Ayo Owodunni: Disrupting the norm on leadership and resilience
Welcome to the first episode of our Men’s Health Talk Series, airing every Monday this November alongside our regular Thursday episodes!
In this inspiring kickoff conversation, Nkechi sits down with the remarkable Ayo Owodunmi, a city councillor, community builder, and true disruptor who’s transforming lives from Lagos to Kitchener. Ayo opens up about his journey of faith, resilience, and self-belief, reminding us that guarding your heart is one of the most powerful acts of self-care and leadership — especially in times of struggle.
Together, Nkechi and Ayo explore how men can redefine strength, create meaningful connections, and rise above challenges with courage and conviction.
This episode sets the tone for a month of honest, empowering conversations about men’s health, purpose, and well-being.
Takeaways:
- Resilience turns struggle into strength and every setback is an opportunity to rise stronger.
- Believing in yourself is the foundation for thriving, no matter where you start.
- Guarding your heart protects your peace and keeps you anchored in purpose.
- Leadership begins with emotional intelligence and connection, seeing and valuing others deeply.
- Daily practices like reflection, reading, and prayer build consistency and mental well-being.
- Empowerment is a shared journey and when men rise, families and communities flourish.
If this episode resonates with you, then remember... SUBSCRIBE • 5-Star Rate • COMMENT • SHARE this Podcast!! 💚❤️🙌🏾🙏🏾
Book Recommendation: "Title and Author"
Find Ayo Online:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ayo.owodunni/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayoowodunni/
Find us online: https://linktr.ee/nkechinwaforrobinson
Transcript
Great day, amazing human.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Welcome to Empowered at My Skin podcast where our mission is to help 1 billion people in this world think in more empowering ways.
Speaker A:Empowered humans empower humans.
Speaker A:So you are in the right place to become a lead domino for empowerment today.
Speaker A:My name is Nkechi Mwaho Robinson.
Speaker A:I'm not only your host, but I am a vibrant optimist obsessed to bring you empowering content with every single episode.
Speaker A:We will bring you weekly content, alternating between longer episodes with featured guests and a shorter episode called Empowering Bites, where I will be joined by my co host, Gabby Memone.
Speaker A:So if you're ready, let the show begin.
Speaker A:Great day, amazing humans.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Welcome to the next episode of Empowered My skin.
Speaker A:This is another guest episode.
Speaker A:And you know, do you know those rare people who ignite room with vision, courage and purpose?
Speaker A:Like, I mean, they just dip their toe in the room and then just lights up a vision, courage and purpose.
Speaker A:Well, this next guest is absolutely one of those humans.
Speaker A:A living testament that resilience turns struggle into strength.
Speaker A:He journeyed from Lagos, Nigeria, to Kitchener, Canada, and rose as a leader, mentor, and fearless voice for the unheard.
Speaker A:He is a disruptor.
Speaker A:I love that word.
Speaker A:If you all know me, you know disrupt.
Speaker A:I love disruption.
Speaker A:Disruptor of broken systems, a builder of inclusive spaces and a force whose results speak louder than words.
Speaker A:From city council chambers to the global stage, his impact is bold, undeniable, and unstoppable.
Speaker A:So please join me in a big, gigantic, massive podcast.
Speaker A:Welcome for the amazing IO.
Speaker A:Oh, well, wait.
Speaker A:Well, first.
Speaker B:First of all, are you talking about me?
Speaker B:All of that disruptor and.
Speaker B:Wow, that's you.
Speaker A:You just dipped your toe and I've seen you just go off the space he just destroyed.
Speaker B:I appreciate it.
Speaker B:Thank you very much.
Speaker B:It's a pleasure being here.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker A:I think disruption.
Speaker A:I think disrupt is a very sexy word, actually.
Speaker A:You know, I love.
Speaker A:I love.
Speaker B:I love it.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you for saying and.
Speaker A:And saying yes.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:Thank you for saying hello.
Speaker A:Thank you for saying yes.
Speaker A:I'm really, really excited to have this conversation and get to know you a lot better.
Speaker A:I'm going to start with my signature question, which is what has been your most empowering thought of the day so far.
Speaker B:Today?
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:This day that the Lord has made.
Speaker A:This very day that you.
Speaker A:You got the bread from today, you know, give us this day our daily bread.
Speaker A:This day.
Speaker B:I think as.
Speaker B:As the.
Speaker B:I'm in a book club and we're currently reading the book.
Speaker B:Think and grow rich.
Speaker B:That's our book.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And just that importance of being so hungry and pushing through.
Speaker B:Regardless of your.
Speaker B:Regardless of whatever.
Speaker B:The word is flown out of my head now.
Speaker B:Whenever you think down on yourself or you think negatively, you know, just keep going.
Speaker B:The power of being consistent.
Speaker B:So for me, that has been the thought.
Speaker B:Because there are times in the day where these thoughts can come into your mind.
Speaker B:Weeds that come into your mind.
Speaker B:And you have a choice.
Speaker B:Do you accept it?
Speaker B:Do you allow it to stay there?
Speaker B:Or do you shove it aside and just keep on going?
Speaker B:And my hope is, and my goal is just to keep on going.
Speaker B:Regardless.
Speaker B:Regardless of those things.
Speaker A:Have you ever read the book the Untethered Soul?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So a lot of times we suppress these thoughts.
Speaker A:Like these.
Speaker A:These thoughts pop up, agree.
Speaker A:And then we kind of push them aside or whatever.
Speaker A:But he actually talks about just.
Speaker A:Just let it dissipate.
Speaker A:You don't.
Speaker A:You don't need to push against that.
Speaker A:You don't need to touch it.
Speaker A:You don't need to.
Speaker A:You just.
Speaker A:Just.
Speaker B:Interesting.
Speaker A:And then it's gone.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's a.
Speaker A:It's just.
Speaker A:It's learning to untether yourself from the thought because you can't.
Speaker A:You can't prevent the thought from coming.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:How do you interact with it?
Speaker A:And even pushing it away is.
Speaker A:Is emotion of just.
Speaker B:Just let it come and let it.
Speaker A:Go and then take the next best thought that comes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:Something just tickled my throat, so.
Speaker B:No worries at all.
Speaker B:It's the inspiration.
Speaker A:That thought that you put it away came into.
Speaker A:Don't touch the thought, man.
Speaker A:Don't touch the thought.
Speaker B:Well, you got two Nigerians.
Speaker B:We'll get into it.
Speaker B:I know, I know.
Speaker A:We gotta be.
Speaker A:We gotta behave ourselves, Right?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So you move from Nigeria to Canada, which is in itself, like, it is.
Speaker A:It is quite far.
Speaker A:That's quite a journey, right?
Speaker A:That's quite a decision.
Speaker A:And you've actually built such an inspiring life here.
Speaker A:And I don't know.
Speaker A:Was you.
Speaker A:I have to go back and look.
Speaker A:2019.
Speaker B: No,: Speaker A:2016.
Speaker A:So that's not that long ago.
Speaker A:It's not even 10 years.
Speaker B:Yeah, nine years so far.
Speaker A:And so what have.
Speaker A:Where are some of your biggest challenges?
Speaker A:I know that's a big, big question, but if you, like, had to say, like, the biggest thing that you had to really think about facing, like, the first one that comes to mind, what would it be?
Speaker A:And how did you really turn them in?
Speaker A:How did you turn that around for yourself?
Speaker A:Because you are Truly thriving.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:I appreciate that.
Speaker B:So I moved here nine years ago, and I was 30, 32 at that point.
Speaker B:I had just turned down a VP role in a company in Nigeria.
Speaker B:I had turned down a VP role.
Speaker B:I started my own consulting firm.
Speaker B:And I think in.
Speaker B:I don't remember all the numbers now, I believe in three months I had made more money than I made in one year of my salary before my wife and I decided to move here.
Speaker B:So, you know, you're on top of the world type of thing.
Speaker B:You know, the energy, the drive, the confidence in self when I came here.
Speaker B:But I would say the biggest challenge that I faced was continuing to believe in myself.
