Mixed Up

The one where we discuss the pressure to become skinny at any cost

Emma and Nicole speak with Charisse Kenion, beauty and culture journalist, writer, photographer and podcaster. In her work she digs deep into beauty standards, cultural narratives and personal stories across identity lines over the past 15 years and has contributed to the likes of Dazed Beauty and British Vogue.

We speak about the impact of beauty standards on Black and mixed women, ageing, the push for GLP-1s, and how the political climate is reflected in societal beauty standards.

Buy our book, ⁠⁠The Half of It: Exploring the Mixed Race Experience⁠⁠

Emma Slade Edmondson: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/emsladedmondson/⁠⁠

Nicole Ocran: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocran/⁠⁠

Mixed Up:⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/mixedup.podcast⁠⁠

Charisse Kenion: https://www.instagram.com/charisse_kenion/https://www.instagram.com/charisse_kenion/

Website: ⁠⁠https://www.mixedup.co.uk/⁠⁠

Substack: ⁠⁠https://mixeduppod.substack.com/⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@mixedup.podcast

The one where you’re asked to choose a flag

Emma and Nicole speak with mixed British-Japanese artist and counsellor, Denise Devenish. She works primarily with musicians and creatives having grown up in a family steeped in the music industry. 

She is the daughter of Kishi Yamamoto and Adrian Sherwood of On-U Sound fame and was surrounded by around iconic artists including Lee Scratch Perry, Ari Up and Bim Sherman.

We discuss how psychotherapy has historically been a white, middle-class practice, the importance of cultural competency within therapy, what it's like to name and explore your own experience and discomfort as a therapist and the responsibility one feels to take care of one's many cultures and heritages.

Buy our book, ⁠The Half of It: Exploring the Mixed Race Experience⁠

Emma Slade Edmondson: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/emsladedmondson/⁠

Nicole Ocran: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocran/⁠

Mixed Up:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/mixedup.podcast⁠

Denise Devenish: https://www.instagram.com/denise.devenish/

Website: ⁠https://www.mixedup.co.uk/⁠

Substack: ⁠https://mixeduppod.substack.com/⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mixedup.podcast

The one where we call our white boy bredrins to tell them to use their privilege for their wives at the hospital

Emma and Nicole speak to Nehanda Truscott-Reid, a maternal wellness coach and founder Soul Mama Journey, which supports women of colour through the transition of motherhood to healing from maternal burnout. She also hosts The Soul Mama Podcast and runs The Soul Mama Retreat, a sacred space for black and mixed mothers to heal, rest and rejuvenate.

Pre-order our book, The Half of It: Exploring the Mixed Race Experience

Emma Slade Edmondson: https://www.instagram.com/emsladedmondson/

Nicole Ocran: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleocran/

Mixed Up: https://www.instagram.com/mixedup.podcast

Nehanda Truscott-Reid on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulmamajourney

Website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com/

The one where sit down with South London’s worst kept secret 🤫

Emma and Nicole sit down with Sara Assad-Mannings, co-owner and founder of Bunhead Bakery. We talk about her lockdown journey of bringing Palestinian flavours across South London from stalls and pop-ups to a viral bricks and mortar bakery, growing up “ambiguous” but staunchly proud and intentional in sharing her Palestinian heritage and upbringing.

They also discuss food being a safe place and a way to show love, the politics of heritage, how people find connection to a cause, and creating spaces we didn’t have when we were growing up.

Pre-order our book The Half Of It: https://lnkfi.re/nf0upC

Sara Assad-Mannings: https://www.instagram.com/bunheadbakes/

Bunhead Bakery: https://www.instagram.com/thebunheadbakery/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast

Website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com

The one with the mutual fan girling and a Land Rover to North Yorkshire.

This week Emma and Nicole sit down with singer songwriter and beautiful soul Beka Prance. She is a master of the art of blending heart wrenching words and melodies and recently wrote the soundtrack for Apple TV show Trying.

