In this episode of The Storytellers, I reconnect with my dear friend Brianne, who shares her journey from humanitarian work to becoming an artist and writer. We discuss the therapeutic nature of art, the importance of community, and the challenges of vulnerability in storytelling. Brianne reflects on her experiences with grief and healing through creativity, emphasising the significance of sharing personal stories and the impact of art on mental health. The conversation also touches on the growing zine culture in Malaysia and the importance of finding supportive communities for creative expression. I hope you will be inspired and empowered to channel your vulnerabilities as your strength in your storytelling just as much as I did through the conversation. Enjoy!

Check out and support Brianne's wonderful work at her Instagram and Medium page.

Corrigendum :  In the interview, Brianne said the Zine Fest  that she attended this year was the first ever fest organised in Kuala Lumpur. We realised that this is factually incorrect after we did the interview. The first Zine Fest in Kuala Lumpur was organised on 25 July 2010. We apologise for the initial inaccuracy. 

Join me for an inspiring conversation with Arshi Saleh, a datafam who proves it's never too late to make an impact. In this episode, Arshi shares her incredible journey, offering invaluable tips for confronting the challenges of starting later in the data analytics field.

We also discussed her profound passion for highlighting social issues and giving a voice to the voiceless through data and how she masterfully weaves empathy and storytelling into her work, transforming complex numbers into compelling narratives. We also delve into her approach to thoughtful design in light of her gorgeous data stories for Viz For Social Good projects, ensuring her data visualizations are not just insightful, but deeply human. And who is Arshi's favourite mentor? Take a listen to find out!

You'll quickly understand from this episode why I could talk with Arshi for hours as  her insights are truly captivating! It was a pleasure having you on board, Arshi!

Follow her on Tableau Public

Check out her gorgeous viz created for Association for Prevention of Torture and VFSG 

Here is her profile as a #Datafam Rising Star

I am excited to have  Elliott Fery and his father, the formidable Frederic Fery as my guests for this episode. What an inspiring duo! We chatted about Elliott's remarkable 15-month cycling journey from France to China to raise funds for a charity called Limbs 4 Life. The conversation gave me a glimpse of  Elliot's experiences and challenges across different countries, and Frederic's motivation in creating a Tableau dashboard to track his son's progress. We also discussed  the importance of visual storytelling and the universal language of kindness (and maybe distress?),  while highlighting the broader mission of Data Change Makers, Frederic's new initiative to support non-profit organizations through data visualization.

To learn more about Limbs 4 Life : https://www.limbs4life.org.au/

1. To donate to the cause: https://www.gofundme.com/f/10000km-for-10000-for-amputees-in-need
2. To follow Elliot's journey via Frederic's Tableau dashboard: http://bit.ly/4ko7KIh

Take a listen and enjoy!

NOTE: This episode was recorded on 31 May 2025.  Frederic and Elliott had  already completed the last leg of the journey in Brisbane by the time this podcast is released. 

What a privilege it was to have a conversation with Dina Zaman for this episode. 

Dina is a Kuala Lumpur-based writer and researcher. She is a co-founder of IMAN Research, a think tank focusing on socio-political and security matters, and a founding member of the Southeast Asian Women Peacebuilders. She has written extensively for the Malaysian media and is currently a regular contributor to The Star, Malaysia, and The Jakarta Post.  Dina is the author of three non-fiction titles - I am Muslim (Silverfish Publishing), Holy Men, Holy Women (SIRD) and Malayland (Ethos Books and Faction Press). King of the Sea Redux will be published by Clarity Publishing.

In this episode, I got to learn about her origin story in the world of writing, Dina's fascinating pivot into research and the non-profit sector, and the motivations behind her compelling explorations of religion, race, and culture in Malaysia through her writings. I hope you will get a glimpse into her unique creative spark and heart  as a true storyteller. It is indeed a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration and a deeper understanding of Malaysia's vibrant tapestry! 🇲🇾✍️🎧

In this episode, my dear friend, Laura Canali  from Milan, Italy shared with us her obsession with Oasis as the band announced their comeback tour. Laura is a humanitarian aid worker, my former roommate when we studied at the University of York ,U.K and my fellow music comrade. 

We chatted about her love for the band including seeing the band live for 23 times, her walk down the memory lane with Oasis and our admission of guilt for recording videos during a live gig. Our chat just reinforced the significance and power of memories for us, storytellers.

To commemorate Oasis reunion and Laura's memories of the 23 concerts, I created a viz inspired by the stories she shared in the podcast. Check the viz here:https://bit.ly/3D4322Q  ( I think the viz can be printed as a tee, right Laura? )

Keep on rockin' my friend!

I really enjoyed "nerding out" with Louis Yu  about video games and storytelling in this episode. Louis Yu is a data storyteller, a Tableau Public Ambassador as well as one of the co-founders of Games Night Viz, a datafam community project. Join us as we chat about RPGs, empathy games, representation and diversity in games and  many more. 

You can learn more about him here as well as his exciting Games Night Viz project here. For his data viz on Black Myth: Wukong, do visit his page on Tableau Public.

Note: I mentioned the game, "The Grandma" in the podcast which is supposed to be "The Granny". As for the reference to Inuit folklore when discussing the game "Never Alone", the more accurate reference would be the Inupiat folklore. 

Listen to my conversation with Ben Buckland, a writer, mountain climbing enthusiast, an award winning photographer and a dear friend who trekked across Switzerland with only locally hand drawn maps to guide him. Now, that's a proper adventure. Hope you will enjoy my first episode of the Storytellers!

Read more about his journey in The New York Times and immerse in the beautiful photos he took.

And the data viz I created about his journey here.