My guest this month is award-winning Lebanese-Australian sports journalist and broadcaster Amanda Shalala. She is the Deputy Editor for ABC Sport and has led broadcast coverage of the FIFA World Cup, Commonwealth Games, Paralympics and Olympics. Amanda also oversees the 50:50 Equality Project, which works to improve representation in sport.

In this episode, Amanda reflects on growing up in Sydney, navigating the pressure to assimilate, and the regret she carries about not learning Arabic. She speaks candidly about the impact of negative media stereotypes of Middle Eastern communities and how those narratives shaped her early experiences. We explore her lifelong love of sport and the vital role diverse journalists play in bringing richer stories informed by a wide range of perspectives. Amanda shares her gratitude for the incredible women in sports media who supported her career, and how she now pays that forward by mentoring emerging reporters. She also discusses what it has meant to be underestimated as a female sports journalist, and how she continues to push through those challenges. We talk about the excitement building around the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and the opportunities it will create for fresh, quirky and uniquely Australian storytelling. The episode closes with Amanda's heartfelt advice for women of colour aspiring to enter journalism, offering encouragement, realism and hope.

I hope you like our new music! It was composed by my talented childhood friend, El Salvadorian-Australian Rene Castillo. Check out his bank Izalco.

This podcast is written, produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB - 98.1FM and Global Digital. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia.

Lioness Heart is made on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal people. I acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first storytellers of this country, and honour the wisdom and leadership of First Nations women whose stories continue to guide and ground us.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram: @nettafinneymejia
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

My guest this month is South African-born Indian-Australian Saalihah Seedat. She is a consultant clinical pharmacist, personal development coach, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, mentor and mum of three. Saalihah is passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, social issues and making a difference in people's lives. In 2025, Saalihah was named one of Brisbane's top 60 most inspirational women.

In this episode, Saalihah chats about what it was like growing up in South Africa during the Apartheid era, the strong legacy of the women in her family and the tragedy of losing her mum and grandmother during the COVID lockdowns. We find out what drew Saalihah to the health field and why stress management is an important part of our wellbeing. Saalihah also tells us about the ways she deals with discrimination and how younger women are more confident and graceful at it than we are, as well as why we all benefit from building an intercultural community of women.

This podcast is written, produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live, the Yuggera and Turrbal people. I pay my respects to their Elders and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Black lives matter.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram: @nettafinneymejia
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

My guest this month is Sri Lankan-Australian artist Kuweni Dias Mendis. Kuweni integrates movement, sound, film, installations, markings and sculptural ritual objects to create immersive works. These works invite you to reconnect to your heartbeat, rhythm, gait, posture, and sense of time and space within a decolonised body. Her practice is shaped by her cultural experiences of Sri Lanka and Australia. As a migrant on unceded lands, Kuweni advocates for and amplifies the voices of marginalised women through collaborative artworks, exhibitions and participatory experiences. She creates spaces where these voices can be heard and valued.

In this episode, Kuweni and I chat about what prompted her to leave her corporate career and follow her dream of becoming an artist, how she found a new family of aunties and discovered she's a river woman. We also yarn about why connection to culture and country is important, how Kuweni's art is a bridge between two cultures, and why we need to make sure we go to the table where we belong.

Visit Kuweni's art exhibition 'Riverscope' at Logan Art Gallery from 11 August to 12 September 2025. Check out her website: Kuweni – Kuweni Dias Mendis and follow her on Facebook: dimuthu.dias or Instagram: kuweni_artist

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM and Global Digital on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram: @nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

My guest this month is Councillor Trina Massey. Trina is a proud, queer woman and immigrant of Filipino and African American ethnicity. She's also the first ever Black, Asian, queer woman to hold political office in Queensland! As a record-spinning DJ with an extensive music collection, Trina goes under the name Black Amex.

We yarn about what it was like for Trina growing up as a mixed race kid in Brisbane, how she likes to surprise Filipinos by bursting out in Tagalog, and the importance of community and social justice. We also talk about how emotional white men can be, being authentic and doing politics differently, and encouraging diverse women to get into politics.

Check out Trina's website: Trina Massey - Greens Councillor for The Gabba Ward. Follow her on Facebook: Trina Massey Councillor for the Gabba Ward or Instagram: trinamasseygabba.

