As non-Indigenous POC, have you ever pushed back against racism by asserting that you’re from here, you’re Canadian, you belong here? In this episode, Nic and Lala continue their discussion of the identities and responsibilities held by settlers of colour, exploring what it means to search for belonging while living on stolen land, and how we can honour our ancestors by fighting Canadian colonialism.

While Indigenous Land Defenders #ShutDownCanada, what does it mean to be both a person of colour and a settler? As we feel overwhelmed and may need to balance showing up for others with caring for ourselves, who has access to rest and self-care? And when does “self-care” become an excuse for not doing our work? In this episode, Nic and Lala discuss pushing past shame, how settler guilt can compel us to act, and the necessity of finding our place in the movement for Indigenous sovereignty.

Self-exploration of our sexuality can be exciting and daunting. Nearly one year after coming out as bisexual, Nic opens up about her feelings of not feeling “queer enough”, and Lala offers her experiences on navigating queerness as a woman of colour.

Diasporas are rich, vibrant... and complicated. While many of us feel deeply connected to the cultures of our heritage, we also feel like outsiders. So how do we engage with our cultural lineages with integrity? In this episode, Lala and Nic explore the dynamics of cultural appropriation and how to understand our place in the cultures and communities we descend from.

2020 began with a lot of tragedy: Australia’s catastrophic wildfires, devastating loss in Iran, and the world feeling on the brink of impending disaster. Where do we go from here? In this episode, Lala and Nic dive into frank discussions on the often overwhelming fear and grief we experience today, and explore what it means to have hope in the face of endings, collapse, and destruction.

The end of the year often means feelings of reflection, optimism, and sometimes, dread. How does a new year feel for you? A challenge to expand more fully into yourself, or a measuring stick and what you ought to “fix”? With a new decade in full view, Nic and Lala talk self-acceptance and personal growth.

Vulnerability can come naturally for some, and cause real discomfort for others. Listen as Lala and Nic discuss whether vulnerability is just about communicating our feelings, and consider what keeps us from being vulnerable, even with people who love us.

Sensitive people are all around you: taking in information, feeling deeply, and honing in on the energies of others. In this live recording of Seen, Nic and Lala open up about emotional and physical sensitivity and explore how an Achilles heel can become a powerful resource.

What is anti-blackness? Can non-black people of colour be anti-black, or is this just a white thing? In this episode, we get into the specificities of this particular strand of racism to tease out the ways that anti-blackness operates and is perpetuated. Buckle up, shit might get a lil' bumpy.

Our bodies are sites of learning, holders of our experiences, and for many, battlegrounds against chronic pain, disease and illness. In the first episode recorded after our hiatus, Lala shares how her health has forced her to slow down, and the lessons she’s chosen to take from this debilitating season.

Ready or not, you can’t hide—the internet will find you! Or, at the very least, the truth will be found out, and repercussions may ensue. In this day and age, “cancel culture” and “call-out culture” are highly criticized as divisive, but what is the purpose of cancelling people? What are alternatives? In this episode, we discuss accountability, disposability, shame and redemption.

We’re deep in the age of social media, and for better or for worse, it shapes how we think, how we see ourselves and how we project our identities to others. Our experiences as BIPOC are finally able to be validated on a whole other level, and social media helps us find our people. In this episode, hosts Nic and Lala find the strengths of this powerful digital arena, discuss how we can meaningfully engage online, and identify some of the reasons that social media may harm us.

What does it mean to step into your power? How do you work to tune out the noise that distracts you and the people and systems that keep you small? In this episode, Nic and Lala discuss the foundations of stepping into our power: believing ourselves. We explore the importance of connecting to our values and share tools that can support us in playing the most important character in our own lives.

What’s for you is for YOU. So why are we tripping, holding onto things that no longer serve us? In this episode, we identify common reasons why letting go is so difficult, and how we can better tolerate that discomfort and show up for ourselves in meaningful ways.

How do you feel when you’re alone with your thoughts? Do you welcome solitude, or descend into feelings of loneliness? In this episode, we tease out the differences and share what it means to become acquainted with the practice of tuning in to our own bodies and minds.

It’s likely that we’ve all experienced it: that drop in the pit of our stomachs, desperately wishing we could disappear, and fearing that the people we love may no longer accept us. Shame is a powerful feeling that most often drives us to retreat in self-judgement and isolation. In this episode, Lala and Nic share their perspectives on the causes of shame, how it operates, and its obvious but necessary antidote: community.

Society shows and tells us that anger is often intertwined with abuse or violence—but is that the truth? How can we tune into our bodies when anger overwhelms us? This episode, we discuss the much-avoided emotion, dispel myths, and explore how anger can help us understand our needs and boundaries.

Society shows and tells us that anger is often intertwined with abuse or violence—but is that the truth? How can we tune into our bodies when anger overwhelms us? This episode, we discuss the much-avoided emotion, dispel myths, and explore how anger can help us understand our needs and boundaries.

Not all relationships give us the freedom to be who we really are. This can be especially true for people of colour who are in intimate relationships with white folks. How might we navigate these relationships to ensure that we are fully seen and heard? How can we keep sight of the manifestations of white supremacy in our own relationships? Get comfortable with being uncomfortable for this one!

What’s the secret to having good politics, and what does having “good politics” even mean? In this episode, Lala and Nic share foundational principles that guide how they take up space and work to minimize harm and maximize benefit. They do away with hard-and-fast rules and take nuanced approaches to explore how we centre relationships and identify when power is at play.