Not From Here

Not only did I get to talk to Sarah about being Australian-Lebanese, but I also got to speak to her about the Druze religion, an off-shoot of Islam that's difficult to research. There's not much about it even on the internet, so I'm sure you'll get something out of this educational, humorous and wonderfully warm conversation. 

Sport as a gateway to belonging in Australia is just one of the topics I discuss with Bruce Djite, a former Australian association football (soccer) player, who's now the CEO at the Committee for Adelaide. 

Before I spoke to Huda Al Sultan, I had never had an indepth conversation with anyone from Saudi Arabia before. What made this chat even more memorable was Huda's openness about her culture, the circumstances surrounding her marriage,  and her appearance on MasterChef Australia as the first ever Saudi contestant. 

The way you feel about death often depends on your dominant culture. In this episode, I chat to Holly Rankin Smith, who works at the Groundswell Project, an organisation that aims to increase death literacy in Australia. Ironically, I felt so alive after this conversation, where we talk about how Australians deal with death, what we can learn from other cultures, and how we can learn to talk more openly about the only certainty in life. 

Aside from stereotypes, Brazil and Brazilians don't feature much in the Australian media. In this episode, Lyssandro and Clovis enlighten me about Brazilian politics, social dynamics, and why, if you have a Brazilian friend, you shouldn't be upset with them when they're late to a social event. 

I chat to Christian who talks about the emasculating Asian male stereotypes that popular western media propagates - and how hard it is to date in Australia when you have to cross mental hurdles that people have constructed without even realising it. 

Eran moved from New York to Sydney, and built several businesses here - but it hasn't been easy. We talk about the Australian tall-poppy syndrome, the work ethic in Australia compared to the US, why Australians love it when their leaders drink beer, and so much more. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to start a business as an American in Australia, then click play for some valuable insights. Check out Eran's website, and his businesses PowerProv, Laugh Masters Academy, and Song Saga.

I’d never heard of the 'chocolate islands', Sao Tome & Principe, before I met Manu. But today, you can find out a lot more about this former Portuguese colony, and listen to Manu's experience of Sydney, a city where you have to look hard to find black culture. 

I talk to Natalie Smith and Isla Cameron, two Brits who moved from the UK to Sydney and, after several years of dating, realised that the Australian dating scene just wasn't doing it for them. So they did what anyone with a problem does: they created an app for it. Join us as we analyse English humour and try to define exactly what British ‘banter’ is.

Today I talk to Jessica Ellerm and Alex Brownlee, two Kiwi women who moved to Sydney from quiet Christchurch in New Zealand in their early 20s. They share what it's like to move to Australia as a young Kiwi, and how their feelings about home have changed over the years.