The Root & Seed Podcast

If you heard our season three finale interview with Grace Phan-Nguyen, you know we left that conversation at the genesis of a whole other story.

Grace is a producer, screenwriter, and researcher. She originally started in theatre specializing in arts management and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives. She recently switched to film and television; specializing in youtube. Her clients include, My Name is Andong and Made With Lau. She's interested in food research, documentaries, feeding friends or family, and long naps.

It's back to school, back to Fall, back to work and back to the Root & Seed podcast time!

Season 4 of The Root & Seed Podcast is launching Sept 20 - and this season we are talking about something that is so fundamental to this platform - documenting one’s heritage, cultural stories and practices.    We hear from an immigration lawyer and now author who has written a heartfelt book of fiction based on her family’s experience, an aural historian who likens himself to being a producer and muse of sorts in bringing individual stories to life and a new comedic writer who reflects on his upbringing in a TV show celebrating hip hop, basketball and the 90s. And some of our guests document in more informal ways…but every episode has tips that even the most novice can appreciate.

If you are a returning listener and part of this beautiful community, welcome back. If you are a new listener, you might be wondering what we are all about.  After years of being conditioned to play small, we are shining a light on stories from across the cultural spectrum that help to inspire pride and ownership of one’s life story and relationship with our heritages.  You are most welcomed here!

In our Season 3 finale, we go from a curried goat/goat curry debate :) to bbq pig parades. Food is central to how Grace Phan-Nguyen lives, works, and celebrates. Her familial and geographic cultures come together in stories about everything from her wedding to seasonal holidays.

We love how earnest and intentional she is in making sure her current life and future generations embrace the multitudes of cultural influences she is responsible for maintaining. And if she doesn't know how to do something herself, Grace has a knack for finding a community of Aunties wherever she is in the world.

Perhaps it's an empathy that comes from her parents' own immigration experience, or the inspiration of theatre on her cultural sense of self, but we find Grace is always digging deeper to understand things beyond the surface. There was no one more perfect to end off this incredible season on “celebration” of culture.

Grace is a producer, screenwriter, and researcher. She originally started in theatre specializing in arts management and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives. She recently switched to film and television; specializing in youtube. Her clients include, My Name is Andong and Made With Lau. She's interested in food research, documentaries, feeding friends or family, and long naps.

“When East meets West” (Indian, that is) should be the title of Serena’s cultural journey. With pride on both sides of her identity, we hear how she fell in love with the West Indian celebration of Carnival as an adult, but still has incredible heart for her more traditional East Indian roots. We explore how much she values her familial heritage, how she embraces multiple cultures in her children’s lives, and how she cherishes the stories and moments behind her favourite family foods. But perhaps the most important part of Serena’s story is how she surrendered to her authentic self in this journey, leaving the opinions of others behind - to be her whole self at home, at work, and at play.

Serena Anthony is Chief People Officer for GroupM North America. Serena is an expert Human Resources Management professional with over 20 years of experience working across complex, disparate ecosystems where she demonstrates her true capabilities as an innovative thinker and change-maker in the field. As a member of GroupM’s North America Executive Committee, Serena is a key player in designing, driving and championing GroupM’s people strategy. With a passion for diversity & inclusion programming, and a focus on culture, Serena aims to position GroupM as an employer of choice. She is known for her motivational leadership, dynamic personality, and delivering valuable impact.

Serena is the proud mother of identical twin girls and currently resides in Canada, splitting her time between Toronto and New York City.

What happens when a literary agent (aka literary genius) in his golden years opens up about his culture and respect for his roots? You get  unfiltered, authentic, tell it like it is, story after story goodness.  Michael Levine prefers to be a “man in the shadows” behind the works for Canada's who's who like Adrienne Clarkson, Silken Laumann and Margaret Trudeau.  But we loved getting him to talk about HIS story, his thoughts and his approach, now that he’s seen it all.  It’s no wonder that he deduces very simply that “My interest in my Jewish heritage is to know who I am” full stop.

Some of our favourite moments:

2:00 Michael jokes that he is the product of a mixed marriage

3:08: The revelation that led to him discover that his family was affected by the Holocaust

7:19 Jewish people aren’t only white people

9:20  Religion & being a social Jew

11:55 What storytelling has meant to him and how he celebrates the good guys

13:25 His friendship with Michael Ignatieff & Ignatieff’s book “Finding solace in dark times”

15:40 Shakespeare's  “to thine own self be true” informing Michael’s approach to life

Michael Levine is a retired partner of Goodmans LLP, is Chairman of Westwood Creative Artists/Literary Agent, and Executive Producer. Through Generic Productions Inc., he has acted as EP of over 65 productions in Canada. He has acted for a number of film, television and live theatre producers, writers, directors, and personalities in many media fields and has guest-lectured in the entertainment field for many universities and organizations in Canada and the US.

From self-proclaimed "weekend brown girl" as a teenager, to relearning traditional Bharatanatyam dance as an adult, and soaking in time with her parents as cultural connection... this episode's guest, Kirthana Sasitharan, takes us on a real journey. Her raw reflection of her parent's sacrifices really resonated with us, and it's no surprise that she's committed to making sure "our (Tamil) culture will never die with me"

Other highlights:

1:43 Kirthana's decision to go into journalism and her parents reaction

4:21 What being a 'weekend brown girl' means

7:08 An epic Diwali party celebration in University

10:28 Why completing traditional dance is so important

16:27 The biggest struggle her family faced & and what being an immigrant means (cue: Black tax from Trevor Noah)

We are left with the thought of the role of legacy in celebration and the implications & importance that actions today can have on the future. Reminder to rate and review our podcast on Apple - it helps other like-minded people find our pod and grows this beautiful community!

