Feature Friday - African Nova Scotia Social Innovation Lab

ANS Lab’s Feature Friday is now a podcast!

The goal of our long-standing Feature Friday initiative has always been to give you a platform to share your experiences, expertise, and passions. This platform hosts holistic conversations promoting stellar ANS community members and true allies, placing a focus on the fantastic work being done in the community to help close the employment gap for Blacks and ANS between the ages of 18-35. We inspire our audience by exploring your personal stories, what drives you, and your accomplishments. This year’s 12 podcast episodes, which come out the last Friday of every month, are hosted by Aaliyah Arab-Smith and Trevor Silver, with giveaways of two $50.00 e-gift cards for every episode thanks to ongoing collaboration with ShiftKey Labs. You can find the podcast on all podcast platforms as well as YouTube!

"You're Only As Sick As Your Secrets" with Rev. Dr. Lennett J. Anderson | S3E3

On this month's episode of Feature Friday, we're excited to host Rev. Dr. Lennett J. Anderson on the pod!

Rev. Dr. Anderson joins us for a powerful Feature Friday conversation about ...faith, family, Black Nova Scotian history, leadership, racial justice, and the future of Hammonds Plains.

From preaching his first sermon at just nine years old, to serving in the military, to pastoring for decades and teaching leadership and racial justice at Acadia, Rev. Dr. Anderson shares stories that are personal, historic, emotional, and deeply important.

We talk about ancestry, Africville, the role of the church, mentorship, systemic racism, driving while Black, community development, ancestral land, and why he still believes the best is yet to come.

This is a conversation about pain, purpose, and possibility.Show More

"You're Only As Sick As Your Secrets" with Rev. Dr. Lennett J. Anderson | S3E3

On this month's episode of Feature Friday, we're excited to host Rev. ...

"Province House is the People's House” with Suzy Hansen | S3E2

On this month's episode of Feature Friday, we're excited to host MLA ...

Purpose Builds Confidence | Season 3 Premiere | PART 2

Season 3 is here! In part 2 of the premiere, Aaliyah shares a day in ...

Purpose Builds Confidence | Season 3 Premiere | PART 1

Season 3 is here! In part 1 of the premiere, Aaliyah and Trev catch up ...

“Start Where You’re At” with Nevell Provo and Corvell Beals | S2E12

On the season finale of season 2, we’re honoured to have brothers and ...

On the season finale of season 2, we’re honoured to have brothers and entrepreneurs Nevell Provo and Corvell Beals join the pod!

The episode traces their journey growing up in North ...Preston, where basketball wasn’t just a game — it was a foundation. They break down how elite-level athletics, from Team Canada to NCAA competition, shaped their confidence, discipline, and willingness to take risks long before business ever entered the picture.

Nevell and Corvell dive deep into their transition from sports to entrepreneurship, explaining how problem-solving, leadership, and resilience became the backbone of everything they’ve built — from Smooth Meal Prep to the rise of R&B Kitchen, a community-rooted business that gained momentum during COVID by serving people first.

Beyond business, the conversation explores the real realities of entrepreneurship — failure, financial pressure, mental toughness, and why “chasing failure” is often the fastest path to growth. They speak candidly about putting God first, aligning personal priorities, developing discipline, and how self-development directly determines how far a business can go.

A major theme of the episode is community responsibility. Nevell and Corvell share why they chose to build and stay in Nova Scotia, how mentorship and visibility change what young people believe is possible, and why creating access — not just success — is the real legacy.

The episode closes with powerful advice for youth, emerging entrepreneurs, and anyone feeling limited by their environment: believe in yourself, learn how to learn, and understand that you are capable.

This is more than an interview — it’s a blueprint for turning adversity into opportunity and using success to lift others along the way.
We’ll see you in 2026!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to Nevell Provo and Corvell Beals

04:25 - Leadership & Giving Back

10:45 - Taking Risks & Leaving Home to Chase Opportunity

15:30 - Discovering Entrepreneurship Early

19:45 - Creating Opportunity in Nova Scotia

23:40 - The Birth of Smooth Meal Prep & R&B Kitchen

29:15 - COVID: Crisis Turned Opportunity

31:45 - Hardships, Failure & Mental Toughness

36:00 - Faith, Discipline & Personal Development

38:45 - Learning, Mentorship & Self-Education

44:30 - Teaching, Giving Back & Leading by Example

50:45 - Loyalty to Community & Generational Vision

56:30 - Expanding Beyond Traditional Industries

1:05:30 - Advice to Youth & Emerging Entrepreneurs

1:14:30 - One Word Checkout with Nevell and Corvell!Show More

"My Music Found My Audience" with Kye Clayton and Jody Upshaw | S2E11 | PART 2

Our guests for this month’s Feature Friday are Kye Clayton and Jody ...

