Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Alfred Burgesson!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to Alfred Burgesson

2:50 - From Ghana to Cape Breton to Halifax!

6:40 - Family values for Alfred

8:05 - Alfred on taking risks in life

12:30 - Alfred on finding your tribe and starting Tribe Network

21:50 - Alfred on dealing with imposter syndrome

27:20 - What does success look like at Tribe for Alfred?

34:20 - Strategic collaboration over competition

36:20 - Where does Alfred see Tribe in 10 years?

40:15 - Alfred’s experience with the ANS Lab committee

42:55 - One word checkout with Alfred!

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is DeRico Symonds!

DeRico Symonds is a 8th generation African Nova Scotian currently employed with the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute as the Director of Engagement and Justice Initiatives.

DeRico Symonds is the founder and President of Ignite Consulting, as well as a founding member of two non-profit organizations, ACCE (Arts, Culture, Community, Economics) and GC902 (Game Changers 902), a social justice advocacy group based in Halifax.

DeRico has been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Century of Service Award, the Irving & Ruth Pink award for youth development and social justice, and the Dr Burnley “Rocky” Jones Human Right award from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

With an extensive career in community work in our racialized and marginalized communities, DeRico has a wealth of community engagement experience. DeRico provides counselling to marginalized youth and is called upon during incidences of gun violence in our Black communities. DeRico Symonds is also an Impact Race and Cultural Assessor (IRCA) with the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute serving Atlantic Canada.

It was a pleasure hosting the motivational and community-driven DeRico Symonds on our podcast this month!

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday episode is Daneesha Provo!

Daneesha’s journey has been all about growth, purpose, and impact, and she is excited to see where it takes her next. Right now, Daneesha is taking some time away from basketball to focus on family, enjoy life, and really be present in this chapter.

After years of dedicating herself to the game, playing at the highest levels, traveling the world, and pushing through the ups and downs, she’s embracing a new balance. One of her biggest priorities is building her basketball academy. She’s always believed in using basketball as a tool for education and opportunity, and now she is fully committed to creating a space where young female athletes can grow, learn, and chase their dreams just like she did.

Beyond basketball, she has been tapping into other passions, including writing a children’s book, something she has wanted to do for a long time. Storytelling has always been important to her, and she is excited to bring her experiences and lessons to life in a way that inspires kids from her community and Nova Scotia.

Daneesha is also working with Tribe Network as the Community Engagement Lead, which has been an amazing experience. She gets to collaborate with incredible people, connect with her community in new ways, and help create opportunities for others. It’s been the perfect setup for her, and is loving every moment of it.

Travel is also still a big part of her life. Whether it’s for work or just exploring, she loves being able to see new places, meet new people, and gain fresh perspectives.

It was a pleasure hosting the inspirational Daneesha Provo on our podcast this month!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction

1:45 - Daneesha’s backstory

5:10 - Daneesha’s special relationship with her dad

8:50 - Daneesha’s experience in boarding school

16:20 - Daneesha’s advice on the lessons she’s learned on the path to success

20:30 - How do basketball skills translate to real world skills?

28:00 - Daneesha and Aaliyah’s advice for people who want to expand their identity outside basketball

33:45 - Daneesha’s experience in China

40:10 - Daneesha on start her basketball academy

43:55 - Daneesha’s children’s book

47:10 - Daneesha work with Tribe Network

51:00 - Daneesha’s advice for people who want to travel and see the world

57:00 - One word checkout!

Show notes:

Join us for this bonus episode brought to you by the Youth Climate Action Fund, where the ONE team of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Ambassadors—Josh Paris, Sarah Yehayes, and Leah Khisa—share their experiences in raising awareness about climate change within African Nova Scotian communities in Nova Scotia. Their goal is to engage you in a dialogue around 'green jobs', a crucial step to help close the employment gap for Black individuals and African Nova Scotians aged 18 to 35 in our province.

In this episode, Rodney Small, Josh Paris, Sarah Yehayes, Leah Khisa, and co-hosts Aaliyah Aarb Smith and Trevor Silver come together to discuss their experiences and insights with the broader community. Tune in to discover the many opportunities within the green economy that often go unnoticed due to a lack of awareness regarding climate change and the importance of climate justice.

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to the team

0:55 - One North End and the green economy

4:30 - How ONE team members have been working with the community to encourage the green economy

9:30 - The biggest learning experiences the team has had with these green economy initiatives

11:40 - A closer look at the Next Ride tours

14:30 - Breaking down the joint regional transportation agency

20:45 - Analyzing the low-carbon community survey responses

26:05 - Discussion on the Green Schools

30:10 - The unique perspective of working on projects with the youth

Follow ANS Lab on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/anslab/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ansyouthlab/?fref=tag

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ans-social-innovation-youth-lab-909b961b3/

Follow One North End on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/one_north_end/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OneNorthEnd

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/onenorthend/

This episode is brought to you by Burchell Wickwire Bryson LLP, a group of common sense lawyers whose clients appreciate our approachable style, practical advice and broad range of expertise.

To learn more about what they do, head to their website: www.bwbllp.ca/ or call them at (902) 423-6361.

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Chaz Samuel! Chaz Samuel was born and raised on the island of Antigua. He moved to Halifax in 2018 to pursue a Bachelor’s of Commerce at Saint Mary’s University. From a very young age he fell in love with basketball. He played collegiate basketball at Tyler Junior College in Texas, USA and proudly represented the national basketball team for Antigua.

His love for the sport has grown into a passion for helping young athletes reach their full potential. In 2019, he co-founded No Days Off Apparel Inc., a clothing company created to motivate and inspire people to stay committed to their goals. In 2024, he expanded this vision to No Days Off Fitness Inc., the first and only private basketball facility in Nova Scotia. NDOFitness Inc. consists of a team of dedicated coaches who are passionate about providing a high-quality basketball experience that fosters teamwork, discipline, and dedication. It offers customized training programs, clinics, camps and birthday parties with the overall goal of creating a safe and inclusive space for every athlete to reach their full potential, on and off the court.

Additionally, NDOFitness Inc. strives to showcase the basketball talent in Nova Scotia through social media. Chaz has grown his Instagram account @ndo.fitnesss to over 200,000 followers with the intention to put Nova Scotian athletes on the basketball map. He is constantly finding innovative ways to contribute and giveback to the basketball culture.

It was a pleasure hosting the inspiring Chaz Samuel, Shayna Court-Samuel, and their daughter for our podcast episode this month!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to Chaz and Shayna

6:35 - The origins of No Days Off Fitness

13:30 - How Chaz and Shayna share their entrepreneurial journey together

15:50 - How Shayna’s journey has led her to medical school and beyond

21:15 - Chaz and Shayna on parenthood

27:05 - No Days Off Mentality

32:55 - Advice from Chaz on how to build a business successfully

36:40 - NDO’s business structure

41:40 - Three things an athlete needs to be successful

43:15 - What do Chaz and Shayna think is the biggest takeaway from their entrepreneurial journey so far

1:00:40 - One word checkout!

Find No Days Off Fitness on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ndo.fitnesss/?hl=en

Follow ANS Lab on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/anslab/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ansyouthlab/?fref=tag

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ans-social-innovation-youth-lab-909b961b3/

Follow One North End on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/one_north_end/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/OneNorthEnd

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/onenorthend/