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28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Safia Abji

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Safia Abji

This February, all month long, we’re honouring the work of 28 inspiring leaders. Women who are drawing upon and celebrating their culture while making a lasting difference in their community using their gifts. From authors and teachers, CEOs to entrepreneurs, not-for-profit directors, artists, and more, these women are changing the face of leadership.

These are truly women to watch and veza community is so pleased to share their brilliance.

May their stories inspire YOU to rise.

Meet Safia Abji.

Safia is currently the Start-Up Advisor for Aga Khan Development Network’s East Africa Civil Society Initiative. Previous to this role she worked with Aga Khan Foundation’s Yetu Initiative, building program strategies and tools to support the community fundraising efforts of Kenyan civil society organisations. Safia started her career in Canada, working for almost a decade in both relationship and program management for multiple multinational companies including KPMG, Deloitte and Rogers Communications, often in areas of organisational restructuring and redesign. She is also very active in the community, and was the recipient of KPMG’s National CEO Community Excellence Award, HSBC’s Financial Literacy Award and the All-Around Graduate academic award for her contributions. Safia holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia, and is a trained Coach through the Coaches Training Institute. Outside of work she mentors aspiring entrepreneurs, and provides personal and professional coaching to individuals and through community workshops and speaking engagements.

When asked to define herself, Safia said that she always finds this question tricky.

“How do I define myself, when I’m constantly changing? In this case, I’ll stick to what keeps me consistent. I’m a fearless woman, who still gets scared. I’m a loving nurturer, who is still learning how to love. I’m an inquisitive child, who will never grow up. And an authentic storyteller, who can’t always find the words.”

So tell us, Safia:  What inspires you most? What motivates you to get up every morning?

The fact that there’s another morning. I think about all the things I have and haven’t done, and realize those are the only things that will define my time here. Not what I own. Not what I settle for. Not playing safe instead of playing Safia. But me, how I want and choose to do it. Remembering that I’m the author of my own story keeps me as grateful and grounded as possible, even on the days it seems impossible. The stories we want to write are also the ones we want to live. My advice to anyone looking for daily inspiration? Put down the pen, and keep writing.

How do you feel that your actions teach or inspire others?

I feel that I teach others to be authentic, and own it. I don’t often say or do what is typically acceptable, but I always know someone resonates with it. I notice that the more I show up as human first, the more I’m treated like one. When I learn about who you (actually) are, our connection goes deeper than you’re used to, and there’s something liberating and empowering about knowing you can simply be yourself.

What is one change you’d like to see in the world?

Less fear.

Fear of doing the wrong thing, saying the wrong words, making the wrong move. Fear of life, instead of the freedom to choose one. Everyone I speak to is problem solving around the ways of the world, but what if there were no more problems, and simply solutions? To anyone looking for freedom, my time in Kenya has taught me that true liberation doesn’t only come through meditation retreats in Bali, but through confronting and finding the calm in the chaos. Keep calm and carry on.

Which of your contributions to date have given you the greatest sense of pride?

Choosing my life instead of settling for one. In 2014, I gave up my fancy job and apartment for an uncertain life sabbatical in Nairobi, Kenya. I didn’t have a plan at the time, but followed my gut and trusted the journey. Today, my experiences, career, relationships and most importantly, my self are richer for taking the less certain and obvious path. You never know how big the ocean is until you start swimming in it.

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Safia! Learn more about her work and stay connected via social media @misssafiaabji

Ready to RISE as a leader in your own right?

Get your copy of veza community’s NEW Feminine Leadership Guide. It’s our gift to YOU.

Inside the Feminine Leadership Guide you’ll receive a series of activating journal prompts and action exercises to inspire your next steps on the journey to greater impact.

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Aliya Amershi

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Aliya Amershi

This February, all month long, we’re honouring the work of 28 inspiring leaders. Women who are drawing upon and celebrating their culture while making a lasting difference in their community using their gifts. From authors and teachers, CEOs to entrepreneurs, not-for-profit directors, artists, and more, these women are changing the face of leadership.

These are truly women to watch and veza community is so pleased to share their brilliance.