Speaker B:So whenever I speak with immigrants, I spend whatever timeline to give, whether it's you speaking for one hour or 30 minutes or whatever it is, I always find an important place to talk about guarding your heart.
Speaker B:So there is this wonderful king from many, many years ago who wrote these proverbs, and one of the problems he talks about is guard your heart.
Speaker B:It's the wellspring of life, you know, And I talk about how Canada has a way of probing and stabbing, and sometimes, you know, how water just flows onto a rock and it looks like no damage is done, but if it keeps doing that over hundreds of years, over and over, the rock starts to smooth, it now starts to break, and all of that.
Speaker B:Canada does that to a lot of immigrants.
Speaker B:And that happened to me as well.
Speaker B:To the point where you start to.
Speaker B:To question yourself or question your ability.
Speaker B:Not because you're not strong enough or you're not smart enough or you don't have the ability, but you hit the wall so many times that you start forgetting that it's the wall and you start thinking it's you, you know, And I experienced that a lot.
Speaker B:I went through that a lot.
Speaker B:And that led me to depression for quite some time, led me to many challenges for quite a while.
Speaker B:And there are times where you just have.
Speaker B:You wonder, is it me?
Speaker B:Like, man, how did I get here?
Speaker B:I left all that to start all over again, and here I am.
Speaker B:So I would say that was the biggest challenge early on through the different roles and things that I've been through.
Speaker B:But the goal is just to keep on going on in spite of all that and find a way to, most importantly, guard your heart.
Speaker B:Because if you don't guard it, it's not going to guard itself.
Speaker B:And I think it's probably one of the biggest skills that all immigrants need to learn how to do it.
Speaker B:And there are strategies and things that people can do to, to, to help them with that.
Speaker A:And I love that because that's actually the reason and purpose for this podcast.
Speaker A:And if I could submit for consideration.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Like that's not just an immigrant.
Speaker A:Like that's a human.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:I always say the person that walks into any interaction with the most amount of conviction of self will have the most amount of influence.
Speaker A:And I don't care what your credentials, what you have, what you don't have and this any other.
Speaker A:And, and I've had the pleasure of actually mentoring a lot of like a good number of immigrants.
Speaker A:Like I've.
Speaker A:It's a passion of mine to, to people that, especially for Nigeria who come here to help them really like, like land.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:And one of the things I said, because you said it, like how many I've had to send them on the, like a metaphor, like a, like what's the word?
Speaker A:How come I'm losing the word now?
Speaker A:Because you lost the word.
Speaker A:So my word chased after to go find yours earlier.
Speaker A:Metaphorical or something like that.
Speaker A:But I, I have them back over, back over.
Speaker A:You know, touch, touch down in the motherland, touch down in Lagos or wherever and tell them, go and find that person you left there.
Speaker A:Because I don't care how many times you feel like you're starting over, you're never starting from scratch.
Speaker A:You're always starting from some level of experience and.
Speaker A:Right, right.
Speaker A:And so somewhere you tapped into that because it was always in you.
Speaker A:And so as I start to think about resilience, I'd love to like really understand, like how did you now frame that sort of, that position of struggle to the strength.
Speaker A:Because where you are on today, yo, that was not.
Speaker A:You open up a box of cereal and you remember there's stuff that used to be in the cereal thing and you used to open it up and.
Speaker A:Yeah, that was not, that was.
Speaker A:That was.
Speaker A:Something happened and you figured it out.
Speaker A:So what, what was that?
Speaker A:Magic.
Speaker B:I think there are several strategies and things that I, that I've had a chance to do and if you don't mind, I'm going to throw a few books out and some things that I learned from different books.
Speaker B:So Stephen Covey has this book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Speaker B:And there's an exercise in the book where he talks about writing about your 80 year old self and it's your 80th birthday and your children are there, your grandchildren, what are they saying about you?
Speaker B:And that's a really powerful thing.
Speaker B:And I actually wrote that for Myself, there is an individual called Mensell Tabil who talked about 25 year plan.
Speaker B:Okay, you're 25 years older.
Speaker B:So I did this last year.
Speaker B:So I'm like, wow, I'm going to be 65 in 25 years.
Speaker B:So he's like 25 years from now, what are you doing?
Speaker B:Where are you?
Speaker B:What have you accomplished?
Speaker B:So that gave me something to aspire towards.
Speaker B:There's the 80, there's the 65.
Speaker B:And then I started to work on, okay, what's the five year plan?
Speaker B:So I wrote all these things down and that helps me think far ahead because most times we overestimate what we can do in one year, but we underestimate what we can do in five years.
Speaker B:And I think it's so easy to think, oh, I didn't have a great year, it's year one out of five, you know, that type of thing.
Speaker B:Think of it in pockets.
Speaker B:So after all that I started to work on this whole garden my heart thing.
Speaker B:And I've taken several life coaching, NLP and several other courses back in Nigeria.
Speaker B:So I had to just like you said, tap and go back to that person.
Speaker B:And there was the whole importance of meditation every morning, the importance of affirmations.
Speaker B:Regularly I still have my affirmations right over there on top of the treadmill so I can read it out loud to myself.
Speaker B:The importance of daily exercising, the importance of reading daily and reading something.
Speaker B:I like to read stuff that is motivational, you know, self development, the mind, all of that and of, I love prayer as well.
Speaker B:The, the book we read last month is called Miracle Morning and it also goes through a lot of these things.
Speaker B:So for me the importance is every day I have to ensure I, I do everything I can to do those things.
Speaker B:You know, where you're meditating, you're reading, even if it's for 10 minutes, you're exercising.
Speaker B:I don't exercise like you.
Speaker B:I've seen some of your videos on LinkedIn.
Speaker B:No, no, I ain't doing all those.
Speaker B:You know, I'm sweating watching you on LinkedIn.
Speaker B:No, I just do jump ropes, I get on a treadmill, I do push ups and then I go for a walk or whatever.
Speaker B:Those are the things that I, I, I end up doing.
Speaker B:Oh, I do dancing as well.
Speaker B:I found like 15 minute dance routines that you can do on YouTube.
Speaker A:What kind of dance?
Speaker B:Yeah, so it's just exercise dancing, like body workout type thing.
Speaker B:It's pretty fun.
Speaker B:It's really fun stuff.
Speaker B:So at the end of the day, by the time you do this, you're, you're building your mind.
Speaker B:You know, motion creates emotion.
Speaker B:You know, it helps to direct your emotions.
Speaker B:It helps me in terms of protecting my heart.
Speaker B:And then there are the day to day things of, I don't like to stress myself on the little things.
Speaker B:Someone at the office came to me one day and he said, they changed everything on you.
Speaker B:And you laughed in that meeting.
Speaker B:I said, oh, I was ticked off.
Speaker B:But the best I could do is just turn into a joke and laugh because it's not that serious.
Speaker B:Fifteen years from now, it's not a big deal, you know, so I'm trying to learn how to guard my heart.
Speaker B:Trying to learn how to, whatever happens, how am I interpreting it?
Speaker B:And for me and for everyone else, that's the biggest issue that I feel we have.
Speaker B:We put too much power on interpretation some things, whereas it might not necessarily be that big of a deal.
Speaker B:And that could determine your emotion and determine the rest of your day.
Speaker B:So I like to do what meaning.
Speaker A:We give to things.
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker B:So for me, I remember a council meeting one day, an individual think he, he, he made some racist comments.
Speaker B:And the next day I got a call from, you know, our team, you know, how did I feel about it?
Speaker B:And I'm like, what comments?
Speaker B:And they're like, oh, he made a comment.
Speaker B:And I was like, dude, I came all the way from Nigeria.
Speaker B:I sold everything, I gave up everything.
Speaker B:I came all the way.
Speaker B:I can make those comments.
Speaker B:They don't bother me at all.
Speaker B:Whatever next?
Speaker B:And they were like, oh, do you want us to like.
Speaker B:I just for me, I, I, I can't allow it to stick because if it does, then it affects me.
Speaker B:But I gotta just let it bounce off and move on so that I can stay productive and effective.
Speaker B:And that's, those are some of the things that I try to do and it helps me.
Speaker B:And I'm not 100 every day.
