Gurpreet
In 2013, she made the decision to start her real estate career. Gurpreet’s decision to begin real estate came from a mix of strategic thinking and passion. She chose a profession which she had a genuine interest in and one that offered the opportunity to become a flourishing entrepreneurial venture without any barriers.
Since 2013, Gurpreet has built her own real estate team and sold over $500M in real estate. While real estate remains her number one passion, she has advanced her knack for entrepreuneurship by expanding into other multi million dollar business ventures including a real estate development company, SO78 developments inc. which in on the threshold of developing a mid-rise condominium and her recently acquired clothing manufacturing business, Rebel Apparel Inc. As most are exiting manufacturing in Canada, true to her knack of going against the tide, she’s decided to go all in.
Outside of business, Gurpreet has been passionate about using her resources and influence to better the world around her. She has established her own charity, the Sonu Bassi Foundation, working in collaboration with humanitarian organizations to encourage female participation in sports in rural Punjab. She also enjoys using social media to discuss current economic events and uplift female entrepreneurship.
416-736-6500
905-696-9957
Bassi is currently a GTA-based entrepreneur residing in Brampton, ON. She immigrated to Canada from Punjab, India in 1988 with her mom and her younger brother after her father’s demise.
Welcome to another issue of the Ontario South Asian Health Magazine. Our goal is to always equip our audience with some tools to help navigate and achieve health goals both internally and externally. In this special Women’s edition, we are featuring amazing women across Canada who are helping the community achieve their health & wellness goals.
With mental health issues consistently on the rise, our feature over story is on Salima Jadavji, who is the founder of Dare To Heal. She realized early in life when she was in a position to seek counselling that it was hard to find someone who understood the cultural nuances she was dealing with. Hence the reason she decided to pursue a career in this field. She now runs her own private counselling clinic and offers online courses through her website as well. Check out her article inside and visit www.daretoheal.co for more information.
We are also sharing a special BC feature article on Malinder Kaur, who is a meditation teacher, motivational speaker, author and model. She has mastered the art of meditation and her goal is to help the community understand the multiple benefits, so that they can master it as well. Check out the article inside to learn more about Malinder’s background and what inspired her to go down this spiritual path. Financial wellness is equally important, so we are sharing a throwback article on financial advisor Harprit Gill. One of the major contributors of day-to-day stress is managing finances efficiently. Harprit is passionate about educating the community – all age groups including the younger generation – on the importance of financial wellness in order to create a healthy future for you and your family. Learn more about her background in this issue and why you should work with her!
We would like to extend our gratitude to our readers for their continued support and encouragement. Your feedback and suggestions have been invaluable in shaping the content of this magazine and driving us to consistently strive for excellence.
Safely
Less inflammation Balanced blood sugar
More energy
Better sleep
Better breathing
Better digestion
Balanced mood Balanced hormones Less medications
At The Living Proof Institute, we believe in getting to the root cause, teaching you skills instead of giving you more pills and leveraging your body's own wisdom to heal you safely, rapidly, and holistically
We proudly serve clients all over the world and we have trained hundreds of holistic practitioners globally in our evidence-based root-cause process
Our mission is to inform, educate, and inspire you whole We invite you to get a copy of our book an learn more about our unique approach to health
With love and gratitude
Sachin and Dipa Patel - Founders
Our mission at the Thaali Program is to empower South Asians to take control of their health and metabolism. We provide free educational resources on our Instagram page and a more in-depth metabolic weight loss program designed specifically for South Asians helping them safely lose 25+ lbs in 6 weeks.
Dr. Gurdeep Brar is a chiropractor and lifestyle and weight loss coach. He is a co-founder of the Thaali Weight Loss and Lifestyle Program. His goal in life is to help as many people as possible escape pain, regain their vitality and live purposeful lives. Dr. Gurdeep is currently focused on educating the South Asian community on healthier choices with respect to food and lifestyle.
Dr. Navjot Singh Sekhon was always happiest in a gym. His love of exercise, and strong interest in taking care of his body through nutrition lead him to pursue a career as a chiropractor and as one of the founding members of the Thaali weight loss/ lifestyle program.
