The Nikki Clarke Show

Nikki Clarke Show with Desarae Dee

Desarae Dee is an instrumental fusion artist, session musician, composer, producer and educator. She is a classically trained pianist, and self-taught jazz pianist. She also comes from a Gospel music as she grew up playing music at church. Desarae combines her musical background with different genres as she explores the fusion of sounds and textures to create fantastic soulful songs.  Desarae, says her culture (Jamaican heritage) and gender also play a part in  the music she creates, as she has a unique perspective being a black woman in the Canadian industry. This is especially noticeable because she does not want to fit her music in a box or one genre. There are not as many female musicians who are behind an instrument, and growing up Desarae did not see as many black women  doing what she does when she was young as a child.  Her main music influence came from her parents, as they nurtured her talent, when they discovered she had a gift for music. However, Desarae was not initially interested in music, instead she wanted to play sports and games with her male counterparts. But her father found a black female music teacher at her school to inspire her to take another look into music.  That representation encouraged her to try something that she was very good at and discover herself. Her teacher cared for her as a person, not just a student which made an impact. Desarae learned many musical skills and gained opportunities from her. She studied with her for 12 more years before graduating to post-secondary studies.  As a young adult she studied her Bachelors Degree in Music at York University. Afterwards she was figuring out which career path to pursue, within music or even considered pursuing another field like law as an entertainment lawyer, to represent musicians, producers and bands.  Ultimately, she decided to further her education by going to teacher’s college. She became a teacher and has worked in the Toronto school board for more than 10 years. Desarae really wants other young women from every background to know that is possible to be a pioneer in the music industry and make music outside of the box, so long as you work hard and have a vision. Her musical journey was not always so positive though, since she did face some challenges over the years without having a mentor. She had to learn be the trail blazer alone. She also had face the negative side of being an innovator, is that sometimes you are rejected or dismissed. Canadians are not as receptive to musical styles  and music presented in a way they have not seen before and Desarae had to accept this and take it in stride.   Although, in most recent years, she is seeing the fruits of her labour, and meeting many women and men from different wants of life, who were inspired by her to learn more about music and pursue the passions that they were always afraid to start. On this episode, Desarae Dee performed her song, Late Arrival Remix, a re-imagined version of her song Twenty (2016).  Desarae Dee’s music is available on all streaming platforms including iTunes and Spotify at: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/desarae-dee/1006740663 https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Jqo0uQOUGNagiBgsY4Dsv [https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Jqo0uQOUGNagiBgsY4Dsv] To sign up for piano lessons with her and to learn more about her music visit:  https://beacons.ai/desaraedeemusic [https://beacons.ai/desaraedeemusic]  Connect with her on social media: Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLodK3nQJQy78qBgcghb_Rg [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLodK3nQJQy78qBgcghb_Rg]  Instagram: @DesaraeDeemusic Twitter: @desaraedeemusic TikTok: @desaraedeemusic https://www.tiktok.com/@desaraedeemusic?lang=en [https://www.tiktok.com/@desaraedeemusic?lang=en]  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desaraedeemusic/ _________________________________________________________________________ For upcoming and past episode tv airdates and the list of channels that broadcast our show visit our website at: www.nikkiclarkenetwork.com. Contact us: 📧 Email contact@nikkiclarkenetwork.com 🖱 Facebook  🐦 Twitter @nikkiclarke2020 📷 Instagram @nikkiclarke31 copyright@2021