Speaker B:I, I want people to know that it's not like, you know, I'm not in kg, you know.
Speaker A:No, no, we're gonna talk, we're gonna talk about that because I, I will tell you that I have.
Speaker A:So it's funny because just this evening I was having a conversation with, with a, with a friend of mine.
Speaker A:I, I will leave them nameless because I'm, you know, put them on.
Speaker A:But they were talking about a situation where they were met with some customer service that wasn't, that didn't meet up with them well, and they found that person rude and, and as they were leaving, underneath their breath they did say something defamatory.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And the person heard, what did you say?
Speaker A:And they knew that they didn't want to create any type of conflict, so they continued going.
Speaker A:But they also recognize that that didn't feel well within them.
Speaker A:And they found the number store and called and said, hey, wow.
Speaker A:I just want to apologize for my behavior because it wasn't.
Speaker A:It wasn't right.
Speaker A:You know, that's awesome.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And so I'm like that as well.
Speaker A:Like, it's not everything that I don't get.
Speaker A:Like, in the moment when you're not present, you can.
Speaker A:The question is how quickly can you turn that around?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Because the best of us isn't in the best of thins.
Speaker A:The best of us is found in the worst of thins and how we choose to go up and show up against them.
Speaker A:So I, I understand that perfectly and I would say that like, but the most part, if your intention is great.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So on that point.
Speaker A:So then we.
Speaker A:That also then leads me to your leadership style.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Oh, and you're big on like, define, define your leadership style.
Speaker B:Oh, building trust, connecting with people, calling out greatness that is inside of them, helping them achieve their goals.
Speaker B:As we collectively try to achieve our goals.
Speaker B:I'll say for me, those are, those are things that, if you asked anyone that reports to me or works with me, those are the things that I would want them to say about me.
Speaker B:And that's what I try to live up to.
Speaker B:Yeah, let's.
Speaker B:Let's pause there for now.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And so, and so I want to make this a little bit more practical.
Speaker A:Only because of your passion for, for immigrants.
Speaker A:And so as we start, I think that that's beautiful, by the way.
Speaker A:And so as we start to think about how that can be amplified because I do believe that this conversation is not just for the two of us.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:The empowering moment is, is, is what happens from a listener that they then take an action.
Speaker A:Otherwise there is no point here.
Speaker A:So somebody practically wants to really like make their, make their leadership a little bit more impactful.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You have a pretty big platform and if that's how you operate on a day to day basis.
Speaker A:So I was gonna actually ask you what would that look like on a day to day with your team?
Speaker A:If we're talking to your team now and we said these are the characteristics that make up IO's leadership, what is that?
Speaker A:How do you experience that?
Speaker B:Every day they would tell you he will ask about your day, how are you doing?
Speaker B:How are things going?
Speaker B:They will share with you that he will, whether it's on a lunch break, every now and then, he's going to try to spend time to connect with you a bit more, to find out what your passions are, to learn more about it, whether it is a newest Netflix movie that you're watching, whether it is the newest Chinese song.
Speaker B:You just that we were, I was at the office yesterday and there's a lady whose background is, she's, her family's from China.
Speaker B:We're listening to some Chinese music, you know.
Speaker B:You know, she was sharing some cool whatever, and I went on YouTube and we're playing it in the office and laughing and smiling together, you know, and she's shocked that I'm listening to it.
Speaker B:I learned a few words in her, in her language.
Speaker B:So when I see her, you know, when we speak English to one another, if it's not the person's first language, you're speaking to their head.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You know, Nelson Mandela talks about that.
Speaker B:But when you speak their language, you speak into their heart.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker B:You know, so when I see someone with a Hindi background and I'm able to say, oh, you know, it's like, whoa, where did that come from?
Speaker B:You know?
Speaker B:You know, like, oh, yeah, it's crazy, you know, so I, I.
Speaker B:He will probably try to learn a few words in your language.
Speaker B:He will butcher it the first five times over time.
Speaker B:After helping him, he, he learns it, he will try to understand your disc personality style and love to discuss it with you.
Speaker B:If there is an issue, he will probably walk up to you and say, hey, can we have a chat?
Speaker A:You know, they know, you know.
Speaker B:That'S code for there's a conversation happening.
Speaker B:And yeah, he's someone that truly cares.
Speaker B:Another thing that you'll probably hear, he walks around a lot and he wants to know the challenges you're facing.
Speaker B:I like to call it being in the gemba, the challenges that you're facing, you know, the, the wins that you're currently having and anything he needs to be aware of.
Speaker B:So sitting with you and experiencing work with you.
Speaker B:So that way he's able to empathize a bit more and understand what you're trying to do.
Speaker B:So, I mean, I'm not perfect.
Speaker B:I lose it every now and then by going super.
Speaker A:If that, if that comes up even 80, 90% of the time, that's, that's a great leader to work.
Speaker A:That's a great leader to work alongside and devote life energy with.
Speaker B:So I hope so.
Speaker B:I hope I'm one of those.
Speaker A:I Believe so.
Speaker A:And, and it's so funny because I.
Speaker A:You reminded me that I really.
Speaker A:I met you at the.
Speaker A:I met you working for black Professionals Technology Network.
Speaker A:And you've always, there's always been.
Speaker A:There is.
Speaker A:There's an air of, of power that you do carry.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like, and, and so you're very, you're very memorable.
Speaker A:Other than the fact that you're freaking seven feet tall, but that's besides the point.
Speaker A:He's.
Speaker A:He's tall, he's dull.
Speaker A:But it's beyond that.
Speaker A:I think it's.
Speaker A:I think it's a lot of what you just carried, what you just shared.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like, I've always felt seen in your presence.
Speaker A:And so.
Speaker A:And that's not because I'm easy to be seen.
Speaker A:It's because I. I feel seen.
Speaker A:Like my heart feels seen.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And in line.
Speaker B:Sorry, in line with what you're talking about.
Speaker B:Currently writing a book called how to Build Charisma.
Speaker B:That's the acronym.
Speaker B:And exactly what you said is one of the key parts of that book is whenever you're with someone, you have to be with them.
Speaker B:And I think many times we're thinking about the next thing, so we're ready to move on.
Speaker B:So even while we're talking to someone, our entire hip is already going in a certain direction because we want to move on.
Speaker B:But being face to face with that person for that one minute and giving them your all for that one minute goes a long way to being memorable.
Speaker B:And it's all about just how do you find a way to stay connected to that person and being there with that person at that point in time.
Speaker A:Anyway, I just thought actually, because there's a question that comes up.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker A:You're the interviewer now.
Speaker A:So, so when you start.
Speaker A:So how did you.
Speaker A:How have you seen Covid, like, coming out on the other side of COVID Because I think that that is great, but I would say that we are in the.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:That is great.
Speaker A:And we are, we are in the intention, attention grabbing economy right now.
Speaker A:Everything is out there to grab our.
Speaker A:Grab our attention.
Speaker A:I find that Covid brought us, Made us more insular, right?
Speaker A:Like brought people in.
Speaker A:Now many of us are working remotely, right?
Speaker A:And so it's very easy.
Speaker A:This is the zoom.
Speaker A:But you're, you're, you know, maybe you put the camera up here and now you're, you're typing.
Speaker A:You're.
Speaker A:You're pretending that you're listening.
Speaker A:Like, you're, you're typing and you're like, you know, so, so how, like, what Are some of your thoughts around how we combat that?
Speaker A:Because I think it's impacting our.
Speaker A:Like half of the time you see kids and they're all together and everyone's head is down.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:It's a good point.
Speaker B:And I know my.
Speaker B:My wife created this rule in the house.
Speaker B:When you walk in, put your phone by the door, and that's why you.
Speaker A:Couldn'T pick up my call.
Speaker B:And funny enough, part of what I do now is when I'm home, that phone, I don't.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:I just put it away.
Speaker B:I stay away from it.
Speaker B:Because 1.
Speaker B:Once, once you're on that Instagram reel or the YouTube shorts, two hours can fly by and you're like, what just happened?
Speaker B:And it.
Speaker B:They're all addicted and exhausted.
