Oh My Curry Goodness

Kylie Montigney: Sharing People’s Stories & Empowering Women

The last episode of Season 2 before I decide to go on a hiatus features Kylie Montingey. She is the host of the podcast “Talk of Fame” which centers around conversations with guests about mental health and other topics. I was a guest in her podcast back in December. She is also the Founder of “Empower Girls” which aims to inspire women to make a difference. Kylie’s passion for podcasting and advocacy has helped her understand that people around the world have potential to do something great and that there will be challenges present along the way. When Kylie was young, she experienced challenges such as anxiety and depression. As she got older, Kylie struggled with perfection and being a people-pleaser. Despite these challenges, Kylie is using her past experiences to inspire people and to embrace conversations around mental health. This led her to create her podcast “Talk of Fame” where she talks to guests from different backgrounds about mental health, experiences learned throught each other’s journey, and other topics. Learning about people stories - despite the challenges present during the podcast process - is what Kylie enjoys the most about podcast. In addition to podcasting, Kylie is passionate about female empowerment. Kylie was committed to this movement after seeing not many women were on television and has since been committed to supporting women across different industries. This led her to create the organization “Empower Girls” and her work in female empowerment has allowed her to speak at different organization about its importance. Kylie is working on her podcast and her advocacy for women despite being in high school and working at multiple jobs. In this episode, you will hear: * The relationship Kylie has with her podcast * What sports mean to Kylie and teams she has an emotional connection with * Why female empowerment is important to Kylie * Pressure Kylie puts on herself when it comes to advocacy * Kylie's thoughts on expectations when it comes to podcast and other fields * What a good and bad episode looks like to Kylie * Hardest thing about being Kylie Montigney If you want to follow the “Oh My Curry Goodness” podcast, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow the podcast on YouTube as well. Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram @theomcgpodcast for more information on guests, preview clips, and more! If you want to follow Kylie Montigney, be sure to follow her on Instagram @officialkyliemontigney as well as the podcast Talk of Fame @talkoffamepod and the organization Empower Girls @empowergirlsorg_.

Uzi Makhdoom: Being A Mental Health Advocate After Personal Connections & Cultural Experiences

Uzi Makhdoom is a mental health and anti bullying advocate. After personal challenges Uzi encountered, this led her to find her purpose in advocacy for those who faced similar challenges to her. In addition, Uzi is in the early stages of her podcast “The Good Life,” and she hopes to be releasing episodes in the near future. Growing up, Uzi was bullied in school. However, with the support of family, friends, and a connection with one of her teachers, Uzi was able to get through it. While there was also the option of moving to different schools to escape the difficult situation, she felt that moving to schools would mean that the bullies had won. Uzi had a connection with one of her teachers who she had known since she was in pre-school and this teacher would take care of her while in school. Whether it would be buying lunch or making sure no one bullied her, this teacher wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to Uzi. This experience allowed Uzi to learn about the importance of vulnerability and advocating for people. Two of these lessons inspired Uzi’s commitment to mental health advocacy. Like myself, Uzi is someone who is of South Asian descent and has experienced the cultural challenges when it comes to the topic of mental health. From her personal experiences, Uzi is dedicated to being the best advocate she can be towards herself and others and hopes to play a role in educating different cultures the impact of mental health on everyone. In this episode, you will hear: * Uzi's experience of bullying and how she would describe relationship with herself at that time * Lessons Uzi had learned from teacher that helped her during difficult times * How Uzi knew she made the right decision in choosing to stay in school rather than leave schools * Uzi's experience talking about mental health as someone who is of South Asian descent * What it is like for Uzi to have a podcast and what she hopes to accomplish If you want to follow the “Oh My Curry Goodness” podcast, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow the podcast on YouTube as well. Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram @theomcgpodcast for more information on guests, preview clips, and more! If you want to follow Uzi Makhdoom, be sure to follow her on Instagram @uziworld.

David Onilude: Inspiring Young People Through Digital Literacy

David Onilude is the Founder of Tech Now Global, a non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness on digital literacy in underserved communities. David is using his platform to give young people the tools they need to be successful in the technology field. His work has made an impact on young people across Africa and has been recognized for his work such as being a Teen Vogue 21 under 21 honoree and an Ashoka Young Changemaker. In addition to his role with Tech Now Global, David is a software developer. David grew up in Badagry, Nigeria, a community that struggled to have basic necessities such as technology and electricity. While these challenges existed, David credits his community for teaching him the importance of community and respecting your elders. David started getting involved in digital literacy after realizing he did not have the basic skills. After educating himself, he used what he learned to help others who were in the same position he was once in. He has experience in many programming languages such as CSS and JavaScript which are some of my favorite programming languages (these languages are used to build websites). David created Tech Now Global back in 2020, and has witnessed the impact it has had on many people in different communities in Africa. This is one of David’s favorite things about his organization. While he has good intentions to help young people and educate them on digital literacy, there are times where he struggled to get support from different communities. With the help from his family, mentors, and remembering his why, he continues to keep going. David describes himself as a changemaker who is determined to make a positive impact on young people. He hopes more people have the necessary skills to make a difference in the tech industry. In this episode, you will hear: * What technology means to David * David's favorite pieces of technology * What David likes about growing up in Badagry * How David continued to keep going with Tech Now Global during challenges in his journey * How David would describe his relationship with Tech Now Global * What the future looks like for David & Tech Now Global If you want to follow the “Oh My Curry Goodness” podcast, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow the podcast on YouTube as well. Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram @theomcgpodcast for more information on guests, preview clips, and more! If you want to follow David Onilude, be sure to follow him on Instagram @david_onilude as well as Tech Now Global @technow_global. You can also check out Tech Now Global’s website as well: Tech Now Global: https://lilamansour.ca/https://technowglobal.org.ng/ [https://technowglobal.org.ng/]

