“Bags 2 Riches”, brought to you by Simplii Financial, is a docuseries that features the origins of seven notable immigrants’ journeys while highlighting their new lives in Canada. The series revisits the lows and celebrates the highs as each individual recounts the challenges they faced.

I am honoured to be featured alongside NBA star Chris Boucher, Syrian-born “refugee” chocolatier Tareq Hadhad, broadcast pioneer Shushma Datt, first 3-sport-Canadian-Olympian Georgia Simmerling, and a few others. We are all immigrants who call Canada home, and we all aim to contribute to this incredible country.

The docuseries was a massive success, so last evening the “Bags 2 Riches” team brought us together in real life to celebrate with a few hundred guests.

Tareq shared how the war destroyed his family’s chocolate business, which was one of the largest in the region at the time. As a refugee in Canada, he rebuilt everything from the ground up. Peace by Chocolate is now one of the largest chocolate companies in Canada.

If you think his inspirational story is like a Hollywood movie, you are not wrong. You can now watch “Peace by Chocolate” (the movie) on your favourite streaming service.

Chris revisited his early struggles. He occasionally needed to ride the overnight bus just to stay warm for the cost of a fare before achieving success, including helping the Raptors win the championship in 2019.

Shushma, Georgia, and I also revisited our own experiences, moderated by the amazing Sangita Patel. The takeaway? Follow your passion, lean into your strengths, work hard, don’t give up, and dream big.

Other important takeaways: 1) Chris is incredibly tall! 2) Like me, Sangita is an electrical engineer, which I didn’t know. She is now one of the most engaging media personalities in Canada.

Thanks again to Simplii Financial for giving us the platform to share our stories!

P.S. All 7 episodes of “Bags 2 Riches” can be viewed on YouTube. I know you’ve probably seen enough of me. But, if you’re curious, catch Eva and on episode 4 🙂