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Kwame Osei

Inspirational Leader | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Expert

Biography

Kwame Osei immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of four from Ghana, West Africa. They made a home in Rexdale, a less favourable neighbourhood in Toronto. Young and susceptible to his surroundings, Kwame was consumed by street culture and embraced a negative perspective on life. He lost friends to gun violence, almost failed his first year of high school, and was once stabbed and held at gunpoint. After a series of life-threatening experiences, Kwame knew he needed to change. 

 

The change came in the form of sport. Kwame was accepted into St. Francis Xavier University, where he played football for the X-men and rediscovered his passion for life. Voted team captain for three seasons, Kwame learned to be a leader. The young star earned two degrees at the University, becoming the first member of his family to graduate with post-secondary education. After graduation, he went on to briefly play with the Toronto Argonauts.

 

Kwame brought his leadership and zest for life to Fort McMurray, Alberta, where he began his career as a teacher and successful football coach. He helped to organize a football development program that produced various post-secondary student-athletes. His dedication to his students and community earned him a Top 50 Under 50 Award in Fort McMurray.


In recent years Kwame Osei was a coach for Queen’s University in Ontario. Always staying true to his purpose Kwame Osei was teaching and supporting inmates at a maximum federal penitentiary in Kingston. He is currently the head of Equity Diversity and Inclusion at Nikki Ray Media. Kwame has found a way to have a positive impact on his students who are on their journey towards rehabilitation.

 

In August 2022, Kwame Osei was recognized and awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee award. The award is a symbolic statement of the enduring relationship between Canada and the Crown, as personified by Her Majesty the Queen, Canada’s Head of State, given to those who have made a significant contribution to their community. Kwame was recognized for his achievements as a teacher and mentor to incarcerated individuals in maximum security at Millhaven Institution in Kingston.

 

Additionally, he is the co-owner of the athletic apparel company, Triumph Elite and co-founder of the non-profit, Northern Elite Football. Kwame is also a part of a mentorship trio called Perspective on Mentoring, which aims to bridge the gap between adults and youth. In 2018, he took to the screen as a cast member of The Amazing Race Canada: Hero’s Edition.

 

Kwame has been featured in various TV commercials and has perfected the mastery of event hosting. Recently, Kwame has taken to more public speaking engagements, where he “plants seeds” to help others grow and succeed. Kwame Osei is passionate about motivating, educating, empowering and transforming individuals through a term he refers to as “seed planting.”

 

He has had speaking engagements with teams, schools, corporate teams, non-profit organizations and charities. Kwame’s goal is to inspire change and growth in every individual he meets, he does this through sharing his life experiences and incorporating metaphors as a means of helping to create a perspective shift for his audience.

WATCH: Kwame Osei | TEDTalk - "Be the One"

Kwame has written two wonderful children’s books that help our leaders of tomorrow brave adversity, build confidence and be their best selves. Check out Turtle in a Shell and If Not Me, Then Who?

TOPICS

Resilient Response To Adversity

Kwame uses the art of storytelling from his life to inspire his audience to adapt and conquer every obstacle that comes their way. Kwame urges his audience to understand that after stress comes success and from struggle comes strength. Kwame has learned this through the course of his life, as he overcame the negative environment he lived in. He overcame the stereotypes placed on him, countless situations in which he could have easily lost his life or been incarcerated. Kwame urges his audiences to not only find their passion but to also place themselves in the right environment to truly grow to their full potential.  Find out how Kwame turned his obstacles into triumphs and turned lead into gold.

The Leader In You

Kwame believes we all can be a leader in our own unique way. In this presentation, Kwame will discuss the important traits great leaders possess. Kwame will share stories from his life in sports, television and his personal life to connect with the audience and drive home his message. This presentation will energize and empower you to take your leadership to the next level. Book Kwame now and get ready to Soar!

Growth Mindset

Kwame will help his audience understand that the differences between successful people and unsuccessful people are simply the way they perceive the events of life. In this presentation, Kwame will break down the importance of having a growth mindset and how your life can be completely altered positively if you choose to see it in such a way. Kwame passionately believes that perception is everything in life. Book Kwame now and find out how his perception helped him at critical times in his life.

Diversity and Inclusion

In this presentation, Kwame will dive into personal stories involving diversity and inclusion. Kwame recalls firsthand experiences he had in his life involving the lack of diversity and inclusion, telling raw and authentic stories of the effects this had on his mental, social and emotional health. Kwame thoroughly explains what an inclusive workspace looks like, and he teaches his audience how to create a diverse environment to produce cultural competence and cultural understanding. Book Kwame now and find out how you can create a culture that permeates inclusion and diversity.

Prioritizing Your Mental Health

Kwame, like many people has had to endure many traumatic experiences. In this presentation Kwame will open up about his mental health battle and provide the audience with tools they can use to ensure they prioritize their mental health. There are many people in our society who are silently struggling with anxiety, stress and depression. Kwame believes we all need to have someone we can talk to because a silent battle can be the most deadly battle. Kwame wants to help break the stigma around mental health and encourage his audience to remove the narrative that we have been deceived into believing. Book Kwame now and have a mental health moment with him.

The Power of CHOICE

In this presentation, Kwame outlines how the decisions in his life no matter how substantial or minuscule they may have seemed to be at the time ultimately played a role in determining his destiny. Kwame shares stories from his life to drive home this message. The decisions we make accumulate over time whether it means simply choosing to be positive in the face of adversity or embracing diversity and inclusion, the bottom line is we all have a choice.

Host/MC

Kwame is also an experienced Host/MC who will bring an extra level of excitement to your event.

Jesse Lipscombe
Campus Speakers / Diversity and Inclusion / Education / Fresh Perspectives / Leadership / Social Change/Social Justice
Shea Emry
Fresh Perspectives / Mental Health / Sports
Hosts / Leadership / Motivators / Olympic Heroes / Women in Business