Our guests for this month’s Feature Friday are Kye Clayton and Jody Upshaw.

Kye Clayton is a Halifax-based artist, producer, and certified audio engineer pushing the sound of Nova Scotia forward. ...As Manager of Youth Power and Innovation at Hope Blooms, he empowers youth through music and mentorship. A two-time ANSMA Award winner — earning the Lieutenant Governor Award and Portia White Youth Award — Kye has performed at the ECMAs, Nova Scotia Music Week, and Magnetic World Festival, and opened for Xzibit. Through his collective LDN and upcoming project Live by Faith, Not by Sight, Kye continues to inspire creativity and community growth.

Jody Upshaw is a radiant force of emotional truth and feminine power whose brand essence lives at the intersection of beauty and battle, vulnerability and victory. With every lyric, every look, every live moment, she creates a space for women to rise, release, and reclaim their power.

From her single being featured on the hit HBO series Euphoria to being named Music Nova Scotia's 2022 Artist in Residence. earning multiple East Coast Music Award nominations, and taking home the African Nova Scotian Music Association's Rising Star Award, Jody has captivated audiences with her signature blend of raw vulnerability and ethereal glamour. Jody embodies liberation through art. Her mantra to #FreeTheGirls from toxic narratives and limiting beliefs isn't just personal - it's communal.

Beyond her artistry, Jody is passionate about empowering the next generation of musicians, particularly within the African Nova Scotian community. She envisions using her industry experience and authentic understanding of the creative process to provide mentorship, strategic guidance, and professional development support to emerging artists navigating their own journeys toward artistic and commercial success.

It was a pleasure hosting Kye and Jody in part 2 of their episode!

Show notes:

00:11 – Roots & heritage

02:40 – “What does community mean to you?”

04:34 – Social media awareness + protecting your mind

06:52 – Being a positive representative (even when others aren’t)

11:35 – Giving back “with a real heart”

12:08 – Jody on community + the legacy of Three Mile Plains

17:03 – Finding community beyond where you live

21:12 – Music community + chasing purpose professionally

23:07 – What’s next: projects + release plans

25:08 – Ten years from now: Kye's vision + leadership

33:50 – Jody’s 10-year vision

35:12 – Career highlights

39:41 – How “Jody + Kye” started

48:58 – One word check out with Jody and Kye!Show More

"My Music Found My Audience" with Kye Clayton and Jody Upshaw | S2E11 | PART 1

Our guests for this month’s Feature Friday are Kye Clayton and Jody ...

Our guests for this month’s Feature Friday are Kye Clayton and Jody Upshaw.

Kye Clayton is a Halifax-based artist, producer, and certified audio engineer pushing the sound of Nova Scotia forward. ...As Manager of Youth Power and Innovation at Hope Blooms, he empowers youth through music and mentorship. A two-time ANSMA Award winner — earning the Lieutenant Governor Award and Portia White Youth Award — Kye has performed at the ECMAs, Nova Scotia Music Week, and Magnetic World Festival, and opened for Xzibit. Through his collective LDN and upcoming project Live by Faith, Not by Sight, Kye continues to inspire creativity and community growth.

Jody Upshaw is a radiant force of emotional truth and feminine power whose brand essence lives at the intersection of beauty and battle, vulnerability and victory. With every lyric, every look, every live moment, she creates a space for women to rise, release, and reclaim their power.

From her single being featured on the hit HBO series Euphoria to being named Music Nova Scotia's 2022 Artist in Residence. earning multiple East Coast Music Award nominations, and taking home the African Nova Scotian Music Association's Rising Star Award, Jody has captivated audiences with her signature blend of raw vulnerability and ethereal glamour. Jody embodies liberation through art. Her mantra to #FreeTheGirls from toxic narratives and limiting beliefs isn't just personal - it's communal.

Beyond her artistry, Jody is passionate about empowering the next generation of musicians, particularly within the African Nova Scotian community. She envisions using her industry experience and authentic understanding of the creative process to provide mentorship, strategic guidance, and professional development support to emerging artists navigating their own journeys toward artistic and commercial success.

