Liz LeClair is a proud fundraiser and an intersectional feminist, bringing 20 years of experience to her work as the founder of UpRising Philanthropic Consulting. Liz is also a gender-based violence advocate working to raise awareness on the epidemic of violence in Nova Scotia and an end to the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

Liz lives and works in Punamu’kwati’jk (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia), which is located in Mi’kma’ki - the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people.

Liz approaches her work with nonprofit organisations through a community-centric fundraising lens, recognising that equity and inclusion are fundamental to the work. She believes these principles must also be at the heart of fundraising, ensuring that philanthropy is both ethical, inclusive, and just.

Find out more @liz_leclair_hfx

She writes, raps, beatboxes, performs spoken word, and speaks three languages. Meet Warlet, one of the most exciting and multi-dimensional artists to join The Blackout Podcast.

Warlet shares the story behind her journey from Brazil to Canada, revealing how her parents (both vocal coaches) inspired her musical foundation, how Brazilian rap legends like Racionais MC shaped her political awakening, and why her upcoming debut album TRLNGL will feature everything from Brazilian funk to reggaeton to R&B.

But this conversation goes much deeper than music. Warlet opens up about the profound impact of her younger brother (who is autistic and non-verbal) on her life, her maturity, and her eventual autism diagnosis. She reflects on how those experiences taught her resilience and helped her embrace what makes her different.

Warlet is a singer, rapper and beatboxer from Brazil living in Nova Scotia.

She mixes different genres such as Emo, Rap, Trap, Pop and R&B in her music and elements of her Latin background, including mixing languages on her songs.

Her lyrics focus on deep, real-life experiences from toxic relationships to her life as a woman on the spectrum and an immigrant.

Check her out @warletmusic

Jessica Steele is a paper collage artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She holds a BFA in Fibres from Concordia University and a Diploma of Fine Arts from Dawson College.

Working primarily with hand-cut vintage print materials such as books and magazines, Jessica explores how meaning shifts when familiar imagery is separated from its original context and recombined into new relationships. Though collage is often associated with spontaneity, her process is tactile and methodical, involving the careful sourcing, cutting, and arranging of printed fragments to create surreal compositions. She is particularly interested in how a single shift in scale or position can alter the reading of an image, inviting close looking and curiosity.

Jessica’s work has been exhibited across Halifax and collected in Canada and the United States. She was selected as one of four emerging artists in the 2025–26 Visual Arts Nova Scotia Mentorship Program, a competitive 10-month initiative supporting the professional development of early-career artists.

View her work at jessicasteele.ca or on Instagram @artbyjessicasteele