My guest Eamonn is a 38 yr old male from mixed heritage. His father is white European and his mother is from Far East Asia - but he's never spent a significant amount of time in either of their countries as his dad's work kept the family in the Middle East. He moved back to the UK for University and after a brief period living back in Qatar with his parents, decided to move to the UK full-time. This move took him to Scotland and the oil & gas industry.

Eamonn and I talk about unwritten guy codes, biases that can't be ignored, the rigid nature of careers and the line of an easy life that has been sold to us.

The Myth of Meritocracy

Sarah Everard and the U.K.'s Deadly Violence Against Women (NYT article)

My guest on this episode describes herself as a daughter of the Arab Spring, relentlessly holding on to her sense of idealism. A recent European refugee, who is currently licking wounds, while routinely pointing out the political and social pollution caused by late capitalism to a small circle of friends and antagonising people to join post-George-Fluid global racial awakening. 

My guest talks to me about existing on various points along the sympathy spectrum, the North Atlantic capitalist empire, our roles in nation state building and disenchantment with the work within the humanitarian sector. But what mostly shows through is how tiring it is to yo-yo between gratitude and feeling as though nothing is going the way it should.

Note: some listeners may find the language offensive.

Human Rights Watch article on Cluster Munitions

Convention on Cluster Munitions

Ruth holds a Masters in Fine Arts for Creative Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a registered nurse with two decades of experience in perinatal nursing. She is "mostly" from Chicago, but has lived in many places including Yemen, Kazakhstan and nine states in the U.S.A. She writes personal lyrical contemplative essays about birth, war and the natural world. She is a lover of aimless road trips, being a minority while aware of her own privilege in this role, cats and cozy quiet things of life like tea.

**Note: in relation to those Alaskan Native tribes remaining - there are many tribes who were in fact moved off their lands such as tribes in the Aleutian chain of islands during WW@ who were displaced throughout Alaska to terrible living conditions to allow for military installations in their villages. Some people returned after the war, but many did not. You can find out more by visiting the State of Alaska website - https://alaska.gov/kids/learn/nativeculture.htm

Ruth talks to me about being thrown into the real world, the exhaustion within patriarchal healthcare and unpicking the reality of white social colonisation.

Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery

Third culture kids

Maya Angelou

Buthaina is a Yemeni-American, who identifies as a woman, entrepreneur and a citizen of the world. Growing up in an international community across the globe, and having to make a life for herself in St. Louis Missouri proved challenging, yet pivotal to her personal development. She has intentionally opened her life and mind to the canopy of cultural groups within the US, with much more to learn.

Buthaina talks to me about searching for your place, how our parents imperfectly change the world through us and how falling from privilege is a privilege in itself.

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Ahmed Saif Yemeni medley songs 2022

Mie describes herself as a daughter, a sister and friend and she is a British/Nigerian clinical cardiac physiologist with a specialism in cardiac devices.

Mie candidly shares the layers of peoples' expectations that she's carried through the years, dusting off abusive actions thrown her way and trying to find a way to give herself more grace in a world that expects you to wear many masks.

Nneka joins me to talk about having a non-singular career, creating a life true to yourself and how music and creativity need more advocacy.

Rest is Resistance, by Tricia Hersey

Article on MP

Valia talks about seeking happiness, finding resistance to her self-improvement and navigating a world where everyone is making you question yourself.

Note: There are a couple of instances at the beginning of the episode where our mics fail us, but I've kept them in as the message is not affected.

Listener discretion advised as there is some discussion on sexual relations.

Em joins me to talk about her frustrations with rigid systems, not owning your time and why no one is talking about how hard the pandemic was.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Maisie Hill podcast - https://www.maisiehill.com/podcast

The Nap Ministry - https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/

Love on a Bike

Visible Women with Caroline Criado Perez - Privacy vs the gender data gap

Intro & outro music by

I'd love to. But I'm so tired.

Conversations on status quo fatigue.

https://www.instagram.com/sotired.podcast/