It was a pleasure hosting Kye and Jody in part 1 of their episode!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to Kye and Jody

02:54 - Planting seeds for the next generation

03:30 - Jody’s early grind & family influence

06:40 - Representation, radio, and Nova Scotia pride

12:20 - Kye’s path from hoops to hip-hop

13:42 - First songs, LDN collective & DIY come-up

19:10 - Grief, growth & taking music seriously

20:01 - From high school buzz to real momentum

25:01 - Writing, freestyling & creative process

28:14 - Choosing the positive path

31:34 - Jody’s sound, R&B lane & “Free the Girls”

37:02 - Collaboration, confidence & beating imposter syndrome

44:22 - Creating for yourself vs. your audience

47:45 - Outro, contests & communityShow More

"A Marble in Honey" with Nathan Simmons | S2E10 | PART 2

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Nathan Simmons. Nathan is ...

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Nathan Simmons.

Nathan is an actor of compelling presence and range, best known for his role as Elgin Williams on the supernatural horror-mystery ...series FROM.

Hailing from the historical Black communities of East and North Preston in Nova Scotia, Simmons brings both authenticity and nuance to his craft. He graduated from the acting program at the Fountain School of the Arts in 2017, laying a solid foundation in theatre before making the transition to screen.

Early in his career, Simmons distinguished himself in Canadian theatre, earning recognition and accolades for his stage work in Halifax and beyond. His screen credits include appearances in the legal drama Diggstown, the sketch comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and independent films like Black Cop.

In FROM, Simmons’ character Elgin arrives in the enigmatic township after having premonitions that forewarn the arrival of the town’s grim dangers. His portrayal combines youthful urgency with an underlying sense of dread, capturing the show’s tension between the ordinary and the unfathomable.

Off-screen, Simmons is also a musician, often performing live in Halifax venues — a testament to his multi-dimensional artistic instincts. With a bright future ahead, he continues to cultivate roles that challenge him and expand his profile across North American productions.

It was a pleasure to host this month’s Feature Friday episode with the muti-talented Nathan Simmons!

Show notes:

00:00 - Nathan on his acting style

02:07 - You’re Never Fully Ready for Success”

03:31 - Trade-Offs, Missed Gigs & Success as Bubbles

05:11 - Self-Development & Working for Tomorrow

08:34 - Video Games, Gamified Storytelling & Coding

11:29 - Dungeons & Dragons, Storytelling & Black Creativity

16:36 - Hustling on Set: Locations, Crew Work & Learning Film

20:30 - Assistant Work for Sterling K. Brown

23:01 - Film Budgets, Long Days & Why Details Matter

27:04 - From, I’m Black & 0 to 60 – Black Excellence on Screen

32:25 - Nathan on Collective Producing

36:15 - One Word Checkout with Nathan!Show More

"A Marble in Honey" with Nathan Simmons | S2E10 | PART 1

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Nathan Simmons. Nathan is ...

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Nathan Simmons.

Nathan is an actor of compelling presence and range, best known for his role as Elgin Williams on the supernatural horror-mystery ...series FROM.

Hailing from the historical Black communities of East and North Preston in Nova Scotia, Simmons brings both authenticity and nuance to his craft. He graduated from the acting program at the Fountain School of the Arts in 2017, laying a solid foundation in theatre before making the transition to screen.

Early in his career, Simmons distinguished himself in Canadian theatre, earning recognition and accolades for his stage work in Halifax and beyond. His screen credits include appearances in the legal drama Diggstown, the sketch comedy series This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and independent films like Black Cop.

In FROM, Simmons’ character Elgin arrives in the enigmatic township after having premonitions that forewarn the arrival of the town’s grim dangers. His portrayal combines youthful urgency with an underlying sense of dread, capturing the show’s tension between the ordinary and the unfathomable.

Off-screen, Simmons is also a musician, often performing live in Halifax venues — a testament to his multi-dimensional artistic instincts. With a bright future ahead, he continues to cultivate roles that challenge him and expand his profile across North American productions.

It was a pleasure to host this month’s Feature Friday episode with the muti-talented Nathan Simmons!

Stay tuned for part 2 coming November 13th!!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to Nathan Simmons

01:57 - Grade-3 heartbreak: skipping the Annie audition & sensing the calling

06:15 - University pivot: sciences → theatre

13:17 - Imagination as a superpower

16:13 - Presence & prep work

18:22 - Nathan’s acting technique

27:10 - A teacher’s nudge

40:32 — “Marble in honey”: Philip Akin’s metaphor for truth in performance

45:41 — On FROM: good people, taking your space, humility vs. knowing your worthShow More

"Turning Impulsivity into Possibility" with Damini Awoyiga | S2E9

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Damini Awoyiga. Damini is ...