May their stories inspire YOU to rise.

Meet Aliya Amershi.

Aliya is the Founder and CEO of the startup AskaTechie.com, where they are developing an AI-Based, On-Demand Knowledge Workforce Platform. They are solving the outsourcing challenges that Startups face by matching them with highly skilled technical talent best suited for their urgent project needs so that they can grow faster.

She is a true visionary and a fearless hustler with 20 years of technology experience. Aliya earned her degree in Computer Science from UBC and has been working with top players in tech and media, including Electronic Arts in Vancouver and Viacom Networks in New York. Her roles have included Software Engineer, Tech Lead, and IT Manager. One of her many notable accomplishments includes winning an Emmy for the Nick App at Viacom. She’s also currently involved with a number of global organizations, such as The Founder Institute, Women 2.0, and Youngry.com.

Aliya is a powerful force of nature, inspirational thought leader, and a creative innovator who is set to disrupt the tech startup world. She was just accepted into Canadian Technology Accelerator in Silicon Valley, and will be one to watch in the coming months!

So tell us, Aliya: What inspires you most? What motivates you to get up every morning?

My passion to disrupt the tech startups world with my ideas, empower business owners with their technology needs, and to break the stereotype of what a successful tech startup founder looks like.

How do you feel that your actions teach or inspire others?

Through persistence, passion, positivity, confidence, and fearlessness. I maintain this state of high vibration by practicing both morning and evening rituals every day without fail.

What is one change you’d like to see in the world?

Female Founders who are already doing it get REAL support—i.e. funding, connections, sales, etc.

Which of your contributions to date have given you the greatest sense of pride?

My time, advice, presentations, and support I have provided through various organizations to new startup founders and female entrepreneurs, to help them with their technology needs or build their business.

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Aliya! Learn more about her work and stay connected through her various social media platforms:

Website: AskaTechie.com

LinkedIn: aliyaaamershi

Twitter: @aliyaaskatechie

Company Facebook: AskaTechieOnline

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/askatechie

Twitter: @AskaTechie_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askatechie

Ready to RISE as a leader in your own right?

Get your copy of veza community’s NEW Feminine Leadership Guide. It’s our gift to YOU.

Inside the Feminine Leadership Guide you’ll receive a series of activating journal prompts and action exercises to inspire your next steps on the journey to greater impact.

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Jasmine Garcha

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Jasmine Garcha

This February, all month long, we’re honouring the work of 28 inspiring leaders. Women who are drawing upon and celebrating their culture while making a lasting difference in their community using their gifts. From authors and teachers, CEOs to entrepreneurs, not-for-profit directors, artists, and more, these women are changing the face of leadership.

These are truly women to watch and veza community is so pleased to share their brilliance.

May their stories inspire YOU to rise.

Meet Jasmine Garcha.

Jasmine Garcha is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, a Health and Lifestyle Blogger, and the founder of Holistic Jazz—a platform dedicated to creating awareness about chronic health conditions, mental illness, food intolerances and holistic wellness. Basically, “All that Holistic Jazz”! She is passionate about creating awareness and educating others on thriving through a holistic lifestyle. Jasmine is an intuitive and expressive storyteller who utilizes her true, raw and authentic story of overcoming mental and invisible illnesses to empower others. She is also a holistic health enthusiast, smoothie bowl addict, sports fanatic, adventure seeker, and aspiring traveler!

Jasmine describes herself as being a woman who has seen the light through the darkness: a woman who is motivated by life experiences of being dubbed a medical mystery. Through her trials and tribulations with chronic illness and pain, she has found healing through holistic wellness. Jasmine is an intuitive storyteller who uses her true, raw, authentic voice to share a glimpse into the highs and lows of her ongoing life journey. She is a woman who is finding her way to wellness: a woman who is empowered and dedicated to breaking the stigma against invisible illnesses, and creating a world where it is okay to not be okay. Jasmine is a beautiful soul who is going against the grain and following her soul’s true calling.

So tell us, Jasmine: What inspires you most? What motivates you to get up every morning?

