She asked a near-stranger at a Canadian networking event if she'd had Botox. In Turkey, that question is completely normal. Here, it nearly ended the conversation — and taught her everything she needed to know about the cultural line she'd just crossed.

In this episode of Boosted, I sit down with Gizem Uysal, founder and CEO of Deal Business Design Inc. and Director of Business Development at the Whitby Chamber of Commerce. Gizem is candid, funny, and refreshingly direct about what it actually takes to build a business and a new life in a country you weren't born in, and that directness is exactly what makes this conversation so good.

We talk about the bus ride in Toronto that convinced her, almost instantly, that Canada was where she wanted to build her life, what it was like learning Canadian business etiquette the hard way, and what it means when someone asks, "where are you from?"

We cover:

• The bus ride in Toronto, and the small moments of kindness that convinced her this was home
• Her path from physical therapist, to Turkish Airlines flight attendant flying to 65 countries, to founder of her own marketing business
• The Botox question that taught her where Canadian boundaries actually sit, and what she's learned about trust and honesty in Canadian business since
• Her own experience with the question this series keeps coming back to: how "where are you from?" used to make her anxious, and the moment someone reframed her accent from something to apologize for into an advantage
• The food, hospitality, and directness she wishes showed up more here in Canada

This episode is essential for anyone building a business in a new country, navigating the unwritten rules of Canadian networking, or figuring out how to ask the questions that matter without causing harm. If you've ever wondered whether asking "where are you from?" builds a bridge or a wall, this one is for you.

Part of the Boosted Season 2 guest series on the question we avoid, and how to ask it anyway.

New episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe and discover how intentional presence creates the career differentiator that sets you apart.

Boosted is brought to you by Boost Academy of Excellence. boostacademyofexcellence.com

Visit Boost Academy of Excellence at https://boostacademyofexcellence.com

Connect with Trina on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinaboos/⁠

Follow Boost Academy of Excellence on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/boostacademyofexcellence⁠

Link to my keynote where I spoke in more detail about the etiquette of the question, "Where are you from?" ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UzI6vESpB8⁠

The GRACE Framework: ⁠https://boostacademyofexcellence.com/cibc/#grace-download⁠

Connect with Gizem on Instagram: @dealbusinessdesign

Visit Gizem's website: www.dealbusinessdesign.com

Music by: In the City

He resisted the decision for six and a half years. When he finally said yes, he left a thriving 20-year law career for a warehouse job that broke his body before it rebuilt his faith.

In this episode of Boosted, I sit down with Kayode Akomolafe, a former lawyer in Nigeria who now serves as Human Rights and Equity Advisor at the Durham Catholic District School Board. Kayode is warm, direct, and unflinchingly honest about the parts of this journey that were genuinely hard, and that honesty is what makes this conversation so rich.

We talk about the moment he heard, standing alone in his living room, that it was time to move to Canada, what it actually felt like sorting freight for $1,800 a month after running his own law practice, and what it means when someone asks, "where are you from?"

We cover:

• The living room moment, and the four separate signs that followed it before he finally listened
• Going from running his own law practice with staff of his own, to a warehouse job that nearly broke him physically, and the one question that kept him going
• What practicing his faith looks like day to day in Nigeria, and how that's shifted since moving to Canada
• His own framework for the question this series keeps coming back to: asking "where are you from?" is about context and relationship, not curiosity alone
• The traditions, food, and community he wishes showed up more here in Canada

This episode is essential for anyone rebuilding a career or identity from scratch, leading equity work inside an institution, or figuring out how to ask the questions that matter without causing harm. If you've ever wondered whether asking "where are you from?" builds a bridge or a wall, this one is for you.

Part of the Boosted Season 2 guest series on the question we avoid, and how to ask it anyway.

New episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe and discover how intentional presence creates the career differentiator that sets you apart.

Boosted is brought to you by Boost Academy of Excellence. boostacademyofexcellence.com

Connect with Trina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinaboos/
Follow Boost Academy of Excellence on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boostacademyofexcellence

Link to my keynote where I spoke in more detail about the etiquette of the question, “Where are you from?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UzI6vESpB8
The GRACE Framework: https://boostacademyofexcellence.com/cibc/#grace-download
Connect with Kayode on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayode-akomolafe-12923526/
Follow Kayode on Instagram: @akomsbaba
Music by: In the City

Have you ever stood outside your own event, unable to get in, while colleagues right beside you walked through without question?

In this episode of Boosted, I sit down with Patrice Barnes, a former Ontario MPP who immigrated to Canada from Jamaica and built a career that took her from school trustee to Queen's Park to public affairs. Patrice is candid, reflective, and still working through some of this in real time, and that honesty is what makes this conversation so rich.

We talk about growing up grounded in who she was in Jamaica, the moment identity became something she had to navigate rather than just live, and what it actually means when someone asks, "where are you from?"

We cover:

• Growing up in Jamaica, where class shaped identity far more than race ever did
• A night at a political event when security wouldn't let her in, despite colleagues walking past with the exact same credentials
• The moment she caught herself making the same assumption she's usually on the receiving end of
• The GRACE Framework: a tool for knowing whether to ask "where are you from," how to ask it, and how to receive it gracefully
• What it takes to translate between government and the organizations, and communities, it's meant to serve

This episode is essential for anyone navigating identity in public-facing work, leading with representation in mind, or figuring out what it means to bring your full self into rooms that don't always make space for you. If you've ever wondered whether asking "where are you from?" builds a bridge or a wall, this one is for you.

Part of the Boosted Season 2 guest series on the question we avoid, and how to ask it anyway.

New episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe and discover how intentional presence creates the career differentiator that sets you apart.

Boosted is brought to you by Boost Academy of Excellence. boostacademyofexcellence.com

Watch the keynote I reference in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UzI6vESpB8

The GRACE Framework: https://boostacademyofexcellence.com/cibc/#grace-download

Connect with Patrice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricebarnes-1/

Connect with Trina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinaboos/

Music by: In the City

Have you ever reached out to a total stranger because you recognized their last name?

In this episode of Boosted, I sit down with Analisa Allen, a communications specialist who immigrated to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago in 2018 and built her career from the ground up, one bet, one connection, and one "foot in the door" at a time. Analisa actually found me the same way half of Trinidad seems to find each other: through a last name.

We talk about what it takes to rebuild a career in a new country, the moment a stranger decided to bet on her before she'd proven anything, and what it really means when someone asks, "where are you from?"

We cover:

• How a Trinidadian last name, and a childhood hospital room memory, connected two strangers on LinkedIn
• Taking a role beneath her actual level on purpose, as a strategy to get her foot in the door in Canada
• The moment a hiring manager recognized her name and decided to bet on her before the interview even started
• The GRACE Framework: a tool for knowing whether to ask "where are you from," how to ask it, and how to receive it gracefully
• What she's kept from Trinidad that she'll never let go of, and what Canada gave her that she never expected

This episode is essential for anyone building a career in a new country, leading a diverse team, or navigating what it means to bring your full self to work. If you've ever wondered whether asking "where are you from?" builds a bridge or a wall, this one is for you.

Part of the Boosted Season 2 guest series on the question we avoid, and how to ask it anyway.

New episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe and discover how intentional presence creates the career differentiator that sets you apart.

Boosted is brought to you by Boost Academy of Excellence. boostacademyofexcellence.com

Watch the keynote I reference in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UzI6vESpB8

The GRACE Framework: https://boostacademyofexcellence.com/cibc/#grace-download

Connect with Analisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/analisaallen/

Connect with Trina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinaboos/

Music by: In the City

Have you ever asked "Where are you from?" and wondered if you were asking it right?

In this episode of Boosted, I sit down with Amy Au, a Hong Kong-born leadership coach, international bestselling author, and founder of Innovate You. Amy came to Canada as a teenager, fell in love with the country almost immediately, and built her career and family here, but she's spent decades navigating this question across two very different cultures.

We go deep on one of the most common, and most complicated, questions in professional life, the split second before she answers it, and how to ask it with grace.

We cover:

• What it actually feels like to hear "you're from Canada?" said back with disbelief, and the difference between that and genuine curiosity
• The accent she consciously softened to be understood, and the handful of words she never could change
• The GRACE Framework: a tool for knowing whether to ask, how to ask, and how to receive this question gracefully
• Why genuine curiosity connects us, and why asking to confirm an assumption does the opposite

This episode is essential for anyone working in a diverse workplace, leading a team, or navigating professional relationships across cultures. If you've ever asked this question without thinking, or avoided it entirely out of fear, this one is for you.

Part of the Boosted Season 2 guest series on the question we avoid, and how to ask it anyway.

New episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe and discover how intentional presence creates the career differentiator that sets you apart.

Boosted is brought to you by Boost Academy of Excellence. boostacademyofexcellence.com

Watch the keynote I reference in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UzI6vESpB8&t

The GRACE Framework: https://boostacademyofexcellence.com/cibc/#grace-download

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-au-wm/
Amy's website: https://innovateyou.ca

Connect with Trina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinaboos/

Music by: In the City

Have you ever asked "Where are you from?" - and wondered if you were asking it right?

In this episode of Boosted, I sit down with Hilda Gan, a third-generation Canadian Chinese whose family has been in this country since the railroad era of the late 1800s. Hilda grew up in a mostly non-Chinese neighbourhood, culturally in-between in a way she didn't have language for until she was a teenager. And yet, she is still asked where she's from as if she just arrived.

We go deep on one of the most common - and most complicated - questions in professional life, the history behind it, and how to ask it with grace.

We cover:

• What it actually feels like to be asked "Where are you from?" when your family has been here for three generations
• The hidden history of Chinese Canadians in Toronto - the head tax, Canada’s Chinese Exclusion Act, and the original Chinatown most people don't know about
• The woman who sat beside Diefenbaker and helped change Canadian law - Jean Lum

• The GRACE Framework: a tool for knowing whether to ask, how to ask, and how to receive this question gracefully
• Why genuine curiosity connects us - and why asking to categorize someone does the opposite

This episode is essential for anyone working in a diverse workplace, leading a team, or navigating professional relationships across cultures. If you've ever asked this question without thinking - or avoided it entirely out of fear - this one is for you.

Part of the Boosted Season 2 guest series on the question we avoid, and how to ask it anyway.

New episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe and discover how intentional presence creates the career differentiator that sets you apart.

Boosted is brought to you by Boost Academy of Excellence. boostacademyofexcellence.com

Link to the keynote I reference in this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bndHmWza7ZW6J2yodejoo?si=bpI7GM41RwKzX5QtUo72BA

The GRACE Framework: https://boostacademyofexcellence.com/cibc/#grace-download

Music by: In the City

Have you ever been asked "Where are you from?" and felt like there was no simple answer?

In this episode of Boosted, I sit down with Salma Khalaf, a Palestinian refugee born and raised in Lebanon, now building her life in Canada. Salma has never set foot in Palestine. Neither has her father. And at the time of this recording, she holds no passport from any of the three countries that have shaped her identity.

We go deep on one of the most loaded questions in professional settings, why we're told not to ask it, why we ask it anyway, and how to ask it right.

We cover:

• What it is actually like to navigate "Where are you from?" when no single answer is true
• How the question can connect people, or quietly make someone feel like an outsider
• The difference between Canadian and American workplaces when it comes to identity
• The GRACE Framework: a tool for knowing whether to ask, how to ask, and how to receive this question gracefully
• A concept from Salma's culture that stopped me in my tracks: give someone 70 excuses before assuming the worst

This episode is essential for anyone working in a diverse workplace, leading a team, or navigating professional relationships across cultures. If you have ever asked this question without thinking, or avoided it entirely out of fear, this one is for you.

Part of the Boosted Season 2 guest series on the question we avoid, and how to ask it anyway.

New episodes every other Thursday. Subscribe and discover how intentional presence creates the career differentiator that sets you apart.

Boosted is brought to you by Boost Academy of Excellence. boostacademyofexcellence.com

Link to the keynote I reference in this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bndHmWza7ZW6J2yodejoo?si=bpI7GM41RwKzX5QtUo72BA

The GRACE Framework: https://boostacademyofexcellence.com/cibc/

Music by: In the City

Have you ever asked someone "Where are you from?" and watched their face light up - or watched them quietly shut down? Have you ever wondered whether that question, asked with the best intentions, might still be doing harm? Or felt the discomfort of not knowing whether to ask at all?

Boosted is the podcast that reveals the unwritten rules of professional success that nobody teaches you in school.

Hosted by Trina Boos, founder of Boost Academy of Excellence, this show delivers actionable tips to build your professional presence and advance your career through real workplace scenarios and human stories.

To kick off Season 2, Trina shares the most personal keynote of her career - delivered live to nearly 1,000 professionals at CIBC's International Professionals Network Signature Event. The topic? A single question that divides people almost perfectly down the middle. Asked well, it builds genuine connection. Asked poorly, it can make someone feel reduced to a category, othered, like they'll never quite belong.

Trina was told by etiquette experts, DEI practitioners, and HR professionals alike: never ask it. And yet her own experience - as an immigrant from Trinidad who has lived across multiple countries and cultures - told a very different story. So she set out to explore the nuance most people skip past entirely. When does this question connect? When does it divide? And how do you navigate it with care, whether you're the one asking or the one being asked?

In this episode, Trina walks through real stories from her own life - including her late father's extraordinary gift for human connection, a moment that went sideways and then beautifully right, and a colleague whose own answer to this question would require a whiteboard and forty minutes. She also introduces the GRACE Framework, her five-part practical guide for navigating one of the most powerful - and most complicated - questions in professional life.

This episode is essential for anyone working on diverse teams, leaders looking to build genuine cultural connection at work, immigrants and international professionals who have lived this question their entire careers, and anyone who has ever wondered whether a simple question could mean so much more than it seems.

New episodes every other Thursday.

Subscribe and discover how intentional presence creates the career differentiator that sets you apart.

Boosted is brought to you by Boost Academy of Excellence (boostacademyofexcellence.com).

Music by: In the City