Mixed Up

The one where we’re typecast as ‘Bengali Girl’ Emma talks to Sarah Kameela Impey of We Are Lady Parts, discussing her role as frontwoman Saira and how growing up she didn’t see many people who looked like her in stories. They discuss how groundbreaking the show is in terms of modern representation of Muslim women, multifaceted Muslim women - a beautiful portrayal of fun, female friendship, and our...

The one where your friends are like family Emma and Nicole speak to Lizzy Kirk, who was adopted at a young age to a white family and grew up in small village in Nottinghamshire. Feeling like the ‘odd one out’ most of her life, she discovered at 40-years-old that her close friends she had for years are actually her sisters. They discuss growing up in majority white spaces, what happens when you don...

The one with the Asian Appreciation club (recorded during Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage month ) Emma and Nicole speak to Chinese Canadian Actress Alexa Loo about her mixed heritage and how her latest show adapted her role in order to better represent mixed race people.     Preorder our book The Half Of It:  https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo Our website:  https://www.mixedup.co.uk/ Our Patr...

The one where we explain how you can be wearing Tudor clothing while Black Emma and Nicole deliver another Pop Culture episode where they catch up on a bunch of things that happened a while back - the Meghan and Harry x Oprah Interview and Bridgerton for example. They give us their thoughts on Malcom and Marie and discuss people thinking being ‘light skinned’ is synonymous with being Mixed Race.  ...

The one where we realise strong women are always learning Emma and Nicole speak to award-winning journalist, author and competitive powerlifter, Poorna Bell about her new book Stronger: Changing Everything I Knew About Women’s Strength. We discuss the shift in what a “strong woman” actually looks like, how the fitness industry can create safe spaces for women of colour, and the grassroots communit...

The one where we find someone more Type A than Emma Emma and Nicole speak to author Lyn Liao Butler on her debut novel, The Tiger Mom’s Tale on growing up Taiwanese-American and how growing up in the US allowed her to draw inspiration for the mixed heritage protagonist in her book. We talk about living as a POC in mostly white communities, having your identity questioned by both sides of your heri...

The one where Nicole gives a punk history lesson no one asked for Emma and Nicole talk about mixed race stories in current pop culture, they discuss Little Mix's Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop and Power, Ginny & Georgia, We Are Lady Parts and people of colour in the punk rock scene. Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/ Our Patreon: https://www.pa...

The one where we discuss the harmful nature of a parent dictating racial identity to you Emma speaks to senior mental health nurse Sophie Price about working on a mental health crisis team and and joining a transgender healthcare service. They discuss health anxiety caused by the pandemic and how mental and sexual health are linked. They discuss social identity theory, self esteem and gatekeeping...

The one where we're creating a legacy Emma and Nicole chat to award-winning children’s author, podcaster and grief and mental health speaker Mark Lemon. When Mark was 12-years-old his father was murdered and he has now dedicated his life to helping children, young people, and adults struggling to come to terms with their grief and loss and launched his podcast, Grief Is My Superpower in 2019. Disi...

The one where the most important love is loving yourself This week Nicole and Emma speak to their favourite Thai-Irish R&B songstress and musical storyteller Sinéad Harnett. They discuss growing up in an East Asian household, the importance of Asian representation in the music industry, healing from past trauma and finding yourself as an artist in the music industry. Our website:  https://www.mixe...

The one where we ask, who's loving you? Emma and Nicole speak to author and editor Sareeta Domingo about her collection of short stories, Who’s Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Colour. We discuss celebrating Black women being in love and the undeniable joy of a romantic story. Our website:  https://www.mixedup.co.uk/ Our Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast Our Instagram:  https://...

The one where it gets REAL In part 2 of Emma & Nicole’s conversation with Dr Melissa Wagner, it gets real as they discuss how a generation of mixed kids were left in care and what resulted in a cycle of rejection. They look at privilege in historical context and unpack race and class in America. Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/ Our P...

The one where we were literally the argument against immigration into the country Emma and Nicole discuss the historical context for the mixed race identity in the UK with Dr Melissa Wagner, who studie d Caribbean Studies and English with Paul Gilroy and has a PHD from Goldsmiths. She wrote her thesis on the essentialism portrayal of ‘mixed-race’ identity in the Caribbean Novel.  We discuss eugeni...