Dr. Sekhon’s goal is to educate people on making food their medicine. He believes that by being cognizant of the foods we eat, on a day to day basis, can truly heal us! His goal with the Thaali program is to provide his patients a simple, yet effective blueprint for health and wellness
To book a call: www.thaali.ca/learnmore
Dr. Ricky Brar is a chiropractor, functional health coach, clinical mentor, author, and his main passion is helping people overcome their health challenges through nutrition and lifestyle changes. Dr. Brar spent a decade in the functional medicine space helping individuals create their healthiest version of themselves and has trained practitioners all over the world.
Today, Dr. Brar's main goal is to help the South Asian community prevent most of the common metabolic health issues we face and educate them on the right way to eat, move, and live. He started the Thaali Program to get people the right info and help with weight loss goals.
Dr. Ricky Brar
Rekha was born and raised in Ontario, Canada to parents who immigrated independently and met here in Canada. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in biology from the University of Western Ontario, and then proceeded to become a Registered Nurse.
Rekha has been a nurse for 24 years and she’s a consultant with a B-Corp company that specializes in clean, vegan skincare, nutrition and cosmetics.
She recently graduated from Jay Shetty’s Certification School and is now a Certified Life Coach. Rekha is a twice-divorced mom of 6 and a domestic-abuse survivor.
After her second divorce, she felt a lot of shame and humiliation. Not only shame for being divorced twice, but also shame around her husband cheating on her. He tried to make me believe that something was wrong with her. After being in a very dark place for quite some time, she finally decided to take control over her life and emotions. Rekha realized that narcissists are very good at making themselves look good, even when they are doing bad things. She realized that she is an amazing person and am much stronger than she thought.
Rekha started sharing her story on social media in hopes of helping other women who were feeling unworthy after their divorce. Instagram account grew to over 30,000 followers, however she had to stop using that account because of the amount of South Asian men who were attacking her for speaking up for women. It was then that she realized the huge need, especially in the South Asian community, for women to be courageous and stand up for themselves. They need a voice. Rekha has made it her mission to help other moms gain the confidence and skills needed to overcome the shame and stigma that comes with being a divorced mom, so that they can hold their heads high and be proud of who they are.
She has created a free resource online for divorced moms called "5 Tips To Help You Get Unstuck After Your Divorce".
Rounit is the Owner of Tryna Get Jacked, where he and his team focus on not just getting jacked but creating a lifestyle with long term sustainable habits.
The focus doesn't just revolve around muscle gain and fat loss, the goal is to create a strong community where everyone can grow and glow up together through transforming both mentally & physically.
Rounit has been training himself since 2013 and did his first physique competition in 2017 while being a full time accountant. He then transitioned to a full time personal trainer and online coach in 2020.
What really pushed him to transition was not just his passion and love for fitness but at this time he had started to post content online and started to notice the meaningful impact it was having on others. He also started to notice his own family make healthie choices especially his dad who completely transformed. All these things combined helped Rounit validate this is the direction he should be pursuing in his life.
Over the past 3 years, Tryna Get Jacked has been fortunate enough to have impacted over 100+ clients by changing their perspective on training, nutrition, lifestyle and understanding the massive role that mindset plays on health and getting JACKED. Along with these clients, TGJ has received hundreds messages online letting them know how that their content has helped them stay motivated as well as how it has accelerated their own health journeys. Once again, this further confirms Rounit and his TGJ team are heading in the right direction. They are excited to impact their clients in a positive way, be part of thousands of more transformations and get everybody JACKED.