Speaker B:I don't think people realize how much it exhausts us.
Speaker B:You're exhausted and you've just been laying down, you know, and you're wondering, why am I exhausted?
Speaker B:So I had to intentionally push that aside.
Speaker B:Another thing that I love to do.
Speaker B:Every two weeks, I invite about 20 guys to my house.
Speaker B:We come together every two weeks and we just hang out.
Speaker B:No agenda.
Speaker B:Just bring a food item or bring a drink item.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:That's all you're asked to do.
Speaker B:So whether you have a job or you're balling, you can afford a two dollar apple juice, you know, at Dollarama, you know, and even if you can't, it's okay because nobody would know.
Speaker B:You didn't bring anything.
Speaker B:Just bring a bag and, you know, walk in with a bag and just.
Speaker B:You'll be fine.
Speaker B:There's always food and drinks.
Speaker B:But what that does for us, I didn't realize it actually when we started, we started about two years ago, and we're just getting together, connecting that type of thing.
Speaker B:And a few weeks ago, one of them actually said to me, he said, you know, I.
Speaker B:This is probably the only thing I look forward to.
Speaker B:There's nothing else to do.
Speaker B:So I think we need to start intentionally creating connections.
Speaker A:Connection spaces.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Connection spaces for ourselves that are not expensive and affordable.
Speaker B:I think sometimes I will create spaces.
Speaker B:We're thinking, oh, we got to rent a community center.
Speaker B:We got to rent a hall.
Speaker B:This is going to cost this.
Speaker B:Cause that it's coming out.
Speaker B:No, just.
Speaker B:Just get together.
Speaker B:Just get together out.
Speaker B:I see people when I go to Tim Hortons.
Speaker B:A bunch of older individuals, they come together.
Speaker B:Tim Hortons.
Speaker B:I see them there once a week.
Speaker B:That's their connection point.
Speaker B:All they're spending is $2 on a cup of coffee.
Speaker B:But it gives them a place to get together and to connect.
Speaker A:Yeah, I have a great bunch of women that try to really do that as well.
Speaker A:Like, they did do Third Thursdays, where somebody picks.
Speaker A:Everyone has a month, and they pick a place to go for dinner.
Speaker A:I have not raised my hand to do that yet.
Speaker A:I need to thank you for calling me out.
Speaker A:But, yeah, no, they go for walk.
Speaker A:Know what I mean?
Speaker A:Like, there's always something being planned.
Speaker A:I travel a lot, so unfortunately, I miss a lot of it.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:But because of what you just said, I want to call out Stephen Amoa.
Speaker A:So he created this game.
Speaker A:I think he created it during.
Speaker A:During COVID but it's called Guess My Preference.
Speaker A:It's a.
Speaker A:It's actually a social game.
Speaker A:And the whole idea was for people to put their phones away, and you get these cards and.
Speaker A:And you just.
Speaker A:Like, it could ask you.
Speaker A:Like, it could say, okay, sedan, suv, Jeep, sports car, which.
Speaker A:Guess my preference.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:And you'd be surprised.
Speaker A:Like, a lot of times you think, you know, and then the person's like, nope, that's not my preference.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:I have it because, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:I'm a married person, and I need to have, like, three kids in this suv, But I really want a sports car.
Speaker A:Like, and it's really cool because a lot of times you're like, oh, my God, I never knew that about you.
Speaker A:You know?
Speaker A:So it's a prompt game, right?
Speaker A:It's just a prompt.
Speaker A:But I liked you.
Speaker A:Every two weeks, you said, or every two months?
Speaker B:Every Two weeks.
Speaker A:Every two weeks.
Speaker A:Every other Friday, 20 friends.
Speaker B:20 friends.
Speaker B:We come together and.
Speaker A:Does your wife go and do something, too, or.
Speaker B:Well, my wife is actually out of the country right now.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:She's.
Speaker B:In fact, she's actually encouraged.
Speaker B:She said something to me that you're usually very happy Saturdays.
Speaker B:And I couldn't figure out why, but she said, I realize it's usually when you and the guys meet because you're like, oh, you won't believe what this guy said.
Speaker B:You won't believe what happened to this guy.
Speaker B:And it's amazing how, first of all, men, we don't tend to talk that much, and we don't have, you know, how are you doing mentally?
Speaker B:Like, we don't have those types of conversations.
Speaker B:It just drops in the midst of whatever it is that you're talking about.
Speaker B:And I'll give you an example.
Speaker B:The last meeting we had, one guy said we were talking about our health, and he was like, you Know, I went to the doctor to go check on something, and they just said, I think he was like, I couldn't sleep or something.
Speaker B:So I went to the doctor and just, hey, I've not been able to sleep.
Speaker B:And they checked his blood pressure, and it was like, you need to go to emergency room now.
Speaker B:Like, that was how bad it was.
Speaker B:But for him, he was just like.
Speaker B:He was going on like, I just can't sleep.
Speaker B:But they're like, you're away from, like.
Speaker B:I don't know whether it was a heart attack or whatever it is that people get when they have high blood pressure or whatever, but it was really.
Speaker B:It was ridiculously high.
Speaker B:He wasn't even aware.
Speaker B:So we were just talking about that.
Speaker B:And it's amazing when we get together like that, where the conversation goes.
Speaker B:I try not to direct it, we try not to, and we just have fun together.
Speaker B:But, yeah, she had mentioned you tend to be happier.
Speaker B:Well, this person did this.
Speaker B:You won't believe what this person said.
Speaker B:One person one day put his wife on speaker and say, talk to I.O.
Speaker B:i tell her where I am.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's.
Speaker A:You know, and I really.
Speaker A:I really love.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And it's so interesting because you organically got me somewhere.
Speaker A:I mean, I haven't even tapped into the politics yet, but we're going there next.
Speaker A:But before we do, I want to also honor.
Speaker A:Because your episode is in the month of November, and this November, we are running a Men's Health.
Speaker A:So we run it every year, like the last three years.
Speaker A:So this is our fourth Men's Health talk series.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And, yeah, we just tackled topics that men typically don't get together and talk about.
Speaker A:So if you had to sort of take a moment to honor, you know, sort of this Movember, what's one thing that you wish men either did more together or talked about more together to help each other?
Speaker B:Number one, our finances.
Speaker B:Number two, our fears.
Speaker B:I think those are two key things, because there are times when you feel like I. I think as a man, when you have conversations, you know, those questions of, you know, do I matter?
Speaker B:Am I living up to my father's standard?
Speaker B:Or I don't want to be like him.
Speaker B:You know, whichever direction you're going, those things are so crucial and important.
Speaker B:And unfortunately, no woman can really help fill that gap.
Speaker B:Sometimes it's the fathering your life or the mentor in your life that can speak that life into you.
Speaker B:And most times, most men don't have that.
Speaker B:So men need those spaces.
Speaker B:And in the midst of.
Speaker B:When you shed the Ego, throw aside the arrogance, the pride, you know, the bluntness or whatever it is, there is a young child who is begging to be recognized, to be acknowledged, and to be believed in.
Speaker B:Most times, men, we need people just to believe in us.
Speaker B:And it goes a long way.
Speaker B:That belief and that respect goes such a long way.
Speaker B:And I mean, I do want to say to men that you do matter.
Speaker B:You matter to your children, you matter to your family.
Speaker B:You do make a difference.
Speaker B:And we cannot afford.
Speaker B:I mean, I've been there where I've been suicidal in my thoughts and thinking I don't matter.
Speaker B:But at the end of the day, you do matter.
Speaker B:And there are many people that look up to you and see you, and you just keep on keeping on.
Speaker B:Keep on keeping on, soldier.
Speaker B:All will be well.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:And I love the fact that you have this male group.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And I want to ask you earlier, your book club, is that with.
Speaker A:Is that a mixed group or men?
Speaker B:Yeah, it's.
Speaker B:That's a mixed group.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:Everyone is.
Speaker B:Is part of the book club.
Speaker B:And we have people from Nigeria.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:From here, we have someone from Ireland, you know, so it's.
Speaker B:It's amazing how we all just get together and all the different accents when we're all analyzing the book from our different backgrounds.
