Belonging Across Cultures

Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK
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In a world that often feels disconnected and divided, how can we move from difference to connection so we can build better lives and a better world? __ Belonging Across Cultures weaves together a kaleidoscope of stories from diverse people and experiences, exploring how we can come together across cultural and social divides. Join cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi and her guests on a new journey toward empathy, connection, and belonging. – Subscribe: https://podfollow.com/belonging Website: www.BelongingAcrossCultures.uk Podcaster: Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK

Episodes

  1. From Hawker Stall to International Chef - Norman Musa | Episode #004

    Apr 23

    From Hawker Stall to International Chef - Norman Musa | Episode #004

    When we travel to a new country to live for a long period, maybe as a student or because of our work, most of us feel homesick at one point or another. We miss our friends and our mums - and actually, often many of us miss the comfort of familiar food from home. Is it possible to create a sense of Belonging in a new country by bringing with us food from home and sharing it with others? Chef Norman Musa thinks so. He talks to Author Across Cultures, Yang-May Ooi, about his journey from humble beginnings helping his mum at her hawker stall in Penang to international chef. Chef Norman has run several restaurants across the UK and Europe,  appeared on TV, cheffed for a Formula One racing team and written a number of cookbooks. But throughout his prestigious career, he has always remembered his roots.  The Malaysian cuisine that he cooks is dedicated to everything his mum taught him about food, flavours and cooking - and he has brought this personal sense of Belonging  and home not just to the UK but also to the world.  Norman Musa - https://www.normanmusa.com/  Chef Residency at King & Co pub in Clapham MAKAN MAKAN Chef Residency Mon, 25 May - Sat, 20 June 2026 The King & Co 100 Clapham Park Road London SW4 7BZ (6 mins walk from Clapham Common tube station) Wagamama Chef Academy - https://jobs.wagamama.uk/apprenticeships  Rak Patel and Norman’s Asian Cooking Academy - https://www.asiancookingacademy.com/  Norman’s Beef Rendang recipe - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX5FoSparrk  The views expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host. Podcast Theme Music - World Traveler by Dimmysad, via Pixabaly Content License Photo - Yang-May Ooi – From Hawker Stall to International Chef - Norman Musa | Belonging Across Cultures Podcast Episode #004  BGPD004 | Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK  LinksNoteCredits

    34 min
  2. Belonging in Ourselves - Dr Nafisah Graham-Brown | Episode #003

    Mar 19

    Belonging in Ourselves - Dr Nafisah Graham-Brown | Episode #003

    Is a feeling of Belonging solely defined by place or a community? What happens if you find yourself a stranger in a new place with no support system due to circumstances you cannot control? What if your home life is chaotic and you have no-one stable you can turn to for guidance or help? Is it possible to create a sense of Belonging in such difficult and  isolating circumstances? Dr Nafisah Graham-Brown, Deputy CEO of Yes Futures, a charity empowering young people to discover their personal potential, joins cross-cultural author Yang-May Ooi to explore how we can find Belonging in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves.  Links Yes Futures - https://www.yesfutures.org/  Nafisah Graham-Brown:  Linked in -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nafisahgrahambrown/ Research and publications: https://nafisahgrahambrown.academia.edu/  Note The views expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host. Credits Podcast Theme Music - World Traveler by Dimmysad, via Pixabaly Content License Photo - Nafisah Graham-Brown – Belonging in Ourselves - Dr Nafisah Graham-Brown | Belonging Across Cultures Podcast Episode #003 BGPD003 | Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK

    43 min
  3. Heritage, Family and Food - Bod Griffiths | Episode #002

    Jan 23

    Heritage, Family and Food - Bod Griffiths | Episode #002

    Bod Griffiths, founder of Vale House Kitchen, joins cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi to talk about leaving his big city job to teach traditional ways of preparing and cooking food. Going fishing as a boy with his grandfather gave him a respect for the old ways of seeking out and tracking the food we eat. His grandmother’s recipes inspired in him a love of traditional ways of preparing food. Listen to their lively and passionate conversation about the joys of re-connecting with heritage and family through food. In our busy lives today, it’s convenient to shop for food in supermarkets. Our meat and fish come in plastic wrappers. We pop ready meals into the microwave to save time. And a lot of the goodies we enjoy - like cakes and jam - are pre-made for us in factories. It’s easy to forget that our food comes from the land. And in forgetting this, do we also forget a bit of ourselves? In this episode of the Belonging Across Cultures podcast, I’m excited to share with you  my conversation with Bod Griffiths, one time city trader and now the founder of Vale House Kitchen in Somerset, England. We talk about how we can feel a sense of belonging to  different places at different times in our lives.  And also how traditional ways of preparing and enjoying food can re-connect us with heritage, family - and ultimately, our humanity.  Links Vale House Kitchen - https://valehousekitchen.co.uk/  Note The views expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host. Credits Podcast Theme Music - World Traveler by Dimmysad, via Pixabaly Content License Photo - Yang-May Ooi – Heritage, Family and Food - Bod Griffiths | Belonging Across Cultures Podcast Episode #002 BGPD002 | Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK

    44 min
  4. The Contradictions of Belonging - Amir Muhammed | Episode #001

    Jan 14

    The Contradictions of Belonging - Amir Muhammed | Episode #001

    For this first episode of the brand new Belonging Across Cultures podcast, Malaysian book publisher and film producer Amir Muhammed joins cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi to talk about belonging, disconnection and connection in modern Malaysia.  Yang-May  grew up in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia but left when she was 12 to come over to the UK to school and university - and then stayed on to follow a career as a lawyer. She also had a parallel creative career as a writer and podcaster. She now lives in Oxford, UK. Like Yang-May, Amir Muhammed was born and grew up in Kuala Lumpur, or KL as Malaysians call it - but unlike her, he stayed on to build his creative life in Malaysia. Amir is the founder Fixi Books, an independent publisher of contemporary urban fiction based in KL. He also produces indie films at Kuman Pictures. His books and films are written and produced by Malaysians for Malaysians.  Listen to Amir and Yang-May’s wide-ranging conversation about modern Malaysia and how local creatives there navigate the contradictions of belonging in contemporary Malaysian society.  Fixi Books - https://fixi.com.my/  Kuman Pictures - https://www.kumanpictures.com/  Yang-May’s books, The Flame Tree and Mindgame - https://www.amazon.com/author/yangmayooi  The views expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host. Podcast Theme Music - World Traveler by Dimmysad, via Pixabay Content License Photos - Amir Muhammed – The Contradictions of Belonging - Amir Muhammed | Belonging Across Cultures Podcast Episode #001 BGPD001 | Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK

    46 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

In a world that often feels disconnected and divided, how can we move from difference to connection so we can build better lives and a better world? __ Belonging Across Cultures weaves together a kaleidoscope of stories from diverse people and experiences, exploring how we can come together across cultural and social divides. Join cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi and her guests on a new journey toward empathy, connection, and belonging. – Subscribe: https://podfollow.com/belonging Website: www.BelongingAcrossCultures.uk Podcaster: Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK

Information

  • Creator
    Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Yang-May Ooi @TigerSpiritUK
  • Show Website
    Belonging Across Cultures