Podcast for the people; Dr O and former MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes talk life and happiness

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

It has been a strange time for many of us: not going to work, extra time on our hands, dealing with the uncertainty. Many of us are turning to social media as a way to tune out the noise. Edison Research’s Infinite Dial reported that in 2019, more than half of Americans listened to podcasts. Podcast creation continues to grow, with over 700,000 podcasts and 29 million podcast episodes in reported last year.

With these mindboggling numbers, I can only imagine how intimidating it could be to start a new podcast. What would you talk about? How can you differentiate yourself from the over 700,000 podcast that are already in play?

Dr Onye Nnormon’s students inspired her. Dr O is an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and she is a member of the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine. As a racialized woman, Dr O has always been very vocal about how racism impacts an individual’s health. Her students raised some questions, “How do we stay well when we have to deal with microaggression? How do we deal with this harsh realization that we are going to face barriers because of the colour of our skin, even in this time?”

These questions are what helped to cultivate the birth of a podcast that she refers to as, “Course 201. Staying well, thriving and finding joy.” Race, Health and Happiness puts black, indigenous, and people of colour on the main stage. The main purpose is to demonstrate how people have thrived and survived systemic racism, and how they overcome and enjoy life despite the challenges.

Dr O with the help of Dr Karl Kabasele, Obadiah George, Semipe Oni, and Bhavna Samtani, have created their own niche in the podcast world, and on Monday, April 6^th, I had an opportunity to join in on an episode of Race, Health & Happiness.

“I can remember to this day, three-year-old Celina, singing naked at the top of the stairs, singing her favourite Rod Stewart song, ‘If you want my body, and you think I’m sexy….”

I happened to catch the episode starring the one and only former MP Celina Ceasar-Chavannes. It was a quick but revealing look at: her journey to finding her seat at the table, the importance of showing up as your authentic self, and how she has learned to tap into the strength of her inner child.

I really want you to check out the interview for yourself, so I am not going to give everything away. Celina’s story is an experience. Her uncanny memory brings the listener back to the time when she learned that she had the ability to speak her truth. She is honest about the fact that she was not the greatest child: she would be the one saying the cuss words on the playground, be playing kissing tag with the boys, all the things that nice girls should not be doing. She does admit that it was her intelligence that saved her through elementary school, middle school, and high school. Even though she was acting out, she was still bringing home those A’s.

Some of her painful memories include watching her father come home very sad. She didn’t know it at the time, but her father was facing racism at work. There was also the time that she sent out 732 applications, got four interviews, two-second interviews, and no job. It was at this time that her life began to change. That was the birth of Resolve Research Solutions.

I could hear the pain in her voice when she spoke about the burden of responsibility that she carried during her time in Parliament. “It was my responsibility to speak up and give back. They couldn’t fire me for four years. I love my people. I was going to talk. I was going to say the things that were weighing on those who couldn’t talk.”

Those who knows Celina, knows that she works hard, and she parties harder. “I have fun! I will Fete! I will go 100 in the Fete! I work twice as hard as everyone else, but I take care of myself. I will never be afraid to have fun!”

 Stories like Celina’s are important to the make up of our history. Her story, and many others must be explored on a higher level, and Dr O has found a way to do that. Congratulations to the team at Race, Health and Happiness. We thank you for giving back to the community.

Reference Links:

The Infinite Dial; Edison Research: https://www.edisonresearch.com/infinite-dial-2019/

Race, Health and Happiness: http://racehealthhappiness.buzzsprout.com/