Speaker A:How did it get established?
Speaker B:Out of my selfish reasons.
Speaker A:Oh, you, You.
Speaker A:You founded it too?
Speaker B:Yeah, I created it because I wanted to read more.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I just noticed that the easiest way to read more is accountability.
Speaker B:So I just said, hey, I'm starting a book club.
Speaker B:Come join me.
Speaker B:And a friend of mine, his name is Kunal.
Speaker B:A big shout out to Kunal.
Speaker B:Kunal heard me mention it one time, and he said, could.
Speaker B:I was like, yeah, let's start it.
Speaker B:Let's go.
Speaker B:Let's do this.
Speaker B:Let's do this.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:You know what?
Speaker B:I'll take care of all the administrative stuff.
Speaker B:You just show up.
Speaker B:I'll take care of everything.
Speaker B:So he jumped in.
Speaker B:My ea Blessing jumped in.
Speaker B:She saw it as an option for her to read as well, so she became a part of it.
Speaker B:And then we just.
Speaker B:It just started growing from there.
Speaker B:So it was.
Speaker B:I think we're about 40 people now.
Speaker A:But how do you join?
Speaker A:How do you join?
Speaker B:Oh, how do you join?
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:There's a URL.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:It's on my website.
Speaker B:I think when you go on my website, just click on club.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then a form comes up.
Speaker B:All we ask is make sure you read the book before the meeting and.
Speaker A:Show up for the meetings, like chapter.
Speaker A:A few chapters at a time type thing.
Speaker B:Oh, we read one book a month.
Speaker A:And then you have a.
Speaker A:One monthly meeting.
Speaker B:We have one monthly meeting.
Speaker A:And then you review the book.
Speaker B:We review the book.
Speaker B:So different people facilitate.
Speaker B:So I'm not the only one facilitating.
Speaker B:We select someone.
Speaker B:Because when you are required to facilitate, you have to think deeper.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You're not just going to show up, have your zoom video off and mic off and you know, but you're gonna be ready, seated, you know, you got books you bookmarked, you got your coffee, you know, so it pushes people and.
Speaker A:Do you have a queue books reference, like to go?
Speaker B:Yes, we have books for the rest of the year and books for next year.
Speaker A:Oh, wow.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:I think I'm gonna click.
Speaker A:I think I'm gonna click.
Speaker A:I need.
Speaker A:I need some accountability to get back up my reading.
Speaker A:I used to read like if you look voracious leader.
Speaker A:Last year.
Speaker A:So last year, that untethered soul, it took me through my year and I. Wow.
Speaker A:Like, I needed it.
Speaker A:And it's like, that is such a.
Speaker A:Like he says, he says, like from that book, one of the most powerful things I learned is I am the one who sees from in here somewhere.
Speaker A:I am the one who looks out and I'm aware of the thoughts, the emotions and the experiences that are passing before me.
Speaker A:Like, wow.
Speaker A:Just to be able to do that and how much that changed my posture.
Speaker A:Like, I will be in meetings and I'm like, I'm the one who sees.
Speaker A:And right away I shift to seeing myself in the meeting.
Speaker A:Not being.
Speaker B:That's powerful.
Speaker A:Yes, it's very powerful.
Speaker A:It's presence.
Speaker A:It's the ability to observe not only how you are contributing to what's happening versus being in it and immersed and, you know.
Speaker B:Amazing, Amazing.
Speaker B:It's a great book.
Speaker A:Great book.
Speaker A:Michael Singer, he's amazing.
Speaker A:He wrote the.
Speaker A:The other one.
Speaker A:The.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Then Tether Soul is really, really.
Speaker A:That's the popular one.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So politics.
Speaker A:Because when I met you, there was no politics.
Speaker A:And then one day I'm sitting beside you as some gala something and you tell me that you're running for city council.
Speaker A:I'm like, what the.
Speaker A:And then you win.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Which meant that you have to campaign.
Speaker A:You have to do the like, door to door.
Speaker A:You have to like, you have to like, figure out what you're.
Speaker A:What you're campaigning on and, and, and really get people to believe and trust you.
Speaker A:And I mean, you've talked about your leadership, but that's where I was trying to grow it, too.
Speaker A:And now you're doing it in a way that, like, it just opens up a.
Speaker A:Like, I can't even imagine.
Speaker A:Like, there's.
Speaker A:You're going to have to deal with resistance, and then you have supporters, and you have to, like, you.
Speaker A:Like, that's not easy.
Speaker A:So talk to us about this pathway and.
Speaker A:And what you're actually hoping to really accomplish with this platform.
Speaker B: into politics as far back as: Speaker A: Okay, so: Speaker B: I arrived: Speaker B:A year later, I already decided that I wanted to go into politics.
Speaker A:I didn't know how you were.
Speaker A:You're in the struggle.
Speaker A:Like, was it 27 or you were still.
Speaker A:You were still sort of believing for, like, the greater good.
Speaker B:And you know what?
Speaker B:So I worked in a company, a consultant firm.
Speaker B:When I first arrived, my first job in Canada was in a consultant firm, and they used to run trainings for boards and executives.
Speaker B:Okay, so for me was the best first job ever in Canada that anyone could get.
Speaker B:So one of those trainings was for an insurance company.
Speaker B:And one of the board members either was or used to be a deputy mayor of a town, you know, some remote town in Canada.
Speaker B:And I sat next to him.
Speaker B:So usually those trainings, my boss will run the sessions.
Speaker B:I was typing the playbook and the strategic plan.
Speaker B:You know, my job was to type.
Speaker B:And every now and then he would have me lead some of those sessions.
Speaker B:So I was sitting next to the deputy mayor, and he just said to me randomly, you should run for office in the future.
Speaker B:Keep in mind, I've only been in Canada for a year, you know, and that's why I talked about earlier on when you asked about leadership, about speaking life into someone, that's what I meant.
Speaker B:It hadn't really crossed my mind.
Speaker B:I never thought about it.
Speaker B:And then I'm the only black guy in all of the meetings, all the trainings, all of it, you know, so I didn't think anything like that.
Speaker B:And he was like, you know, you should really run for office.
Speaker B:And I'm like, what do you mean?
Speaker B:And he was like, you have the ability.
Speaker B:I see it in you.
Speaker B:You speak well and you can hold a crowd.
Speaker B:Canada needs people like you.
Speaker B:You should run for office.
Speaker B:This is a white old man talking to a black guy that just arrived in the country a year before.
Speaker B:It was the strangest thing.
Speaker B:And funny enough, that was the first time and the last time I ever saw that guy.
Speaker B:Never saw him again.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:That's why I always like to say to people, would you like to see him?
Speaker B:I would love to.
Speaker B:I would love to.
Speaker B:To say, look what you did.
Speaker B:Look what you created.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:You know, and he probably would never remember me.
Speaker B:Probably doesn't even remember he said that.
Speaker B:And that's the beauty about speaking life into people.
Speaker B:It takes nothing from you, but it adds so much to other people.
Speaker B: So, anyway, that was back in: Speaker B:I approached my mayor.
Speaker B:I sent a letter to an email to the mayor of the city of Kitchener, and I said, I would love to meet you.
Speaker B:And so they invited me to come grab coffee, and I said, I would like to run for office in the future.
Speaker B:And of course, he's confessing years later.
Speaker A: This is: Speaker B:2017.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:He's probably like, who is this weird, strange guy?
Speaker B:Who are you?
Speaker B:He's like, oh, so how.
Speaker B:You know.
Speaker B:So are you a citizen?
Speaker B:No, I'm not.
Speaker B:I'm not even permanent residence, you know, I. I just got work permit, but.
Speaker B:Okay, where are you working?
Speaker B:I lost my job.
Speaker B:I don't have a job, you know, but I want to run in the future.
Speaker B:He's probably thinking, who is this strange kid?
Speaker B:But funny enough, he was the one that called me the night I won his council and reminded me, hey, do.
Speaker A:You remember this conversation?
Speaker B:Yeah, this conversation from, like, five, six years ago.
Speaker B:But anyway, so he was the one that said, okay, why don't you do this?
