Not Your Token Minority

In this episode, I chat with Dil Khosa, co-founder of creative entrepreneurship hub Manzana, based here in Auckland, New Zealand. She speaks with me about:Her experience moving to New Zealand from Malaysia in her late teensWhat it means to “just be yourself” in a world where you’re seen as “different” The biggest lessons she learned when she experienced burnout from her startup careerHer drive to improve support for traditionally under-supported startup founders Her goals for Manzana, which she established with two others in 2022 to help support women and underserved entrepreneurs in AotearoaYou can learn more about Manzana here.

Shaneel Lal (they/them) is a prominent activist and political commentator who sits at the intersection of Aotearoa New Zealand’s BIPOC and queer communities. They are a fierce advocate for ending conversion therapy and in February 2022, their efforts resulted in legislation being passed that bans the practice in New Zealand.In our conversation, we cover: Growing up queer in Fiji and how that informed Shaneel’s advocacy later onThe impact of colonisation on queer communities in FijiColonial queerness vs indigenous queerness, and how colonisation stripped away indigenous queer identitiesTheir journey to self-acceptance of their queer identityTheir conversion therapy experienceWhy successfully getting conversation therapy banned in Aotearoa was not their most joyful moment (and what really brings them joy in their activism)You can follow Shaneel on Instagram, Twitter, and their column for The New Zealand Herald.Remember to  rate and share this show, as well as follow along on Instagram. Reach out to me on notyourtokenminoritypodcast@gmail.com if you want to share your story - I would love to hear from you!

Auckland-based artist and photographer Abhi Chinniah joins me in this episode to talk how colourism has fundamentally shaped her life so far and her most recent exhibition “Melanin Rising”. She shares:Her experiences at the receiving end of colourismHow her personal experiences of colourism inspire her workHow she went from Abhi, to Abby, and back to AbhiThe influence her dad has had in her journey grappling with colourismWhat she hopes she can teach future generations about themselves and the world around themHer vision for the future of her Melanin Rising projectExperience and support Abhi’s work below:Melanin RisingRamii StudioPlease rate and share this show, as well as follow along on Instagram. Reach out to me on notyourtokenminoritypodcast@gmail.com if you want to share your story - I would love to hear from you!

Vivian Chandra is a tech consultant with a huge difference. Her passion for education and democratising digital technology means she spends much of her time upskilling teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand so that they can teach kids essential tech skills. In our conversation, we talk about:Why diversity and inclusion in tech is important to herHow to use play doh to teach electronicsOne of the biggest misunderstandings about children and their use of technologyHow to encourage more digital fluency for your kids - and why that’s importantHow learning Te Reo Māori helped her explore her own cultural identity If you would like to follow Vivian’s work, you can do so on her website https://vivianchandra.com or follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/vivsterNZ

This is a rerun of my conversation with Iori Forsyth from 2021.-------------------Iori Forsyth is half-Australian and half-Japanese and she embodies the terms "bicultural" and "biracial" through and through. She split her childhood between Japan and Australia, which allowed her to experience both cultures fully and be fluent in both languages. She grew up with 7 brothers (she's the oldest of 8 children).Due to her family's unique status as both a large family and a bicultural one in Hiroshima, Japan, they had their own reality TV show for 10 years - a significant part of Iori and her brothers' childhoods and teenage years.We talk about what it was like for her growing up split between two very different cultures, where she felt like she fit in the most, her experience growing up in front of TV cameras, and the most important things to giving your own children a truly multicultural upbringing. You can follow Iori and her family on their YouTube channel, 大家族フォーサイス家 (Large family Forsyth). Note that the channel is in Japanese only. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe, as well as follow along on Instagram. Reach out to me on notyourtokenminoritypodcast@gmail.com if you want to share your story - I would love to hear from you!

University of Auckland PhD candidate Lovely Dizon speaks with me in this episode about the under-served mental health needs of 1.5 generation Asian young people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our conversation includes:A discussion of the burden of carrying the weight of family expectations, balanced with trying to figure out what is important to you and who you areWhat is lacking from current systems of healthcare and how they fail Asian youthThe role that being a 1.5 generation migrant plays in the mental health of young Asian youthPlus much, much more - Lovely is a 1.5 generation Filipino Kiwi and a final year PhD candidate based in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland. Her research interests include Asian youth health, youth mental health and ethnic identity. She is passionate about amplifying and advocating for greater representation of ethnic minority voices and experiences, creating space for destigmatising conversations around mental health, and improving access to health services. Follow her work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amplify.nz/If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe, as well as follow along on Instagram. Reach out to me on notyourtokenminoritypodcast@gmail.com if you want to share your story - I would love to hear from you!

Auckland-based playwright and director Talia Pua talks to me in this episode about her latest bodies of work - a play titled Pork and Poll Taxes which premiered in 2021 and an exhibition about Chinese migration to New Zealand which ran earlier in 2022 - and why it’s important to her to tell these stories.She also shares her experiences both behind and on stage in the performing arts in New Zealand, and why diverse Asian representation on stage and screen matters. Talia is the co-founder and creative director of Hand Pulled Collective, a production company that focuses on bringing the stories of New Zealand’s Chinese community to the stage. Please share and rate, as well as follow along on Instagram. Reach out to me on notyourtokenminoritypodcast@gmail.com if you want to share your story - I would love to hear from you!

Vikram Udyawer has loved space ever since he was a kid growing up in four different countries. Like many other kids who grow up in different cultures, Vikram struggled with belonging and identity, but found solace in space and what he believed to be a borderless environment. He chats with me about his experiences growing up as a “Fifth Culture Kid”, how this inspired him to enter the space industry, and what the reality was once he started working in it. We talk about the geopolitics that come with space, as well as the lack of diversity in the industry and what real-life implications that has for all of us.Vikram is the founder of Metasolis, a s.t.e.a.m studio with a focus on building web3 tooling for space ecosystems.

Emi Chiba spent her most formative years between the UK, Japan and Spain, before eventually settling in Tokyo, Japan where she lives now. And the road between her being born in the UK to a British father and Japanese mother, to her life now is full of twists, hard truths and unexpected lessons. Yes, growing up biracial between vastly different countries and cultures is a big part of Emi’s story so far. But there has been so much more to her journey that helped shaped her into the person she is today.In this episode, Emi talks to me openly about:The complexities of being “ha-fu” in JapanBeing accepted, or not accepted, on the basis of how you lookThe life-changing experience of living in Ibiza for two yearsHer decision to drop out of university in Japan and the implications of that on her careerBeing a child of divorce between parents of vastly different cultural backgroundsWhy she left home at 17 and has never looked backThe special relationship she had with her grandmotherPlease share and rate, as well as follow along on Instagram. Reach out to me on notyourtokenminoritypodcast@gmail.com if you want to share your story - I would love to hear from you!