Lila Mansour: Using Lessons In Faith & Volunteering To Improve People’s Lives

Lila Mansour is the Founder & Legal Educator at the BC Arabic Legal Support Centre. Its mission is to help newcomers in Canada and provide them the necessary information they need to understand their new surroundings. In the past, Lila has helped raise awareness on different issues and educate people on the importance of politics. These topics are important to her as she believes they can help create a better future for people all over Canada. Lila grew up in Prince George, British Columbia with parents who were both originally from Syria. One of the things that is important to her is faith and credits this as one of the things that has shaped her into the person she is today. Throughout her life, Lila has been involved in volunteering. Whether it is volunteering for climate change, talking about cancer prevention, or teaching Sunday School for Arabic religious studies at the mosque, Lila finds helping people rewarding. She has also advocated for different minority groups in order to help them feel seen and heard. With a passion for politics, Lila also got involved with different organizations during her time before and during undergraduate where she wanted to learn more about politics and convince other people to get involved as well. Now she is using her passion by being a part of the British Columbia Arabic Legal Support Centre in hopes to make life easier for newcomers in Canada. After seeing the lack of information for newcomers, Lila provides information such as their rights, interactions with people, and the laws that people need to follow. When not working on her organization, Lila is a law student and hopes to use her experiences to help benefit her community that she is proud to call home. In this episode, you will hear: * Lila's journey when it comes to the relationship she has with faith * Early experiences Lila had that inspired her to get involved in volunteering * Challenges Lila has had when it comes to her passions and how she knew she was making the right choices * What it is like to be involved in volunteering and politics as a Muslim woman * Lila's experiences with her organization BC Arabic Legal Support Centre * What is next for Legal Support Centre and for Lila If you want to follow the “Oh My Curry Goodness” podcast, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can follow the podcast on YouTube as well. Be sure to follow the podcast on Instagram @theomcgpodcast for more information on guests, preview clips, and more! If you want to follow Lila Mansour, be sure to follow her on Instagram @lilaxmansour. You can also check out her website as well: Personal: https://lilamansour.ca/ [https://lilamansour.ca/]

Stanley Anigbogu: Making An Impact Through STEM & Filmmaking

Stanley Anigbogu is the Founder & CEO of LightED - an organization that recycles electrical and electronic waste in order to provide energy solutions to marginalized communities. Born in Nigeria but based in Rwanda, Stanley is using his platform to make an impact in different communities around Africa. He has also founded organizations such as ArtecHubs which aims to help educate young people with technology and STEM4Her which provides opportunities for women to be involved in STEM. Stanley is also a filmmaker who emphasizes the importance of storytelling and sharing perspectives. Stanley’s passion for STEM started at young age when he was building small projects. In addition, it came from watching movies. One of his favorite films growing up was the first Iron Man movie and admired how inventions were made to help people. While the likelihood of Stanley building an Iron Man suite is unlikely, he is using his passion to help communities around Africa based on personal experiences. With his company LightED, he has been able to help generate electricity in different communities. Seeing the positive reaction that people have with the work he is doing motivates him to keep going. While STEM is one part of Stanley’s life, he has also been involved with filmmaking. One reason is due to his father working with different actors from Nigeria, but the other reason is his interest in storytelling. He has been able to showcase his talents in filmmaking which allowed him to win multiple awards. His goal is to share stories about his community and the work LightED has done in Africa. With his work in filmmaking and technology, Stanley hopes to share a positive image on Africa and document the incredible people that make this continent special. While challenges exist, Stanley wants people to understand that Africa is a special place and is proud to call it home. In this episode, you will hear: * Where helping people comes from for Stanley * If Stanley feels excited or pressured when it comes to helping people * Why STEM is important to Stanley * Favorite / emotional moments Stanley has had when working on LightED * Stnaley's journey with filmmaking * Hardest part about being Stanley If you want to follow “Oh My Curry Goodness,” subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow the podcast on YouTube as well. Be sure to also follow the podcast on Instagram @theomcgpodcast for more information on guests, preview clips, and more! If you want to follow Stanley, be sure to follow him on Instagram @stanleyanigbogu_ as well as his company LightED @lightedpage! You can also check out LightED’s website: Personal: https://lightedimpact.org/ [https://lightedimpact.org/]