Summer is just around the corner so it’s the perfect time to start planning some fun projects for your backyard. Whether you are looking for new ways to entertain and host friends or you want to surprise your spouse or family with an improved aesthetic, here are some DIY projects that can help make your backyard even more spectacular
1. Fire Pit. If you buy the stones and materials yourself, you can make a firepit in less than a day and for under $100. Get ready for some s’mores and scary stories around the campfire right from your backyard
2. Tree Swing. Making a tire swing is another cheap project that can be completed in less than a day You will need a chain, rope, drill, wood for the seat, and a healthy tree to hang it from Buy a pre-made tree swing seat to make this process even easier
3. Garden Bed . This is a great project for DIY lovers with a green thumb Get ready to eat your own homegrown herbs and vegetables when you create a garden bed in your yard Make sure to use cedar for the boundary because it is rot resistant.
4. Outdoor Lighting. Brighten up your backyard with some easy lighting ideas, such as hanging lanterns, lining wired lights on your trees, or adding some fixtures along your walkway. Make your backyard a soothing retreat with some ambient lighting
5. Bird Feeder. Show some love to your neighborhood birds by creating a bird feeder for your backyard Make sure to place your feeder away from any windows and in a high area so no other animals can reach it Get ready for some lovely bird songs.
Many things in our world are out of our control, but one thing you can control is you home environment. There many simple changes you make to instill some much needed peace into your liv space. In order to create a peaceful environment in th home, make sure everythin you see, smell, hear, and to gives you a calm feeling ins
It can be stressful and overwhelming to see all your knick-knacks and papers sprawled across you desk or table Make it a hab to declutter and organize each room at least once a week to keep a zen-like state of mind
Another way to increase the peace in your home is making sure it smells wonderful Candles and air fresheners work well, but if you want to give your home a truly soothing scent, consider an essential oil
diffuser There is a huge variety of essential oils, but hints of lemon, peppermint, or sandalwood can really help introduce a sense of calm in your home.
On to the ears! To add soothing sounds into your home atmosphere, find a good speaker system to play smooth jazz or natural sounds as you
work or relax at home Or, if you prefer silence, consider soundproofing a room to cancel out outside noise. Finally, consider adding a plush blanket to your couch or bed to settle down with in the evenings or add a soft rug to hug your toes as you walk around!
CONTACT ME FOR ALL YOUR: RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, PRE-CONSTRUCTION, INVESTMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT LAND REAL ESTATE NEEDS COMING SOON
Dustin Sidhu Sidhu Luxury Properties
eXp Realty, Brokerage
4711 Yonge Street
North York, ON M2N 6K8
647-927-9156
dustinsidhu@gmail com
Office: 866-530-7737
Canadian South Asian women represent a strong, equal, and growing population. South Asian women entrepreneurs and professionals need equal representation and support in business. We need to set an example for our future generation of young women that they can succeed and bridge the gap in all professions. Join us in our mission as we strive to create a center to foster and promote South Asian women professional excellence
Address: 2540 Finch Ave West, North York ON M9M 2G3
Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery
M.D. (A.M) degree from Institute of Alternative Medicine
Medical Examiner, Dynacare
Registered Herbalist, OHA (Ontario Herbalist Association)
Certified Nutritionist
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RISE (Resilience. Independence. Support. Empowerment)
Supporting Women who are experiencing Gender-Based Violence
Achēv's new RISE program aims to empower women and help them reach their full potential through informative workshops, supportive groups, and confidential one-on-one support
The program will support women and self identifying women who are experiencing violence to become economically empowered and to rebuild their lives, live safely, gain skills, and develop a strong sense of well-being.
Program Highlights:
Free one-on-one supportive counselling
Safety planning
Legal rights workshops and resources
Financial literacy training
System navigation and referrals
Life Skills and self-esteem workshops
Employment support and referrals
Interpretation services available
Coordinated By:
Interested in learning more about the concept of financial wealth, Harprit Gill went to the bank to ask questions related to mortgages to learn how to become a first-time homeowner. This experience, which failed to enhance her knowledge, ultimately helped her realize that just like her, many Canadians did not understand the basic rules of money and how to build and sustain wealth. This same experience and realization further influenced and motivated her to learn more.
She began to study financial concepts on her own and eventually started teaching the basics of credit and investing to the youth that she used to interact with while working in the social services industry. After coming across a financial advisor, she learned about the different aspects involved in wealth building.
