Not Your Token Minority

You've probably heard the terms "diversity and inclusion" (D&I) or "diversity, equity and inclusion" (DEI) thrown around a fair bit in more recent years. They have become indispensable parts of employee engagement and retention initiatives in workplaces - but not all DEI strategies are built the same.

I'm joined in this episode by Gigi Hui, an HR professional who is passionate about DEI and working with others to help them become their best selves. In our conversation, we look at the different layers of “leaning in”, especially when you’re not a straight white male; society’s obsession with extroverts and the implications of that in the workplace; and what true DEI looks like and how to avoid turning it into a “tick box” exercise.

Gigi mentions a TED Talk on "The myth of bringing your full authentic self to work" by Jodi-Ann Burey. You can watch it here.

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Most of us are familiar with the busy-ness that life can bring and how easily we can get caught up in it. This was no less true for this episode's guest, Bonnie, who is a fellow podcaster and a business owner based in Auckland. This year for her, though, has been about slowing down and having more gratitude for the smaller things in life. We talk all about that mindfulness journey she's on, as well as the biggest lessons she's learnt as a small business owner and her love of sky diving.

Bonnie's podcast is called The Everyday Us and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play. 

As always, share, review and subscribe to this podcast and follow on  Facebook and Instagram. 

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Have you ever heard someone say: "Why is everything about race these days?" or "I can't joke about anything, everything is so PC"? If these comments make you uncomfortable, then this episode could be for you.

In this episode, Steph Tan - who was my wonderful guest in the previous episode - joins me again to break down comments that we most commonly hear and see when addressing race and racism. We look at why those comments can be damaging in the context of racism against people of Asian background and how someone might address them.

I don't intend this episode to be a complete, incontestable conversation - just what Steph and I currently understand of and have learnt about racism so far. There is still so much to learn and I'm always open to constructive and healthy discussions.

As always, rate and subscribe if you haven't done so already + follow along on Facebook and Instagram.

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In March 2021, Steph Tan organised the #StopAsianHate peaceful march in Auckland - a first for her and a first for me, too. It was my first time attending a protest like that and it was a really incredible experience - one that helped me feel more part of a community than I ever had and one that raised a lot of questions in me around the value of protest, what true activism looks like and what my position is when it comes to advocating for causes I believe in.

Steph and I explore some of those questions around protest hesitancy and what action in activism means. She also shares her own experiences growing up in New Zealand, why it was so traumatic for her and how life is going now that she lives in the US, where she's currently studying at Yale University.

As a public health scientist, Steph has also been instrumental in bringing COVID-19 saliva testing to New Zealand. She shares her experiences with that process and why saliva testing could be a game changer for our country in the battle against COVID-19.

As always, don't forget to rate and subscribe if you haven't done so already + follow along on Facebook and Instagram.

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TW: this episode contains discussion about mental health and suicide.

Academic Dr Jemaima Tiatia-Seath joins me on this episode to talk all things suicide prevention and the importance of taking a culture-first approach. Jemaima is of Samoan descent and is a member of the inaugural Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission. She was also one of six panellists on the New Zealand Government’s 2018 Mental Health and Addiction Inquiry.

As well as her work in suicide prevention, we dive into her personal experiences of being brown and female in academia. She spoke openly about this topic a few months ago for a talk she gave for Raising the Bar, a worldwide series that invites top academics to step out of their lecture rooms and into local bars/cafes to share their knowledge with the public.

You can listen to a version of her talk here.

Mental health resources
For mental health and suicide resources, please visit and contact Lifeline or The Mental Health Foundation.

You can also call 0800 LIFELINE (0800 543 354) or text 4357 for support.

0508 TAUTOKO (0508 828 865) is a free, 24/7 helpline for any person who is thinking about or attempted suicide, concerned about or supporting someone else or who is recently bereaved by suicide.

There are more mental health helplines and support services here.

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Being stuck between a career and a passion is something many of us can probably relate to, but how many of us can say we've given up our careers to chase our passions - without any guarantee that it will work out?

