Race, Health & Happiness

On Saturday, September 23rd, 2023, The “Race, Health & Happiness” Podcast staged a live event at the Black Creek Community Health Centre in Toronto.  The theme was “Black Joy”.  Dr. O led the event with special guests, psychologist Natacha Pennycooke and musicologist John Devenish.  The programme also featured prerecorded segments by Dance/Movement therapist Maria “Mara” Rivera from New York C...

Unbelievably, this is it!  After four seasons of The “Race, Health & Happiness”Podcast, we are shutting off the lights, locking the door, and saying goodbye for the last time.  We did our best to share knowledge, uplift people, and make “this racialized world” a little better.  But all good things must come to an end, and we know in our souls that now is the time to take a break, and then drea...

In this episode of “Race Health & Happiness” I speak with d’bi.young anitafrika, a multi-hyphenate, multi-dimensional, award-winning artist, performer, leader and dreamer with over 25 years of experience creating and performing around the world. In our conversation, d'bi shares about their journey as a creative committed to decolonization and liberation. They discuss the impact of classis...

On today's episode I speak with Marlon Palmer, the Jamaican-Canadian comedian, podcaster, and content creator. With a mission to help people forget their problems, Marlon aims to bring joy and laughter to any environment he occupies. He talks about his journey to becoming a voice for Black Toronto culture and how he intends his work to create a ‘third space’, or a place of rest for people to...

This is episode two of a two part series of RHH on Campus. In this episode Xavier Oshinowo interviews Donna Alexander, a Social Worker, Mental Health Clinician, Advocate, and Consultant with 18-plus years of experience and mental health support about the impact of substance abuse on the Black community and the influence  SAPPACY has in the Ontario region.  Access our Shownotes to uncover additiona...

This episode of RHH is our third of a 3-part series on South Africa.  I speak with Quinton Redcliffe, a skilled facilitator, trainer, and educator from Cape Town, South Africa. He specializes in international education, intercultural communication and leadership training.  He has dedicated his career to working to find common ground among diverse populations, from his days working to topple the ap...

This is episode one of a two part series of RHH on Campus. In this episode Xavier Oshinowo interviews Gregory Leslie, a Social Worker, Psychotherapist, and Consultant with 20-plus years of experience and mental health support about the impact of gun violence on the Black community. Access our Shownotes to uncover additional meaning! Please support us on Patreon at http://www. Patreon.com/RaceHealt...

This episode of RHH is our second of a three-part series on South Africa.  I speak with Ms. Caroline Peters, a South African feminist and human rights defender and an award-winning activist against gender-based violence. Ms. Peters discusses her life and experiences living and working as a coloured woman in South Africa during the 90's. She tells me about the differences in discrimination bet...

Get ready to embark on a captivating journey as the Race Health & Happiness podcast continues our international theme with an extraordinary 3-part series that unravels the rich tapestry of South Africa. My exploration led me to the vibrant city of Cape Town, where I had intriguing conversations about race in the South African context. But before I transport you to the heart of the Motherland,...

On the latest episode of Race Health and Happiness, Dr. O engages in a riveting conversation with esteemed Canadian journalist Nam Kiwanuka. Nam has had an impressive run on the Canadian public television network TVO as the co-host “The Agenda with Steve Paikin”, as the host of TVO's groundbreaking project “The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka”, and as the host of “The Agenda in the Summer”.  With th...

Bamby Salcedo is known all over the world for her activism as the President and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition. In her conversation with Dr. O she talks about the courageous journey she took to live her life authentically and the risks and costs of living out this truth. As a transgender woman who was also an immigrant from Mexico in Los Angeles, she shares about the layered intersections of her...

Dr. O’s guest for this episode is Dr. Lulu, aka “The Momatrician”. She is a Nigerian-born, board-certified pediatrician, a former lieutenant colonel and commander in the US Air Force, mother of three children, author of “How to Teach Your Children About Racism” and a two-time TEDx speaker. In this episode Dr. Lulu shares her story of coming of age in Nigeria, and talks about the mistakes that many...

On Part 3 of  RHH on Campus,  Xavier Oshinowo interviews Senior Advisor, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) Initiatives in the Faculty of Health Sciences , author of a new book, Can You Hear Me Now? How I Found My Voice and Learned to Live with Passion and Purpose  and member of the Black Scientist task force- Celina Caesar-Chavannes- about the impact of Covid 19 on Black Communities. Access...

On Part 2. of  RHH on Campus,  Xavier Oshinowo interviews Head of the Division of Infectious Disease at the Hospital for Sick Children,  Professor of Paediatrics at U of T and member of the Black Scientist task force- Dr. Upton Allen- about the impact of Covid 19 on Black Communities. Access our Shownotes to uncover additional meaning! Please support us on Patreon at http://www. Patreon.com/RaceHe...

On Part 1.  of RHH on Campus, Xavier Oshinowo interviews Naturopathic doctor and member of the Black Scientist task force-Dr. Candice Todd. During this episode Xavier and Dr. Todd discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Black Communities. Access our Shownotes to uncover additional meaning! Please support us on Patreon at http://www. Patreon.com/RaceHealthHappy [The “Race, Health & Happiness” podcast...

This is the first episode of “RHH On Campus”, where we pass the mic to Black students!!! In this episode Xavier Oshinowo, who is a Media Production student at Toronto Metropolitan University, interviews his peers. The conversations highlight four students’ transitions from online to in-person schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. [The “Race, Health & Happiness” podcast is produced with the s...

Season 4 of RHH is going to be an international journey, and we we start it off in the USA with our amazing sister, Elizabeth Leiba! She is a multimedia journalist of Jamaican descent living and working in Florida, where she has hosted numerous podcasts including “Black Power Moves” on the Ebony Podcast Network.  Leiba is also a professor who has spent more than a decade working in higher educatio...

"I am a HUGE fan of centering Black Joy during the holidays! As an antidote to the materialism, colonial social structures, and more recently the pandemic-related isolation, I think it’s important to celebrate with friends and loved ones, good food, and good music, all grounded in our rich cultural traditions. In this special episode of the “Race, Health & Happiness” podcast I sit down wi...

On this episode I speak with Dalton Higgins, an African-Canadian self-proclaimed multi-hyphenate. He is a PR strategist and publicist, author of six books, festival producer and National Magazine Award winning journalist. Dalton teaches a course called 'Deconstructing Drake, and The Weeknd' as a part of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Professional Music BFA program. Dalton is also the...

DESCRIPTION: My guest for this episode is Naki Osutei, a Ghanian-born Canadian woman, and the Vice President of Strategy, Colleague Experience and Environmental Social Governance at the multinational bank and financial services corporation, TD Canada Trust. Naki has helped to develop the “TD Ready Commitment”, TD’s global citizenship platforms that assist in providing grants to community-based org...

“My guest for this episode is Karyn Pugliese, who is a Canadian broadcast journalist and communication specialist of Algonquin and Italian descent. Karen is the current Executive Director of the publication “Canada's National Observer”. Previously, she was the managing editor of investigations at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), and the executive director of news and current affai...

“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 yo...

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...

 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, cultura...

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 w...