Seen

True to their mission of learning in public, Nic and Lala discuss their feelings about identifying as femmes, their understandings of femininity and who is excluded from it, and the rebellion of femme identity. Song of the week: Pynk by Janelle Monáe

Nic and Lala discuss detours on the road to sexual awakening and radical self-acceptance, exploring our own connections to our bodies, and the gifts that sexual liberation can offer us. This episode was live-recorded for Room Magazine's Issue 43.2,  Devour .  Song of the week: 6 Inch by Beyoncé.

We’re told to follow our dreams, and that if we can dream it we can achieve it. But what are dreams made of? What guides our dreams in the first place, and what if they aren’t aligned with who we really are? In this episode, we discuss escapism, wild dreams, envisioning new realities, and differentiating between the dreams that fuel us and the ones that waste our time. Song of the week: Cranes In...

When tragedy dominates the news, the call to show up for those who are suffering is impossible to ignore. But when the news cycle moves on, too many would-be “allies” do too. So what would it take to build solidarity between our communities on a stronger foundation, outside of any news cycle? In this episode Nic and Lala discuss building trust, sharing generative space, and why strong boundaries m...

Where were you in the fight for Black lives until this point? How did you uphold anti-Blackness, benefit from white supremacy, and profit off the destruction of Black bodies? And where was your care for Black people all along? In this episode, Nic grieves the traumatic loss of Black life and demands more from new-found allies in the Black Lives Matter movement. Song of the week: Freedom by Beyonce...

Personal growth is an ethic that supports our healing and helps us become the people we want to be. So why does a growth mindset sometimes lead to burnout? And when does it become a tool of capitalism? In this episode, Nic and Lala discuss reimagining growth, honouring natural rhythms, and broadening our vision to support collective expansion. Song of the week: Jump Hi by Lionbabe ft. Childish Gam...

Venus Retrograde is an astrological transit that asks us to reclaim the parts of ourselves that feel ugly, unloved, and unacceptable. In this episode, Nic and Lala trace the ways the Venus Retrograde cycle has impacted their lives, and discuss healing through meeting our pain and embracing our shadows. Song of the week: Love in the Dark by Jessie Reyez

During a pandemic, our families can become even more crucial to our survival - but they can also compound our stress and trauma. Can we always tell the difference? In this episode, Nic and Lala discuss untangling guilt from love, grieving loss, celebrating reconnection, and setting boundaries that serve us. Song of the Week: Same Ol' Mistakes by Rihanna

A racing heart, shaky hands, a sense of impending doom - fear can be one of our most overwhelming feelings. So how are we supposed to function when it becomes a centrepiece of our daily lives? In this episode, Nic and Lala discuss expressing, releasing, and soothing fear - and how to make space for moments when we feel we can’t work with it at all. Song of the week: Broken Clocks by SZA

In uncertain times, with so much beyond our control, is it possible to find steadiness? Can we continue to live and heal during a pandemic? In this episode, Nic and Lala discuss cultivating joy, groundedness, and presence while simultaneously facing the fear and grief of this moment. Song of the week: Beauty In The World by Macy Gray

As non-Indigenous POC, have you ever pushed back against racism by asserting that you’re from here, you’re Canadian, you belong here? In this episode, Nic and Lala continue their discussion of the identities and responsibilities held by settlers of colour, exploring what it means to search for belonging while living on stolen land, and how we can honour our ancestors by fighting Canadian coloniali...

While Indigenous Land Defenders #ShutDownCanada, what does it mean to be both a person of colour and a settler? As we feel overwhelmed and may need to balance showing up for others with caring for ourselves, who has access to rest and self-care? And when does “self-care” become an excuse for not doing our work? In this episode, Nic and Lala discuss pushing past shame, how settler guilt can compel...

Self-exploration of our sexuality can be exciting and daunting. Nearly one year after coming out as bisexual, Nic opens up about her feelings of not feeling “queer enough”, and Lala offers her experiences on navigating queerness as a woman of colour. Song of the week: Gonna Love Me by Teyana Taylor

Diasporas are rich, vibrant... and complicated. While many of us feel deeply connected to the cultures of our heritage, we also feel like outsiders. So how do we engage with our cultural lineages with integrity? In this episode, Lala and Nic explore the dynamics of cultural appropriation and how to understand our place in the cultures and communities we descend from. Song of the week: Formation by...

2020 began with a lot of tragedy: Australia’s catastrophic wildfires, devastating loss in Iran, and the world feeling on the brink of impending disaster. Where do we go from here? In this episode, Lala and Nic dive into frank discussions on the often overwhelming fear and grief we experience today, and explore what it means to have hope in the face of endings, collapse, and destruction. Song of th...

The end of the year often means feelings of reflection, optimism, and sometimes, dread. How does a new year feel for you? A challenge to expand more fully into yourself, or a measuring stick and what you ought to “fix”? With a new decade in full view, Nic and Lala talk self-acceptance and personal growth. Song of the Week: 5 Year Plan by Chance the Rapper, Randy Newman

Vulnerability can come naturally for some, and cause real discomfort for others. Listen as Lala and Nic discuss whether vulnerability is just about communicating our feelings, and consider what keeps us from being vulnerable, even with people who love us. Song of the week: These Walls by Kendrick Lamar ft. Bilal, Anna Wise, and Thundercat

Sensitive people are all around you: taking in information, feeling deeply, and honing in on the energies of others. In this live recording of Seen, Nic and Lala open up about emotional and physical sensitivity and explore how an Achilles heel can become a powerful resource. Song of the week: In My Feelings by Kehlani

What is anti-blackness? Can non-black people of colour be anti-black, or is this just a white thing? In this episode, we get into the specificities of this particular strand of racism to tease out the ways that anti-blackness operates and is perpetuated. Buckle up, shit might get a lil' bumpy. Song of the week: F.U.B.U. by Solange

Our bodies are sites of learning, holders of our experiences, and for many, battlegrounds against chronic pain, disease and illness. In the first episode recorded after our hiatus, Lala shares how her health has forced her to slow down, and the lessons she’s chosen to take from this debilitating season. Song of the week: Another Spring by Nina Simone

Ready or not, you can’t hide—the internet will find you! Or, at the very least, the truth will be found out, and repercussions may ensue. In this day and age, “cancel culture” and “call-out culture” are highly criticized as divisive, but what is the purpose of cancelling people? What are alternatives? In this episode, we discuss accountability, disposability, shame and redemption. Song of the week...

We’re deep in the age of social media, and for better or for worse, it shapes how we think, how we see ourselves and how we project our identities to others. Our experiences as BIPOC are finally able to be validated on a whole other level, and social media helps us find our people. In this episode, hosts Nic and Lala find the strengths of this powerful digital arena, discuss how we can meaningfull...

What does it mean to step into your power? How do you work to tune out the noise that distracts you and the people and systems that keep you small? In this episode, Nic and Lala discuss the foundations of stepping into our power: believing ourselves. We explore the importance of connecting to our values and share tools that can support us in playing the most important character in our own lives. S...

What’s for you is for YOU. So why are we tripping, holding onto things that no longer serve us? In this episode, we identify common reasons why letting go is so difficult, and how we can better tolerate that discomfort and show up for ourselves in meaningful ways. Song of the week: Bag Lady by Erykah Badu

How do you feel when you’re alone with your thoughts? Do you welcome solitude, or descend into feelings of loneliness? In this episode, we tease out the differences and share what it means to become acquainted with the practice of tuning in to our own bodies and minds. Song of the week: New Apartment by Ari Lennox