“I went into the social services industry because I wanted to be able to create some sort of systemic change but realized it is almost impossible to do so. And the more I started to learn about money, I was like ‘okay, this is where the impact really is’ because ownership really is key when it comes to any sort of systemic change. And although there are people, even within the South Asian community who have come to Canada and have done really amazing for themselves, they don’t understand the intricacies of what it really means to create generational wealth.
Although people come here and create a better life for themselves some are not educated on how to sustain the wealth they've created.”
Harprit Gill has helped hundreds of Canadians build and sustain wealth through her passion for community work & entrepreneurship, paired with her love of educating people on financial literacy and providing financial solutions.
Harprit, who was born in India and is the oldest of four siblings, says that observing her dad as he conducted his business dealings helped her realize that she wanted to eventually start a business of her own.
In fact, around the age of 14, she dreamt about eventually opening up a community center – unfortunately, this dream slowly started to fade as she got into the workforce and comprehended the fact that her salary only allowed her to support and sustain herself and her family.
Although Harprit had never envisioned getting into the financial services industry because she readily admits that she was never good at math, this changed after interacting with the financial advisor who educated her about integral theories centered around various financial concepts. This is when Harprit came to an important conclusion:
“When [the financial advisor] started teaching me about money and how it worked, it was so little about numbers. And it was really about the rules around money…there are numbers involved, but nothing crazy outside of your basic math which includes adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying, and maybe some percentages, here and there. Understanding the basic rules of everyday banking and financial literacy, will allow you to get around the loopholes and create savings and investment growth, tax reduction, beat inflation, eliminate bad debt and everything in between,” explains Harprit.
Excited about what she was learning, Harprit desired to pass on this knowledge to others, including those in the South Asian community.
When asked about why this knowledge would be particularly valuable to individuals of South Asian origin, Harprit explains that while many children are taught and encouraged to save their money and invest in real estate, they are not educated about the importance of investing money in a more diversified manner as a means of building wealth.
With a clear sense of purpose, Harprit eventually became a financial advisor and has been working in the field for the last four years.
Talking about some of the most common issues that she encounters when working with various clients, Harprit explains that in general, individual “debt levels are through the roof.”
“What we are earning on a monthly basis versus what we are spending on a monthly basis is just not comparable….a lot of people look like they have their stuff together because they might be driving a nice car, they might be living in a nice home right. But on paper, when you really dig deep into people’s situations, you really start to realize that the lifestyle that they are portraying is definitely not true.
She adds that while consumerism is at an all-time high, schools are not doing enough to educate young people about managing finances.
To foster change and provide guidance in this area, Harprit is known to conduct workshops and financial literacy programs in Ontario-based high schools and non-profit organizations. She also leads webinars and workshops with school boards to assist them in clearly understanding recently implemented curriculums related to financial literacy.
Discussing the importance of financial wellness, Harpreet explains that although “money is not everything, it is a tool that can help individuals live a better-quality life.” Furthermore, it affects all aspects of one’s life, including the kind of food that they have access to, where they can live and the type of education they can provide their children.
Elaborating on this idea, Harprit reflects on the fact that she grew up in a low-income neighborhood where the quality of food at the local grocery store matched the average income of the households that were situated in the area.
Understandably, she also explains that a low socioeconomic status can negatively affect an individual’s mental health in various ways. www.harpritgill.com
I remember when I was 19-years-old, I had a condition called ulcerative colitis. There was a tear in my intestines, which made me bleed internally for six years. For those six years, I didn’t have insurance coverage or anything like that and I had to pay on average 2000 dollars every month just for my medication. And that led to more stress because then I was also stressed out about the fact that my body wasn’t healthy and bleeding and close to dying. I was working night shifts as well as day shifts just to be able to afford my medications to stay alive. So even if I had critical insurance put in place or I was financially well off at that time, then that’s one less added pressure that I would have had to think about. Yes, I would still have my health issues but at least I wouldn’t have had to worry about working 17 hours a day and I could have at least relaxed and let my body recover and repair itself.”
