My Blog.

Why Authenticity Matters In a world filled with curated images and constant noise, the ability to be authentic has become a unique super power. Authentic living is not just about standing out; it is about standing true. It is the decision to live from a place of honesty, even when it feels uncomfortable. Authenticity allows […]

More than 3,000 delegates and representatives from around the world gathered in Tangier, Morocco this year for the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Congress. Mayors, city officials, civil society leaders, and youth advocates from every region came together under one roof, all wrestling with the same underlying question: what does it actually take to […]

Mentor vs Sponsor: The Difference That Could Change Your Career Most people know they need a mentor. Far fewer know they need a sponsor. And almost nobody talks about why confusing the two could be potentially holding you back. Both relationships matter. They both have a place in your growth. But they are not the […]

The Spark Gala & Youth Voice Award I have attended a lot of events in my life. Conferences, summits, hackathons, community gatherings. I have sat in a lot of rooms and walked away with a lot of lessons. But last week I attended my first gala. And I can say with complete honesty: it was […]

Honoured by the 2026 KYAC Youth Awards There is something deeply meaningful about being seen by your community. Not just for what you have accomplished, but for the values you have tried to carry and pass forward. Receiving the Intergenerational Award at the 2026 KYAC Youth Awards in Kitchener was one of those rare moments […]

 andWhat Happened When a Book Became a Conversation Some events are planned. Others become something more. The Degrees of Change live book conversation at the Kitchener Public Library on April 25th was my most memorable event to date. What started as an afternoon built around my book turned into a room full of people genuinely […]

Collaboration Over Competition: Why Changemakers Win Together Somewhere along the way, we were taught that success is a limited resource. That if someone else wins, you lose. That protecting your ideas and your network is the smart play. That the person doing similar work in the next room is your competition and therefore a threat […]

How to Keep Going When It Gets Hard Challenges are not the exception to the journey. They are the journey. I think one of the most damaging stories we tell ourselves is that the when things are difficulty, it means something has gone wrong. That if we were on the right path, things would be […]

The Gift and Burden of Being a Changemaker Nobody tells you about the weight of it. When I started the Young Eye Foundation at 17, I was driven by something I couldn’t fully name yet, a restlessness and hunger to make something better. I didn’t know I was becoming a changemaker. Years later, after building […]

Consistency Beats Motivation Motivation is a feeling. And like all feelings, it comes and goes. I know what it feels like to be on fire, to wake up bursting with energy, ideas flowing, ready to take on every obstacle in your path. I also know what it feels like three months into a long project […]

What I Learned Speaking at Global Conferences I have spoken infront of crows from the age of nearly 7 and it has just consistently gotten better. One of the first major times I stepped onto a stage in front of a room full of experienced professionals, city leaders, and global thinkers, I had one thought […]

7 Lessons I Learned While Writing My First Book Writing a book is one of those things that sounds romantic until you’re actually doing it. When the idea for Degrees of Change first took shape in my mind in 2023, I pictured something simple, a clear idea, a structured outline, a smooth writing process, and […]