Curated Conversations

In this episode “A Therapist's Blueprint to Humanizing Therapy”, we are joined by Sarah Ahmed, The POC Therapist, and founder of Leena, a mental health service by people who look like you.  Sarah speaks about culturally relevant therapy, the humanization and decolonization of therapy practice, the importance of humour in life, and finding joy from our younger selves.   Learn more about Sarah and her work: Hello Leena Online therapy in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia IG: @ThePOCTherapist The POC Therapist  IG: @helloleena_ Hello Leena LinkedIN: Sarah Ahmed    

In this episode we speak with Sandra Helou, CEO and Co-Founder of MetaMinds, a pioneering Metaverse and spatial web company.  Sandra talks about all things tech!  Listen to hear her thoughts on accessibility of technology, end-user awareness and responsibility, and self-governance of identity on the internet.  Find out what web3 actually even is! Learn more about Sandra and her work: LinkedIn Metaminds Group Website

In this episode, we speak with Beisan Zubi, founder of antipalestinianracism.com ✨ As an advocate of anti-Palestinian racism in public education, Beisan discusses liberation, equality, futures, and hopes of Palestininans, anti-Semitism and active Jewish voices in the struggle, the current growing movements, and the importance of solidarity. Want to learn more and connect with Beisan? antipalestinianracism.com - Learning through resources and examples LinkedIn   

In this episode, Sheliza speaks with Pardeep Singh Nagra, a multi-hyphenate Canadian.  As a lover of sport, human rights advocate, and action-based volunteer, Pardeep discusses his personal value as a citizen of Canada, responsibility towards civic engagement and reconciliation, human rights and racism in sports, and other topics important to all Canadians.  Pardeep also connects his Sikh heritage and faith to what it means to be “Canadian”. Check out curatedleadership.com to learn more!  Don't forget to review and Rate our podcast. Want more of Pardeep?  Visit his website:  www.pardeep.ca

In this episode, Curated Leadership founder, Sheliza Jamal, speaks with Omme-Salma Rahemtullah, Interim Executive Director of FoodShare South Carolina.   In this podcast, Sheliza and Omme discuss how food system are created, who has access to healthy choices, food apartheid, and how our grocery stores affect us without even knowing it! Omme works on building advocacy and energy around state-wide policies such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) expansion and Healthy Bucks and assists regional Hubs to engage with their elected officials at all levels.  Join us to learn more about the Taste of Food Justice! Want to learn more about Foodshare South Carolina? Foodshare South Carolina Omme-Salma's LinkedIn

Episode 19: The Cost of Volunteerism - This month, listen to our new episode of Curated Conversations where we speak with Faiza Venzant, Executive Director of the Council for Certification in Volunteer Administration.  Faiza and Sheliza talk about who gets to volunteer, what it means to be able to give your time and resources to others and at what cost!

Nadia Bennett, the founder and CEO of When Brown Girls Lead, talks about the importance of leadership in developing anti-racist educational programs and schools. This conversation dives into Nadia's lived experiences as a student, educator and black woman. It raises many questions: how we can challenge the status quo in education, create psychologically safe and brave workplaces for women of colour, and what the future of equity, diversity, and inclusion in education could look like? With over fifteen years of experience serving school districts, Nadia Bennett has successfully overseen the processes of change management, teacher and leader coaching, diversity, equity, & inclusion and building anti-racist school environments. As a school turnaround strategist for multiple charter organizations that serve communities of color, her work has produced consistent increases in student achievement, staff retention, and college acceptance rates. Now, as an Executive Leader, she supports districts both nationally and internationally. https://www.nadiabennett.com/ https://www.instagram.com/whenbrowngirlslead/

In this episode, Tristan Mohamed, a qualifying registered psychotherapist and founder of Life Transitions Therapy, shares his personal journey of healing and self-discovery. He discusses his unique approach to therapy, which combines relational embodiment and spiritually integrated psychotherapy. Tristan also explains some of the complexities of working with developmental trauma and emphasizes the need for culturally responsive understandings and approaches to mental health in communities of color. Listeners will gain insights and practical tips on how to navigate their own healing journeys, and will be invited to participate in a brief but effective grounding exercise.   Here are some resources to learn more: Blog post on somatic grounding tools: bit.ly/3DhkSMf Values exercise: bit.ly/3OhkCmB Emotion-sensation-feeling wheel (no affiliation): https://lindsaybraman.com/emotion-sensation-feeling-wheel/ Scheduling a consultation: bit.ly/3rmYYo3 Follow Tristan and Life Transitions Therapy here: www.lifetransitionstherapy.ca IG: @lifetransitions.therapy Tiktok: @lifetransitionstherapy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristan-mohamed-registered-psychotherapist-qualifying-07271785/

