Being brown is hard enough. Being beautiful, FEELING beautiful? Don’t even get @sharandhaliwal_ and I started.

'There is NOTHING more Punk than being black and brown. Period.'

For eppy 8, I’m joined by alternative music expert, TikToker, fellow podcaster @wewearblackpod and HEAD OF SOCIAL @ ALTERNATIVE PRESS MAG @yasminesumman.

‘I think it’s them wanting to refuse that they are not just oppressed, but that they also play the part of the oppressor…’  

HAPPY SOUTH ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH!  Here’s a special spicy Brown Girls Don't eppy to celebrate, because we like tearing sh*t up like that. 

For our first filmed episode ever, I'm joined by model, Tamil activist and VOGUE COVER GAL Sheerah Ravindren to chat about some of the hardest pills to swallow as PoCs:  

✨How our fellow minorities can uphold white supremacy for their own benefit 

✨The experiences of being a minority within a minority as a dark-skinned Tamil person, and 

✨What we can ALL collectively do to ensure none of us are left behind no matter our palatability in a white-dominated society  

Everything we discuss is SO relevant when you look at the current political climate, with people who share similar backgrounds to us leaving us behind while they chase power. It’s also an evergreen conversation, because you can never check yourself too much.

Fancy seeing us in person? You can also stream the podcast on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEPtSC_5Gro

🙅🏻‍♀️PLOT TWIST: TRADITIONAL EDUCATION ISN’T FOR EVERYONE🙅🏻‍♀️

Hashtag Brown Gals on Tour💅🏽

We're joined by Mira Jessani this week, a super active member of the creatives of colour community and die-hard holiday fan, to discuss her wonderful travel adventures. But of course this wouldn't be a BGD poddy episode without discussing the concept of travel and solo-travel against a South Asian backdrop. We'll be chatting about the culture clash we faced when we both first made our first trips alone, the bartering we have to do as brown girls in order to be able to set off in the first place, how our travel and spending habits differ to our parents' generations, and why solo-travel is good for the brown girl's soul (or anyone's really). 

Mira's also happily given away some practical words of wisdom to make that solo-travel life a little easier for you, so get out those notebooks!!!

LISTEN UP (see what I did there?) - we’ve got something to say…

A few things, actually. For episode 4, I’m joined by Liza Begum, Labour councillor for Churchill Ward and Layla Mahmood, experienced journalist, to share what the consequences of being a vocal women of colour are, and why it matters more than ever for us to represent our communities.

Drawing on our pretty wild personal experiences in politics and media, we cover what we REALLY fear the most by speaking out, what you can do to challenge the status quo (from both ends) as a PoC, and how to prevent burnout as a woman raising her voice to be heard.

*P.S. We recorded this particular episode in a suuuuper busy workspace - I’ve done all I can to drown out the background noise, but there may be a couple of weird glitches at some points. My bad, I’m still learning!*

Welcome to the spectrum listeners! Neurodivergence is so underrepresented in the South Asian community, and there are many different reasons why. The spectrum is so wonderful yet complex and we didn’t want to box everyone up together, so my lovely friend, fellow creative and TikTok influencer Mehek Bukhari and I decided to talk about one of the conditions we can relate to the most - ADHD✨.

A little Valentine's weekend special for all the people going thru it (lol), Dr. Sarika and I talk BREAK-UPS! Relationships and their breakdowns are as real and normal as death and taxes - but why do South Asian women find it extra hard to break-up, or to find support as they work through theirs? What's waiting for them on the other side, and why do a lot of us choose to carry on persevering through difficult relationships instead? What have sexuality and honour got to do with it? We deconstruct all these juicy little topics and more...

(PSA: it DOES get better x)

For Brown Girls Don't's debut episode, we're joined by none other than EastEnders' (and Luton's) very own Gurlaine Kaur Garcha, aka Albert Square's Ash Panesar!

We talk about...why minority representation matters in 21st century Britain, why WE have to be the ones to do it ourselves both in front of and behind the screen, why diversity is a rubbish word to explain what we want as South Asians and, of course, some inside gossip about how the EE team works hard to ensure the Panesar family does the South Asian diaspora justice.

Grab your chai, log off for the day (TGIF, amirite) and spread the word if you know someone who would love what we have to say...