Calm after the storm: Survivorship and other stories, with Amy Syed

Amy Syed
  • 5.0 (1)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Calm after the storm: Survivorship and other stories, with Amy Syed

Welcome to Calm After The Storm: Survivorship and Other Stories, the podcast that shares intersectional stories of trauma, survivorship, and triumph. Join us every week as Amy Syed interviews inspiring people to discuss how they moved through challenging times in their lives to determine what the true definition of ‘thriving’ is. Our goal is to share stories that resonate with you and spark hope for those in need. Find us anywhere you listen to podcasts.

  1. 01/22/2021

    Success and Overcoming Self Sabotage

    During her childhood, Karlyn Percil experienced bullying and sexual abuse. Without understanding how to deal with her trauma, Karlyn unconsciously carried it throughout her life, which formed into self-sabotaging narratives that ultimately affected her relationships with other people and herself. Eventually recognizing that she needed to make a change, Karlyn worked towards accepting and loving herself. She developed programs and stayed disciplined until she was able to regain her own power and tap into her full potential. Today, Karlyn Percil is a successful entrepreneur who focuses on sharing the lessons from her journey with women around the world.  1.33 - Karlyn’s childhood 4.10 - Karlyn’s child sexual abuse 5.39 - What self bullying looks like 8.10 -  The institutionalization of our lives and breaking free 14.45 - How to create a conscious contract with yourself 17.20 - Amy’s reflection  18.10 - Reflecting on your SIMUs 23.07 - How Karlyn reclaimed her power 29.16 - Karlyn’s businesses evolve 32.09 - How to help others understand the impact of stepping into your healing 35.25 - How to discover your purpose 36.30 - Remember to be audacious Support the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

    41 min

  2. 01/15/2021

    Adoption and Identity in Adulthood

    When Leigh Mitchell was three months old, she was given up for adoption. Her adopted parents divorced when she was only a year hold, causing disruption to the stability she felt from an early age. In school, Leigh struggled to find her stability, suffering from learning disabilities and constantly moving from place to place. Eventually after finding her footing in high school, Leigh watched her father buy a resort and suffer from a nervous breakdown that changed the course of his life. As a business owner herself today, Leigh has spent years helping both herself and others heal from similar traumas. In adulthood, Leigh managed to reconnect with her biological parents, putting together estranged pieces of her identity and began counselling to better understand how her traumas had affected her life. Today, Leigh is a thriving entrepreneur as the founder of Women in Business Network, a group of 30K+ women created to support female business owners.  1.41 - Leigh’s adoption and childhood 4.30 - Leigh moves back in with her mom 5.10 - Leigh’s learning disabilities 6.20 - Leigh’s stepfather has a car accident, family moves to Mississauga 7.20 - Leigh’s relationship with her biological parents 8.05 - Leigh starts hanging out with older crowd 9.10 - Leigh’s weekends with her adoptive father 10.14 - Leigh’s adoptive father buys a resort, sees her father have a nervous breakdown 11.52 - How Leigh’s trauma affected her 12.57 - Amy’s reflection on Leigh’s story 13.57 - Leigh goes to college instead of university 14.44 - Leigh gets her driver’s license 16.21 - How Leigh found and met her biological parents 18.55 - Leigh gets an explanation for her adoption from her father 21.55 - Leigh experiences postpartum depression after having her first child 22.17 - Amy’s second reflection 23.17 - Leigh starts seeing a psychiatrist  24.59 - How Women in Business Network was born 25.42 - How our businesses are often reflections of ourselves 26.21 - How to deal with rough days in business 29.58 - Self care for entrepreneurs 32.50 - Making decisions 33.56 - Leigh’s dedication 35.21 - Amy’s takeaways Support the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

    37 min

  3. 01/08/2021

    Opening Up About Stillbirth

    Farah Nasser is an award winning journalist who has dedicated her voice to elevating people of colour. Recently, Farah opened up about her personal experience with the stillbirth of her son Hussain, live on Global News. Throughout this episode, Amy and Farah trade stories about what it was like growing up as children of immigrant parents, and their pregnancies with their twins. Farah talks about the moment she found out that one of her twins had passed away in her womb, and the psychological effects it had on her as she continued to carry both twins. Today, Farah discusses her stillbirth openly to raise awareness on the subject and remembers Hussain fondly with her husband and two children.  1.32 - Farah’s childhood 2.51 - How Farah felt growing up as a child of immigrant parents 6.05 - The first time Farah was called a “paki” 8.21 - When Farah got married and decided to have kids 9.46 - Farah finds out she was having twins 10.32 - How Farah’s pregnancy went 11.12 - Farah lost one of her twins 13.26 - Amy’s reflection  14.43 - The pregnancy build up, Farah gave birth and found out how her twin passed away 16.33 - Farah’s labour 18.02 - The importance of talking about stillbirths 19.22 - Group therapy 21.17 - Why Farah and her husband decided to tell her son about his brother 22.54 - What life looks like now for Farah 24.38 - Amy’s reflection on loss 25.31 - What Farah is seeing in working moms today 28.03 - The need for protectionism 29.35 - Farah’s episode dedication Support the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