Nikki Clarke Show with Ainsley Deer

Ainsley Deer is an entrepreneur, and the owner and managing director of Taste Jamaica. He is originally from Jamaica but immigrated to Canada in 2009. His path to becoming an entrepreneur was an unconventional one, as he was a semi-professional soccer player, while studying at the University of Florida. After leaving soccer, he took many different career paths; from working as a player developmental host at a casino, to working in the corporate world, to working as a bouncer, and then even working in the pharmaceutical industry. He eventually became dissatisfied with working for someone else, and realized that he needed to focus on finding a purpose and vision. He decided to pursue his passion for creativity, for food, and to make profit, by starting his own Jamaican food/snack company, called Taste Jamaica.  Ainsley initially started off with launching his rum cakes in 2021, to test his market and audience. The rum cakes gained in popularity but he still faced hurdles. But in true athletic form he pressed forward. Ainsley wants people to know that starting your own business is not easy, it is a slow and steady climb.  In the beginning, there were ups and downs especially during the pandemic, which was ironically a time when many people branched out and became entrepreneurs.  But now, Taste Jamaica’s brand has gained momentum and their easter bun was even rated as the number one easter bun in Jamaica, for 2023 to 2024. Ainsley has expanded from selling his snacks in local stores and distributing his products with other companies in Canada.  Now two years into the business, Taste Jamaica has many more branded products (snacks) including: easter bun and cheese, taste Jamaican tamarin balls, spices, smoke bonnet pepper, coconut drops, rum cake ( vanilla, coconut, black cake). You can try samples of these wonderful treats in the Taste Jamaica gift boxes, including their Easter box. You may purchase Taste Jamaica snacks on their website or locally in 40 different stores in Toronto. It can also be found in stores located in the  tri-state area in the US. Taste Jamaica not only sells great snacks but they also is starting to venture into spices and seasons, to give  both your Jamaican and non-Jamaican dishes the extra kick of mouth-watering flavour. To purchase some Taste Jamaica products, visit: www.tasteja.ca [http://www.tasteja.ca]  Connect with Taste Jamaica on social media: @tastejamaicaja Linked in https://www.linkedin.com/in/ainsley-deer-0aa86762/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ainsley-deer-0aa86762/] _________________________________________________________________________ For past episodes, upcoming tv airdates and the list of channels that broadcast our show, visit our website at: www.nikkiclarkenetwork.com. Contact us: 📧 Email contact@nikkiclarkenetwork.com 🖱 Facebook  🐦 Twitter @nikkiclarke2020 📷 Instagram @nikkiclarke31 copyright@2021

Nikki Clarke Show with Nicole Brown Faulkner

Nicole Brown Faulker is registered psychotherapist, entrepreneur and the founder of federal government incorporated, Trauma Embodiment Association. Nicole takes her work out in the field and helps patients to deal with trauma and how it manifests in their lives. Her journey started when she was young and she was forced to be hyper vigilant and had to learn how to cope and heal when she experience trauma.  Certain cultural norms discourage young people, like those in her Caribbean community, to not voice their distress, since it seen as “airing your dirty laundry”. This is frowned upon. But as Nicole got older she realized that learning more about the human mind and body would be a solution for her. She wants us all to understand the the foundation of what is trauma? It is the body’s response to helplessness. Whether through abuse or sometimes from lack of resources, people feel paralyzed or stuck in life without reprieve. Nicole says, some people seek out counselling or therapy, when they are ready and she wants to de-stigmatize psychotherapy and all the negative connotations people have about it.  Nicole works traditionally in her clinical practice where she provides therapy sessions, but also works non-traditionally in local communities, to service people who normally would not have access to therapy and mental health resources.  There are different ways people show signs that they need to see a therapist through their psychological and behavioural changes. These changes are triggered by major life events like break ups both platonic and romantic, grief, childhood trauma, ptsd (post traumatic stress disorder) from witnessing violence, or accidence, abuse, bereavement etc.  Life events can cause people to have anxiety, fear, anger, be irritable, have depression, even to isolate themselves.  Nicole wants people to not isolate themselves in shame or fear but instead, feel more empowered by getting the support they need to face those past events, learn how to heal, grieve and eventually move forward, no longer feeling paralyzed by negative emotions.  She wants everyone to know it is okay to feel vulnerable and it takes courage and humility to ask for help under these circumstances.  Therapy is a better solution than simply confiding in friends and family, who maybe inept with helping loved ones cope with their psychological and behaviour issues. Even though, people feel more comfortable confiding in friends and family, sometimes we all need an unbiased person, who is clinically trained with various methods to guide us in reflecting, listening to our voice, live in those moments no matter how difficult, to cast down those burdens that are hinder us from moving forward to enjoy our present life. To learn more Nicole Brown Faulkner’s therapy services, visit her website at: www.wounds2wings.com [http://www.wounds2wings.com]. To get involved with the Trauma Embodiment Association organization, visit: www.teaocanada.com [http://www.teaocanada.com]. Connect  with her on social media at:  Instagram @wounds2wings @teao_canada Twitter @wounds2wings Tiktok @wounds2wings Facebook https://www.facebook.com/W2WTEAO ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For past episodes, upcoming tv airdates and the list of channels that broadcast our show visit our website at: www.nikkiclarkenetwork.com. Contact us: 📧 Email contact@nikkiclarkenetwork.com 🖱 Facebook  🐦 Twitter @nikkiclarke2020 📷 Instagram @nikkiclarke31 copyright@2021

