Identified with Nabil Ayers

Nabil Ayers
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Welcome to 'Identified', a podcast hosted by Nabil Ayers, music executive and author of 'My Life in the Sunshine'. This show explores the intricate and often complicated world of family and identity. In his memoir, Nabil shared his journey of understanding his mixed-race identity, navigating a distant relationship with his father, renowned jazz musician Roy Ayers, and discovering new family connections. 'Identified' continues this exploration, broadening the scope to encompass universal themes of family dynamics. Join Nabil as he engages in heartfelt conversations that traverse cultural histories, the impact of non-traditional childhoods, and the ways our relationships shape our identities. Through personal stories, the show confronts the challenges of loss and grief, while celebrating the unique bonds that define us. Each episode seeks to answer the profound question: What is family? Discover remarkable stories from individuals of diverse backgrounds as 'Identified' unravels the complexities that make family so unique. The executive producer for 'Identified' is Kieron Banerji, and is produced by Palm Tree Island.

  1. 3D AGO

    Acclaimed Chef Camille Becerra on Her Puerto Rican Roots

    What does it mean to raise yourself across cultures—and carry tradition forward through food? In this episode of Identified, chef and author Camille Becerra sits down with host Nabil Ayers for a heartfelt conversation about family, identity, and the life-shaping power of memory. Born in Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father, Camille moved to New Jersey at just one year old and grew up between cultures, languages, and generations. She reflects on growing up with a single mother, navigating a distant relationship with her father, and finding connection through her Puerto Rican family’s rituals—like traveling alone as a child to visit cousins, or waking early to buy bread from the local bakery. Food became her anchor and a bridge to memory and belonging. Camille opens up about defining family on her own terms, the blurred lines between relatives and chosen loved ones, and what it means to pass down tradition through flavor. Guest: Camille Becerra Host: Nabil Ayers Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji Production by Palm Tree Island  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    16 min

  2. JAN 14

    Is Blood Really Family? Podcaster and Writer Traci Thomas on Chosen Family

    Is Blood Really Family? In this episode of Identified, host Nabil Ayers sits down with Traci Thomas, creator and host of The Stacks Podcast, to explore the deeply personal terrain of identity, family, and legacy. Traci opens up about growing up mixed-race with older parents, navigating loss at a young age, and the impact of her Black and Jewish heritage on how she views belonging. Their conversation weaves through themes of grief, motherhood, and emotional inheritance, as Traci reflects on what it meant to lose her father in her twenties—and how that absence continues to shape her relationship to parenting and selfhood. She shares insights on the expansive nature of chosen family, the cultural roots of inclusion in Black and Jewish communities, and the quiet power of forging your own path in the absence of clear models. Traci’s honesty about not feeling naturally inclined to motherhood—while fully embracing the role—offers a fresh and nuanced view of modern parenting. This episode challenges traditional definitions of family, makes space for contradiction, and honors the complexity of claiming one’s story. Guest: Traci Thomas Host: Nabil Ayers Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji Production by: Palm Tree Island See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 min

  3. 12/31/2025

    Comedian Tim Heidecker on the Power of Chosen Family

    In this episode of Identified, Nabil Ayers is joined by acclaimed comedian, actor, and musician Tim Heidecker for an unexpectedly candid conversation about ancestry, grief, and identity. Tim traces the impact of family tragedy across generations—from the death of his grandfather’s mother in childbirth, to the sudden loss of a sibling in his father’s childhood, and how that cascade of trauma subtly shaped his own upbringing in suburban Pennsylvania. He reflects on the weight of generational loss, the evolution from a tight-knit extended family to one defined by chosen bonds, and how becoming a father redefined his understanding of connection, vulnerability, and care. With humor and heart, Tim shares how he's created a nurturing and playful environment for his own children—while still reckoning with the echoes of the past. This episode explores themes of grief, resilience, chosen family, and the quiet strength it takes to raise a family differently. Guest: Tim Heidecker Host: Nabil Ayers Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji Production by Palm Tree Island See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    20 min

  4. 12/17/2025

    Rapper Cakes Da Killa on Growing Up Queer and the Women Who Raised Him

    What if your most formative identity traits come from people you didn’t grow up with? In this powerful episode of Identified, rapper and queer icon Cakes Da Killa reflects on growing up in Teaneck, New Jersey, raised by his teenage mother and grandmother. He shares openly about the complexities of reconciling with an absent father, discovering inherited traits in unexpected family members, and why — as a queer person — chosen family has always played a central role in his life. This episode touches on: Intergenerational strength from women in his family The slow repair of fractured paternal relationships The trauma of losing family homes and generational wealth The nuance of chosen vs. biological family And why his mother’s strength remains his biggest inspiration With clarity, wit, and raw honesty, Cakes shows that family — like identity — is something you get to define on your own terms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    16 min

