Dr Rehana Sidat joins us for a deeply personal conversation about ambition, identity, faith, grief, leadership and what it means to write your own trajectory.

She reflects on being the first woman in her family to go to university, building a long career across science and healthcare, learning to own her seat in rooms where few people looked like her, and the courage it took to show up more visibly in her faith and identity. We also talk about the losses that shaped her, the importance of kindness in leadership, why she sees failure as a life lesson, and how staying grounded can matter just as much as moving forward.

There is real vulnerability in this one, but also plenty of warmth, humour, family stories, 300 headscarves, Buckingham Palace cucumber sandwiches, and the kind of wisdom that stays with you after the episode ends.

Kari Selander came into this conversation with stories about consulting life, sustainability, motherhood, ambition, identity shifts, moving countries, burnout, reinvention, and the challenge of trying to hold everything together while still figuring yourself out.

In this episode of Roots, Routes & Real Talk, Kari joins Hewan and Serufusa for a very honest conversation about career pivots, parenting, trade-offs, and the many versions of ourselves we grow through over time.

Kari and Serufusa first met during their consulting days and stayed in touch through all the different chapters that followed, which made this episode feel more like an honest catch-up than a formal interview.

We talk about stepping off the gas pedal professionally after becoming a mother, questioning traditional ideas of success, sustainability, identity, and the pressure of trying to balance ambition with real life.

At one point, the conversation turns to DJs, music, and the people brave enough to completely reinvent themselves publicly, which somehow became the perfect example of what this whole episode is really about: having the courage to evolve, even when the path no longer looks linear.

If you’ve ever questioned your path, changed direction, tried to reinvent yourself, or wondered whether everyone else secretly also feels like they’re figuring things out as they go, this episode is for you.

If you loved this episode, you can find Kari on instagram: @mutha.life and make sure to listen to her podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/0RxtIzl1CBPrvxNkwARoxj

What does it look like to move to a new country at 17, start university, build your confidence, and produce a podcast at the same time?

In this special Producer’s Cut episode, Nil steps out from behind the scenes and takes the mic. We talk about first-year university pressure, procrastination, rejection, LinkedIn, big dreams, burnout, TikTok trends, and why the universe is not on a budget.

This is not a polished, scripted interview. It’s real, honest, slightly chaotic, and full of heart.

If you are at the beginning of your journey, figuring things out, doubting yourself sometimes but still dreaming big, this episode is for you.

Press play. You might leave feeling braver than when you started.

Follow Nil Oztas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niloztas/

What does success really cost, and who gets to define it?

In this episode of Roots, Routes & Real Talk, we sit down with Belinda Brown, a senior finance leader whose career spans Deloitte, L’Oréal, Diageo, and most recently Chief Financial Officer of Sephora UK. From growing up as a working-class immigrant in Northern Ireland to navigating global boardrooms, Belinda shares the reality behind the titles.

We talk candidly about ambition, social mobility, grief, motherhood, and what it means to lead when you are often the only one in the room. Belinda reflects on pivotal moments including loss, divorce, and career turning points, and why success without alignment can be deeply costly.

This episode explores:

• Rising from bursaries and scholarships to senior global leadership

• The truth about resilience, privilege, and access

• Why “bringing your whole self to work” is more complicated than it sounds

• Leadership, culture, and the loneliness that can come with the top

• Choosing courage over comfort, again and again

Honest, thoughtful, and unapologetically real, this conversation is for anyone questioning the path they are on, redefining success, or building a career without a roadmap.

Listen now and take what resonates.

Follow Belinda @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/belinda-l-brown/

In this second episode of Roots, Routes & Real Talk, we sit down with Omar L. Harris for a candid conversation about leadership, identity, and the long road of figuring things out.

Omar is a leadership coach, author, and Founder of Intent Consulting. He is a Gallup Certified Coach and J.E.D.I. Leadership Expert with over 20 years of experience building high performance organizations across four continents.

In this episode, Omar reflects on career detours, rebuilding after loss, and why leadership should stretch you without drowning you. We explore servant leadership not as a buzzword, but as a daily discipline rooted in humility, culture, and care for people.

If your career has ever felt uncertain or nonlinear, this conversation is for you.

Hosted by Hewan Wole and Serufusa Sekidde

Learn more at OmarLHarris.com

Check out Omar's latest book, Hire the Write W.H.O.M: https://amzn.eu/d/9QoqpKU

Roots, Routes & Real Talk (R3T) kicks off with Hewan and Serufusa interviewing each other about why this podcast exists and what keeps them grounded. They unpack the meaning behind Roots, Routes & Real Talk, share laughs, and open up about purpose, identity, and the stories that shaped them. Honest, funny, and refreshingly real.

Hosted by Serufusa Sekidde and Hewan Wole.

Produced by Nil Oztas.

🎵 Listen to Serufusa’s music on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0k8D17tcrMwvxqp9tdG7mZ?si=3rhxH7RzTc6o1tz0PlC4mQ

💼 Connect with us on LinkedIn:
Serufusa Sekidde – https://www.linkedin.com/in/serufusasekidde
Hewan Wole – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hewanwole
Follow our page – https://www.linkedin.com/company/roots-routes-real-talk

📱 Find us on Instagram and TikTok: @rootsroutesrealtalk
📧 Email us: [email protected]

#RootsRoutesRealTalk #R3TPodcast #Storytelling #Authenticity #Leadership #Growth