Nikki Clarke Show with Alex Battick

Alex Battick is a lawyer and CEO of the law firm, Battick Legal Advisory. Alex grew up in Brampton, Ontario and comes from a family of educators. He studied his bachelors in Sociology at McMaster University, but decided to get into law. He volunteered as a legal aid at a law firm that supported young people, students and families, and realized he did want to work there. He only enjoyed working in the legal clinic. This led Alex to return to school to study law abroad in England. It was a great experience that allowed him to even connect with his extended family there. But once he returned to Canada he did his articling (apprenticeship), then wrote the bar exam and became a lawyer.  Alex focuses on the Education Law sector that has many areas including human rights, employment laws, and labour laws. He helps students from kindergarten to higher education deal with academic appeals, especially when students have not passed an exam, or when they are accused of cheating. Alex helps them to appeal the school’s academic or disciplinary decision. He also helps students who were involved in fights, have been suspended or expelled for misbehaviour, or have brought a weapon to school.  Alex Battick says the biggest challenges he faces are outdated practices in education that have not adapted to our current society. His practice helps fill this need for legal representation in the educational sphere, for both individuals and organizations. He helps individuals, who are mostly students and families with human rights claims, educational law matters and advocacy appeals.  Whereas, with organizations he helps them with drafting policy, workplace investigations, arbitrations, gives them advise, helps them with sports arbitrations, consults unions and he helps both public and private schools.  His law firm is here to provide the support you need and he wants to make a difference by helping you get justice. Alex’s journey from studying law to creating his own firm up , has been unpredictable from the beginning. But he would not change it. To learn more about his legal services by visiting his website at www.batticklegal.ca [http://www.batticklegal.ca]. Contact Battick Legal Advisory by phone at 905-872-3222 or email them at: info@batticklegal.ca [info@batticklegal.ca].  Connect  with them on social media at:  Instagram @BattickLegal @AlexBattick Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BattickLegal/ [https://www.facebook.com/BattickLegal/] Twitter @batticklegal Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/abattick/?originalSubdomain=ca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abattick/?originalSubdomain=ca] _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For past episodes, upcoming tv airdates and the list of channels that broadcast our show, visit our website at: www.nikkiclarkenetwork.com. Contact us: 📧 Email contact@nikkiclarkenetwork.com 🖱 Facebook  🐦 Twitter @nikkiclarke2020 📷 Instagram @nikkiclarke31 copyright@2021

The Nikki Clarke show with Jamelia Gay

Jamelia Gay  is  founder and CEO of  JAMELIA GAY COACHING INC. She is the ADHD & Executive Function Coach and registered  Early Child Care Educator. She has been working for over a decade and previously worked as a supervisor of two childcare centres. In 2020, so she launched her own company Diamond Initiative, then restructured into JAMELIA GAY COACHING. ADHD is attention deficit disorder and it effects they way people function daily especially with time management, behaviour, impulsivity and regulations of emotions. Those diagnosed with it have trouble focusing and be internally hyperactive, have raising thoughts, being impulsive, overly emotional.  Jamelia wants to encourage and support parents, families, children, youth and adults who struggle with ADHD because she didn’t receive that support growing up. She has only recently recognized as an adult that she has the disorder. She realized when she had difficulty remembering and keeping track of her thoughts and through her work she has developed tips and strategies to help people to be able to function in society. She advises people with ADHD to use queue cards to help them remember thoughts, ideas etc. Jamelia also wants to help women especially black women. She has created a women’s “On Purpose” retreat to help black women to focus on themselves, to feel rejuvenated and take time to rest and be mindful of your mind, body and mental health. She wants women to accept feeling vulnerable and practice self-care. The retreat is a perfect opportunity for attendees to do this in September. Jamelia wants black women and black people, in general to focus on advocating for ourselves, but also on moving forward and persevering for our next generation to succeed. Visit her website to learn more about her coaching services at: www.jameliagaycoaching.com [http://www.jameliagaycoaching.com].  Connect with Jamelia on social media , by phone and via email:  Instagram  @jameliagaycoaching Facebook: Linkedin Phone:  647-860-5518 Email: info@jameliagaycoaching.com [info@jameliagaycoaching.com].  _________________________________________________________________________________ For upcoming and past episode tv airdates and the list of channels that broadcast our show visit our website at: www.nikkiclarkenetwork.com. Contact us: 📧 Email contact@nikkiclarkenetwork.com 🖱 Facebook  🐦 Twitter @nikkiclarke2020 📷 Instagram @nikkiclarke31 copyright@2021