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Damini Awoyiga.

Damini is a student, an activist, a spoken word poet, and the former Halifax’s Youth Poet Laureate (2023-2024). Damini is the ...founder of Damini Creatives and the Afro-Indigenous Book Club, a book club created to encourage young people to read books written by Black and Indigenous authors and to share the realities and experiences of Black and Indigenous Canadians. Damini was the Junior Artist in Residence for Wellness Within, a community organization working for reproductive justice, prison abolition, and health equity; CBC’s artist-in-residence for the Michaelle Jean Foundation Canadian Black Summit held in July 2022, where she hosted an interactive community poetry booth. She is also a freelance journalist for CBC Mainstreet. She has also enjoyed being a board member of the Nova Scotia Girls Institute for Resource and Learning (NS GIRL), and she is a member of the HRM Youth Advisory Committee. Damini has received multiple awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Community Hero Award. She recently spoke at her first TEDx Talk at TEDx Argyle about the power of creativity, becoming the youngest TEDx Argyle speaker at the age of 18. Damini loves to dance, write, create, sing, and perform poetry about social justice issues she cares deeply about.

It was a pleasure to host this month’s Feature Friday episode with the thoughtful and inspiring Damini Awoyiga!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to Damini Awoyiga

1:25 - Damini on her upbringing

10:25 - Damini on her mentors

10:45 - Damini on being a young creative entrepreneur

17:35 - Damini on some of the challenges she’s had to face

23:15 - Damini on her Ted Talk

33:05 - Defining Youth Poet Laureate

37:55 - Damini on her future in journalism

40:15 - Advice for those if feel stuck

49:30 - Finding the right people to work/create with

52:05 - What does community mean to Damini

53:45 - Damini on events she’s a part of

54:40 - One word checkout with Damini!Show More

"All Things in Time" with Tyree Haley | S2E8

Our guest for this month's Feature Friday is Tyree Haley. Tyree Haley ...

The Future of Black Land Ownership Starts Here | Shekara Grant & Curtis Whiley | S2E7

Our guests for this month’s double feature is Shekara Grant and Curtis ...

Our guests for this month’s double feature is Shekara Grant and Curtis Whiley!

Shekara Grant has ancestral ties to both Cherry Brook and Weymouth Falls, two of over 50 historic African ...Nova Scotian communities in this province. She graduated from Dalhousie University with combined honours in Sociology and French and a Certificate in Intercultural Communications in 2019. In 2023, Shekara founded the Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a platform for a vibrant community voice that stewards the land of Weymouth Falls by intersecting opportunities for growth and development with historical preservation of its cultural identity and assets. In addition to her work with the land trust, Shekara is pursuing a Masters in Sociology where she has been able to read and write primarily about African Nova Scotian and Indigenous relationships to property, land and justice. Her thesis will take a Black sociological approach to understanding and describing African Nova Scotian cultural identity beyond race and locality.

Curtis Whiley is a sixth-generation African Nova Scotian from Upper Hammonds Plains. With over 13 years in public service, he currently serves as Director of the Land Titles Initiative. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA in Social Enterprise Leadership. As the founder of the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Trust, Curtis leads efforts in land stewardship, affordable housing, and economic empowerment. He sits on the boards of the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts and the Ecology Action Centre. A passionate advocate, Curtis is committed to building equitable and innovative solutions that facilitate community-led transformation.

It was a pleasure to host this month’s Feature Friday episode with two incredible community trailblazers, Shekara and Curtis!

Show notes:

00:00 - Introduction to Shekara Grant and Curtis Whiley

9:55 - Land titles in community

18:45 - Curtis on starting a community land trust (CLT)

27:10 - Navigating communication centred around the community land trusts with community members

31:55 - The ins and outs of a community land trust

40:10 - Determining membership in a community land trust

47:15 - Looking at other CLTs in North America for inspiration

54:00 - The colonial nature of land titles

57:00 - Shekara and Curtis’ goals for their CLTs

1:16:20 - Where does funding come from?

1:26:55 - The future of CLTs

1:32:35 - One word checkoutShow More

ANS Lab’s Feature Friday is now a podcast!

"You're Only As Sick As Your Secrets" with Rev. Dr. Lennett J. Anderson | S3E3

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