    33 min

  4. 12/18/2020

    Growing Pains

    After Avery Francis was promoted to her dream job, she was sexually assaulted at a work social. Put in a precarious position as part of the company’s HR department, Avery made the difficult decision to come forward and take action. However, although the individual was let go, Avery could not let go of the feeling that she was unsafe at her workplace. Months went by and she slowly became more and more depressed, suppressing her emotions of the incident, rather than dealing with them. After an emotional breakdown, Avery took a leave of absence where she found art therapy and began to move through the trauma that had occured. Upon arrival back to her job, Avery made the decision to leave the company to continue her pathway to thrive. Today, Avery is the founder of Bloom, a full service workplace design consultancy. 1.34 - Avery’s childhood 5.04 - Dropped out of school and had to pay her parents back. Ended up in recruiting. 7.02 - How Avery started her career after university 7.40 - Avery became the Director of Talent at Rangle.io  8.58 - Started to distance herself from her colleagues 9.27 - Avery’s promotion 10.05 - The work social, celebrating her promotion 10.57 - Avery’s sexual assault 16.15 - Avery turns blame inwards, how the assault affected Avery’s sense of self 17.56 - The dinner after the assault 18.27 - What action Avery took afterwards 19.04 - The action Rangle took 20.57 - How Avery felt at work after her assault 21.43 - Avery’s rock bottom 24.08 - Amy’s reflection 25.10 - Tools Avery used to heal  27.52 - Avery’s take on art therapy 29.50 - Sexual assault is often not a one-off situation 30.15 - Why Avery came forward  31.16 - Amy’s second reflection 32.32 - What happened next? 34.10 - How Bloom was born 35.18 - What thriving means to Avery 37.05 - Avery’s advocacy for BLM 42.40 - Who Avery honours on the website 43.00 - Amy’s final reflection Support the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

    45 min

  5. 12/11/2020

    Learning To Love Yourself

    Fortunate to have several parents due to divorce, Jodi Kovitz came from a large family that shaped her view on making lemonade out of hard situations. As Jodi grew up, she adopted the mindset of always trying to find the positive out of pain. After having her daughter Lilly, Jodi and her husband divorced. A family lawyer at the time, Jodi hit a breaking point where she recognized that the life she was living was not the right path for her. This sparked a metamorphosis, where Jodi recognized the negative behaviours she was manifesting and began to see that their impacts were bigger than herself. After realizing the behaviours were happening, Jodi focused on her self development to heal the wounds that would change her life and create a bigger impact. Today, Jodi Kovitz is the Founder and CEO of #MoveTheDial, the host of the Joyful Sundays podcast, and a certified meditation instructor.  1.32 - Jodi’s childhood, first experience with her parents   2.57 - How Jodi’s parents' divorce impacted her   6.24 - Jodi’s advice for anyone going through divorce.  7.55 - Jodi’s co-parenting relationship with her daughter’s stepmom   9.30 - Why Jodi became a family lawyer   12.00 - Jodi asks for a business development budget to build a collaborative family law practice   12.50 - Jodi realizes that the life she was living was not the right path for her   15.34 - Jodi’s life changing experience in Arizona   19.12 - How to hold space for people with severe mental health issue   19.43 - Amy’s first reflection on self love and physical manifestation of disease   21.19 - The start of #MoveTheDial   23.40 - Pausing operations of #MoveTheDial due to COVID-19   24.22 - Jodi’s meditation process   27.49 - Jodi’s grieving process for #MoveThe Dial   29.26 - Joyful Sundays   33.43 - Jodi’s dedication for the episode   34.32 - Amy’s final reflection   Support the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