Speaking about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her business, Harprit explains that because all of her workshops and client appointments have had to be shifted from in-person to online, she can work more efficiently as she no longer has to spend time traveling from one location to another.
As a result, she is also able to interact with more clients on a daily basis. Furthermore, due to increased accessibility, she has gained access to clients across Ontario and Canada as opposed to just those situated in the Greater Toronto area.
While she admits that she was always hesitant to embrace technology, the pandemic forced her to change her ways, learn new skills, and become a full-time entrepreneur.
Besides interacting with clients through online platforms such as Zoom, Harprit is on various social media platforms including Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Interestingly enough, she even hosts a YouTube channel as well as a podcast Money Talks: Decoding Finances.
“I always try to think of myself as a consumer. I don’t take the typical sales tactic approach because I come from a social work background. For me, when it comes to my business, everything is based around the [question] of how I can add extra value to people’s lives. I like to educate people and let the education speak for itself…so on my Instagram, it’s like a mixture of entertainment with education and inspiration…and then when I do my webinars online, I make sure that I include a lot of different activities. We also do a lot of discussions, and we even talk about things that we normally wouldn’t talk about in our families and communities when it comes to money-related things like for example, the mistakes that we have made. I also talk about everything from saving and budgeting, how to build up credit, a credit score, and how to get into your first home.”
On a closing note, Harprit acknowledges the fact that every individual is unique in their circumstances. Therefore, although she treats every client equally, she understands the importance of tailoring her approaches to fit the needs of different clients.
In line with her own beliefs in the importance of knowledge and education, Harprit also ensures that her clients are fully acquainted with financial concepts and aspects related to the service or product that they are looking to acquire before she goes ahead to assist them further.
Harprit will be hosting two FREE Money Mind Master classes on Saturday October 7th, 2023 for healthcare professionals who have professional corporations and private practices and on Saturday October 14th, 2023 for healthcare workers from all sectors of the industry. These sessions will be held on Zoom. Our frontline healthcare workers have been working so hard for us over the last year and a half and it’s my time to return the favor by providing you all with the knowledge to obtain your financial freedom. So register now to RSVP for your spot.
Harprit is also always looking to grow her team. If you’re interested in a part time opportunity to learn more about the financial services industry, please contact her to arrange your interview. No experience required, you will be mentored and taught everything you need to know. Only coachable, committed and serious people.
New blood and plasma donors needed now.
Each new donor helps save lives. Donate throughout the summer and in the months that follow to start a new, lifesaving tradition.
Hardeep, blood and plasma donorThousands of new and existing blood and plasma donors are needed to help strengthen Canada’s Lifeline. A small group of dedicated donors continue to sustain the national blood system, but more are needed to continue to meet patient need. Join Canada’s Lifeline and help save lives. Every donor – and every donation – has a ripple e ect that goes on to have a lasting impact in the lives of others. By donating in the weeks and months to come, you'll help to ensure a strong and healthy lifeline continues.
Book now at blood.ca or use the GiveBlood app.
100,000
Being diagnosed with kidney disease is life-changing and can happen with little or no warning. The Kidney Foundation provides support and resources to help people live well with kidney disease.
Peer Support can help make the journey easier to bear. Talking to others with similar life experiences about what to expect when learning to live with kidney disease can be an important step in the journey. The Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Connect peer support program offers one-to-one support, where you are paired with a trained volunteer; online support through kidneyconnect.ca and numerous group support meetings each month held virtually. There has been tremendous growth in group support in Ontario, including niche groups for those early in their kidney journey living with reduced kidney function, caregivers, parents of children living with kidney disease and those living with a kidney transplant.
Peer Support volunteers do not offer medical advice, but they can tell you about their experience with kidney disease and how they balance family life, work and social activities. They’ll be able to answer many of your questions, because they’ve been there too. We have patient volunteers who speak a variety of different languages and can offer support in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi.
No matter where you are in your journey with kidney disease, help is a phone call away. Learn more by calling 1.866.390.7337 email ontario.programs@kidney.ca or visit our website.