Kirthana Sasitharan is a CBC News Reporter, Producer, and Newsreader. Her experience includes travelling Ontario, working in various community newsrooms including CBC Hamilton, CBC Kitchener-Waterloo, CBC Thunder Bay, and CBC Sudbury. She’s also worked on the TV side of things at News Network, Marketplace, and the investigative unit.

Her experience outside of the CBC includes working for Business in Vancouver, the United Nations Association of Canada and Editor in Chief of Ignite Magazine. Kirthana is also a content producer having co-produced and managed a diversity oriented series for CBC Toronto called Boldly Asian. She’s also produced, reported, and marketed another series focused on the diversity of Toronto communities and perspectives called Rediscovering Culture.

There is something so freeing about shedding the ‘shoulds’ and ‘musts’ and inviting in simple celebration of our cultures into our daily lives - especially for the Indigenous community who have suffered so much shame and restriction through colonization. However, this invitation can be extended to people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. In this episode we talk to Asha Frost, an Indigenous Medicine healer who speaks about the diagnosis that led her to dig into her cultural background, some beautiful moments at her wedding and naming ceremony, and how uncovering intergenerational harm in her own family led her to feel it intimately and profoundly. Asha leaves us with the thought that by breaking cycles through identification and intention that one can heal, not only for ourselves but for generations to come.

Asha Frost (she/her) is an Indigenous Medicine Woman and best-selling author of You are the Medicine.  She is a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. Asha is from the Crane Clan, the totem of leadership, and believes in holding space from vision and heart. As an energy healer, homeopath, and mentor, Asha has guided thousands of people through profound and lasting transformation.

Asha lives on Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat, and Haudenosaunee Territory, with her husband and two beautiful children, with whom she co-creates a better world for the seven generations to come. You can purchase her book at youarethemedicinebook.com

You know when a conversation is next level when it feels like therapy....part informative, part healing, part inspirational.  This episode we speak to Abdul-Rehman Malik, an award-winning journalist, educator, and cultural organizer.   He speaks about his family story, appreciation for intergenerational time during this pandemic time and sheds a light on a tradition he wishes to reclaim where we get to experience the more jovial side of Abdul-Rehman. He concludes by expanding on the idea of storytelling as a sacred act, an idea we can't argue with!

Abdul-Rehman’s work at the intersection of faith and social change has spanned the globe, from Canada to the U.S., U.K., Pakistan, Sudan, Indonesia and beyond. Abdul-Rehman is currently a Lecturer at the Yale Divinity School as well as director of the Muslim Leadership Lab at Yale’s Dwight Hall Center for Social Justice. A veteran of BBC Radio, he is also host of the Aga Khan Museum’s popular podcast This Being Human, which is in its second season.

Listen to This Being Human here: https://portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html

What happens when you blend life experiences together with your superpowers and lean into that confluence to bring to the world something that is inviting, knowledgeable and playful?  This episode’s guest, Sunita shares how her inquisitiveness and early experiences together with 25 years in speech and language therapy helped her write books, introduce toys and provide content to help demystify the complexity of Hinduism in her platform, The Jai Jais.  We hear how Sunita is constantly inspired to learn more, dig deeper and does so in such a way in which we all get to benefit, even if you follow or subscribe to another religion or culture. As she puts it “I’m just a regular middle aged mom who wants children to think that religion is not boring and it doesn’t have to be done in a solemn way.” It’s no wonder her platform has enjoyed the success it has so far and has inspired all ages to learn more and ask why.

Check out Sunita’s books, toys and content by following The Jai Jais at @thejaijais on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Show credits:

Hosted by: Anika Chabra

Brought to you by: Root & Seed

Executive Producer: Jennifer Siripong Mandel

Edited by: Camille Blais

Music credit: Something 'bout July (Instrumental) by RYYZN

https://soundcloud.com/ryyzn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Season 3 is here! With the theme of celebration in mind, we are pleased to present Zoe & Brooklyn Brownstone, two sisters who recall how they have been celebrating their Jewish heritage and culture proudly since moving to Europe in very different ways. Zoe is a writer and comedian and has introduced her relationship with her identity into her shows and material. Brooklyn is the founder of The Labour Department, a social space for soon-to-be and new parents, currently living in Amsterdam with her husband and son. While they are both proud Jews, we love hearing how they share different perspectives on seemingly similar experiences.  We also get to hear some realizations about making sense of their life choices and personality traits, and how they appreciate the gifts of their backgrounds. We were left inspired….. and not surprisingly laughing!

You can check out Zoe’s upcoming shows and writing (including the Hey Alma article) at Zoebrownstone.com and learn about Brooklyn’s platform, The Labour Department at thelabourdept.com

Show credits:

Hosted by: Anika Chabra

Brought to you by: Root & Seed

Executive Producer: Jennifer Siripong Mandel

Edited by: Camille Blais

Music credit: Something 'bout July (Instrumental) by RYYZN

https://soundcloud.com/ryyzn

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0