Lioness Heart

My guest this month is South African-born Indian-Australian Saalihah Seedat . She is a consultant clinical pharmacist, personal development coach, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, mentor and mum of three. Saalihah is passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, social issues and making a difference in people's lives. In 2025,  Saalihah was named one of Brisbane's top 60 most inspirational wo...

My guest this month is Sri Lankan-Australian artist Kuweni Dias Mendis . Kuweni integrates movement, sound, film, installations, markings and sculptural ritual objects to create immersive works. These works invite you to reconnect to your heartbeat, rhythm, gait, posture, and sense of time and space within a decolonised body. Her practice is shaped by her cultural experiences of Sri Lanka and Aust...

My guest this month is Councillor Trina Massey. Trina is a proud, queer woman and immigrant of Filipino and African American ethnicity. She's also the first ever Black, Asian, queer woman to hold political office in Queensland! As a record-spinning DJ with an extensive music collection, Trina goes under the name Black Amex.  We yarn about what it was like for Trina growing up as a mixed race kid i...

Content warning: Ableism, racism, ageism and domestic abuse My guest this month is talented Filipina-Australian singer, dancer and rapper, Danii. We yarn about Danii's connection to her heritage, her love of music (especially K-pop) and how she got her start in show biz. We also talk about her experiences of discrimination in general and in the music industry, why representation matters, and how t...

Content warning: child sexual abuse, racism and domestic violence. This is the second part of our chat with  Olivia Afriyie Johnson . In this episode, Olivia yarns about how important self-care is and gives encouraging advice for other women of colour. She also shares how she figured out what she was experiencing was domestic abuse, what it was like getting backlash from her own community, and wha...

Content warning: child sexual abuse, racism and domestic violence. My next guest is Olivia Afriyie Johnson . Olivia is a passionate advocate, sociopreneur, and human resources & business management professional dedicated to empowering others through her lived experiences. Born in Ghana and raised in Australia, her cross-cultural journey has shaped a powerful perspective on resilience, identity, an...

My guest this month is Chinese-Australian Comedian He Huang. He went viral after she appeared on Australia's Got Talent in 2022. Her deadpan delivery and self-deprecating jokes based on her Chinese culture made her go viral. I caught up with He at the Woodford Folk Festival in December 2024 where she was performing. In this episode, we chat about He's new show, 'White man's Burden', the crap that...

Content warning: Domestic and family violence My guest this month is Sara Yan. Sara has Chinese heritage and is a talented writer, cartoonist and published author. She's the brains behind the comic strips ' Lennan and Smallsy ' and ' Live, Learn, Change ' which aim to educate about domestic abuse, by focusing on boys and men. Sara and I talk about what it's like being a halfie, plus her own experi...

C ontent warning: child sexual abuse, incest and family violence. My next guest is Caroline Brunne , who was born in Mauritius. In her debut book 'More than one thing can be true', Caroline shared her experience of overcoming child sexual abuse, incest and family violence, offering a narrative of bravery and resilience. Today, Caroline yarns with me about her work as a lived experience expert and...

Here is part two of my interview with Chiou See Anderson. In this episode, Chiou See talks to us about how she used strategies from the book 'The Art of War' to win a court case against her local City Council, why girls need to stop being pick mes, and how to confidently own a room. Chiou See has Singaporean Chinese heritage and is President of the National Council of Women Australia and Head of t...

My next guest is Chiou See Anderson. This interview is split into two episodes. In this first part, Chiou See chats about her upbringing in Singapore, her own resilient grandma, and how she managed to build her career and get her university qualifications whilst raising her 3 kids as a single mum (NOT a dragon mum!). Chiou See is President of the National Council of Women Australia , Head of the A...

Content warning: Family violence. We also talk about an Indigenous person who has died. My guest this month is Kristine. For privacy reasons, she has asked that we only use her first name. Kris has Torres Strait Islander/Irish heritage and is an author, speaker and director of the charity Broken to Brilliant. Kristine works at Women's Health and Equality Queensland and facilitates healing workshop...

What's up, Kitties? Are you a woman of colour? Then join me, Netta Finney Mejia on Lioness Heart, a monthly half-hour podcast where we delve into the life of a strong, brilliant, badass woman of colour. Let's raise our voices, share our stories, and laugh and cry together. But most importantly, let's roar! Because let's face it, it's a jungle out there, and for us black and brown women, our big li...

Content warning: Domestic, family and sexual violence. We also mention the names of Aboriginal people who have died. My first guest on this series about strong, badass, women of colour is Karina Hogan. Karina's a proud Aboriginal and South Sea Islander woman with ancestral ties to Bunjalung Country. She's also a highly respected journalist, broadcaster, content producer, non-executive director and...