Narmin Ismail, the founder of The Spark of Hope Foundation, discusses her organization's efforts to empower young women in developing countries through education. In this episode, Narmin shares inspiring stories of students who pursued their academic aspirations and went on to become leaders in their fields and communities. She also explains how igniting hope in young women and investing in their education can help combat gender-based inequality, strengthen local communities and be the key to creating long-term transformational change. Narmin Ismail partners with universities globally to attract donors for scholarships for women from the Global South, with a focus on areas of conflict. Her efforts have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2021 Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada. She is a Kenyan immigrant with a B.A. in Psychology and an MBA. Want to learn more about The Spark of Hope Foundation? Find them here: https://thesparkofhope.org/ https://www.facebook.com/SparkofHopeFdn/ https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-spark-of-hope-foundation/ https://www.instagram.com/sparkofhopefdn/

In this episode, Jan Frolic and Jennifer Johnson, co-founders of Captains and Poets, share their passion for social emotional learning and discuss how it can help young people develop a positive sense of agency and self-discovery. They discuss the importance of bridging the gap between social emotional learning and equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging and how systemic change can be achieved by involving all stakeholders in supporting young people. Tune in to learn more about Captains and Poets' global impact on creating safer and more inclusive learning environments, and join us as we explore how self-awareness, creativity, vulnerability, and resilience can empower young people to be their best selves!   Want more from Captains and Poets? Find them on: https://captainsandpoets.com/ https://www.instagram.com/captainspoets/ https://www.facebook.com/CaptainsPoets https://twitter.com/CaptainsPoets https://captainsandpoets.com/video/ https://youtu.be/G0tQeaZGq8A

In this episode, Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad and Dr. Njoki Wane tell us about the power of oral culture in education as they launch and discuss their recent co-edited book, “The Power of Oral Culture in Education: Theorizing Proverbs, idioms, and Folklore Tales.” Dr. Eizadirad and Dr. Wane remind us why oral culture, which is often about telling stories, is a powerful and innate tool for transmitting different ways of being and knowing and facilitating anti-racist and anti-colonial community-building. In this conversation, we delve into the limitations of colonial education and suggest ways to become more inclusive of oral cultures, including those of equity-deserving, and deaf and hard of hearing communities. Tune in as Dr. Eizadirad and Dr. Wane share their insights on storytelling, as well as their favourite proverbs and how these words of wisdom guide their activist and educational work. Find the book here: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-18537-3 Special offer / Get 20% off the printed book or eBook! Enter the following coupon code at checkout on link.springer.com to apply the discount. BWvY7gUA5LZ3F4 / Valid Mar 14, 2023 – Apr 11, 2023 Want more of Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad? Find him at:  https://edication.org/ https://twitter.com/DrEizadirad https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ardavan-Eizadirad-2 https://ca.linkedin.com/in/ardavan-eizadirad-665b33229 Email him at aeizadirad@wlu.ca Want more of Dr. Njoki Wane? Find her at:  https://ca.linkedin.com/in/njoki-wane-b692ba4https://www.facebook.com/njoki.wane Email her at njokinathani@gmail.com or njoki.wane@utoronto.ca  Don't forget to check out Curated Leadership's free resource bank, and download our glossary of terms to gain more knowledge about the concepts discussed in this episode - and beyond! You can find the glossary here: https://curatedleadership.com/resources.

In this episode, we're joined by Eloise Tan, Ogho Ikhalo and Shelli Karamath as they bring together their diverse experiences as leaders and educators in the DEI space to talk about what radical self-love and healing mean for them.  We discuss how, in a society that often tries to define our worth for us, practicing self-love, recognizing the importance of healing and knowing your self-worth are deeply radical acts.    Dr. Eloise Tan is a leader with 15 years of experience working in the education research and policy space. She grounds her research, policy and co-design work in an anti-racist and anti-oppression framework and is on a journey to learning how to decolonize research and the policy development cycle. Currently, she is a Manager at the ESDC Innovation Lab where she leads an interdisciplinary team of researchers and design thinkers to co-create policy solutions with those that live on this land. Previously she was the Research Director at People for Education. She created Mama Stay Woke, a free and inclusive parenting group that centred social justice issues facing mothers. She has been a guest on CBC's The Current and Metro Morning, briefed the UN's Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, guest lectured at the Maytree Foundation's Policy School and lectured at University of Toronto, McGill University, and Dublin City University. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from McGill University in Culture and Education and was previously awarded Best New Scholar in Qualitative Research from the Canadian Education Research Association. She is proud to serve on the board for the Jane Finch Centre.  Ogho Ikhalo is an experienced leader with more than 15 years of academic and professional experience. She has an extensive background as a strategic communicator, a diversity, equity and human rights specialist, and a social justice community advocate. Prior to her current role as Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Talent Acquisition at Hydro One, Ogho served as the Director of Women's and Human Rights at the Ontario Federation of Labour. Shelli Karamath (she/her) is an educator for liberation, equity and inclusion. She has been a Primary/Junior educator with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) since 2008. Shelli recently completed her Master of Education in Social Justice Education at OISE, University of Toronto. Shelli currently teaches Grade 3/4 and enjoys learning with her students every day! She also teaches steel band, decolonizing music education, and leads the Equity Committee where she works with community partners towards making the school a more inclusive space. She is a professional musician of 30 years, a visual artist, and a world traveller.   Want to learn more about our podcast guests? Find them on:  https://www.instagram.com/mamastaywokeTO/  www.instagram.com/afrodisiacto/ https://www.instagram.com/elo_here https://www.instagram.com/ogs7 https://www.instagram.com/msk.aramath https://ca.linkedin.com/in/ogho-ikhalo https://ca.linkedin.com/in/eloise-tan https://shellikaramath.ca/

Dr. Arlo Kempf, a prominent scholar and educator in anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and critical Whiteness talks to us about the role White privilege plays in our educational system and how his background and relationship with schooling led him to study implicit race bias. He also shares strategies for how we can start to work toward dismantling White supremacy through meaningful allyship and action.  Dr. Arlo Kempf is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT), where he teaches in the areas of race and equity in education.   Follow Stand Up For Racial Justice Toronto and Justice for Children and Youth here:  https://surjtoronto.com/  https://www.instagram.com/surj_toronto/ https://jfcy.org/en/    Want to learn more about Arlo? Find him on: https://www.uap.ualberta.ca/titles/1029-9781772126006-troubling-truth-and-reconciliation-in-canadian-education  https://utoronto.academia.edu/arlokempf https://ed.ted.com/lessons/should-we-get-rid-of-standardized-testing-arlo-kempf  You can also e-mail him at: arlo.kempf@utoronto.ca 

In this episode, Curated Leadership's founder and Executive Director, Sheliza Jamal, takes the hot seat to answer questions from our listeners, talk about what day-to-day entrepreneurship looks like, and debunk common misconceptions about DEI work. She delves into how her background as a theatre artist and educator eventually led her to curate unique experiences and apply them to the world of diversity, equity and inclusion.   Want to learn more about Sheliza? Find her on: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/shelizajamal https://twitter.com/ShelizaJamal  https://www.instagram.com/shelizajamal/?hl=tl https://curatedleadership.com/ 

Jothi Saldanha, founder of Jothi Creative Wellness, joins us to discuss curating a holistic wellness journey using various healing modalities. An artist educator, Jothi talks about her own journey as well as some of the obstacles and roadblocks faced by marginalized groups when pursuing their healing.   Want to learn more about Jothi? Find her at: https://twitter.com/jothicreative  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUOUgVEUwhBEqJKV0KH7Mnw  https://www.jothi.ca/  https://communityilab.ca/team/joan-saldanha/  https://www.instagram.com/jothi_creative/

Dr. Jamel Adkins-Sharif talks about the history of bias in the school system and how it manifests today. Dr. Jamel Adkins-Sharif is Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. Jamel holds an EdD in Urban Education, Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Using critical and decolonial lenses, his research explores racial and social justice, leadership, and coloniality in schools. He also serves as the Boston Director for Eskolta School Research and Design, a nonprofit engaging in culturally sustaining school transformation. Jamel has had a successful career as a special education teacher of history and mathematics in New York City, and was founding principal of both an elementary charter and a district middle school in Massachusetts.   Learn more about Dr. Jamel at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamel-adkins-sharif-edd-jd-0a470345/

