The VOICE: Recent Episodes
Winnie Shi
A bite-sized podcast exploring the diversity of cultures that shape Canada through storytelling. V.O.I.C.E. - Voices of the Canadian Immigrant Experiences.
Saurav is a 3rd-student at Ryerson who enjoys golf, politics, and everything in between! He's also the President of the People's Party of Canada at Ryerson and spearheading the club's petition to KEEP the Ryerson university name. We dive into various topics in this episode so get ready!
Born in Hong Kong, raised in Canada, worked in Taiwan, and now living in Singapore. Kyle has been around the world and has a lot of profound wisdom to share from taking the leap of moving to a new country to being the host of the What Kind of Asian podcast. This episode touches on a lot of the topics and questions that I think about as someone in my early adulthood.
When we read headlines, we see numbers and a place distant from where we are. But in this episode, we talk to Farah who helps personalize the headlines with personal stories, opinions, and the raw feeling of what the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has had on her. This is not an easy topic to address but in this episode, Farah helps us understand what has happened and what you can do to help. There is a protest happening on August 28th in Toronto's City Hall from 3pm to 7pm EST.
Kim is a force of nature to say the least. With roots in Ottawa, she is best known for her store foodbenders that advocates for Palestinian rights. She has and continues to be the victim of too many death threats, legal battles, and hatred. Kim shares her struggles owning a small business during the pandemic, dealing with the criticism, and why she does what she does.
Firdous AlHaddad identifies as a visible Muslim minority. She grew up in East Africa and her ethnicity is Yemeni-Indian. That alone should show you how special she is. Firdous homeschools her 5 kids and is an advocate of the benefits of nature. She is an inspiration to me and once you listen to this episode, you as well.
Sophie is an Asian Latina who immigrated from Peru and is having a great time living in Canada. We talk about what it's like not being able to fully feel comfortable in either of her hyphenated identities, the BEAUTY pf Peru's highlands, drawing parallel stories of racism between her mom living in Peru vs Sophie in Canada, and more!!
Mohammed Maxwel Hasan the host of a TV show, the Muslim Network TV, and recently started his own YouTube channel in a fascinating space discussing life through analogies. In this episode, we touch on what a productive debate is, how to have one, and why it is important to have these in today's world where we are being fed information we respond well to. Mohammed also opens up about important education is, the challenges & excitement of starting a YouTube channel, and what it means to be a Muslim Canadian in light of the London attacks. There is a lot of practical advice here.
Conversations with Canadians is a podcast hosted by Mike Ryan who, like this podcast, is interested in finding out what Canadians are up to and what's on their minds. In this episode, we deep dive into Canada as a country next to a titan that is the USA as well as on a more personal level, what it means to be Canadian.
Born to Sri Lankan parents, Thanujaa grew up in a boisterous household centered around sports. Growing up in Canada surrounded by friends that didn't always come from a Sri Lankan background, Thanujaa would accept an anglicized pronunciation of her name. But now, as Thanujaa thinks back she realizes the importance of pronouncing her name correctly.
For many immigrant parents, coming to Canada is a dream but once they get here, it is anything but. Cindy Luu's parents came to Canada from Vietnam and soon began earning income through a demanding job running a dry cleaning business. Growing up in such a household was tough. Today Cindy helps run her family's new business that has had to adapt due to a global pandemic selling homemade satin masks and scrunchies. Give a listen to Cindy's story!
She's got the energy! She's got all the colours! She's Carleen! Carleen is an immigrant from Jamacia and after starting out in the financial sector, she realized it wasn't for her. Being the powerhouse that she is, she left a safe job and began to explore her passion in the fashion industry. Her motto in life is to just do it.
Amidst the unfortunate recent racist remarks and activities that have occurred in our communities, I dive into a timeless topic of diversity with Marina. As a Latvian immigrant, Marina shares how diverse her community is from having friends of different skin colour to parents that offer a different perspective. As the title suggests, Marina believes that personality should shape your relationships and not, as we've recently seen in the news, skin colour.
Ania's story is incredible. She experienced a traumatic childhood that pushed her into leaving her home, her family, and everything she once knew. Now she lives in Canada and 3.5 years later, she is finally starting to feel a sense of belongingness. But it wasn't always like this. Born in Ukraine, Ania opens up about her story from beginning to now.
Irene is a Taiwanese Canadian and an Asana Facilitator and Tarot Reader. In this conversation, I dive into the topic of sustainable self-care, creating a safe space, how to become more self-aware and more (including what a Tarot Reader is)!
Who's VOICE is a new series where I talk to other podcasters and also share with you a bit more about me! In this episode, I chat with my friend from the UK and the host of the YessJess podcast. She's so much fun and we talk about nothing in particular from Asian beauty standards to K-pop to texting etiquette.
Raisa was born in Moldova and coming to Canada, she was faced with language barriers, cultural differences, and confusing road naming systems in Montreal - there's a funny story to that one! It's truly inspiring to hear Raisa talk about how she went about breaking down barriers and forging her path towards finding a more confident self.
Iliajah is an amazing Candian that has been braving the winter weather to cycle from Saskatoon, SK to Vancouver, BC since January 1, 2021. His goal is to raise awareness about the Canadian overdose crisis and has now raised $11.7k in which all proceeds will be going to the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition and Moms Stop The Harm. Join me in this short conversation as Iliajah explains his seemingly insane decision to cycle in the winter while he stands out in the cold to record this - again, insane! Check out his IG @cycle2stoptheharm.
This week I sit down with Fares, a Syrian-born Canadian with strong Palestinian roots. He shares some traumatic stories that have both happy and sad endings (as life usually goes) that will no doubt leave you with goosebumps and a desire to take action. When was the last time you felt physically unsafe? When was the last time your life was on the line? In this episode, Fares shares his family's answers to these questions.
Palestine is a small region of land that has played a prominent role in the ancient and modern history of the Middle East. For the last few years, Palestine has been well-covered in the news due to the ongoing Israeli-Palestine conflict. It's an interesting, dynamic country that Amir calls home. Amir studies English at the University of Regina and sits down with us in this episode covering topics such as how violence in Palestine has shaped who he is. Apologies for any audio interferences in this episode - technical glitches.
As 2020 comes to an end, this short episode takes a more light-hearted tone covering some funny stories that have shaped Canada during this tough year.
This year has been unique in many ways. One of them is the lack of social interaction with friends and family. For some people, this is great news but for many, it has been a tough reality. This episode explores the theme of loneliness in a pre-covid world and how our guest was able to tackle it head-on. This is an extension of episode two as the two guests are quite close - listen to find out more!
Ella was born in Vietnam and came to Canada at the lovely age of 11 years young. In this episode we explore how growing up in a Vietnamese household has influenced her academic choices and led to her studying Philosophy at UBC.
Our first guest discusses his story growing up in a Bangladesh community discussing the highs, the lows, and everything in between which has ultimately helped shape who he is today.