Earlier this year, I had the immense privilege of delivering a convocation address to the 2019 graduates of the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) in Toronto, Ontario.  Inspired by The Toronto Raptors' crowning as 2019 NBA Champions, I urged graduates to contend with imposter syndrome and talk themselves into greatness. Here's the full audio for your listening pleasure. Links to the video and transcript are below. Remember: Be great. Talk yourself into it. FULL VIDEO: http://bit.ly/2J2eMme FULL TRANSCRIPT: http://bit.ly/2x9gXze --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

David Ip Yam is the Project Director of Student Service Excellence at York University. He’s also the Co-Founder of Relationship Zen. By day, he’s an award-winning higher education practitioner and scholar with 10+ years of actively learning, facilitating, an co-creating personal, community, and professional mastery. And by night, he’s a martial artist and relationship strategist. He’s in many ways the perfect synthesis of all of the themes we’ve covered in the show thus far: multi-potentiality, self-awareness, confidence, perseverance, resilience, and discipline. In this conversation we talked about being intentional in relationships, the hidden power of martial arts, and cultivating a beginner’s mindset. We also talked about knowing when to stop, managing energy to adequately show up, and staying locked on the end goal. It was the perfect conversation to end this season, and I’m so glad you’re here for it. NOTE: I know, I know—the audio quality for our last three intros is awful. Kwaku and I are working on a fix and will announce on the @iia_podcast Twitter account once it's been fixed. Thanks for your patience! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

Blair Smith is a Professor of Marketing and Digital Media at George Brown College. He’s also a Learning Experience Designer and Instructor at the Canadian Marketing Association. On the MBTI, he registers as an INTP—a combination found in only 3% of the population. What does this mean? He’s an ingenious problem solver, an innovation architect, and “the secret weapon”. Over his storied career, spanning across Robert Half International, General Mills Canada, Evergreen Canada, and more, Blair has won awards for mentoring, marketing innovation, and content marketing. His goal is to cut through the buzzwords, clickbait, jargon, and endless stream of tactics and tools to demystify marketing and digital media at its fundamental parts. In this conversation we talked about social media: the good, the bad, and the ugly. We also talked about slow and deep thinking, the importance of family, and rules for what goes into your calendar and what doesn’t. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

Adam Rodricks is the Senior Manager of Social Media & Community at KPMG. His claim to fame in the world of social media and blogging came in 2007 when he reluctantly sold his blog after being served with a cease and desist. The important takeaway from the ordeal was validation: he could make an impact (and a career) through engaging conversation. Adam is a 2-time “Top 30 Under 30 Canadian Blogger to Watch” and a previous winner of the National Rogers Marketing Competition, for which he also held the title of best undergraduate speaker in Canada. He’s spent the last decade growing the social properties of Canada's most prominent brands, managing all aspects of their digital marketing strategy including social listening, management of social media channels, crisis comms and social media programs. His work as a social media influencer has been featured on CBC, CTV, Yahoo, BNN, DigitalJournal.com, MaximumPC, WhatCulture.com, staples.com, and nintendo.ca In this conversation we talked about the power of social media, the state of the internet, and rebounding from failure. We also talked about balancing your time, the importance of exercise, and having multiple focal points. --- NOTE: Unfortunately we've been having some audio issues. As such, the intro is a little hard to hear (and we're going to fix that as soon as we can). However, the actual episode sounds great! Also, we recorded this episode during the NBA Playoffs—enjoy our optimistic predictions for our beloved Toronto Raptors! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

Megan Ramwa is the Founder & CEO of Sonder Toronto. Her desire to create “something bigger than herself” has always been at the forefront of her career. Megan graduated from the Law and Business program at Ryerson University. Shortly after graduating, she became a marketing and communications professional at a top Bay Street law firm where she was involved in many strategic initiatives such as the Canada 150 campaign and launching the firm’s first Instagram account. While juggling her 9-5, Megan continued to exercise her creativity on theawkwardadult.com - a personal blog that explored what it meant to be a young adult. In addition, Megan has launched a fashion and sustainable-tech company (Sonder Toronto), and has collaborated with local entrepreneurs to produce content. Megan is also involved with the Martin Family Initiative as a mentor to Indigenous high school students and was a marketing advisor to FLOCK - a project focused on providing women with the resources and support to explore entrepreneurship. In this episode we talked about disrupting fashion, balancing full time work and entrepreneurship, and finding deeper meaning in your work. We also talked about immigrant parents, avoiding burnout, and dealing with failure. It was a fun and easy conversation that covered a lot of ground.   Joining me as a co-host today is Megan’s business partner, Aishah Shihabdeen. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

Sheliza Jamal is an educator, speaker, and equity and inclusion coach. She is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she studied the impact of arts in education, leadership in social change organizations, education entrepreneurship innovation, and educational policy through the lens of systemic inequities. Sheliza also holds an Honors BA in Theatre and BEd from York University and is starting her PhD at OISE, University of Toronto in the Department of Social Justice Education. Sheliza brings over a decade of experience in public education teaching and designing and implementing programs and services aimed at addressing inequitable outcomes for underserved communities. Sheliza has a background in theatre performance and education and often uses theatre-based techniques to develop a sense of embodied empathy and engage participants in dialogue about oppression. Sheliza is an Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT) and a K-12 Inclusion Learning Coach with the Toronto District School Board where she supports students, teachers and leaders in programs that foster equity and inclusion to meet the needs of diverse learners. In this conversation we talked about building confidence, managing imposter syndrome, and unconscious bias. We also talked about equity, diversity and inclusion, casual racism, and the negative effects of social media. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

Gregg Brown is the founder of Change Ready Leadership and the best-selling author of Ready, Set, Change AGAIN! An award-winner in the fields of leadership and change, Gregg helps leaders and teams seize opportunities, create positive change and elevate their effectiveness in the workplace. As an international keynote speaker, he engages his audiences to help them break out of status quo change management thinking and discover people-centric approaches that actually work. His work has been featured nationally and internationally in media such as Entrepreneur, Global News, iHeart Media, HR.com and on CTV’s The Social. In this conversation we talked about the power of calmness, personal leadership, and elite public speaking. We also talked about structured downtime, relaxation practices, and getting in the zone. It was an inspiring conversation that got me to consider all that it would take to unlock a new, higher level of performance. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

Danny Tseng is the Co-Founder of Syllable Design, an interior design and architecture firm. As a licensed architect with the Ontario Association of Architects, Danny thoughtfully crafts buildings with rigorous detail and creatively maneuvers around restrictive parameters to create the best possible design solution. His main role at Syllable Design is leadership in design direction and production quality assurance. Working on key projects such as a major office building renovation, Danny is the driving force of design exploration within the firm. Previously, he used to work at some of Toronto’s largest firms—Quadrangle and Moriyama & Teshima Architects—having exposure to fine detailing and concept development on key projects around the GTA. Danny graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and the University of Toronto completing a Masters of Architecture. In this conversation we talked about professional transitions, moments of change, and burnout. We also talked about deadlines, sugar & caffeine, and work-life balance.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

Daniel Breez is the Finance Manager of Caudalie Canada and the Founder of Measured Growth CPA in partnership with Accodex Partners, an accounting technology firm. In his early years, Daniel had a strong passion for music and arts, and until the age of 20, he competed and performed professionally in ballroom dance. After that, he took on guitar and singing lessons and continues to put on live performances in his spare time. After graduating from the Schulich School of Business, Daniel felt lost, as most people do, and was unsure of what his next steps should be. It was at this point that he found a strong passion for fitness, nutrition, and psychology. This led to a huge transformation not only for the body but also for the mind. After completing his CPA CA requirements, Daniel co-founded IMPACTx Toronto, a live interview series for a community of young entrepreneurially-minded individuals. It was this passion for entrepreneurship that led Daniel down a path to pursue his own accounting practice to help impact-driven businesses succeed. In this conversation we talked about pushing through slumps, starting a business, and getting inspired. We also talked about adherence to the process, nutrition and supplements, and productivity systems in general (and in detail). It was a gem-filled conversation that gave me the inspiration to get back into some good habits that got me here in the first place. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support

Brione Wishart is a Toronto based film director, producer and the founder of TrepFuel and ARTLEE Creative Agency. His work stems from a love of Cinema, Music, and Storytelling. Known for his ability to create visually engaging content and beautifully crafted work that captures something real and authentic in every subject, Brione's talent for cinematic storytelling is evident in all of his work. His work includes a wide variety of clients such as Porsche, Samsung, Under Armour, Bacardi, Huawei, eBay, Capital One, Gillette, Hasbro, Kitchen Aid, and The Alzheimers Society. In this episode we talked about hip-hop moguls, ownership, and entrepreneurship. We also talked about fatherhood, burnout, and hip-hop. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hamzakhan/support