 In this episode, I speak with musician Leon Zhang, who is currently making his way through the LA music scene. To get there, he gave up a promising career with one of the hottest tech companies in the world. He tells me why and how he made that decision to quit his job and why he feels so passionately about his music.

We also talk about his experiencing growing up in Auckland, New Zealand and why he decided to move to the US after graduating high school.

As always, please rate and share, as well as follow along on  Facebookand Instagram.

You can also support MSG Approved through their Instagram and Facebook pages, as well as their website. You can find the Stir Fry Boyz on YouTube and Instagram. 

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All of us who have grown up in a different culture to that of our parents can probably relate wholeheartedly to what my guest today describes as a "hyphenated identity". That space between two separate, often vastly different, cultures and identities.

This episode's guest, Nilam, explores this concept through her personal experiences growing up in New Zealand with traditional Indian parents and the challenges of owning an identity that is the antithesis of what her parents want and expected of her.

We also talk about an upcoming production that Nilam produced - The Kamasutra Chronicles - and what Bollywood movies have to do with her Masters thesis.

The Kamasutra Chronicles is showing for a limited time at Auckland's Basement Theatre from August 24-28. You can buy tickets here. 

Show description:
Meet Ishita and Rishabh. They’re experiencing some pretty standard stuff in your traditional long-term marriage - loneliness, sexual frustration and a loss of themselves. Enter Vatsayana, the author of the iconic Indian text The Kamasutra and his muse - Vasant Sena. Things are about to get very interesting. In a brand-new play featuring heart, satire and drama, writer Shriya Bhagwat explores the ups and downs of marriage whilst boldly challenging stereotypes.

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When I first met and got to know the guest of this episode, it was like the gift of her story just kept giving. Each layer that I peeled back revealed something even more mind-blowing and I knew it only made sense to invite her to share her story as a guest on this podcast.

Iori is half-Australian and half-Japanese and she embodies the terms "bicultural" and "biracial" through and through. She split her childhood between Japan and Australia, which allowed her to experience both cultures fully and be fluent in both languages. She grew up with 7 brothers (she's the oldest of 8 children) and her family had its own reality TV show for a significant part of their childhoods and teenage years.

We talk about what it was like for her growing up split between two very different cultures, where she felt like she fit in the most, her experience growing up in front of TV cameras, and the most important things to giving your own children the truly multicultural upbringing.

You can follow Iori and her family on their YouTube channel, 大家族フォーサイス家 (Large family Forsyth). Note that the channel is in Japanese only. 

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When Fara was 16, her and her family left South Africa to move to New Zealand permanently, with the intention of building a better and brighter future. But what lay ahead of them wasn't exactly the experience they had hoped for.

The racism they experienced in New Zealand was like nothing they ever went through in South Africa. And for Fara, life threw her something completely out of left field when she was coming to the end of high school: a baby.

In this episode, Fara has a candid and open conversation with me about her journey to where she is now. We talk about:
- Leaving South Africa and what it's really like being an immigrant of colour in New Zealand;
- The impact of the Christchurch shooting and the problem with "They Are Us" (the catchphrase echoed following the mosque shooting)
- Raising her daughters in a society that constantly reminds them of how different they are;
- What it was like having her first child at 18 and the stigma that comes with being a teen mum

As always, share and subscribe, follow on Facebookand Instagram, and reach out if you have any thoughts, feedback, or if you want to also share your story.

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We're heading back to Japan for this week's episode to speak with my friend Yukari, who has always been interested in making a difference and experiencing the world beyond Japan. She offers unique and vital insight into being a bilingual and bicultural Japanese woman in today's Japanese society.

We talk all about her love of English and Western culture, her experiences in Australia, why she's so often labelled as "different" in Japan and what she thinks of the future of her home country when it comes to social and economic progress.

Note this interview was recorded in March this year.

As always, make sure to share and subscribe, as well as follow along on Facebook and Instagram.

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