Brown Don't Frown Podcast

In this candid episode, I am joined by Madhu Kapoor and Shenaly Amin from Mental Wealth , a Mental Health peer support group for South Asians aged 30+, and Sonam Patel of its sister organisation, Reroute , for younger South Asians. We explore Mental Health through the themes of migration, awareness and accessibility, cultural stigma and familial expectations.     South Asian communities are more l...

In this raw, frank, and necessary episode, writer Angie Crystal talks about the incoming societal change driven by the resurgence of Black Lives Matter. Five months on from the killing of George Floyd, we discuss the symbolism of BLM as a movement. We talk about intersectional story-telling, and I ask Angie Crystal whether, as a Black British woman, she feels any dissonance between #BlackLivesMatt...

The Women’s Environmental Network seeks to enable equality through the intersection of gender and the environment. In conversation with Natasha Piette-Basheer and Shaheda Aziz, I ask: firstly, how do we achieve environmental justice? And secondly, how do we make it intersectional? Natasha tells me how WEN amplifies the conversation around reusables and plastic free period products. Their “Environm...

When you think of bereavement, what three words spring to your mind? I’m joined by Callsuma Ali, host of Bereavement Room podcast. We look at the positives and negatives of how bereavement is addressed within the South Asian, and particularly British Bangladeshi community. Drawing from our own bereavement experiences, we both share our positive sentiments of the sense of togetherness and its symbo...

We begin Season 3 with Climate Change Activist and Co-Executive Director of Green New Deal UK, Fatima-Zahra Ibrahim. No previous war or recession has resulted in such a rapid decline in emissions as we’ve seen during COVID-19. We therefore ask: is it a real catalyst for addressing climate change?    We explore Bangladesh as a case study for environmental migration, namely how Mongla, a port town o...

This was a live podcast originally broadcast on 13 August 2020 in collaboration with #SouthAsianHeritageMonth.  From Gujuratis in Harrow and Wembley, Punjabis in Southall and Handsworth, Bangladeshis in Tower Hamlets and Pakistanis in Bradford and Sparkhill, South Asians form the fabric of British society, influencing the development of communities, infrastructure and services. In this special epi...

In the final episode of season 2, I sit down with Artostry, a spoken-word poet and artist. We examine the implication of necessity rather than pleasure during sex education at school, and how as young girls and women we experienced stigma around openly discussing the female anatomy. The language we use reinforces gender stereotypes around sex which is why embedding neutrality in our communication...

Shirin Shah and Sheetal Mistry of South Asian Sisters Speak join me to review Netflix’s ‘Never Have I ever’. What initially emerges as trivial teenage satire quickly becomes a bastion of embracing imperfection.   We talk about the raw portrayal of miscommunication, resentment and high expectations which so often define South Asian mother-daughter relationships. We explore the struggle between trad...

Today, Busayo Twins and I discuss white denialism, colourism and the desensitisation of black trauma. Though minorities are grouped under ‘BAME’ for our ‘otherness’, it does not account for cultural, ethnic, religious and racial diversity. Does ‘BAME’ mask our lack of progression against anti-blackness? Busayo also explains why seeing Diversity & Inclusion policies as an ‘add on’ will not enable t...

In part II, Saint Santana, Abi and I pose various questions. How can we educate ourselves to be more tolerant, inclusive and respectful towards transgender and non-binary people? Are gender neutral toilets a distraction? Is the grouping of ‘‘LGBTQ” otherising? Can trans-exclusionary radical feminists be feminists? Are JK Rowling’s tweets transphobic? Should we normalise gender neutral pronouns?  W...

In this two part mini-series, I sit down with Saint Santana, who identifies as a trans man, and Abi, who identifies as a bisexual woman.  I wanted to facilitate an open discussion around gender, sex, sexuality, and womanhood, firstly, to challenge our ingrained heteronormative societal constructs; and, secondly, because I wanted to address some of my own ignorances.  In part I, we explore the link...