Speaker B:Start serving in the community.
Speaker B:You know, be active online.
Speaker B:Become a leader in the community.
Speaker B:And over time, you know, you.
Speaker B:You know, you can start building that profile to run for office.
Speaker B:Probably was given a generic statement like, okay, I'll never see him again.
Speaker B:Okay, just say something nice.
Speaker B:Get him out the office.
Speaker B:Go to your next meeting.
Speaker B:But I took it to heart and I joined the Nigerian Association.
Speaker B:I started to serve there.
Speaker B:I was part of ymca.
Speaker B:I was a mentee with the YMCA program.
Speaker B:And then I became a mentor with the YMCA program.
Speaker B:I started volunteering in different capacities.
Speaker B:One day, by chance, I got a syndicated radio show on cbc.
Speaker B:It was the strangest thing.
Speaker B:I don't know how.
Speaker B:I emailed to complain about something.
Speaker B:I think I said there were no black stories or something on cbc, but I accidentally emailed the vice president at cbc.
Speaker B:So they said they would like to talk to me.
Speaker B:So I got on a call and I'm.
Speaker B:They're like, oh, tell us more about your complaint.
Speaker B:We need to do this.
Speaker B:There's nothing for immigrants, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker B:So they said, have you ever done radio before?
Speaker B:And I'm like, oh, yeah.
Speaker B:I was.
Speaker B:I used to work on radio in Nigeria for six years.
Speaker B:I was a station manager in a state station in Nigeria.
Speaker B:It was ranked number two.
Speaker B:And I did the morning show blog.
Speaker B:And they're like, oh, would you like to do a radio show?
Speaker B:And I'm like, okay, where did that come from?
Speaker B:That was how I got a show.
Speaker B:I complained to cbc and they called me and said, would you like a show?
Speaker B:So I had a syndicated show in six different cities, which is strange.
Speaker B:That happened for some time.
Speaker B:So that was pretty cool.
Speaker B:Then I started a podcast.
Speaker B:So all of these things started to happen.
Speaker B:It was called the Immigrant View.
Speaker B:This was during, like, covet times.
Speaker B:I ended it when I became a counselor.
Speaker B:I didn't have.
Speaker B:I didn't have the time or the mental space to be able to continue.
Speaker B:I was just so busy.
Speaker A:You couldn't hand it over to somebody.
Speaker B:I could have, but I did not.
Speaker B:That's a good one.
Speaker B:I never thought about that.
Speaker A:Too late.
Speaker A:You have 20 guys that come to your house every single day.
Speaker A:Just every.
Speaker A:Every two.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So anyway, yeah, so I.
Speaker B:And I think it was the podcast that really helped me to blow up my profile.
Speaker B:So I just started to meet all these different people that expanded my mind and expanded my network.
Speaker B: So an opportunity came in: Speaker B:Nomination to run for office was.
Speaker B:I don't remember what it was.
Speaker B:So let's say it was August 14th.
Speaker B:I got sworn in as a citizen July 12th, a month before.
Speaker B:And then I got the letters and the documentation, like, a few days before the cutoff.
Speaker B:So I'm like, man, there's two weeks between now and the cutoff.
Speaker B:I want to run for office.
Speaker B: ve always wanted to run since: Speaker B:I don't have a plan.
Speaker B:I don't have a platform.
Speaker B:I don't know what to do or what to say.
Speaker B:So I called one of my mentors.
Speaker A:Two weeks to voting or two weeks to nomination.
Speaker B:So for you.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:For you to run, you have to fill out documentation.
Speaker B:So you would like to.
Speaker A:And then you have to say what you're running on, like, what's your pla.
Speaker A:Like, what's your.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And you got to get 25 signatures from people that live in that area, all of that stuff.
Speaker B:So I called one of my mentors.
Speaker B:He's a former mayor, and he didn't let me finish the sentence.
Speaker B:I Was like, oh, I'm thinking about this.
Speaker B:And he said, let me cut you off right there.
Speaker B:IO there's no better person to run, so if you don't run, I will be disappointed.
Speaker B:And he was like, in fact, I think this position is too low for you.
Speaker B:You should be going higher.
Speaker B:And I'm like, okay, well, you know what?
Speaker B:Let's start low, because I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker B:Let's start low.
Speaker B:So his encouragement actually pushed me, and I called a few of my friends together.
Speaker B:Well, first I spoke with my wife, and she's like, yeah, whatever you want to do, I'll support you, which I appreciate.
Speaker B:Big shout out to Falake for that.
Speaker B:And then I called a few friends together.
Speaker B:I said, okay, we have.
Speaker B:I'm running for office.
Speaker B:First they all laughed.
Speaker A:Of course they're supposed to, because if they didn't laugh, it wouldn't.
Speaker A:It wouldn't have been scary enough.
Speaker A:Go on.
Speaker B:And then I pointed to one of my friends and I said, you're going to be the campaign manager.
Speaker B:It's like, I don't know anything about politics.
Speaker B:And I said, no, it's fine.
Speaker B:I looked on Amazon.
Speaker B:There's a book called how to run for office.
Speaker B:I bought two copies.
Speaker B:So here's your copy.
Speaker B:Where's my copy?
Speaker B:Congratulations, you're your campaign manager now.
Speaker B:And that was how we started.
Speaker B:And you will not believe this.
Speaker B:In kitchen two years ago, someone approached me who was running for federal and he said, would like to meet with me.
Speaker B:We sat down and then he said, you know, I want your.
Speaker B:Can I get contact details of your campaign manager and your campaign team?
Speaker B:They ran such an amazing campaign for you that.
Speaker B:That I want them to run my federal campaign.
Speaker B:And I was having breakfast and couldn't look up because.
Speaker B:What do you say?
Speaker B:No idea what he was doing.
Speaker B:He was as lost as you want him.
Speaker B:You don't want him.
Speaker B:See, literally what I mean is looking at the book, like, okay, so the book says we should do this.
Speaker B:So, guys, what do we do?
Speaker B:I think we should do that.
Speaker B:Okay, let's do it then.
Speaker B:What street are we going to campaign on now?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:Who has a map?
Speaker B:Where do we buy a map?
Speaker B:We don't know.
Speaker B:We Google where to buy a map.
Speaker B:We see a map, and he just points randomly.
Speaker B:Okay, we're going to start here and we're going to.
Speaker B:Why are we starting there?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:So there was a lot of laughing, but we just had a blast.
Speaker B:But what really happened?
Speaker B:I think people Saw the genuine joy, desire to serve.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And there are people that, because I've known them for a while, literally just said, how can I help?
Speaker B:So I had someone say, hey, my background is in graphics.
Speaker B:I don't know anything about campaigning, but I know marketing and graphics.
Speaker B:I'll take care of it.
Speaker B:Another lady who, funny enough, she used to work for the president of the Philippines, or I believe he reached out and said, hey, I see on LinkedIn you're doing this.
Speaker B:I would like to support you.
Speaker B:I will handle all your speeches.
Speaker B:I will handle all the write ups.
Speaker B:So she managed that.
Speaker B:Another friend of mine who is into data, data analytics, he reached out.
Speaker B:That's why I was.
Speaker B:That's why I was laughing when the guy was saying, campaign manager.
Speaker B:No clue what he was doing.
Speaker B:So the team just naturally came out of nowhere and everybody was just like, we want to help you, want to support you.
Speaker B:Let's go, let's do this.
Speaker B:So we built a team of only one person on the team had prior political experience, and she came in much later.
Speaker B:So she was the one that seems like, okay, this is complete chaos.
Speaker B:Let me organize you guys.
Speaker B:So I never thought I was going to win.
Speaker B:So the idea was, you know what, guys?
Speaker B: We want to get ready for: Speaker B:That was the plan.
Speaker B:My wife pushed back and said, no, you're stressing me out.
Speaker B:I got to watch the kids every day.
Speaker B:When you go out, yeah, go out and win.
Speaker B:And I'm not.
Speaker B:If you're going to do this, you better go win.
Speaker B: Don't put in: Speaker B:Go all out.
Speaker B:So she's like, I don't care if you go out and fail.