Embracing the unknown and trusting my soul journey inspires me to get up each morning and connect with my inner self. By doing so, I am able to be present and aware of what is going on within and around me. I am able to be true to myself and live to my fullest potential.

How do you feel that your actions teach or inspire others?

By being my true, raw, and authentic self, I am able to utilize my voice to empower others. I am very vocal about all of the real stuff that encompasses mental and invisible illnesses, and I utilize my voice to show the world the reality of living with these conditions in hopes of creating awareness and empowering others. I feel that by being my true self, I am able to show others that it’s okay to not be okay, and it’s absolutely okay to embrace your shadow side.

What is one change you’d like to see in the world?

Breaking the stigma against mental illness.

Which of your contributions to date have given you the greatest sense of pride?

Above all, I am most proud of finding the strength to be able to speak my authentic truth. I am proud of finding my voice and publicly sharing my personal mental and invisible health journey on my blog to empower others.

I believe that the work that we do on ourselves, for ourselves, to better ourselves, is the contribution that we should be most proud of. I am also very proud of many of my contributions within the community, such as the volunteer work that I have done with various arts and non-profit cancer organizations, as well as the funds that I have raised for various organizations. I am also really happy with my work as a youth worker, and working with inner city kids.

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Jasmine! Learn more about her work and stay connected via social media: @holisticjazz, or her website: https://holisticjazz.ca/

Ready to RISE as a leader in your own right?

Get your copy of veza community’s NEW Feminine Leadership Guide. It’s our gift to YOU.

Inside the Feminine Leadership Guide you’ll receive a series of activating journal prompts and action exercises to inspire your next steps on the journey to greater impact.

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Harpreet M Dayal

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Harpreet M Dayal

This February, all month long, we’re honouring the work of 28 inspiring leaders. Women who are drawing upon and celebrating their culture while making a lasting difference in their community using their gifts. From authors and teachers, CEOs to entrepreneurs, not-for-profit directors, artists, and more, these women are changing the face of leadership.

These are truly women to watch and veza community is so pleased to share their brilliance.

May their stories inspire YOU to rise.

Meet Harpreet M Dayal.

Harpreet was born and raised in London, England, and moved to Calgary in 2015. Before her impending move, she began writing a story about a worm that is afraid of change. Writing this story was therapy for her: the main character’s fear of change mirrored her own fears of moving to another country after spending the majority of her life in London.

Although she has a background in finance, moving to another country encouraged her to explore her creative side and start taking writing more seriously, so she could do something different in this new country. Harpreet has made a concerted effort to integrate into the local arts and culture sector and began reciting her poetry pieces at local spoken word events. Eventually, she began receiving invitations to speak at charities and mental health workshops.

She has been sharing short pieces of poetry and musings on her Instagram page (@harpreet.m.dayal) since 2015, and that page now has a following of over 60K readers. In 2016, Harpreet went on to publish her first children’s book, Wilbert the Worm, and a poetry book titled Svadhyaya: A Journey of Self Learning, which was a celebration of her taking a step into her power and self-belief in her words.

Harpreet has held two book signings in two different Chapters-Indigo branches for Wilbert the Worm, and has also held book readings in local schools, sharing Wilbert’s journey of overcoming fear and bullying. She has been invited to speak to youth and create a workshop that caters to building confidence in young people. Furthermore, Harpreet has recently started her own poetry event called “Love Notes and Coffee” with the goal of bringing positivity and people of different artistic backgrounds together and share what they love. She hopes to encourage established and aspiring artists to be able to share their work in an inviting and non-judgmental environment.

So tell us, Harpreet: What inspires you most? What motivates you to get up every morning?

What motivates me to get up every morning is the challenge of being present and grateful for what the day has to offer. I have a desire to keep learning, to experience new things and better myself in whatever I decide to explore, whether it is creatively or professionally. All whilst not forgetting to stay rooted to the ground, remaining consciously aligned with my heart, and resting in the present moment.

How do you feel that your actions teach or inspire others?

People often say that they feel inspired by my words. They say that they relate to my vulnerability, the challenges I face, my struggle with low self-esteem and the fear of stepping outside of my comfort zone, which I often express through my writing. I am very open about my successes and failures, and this makes them feel like they are not alone. I hope that when young girls and women look at me and see my work, they get a sense of “if she can, then I can too”.

