Host Ica Headlam speaks with sisters Rhea Lewis (Project X Dance) and Jeda Pearl (Scottish Black and POC Writers Network) about supporting Black and POC artists in Scotland. They chat about growing up in a creative household in Edinburgh, how 2020 completely shifted their approach towards artist development and care, and the ongoing challenges of exploitation and tokenisation in the creative industries. The conversation gets into what real support actually looks like – from proper commissions to rehearsal spaces to mental health support for artists making work about trauma. They also celebrate both organisations receiving Creative Scotland's Multi-Year Funding, which is a massive deal. And they dream about creating Black cultural centres in Scotland with archives, libraries, rehearsal spaces, and cafés – taking inspiration from London's Black Cultural Archives whilst imagining a community-owned Scottish approach with satellite locations across the country.

Find out more:

• Project X Dance: www.projectxdance.com (sign up for their artist newsletter – for Black & POC artists only)
• Scottish Black and POC Writers Network: www.scottishpocwritersnetwork.com

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Host Ica Headlam speaks with Kim Loliya, founder and director of Black Psychotherapy in London, about culturally attuned mental health support for Black and Global Majority communities. Kim discusses how they've grown from a solo practice to a team of 31 practitioners, the problems with Eurocentric therapy models, and why mainstream NHS provision often fails racialised communities. The conversation explores generational trauma, the fears many hold about accessing mental health services (including higher rates of sectioning and restraint), and the power of community healing through care circles. Kim also shares their vision for abolishing Western therapy models in favour of more indigenous approaches to healing, the importance of anti-oppressive practice embedded throughout training curricula, and Black Psychotherapy's work from their shipping container therapy space in the heart of Brixton. This episode examines what real healing looks like when it's designed for us, by us.

Find out more: Black Psychotherapy - www.blackpsychotherapy.com

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Host Ica Headlam speaks with Talat Yaqoob, founder of Pass the Mic, about the gap between Scotland's progressive rhetoric and actual investment in change for communities of colour. They discuss creating your own spaces versus engaging with existing systems, the extractive nature of unpaid labour in media and activism, and how austerity has decimated the community centres and youth clubs that once anchored Black and Brown communities. Talat shares how Pass the Mic has grown from a desktop spreadsheet to a database of over 300 women of colour experts, and why sustained prioritisation matters more than reactive responses to trending moments.

Visit Pass the Mic - https://passthemicscotland.org

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In this episode, host Ica speaks with Matthew Hickman (musician/artist-activist) and Loa Pour Mirza (therapist/facilitator) about the Creative Balance project, which researches wellbeing among Black and racialised creatives and cultural professionals in Scotland. They discuss how five years after 2020's promises of change, many artists still face systemic barriers, lack of representation in leadership, and the exhausting burden of being the only BPOC person in white creative spaces.

The conversation explores why community-led research matters, the project's choice of language like "wellbeing" over "mental health," and how Scotland's creative sector compares to other places.

Find out more about Creative Balance at www.creativebalance.scot

Credits: Producer and Technical Producer - Halina Rifai

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In our first episode, we lay the foundations by exploring the reality of being BPOC creatives in Scotland's creative spaces and what people want.

Recorded live at We Are Here Scotland's Creator Showcase at Edinburgh's Assembly Roxy, host Ica Headlam speaks with employment lawyer and radio presenter Rupa Mooker about navigating predominantly white creative spaces, the exhaustion of being "the only one," and the power of community-led spaces.

We also hear from showcase attendees about their experiences of exclusion, belonging, and creating their own opportunities in Scotland's creative sector.

From microaggressions to safe spaces, from allies to disruptors - this episode sets the foundation for understanding why Black and Global Majority-led spaces in the creative industries matter.

Main Guest: Rupa Mooker - Employment lawyer, radio presenter on Awaz FM

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Introducing Well-founded, a new podcast from We Are Here Scotland exploring spaces that nurture creativity, support mental health, and foster community for Black and Global Majority creatives. Host Ica Headlam examines what's missing from Scotland's creative landscape and celebrates the spaces—both physical and digital—that are making a difference.

What to Expect:

• Stories from Black-led venues and cultural centers across the UK and internationally
• Conversations with fearless founders breaking barriers
• Insights into funding models and sustainability
• Exploration of how creative spaces become lifelines for community and mental health

About the Team: Ica Headlam (Host) / Halina Rifai (Producer & Technical Producer)

Subscribe Now: Available on all major podcast platforms - New episodes coming soon

Connect: Follow We Are Here Scotland for updates

Well-Founded is a We Are Here Scotland production

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