Seen

Tea Uglow is an influential voice in the tech world. A pioneering force behind Google's Creative Lab where she led experimental tech projects for 17 years, Tea Uglow's brilliance extends beyond technology. Join Yumi Stynes as the pair walk through Tea's personal journey, and how her experience as a trans autistic woman has become a powerful lens through which she reshapes the tech landscape.

Debbie Kilroy is one of Australia's leading advocates for criminalised women and children. From her horrific experience in prison to becoming a lawyer and a leading voice in the fight for prisoners' rights, Debbie's journey is a testament to resilience. Join Yumi Stynes as the pair walk through Debbie’s life in prison, her pursuit of education as a tool, and the invisibility of the community she’s fighting for.

Darcy Vescio is a professional footy player in AFL Women’s with a mighty list of achievements under their belt. Two-time AFL Women Leading Goalkicker, Darcy was the first player to reach 50 career goals in the league! But if you spoke to Darcy at 14, they were ready to give up footy for good - there was no space for people like Darcy to play professionally. Host Yumi Stynes chats to Darcy about rediscovering footy, locker room talk, and coming out as non-binary.

Tarang Chawla is most recognised for his work as an activist against gender-based violence — but if you ask him, it’s something he wishes he didn’t have to do. In this episode, you’ll hear about Tarang’s journey from profound loss to impactful activism, and how above all, his voice isn’t the one that needs to be heard. The voices he wants to amplify are the voices of victims of gender based violence like his sister Nikita Chawla, and those misrepresented by mainstream media.

Khanh Ong wears a lot of hats — cook, presenter, author, ex-DJ and fan favourite contestant on MasterChef. But he didn’t grow up thinking he could be any of those things. In fact, he thought his only option was to be a surgeon. In this episode, host Yumi Stynes chats with Khanh about what food can represent, coming out as gay to his Vietnamese mother, and how he once rolled out of a moving car to avoid a difficult conversation.

Dr Amy Thunig knows what it’s like to be ostracised. Growing up, Amy and their family experienced adversity and racism. But that didn’t stop Amy from absolutely thriving in academia. Today they are a prominent academic and writer who advocates for better representation of Indigenous voices and knowledge. Amy and Yumi Stynes reflect on the generational cycles that shape us, and in spite of the challenges, how beautiful they can be.

Kween Kong captivated audiences on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under and became the first drag artist to be nominated for a Logie. A big change for someone who was on the path towards professional rugby! As an artist of Tongan and Samoan descent, Kween was also often the first person of colour in the spaces she inhabited. Join Yumi Stynes as we walk through Kween’s story of embracing feminine energy and breaking down limiting expectations.

If you can see it, you can be it. But what happens when you look around and nobody looks like you? Join host Yumi Stynes for a new season of Seen, an SBS Audio podcast about trailblazers who have taken risks, shown huge courage, and risen to excellence without visible role models in mainstream culture showing them the way. Celebrity chef Kanh Ong, drag royalty Kween Kong, writer and academic Dr Amy Thunig, activist Tarang Chawla and more share the transformative moments they felt seen.

All eyes were on Ellia Green when he won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics with the Australia rugby sevens team, but there was only person he needed to know was watching. In the final episode of this first season of Seen, Yumi Stynes speaks to the first Australian Olympian to come out as a trans man, Ellia Green, about his upbringing in Fiji and Australia, his journey to the Olympics, and the women who helped him feel seen.

After a car accident left him paralysed, medical student Dinesh Palipana didn’t know if a future in medicine was even possible. Yumi Stynes speaks to Dinesh about finding purpose in life, creating meaning from tragedy, and his journey to becoming Queensland's first quadriplegic medical intern.