Zaka Presents: My Journey

Aaron Ramkalawan is a residential and investment sales realtor. He was born in Trinidad and moved to the Bronx, New York when he was 7 years old. Being one of 5 children, Aaron talks about his upbringing and how he was inspired by his mother's great work ethic, which he adopted and used to push through some of his early struggles and doubts. He majored in business administration at Sacred Hea...

Lola Adeyemo is an Author, ERG Expert, as well as the Founder and CEO of EQIMindset. She was born and raised in Nigeria, and came to the US when she was 25 seeking an advanced degree. As one of 6 siblings and the daughter of a professor, she has achieved many impressive accolades such as a bachelor degree in biochemistry, a master degree in biotech with a minor concentration in biotech management....

Patrick Daka is a sales engineer born and raised in Zambia in south-central Africa. Originally, he wanted to become a professional athlete and was on that path, but with unfortunate injuries he had to change his journey and came to the U.S. looking for an education and an opportunity to still play the sports he loved. Patrick talks about some of the cultural changes he experienced, and how it was...

Dr. Victor Olujimi is a practicing orthopedic surgeon in New York and joins us to talk about his experience going from the Bronx to a predominantly White university and onto medical school. Having two parents from Nigeria who were also involved in the medical field, Victor talks about being exposed to that life from an early age, and also the importance of religion in his life and how it helped hi...

Skye Mak is a senior manager in technical accounting consulting at MorganFranklin Consulting. She is an immigrant from Malaysia and moved to the U.S. when she was 18 years old by herself, to go pursue a career and a successful life for herself. She grew up in a melting pot as she described it, and was exposed to many cultures growing up, resulting in the ability to speak 4 different languages. She...

Ernst Valery is the CEO of Aequofund, which is a fund that has proven the audacious proposal that Black, Brown, Women and Immigrant developers, when capitalized and supported, can realize gains while addressing vacant properties and advancing home ownership. In this episode, he shares some of his vast knowledge and experiences formed from moving to the U.S. from Haiti when he was 7. He talks about...

Interior Designer and stylist Hema Persad joins us to talk about her journey going from law school and working in that field, to transitioning into her passion of fashion and design. Growing up in Toronto Canada until she was 11, Hema stayed connected with her Indo-Guyanese roots through her family, and learned a lot about her culture that added to her character. She shares her wide variety of kno...

Kim Richards is a a business consultant who has worked with many well known companies such as Viacom, Pinterest and LinkedIn, and is also CEO of the company ManiFeast. She joins us to speak about her journey finding her gift, the ability to serve. Raised in Brooklyn with Jamaican descent, Kim speaks on her experiences growing up. She also talks about the importance of working collaboratively and u...

Award Winning Film Director, Hisonni Mustafa Johnson joins us to speak about his journey in the movie-making business. Coming from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a very segregated city, he was exposed to lots of danger at a young age. His escape would be to make movies, which required all his mind power. He's made award winning web series, several short films, as well as creating movies that appear on...

Wendy Zeng joins us to speak about her journey with how to stay motivated and focused. Born in China moving to Memphis, Tennessee, Wendy had to learn the difference in food in both places. However, Wendy learned the importance of food culture in both places and developed an appreciation for both, joining the catering business.  Winner of "Chopped 420" on Discovery Plus, Wendy also manage...

Tiago de SiIva joins us to speak about his journey helping others. Born in Brazil, Tiago always had a dream of wanting to help others. He continues that dream today assisting others at New York Life Insurance, where he is a partner. Tiago gives listeners financial advice and speaks on how important it is to invest in yourself. He highlights that we are more capable than we think, and the first cha...

Dr. Davisson Edmond joins us to speak on his journey on being a positive influence. Moving from Haiti, there were definitely some hardships in the beginning, both in immigrating and the community. He found himself when he started to work with medicine. Dr. Davisson speaks about the importance of nourishing and taking care of your body instead of relying on medications only. Listen to get educated...

Alexandra joins us to talk about her journey in gaining confidence and having a community to rely on. Having her parents move to the United States from Korea, Woo struggled with many hardships with identity and fitting in. She learned the importance of having a community, network, and mentors who believe in you during these struggling times. It is extremely important to have someone to talk to, a...

