SpeakUP! International Inc.

Black History Month in Canada feels permanent now, but it was never guaranteed. We talk with Rosemary Sadlier, researcher, author, and longtime leader with the Ontario Black History Society, about the unglamorous...

A kid is up at 7:30 a.m. for a program that starts at eight not because it’s trendy, but because it means a real meal, real coaching, and adults who actually listen. That’s the kind of front-line truth Kevin Francis...

Join us on SpeakUP! International for a deeply moving episode with Kwanza Msingwana! Kwanza opens with “Old Woman, Sing Me a Song,” a breathtaking spoken-word tribute to his mother who held on to her wisdom, resilience...

“I don’t see colour” can sound polite, but Nana Dei calls colourblindness an insult and explains why: the problem isn’t colour; it’s the meaning and power we attach to it. We talk about what it takes to teach with...

A lot of people say they support equity, diversity, and inclusion, but far fewer are willing to challenge the systems that keep producing the same unequal outcomes. We’re joined by Dr. Ardavan Eizadirad, assistant...

What is it like when decades of hard work & isolation suddenly become public recognition (Order of Ontario)? For decades, Dwayne Morgan was building a life of private sacrifice before the public recognition of his...

Burnout gets framed as a personal problem far too often, so we sit down with author and DEI speaker Rochelle Ramatte to name what many people are living: sometimes the workplace is the hazard. Rochelle shares her...

3% is a number that should stop you cold. C.J. Stewart tells us you’ve got roughly a 3% chance of making it to pro sports and, in Atlanta, a similar shot at escaping poverty if you’re born into it. C.J. knows both...

Somebody is making money off Black suffering, and that truth changes how we understand everything from politics to philanthropy to the stories we tell about ourselves. We sit down with Dennis Maurice Dumpson , author...

SPIRITUAL TRAP OF OVERGIVING During our latest episode of SpeakUP! International, we sit down with the incredible Rev. Dr. Denise Gillard , pastor, transformational coach, and entrepreneur. Dr. Gillard starts the...

That’s the exact line a potential funder threw in Roger Dundas’s face when he was trying to launch a new venture. For most, it would be a door slammed in their face. For Roger, it became pure, unadulterated fuel. In...

<p>A formal White House event, a glass of wine she never wanted, and a President calling her by name while she’s trying to keep it together. That’s how our conversation with <b>Dr. Trudi Michelle Morrison</b> begins...

<p>What happens when the career you’ve built suddenly vanishes, and you realize—with terrifying clarity—that you could be broke by 65?</p><p>Most people would panic. <b>David Nassif decided to build a...

<p>One careless “you can’t” can stick to a young person for years, but it can also light a fuse. We’re joined by Dr. Beverly-Jean Daniel, scholar, educator, and advocate whose work spans more than 35 years at the...

<p>Is your bank account suffering from "death by a thousand cuts"? Most of us are overpaying for our basic existence without even realizing it. In this episode, Rita and I sit down with <b>Kirby D. Wilson</b>, a North...