What is one change you’d like to see in the world?

There is a plethora of changes I would like to see in the world, but most urgent to me would be the elimination of racism and gender discrimination. Even in this day and age we are seeing a rise in violence against women, and towards people of different races and backgrounds. We often lose sight of the fact that we are ultimately all the same: human.

Which of your contributions to date have given you the greatest sense of pride?

I felt the greatest sense of pride when I went to a school to read a chapter of my children’s book to the students. They had already been reading Wilbert the Worm, and they had been waiting for me to come and read the ending. They were especially excited about meeting an author. When I sat down with them and asked them about their favorite characters and what they loved about the book, they were awestruck. But, I can definitely say that feeling was mutual. It truly made me feel like I had accomplished something worthwhile when they shared the things they learnt from reading something I had written.

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Harprett! Learn more about her work and stay connected via Instagram @harpreet.m.dayal, or her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/harpreetmdayal

Ready to RISE as a leader in your own right?

Get your copy of veza community’s NEW Feminine Leadership Guide. It’s our gift to YOU.

Inside the Feminine Leadership Guide you’ll receive a series of activating journal prompts and action exercises to inspire your next steps on the journey to greater impact.

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Chantal Carter Taylor

28 Leaders To Watch: Meet Chantal Carter Taylor

This February, all month long, we’re honouring the work of 28 inspiring leaders. Women who are drawing upon and celebrating their culture while making a lasting difference in their community using their gifts. From authors and teachers, CEOs to entrepreneurs, not-for-profit directors, artists, and more, these women are changing the face of leadership.

These are truly women to watch and veza community is so pleased to share their brilliance.

May their stories inspire YOU to rise.

Meet Chantal Carter Taylor.

Born and raised in Montreal, Chantal Carter Taylor is an entrepreneur who has worked in the fashion industry for over 20 years, as a Stylist, Image Consultant, and magazine Style Director. She was a key player in winning the Kenneth R. Wilson Award for best art direction and ranked 3rd best speech in a Toastmasters International area speech competition. She also appreciates creating high-end simplicity in fashion and food. She displayed this talent as a contestant in the 1st episode of Four Weddings Canada, winning 1st place for her wedding. Chantal’s passion to uplift women of colour through fashion inspired her to develop a diverse skin tone intimates line called Love & Nudes. This brand is more than just fashion, it’s a social movement connecting women and celebrating the beauty of difference through social media and events. She believes apparel and cosmetics should be accessible to all in the manner that allows them to showcase their personal style.

Chantal is a person who never felt like she fit into societal expectations and obligations, e.g. working in a job she hated simply because the pay was decent. She always wanted to do something more, and meaningful. Chantal is happy when she’s being creative, socializing and hanging out with family who love her no matter what! Finally, she is a dark chocolate fanatic and is currently obsessed with white wine, as well as sparkling and special spirits.

So tell us, Chantal: What inspires you most? What motivates you to get up every morning?

Doing work I want to do, not work I have to do.

Sometimes I am not inspired each day and that’s okay. I understand that we all have things we must do whether we love it or not, but the bigger picture has to be something I love, where I can use my creativity and the best parts of me for something meaningful. Right now it’s Love & Nudes.

How do you feel that your actions teach or inspire others?

I feel that I embody consistency and perseverance.

What is one change you’d like to see in the world?

Representation for people of colour at the highest level everywhere: in medicine, media, government, business, law, etc.

Which of your contributions to date have given you the greatest sense of pride?

I am really proud to have launched a line of bras and panties that reflect the skin tones of women of colour, and of all the things that I had to do to get it launched!

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Chantal! Learn more about her work and stay connected via her Facebook and Instagram @loveandnudes, or on Twitter: @loveandnudes_

Ready to RISE as a leader in your own right?

Get your copy of veza community’s NEW Feminine Leadership Guide. It’s our gift to YOU.

Inside the Feminine Leadership Guide you’ll receive a series of activating journal prompts and action exercises to inspire your next steps on the journey to greater impact.

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