Stories of Community Resilience

Body shaming is happening now, more than ever. We often get trolled for not possessing the 'perfect' body. 

How to love ourselves, the way we are?

Charu is a 35 year old advertising and marketing professional. She currently works with a production setup where they are innovating crazy new stuff. She is divorced with no kids. Currently single, Charu is a dog mom and lives life on her terms. Charu has been a typical Indian girl who grew up introverted and self conscious because of her weight and what others said about it.

In a culture and society where actors are idolised, Charu grew up quite ashamed and feeling inadequate of how she looked. It took her a few major life altering moments to realise she was perfect the way she was. And no one else's opinion of her mattered. What mattered was being healthy and feeling healthy - mentally and physically. This started Charu's journey of embracing body positivity.

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

3ZZZ Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a Game Changer Coach, founder of Scintillate Coaching and bestselling author of “Play it Full”, Shilpa Kulshrestha helps mid-career professionals step into a life of extraordinary wins.
 
She has been awarded with multiple awards including the Change Maker of The Year 2022, Indian Achiever's Award, 2021 & Women Entrepreneur of The Year, 2021. 
 
Featured in Forbes, Outlook, FOX, CNN, TV, Radio and several podcasts, she has raving fans across 15 countries because of the euphoria she enables them to get in touch with in their life.

You can read more about Shilpa at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shilpa-kulshrestha

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soft-skills are soon becoming the must-haves for sustainability and professional growth. Workforces in the 21st century require individuals to understand the importance of leadership and communication skills in their professional lives. 

On that note, Indu Kannaiyan joins us to delve deeper into relevance of soft skills. Indu migrated to Australia in 2011 and is professionally qualified in Human Resources. After 10 years of corporate employment, Indu is currently serving the community as a career coach helping in communication and leadership skills. She is also serving as a Justice of the Peace in NSW.

You can read more about Indu at: https://inucoaching.com.au/my-story/?me=Indulakshmi-K#readmore

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diabetes is one of those diseases that is slowly cropping in almost every household, irrespective of age and race.

But, can diabetes be prevented?

Mubina Jamdar is an accredited practising dietitian and a philanthropist. She is the founder of a not-for-profit organisation called 'Diabetes Hub Multicultural Australia'. The mission of the organisation is to prevent diabetes and other lifestyle related diseases in the community. Helping communities and individuals is always close to her heart. She's a much loved public speaker.

Mubina gives free health talks and volunteers for several community organisations. Her not-for-profit organisation, 'Diabetes Hub Multicultural Australia, runs several activities to promote health and fitness in the community. Currently, they are looking for volunteers to run their fitness programs. If you are a yoga teacher, dance teacher, exercise trainer or if you are a fitness enthusiast then please contact Mubina.

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

3ZZZ Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marriage or a partnership is an institution that requires a lot of effort for sustainability. However, married couples are often the subject of societal ridicule when they choose not to have children. 

And we ask - why this mandate? Why cannot we think of responsible and sustainable procreation?

On that note, we speak with Akshay Ahuja who joined us all the way from Singapore. Akshay is an IT professional working in Singapore, married with no kids and takes keen interest in diving, mixology, traveling and gadgets.

We hope this conversation is able to put some relevant perspectives about family planning into light.

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

3ZZZ Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In October 2019, shocked, saddened, and angered by economic and political demise in Lebanon, the diaspora community took to the streets in Melbourne and many cities around the world demanding radical systematic change. Initially spontaneous and born out of grief, these gatherings filled with chanting, singing, speeches and traditional dancing brought the diaspora community closer together and established stronger foundations and connections locally and abroad.

This Stories of Community Resilience episode is told through the perspectives of Rebecca and Fatima, and the lasting impact this show of solidarity had on them, and their broader community in Melbourne (Naarm), Australia. 

Produced by Rebecca Maakasa and Fatima Hoblos.

Rebecca is an Educator and Media Specialist with a keen interest for radio & podcast storytelling. You can keep up with her latest projects and initiatives via LinkedIn.

Fatima is a Aerospace Engineer currently studying a Masters in Artificial Intelligence. She is a community activist and an editor at Al Rawiya magazine (a digital publication for the Lebanese diaspora). Fatima has a keen interest in documenting the Lebanese experience abroad. You can follow her latest work on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A woman is always judged by her external characteristics, even in the 21st century. Women who do not adhere to the societal norms of 'beautiful' are often deemed as an outcast and are judged by one and all.

On that note, we spoke with Ishita Kumar who shared her experience of dealing with hair loss and embracing baldness.  Ishita was born and brought up in Delhi. An architect who turned her profession as furniture manufacturer. She is light headed and proud (took a long time to get here). Growing up, she tried every hack to better hair density, to stop the thinning and balding, struggled and eventually owned it.

We hope Ishita's journey gives everyone a strong message of hope, resilience and confidence.

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

3ZZZ Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mental health and associated therapy is an often ignored topic as it comes with a lot of stigma associated with itself.

On that note, we speak with Gurvinder Kaur who uses the medium of arts as therapy for mental health. Gurvinder is a South-Asian migrant woman working in the mental health sector for 2 years and uses her lived experience to inspire people to access mental health support. 

Gurvinder started her Instagram page @artsybrownlady to combine her diverse lens using arts to talk about mental health issues with the South Asian community in Australia. Gurvinder is also a qualified youth worker!

She is a strong advocate of mental health issues and recommends everyone to seek help.

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

3ZZZ Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Akshita Dabla is all of 19 years and is currently a 1st year MBBS student studying in Uzhhorod National Medical University, Ukraine. In this episode of resilience, she recounts her experience of realising that Ukraine was at war and how she had to cross the borders and fly back to India (her Homeland).

This young woman has a strong message for our society - WAR is not the solution. We wish her words come true, sooner rather than later!

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

3ZZZ Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Religion and faith play a big role in our lives. BUT, what happens when someone grows up in an inter-faith household ?

Our guest- Sameera Singh is 33 and works in IT. Sameera is  a feminist wand is on a journey of learning more about feminism and it’s values while she actively unlearns and challenges some of patriarchal values within our society and values. Sameera enjoys travelling, audio books and trying out new restaurants (huge foodie) and in her spare time she volunteers as a mentor for south Asian women trying to enter IT.

We hope Sameera's journey inspires us to believe that Faith and Religion are all about love and unity.

Produced by Chris Mallika Bhadra. You can find more of Chris's media projects at:

• Coconut Chats YouTube and Instagram
• Durdeshe Bangla YouTube and Instagram
• Ananda Dance Group YouTube and Instagram

Intro and outro music by Gregor Quendel under a Creative Commons Attribution licence

3ZZZ Stories of Community Resilience is proudly supported by the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.