Mixed Up

The one where it's borne upon you to take yourself home

Emma and Nicole speak to Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushel, a British-Kenyan swimmer turned filmmaker. Rebecca was the first black woman to swim for Team GB, but she retired from the sport and moved into documentary filmmaking. Her documentary, Breakfast In Kisumu follows an interview with her father, Rok Ajulu, a leading Kenyan academic and revolutionary, who died in 2017, chronicling his role in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. We speak about what it means mentally and physically to succeed in an elite sport, your performance becoming your identity, pivoting careers, and what it means to return to the homeland.

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo

Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast

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

Rebecca’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raajulubushell/ 

Culture mix:
Breakfast In Kisumu: https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/6b024baa-bc44-4ee0-a805-784c8d838757/breakfast-in-kisumu 

Black Swimming Association: https://thebsa.co.uk/ 

The one where trans is always punk

Emma and Nicole speak with Travis Alabanza - fashion icon, award-winning performance artist, and author of None of the Above: Life Beyond the Binary.

Travis is one of the most prominent voices in the LGBTQIA+ space in the UK and their work has garnered international recognition over the years.

They spoke about the freedom in being trans, the state’s consistent control over our bodies, growing up in a large mixed and multicultural family and how passing is always conditional. 

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo

Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast

Our Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast
Travis’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travisalabanza/ 

None Of The Above: https://amzn.to/3zYawyR 

Culture mix:

Home Grown article: https://homegrown.co.in/article/802031/a-look-at-indias-drag-culture-6-flawless-queens-tell-us-their-stories 

Kim Saira: https://www.instagram.com/kimsaira/ 

The one where it wasn't #everyonesgame but we speak to a man who's on a mission to make it so.

Emma and Nicole chat with former professional footballer Anton Ferdinand on racism in footbal‪l, THAT John Terry Incident, activism and advocacy in the sport, growing up in Peckham and losing his mum to cancer. He also talks about how opening up about mental health - especially for men - can be lifesaving.

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo

Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast

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

Anton's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anton_ferdinand5/

Culture mix:

https://www.instagram.com/dapsdraws/?hl=en 

https://livingpaintings.org/ 

https://www.instagram.com/knowyourcaribbean/ 

The one where it’s suddenly safer to inhabit your Black identity than your white one 

Emma and Nicole speak to Florence Kollie Raja, founder of Ethical Era and former professional ballerina to talk about her life and experience as refugee having lived through two civil wars and living across the cultural divide of the Russo-Ukraine war of 2022.

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo

Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast

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

Florence’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/buqalife/ 

Culture Mix:
Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black: https://www.instagram.com/originalballetblack 

The one where we find out if passing really is a choice

Emma and Nicole speak to Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga on their new film for Netflix, Passing, an adaptation of Nella Larsen's novel, first published in the late 20s. Set in Harlem the film explores the reunion of two childhood friends, Clare and Irene, who as an adult, Irene finds Clare has been passing as white and living with her white husband. 

They discuss the issues that come from the phrase ‘passing’, whether this could actually be a choice and about mixed people being stereotyped to be ‘destabilising’ and ‘devious.’ 

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo
Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/
Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast
Our Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast 

Passing: https://www.instagram.com/passingmovie/
Tessa Thompson: https://www.instagram.com/tessamaethompson/
Ruth Negga: https://www.instagram.com/negga.ruth/ 

The one where we talk to a Black British icon born of a Black British icon

This Black History Month, Emma and Nicole speak to actress Lenora Crichlow - a Black British icon herself and daughter of Black British icon Frank Crichlow, owner of the Mangrove and one of the Mangrove 9. You may have recently connected with Frank’s story via Steve McQueen Small Axe series. 

Lenora spoke about growing up Mixed and Black in the UK, about acting and activism, about the love story of her mum and dad and about finally being able to stop asking the world - ‘Black or white - am I ok? Am I enough? It’s not their responsibility anymore.’

