Michelle speaks with Brandon Hay about fatherhood and what led him to create the Black Daddies Club.
Author: wordswithmichelle
A writer and an extremely chatty girl.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Happy New Year
Happy New Year Message
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Kofi Frempong Turns His Fear Into His Passion
I speak with Toronto-based artist/ painter, Kofi Frempong, and he details how he was able to overcome his fear of painting.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Budgeting During A Pandemic
I speak with Financial Rep., Tanika Riley, and she shares tips on how to budget during a pandemic.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Colourism
I chat with Tracy Peart about colourism: differential treatment based on skin colour.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Healing Through Wellness Practices
Michelle chats with Jothi Saldanha – a certified Transformational Coach, about the importance of Healing through wellness practices.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Checking in
Michelle briefly recaps what life has been like over the past 7 months, and checks in with the audience.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Random Acts of Racism
I speak with 5 guests who share a few of the racist acts that have experienced living in Canada.
Telling Stories Through Food With Grace Cameron
“Food is so bonding, it’s universal – it connects people.” That is how Grace Cameron – the publisher and editor of JamaicanEats Magazine eloquently describes the power of food during our Zoom call in early July. You can safely assume that I wholeheartedly agree with Grace’s statement. Being a foodie, I know first-hand…
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Race and Representation in Art
Zahra Siddiqui speaks about her first solo exhibit – The Invisible Majority and why representation matters.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Racism in the Medical Field, part 2
In the second part of the “Racism in the medical field”, Dr. O speaks on how Black doctors are affected by systemic racism.
Toronto Eats: Flava Ceen
Spending the majority of my time at home has allowed me to start cooking way more than I ever did, and truthfully, I don’t mind. (#quarantinelife) It has given me a chance to tap into my culinary skills, and try recipes I was hesitant to attempt. But….on the flipside, since I have been cooking…
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Racism In The Medical Field
I sit with writer and poet, Mugabi Byenkya, as he discusses the mistreatment he has received from medical professionals.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Dating in the age of Covid-19, pt 2
I chatted with matchmakers, The Love Listeners, and they spoke about how they approach dating in a holistic way, and discussed some of the pros and cons of dating in a pandemic.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Dating in the age of Covid – 19, pt 1
Relationship Coach Dani Changg, shares tips on how you can date in the age of Covid-19.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Tennile Cooper shares tips for parents to stay productive and sane during the quarantine
Tennile Cooper shares ways that parents can stay sane & productive during the quarantine.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: A Chat With Jill Andrew
I speak with Jill Andrew – MPP for Toronto/St. Paul’s. She addresses women’s issues around body shaming, anti-black racism, and much more!
Words With Michelle – the podcast: What is Cancel Culture?
Zachariah and I chat about “cancel culture.” We define it & discuss its effectiveness.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace
The details regarding disclosing your mental health status in the workplace.
Words With Michelle – the podcast: About Me
A brief episode about the girl behind the podcast.
Celina Caesar-Chavannes: Open, Honest & Brave
Interviewing former Member of Parliament Celina Caesar-Chavannes was something I didn’t really plan. Not saying I didn’t want to – I’m in awe of her tremendous strength and courage, but I didn’t think that I would post another interview for Words With Michelle, as I was spending all my time prepping to launch my podcast…
Words With Michelle – the podcast: Natural in the workplace
A discussion about wearing your hair naturally in the in the workplace.
