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Have you ever asked yourself what ‘home’ means to you?
And did you ever stop to wonder how the words we use matter?

From a young age, Baharak Bashmani, has had to navigate many worlds, each time moving for different reasons: from fleeing her 'home' country, to being resettled by the UNHCR, and later moving by choice. Every move comes with its own trials and tribulations, but ultimately her determination carries her through. As she makes her way through 7 countries, she reflects on her experiences and asks: What is 'home'? And where are my roots? Tune in for an honest conversation as Baharak reveals her notions of 'home', the nuances between fitting in and belonging, and as she reflects on her roots and nomadic lifestyle.

Episode Mentions

• Rooted in B — Baharak’s blog where she writes about her experience as a nomad, and reflects on home, identity, and belonging
• Article Baharak wrote for the UNHCR on #WhatHomeMeans 
  ”She feeds me, listens to my journeys and makes me feel right at home.”
• Zan, Zendegi, Azadi (Woman, Life, Freedom)
  Rooted in B Article written by Baharak about the current situation in Iran
• UNHCR — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
  The UN Refugee Agency that resettled Baharak and her family to Finland. 
  If you want to learn more about what is being done for refugees and how to help, find out more on their website
• The Body Keeps the Score — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
  The go-to book for deconstructing trauma, understanding what it means, and it's affects on both children and adults. Told from a psychologist's perspective.

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More about: Baharak Bashmani (aka B)
Instagram |  Blog
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The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

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Have you ever stopped to wonder what rituals you practice from your inherited faith? Are they religious rituals? Or are they cultural rituals?

Episode 9, Season 1 with Aakshi Singha
🌶️ the diversity that brings us together — with Aakshi

More about: Aakshi Singha
Instagram |  Twitter

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In these 'SideTalk' episodes of the in-betweenish pod, I’ll be selecting side conversations extracted from recording sessions with our guests. Each SideTalk will tackle a specific subject.
 
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Curious about the in-betweenish pod
Chat with Beatriz on Instagram
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Anything else? Contact Us Here

The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

Send us Fan Mail

What is the strongest tie you have to your home country? 
How does your schooling inform your own identity?

On this episode, I chat with Aakshi Sinha about her upbringing, growing up all over India, and then going away for college at Minerva University. Aakshi bravely shares stories from her boarding school days, from complicated hierarchal relationships, to coping mechanisms through music and community building. Together we explore subjects of mental health, seeking therapy, discovering one’s sexual identity and the importance of representation. One topic we keep circling back to is Partition and Independence, and Aakshi asks a very important question: how much of history is actually felt in the present?

Episode Mentions

• On Children by Khalil Gibran
• The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
• 1947 Partition Archive — a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to archiving the people's history of Partition
• Gaysi — safe zone and platform exploring the intersection between being Desi and queer 

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More about: Aakshi Singha
Instagram |  Twitter

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Curious about the in-betweenish pod
Chat with Beatriz on Instagram 
Behind the Scenes on TikTok
Anything else? Contact Us Here

The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

Send us Fan Mail

In this minisode we’re going back to the origin story of in-betweenish, explaining why and how it came to be. It all started with a few simple questions about a decade ago:

Where is home? 
What is a home?

This lead me on a journey to discover the term Third Culture Kid (TCK). Researchers John and Ruth Useem, an American sociologist and anthropologist couple, first coined the term Third Culture Kids when they were living abroad in India with their family. According to Dr. Ruth Useem, being a Third Culture Kid explained “Children who accompany their parents into another culture [usually for a parent’s career choice.]” Sometimes the term Adult Third Culture Kid, ATCK, is used to describe adults who had a TCK upbringing.

Simple formula used to understand Third Culture Kids:
A [parents’ culture] + B [host country/countries culture(s)] = C [your own third culture]

Years later, when doing research for the inception of the in-betweenish pod, I came across the more inclusive term Cross-Cultural Kids (CCK). This new model was researched and developed by Ruth E. Van Reken and encompasses more diverse experiences of people who exist across different cultures for any reason. In her research, Van Reken outlines 7 Cross-Cultural Kid categories and they are:

• Bi-racial/ bi-cultural children
• Children of Immigrants
• Children of Refugees
• Children of Minorities 
  (Privileged or Marginalized)
• International Adoptions
• Traditional Third Culture Kids  
  (Foreign Service Kids, Corporate Brats, Missionary Kids, Military Brats)
• Domestic Third Culture Kids

 If you recognize yourself in this CCK upbringing and you want to share your story, reach out to me directly. I’d love to hear from you! You can reach me through our website or send me  a message through our Instagram.

✏️  TCK and CCK Resources: Learn More Here

• Mo — Netflix series developed by Mohammed Amer and Ramy Youssef 
  The life of a Palestinian family as they navigate the convoluted US immigration system
• Cross Cultural Kids 
  Research developed by Ruth E. Van Reken
• Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds 
  Book by David C. Pollock and Ruth E. Van Reken 
• Arrivals, Departures and the Adventures In-Between 
  Book by Christopher O'Shaughnessy 
• Letters Never Sent: A Global Nomad’s Journey from Hurt to Healing 
  Book by Ruth E. Van Reken 
• The Danger of a Single Story 
  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | TED

** If you decide to purchase the books through the links above, the show may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. 

