Brown Don't Frown Podcast Tania S H

Mitali Dargani is our next guest. As creator and host of Brown Game Strong, an interview show spotlighting creative South Asian minds, Mitali tells us how the show originated from a place of community support and encouragement, and is an embodiment of lifting each other up. Yet, Brown Game Strong is not just about showing outward success, but equally, recognising the flaws, demons, and challenges we all face. 
This was a really enriching discussion in many ways as we uncovered our thought processes in being sandwiched between two mindsets: stability and taking risks, as reflected in our life choices. 
As fellow creatives in the storytelling space, we also spend some time reframing how we perceive ‘success’, sharing a sense of conscientiousness about ourselves and the world. We ask - is the need to be constantly productive the antidote to unfulfillment or the antithesis to happiness? Finally, we take an introspective look into how we think our 30s will define us. 
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In this episode, I sit down with an inspirational former colleague and friend, Gabbie Stewart. Gabbie is originally from New Zealand but has spent many years in London with her husband and three young children. We talk about the inevitable juggle of life, personal identity, work, motherhood and everything in between. 
We consider the evolution and revolution of pregnancy and motherhood over generations, overcoming myths and fears, alongside convention and personal choices. Working mothers are well acquainted with the term ‘motherhood penalty’ and within this context, Gabbie and I talk about reaching our potential, redefining our own narratives, and reclaiming ourselves while finding ways to enjoy the present and thrive. 
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If you enjoy listening to the podcast, please consider supporting it - all for as little as the price of a coffee! You can donate here: www.patreon.com/browndontfrownpod.
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Seetal Kaur is our next guest. She is Co-Director of Forward Culture, a social initiative focussing on the empowerment of South Asian women. Seetal explains Forward Culture exists not just for finding pride in our South Asian heritage, but also about critically evaluating previous traditions and evolving them in line with our own empowerment and identity.
In this episode, we talk about our shared experience of something that nothing and no one can ever prepare you for: motherhood. We begin with learning from previous generations, examining what has fallen away and what has stood the test of time. We discuss how soul destroying complete selflessness can be and why we shouldn't put it on a pedestal in South Asian cultures in the way that we do. We also explore setting good examples for our children, ‘unlearning’ and ‘reparenting’ and the contrasts between gentle parenting/validating emotions vs authoritative parenting/disciplinarian approaches. Seetal also shares how therapy for her has been a necessary antidote to emotional barriers and improved self-awareness.
Forward Culture offers an enriching Mentorship programme for South Asian women and runs regular workshops, events and research. You can find out more and get involved through www.forwardculture.co or head over to its Instagram @forward.culture.
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If you enjoy listening to the podcast, please consider supporting it - all for as little as the price of a coffee! You can donate here: www.patreon.com/browndontfrownpod.
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The first guest of season 6 is Sairish Hussain, author of ‘The Family Tree’ and ‘Hidden Fires’. Sairish shares her writing journey and the inspirations behind the characters and plots in both of her novels. We also discuss the depiction of negative South Asian and Muslim stereotypes in popular culture and how she has defied these narratives in her stories as well as the importance of authenticity and originality. 
Diversity in publishing has been a longstanding and ongoing conversation. We look at Sairish’s experience of navigating the world of publishing and discuss the progress that has been made since the publication of her debut novel in 2020, including what more could be done, moving beyond tokenism and quotas. 
Sairish also shares some thoughts and advice for aspiring writers and academics, as well as her future hopes and aspirations. 
You can find copies of both of her novels ‘The Family Tree’ and ‘Hidden Fires’ online or in most bookstores. 
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Brown Don’t Frown is back again! Season 6 drops March 2024! Make sure you hit the subscribe button and you will be notified as soon as a new episode goes live. 
This season is all about empathy and empowerment through various lenses, such as navigating our 30s, not just reaching life goals and milestones but making new ones, parenthood and reproductive health, spinning plates, challenges, fears, surviving, thriving, finding purpose and intention, gratitude, balance, calm, and rest. We’ve got some inspiring women including fellow South Asian podcasters, an acclaimed novelist, a reproductive health campaigner and charity founder, and a co-director of a South Asian women’s empowerment initiative.
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To mark Black History Month, the final guests of season 5 are Alison Burton and Natalie Duvall, founders of March Muses, which produces luxury gifts representing people of colour and received backing from Dragons’ Den’s Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden. They are the only UK brand to have created a full range of Black Christmas decorations, shining the light on the need for diverse and inclusive figurines and baubles at Christmas time. 
Alison and Natalie are single mums who also have full time day jobs and share their perspectives on balancing entrepreneurialism, motherhood and creativity. 
It’s important that we raise our children to value diversity, feel visible and see all humans as equal. As mothers of Black daughters, I ask them why representation is particularly important to them.
Natalie and Alison also frankly share their experiences with motherhood:
“As a parent, you’re winging it every day, because you don’t know what you’re going to be faced with and you have to find a solution for it at that moment. You could be tired, you could be hungry, you could be fed up, you could be stressed, but you have to find the answer. And you have to come down to their level with the way that you communicate.”
“The beautiful thing is, you’re always learning from your children…”
You can follow March Muses on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marchmuses/ Find out more on https://www.marchmuses.co.uk/
Sign up to our newsletter:  https://mailchi.mp/186e92c0ae06/browndontfrownpodcastnewsletter 
If you enjoy listening to the podcast, please consider supporting it - all for as little as the price of a coffee! You can donate here: www.patreon.com/browndontfrownpod.
Follow us on:
Twitter - @BDFPodcast 
Instagram - @browndontfrownpodcast 
Facebook - @browndontfrownpodcast 
LinkedIn - @browndontfrownpodcast