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Feature Friday

Feature Friday

Written by: ANS Lab | BNV Media
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About this listen

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. You can find the podcast on all podcast platforms as well as YouTube! Follow ANS Lab on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anslab/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ansyouthlab/?fref=tag Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ans-social-innovation-youth-lab-909b961b3/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ansyouthlab/featured Follow One North End on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/one_north_end/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OneNorthEnd Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/onenorthend/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OneNorthEndANS Labs 2024 Social Sciences
Episodes
  • S2E12: "Start Where You're At" with Nevell Provo and Corvell Beals
    Dec 26 2025

    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!



    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!

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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • S2E11: "My Music Found My Audience" with Kye Clayton and Jody Upshaw | PART 2
    Dec 12 2025

    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!

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    54 mins
  • S2E11: "My Music Found My Audience" with Kye Clayton and Jody Upshaw | PART 1
    Nov 28 2025

    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 & community

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    49 mins
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