Race, Health & Happiness

“For this episode of the RHH podcast, we are bringing you a throwback, and it’s the very popular episode from Season 2 featuring Kike Ojo-Thompson. The reason we are doing this encore presentation is because we know that so many of you are heading back to the workplace or back into the classroom, and what she has is the ultimate advice on knowing how to succeed and understanding the game board you’re playing on, especially as a Black person. And so we are bringing it back, this gem of an episode with my girl Kike!
Kike's mission is to transform institutions and work cultures into more equitable spaces. Our conversation explores the tensions and intersections of Black identity within Black communities. Then we delve into the double discrimination faced by Black women called “Misogynoir”, and finally tips for staying healthy and raising resilient Black children.
I love this conversation. I hope you do too.”
- Dr. O
Access our shownotes to uncover additional meaning! (bit.ly/rhhs2e1)
Please support us on Patreon at http://www.Patreon.com/RaceHealthHappy
[The “Race, Health & Happiness” podcast is produced with the support of Toronto Metropolitan University.]

In this special episode of Race, Health & Happiness, we are profiling one of our star interns, Jael Joseph. And as a super special treat I’ve also got our senior producer Dr. Karl on the mic, since he plays an important role supervising and working with our students.
So... as y’all know, our podcast team is comprised of Black and BIPOC volunteer students and paid interns. Our distinguished guest Jael was our first intern, and she did such a wonderful job that a year later she was promoted to Associate Producer! She is so talented and a bright light on our team so we decided y’all should meet her!
Jael is a media producer, emcee and influencer born in Dominica. Even before becoming a student at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly known as Ryerson) she had over 10 years of experience in radio as an on-air personality and program coordinator. She is the first Black woman to be the recipient of the Faulhaber Communications Award for women aspiring to be a senior leader in communications. AND She is just wrapping up her master’s degree in Media Production.
During our conversation we talk about Jael’s experience as an intern on RHH, the challenges she faced as a Black female immigrant student in North America, and the importance of knowing your worth and demanding that it be respected!
- Dr. O
View our ShowNotes for more information - https://bit.ly/3Bl3iXZ
Please support us on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/RaceHealthHappy
[The “Race, Health & Happiness” podcast is produced with the support of United Way Greater Toronto, and the help of Toronto Metropolitan University, the school formerly known as Ryerson]

This is the second of a two-part series. See S03E04 for Part 1, entitled “Protecting Ourselves”
In this episode, we will continue what we started in Episode 4, where I interviewed EDI leader Nouman Ashraf, and we focused on protective factors that can shield us from some of the harms of systemic racism. In that episode we reflected on Nouman’s own journey and how factors like self-love, cultural pride, cultural fluency were protective for him, and I talked about the importance of taking a mindful moment when you are triggered.
This episode is about the power of the community organizations that create “protective spaces” for us. I think we don’t always realize the power and protection we get in groups - there is a reason for the saying ‘united we stand’ – it’s just harder to knock us down when we are a collective.
As two case examples of this, I spoke to the leaders of the NIA Center for the Arts in Toronto and Roots Community Services in the Greater Toronto Area. Both of these centers provide 4 protective factors that I want to highlight: 1) they provide a sense of belonging, 2) foster a sense of joy, 3) empower their members and 4) cultivate collective self-determination. All are antidotes to the poison of systemic racism and other structural forms of discrimination.
I’m going to guide you through the journeys of their organizations, the challenges, the programs they offer and the success stories from these protective spaces.
- Dr. O
View our ShowNotes for more information - https://bit.ly/3y3TNsN
Please support us on Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/RaceHealthHappy
[The “Race, Health & Happiness” podcast is produced with the support of United Way Greater Toronto, and the help of Toronto Metropolitan University, the school formerly known as Ryerson]

In this episode, Dr. O speaks with Nouman Ashraf, Assistant Professor at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. As a leader in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion space he has spent a lot of his time thinking and teaching about how leadership can be a tool to promote social equity.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Nouman discusses what growing up in multiple parts of the world taught him about navigating multi-cultural spaces. He explains how his understanding of diversity has been a protective factor in his life, particularly against systemic racism. And then Dr. O digs a little deeper into how we can all curate these protective factors in our own lives.
Dr. O was so deeply affected by this conversation that she was inspired to include a Mindful Moment in this episode, where she shares some of her own experiences as a Black woman trying to deal with the “misogynoir” that she has to face every day.
This is the first of a two-part series. In the upcoming Episode 5, Dr. O brings on community leaders who will talk about how we protect ourselves as a community from the harms of racism.
View our ShowNotes for more information - https://bit.ly/3PBCuaN
Please support us on Patreon at http://www.Patreon.com/RaceHealthHappy
[The “Race, Health & Happiness” podcast is produced with the support of United Way Greater Toronto, and the help of “University X”, the school formerly known as Ryerson]

In this episode Dr. O speaks with anti-poverty activist Paul Taylor. He is the Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto, an organization that focuses on the connections between food, social justice and community engagement.
Paul opens up about his experience with poverty and how it was critical in his journey. He talks about his mother’s love and resilience that inspired him to do purposeful work in challenging racial settings. Paul and Dr. O analyze institutional discrimination and inequalities in the key determinants of health, education, income, and housing. Paul also talks about how Black and white populations in Canada differ in their vulnerability to household food insecurity.
This episodes includes a lesson on the goals and benefits of racial caucusing, and how it creates spaces and inclusivity for people of color (PoC).
View our ShowNotes for more information - https://bit.ly/3OhweEe
Please support us on Patreon at http://www.Patreon.com/RaceHealthHappy
[The “Race, Health & Happiness” podcast is produced with the support of United Way Greater Toronto, and the help of “University X”, the school formerly known as Ryerson]