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The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

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Identity Crisis is a term that gets thrown around quite a bit nowadays. In this minisode, I attempt to understand, from a psychological perspective, what an identity crisis really is. In doing so, we also explore what identity is comprised of: experiences, relationships, beliefs, values and memories. Information shared in this minisode is based on the work and theories of Erik Erikson and James Marcia.

PS. Read along this article if you want to understand how identity develops!
Erik Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development

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Curious about the in-betweenish pod

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The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

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Have you ever tried to fit in so badly you changed your appearance? Were you aware of the subconscious reasons that may have lead to this decision?

Nora S. is a close friend and in this episode we dive deep into her roots and unveil a story of layered identity crisis. At a young age, Nora was adopted, then she spent her life growing up in various places, as a Third Culture Kid. On this episode you hear her navigate the delicate dynamics of being from a certain place, but always standing out: from negative stereotypes perpetrated against Asian women, to strangers questioning her belonging, tune in for a vulnerable, honest, and courageous conversation on this week’s episode of the in-betweenish pod.

Content Warning: There is mention of depression in this episode, so please listen with caution. If you would like to avoid this section altogether please skip from minutes 44:30 to 45:15.

Episode Mentions

• What’s Wrong with Asking “Where are you from?” 
  by Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar in the Harvard Business Review
  * this is not the exact article mentioned in the episode
  
  
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy 
  "And once again, only the Small Things were said. The Big Things lurked unsaid inside."

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Curious about the in-betweenish pod
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The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

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Old friends are often times a gateway to our past selves. Who we were as teenagers is not gone but only built upon. Today, I encourage you to reach out to an old friend from your teenage years, even if you’re no longer very close. They still know a past version of yourself that may be buried under layers of adulthood.

PS. If you do reach out to an old friend and want to share your story with me, I’d love to hear from you. 🎙️ And you can actually send me a voice message through our website! Looking forward to connecting with more of you soon.

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Curious about the in-betweenish pod, find us here:
Website  |  Instagram  |  Contact

The in-betweenish pod is hosted and produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

Send us Fan Mail

What are the known unknowns in your life? 
How about the unknown unknowns? 
It’s a scary thought isn’t it? All the things we have internalized and deeply ingrained in us from childhood, from our families, from society, from culture. And we often go through life completely unaware of what is inherently our own and what was inherited, passed down through generations. In this episode Axel Kacoutié reflects on his relationship to his inherited faith and where he stands today. We also dive into their gender identity, from queerness to masculinity and what it means to be a man.

Episode Mentions:

• Axel’s work: A Sound Poem
• Vodun: is an ancient religion practiced by some 30 million people in the West African nations of Benin, Togo and Ghana. With its countless deities, animal sacrifice and spirit possession, voodoo -- as it's known to the rest of the world -- is one of the most misunderstood religions on the globe.
• Podcast on men and the patriarchy: Men — Scene on Radio (Season 3) 
  (you can also find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you listen)

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More about: Axel Kacoutié
Website  |  Instagram  |  Twitter

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Curious about the in-betweenish pod
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The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

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Who are you to yourself, when no one is around?
Axel Kacoutié is not afraid to explore uncomfortable territory. We tread, not so lightly, on topics around their cultural identity, from Ivorian roots to British citizenship. We also explore questions around Axel’s racial identity, and how the Berlin Conference from 1884, where Africa was neatly divided amongst European colonizers, still affects people today.

Axel questions and makes sense of identity through expression, through art, and through writing. A few works mentioned in the episode were:

• A Mother Tongue
• How to Remember
• A Sound Poem 

Episode Mentions:

• Ethnicities — Bété people; Anyi (Akan) people
• Fufu or Foutou — a mashed blend of plantains, cassava or yams. It is a staple dish for Akan people of Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana and other parts of West Africa.
• Djembe or Jembe drums — rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa 
  • the name of the djembe comes from the saying "Anke djé, anke bé" which translates to "everyone gather together in peace" and defines the drum's purpose
• Zaouli Dance — a traditional dance of the Guro people of central Ivory Coast
• Chansonnier — an insightful singer, poet, songwriter that helps the community heal from old wounds
• The Body Keeps the Score — Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

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More about: Axel Kacoutié
Website  |  Instagram  |  Twitter
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Curious about the in-betweenish pod
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The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry

Send us Fan Mail

Growing up did you feel like you had to adhere to a certain checklist; be it your parent's, society's, or your religion's checklist?

This is part II of a two-part episode with my high school friend Nora Gharib. She is a full-time architect, interior designer, and content creator who just moved from the East Coast to the West Coast! This week we tackle religion as Nora grew up in an interfaith household and with a very diverse family around her. We chat about celebrating religious and cultural traditions, the checklist for marriage, questioning your elders, and wonder why we have arbitrary rules.

Part I of this two part episode is all about culture, languages, code switching, and hiding behind certain identities. 

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More about: Nora Gharib
Instagram  |  TikTok  |  Youtube  |  Simply Gharib Blog 

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Curious about the in-betweenish pod
Website  |  Instagram  |  Contact

The in-betweenish pod is produced by Beatriz Nour
Music is composed and produced by Malik Elmessiry