Kalsang Tanzin joins us to talk about her journey with the struggles of making connections as an immigrant and the responsibilities of becoming a leader. Moving from India, Kal thought she immediately stood out, where it was hard to find people without a network. However, when interviewing with LinkedIn, they saw she was open to giving up a lot for this opportunity. This strengthened her relations...

Veronica De Santiago, Navy Veteran and Head of the talent acquisition and technical staffing firm DeSanti, shares her journey coming back to the U.S. from Mexico, and the trials she went through to get to where she is today. Being the oldest child of an immigrant family, Veronica had to set a great example for her younger siblings, and she did that through her hard work and fearlessness to go into...

Circe Saint Louis, a Co-Founder of Zaka, joins us to talk about his journey and the challenge of stepping out of his comfort zone. Circe had the opportunity to finish his college degree in the United States, where he learned the importance of both education and believing in yourself. Circe is always looking for a challenge and Zaka is exactly what he needed. Coming to Zaka you are looking for some...

This week we were joined by transformation coach and holistic nutritionist Anita Nosworthy. Born in Kingston Jamaica and moving to Toronto Canada at the age of 5, Anita was introduced to a new culture that took some time to get used to, specifically with the type of foods she was eating. She speaks on the several health benefits that can come from proper exercise and diet, as well as sharing how h...

Petula Skeete is on a mission to empower women and girls with the #beautyFull movement. Growing up in St Kitts Nevis, her experience affected her self worth, her personal search for beauty has transformed into an illustrious career. She is one of the most reputable Emmy Award Winning celebrity hairstylists in the industry, best known for creating signature looks for Robin Roberts, lead anchor of G...

Reddit's Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Program Manager, Afua Donkor joins us to speak about why people are her passion. She speaks about he growth from Target to Reddit, the importance of self advocacy for underrepresented minorities in the corporate setting and of course, reminds us why Ghana has the best Jollof Rice  Please follow us on social media @zakaconnect, check out our podcast,...

Cesar Alejandro Vega emigrated from Peru when he was 10 years old. He refused to let the early struggles of learning a different language and not being classified as a "regular" student interfere with his ultimate life goals. Given tradition is important to the Peruvian culture, he followed the trajectory of his parents by becoming an attorney. Today, Cesar aspires to be a man his commun...

Medical Director and Cardiologist, A Garvey René MD, FACC FSCAI joins us to walk us through his journey from growing up in Haiti to becoming one of the most sought after leaders in cardiology. Please follow us on social media @zakaconnect, check out our podcast, Zaka, on your favorite podcast provider and share zakaconnect.com with your networks.

Newly appointed CMO of DoorDash, Kofi Amoo Gottfried, joins us to talk about the benefits of representation and mentorship. Growing up in Ghana and surrounded by Black professionals across various industries helped Kofi visualize his ability to become a  leader. Because of that experience, he did not question his belonging as the only minority in the room, even in situations where he was assumed t...

Entrepreneur, DJ, Hot 97 alumnus, DJ Spynfo joins us to talk about his upbringing in the Bronx. His humility and work ethic come from his Honduran father who worked as a Maintenance Man at Emigrant Savings Bank. Spynfo became one of the most popular Djs in the college scene, he used that opportunity to build his portfolio as an entrepreneur. His venue Sankofa Haus is bringing the community togethe...

Munya Choga who is a Principal Solutions Consultant @ LinkedIn joins us to talk about his evolution from Zimbabwe to the United States. Munya stresses that a great support system was the key to his career growth. Because of his upbringing and the people who invested in his potential at Goldman Sachs Facebook and Linkedin, he is passionate about doing the same by giving back his time and resources...

Professional Tennis Player, Victoria Duval, joins us to speak about her rigorous tennis training, her academic achievements, her aspirations to pursue the highest degree of study possible, and how overcoming Hodgkin's lymphoma has shaped her as a person. Please follow us on social media @zakaconnect, check out our podcast, Zaka, on your favorite podcast provider and share zakaconnect.com with...