Embracing 2020
I normally write a “Year in Review” post where I recount the highlights of the past year, as well as share with you a few pop cultural events that affected me (psst…..gotta quickly mention the Raptors’ win because that was MONUMENTAL). But I thought to change it up and do something different. For this last…
5 Black Owned Businesses You Need To Know!
This past summer I attended the Black Owned Summer Market – the brainchild of Black Owned Unity founder, Sepo Achampong. You might remember that I featured Sepo’s work as an African designer on Words With Michelle 4 years ago (click here to read the post), but he has recently branched out and hosts a variety…
Casey Palmer: Writer, Daddy Blogger & Podcaster
It was recommended by an old high school friend that I feature Casey Palmer – a writer, daddy blogger and podcaster. She went on to sing his praises and provided me with the deets to contact him. (thanks, Cathy) When she told me that he was a daddy blogger, I was sold. I didn’t need…
My Lunch Break With Tracy Moore
This interview has been 5 years in the making. I’ve wanted to interview Tracy Moore – the host of Cityline, ever since I started Words With Michelle. I’ve wanted to document her story because I find her incredibly inspirational. I’ve seen her transition from videographer, to Breakfast Television reporter, to capturing the role of…
Marcia Murdock: Beyond The Shame – One Mother’s Journey To Healing In Front Of The Bars
I started working on my interview with Marcia Murdock –author of Beyond Shame: One Mother’s Journey to Healing In Front Of The Bars, well over a year ago. I started it, but I never got around to finishing it. After doing some pre-spring cleaning a month ago, I found the incomplete interview buried in…
Tanika Riley: Educational Consultant, Facilitator, Speaker, & Social Entrepreneur
Tanika has a lot of titles, no? Oh, I almost forgot, you can add mommy to that too. Tanika Riley is a super busy #girlboss who runs POR AMOR – her non- profit organization that she co-founded with 3 friends 15 years ago (she is now the Executive Director), where she facilitates workshops for…
2018: Year in Review
Real talk – 2018 wasn’t one of my fave years. It wasn’t just the countless and shocking incidences of racial injustice, or the spike in violence in Toronto, or even the amount of hatred that reared its ugly head throughout the year (it definitely played a part though). It was a blah year because I…
Catching up with Zachariah
What I love about Zachariah is his unwavering determination – and as a performer, you need that! Ever since I met and featured this young rapper on my blog 4 years ago, he has shown me that even when he’s knocked down, he comes back swinging. In our initial interview, he spoke about his double…
Toronto Eats: Starving Artist
I often toy with the idea of becoming a food blogger. I love food, I talk about food (a lot!), and I love looking at food pics on Instagram. #dontjudgeme So last weekend I decided to dip my toe into the food blogging pool, and blog about a brunch spot that recently hit the west…
Talking About The Reelworld Film Festival With Tonya Williams
I literally got an email less than a week ago asking if I was available to speak about the Reelworld film festival with its founder, Executive and Artistic Director, Tonya Williams. Of course I said I’d do it! Spreading the word about the festival is something that I am more than happy to do, as it…
Ruby Ibarra: Brown Girls Rap Too!
What do you get when you add a dash of Filipino flavour, a taste of the Bay area, and some thought provoking lyrics? You get hip hop emcee, Ruby Ibarra. Ruby Ibarra is a young rap artist that hails from the Philippines, and who currently resides in California. Real talk – one of…
Stachen Frederick: Educates Through BrAIDS for AIDS
Did you know that something as simple as getting your hair braided could help promote AIDS awareness? Yes, it’s that easy. Earlier this month I had a short but informative chat with Stachen Frederick – the founder of BrAIDS for AIDS, and she was more than eager to speak with me about her charitable…
My Italian Vacay 2018
Would you believe me if I told you that it’s been 4 years since my last vacation? No, seriously. Sadly, over the past 4 years there have been a few obstacles that made it impossible for me to take a vacation. From taking care of a loved one after an operation, quitting a mentally destructive…
Featured Blogger: Jamila Kyari
As a writer and blogger who relishes in discovering new things as well as exposing local talent, I was happy when an email from Jamila Kyari reached my inbox. Jamila contacted me to tell me that she’s a fellow Canadian blogger who works in the Communication industry, and who also enjoys reading Words With…
Morgan O. Smith: Talks About Meditation & His Spiritual Awakening
Ever have an intense feeling that you needed to connect with someone that you barely knew, who probably didn’t even know YOU existed? Sounds weird, right? I know. That’s how I felt about reaching out to Morgan O. Smith. I don’t know him personally, but something kept telling me, “You need to speak to…
Nneka Elliott: From News Reporter to Lifestyle Entrepreneur
As you can tell by the number of phenomenal people that have graced my 4-year-old blog (Yes, Words With Michelle turns 4 tomorrow – woo hoo!), I am genuinely in awe of people who fearlessly follow their dreams and path – no matter what. In 2016, Nneka Elliott, a well-known media personality and news…
Karen M. Lowe: Wants You To Go After Your Dreams!
