports family physicians in rural areas and those providing inpatient care in hospitals (5:18), and finally discuss how this model is going to be working and what we can expect in the spring of 2025 (7:44)

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On this episode of TURNing it up with Ezu, Sapreet talks to Ezu about his latest release Visions, the inspiration behind this album, and which tracks he enjoyed creating the most.

Ezu shares his thoughts on his favorite collaboration so far, his thoughts on working with The Prophec, and what to expect in 2025.

@ezuworld

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You’re turning it up with Sapreet, making it big as a music artist is always the goal. The steps taken to get there vary from person to person. It's not always about the ending, but the journey it took to get there.

Emerging artists may have stories on the challenges of navigating the art world, the influences of role models in their pieces, and how the hope of making an impact through art

In this week's podcast, I had the chance to speak with KhoslaRaghu, a duo right out of Delhi, about how successful 2024 was for them and share their personal journey, creative process, and the inspiration behind their unique style.

@khoslaraghumusic

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