They talk about weaving life experiences of being mixed into the music, adoption, having two mixed parents and what it’s like to be on a set where no one quite knows quite what to do with your hair. There is a lot of laughter!

Order our book The Half Of It: ⁠https://lnkfi.re/nf0upC⁠

BEKA: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/bekaontoast

Instagram: ⁠https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast⁠

Website: ⁠https://www.mixedup.co.uk/⁠

Substack: ⁠https://mixeduppod.substack.com

The one where we talk about the book.

Emma and Nicole are joined by Isabella Silvers, journalist and founder of Mixed Messages to discuss the release of their book, The Half of It. This time, Izzy interviews Emma and Nicole on how they got started, the book writing process, and themes from the book - history of mixed people from across the globe, understanding the root of mixed race stereotypes, childhood and forming identity, interracial relationships and dating, fetishisation, adoption, hair, beauty standards, and why we need to examine the phrase ‘white passing’.

Buy our book The Half Of It: https://lnkfi.re/nf0upC

Isabella Silvers: https://www.instagram.com/izzymks/

Mixed Messages: https://www.instagram.com/mixedmessagesnewsletter/

Mixed Messages Newsletter: https://mixedmessages.substack.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast

Website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com

The one where we collect markers to flag our identities.

Nicole is solo this week speaking with Becky White, creator and co-host of The Halfie Project, a platform and community that explores mixed Korean subcultures and identity. The Halfie Project kindly contributed to our book, The Half of It.

They discuss their relationship with language, the history of mixed Koreans and the diaspora, how we are seen differently depending on our location, and how attitudes towards mixed Koreans have changed over time.

Pre-order our book The Half Of It: https://lnkfi.re/nf0upC

The Halfie Project: https://www.instagram.com/thehalfieproject/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast

Website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com

The one where we find the language to talk about our experience.

Emma and Nicole speak to Farzana Nayani, author of Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World. Farzana is Filipina-Pakistani and is a diversity, equity and inclusion specialist in race, unconscious bias, culture and identity. She has been working with schools and within corporate environments for many years.

Pre-order our book The Half Of It: https://lnkfi.re/nf0up

https://www.instagram.com/farzananayani

https://www.instagram.com/multiracialmatters

Website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk

Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com

The one where we talk about tackling the climate crisis with an awareness of social injustice

Emma and Nicole speak to Mikaela Loach, climate justice activist, campaigner and author about coming from two cultures that have a very different responsibility around the climate crisis.

They discuss atmospheric colonialism, the moment she took the government to court and how we can look to our ancestors for the fortitude to keep pushing for a better world. Her book, It's Not That Radical, is available now.

This episode is brought to you by Uncommon Wines.

Thank you to the Groovy House for hosting us!

Pre-order our book The Half Of It: https://lnkfi.re/nf0up

Mikaela Loach: https://www.instagram.com/mikaelaloach Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast

Website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/
Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com 

The one where the cream rises to the top

Emma and Nicole speak to Michael Caines, is a two-Michelin star awarded chefs and one of six Black Michelin star chefs in the world. Born in Exeter, Michael was adopted into a white family at a young age and his love of cooking lead him to apprentice under Raymond Blanc, and at the age of 25 a car accident lead to him losing his right arm.

He discusses growing up in a white family and predominantely white environments, working in fast-paced and highly competitive environments, relearning his skills after losing an arm, and how food connects us to culture.

Michael is featured in Lucas Fothergill's Everyone Everywhere: Mixed Race Family Stories, looking into a hundred years of mixed British history, published by Unbounders.

Pre-order our book The Half Of It: https://lnkfi.re/nf0upC
Michael Caines: https://www.instagram.com/macaines/ 
Lucas Fothgergill: https://twitter.com/lucasfothergill 
Everyone Everywhere: https://unbound.com/books/everyone-everywhere
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast
Website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/
Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com