Speaker B:Just go all out.
Speaker B:Do whatever.
Speaker B:So we said, you know what, guys?
Speaker B:Let's go all out.
Speaker B:Let's do this.
Speaker B:And I just share that just to encourage people.
Speaker B:Sometimes we feel like we need to know it all before we start that journey.
Speaker B:No, you don't.
Speaker B:And when I won, a few counselors reached out and said, man, you ran a great campaign.
Speaker B:And I laugh and chuckle at that because deep down inside, only one person had experience.
Speaker B:And she joined a month before the end of the campaign.
Speaker B:You know, the.
Speaker B:The rest of the time it was just a bunch of people that had a heart.
Speaker A:Heart.
Speaker B:The heart.
Speaker B:The heart.
Speaker B:The passion.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And we were just pushing ourselves through.
Speaker B:And the desire, I will never forget.
Speaker B:There was a lady who had just arrived from Nigeria maybe two months prior, knows nothing about politics.
Speaker B:And we went door knocking one day.
Speaker B:She had failed her driving exam right before.
Speaker B:So of course, she was a bit down.
Speaker B:And she was like, you know, whatever, let's just go door knocking.
Speaker B:And we go door knocking.
Speaker B:It was just me and her that day.
Speaker B:We go door knocking, and we're talking to all of these people, and she's.
Speaker B:And I'm just watching her.
Speaker B:I'm like, I just met this person last month, and you are going door knocking for two hours in the cold just to support me.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:You know, so I think many times the reason why I have to push myself so much is there were so many people that were looking up to me.
Speaker B:In fact, that was the day I posted a picture online, and an Indian friend sent me a message, and he said, please take down this picture.
Speaker B:I think it was a picture.
Speaker B:I looked too serious.
Speaker B:And he said, it does not depict your personality, and it doesn't show you a leader or something.
Speaker B:Like, he's like, please, can you take it down and change it?
Speaker B:And then he said, you're making all of us look good.
Speaker B:We all.
Speaker B:We are all part of this together.
Speaker B:So please, I have vested interest in your success because you're making all of us look good.
Speaker B:When you hear something like that, this has gone beyond Yoruba tribe.
Speaker B:This has gone beyond Nigeria.
Speaker B:This has gone beyond Africa.
Speaker B:Now you have people from other nations and different continents saying, I want to be part of this, because what you're doing is inspiring me.
Speaker B:So that humbles me, that keeps me going, and that inspires me as well.
Speaker B:You know, at the end of the day, it's.
Speaker B:It's just a beautiful feeling to know that people from different backgrounds.
Speaker A:Beautiful story.
Speaker A:That's a.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Love it.
Speaker A:And I. I just.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I'm actually.
Speaker A:I. I feel like a little kid that was sitting there as.
Speaker A:As the book was just being.
Speaker A:The pages were being flipped and the words were being expressed and.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Really proud.
Speaker A:Really proud.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:The night that we won, I went straight to bed because I didn't think I was gonna win.
Speaker B:Just like you found out in the morning when you think I was gonna win.
Speaker A:Please tell me somebody woke you up.
Speaker B:My wife woke me up at midnight.
Speaker B:So I went to bed, like 8pm and because, you know, I think I saw the first three polls and I had like, 100 votes or something.
Speaker B:And I was like, I literally text the team, guys, we got a hundred votes.
Speaker B:Like, can you believe we got 100 votes?
Speaker B:I didn't think anybody was going to vote for Me, because my ward is largely Caucasian.
Speaker B:Out of the thousands of doors we knocked on and the people we spoke to, there were only 10 black people in total.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Like, I still have the data.
Speaker B:Only 10 black people out of thousands.
Speaker B:So naturally I did not think I was going to be voted for.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:In fact, when we did our lawn signs, I only printed 50 lawn signs.
Speaker B:And I remember one of my mentors said, why?
Speaker B:And I said, who's going to want white people?
Speaker B:Who's going to put.
Speaker B:But we ended up doing 200 lawn signs.
Speaker B:We ended up doing 200 lawn signs.
Speaker B:And I had people.
Speaker B:I remember the day I realized we had.
Speaker B:We might have a chance.
Speaker B:There is a.
Speaker B:There was an Indian man that called me and he said, someone has stolen my lawn sign from his lawn.
Speaker B:Welcome to Kitchener.
Speaker B:They had stolen my lawn sign.
Speaker B:So he thought I took the lawn sign away.
Speaker B:So he said, why did you take the lawn sign away?
Speaker B:And I'm like, what are you talking about?
Speaker B:No, he was like, I told you I'm going to support you.
Speaker B:I put your lawn sign on my front lawn.
Speaker B:Why did you take it away?
Speaker B:And I'm like, what is he talking about?
Speaker B:So I said, don't worry, someone else will bring it.
Speaker B:And I'm like, wow, someone that doesn't look like me, sound like me.
Speaker A:What's my sign up?
Speaker B:They stole it.
Speaker B:And now he's asking for another one.
Speaker B:And there's another lady who's the VP of HR of us, of a well known software company in Canada.
Speaker B:I don't want to mention the name of the company, but I met her at an event and we were sitting next to each other at the Canadian HR Awards.
Speaker B:And we just would sit next to each other and randomly found out she lives in kitchen.
Speaker B:I'm like, what?
Speaker B:The winter Kitchen?
Speaker B:I'm like, well, in my word.
Speaker B:Well, that's pretty cool.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker B:I'm running for office in that ward.
Speaker B:And I met her two weeks afterwards.
Speaker B:I went door knocking and I accidentally.
Speaker B:I don't think it was a coincidence I stumbled on her house again, you know, while knocking.
Speaker B:And it was her husband that opened the door.
Speaker B:I didn't know.
Speaker B:So as I'm pitching and I'd like you to vote for me.
Speaker B:And the guy goes, wait a minute, my wife has been speaking about you for two weeks.
Speaker B:Hold on a second.
Speaker B:And then he goes to get her, she comes down and she's like, oh my gosh, it's you.
Speaker B:This is so exciting, man.
Speaker B:I would be fired up, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker B:And she's like bring alongside, bring alongside, bring alongside.
Speaker B:I'm going to put it here.
Speaker B:This is exciting.
Speaker B:Until today we still meet probably once a quarter.
Speaker B:We just sit down and grab coffee and just add and talk.
Speaker B:So word five people have been amazing.
Speaker B:And there is.
Speaker B:I must ensure that I share that.
Speaker B:I have to share that word Five people welcomed me like I was born and raised down the street and I serve them hot cookies every Saturday morning or something.
Speaker B:They have loved me.
Speaker B:They've been so caring, they've been so wonderful.
Speaker B:I've had old women invite me in, you know, give me cookies.
Speaker B:Old men bring out their chairs and you know, it's a long conversation when the chairs come out, you know what our young man counselor.
Speaker B:Come, come, let me pull out my chair.
Speaker B:They're like, oh, that's a one hour conversation.
Speaker B:You know, I've had so many wonderful, amazing experiences with these people that I am honored to serve them.
Speaker B:Honored is the right word.
Speaker A:And can you, can you.
Speaker A:So you've been in office for how long now?
Speaker B:Three years.
Speaker A:Three years.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Three years, eh?
Speaker A:And so you've just gone voted again?
Speaker B:No, next year is election.
Speaker A:Next year's election.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So municipal elections run every four years.
Speaker B: So election was October: Speaker B:So the next one will be October 26th.
Speaker A:Four years.
Speaker A:You get four years in office.
Speaker A:And so what would be one of the biggest things that you.
Speaker A:You're most proud of?
Speaker B:We have had some amazing.
Speaker B:So first of all, we have a new library that has been built in Ward 5.
Speaker B:We have the largest rec center in the history of Kitchener and Waterloo region that is being built and should be completed in the next few months in Ward 5 as well.
Speaker B:We have had one of the biggest complaints that people had was speeding in our local roads.
Speaker B:And we have implemented our Vision Zero program, that's what it's called, to ensure that we have zero deaths from speeding in cars in this area.
Speaker B:Unfortunately, I will, I need to acknowledge that just last week one person passed away from an accident in the area.
Speaker B:So condolences to the family.
Speaker B:In the past three years though, we've been able to limit that to just.
Speaker B:I don't want to use the word just to one.
Speaker B:So we have been able to advocate for several things.
Speaker B:As you know, homelessness is such a major crisis right now and the city is not responsible in terms of building facilities.
Speaker B:But we have created our bylaws to, number one, allow not for profits to be able to build on our part, I mean, our parking lots, so that we can be able to have more affordable Housing units.
Speaker B:We advocate strongly with developers to be able to provide affordable units as well.
Speaker B:So these are, for me, some really, really key things that I'm passionate about.
Speaker B:We have also been one of the first few cities in all of Canada that has created an immigrants settlements departments whose main role is to help create a platform to help immigrants settle, and not just settle, but thrive.
Speaker B:That is our goal, is for them to thrive so that they're not dependent on the system, they're independent of the system.
Speaker B:We've been able to partner with the Caribbean association to create a powerful black entrepreneurship program called Liftoff.
Speaker B:We're looking to.
Speaker B:Well, this is not the city.
Speaker B:This is my personal initiative creating Black chamber in this area so that black businesses have access to angel investors.
Speaker B:So that is currently in the talks, in the works.
Speaker B:So there, there are many more that I can't remember off the top of my head, but those are things that I would say I'm very proud of, that we've been able to do in our areas.
Speaker B:Although we have not reached, you know, as as many other cities, you know, you always have new things that are popping up that regular new challenges.
Speaker B:Our goal is just to stay on top of it as best as we can.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:And so back to early in the story where you said, no, I'm gonna start low and, you know, and work my way up.
Speaker A:So, you know, with elections coming up again, what is what if you're allowed to share, like, what is next?
Speaker B:That is a great question.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't know what's next right now.
Speaker B:I mean, I would love if the people of Ward 5 will give me the honor of keep serving them.
Speaker B:I hope that I've made them proud and they're happy and satisfied with what I've been able to do in the past few years.
Speaker B:I hope the people in the city of Kitchener are happy and proud with what I have done.
Speaker B:But, yeah, I'm not sure what could be next at this point.
Speaker A:Stay tuned.
Speaker B:Yeah, stay tuned for.
Speaker A:Stay tuned.
Speaker B:What is going to look like?
Speaker B:My goal and focus right now is just doing the best that you can in the current position that you're in.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And when that time comes, regardless of what happens, let your work speak for itself.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker A:I purposefully.
Speaker A:It's interesting.
Speaker A:I'm not sure if I told you, but I. I think I told you I usually would have you in and out in 40 minutes, but I didn't know I was going to get that story.
Speaker A:And that's beautiful.
Speaker A:So I wanted to give it time.
Speaker A:So I'm going to take you through what I call rapid thrivers.
Speaker A:So when you think of somebody who inspires you, who comes first to mind.
Speaker A:Ooh.
Speaker B:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker B:T.D.
Speaker B:jakes.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:That's my man.
Speaker A:That's my man.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Have you ever been to the Potter's house?
Speaker B:No, I have not, but I've been to the leadership conference.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Ils.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Ils.
Speaker B:I was there last year.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:He's amazing.
Speaker A:Did you meet him?
Speaker B:I was in the room.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:We'll have to talk.
Speaker A:We'll talk, we'll talk.
Speaker A:What is a daily activity that helps you with your thrive?
Speaker B:Exercising and daily prayers.
Speaker B:I go for walks and I pray while I walk.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:You mentioned a lot of books, but I need you to pick one book that you think has been most transformative for you.
Speaker B:Awaken the Giant within by Tony Robbins.
Speaker B:Phenomenal book.
Speaker B:Everybody should read it at least once a year.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker A:Once a year.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:What is an app that helps you with your thrive?
Speaker B:What's an app?
Speaker B:Yeah, Freedom.
Speaker A:What's that app?
Speaker B:Freedom is.
Speaker B:It blocks social media for me.
Speaker B:It doesn't allow me to go on until like 8pm It's a beautiful one.
Speaker B:And Mocha, Mocha, you can.
Speaker B:It just takes.
Speaker B:I installed Mocha and I forgot about it.
Speaker B:And by the time I logged on, I had like 600 because it was taking $5 each week and put it in this account for me.
Speaker B:So I encourage men now you can take your wives to Cuba for a thousand four hundred dollars.
Speaker B:And all you have to do is put aside $20 a week.
Speaker B:Mocha will do it for you automatically.
Speaker B:Just log in and put $20.
Speaker B:It will take care of it.
Speaker B:So MOCA is wonderful.
Speaker B:So what I do financially right now is we calculate all our.
Speaker B:I don't know, I should call it administrative expenses.
Speaker B:So mechanic saving, taking care of this, buying clothes, Christmas shopping.
Speaker B:We do all that.
Speaker B:We divide it by 52 and then that amount is what you put goes into Mocha.
Speaker B:So anytime I have to go service my car, do any of that, I don't have to worry about where's the money coming from.
Speaker B:I just take it from Mocha.
Speaker B:So Mocha and freedom.
Speaker B:Amazing interest.
Speaker A:Is it you get interest from it or no?
Speaker B:Yes, you can get interest from it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:But it's not invested.
Speaker A:There's not.
Speaker A:Not an investment account or anything like that?
Speaker B:No, no, it's not an investment account.
Speaker B:It's just mo.
Speaker A:Like Mocha, like the.
Speaker B:Like the coffee M oka.
Speaker A:M oka.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And I'm gonna look up freedom.
Speaker A:I'm looking.
Speaker B:They should pay me for that.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:This is a public service announcement.
Speaker A:And back to regular.
Speaker A:And back to regular programming.
Speaker A:So the final.
Speaker A:What is one misconception that people have of you as they see you in your thrive?
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:You should have sent me these questions.
Speaker B:I had.
Speaker B:What's one misconception that people have of me?
Speaker B:That I like to party.
Speaker B:People think I'm a party animal or something.
Speaker B:And you're not?
Speaker B:No, I'm not.
Speaker B:I'm a. I'm a home kind of guy.
Speaker A:Home buying.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah, I can understand that.
Speaker A:So, counselor, where do we find more of you online?
Speaker B:I'm on LinkedIn.
Speaker B:I'm on Instagram.
Speaker B:Even though half the time it's not me, it's my team.
Speaker B:But I'm on LinkedIn.
Speaker B:I'm on Instagram.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:I'm on Facebook, and my website is iooo.com a Y-O-O-W-O.com o w o I.
Speaker A:O I o o. Yes.com.
Speaker B:Joy and money dot com.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:And I. Oh, is that so?
Speaker A:IO means joy.
Speaker A:Oo means money.
Speaker B:Money.
Speaker A:Ah, there you go.
Speaker A:That's smart.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:So finish the sentence for us.
Speaker A:I am empowered in my skin.
Speaker A:When.
Speaker B:I'm empowered in my skin, when I believe in myself.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:It has been a minute, but I'm so, so, so happy I had this opportunity.
Speaker A:I've gotten to know you more than I actually thought was possible.
Speaker A:This is probably going down as my longest podcast interview ever.
Speaker B:Okay, so I'm sorry you brought a politician on.
Speaker B:We talked too much.
Speaker A:It's true.
Speaker A:You guys talk a lot, but I love it and I am really proud of you and.
Speaker A:And thank you for.
Speaker A:Thank you through you helping many of us believe more and more and more in ourselves.
Speaker B:So, yeah, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker B:It's a pleasure.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker A:And to anyone that's listening, this is Sally, where I have to say, we're out.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker A:There you have it.
Speaker A:I trust that you are feeling more empowered in your skin.
Speaker A:As the late Dr. Maya Angelou said, when you get, you give.
Speaker A:When you learn, you teach.
Speaker A:So it would mean so much for us at Empower to My Skin, Inc.
Speaker A:If you share this episode and tag us or teach an insight that you took from today's episode on your social and tag us, feel free to leave us a review over at itunes and follow us on social media.
Speaker A:Powered in My skin.
Speaker A:Finally, remember to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