On this episode, Dr. Naheed Dosani delves into palliative care for the houseless. He broadens the definition of homelessness, highlighting that it is a public health issue and is often caused by structural factors.    Dr. Dosani talks about the impact of COVID-19 on houseless communities and discusses how harm reduction in palliative care is a form of radical love and care.   Want more of Dr. Dosani? Find him on: https://twitter.com/NaheedD  https://www.linkedin.com/in/naheedd/?originalSubdomain=ca  https://www.instagram.com/naheedd/

Phil Jang, founder of The Red Dot Project, talks about menstrual equity, the stigma around menstruation, and the intersectional aspects of menstruation that are so often left out of the conversation.   Want to learn about The Red Dot Project? https://www.reddotprojecttoronto.org/ https://www.facebook.com/reddotprojecttoronto/  https://www.instagram.com/reddotprojecttoronto/ Curious about Phil Jang? Find him on: https://www.instagram.com/pjang/  https://twitter.com/pjang85  phil@reddotprojecttoronto.org

17-year-old disability rights activist from New York, Isabel Mavrides-Calderon, talks about her experience with disability rights in the education system, ableism and misperceptions about disabled folks, and the disability justice movement.   Want to hear more about Isabel? Find her on: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-mavrides-calderon-283152217/  https://www.instagram.com/powerfullyisa/  https://twitter.com/powerfullyisa  https://www.tiktok.com/@powerfullyisa

In this episode, we chat with Mallory Nezam, Creative Consultant at Justice + Joy and a strong advocate of incorporating play into your everyday life. ⠀ ⠀ Mallory shares her work embedding artists into all levels of government, and using art to reflect and meet the needs of different communities. She talks about how play is beneficial to us at all stages of life and how it can be used to break down social barriers and release creativity.⠀ ⠀ We discuss some ways we lean into play in our own lives, and how you can reconnect with play and use it to bring joy and imagination to your circles and communities. ⠀   Want more of Mallory? You can reach her at: https://www.mallorynezam.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorynezam/  https://twitter.com/activatethecity  

In this episode, Sheliza chats with Javier Davila (he/him), a queer Latine award winning educator from Toronto. The conversation covers the facilitation of safe spaces for students of all identities in the education system, how to introduce equity into school environments, and the creation and sharing of equity resources. ⠀ ⠀ Javier also discusses his work in designing policies that center student voices and support BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ youth.⠀   Curious about Javier? Find him on: https://twitter.com/XjusticeXpeace

Host Sheliza Jamal is joined by Heather Watts on this episode to discuss Indigenous rights, treaty responsibility and highlighting truth and healing in Reconciliation. The discussion also addresses ways to understand and participate in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, and the upcoming federal election.    Want to learn more about Heather? Find her on: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hlwatts/?originalSubdomain=ca  https://firstpeoplesgroup.com/team-member/heather-watts-she-her/

In this episode, host Sheliza Jamal chats with Samanta Krishnapillai, founder of The ON Canada Project. They discuss Samanta's Instagram page, which has accumulated over 100k followers and seeks to provide accessible education about COVID-19 and other social equity issues. They also talk about how to mobilize communities, particularly Gen Z and Millenials, to seek change and social impact. The two discuss Canada's upcoming federal election, critical issues for Canada's communities and how you can get involved and contribute to the causes you care about.  Want to know more about The ON Canada Project? Find them on:   https://www.instagram.com/oncanadaproject/  https://oncanadaproject.ca/  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaT6j8B7ihpjEwYGzZxMxCQ  https://www.facebook.com/OnCanadaProject/    Curious about Samanta? Find her on:   https://www.instagram.com/samkrish_/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-krish/?originalSubdomain=ca  https://twitter.com/SamKrish_ 

The global Muslim community is often represented through a singular narrative, as a monolithic identity. As the world's fastest-growing religion, Islam's 2 billion followers are assumed to share the same values, beliefs, practices and even physical traits.  In our inaugural podcast episode of Curated Conversations, host Sheliza Jamal is joined by Tristan Mohamed, Gilary Massa, Shafik Kamani, and Laila Ackison to debunk that myth of the Muslim monolith, share their personal experiences, and discuss the harmful impacts of the Muslim tropes in the media. Curious about today's guests? Find them on: Tristan Mohamed https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristan-mohamed-07271785/?originalSubdomain=ca    Gilary Massa https://twitter.com/gilaryPmassa  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilarymassa/  https://www.instagram.com/gilarym/    Shafik Kamani https://www.instagram.com/shafikkamani/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/shafik-kamani/?originalSubdomain=ca  https://twitter.com/shafikkamani