Kartik Kuna is an artist/songwriter based in Australia who is leaving his mark on the music world. In this episode, we talk about how Kartik got into music and we learn about his journey to becoming a full-time performer. We hear about his time in the Singapore army and deep dive into the song-making process.

Kartik also has a single coming for you every last Friday of the month this year from Feb-Nov, featuring collabs with Asian & South Asian artists 🌏 Show our very talented guest some love by checking out his music on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/5kA8bovz1xGeNSZ2pjc2du

You can also follow Kartik on Instragram - https://www.instagram.com/kartikkuna/

We apologize for the very late delay on this episode. Life has gotten a bit away from us. But we'd like to say we're back and we've got some great things lined up!

Season 2 Episode 4 features a very special guest, Kyrin Bhula founder of Atawhai Counselling. Kyrin has been on the front line in the social work industry for 10 years and has also been a counselor since 2015. We had the pleasure of interviewing her and she also happily answered our questions from us and our listeners. From the start of this episode, we learn about Kyrin's origins and her unique approach as a counsellor. The questions asked in this episode cover topics ranging from approaching family members about mental health, depression, and how to sensitively handle situations with loved ones that are at risk.

Kyrin's professionalism, care, and passion for mental health & service shine through in this podcast. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed chatting with her.

You can reach Kyrin on her website https://www.atawhaicounselling.com or on her Instagram https://www.instagram.com/atawhai_counselling/ 

If you are seeking to book an appointment with Kyrin and you mention that you found out about her through Brown Banter she will give you a special rate for counselling sessions!

**CONTENT WARNING** This episode contains discussions around the following topics - anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicide. This warning is simply to empower you, our audience, with the knowledge you need to make healthy decisions about how and if you should consume this podcast content. In our description, we’ve listed resources if you require support or help around any of the things we talk about today. Take care

If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call the police immediately on 111

OR IF YOU NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE:

Sam and Nav dive into everyone's favourite (but not really) thing to engage in, conflict. The duo talks about their developments over the years in conflict resolution and ways to help resolve conflict in personal and professional relationships.  

LETS GO! Episode 2 is a little bit more banter as we flow into the newest season of Brown Banter. Sam and Nav talk about if they really did have the best dumplings in NZ, fi slapping is a great hype method and what they would do with their lotto winnings. 

Season 2 of Brown Banter kicks off for 2021. Sam and Nav have a good old banter session and explain their hiatus from the podcast, talk about what's to come in season 2 and what might be the best dumpling place in Auckland.

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Thank you to all those who have supported us in the podcast. We apologize for not coming out with an episode sooner but we're here to tell you that we are back and ready to record! We love and appreciate all the feedback. Here's to a happening season 2!!!!

Sam & Nav

After an overwhelmingly positive response to the Sam and Ziba love story, we thought we would do a follow-up episode! Nav fires some hard-hitting questions at us about rejection, maintaining, and keeping peace, closure, and individuality. A lot of people reached out to us and shared their own experiences, their gratitude for being a part of our journey, and some just in shock about the whole thing. To all of you, we say THANK YOU! Your support and kindness are much appreciated.    

(3:06) How Zeebs dealt with reactions and rejection 

(13:15) How Sam dealt with reactions and rejections 

(19:36) How to maintain a calm state of mind, a relationship, while dealing with ill (homophobic) parents? 

(31:57) Dealing with overwhelming emotions and situations 

(36:29) How do you emotionally support yourself when your partner isn't available?  

(45:42) Have we healed? How are we healing, if at all?

***This podcast was recorded over the phone due to Level 3 COVID19 restrictions in New Zealand***

What do you tell yourself when you lack confidence? Does it make you feel uncomfortable when you have to take action for self-growth? Have you ever stopped to ask the time from a stranger to better your people skills? Nav definitely has!  In this episode, Sam and Nav talk about how they cultivate confidence and initiative. They recognise that it isn't always easy to bring themselves to do different things in their lives but they each have their way of stepping up and taking action. Join in on listening to their experiences and let us know what you do to become your most confident self! 

(09:16) Our earliest memory of being confident  

(14:14) How did we start taking initiative? 

(16:51) When are we the most confident? What do we do to be our most confident self? 

(23:30) How do we take action when we are faced with an uncomfortable situation? 

(38:00) What are the barriers we face when cultivating confidence and initiative? 

(43:41) Confidence can be knocked, what do we do to get back on that horse? 

(57:00) Over-confidence and arrogance - good thing or bad thing?

Aa