What Can We Do?

Tinai Colawai is the Founder & Director of knext Career Design – a social impact company with a mission to enable people of colour achieve long-term career success. Before launching her business in early 2021, she spent over 15 years working across the Pacific, Asia and Australia in HR leadership, strategic and specialist roles.

In the first episode of 2022, Tinai talks about the common barriers culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) individuals and people of colour (POC) face when working in Australia, the importance of diversity and inclusion in positions of influence, and the outcomes she hopes to see in the future.

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon.

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zahra Bayani is has done a lot for her community, since she arrived in Adelaide in 2017. Zahra is currently studying Bachelor of Physiotherapy Honours at University of South Australia and hopes that one day her studies will empower her to work with disadvantaged youth and women to support them in overcoming adversity to reaching their full potential as integral members of the community.

In this episode, Zahra talks about how she got involved in volunteering, her political aspirations for the future and her advice for youth.

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon.

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Priyanka Kaur is a visual and resin artist who recently founded Mahala, a social enterprise. Mahala is Australia’s first gift box service that features products from South Asian women, pursuing side hustles, passion projects or small businesses. A percentage of Mahala's profits goes to the Australian South Asian Centre, a not for profit organisation.

In this episode, Priyanka talks about why she started Mahala, the underrepresentation of South Asian creatives and artists here in Australia, and how she hopes Mahala will encourage women to pursue their creative passions.

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon.

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rough Edges is a community centre for people experiencing homelessness and other forms of marginalisation in Darlinghurst. This drop-in centre is operated by St John's Anglican Church and supervised by Team Leader, Ryan Naoum. As a service, Rough Edges aims to create a safe space where community is fostered and individuals can move from crisis to flourish.

In this episode, Ryan talks about the issues facing Darlinghurst's communities, how Rough Edges has found new ways to create impact owing to the pandemic, and the misconceptions people have about communities experiencing homelessness.

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon.

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Commonwealth Bank currently estimate that 16% of women will experience financial abuse in Australia during their lifetime.

Tasnia Alam co-founded ARISE Foundation to reveal the impact of financial abuse and provide financial freedom for women traditionally considered 'unbankable'. Tasnia has a background in Applied Finance and Law and was most recently an Associate Director at NSW Treasury. She has a decade of public and private sector experience across various industries, including audit, legal, corporate finance and public policy development.

In this episode, Tasnia talks about what motivated her to start Arise, what financial abuse looks like, and the impact Arise Foundation hopes to create.

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon. 

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merciful Servants has delivered over 150,000 packets of food over the last 7 years, supporting Brisbane's homeless and vulnerable populations. Managing Director, Ansary Muhammed, started this organisation with the aim to end hunger, in a city where approximately 1 in 200 people experience homelessness. 

In this episode, Ansary talks about what drives him, the challenge Brisbane's communities are now facing and how he's nurturing the next generation of community leaders. 

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon. Prema works in a project and operations capacity in the not-for-profit sector.

Check out previous episodes and transcripts here: whatcanwedopodcast.com  

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A growing number of women leaders are emerging in Australia.

Charishma Kaliyanda was elected to the Liverpool City Council in 2016. Charishma was born in Bangalore, India, and moved to Liverpool when she was four years old. Starting her journey in student politics, Charishma has become an important voice for Liverpool City communities. 
In this episode, Charishma talks about the hurdles women leaders of colour need to clear for elected office in Australia, how the recent strict lockdowns affected southwest Sydney communities, and why local community representation is important.

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon.  Prema works in a project and operations capacity in the not-for-profit sector.  

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tessa Deak is a Mount Gambier based disability advocate who has led and been involved in several chronic illness, mental health, and disability-related initiatives in the Limestone Coast. Tessa is passionate about making a change in her community and tries to use her lived experience of chronic illness/disability to educate others and spread awareness.

Tessa has been recognised for her work and won the 7News SA Young Achiever Rural Doctors Workforce Agency Rural Health Award in 2021, among other nominations.  

In this episode, Tessa talks about how she got started in advocacy work, the changes she has observed through the course of her work, and how to overcome the fear of stepping outside of your comfort zone. 

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon.  Prema works in a project and operations capacity in the not-for-profit sector.

Check out previous episodes and transcripts here: whatcanwedopodcast.com  

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paige Krystal Wilcox (she/her) uses Intentional Storytelling to create compelling stories that counter mainstream media's unhealthy or unhelpful bias, tropes, and stereotypes.

In this episode, Paige shares why she got started in Intentional Storytelling, the challenges she initially faced, and what she has learnt through her journey so far. 

What Can We Do is produced by Samuham Media, and hosted by Prema Menon.  Prema works in a project and operations capacity in the not for profit sector.   

Check out previous episodes and transcripts here: whatcanwedopodcast.com  

This podcast is also available on major podcast platforms.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.