  5. 12/03/2025

    Bandsplain Host Yasi Salek on Defining ‘Home’ Across Cultures

    In this episode of Identified, host Nabil Ayers speaks with Bandsplain host Yasi Salek, who shares a moving, honest account of growing up Iranian-American in 1980s Los Angeles. Yasi discusses her family’s immigration story post-Iranian revolution, her experience being the “other” in a predominantly white community, and the identity conflict that shaped her early life — including moments of rebellion in pursuit of American assimilation. The conversation explores the nuances of Middle Eastern family dynamics, the pressures of cultural tradition, and the value of commitment — both in blood ties and chosen families. Yasi reflects on a formative high school chapter in Singapore, her deep bond with her cousins, and the remarkable legacy of her grandfather: a communist, a vegetarian in the 1920s, and an enduring symbol of independence and personal philosophy. Guest: Yasi Salek Host: Nabil Ayers Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    27 min

  6. 11/19/2025

    Massima Bell on Coming Out, Gender, Identity, and Building Her Chosen Family

    In this episode of Identified, Nabil Ayers speaks with Massima Bell—music producer, model, activist, and co-creator of Transa—about her journey through gender, place, and chosen family. Massima grew up between two vastly different worlds: a 100-year-old farmhouse in rural Iowa and a life on the move with her mother, a PhD who brought her to urban and suburban spaces from Maryland to Buffalo. Her relationship with place—particularly the tension between the beauty of nature and the discomfort of rural social spaces—forms a backdrop to her story of coming into her identity. Massima shares how coming out as nonbinary and later as a trans woman shaped her relationships with her parents, especially the profound moment her father responded to her transition with just one word: “Congratulations.” She opens up about estrangement and reconciliation with her mother, the challenges of early transition, and the emotional weight of building a life where her body and spirit could align. This episode explores themes of gender identity, ancestry, estrangement, reconciliation, rural vs. urban America, and the power of chosen family—especially the trans women she calls her “sisters,” who form the heart of her most meaningful bonds. Guest: Massima Bell Host: Nabil Ayers Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji Production Company: Palm Tree Island See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    26 min

  7. 11/05/2025

    Jad Abumrad: The Family Stories That Changed Everything

    In this episode of Identified, host Nabil Ayers is joined by Jad Abumrad—artist, musician, journalist, and creator of Radiolab, Dolly Parton’s America, More Perfect, and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man—for a conversation about grief, family history, and what it means to belong to a culture you weren’t fully given.Jad shares stories from his Lebanese family: a great-grandmother whose ring he lost in the sea, a grandfather who buried his mother on the side of the road at age 10, and a father who narrowly survived a civil war and brought his entire extended family to Tennessee. But it’s only in recent years that Jad began to ask the deeper questions: What actually happened in Lebanon? Why did his family never talk about it? And what does it mean to claim a cultural identity that was never fully passed down?We also talk about: Growing up Arab in the U.S. during the Iran hostage crisis and 9/11 His early reporting in Lebanon and how it helped shape his voice The grief that shaped his family, and the one loss that reshuffled everything Choosing to raise kids with a sense of inherited identity—even when you didn’t grow up with one yourself Jad’s story is a moving reminder that family is built not just on what we’re given—but also on what we ask, uncover, and pass forward. Guest: Jad Abumrad Host: Nabil Ayers Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji Produced by: Palm Tree Island Music by: Noella & Patricia Brennan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 min

  8. 10/22/2025

    "You Look Just Like Her": Writer Casey Kahn on Secrets, Hidden Siblings, and Defining Family

    Nabil Ayers is joined by writer Casey Kahn, who opens up about her personal journey through adoption, identity, and ancestry. Casey was adopted at two days old, raised by a deeply loving family in a tight-knit home—but everything changed when she had her own children and began searching for answers about her origins. With the help of 23andMe, private investigators, and a handful of uncanny coincidences, Casey uncovered a complex and heartbreaking family history, including two biological siblings she had never met—and a mother struggling with severe mental illness who had given each of them away. Through humor, heartbreak, and honesty, Casey reflects on: Growing up adopted and feeling like she “fell from the sky” The emotional impact of meeting her birth siblings as an adult How giving birth sparked a deeper urgency to understand where she came from Her mother’s refusal to engage, and the power—and pain—of seeing her face-to-face Guest: Casey Kahn Host: Nabil Ayers Executive Producer: Kieron Banerji Produced by: Palm Tree Island See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min
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About

Welcome to 'Identified', a podcast hosted by Nabil Ayers, music executive and author of 'My Life in the Sunshine'. This show explores the intricate and often complicated world of family and identity. In his memoir, Nabil shared his journey of understanding his mixed-race identity, navigating a distant relationship with his father, renowned jazz musician Roy Ayers, and discovering new family connections. 'Identified' continues this exploration, broadening the scope to encompass universal themes of family dynamics. Join Nabil as he engages in heartfelt conversations that traverse cultural histories, the impact of non-traditional childhoods, and the ways our relationships shape our identities. Through personal stories, the show confronts the challenges of loss and grief, while celebrating the unique bonds that define us. Each episode seeks to answer the profound question: What is family? Discover remarkable stories from individuals of diverse backgrounds as 'Identified' unravels the complexities that make family so unique. The executive producer for 'Identified' is Kieron Banerji, and is produced by Palm Tree Island.

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