The SafeTea Podcast

Blair Imani is a brilliant author, educator, and the creator of viral web series Smarter in Seconds. But beind all of that is a story of deep self-discovery. In our season finale of The SafeTea Podcast, Blair Imani opens up about growing up Black in the South, finding Islam in college, and navigating queerness in religious spaces. From coming out on Tucker Carlson Tonight to writing bestselling bo...

She had a Wharton MBA, a finance career at Goldman Sachs, and a clear path to “success.” But something deeper was calling. In this episode of The SafeTea Podcast, Rooshy Roy, founder of Ayurvedic-inspired beauty brand AAVRANI, sits down with Akbar to unpack her journey of reclaiming identity, rejecting societal timelines, and building a business rooted in culture and purpose. From growing up as th...

His designs have been worn by icons like Michelle Obama, Priyanka Chopra, and Zendaya... but Bibhu Mohapatra’s journey from a small town in India to the global stage is anything but ordinary. Bibhu opens up to Akbar about growing up queer in India, navigating life in America as an immigrant, and using fashion as a language of liberation. From his early days studying economics in Utah to designing...

You’ve seen her shine in Griselda, The Resident, and indie hits across Colombia - but behind the spotlight is a story of bold leaps, heartbreak, and tenacity. In this episode, Akbar Hamid sits down with actress Julieth Restrepo for a powerful conversation about leaving a thriving career in Colombia to start over in Hollywood. She opens up about navigating rejection, learning English in her 20s, au...

They made headlines with their viral wedding story in 2019, but this love story is still unfolding. In this episode of The SafeTea Podcast , Akbar is joined by creative power couple Amit Shah (founder of AATMA Performing Arts) and Aditya Madiraju (beauty and lifestyle creator) for a hilarious yet honest conversation about discovering their queer identity, finding each other, and reinventing themse...

He lights up red carpets and champions queer visibility, but behind all of that, Anthony Allen Ramos (VP of Communications & Talent at GLAAD) brings a deeply personal story of identity, advocacy, and hard-earned authenticity on this episode of the SafeTea podcast. Today, Akbar and Anthony talk about growing up mixed-race in LA, his coming to terms with his identity, and his journey from mornin...

You’ve seen her bring the laughs on stage (and play Akbar’s drag twin in their short, Poreless). But behind the comedy, Sureni Weerasekera carries the layered story of a queer Sri Lankan-American trying to find her voice in a world that didn’t always make space for it. In this episode of The SafeTea Podcast, Sureni talks about growing up in an immigrant family in San Diego, busking on the streets...

You’ve seen her light up the screen in Orange Is the New Black, Encanto, and Jane the Virgin - but behind the smile, Diane Guerrero has lived a story of survival, silence, and stunning transformation. In this episode, Diane opens up to Akbar about losing her parents to deportation, growing up alone, and learning to rewrite her own narrative. From her first acting class (thanks to a crew of nightli...

Before she was everyone’s favorite on The Real Housewives of New York, Jessel Taank was already a force in the fashion world as an all-star publicist, global nomad, and barrier breaker. In this episode, Akbar gets real with Jessel on her path from London to NYC's fashion scene, how she landed RHONY (without ever seeing the show) and her creation of ŌUSHQ, a platform to uplift South Asian fashion a...

In this episode of The SafeTea, actor Saagar Shaikh (Marvel’s Ms. Marvel, Hulu’s Deli Boys) takes us through the real behind-the-scenes of breaking into Hollywood as a brown, Muslim, first-gen creative. From TaskRabbit gigs to beard oil startups, getting fired by his own dad to landing his first audition tape that changed everything—this is the truth behind the “breakout.” We talk about: Why repre...

Can you hold onto your culture, your family, and your queerness—all at once? In our first interview of The SafeTea podcast, Akbar sits down with IRL couple Dr. Roshan Sethi (writer/director of "A Nice Indian Boy") and actor Karan Soni (Deadpool, Ghostbusters) to talk about the layered journey behind their new film A Nice Indian Boy—and the one they’ve been living off-screen. From redefining what m...

In this debut episode, host Akbar Hamid opens up about his journey from growing up as a closeted queer Muslim with zero representation — to launching his own agency, starring in a Tribeca-bound film, and starting this podcast to pay it all forward. He introduces the S.A.F.E.T.E.A. framework: to be Seen, Accepted, Free, and Empowered — and the responsibility that comes with it: to Transform, Elevat...

What does it really mean to feel safe? Not just physically... but emotionally, culturally, spiritually? The SafeTea Podcast is where the tea is hot, but healing is hotter. Each week, our host Akbar Hamid - a proud queer, South Asian, Muslim disruptor - sits down with cultural changemakers for honest yet hilarious conversations about everything from grief to growth and visibility to vulnerability....