Quote I Live By:
Stuff happens, but you need to move forward. Don't look back, don't regret things, maintain the forward momentum.
For Simi Sara, journalism was never just a career choice. It was something she knew she wanted long before she stepped into her first newsroom.
She was in Grade 10 when she worked on her school newspaper and realized she loved the process of telling stories and making sense of the world. By Grade 12, after taking a journalism class, the direction felt even clearer. At a time when very few South Asian faces appeared on Canadian television, Simi had only one role model she could look to. “I used to tell my mom I wanted to be like Belle Puri,” she recalls with a smile. “People would laugh a little because it felt like such a far-fetched dream.”
Meeting Puri at an event as a teenager only strengthened that belief. It showed her that a path was possible. But life had other plans before that path fully unfolded. During her first year at Simon Fraser University, tragedy struck. Simi was just 18 when her mother died in a car crash. “It completely changed the direction I thought my life would take,” she says quietly.
She left university soon after and enrolled earlier than expected in Langara’s journalism program. The moment she walked into her first class, something clicked. “I remember thinking immediately, this is where I’m supposed to be.”
From there, Simi began building the career that would eventually make her one of the most recognizable voices in British Columbia. She started as a reporter at The Surrey Leader, the hometown newspaper that gave her her first real newsroom experience. Television followed soon after, where she spent 15 years learning every side of the business. “I did everything,” she says. “Writing, producing, reporting, anchoring. It was the best training you could get.”
One defining moment came early in her television career. After doing a live on-air news update for the first time, a senior producer called the station’s news director to watch her. Minutes later, she was offered a job. “That moment changed the trajectory of my life,” Simi says. “She didn’t have to do that for me. And I’ve never forgotten that kindness.”
Over the past three decades, Simi has navigated both success and setbacks. She has faced layoffs, industry shifts, and the quiet skepticism that many women of color in media know well. More than once, she was told the only reason she got a job was because she was “brown.” “I knew that wasn’t true,” she says simply. “I knew how hard I worked.”
Today, as host of Mornings with Simi on 980 CKNW, she brings more than three decades of perspective to conversations that shape the province. Her thoughtful, accessible approach has earned her national recognition, including RTDNA awards, a Jack Webster Award, and multiple Canadian Radio Awards as Best On-Air Host in the country.
Yet for Simi, the real measure of success is simpler.
“If people trust you enough to listen and understand what’s happening in their community,” she says, “that’s everything.”
Q&A
Q- This year’s International Women’s Day theme is ‘Give to Gain.’ What does that phrase mean to you personally?
A- It’s about stepping up when the community needs you. Through programs like the CKNW Kids Fund, we see families who just need a little help, and being part of that support system matters because you never know when you might need help too.
Q- What’s one lesson you had to learn the hard way that shaped the woman you are today?
A- Respect and awareness. Be thoughtful about what you say, being respectful of the people you work with, and showing up prepared every day really matters.
Q- Who is a woman you deeply admire, and what about her inspires you most?
A- Tamara Stanners was one of the first people who believed in me when I was starting out, and my current program director, Kathryn Stewart, is someone I deeply admire.
Q- What’s one thing you hope more women give themselves permission to do?
A- Have families if that’s what they want. For a long time, women in this industry felt like having children would derail their careers. Women deserve the chance to build both a career and a family.