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM and Global Digital on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram: @nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

Content warning: Ableism, racism, ageism and domestic abuse

My guest this month is talented Filipina-Australian singer, dancer and rapper, Danii. We yarn about Danii's connection to her heritage, her love of music (especially K-pop) and how she got her start in show biz. We also talk about her experiences of discrimination in general and in the music industry, why representation matters, and how there needs to be more of a spotlight on women of colour performers.

Follow Danii on Instagram iamdaniimusic and her website iamdanii.com.

If you're in Australia and you need support:

• 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling)
• Lifeline on 13 11 14 (crisis support)
• 13YARN on 13 92 76 (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners)

If you're outside Australia please contact the support service in your area.

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM and Global Digital on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram: @nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

Content warning: child sexual abuse, racism and domestic violence.

This is the second part of our chat with Olivia Afriyie Johnson. In this episode, Olivia yarns about how important self-care is and gives encouraging advice for other women of colour. She also shares how she figured out what she was experiencing was domestic abuse, what it was like getting backlash from her own community, and what helped her.

If you're in Australia and you need support:

• 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling)
• Lifeline on 13 11 14 (crisis support)
• 13YARN on 13 92 76 (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners)

If you're outside Australia please contact the support service in your area.

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram:@nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

Content warning: child sexual abuse, racism and domestic violence.

My next guest is Olivia Afriyie Johnson. Olivia is a passionate advocate, sociopreneur, and human resources & business management professional dedicated to empowering others through her lived experiences. Born in Ghana and raised in Australia, her cross-cultural journey has shaped a powerful perspective on resilience, identity, and healing. She is the founder of Olive Solutions Consultancy, and Community Partners, a charity committed to breaking social barriers and fostering positive representation for culturally and liquistically diverse communities. Learn more about Olivia's journey in her blog and her memoir, Echoes of Resilience.

Our yarn is split into two episodes - this is the first. In this episode, we yarn about Olivia's diverse upbringing, language, stereotypes and how it's rude to touch a black women's skin and hair without asking! We also talk about code switching, racism at work and the importance of education.

If you're in Australia and you need support:

• 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling)
• Lifeline on 13 11 14 (crisis support)
• 13YARN on 13 92 76 (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners)
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

If you're outside Australia please contact the support service in your area.

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram:@nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

My guest this month is Chinese-Australian Comedian He Huang. He went viral after she appeared on Australia's Got Talent in 2022. Her deadpan delivery and self-deprecating jokes based on her Chinese culture made her go viral. I caught up with He at the Woodford Folk Festival in December 2024 where she was performing. In this episode, we chat about He's new show, 'White man's Burden', the crap that minority comedians have to deal with, and He's various aliases. We also talk about how policy and law isn't that different from comedy, what it was like growing up in China, and how Chinese people can be just as bogan and racist as Aussies.

Watch He Huang on Australia's Got Talent.

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram:@nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

Content warning: Domestic and family violence

My guest this month is Sara Yan. Sara has Chinese heritage and is a talented writer, cartoonist and published author. She's the brains behind the comic strips 'Lennan and Smallsy' and 'Live, Learn, Change' which aim to educate about domestic abuse, by focusing on boys and men. Sara and I talk about what it's like being a halfie, plus her own experience of domestic and family violence and why it inspired her to do what she does. We also discuss myths about perpetrators, potential solutions to reduce male violence, before ending with great advice for other girls and women of colour.

Sara and I love Lundy Bancroft's books. These are excellent resources if you want to learn about domestic violence.

If you're in Australia and you need support:

• 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling)
• Lifeline on 13 11 14 (crisis support)
• 13YARN on 13 92 76 (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners)
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

If you're outside Australia please contact the support service in your area.

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

· Email: [email protected]

· Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia

· Instagram:@nettafinney

· Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

Content warning: child sexual abuse, incest and family violence.

My next guest is Caroline Brunne, who was born in Mauritius. In her debut book 'More than one thing can be true', Caroline shared her experience of overcoming child sexual abuse, incest and family violence, offering a narrative of bravery and resilience. Today, Caroline yarns with me about her work as a lived experience expert and survivor advocate, how she tried to fit into Aussie culture as a little brown girl, and how you can't be what you can't see.

Read about the Australian Child Maltreatment Study.

If you're in Australia and you need support:

• 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling)
• Lifeline on 13 11 14 (crisis support)
• 13YARN on 13 92 76 (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners)
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

If you're outside Australia please contact the support service in your area.

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram:@nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia