Turning Point with Priya Sam Priya Sam

Based out of Brampton via Toronto, Haviah Mighty is a songwriter, vocalist, producer, and performer. Her music is complex and unique  with rap, song, and instrumentals transitioning seamlessly from hip-hop to soul to Afrobeats. 
 
Haviah's biggest turning point happened in 2016 when she was part of a rap cypher that went viral. That moment gave her the confidence she needed to pour all of her energy into music and pursue it as a career. 

Haviah's next big milestone happened in 2019 when she became the first hip-hop artist and the first Black woman to win the Polaris Music prize. Two years later, she won a JUNO and made history again as the first woman to ever win the Rap Album of the Year category.  

You'll hear more about those big moments and how Haviah's foundation at Fanshawe College helped pave the way for the success she continues to have today. 

This episode was recorded on IG Live on November 29th and we are so thrilled to have Fanshawe Alumni as a sponsor for this episode and a partner for this season of Turning Point. 

You can find out more about Fanshawe College's post-graduate programs here: FanshaweC.ca/postgrad

In 2018, Mike Shoreman was thriving. He had a successful paddle boarding business in Toronto and he had just returned from a trip to California full of new ideas for excursions he could add to his business offerings. 

Everything changed when Mike's chicken pox virus was reactivated and he ended up with Ramsay Hunt syndrome. This neurological condition left him with shattered nerves in the right side of his face, hearing impairment and severe reduction in his mobility. Mike needed help doing every day things like showering and he was forced to close his business and move back in with his Mom. The doctors told him he might never paddle board again. Mike fell into a deep depression. As he slowly recovered, Mike knew he wanted to raise awareness and critical funds for mental health programs. 

In 2022, Mike became the first person with a disability to cross all five Great Lakes on a paddle board and he did it all for jack.org, an organization that funds mental health programs for youth. You'll hear Mike's full story including more about his recovery and his documentary, "When Hope Breaks Through", in this episode. 

You can find out more about Mike on his website: https://mikeshoreman.com/

A huge thank you to Fanshawe College for being one of our sponsors this season! You can find out more about Fanshawe's microcredential courses here: FanshaweC.ca/microcredentials

Tara MacLean is a singer and songwriter known for her hit songs, “Evidence” and “If I Fall”. She was discovered singing on a BC ferry (more on that in the episode!) and has toured with Dido, Tom Cochrane and performed at Lilith Fair.
Tara recently released a new book called Song of the Sparrow where she shares her whole life story for the first time. Tara had a difficult childhood where she experienced abuse and instability until a massive fire at her home changed everything. 

Through it all music was her safe space and you’ll hear more about that and her biggest turning points in this interview. 

Emm Gryner is an award-winning singer, songwriter, actor and best-selling author. Emm sang and played keyboard in David Bowie’s band, and appears on numerous recordings with him. 

In this episode, we take a trip through Emm's biggest turning points including: getting her first record deal and being dropped by her label, touring with David Bowie, becoming a mother, getting divorced and finding new love and inspiration for her new album. 

Emm is down to earth and relatable and she shares valuable insight about what she's learned from each of her pivotal moments. 

Emm and I are both Fanshawe Alumni and we are so thrilled to have Fanshawe as a sponsor for this episode! If you're a Fanshawe alum who would like to share your story, you can find more info at fanshawealumnistories.ca

Meera Estrada is a radio host and the founder of Fusia Media, a company engaged in digital lifestyle publishing catered to South Asian Canadian Women.

Her biggest turning point happened when she shared publicly that her family were part of the Dalit caste, also known as the untouchables or the lowest caste in the Hindu caste system. 
Meera found out that her family was in this caste as a teenager but it would be more than 20 years before she said anything about it publicly. Now, Meera uses her platform to raise awareness about the harm casteism causes around the world including in Canada and the US. 
You’ll also hear about how Meera came to found Fusia Media and an exciting upcoming project related to her activism around casteism. 
You can find Meera on Instagram @meera.estrada 

Dan Shaikh is the co-founder of Speaker Slam, a speaker development agency and the organization behind North America's largest speaking competition. 

When Dan was a teenager, he developed a condition known as gynecomastia  which caused him to develop breasts. He hid away behind baggy clothes and tried to fade into the background in general to avoid drawing any attention to himself. 

Eventually, Dan realized he didn't want to live his life this way forever. He started saying yes to new challenges and opportunities and eventually had a life changing surgery. 

You'll hear Dan's full story in this episode from dealing with body dysmorphia to sharing his story to creating a platform for other inspiring speakers.