    36 min

  6. 12/04/2020

    From Refugee Survivor to Real Estate Mogul

    A self-made millionaire, Tahani Aburaneh came from extremely humble beginnings. After being born to Palestinian parents in a refugee camp in Amman, Jordan, and is supported by international aid groups, Tahani was married against her will at age 15 to her cousin and sent to Canada without speaking a word of English. Determined to not be defined by her circumstances, she finished high school and managed to complete a business diploma from Conestoga College. Eventually, Tahani managed to leave her marriage and went on to build several successful businesses and a thriving real estate empire. Today she is also the author of Real Estate Riches: A Money-Making Game Plan for the Canadian Investor, and is one of the country’s leading experts on real estate investing. Show Notes: 1:40- Tahani talks about life in her refugee camp felt like 2:18- Tahani talks about her childhood. Emphasis on her relationship with her dad 2:55- Tahani’s arranged marriage 5:40- Tahani explains the “why” behind moving to Canada and how she reconciled with the decision. (To support her family in the refugee camp) 7:00- Tahani’s Dad's letters 7:13- Tahani’s life when she came to Canada + her husband 8:03- Excitement over going to school + learning English 10:20- How Tahani balanced her wife and home duties with school + her part-time job 11:17- Numbness wore off and Tahani starts questioning her life and decisions 12:12- Tahani talks about her marriage 13:04- Amy’s first reflection 13:42- Rock bottom 14:97- Tahani’s brother passed away + mom suffering from illness 15:45- Tahani talks about her real estate career starting + her first home purchase with no down payment 17:06- Gratitude and mindset shift 18:09- Tahani talks about her new “why” her two kids being her inspiration behind her hustle 19:07- Amy's second reflection 22:49- Her inspiration to help women 24:25- disadvantages of not promoting women at the forefront of investing 29:23- Tahani dedicates the episode to her parents 30:06- Amys conclusion Support the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

    32 min

  7. 11/27/2020

    The Gift of Adversity

    When Samra was 16, she was forced into an arranged marriage with an older man that she did not know. She was shipped to Canada, barely speaking english, and was forced to perform a role of wife and mother that she was not ready for. Although culturally, Samra’s marriage was accepted by her immediate family members and community, she knew that something wasn’t right. She had bigger hopes and dreams to get an education, build a career, and create a life for herself that was free from her family duties. After ten years of enduring abuse, while slowly saving up money from a small babysitting business, Samra was finally able to attend University and things started to change. At the University of Toronto, Samra was celebrated for her intelligence and found the resources and strength to leave her husband. Today, Samra has graduated at the top of her class, been named one of the top 100 most powerful women in Canada, and her book “A Good Wife: Escaping The Life I Never Chose” is a bestseller.  Show Notes: 2.15 - Samra’s childhood 6.45 - The mentality of accepted norms  8.39 - Samra’s arrange marriage 9.58 - Samra arrives in Canada with her new husband 13.45 - Samra describes her first 5 years in Canada 14.27 - Samra tries to end her life 17.40 - Amy’s initial reflection to Samra’s story 18.19 - How Samra pulled herself out of abuse 22.28 - What kept Samra going, Samra started going to school 24.48 - Samra finds the on-campus health and wellness center  26.21 - Samra starts to push back, her husband abuses her to the point where she decides to leave 29.43 - Samra graduates top of her class with awards 30.30 - Cultural backlash of divorce 32.11 - Rock bottom moment 33.02 - How to capture and listen to your inner voice 37.15 - Samra’s kids become her partners 38.53 - Amy’s second reflection 40.45 - How Samra is doing today, how can people be more inclusive 44.53 - Samra dedicates the episode to her younger sister 46.33 - Amy’s final conclusion, resources for victims of abuse Support the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

    48 min

  8. 11/20/2020

    Mindfulness, Meditation and Manifestation

    Two years ago, Brenda was pregnant with twins. A few months prior to her due date, Brenda was hospitalized for 30+ days before being thrust into an emergency C-section. Due to the hospital’s capacity, her twins were transferred to another NICU - away from Brenda for the first few days of their lives. When Brenda met her twins for the first time, they were wearing masks and hooked up to IVs. After Brenda was able to take them home with her and her husband two months later, everything seemed out of place. Nothing was the way that Brenda thought it would be and soon after, she began to realize that something was seriously wrong. About a year later, Brenda was diagnosed with PTSD from her traumatic birth experience, and slowly she began to accept her experience and heal.  1.22 - Brenda’s Childhood 3.43 - Life after University and getting pregnant with twins 5.07 - The pregnancy 7.20 - Pregnancy complications 10.05 - Unexpected early birth 12.08 - Post-birth in the NICU 16.45 - Brenda realizes there’s something off 19.40 - Brenda becomes a doula 21.56 - Brenda’s diagnosis of PTSD 22.32 - Amy’s reflection on Brenda’s story 24.08 - Brenda’s treatment  27.46 - Brenda’s attachment to the idea of perfection 31.50 - Amy’s concluding thoughts 33.14 - How Brenda is doing today 37.05 - Brenda’s dedication 39.11 - Amy’s key takeaways Support the show (https://www.amysyed.ca/calmafterthestormpodcast)

    41 min
See All (19)

Ratings & Reviews

About

Welcome to Calm After The Storm: Survivorship and Other Stories, the podcast that shares intersectional stories of trauma, survivorship, and triumph. Join us every week as Amy Syed interviews inspiring people to discuss how they moved through challenging times in their lives to determine what the true definition of ‘thriving’ is. Our goal is to share stories that resonate with you and spark hope for those in need. Find us anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Information

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada