Casey Palmer, Author

Last updated on October 4th, 2022 at 05:06 pm

And then all of a sudden, we were halfway through 2020 and I was getting ready to write a book.

Casey Palmer, Author—I didn’t see it coming, but I’ll take it!

It all started back in the summer when Kwame Scott Fraser reached out to ask me about an idea. Recently named the President/Publisher of Dundurn Press, one of the things he wanted to make was a parenting book from a Black father’s perspective.

It wasn’t hard to do the math. In an environment where sizeable publishers had published only a couple dozen books on Black fatherhood in the last thirty years and so many people trying better to understand after the events of May 25th, it was a perfect moment for a quality book to give voice to a group too often written off by the world around them.

It was clear that a book on Black fatherhood was direly needed to keep up with the times, but at first, I didn’t know if I was the man for the job.

Live from the 3.5, 2020—Back to Black.—Casey and His Kids
Casey Palmer, Author. Qualifications: Had children. Wrote about it ????

Casey Palmer, Author vs. Impostor Syndrome.

Here’s my issue—in a few weeks, my eldest son will be seven years old. And my world today looks entirely different from the one I lived in when he first showed up in 2013. It means that I’ve learned a lot through raising my kids, and the pandemic gave me a lot of insight into them I might not have gotten otherwise… but there was still so much parenting I’d have no idea about because I hadn’t made it there yet!

What did I have to offer the dad to a seventeen-year-old? What could I say to the dad of a twenty-seven-year-old that he hadn’t heard before? These were the kinds of questions bouncing through my head as Scott explained the vision he had in mind. Who was I to write this sweeping tale on Black fathers when I’d barely scratched the surface myself?

But Scott just asked me this:

“If not you, then who?”

Ricky Shetty | Why Travelling is so IMPORTANT.

Last updated on April 21st, 2021 at 09:26 pm

We Are the Sum of Our Experiences

It’s no secret that I’m busy. If I didn’t have Sarah and the kids to keep me grounded, I’d likely spend every waking moment thinking about content, always trying to find the best ways to tell the next story. But with all this thinking going on, people often wonder how I find time for it all. Where did I pick my skills up? How do I find guests for my podcast? How do I keep from falling apart?

The answer, my friends, is through Facebook Groups.

Facebook Groups are where I find my people. They’re where I learn. Many of the contacts I have and much of what I know today is because someone in the many groups I belong to pointed me in the right direction. And it’s through a group for podcasters who’re also Dads that I learned about Ricky Shetty’s new book.

Ricky Shetty—Author, World Traveller and One of Canada’s Original Dad Bloggers

Chatting with Casey 0008—We Are the Sum of Our Experiences—Ricky Shetty Head Shot

Ricky and I have known each other at least peripherally for some years now—since branding himself as Canada’s premiere Daddy Blogger at the turn of the decade, it was tough to not enter the arena myself without knowing who he was. But it wasn’t until last year where we’d finally cross paths for his Digital Nomad Mastery channel to discuss Dad Blogging and everything that comes with it! (I’ll link it in the show notes, but I hope you’re ready for some crappy pre-Casey knowing what he’s doing headphone built-in microphone audio!) So we’d connected, but we didn’t speak a whole lot after that, because after all, Ricky’s travelling the world.

And that, my friends, is perhaps the most essential part of this entire story—Ricky, with his lovely wife Anne and their three young children, is aiming to become the first family to have visited every. Single. Country.

Pauleanna Reid, Author | #Chronicle150 #35

Last updated on April 2nd, 2021 at 08:48 pm

I have to say—I thought I’d struck Pauleanna’s nerve in my hunt for Live contributors. She’d told me she was too busy when I pressed her with one of my emails, but one brief look at her résumé will tell you that’s exactly what she was!

Pauleanna’s ode to her country shows a lot of growth—many of us born here take this land for granted, not fully realising that life’s a lot harder in many countries worldwide. My journeys have taken me to many places—Maasai huts in Tanzania. Cockroach-ridden buses in Compton. From mountaintops to back-alley shops, I’ve witnessed huge swaths of the human condition, which is why I embrace home with open arms every time I come back!

It’s easy to forget how good you’ve got it when you stay inside your comfort zone for too long, and I think Pauleanna’s piece is a good reminder for us to take stock of these Canadian lives, seeing what we can do to better those who live their lives without.

Enjoy Pauleanna’s piece, and we’ll see you at the next #Chronicle150!

Until then,

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

#Chronicle150—150 Truly Canadian Stories for its 150th Birthday—#35, Pauleanna Reid—Pauleanna Profile PicWho are you, and what are you all about?

I’m a multi-passionate entrepreneur on a mission to help young women and girls see beyond the limits of their circumstances and create a life they love. I’m also a motivational speaker and nationally published journalist of the best-selling book Everything I Couldn’t Tell My Mother, the founder of New Girl on the Block Inc., a mentorship program that’s way sicker than your average. In the end, I manage a lot, but every passion project is well worth it!

What makes you so Canadian?

As a Canadian citizen, I was very fortunate to have access to many tools that may not be awarded in other countries. One of the biggest things that really served a purpose in my life was getting healthcare when dealing with my mental health. I was grateful to overcome my depression and anxiety and have Canada to thank for it! Growing up in a Caribbean household has helped me get closer to my parents’ roots, but being born in Canada gave me a lifeline to many opportunities to empower and change people’s lives.

Sherika Powell | Tales from the 2.9, Vol. 2 #18

Last updated on April 20th, 2021 at 12:08 am

If there’s one thing I know I could improve on as a Black Canadian, it’s my involvement in politics and keeping abreast of the issues affecting my larger community.

It’s one thing to vote—the bare minimum we can do as our civic duty—but we often take this right for granted, usually choosing an incumbent to continue doing their job, regardless of whether they reflect what we want from our elected officials or not.

That is—if we choose to vote at all.

If we want to see the changes we know are so direly needed in the environment around us, we can’t sit idly by and wait for someone to solve things for us—we need to get involved today and put people in power who are keenly aware of Black issues if we ever want to progress in the right direction. Remember—though Prime Minister Trudeau’s Cabinet’s praised as the most diverse in Canadian history, intentional or not, at first 2.9% wasn’t even large enough proportionally to see any Black faces on it1.

Sherika touches on this need and so much more in the post below—I hope you enjoy it!

Until tomorrow,

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

What does being Black Canadian mean to you?

Being Black in Canada to me means many things. Number one for me, I am proud to not only be a black Canadian but also that my parents chose Canada to migrate to from Jamaica. The decision they made has allowed me to have privileges that many around the world often do not get to experience. Being a black Canadian means I am present and aware of my culture and the contributions that others have made before me, to make this country what it is today. I am excited to be a part of this generation and seeing all the accomplishments that we are making and how we continue to excel and make amazing contributions to Canadian culture.

Makini Smith | Tales from the 2.9, Vol. 2 #8

Last updated on April 19th, 2021 at 11:52 pm

If you heard any of the interviews I did for Tales from the 2.9, you’ll know there’s one word that comes to mind when I think of my fellow Black Canadians—

RESILIENCE.

It’s rare that anything worthwhile happens overnight. In an age where overnight successes come and go daily, we rarely see the years of grind needed to get people there.

People clown on Drake all the time for his quasi-anthem “Started from the Bottom”, but that title’s all too real for so many Black folk, and we’ve culturally learned that we’ll need to work twice as hard to get half as far.

But when those efforts start bearing fruit and you can finally see what it was all for, you don’t give that success up for anything.

It’s this narrative that comes to mind when I read Makini Smith’s contribution, seeing just what she’s overcome to become the international phenom she is today. People take pity on teen Moms. They downplay how hard it is to be a housewife. But Makini doesn’t want your pity, nor should she ever be underestimated—it’s clear from her brand and her accomplishments that she’s taken her life into her hands through hustle and through faith, and if that isn’t the utter embodiment of the Black Canadian Experience, I don’t know what is.

Check out Makini Smith’s post below. I promise—it’s a good one!

Until tomorrow,

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

What does being Black Canadian mean to you?

Being a Black Canadian to me means multiple things.  The question is a little difficult for me to answer one way. I travel internationally and can give a response based on how we are treated elsewhere vs how I view things living here. Having spent much time traveling to the United States my entire life I’m grateful my parents chose to migrate to Canada. Being Black Canadian is something I am proud of. I use that as a tool when I travel to other parts of the world. Others greet me with hugs and smiles. I’m treated with much respect. Canadians have a good reputation in other countries. When I am home here in Canada I can appreciate the diversity of cultural backgrounds but also feel extremely limited for success. We are a minority being Black in North America as it is but Black successful Canadians are an even smaller number.

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