Have you ever wanted to start your own business but felt scared? Overwhelmed? Confused? Or, are you a budding entrepreneur who would like to take your business to the next level? I suggest you to talk with Karen M. Lowe! Karen M. Lowe is the CEO of Epigram Consulting – a business consulting…
Kofi Frempong: Creating Positive Black Images
Creating and presenting positive black imagery is so essential – more so than ever today. Judging from the major fail from that retail store that shall remain nameless (they do not deserve to have their name mentioned on my blog!), I think it’s crucial that we see ourselves and represent ourselves in the most uplifting…
2017: Year In Review
The past 365 days has been anything but average. It’s been one of those years that I couldn’t possibly forget. It wasn’t just events that happened to me personally, a lot had to do with the social climate and the overall dark tone of the year. I have never in all my life witnessed such…
Makini Smith: Author, Speaker & Loving Mom
I didn’t have the chance to meet with Makini Smith face to face for this interview, but we did actually meet briefly 2 years ago. We were both in attendance at the #HowSheHustles pop up market – I was hanging with a friend, who also happens to be a friend of Makini’s. My friend discretely…
Jae Cabrera does #1songadayfor2017
I love watching people work on their hustle – grinding and putting in the effort. This is why I am happy to feature singer, Jae Cabrera. I have watched him over the past few months perform songs – original and cover songs, on his Instagram account, where he proudly displays his hashtag #1songadayfor2017. It…
One Afternoon: Model For A Day
This latest post is a mini departure from my usual interview-based blog posts. In this entry I share with you one of the most fun afternoons I had in a loooong time. What made it next level awesome was that it was completely unexpected. Almost 2 months ago, on a pretty average Sunday morning,…
Mugabi Byenkya Talks About Writing His Debut Book, Dear Philomena
I had so many emotions before I sat down to write this interview. I was incredibly nervous about writing it because I really wanted to capture EVERYTHING I learned about Dear Philomena author, Mugabi Byenkya. I wanted to capture his strength, his resilience, his positivity, as well as his utter coolness. I really wasn’t sure…
Like TrapSoul? Like Yoga? Read This
I have never taken a yoga class in my life. I’m serious…..I have done some stretching exercises via YouTube videos, but I haven’t taken a formal class. I’m not opposed to it or anything; I just found it a little too slow paced for me. But when I heard of TrapSoul yoga (trap music…
Zahra Siddiqui: Spotlights The Invisible Majority
After a long day at work and surviving on almost no sleep for 2 days, I made my way to The Common – a Bloor street café in Toronto, to meet the infinitely talented photographer, Zahra Siddiqui. Truth be told, I was legit nervous to meet her. I’ve been a fan for a while;…
Jam Gamble: Special Needs Educator, TV Host, & Mic Slayer!
It was a pretty normal night – I was chilling on my phone, creeping pics on Instagram, when a series of Insta-stories featuring Jam Gamble appeared on my screen. I have been following her for a while now, but one of her empowering videos got me thinking, why haven’t I interviewed this fabulous lady yet?…
Toronto Events: Afrodelik Comic Book Launch
Desiree Marshall (aka Dezi) and I go way back. Okay, not way, way back, but I’ve known her for at a little over 10 years. I met the diminutive entrepreneur over a decade ago at a natural hair show where she debuted her clothing line Afrodelik. Taken by her unique and funky pieces, I did…