Is discussing football at work sexist? Should wolf-whistling be illegal?   On today’s episode Lawyer Ellie and I explore ‘Political Correctness' and its interrelationship with Feminism. We posit Feminism as a means of exercising free choice, having opportunity, and - respecting others - a core tenet of political correctness. We talk about the historical significance of political correctness, how i...

Journalist and former Brexit Party parliamentary candidate Inaya Folarin Iman and I sit down over Zoom and ponder over the UK’s current political climate and public accountability during COVID-19. We start off discussing our fixation with identity politics and how to overcome it. I also ask Inaya why she believes in Brexit and whether her experience with the Brexit Party felt any different as a wo...

What is Foreign Policy? How can it be Feminist? Does it only work for one sex or can it work for everybody? How do the states and institutions which claim to be the proponents of feminist foreign policy ensure it is ethical and inclusive? Climate Change Journalist Sharlene Gandhi and I examine how feminist foreign policy can be a tool to reshape our conventional thinking: from balancing production...

The disruption caused by Coronavirus only signals what’s yet to come. In the hopes of reassuring you that you are not alone in the challenges you face, in this special episode, my friends and family from different backgrounds and countries share their Whatsapp voice notes. They talk about how they have been impacted and provide tips on staying sane, managing mental and physical health, looking out...

In the final episode of Season 1, I’m joined by Katie Taylor, Junior Editor of a publishing house focussing on books about mental health and well-being. Although the publishing industry is largely dominated by women, we look at how their prevalence dissipates at the senior and executive levels. We question tick-box BAME representation in publishing, rattle the cage on toxic masculinity, and explor...

We want to live life with purpose and good intentions, but social media, uncapped advertising and capitalism have left many of us feeling vulnerable when it comes to our self-acceptance, as we find ourselves on the hamster wheel of external approval to validate our own existence. Join myself and Hanita, as we explore our jouneys through self-reflection, from being young teenage rebels to feeling c...

Join me with my friend and former colleague, Immigration Barrister Zoe Bantleman as we discuss the UK Immigration System's impact on women. We start off with domestic violence and asylum and end with the challenges faced by both migrant women in work and British women with migrant partners, such as the gender pay gap, migrant worker salary requirements, maternity leave, the EU Settlement Scheme an...

Recent ONS figures reveal that the number of women not having children has nearly doubled within a generation. Bianca Mihaes and I unpack societal norms and take a detour from the well-trodden path of marriage, children and the traditional family unit. As the definition of family widens through cohabitation, adoption, late parenthood, same-sex marriage and single-parenting, we also discuss our own...

In this episode, I'm joined once again by Zed and Ali of www.canttouchmycrown.com.   We talk about that ever-pressing question we get asked. Join us as we explain where we're "really" from.  Disclaimer: In case it wasn't clear enough in the podcast, Zed and I don't side with Nigerians or Ghanaians when it comes to Jollof rice. We like both. 

Having both lost a parent, Heather Waterfield and I talk about the impact of losing my mother as a child and Heather tells me about the anxiety and sadness she experienced when her father was mentally unwell. We dissect the gender stereotyping projected on society which clouds the ability to grieve on our own terms. We also explore the sentiments behind "moving on" and "getting over it" and consid...

Jamaican Muslim Adelah Bilal and I discuss Adelah's motivation for wearing the hijab, how it can be a barrier between herself and non-Muslim women, and defining 'liberation'. We talk about the importance of not only interrogating ourselves when it comes to our own beliefs, but challenging others to challenge their own preconceptions about the hijab, such as its association with oppression and patr...

Today I'm joined by Riannah Kelsey. As believers of meritocracy and diversity and as WOC, we deserve our achievements because we've earned them, in spite of our gender/race. Yet when we are tokenised, it undermines our intelligence. Having both worked in the legal/financial sectors, which have historically been catered towards middle class, white men, join us as we discuss our experiences in the w...

In the first episode of Brown Don’t Frown, I’m joined by Z and Ali of  www.canttouchmycrown.com . Join us as we talk and laugh about growing up as Asian and Black British women in the UK.