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo

Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/ 

Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast 

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

Culture Mix:

#AZNxBLM: https://www.kuow.org/stories/black-and-asian-solidarity-how-20-artists-explored-america-s-complicated-relationship-with-race

Naija Love Stories by Ola Awonubi

The one where we humbly request that parents to talk to their children about race and difference

Emma and Nicole continue the discussion with white mums about their worries around fetishisation, whitesplaining to your children and holding yourself accountable, fetishisation, white fragility, privilege and accepting your own racism even as a parent of mixed children.

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo

Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast

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

Books That Inspire Young Minds: https://www.instagram.com/books_that_inspire_young_minds (showcasing a diverse and inclusive collection of children’s books amplifying voices from a wide range of backgrounds) 

Families Like Ours: https://www.instagram.com/familieslikeours (A UK based community for mixed heritage families)

Mixed Bloom Room: https://www.instagram.com/mixedbloomroom (Featuring a course for monoracial parents of mixed kids

Multiracial Matters: https://www.instagram.com/multiracialmatters (Raising Multiracial Children)

The one where we learn that modern day mums have a plan for raising mixed kids

Emma and Nicole speak to white mums about raising mixed kids. In part one of this two part conversation, the mothers discuss having a different experience from your children as a white parent, when to bring up race and othering, and having a plan or strategy in raising mixed kids according to their lived experiences.

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo

Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/

Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast

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

Books That Inspire Young Minds: https://www.instagram.com/books_that_inspire_young_minds (showcasing a diverse and inclusive collection of children’s books amplifying voices from a wide range of backgrounds)

Families Like Ours: https://www.instagram.com/familieslikeours (A UK based community for mixed heritage families)

Mixed Bloom Room: https://www.instagram.com/mixedbloomroom (Featuring a course for monoracial parents of mixed kids

Multiracial Matters: https://www.instagram.com/multiracialmatters (Raising Multiracial Children)

CW: Domestic abuse

Emma and Nicole speak with Paula Rhone-Adrien, an award-winning family law barrister with over two decades of experience as a domestic violence lawyer. Knowing that COVID has meant restrictions on leaving the home during the pandemic, they felt moved to share this conversation. 

Paula Rhone-Adrien is an award-winning family law barrister with over two decades of experience as a domestic violence lawyer. She recently launched a petition to create a national register of offenders who commit crimes against women.

If you have been affected by anything that you have heard listening to this episode you can contact The National Domestic Abuse Helpline by dialling: 0800 2000 247.

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo
Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/
Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast
Our Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast
Paula’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/familylawguruuk
Paula’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/familylawguruuk/ 

The one where its ALL just a metaphor for being mixed

Emma and Nicole have an incredibly candid conversation Ben Bailey Smith aka Doc Brown. They discuss football as a unifier, class, identity politics, being fetishised as a mixed man, and how the Britain he grew up in bears little resemblance to the one today.

Ben is a multitalented creative - a comedian, rapper, actor, writer, presenter, all-around artist with a way with words and who can make you laugh by tapping into the truth. 

Preorder our book The Half Of It: https://amzn.to/3rDq1qo
Our website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/
Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mixeduppodcast
Our Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast
Ben’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/docbreezy88
Ben’s book, Something I Said: https://www.waterstones.com/book/something-i-said/ben-bailey-smith/9781526645050

Culture Mix:
The Cutting Room Floor Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s3-ep-10-the-tanning-of-america-feat-leandra-medine/id1546454450?i=1000528662065
Wonder Boy on Netflix
Layla Andrews: https://www.instagram.com/laylandrews
Harper’s Bazaar article:  https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/a36873719/meet-layla-andrews-artist-interview/
Original Flava: https://www.instagram.com/originalflava/
Season Di Ting podcast: https://www.instagram.com/seasonditingpod/
Gal-dem article “Athletics is waging a war of transphobia and misogynoir”: https://gal-dem.com/athletics-war-of-transphobia-and-misogynoir-black-african-women-losing/