The one where we learned when to pick our battles Emma and Nicole speak to bestselling Black British author Dorothy Koomson best known for her novels My Best Friend's Girl, The Ice Cream Girls and she's now back with her latest All My Lies Are True. Dorothy talks about facing rejection from the publishing industry, pitfalls of negotiation, and having the courage of your convictions.  Preorder our...

The one where we’ve got some bad boy ingredients and we’re about to get cheffy Emma and Nicole chat to Big Zuu, grime artist, chef and TV personality, best known for his show Big Zuu’s Big Eats. They talk all about cooking with bare love, self-taught cheffing, making cooking accessible, and connecting with the culture. Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo Our website: https://...

The one where we find the discussion around mixed identity lacks compassion Emma and Nicole speak to Georgina Lawton, journalist and author of Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth About Where I Belong. In her memoir, Georgina chronicles growing up being told by both parents that she was white, but after her father died in her early 20s, she uncovered the truth that her biological...

The one where we discover all the best stories aren’t being told Emma and Nicole speak to Asia Jackson, an actress, digital creative and YouTuber based in LA. She regularly creates content about skincare, fashion, self-care and mental health. Asia is African-American and Filipino and in 2016, she started the global movement #MagandangMorenx, literally translated to ‘beautiful brown skin’ to challe...

The one where we talk about raising brown babies in today’s world Emma and Nicole speak to Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby: A Memoir of Race, Family and Home, about bringing your children up in the world to be joyful, how to speak to your children about race and raising mixed kids. Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/ Our Patreon: ht...

The one where we ask OluwaJack -   is it plantain or plan-tin? Interview starts at 19:11. Jack Fowler is a TV personality best known for appearing in Love Island and Celebs Go Dating. Emma and Nicole talk to Jack on being perceived as a white male when your father is black. They get deep into privilege, using fame for positive change and to educate and dealing with public assumptions. Preorder our...

The one where we ask Lisa McQueen - who is H?   Emma and Nicole are joined by acting OG Rochenda Sandall, best known for her roles in Line of Duty, Criminal and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe: Mangrove. We discuss identity and upbringing, how Black and mixed actors are cast in TV and film, and the appetite for an accurate portrayal of mixed-race stories on screen.   Preorder our book The Half Of It: ht...

The one where we are more alike than we are different Star of stage and screen David Oyelowo joins Emma and Nicole for the season 1 finale of Mixed Up. Best known for playing iconic roles like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma and Seretse Khama in A United Kingdom, they talk all about his new film Come Away, the importance of seeing representations of ourselves on screen, interracial relationsh...

The one where there was no room for doubt with Lianne La Havas This week Emma and Nicole can’t help radiate with joy interviewing one of their musical heroes, Lianne La Havas, to discuss her new self-titled album, chronicling the ending of long-term relationship.   They talk all about growing up mixed, being lazy naturals, political awakenings, figuring out how you see yourself and hopefulness in...

The one where a father tells us his dreams for his children’s future For the latest instalment of Mixed Up Book Club, Nicole and Emma speak with Patrick Hutchinson, a personal trainer and a children’s athletics coach from South London. On June 13th, 2020 he received worldwide attention after being photographed by Dylan Martinez carrying a white, injured EDL supporter who was protesting against Bla...

The one where we exercise our very effective sadness suppression techniques This week Emma and Nicole speak to Jordan Stephens - writer and performer best known for being one-half of Rizzle Kicks. These days he is a mental health campaigner and is refreshingly honest about the negative effects of hyper-masculinity. We discuss the importance of looking after our mental health, toxic masculinity, gr...

The one where 55% of white women in the US still voted for Trump Emma and Nicole kick off the first episode of Mixed Up Book Club with to Sophie Williams, author of Anti-Racist Ally. We talk all about what it means to do anti-racism work and what true allyship looks like in 2020. Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast Our website: http://mixedup.co.uk/ Our IG: https://instagram.com/mi...