Send us a text How do you keep your culture alive, when you’ve had to flee and create a whole new life in a country you never chose yourself? Sarah Baharaki was born in Badakhshan Province and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. But rather suddenly, the year she graduated from high school, the situation in her country took a radical turn. In just a few days after the fall of the capital city of Kabul, Sarah, just a teenager at the time, had to flee her home country with her family and has nev...

Send us a textIs cultural 'enoughness' a myth?In this episode, I sit down with Lazou, a Sino-Mauritian-Canadian-American creative, podcasting colleague and friend who also explores questions of belonging. Lazou shares her unique perspective in understanding layered identities while sharing her own diverse cultural identity. Together we discuss:seeing the West through Disney colored glasses,language learning, translation gaps, and language evolution,colonization vs settling and the history of ...

Send us a textBelonging vs Belongings:It has always bothered me how similar these two words are, set apart only by an ‘S’. Yet somehow they hold completely different meanings.In this minisode, I’m exploring the relationship between our sense of belonging and our physical belongings. The idea for this episode came about after I recently lost a physical product of mine and I found myself unreasonably upset over it. A conversation with a dear friend sparked this debate and now I’m letting you in...

Send us a textIs home a person, a place, or a feeling? On this episode of the inbetweenish I speak with Mona Hassan who shares her unique experiences growing up at the intersection of Austrian, South Korean, and Egyptian cultures. Mona takes us through her multicultural upbringing and emphasizes the importance of family acceptance in fostering a sense of belonging within society. We discuss the fascinating parallels between South Korean and Egyptian values and how they can sometimes clas...

Send us a textCan you find where you belong halfway across the world?In this episode, Shreya Sharma shares her unique experience growing up as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) and moving to various countries in the Gulf region before becoming a naturalized Canadian citizen, where she found her chosen place of belonging. She discusses the impact of colonial beauty standards, the caste system, and her intersectional identity as a queer woman of color on her sense of self. Shreya challenges traditional...

Send us a textHow has your gender impacted your sense of belonging? — with MalikOn this episode of the inbetweenish, we focus on an inbetweenish aspect that has seldom come up in previous episodes: gender identity. Malik is a bicultural transgender man who spent his formative years between America and Egypt. With Malik we cover his first identity crisis, discovering the spectrum of LGBTQ+, manoeuvring his gender identity within himself and also with his family, and complicated feelings toward...

Send us a textHow do you connect with your different cultures?In this episode, I’m speaking with Fiona Livingstone, who balances her Dutch-Scottish heritage with her English upbringing. Fiona candidly shares her journey of navigating her cultural identity and the challenges she experienced along the way. She opens up about her childhood home, her desire to assimilate, and how her perspective evolved over time. From feeling silently judged to missing out on learning Dutch, Fiona reveals how sh...

Send us a textCan we talk about taboos? In this second episode with Amuna Wagner we explore taboos and the importance of processing them and addressing them. She also shares her views on the nuance and difference between religion and faith. This is particularly interesting to listen to given her life experience with a family that touches the three Abrahamic religions. Lastly, we also focus on her experience of growing up as an interracial child and touch upon her documentary Schwarz, cap...

Send us a textHow has your family's past influenced your identity?In this first episode, Amuna Wagner reflects on her crisis of purpose and wonders out loud if she has a responsibility towards her identity. She walks us down her family history from her grandparents to her parents, from the Holocaust, to escapes, to refugee camps, and eventually to rebuilding of life as a marginalized community. Amuna’s background touches the three Abrahamic religions - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam - which...

Send us a textWhat if you don’t fit the stereotype?In this episode, Sadia Azmat, a published author, podcast host and a stand-up comedian, brings a unique perspective to the discussion on cultural identity. Sadia is born in Britain to Indian parents and she is also a practicing Muslim, however, she does not quite fit the perception people tend to have of her. She shares her journey with embracing her hijab and how it became complicated due to media narratives and misconceptions surrounding it...

Send us a textPart 3 of the ‘on Palestine’ series:Have you ever asked a Palestinian how they see a way forward? Or what is different about this generation of Palestinians? In this episode we dive into all that through the voices of our three Palestinian guests: Zeena, Faissal, and Nour.On Palestine is a three-part-series on the inbetweenish pod that focuses on the Palestinian identity, the struggle for liberation, and a way forward. Palestinians have often been misrepresented by the media, so...

Send us a textPart 2 of the ‘on Palestine’ series:The Palestinian struggle for liberation is portrayed widely differently depending on who you ask, but have you ever asked Palestinians how they see and understand their own struggle for liberation?On Palestine is a three-part-series on the inbetweenish pod that focuses on the Palestinian identity, the struggle for liberation, and a way forward. Palestinians have often been misrepresented by the media, so in this mini-series you will be hearing...

Send us a textPart 1 of the ‘on Palestine’ series:In your lifetime and exposure, how have you understood Palestinian culture and it’s people?On Palestine is a three-part series on the inbetweenish pod that focuses on the Palestinian identity, the struggle for liberation, and a way forward. Palestinians have often been misrepresented by the media, so in this series you will be hearing from 3 Palestinians that come from different backgrounds:→ Zeena, Palestinian diaspora who was raised in the A...

Send us a textIn this season's first minisode, we’re getting personal as I’m sharing a valuable lesson from Vovó (grandma in portuguese). Navigating a complex and ever-evolving identity can be confusing, to say the least, but today we breakdown why it’s normal. Confusion about your identity is a common human experience. We dive into how many identities we have accumulated and gathered through our lifetime. This is universal; you don’t have to be inbetweenish to be confused about who you are, ...

Send us a textThe inbetweenish is back for Season 2: First episode launches Tuesday, October 3rd.Get ready to embark on a captivating journey exploring the fundamental concepts of roots, home, and belonging all while embracing the beauty of being different. This season we travel through the bridges we’ve built across cultures — understanding the decisions that shaped us, remembering the homes we had to leave behind, and celebrating the immense power in the freedom to choose your own future.Jo...

Send us a textWe're wrapping up an incredible season of inbetweenish pod! From vulnerability to raw reflections, these stories of belonging have been quite the journey. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of the season, sharing highlights, learnings, and even some embarrassing bloopers. Oh and guess what? Season 2 is on its way! So, stay tuned for more heart to hearts, explorations of identity, belonging, and culture.Thank you for following along and thank you for being a part of th...

Send us a textRefugee, asylum seeker, internally displaced person, migrant, immigration—the news is abuzz with some of these terms. But do you truly grasp the differences between them?Join Baharak Bashmani and me as we fearlessly delve into this complex topic, breaking it down into simple terms. With Baharak's unique perspective as a former refugee, having experienced the entire journey from displacement to resettlement, and her work with the UNHCR assisting fellow refugees, she offers valuab...

Send us a textWhat happens when you're inbetweenish? It's both a curse and a blessing as there are many internal and external battles that you face when you have multiple belongings. In this episode we try to unpack some of the common experiences— the good and the bad that comes with being inbetweenish.PS. Bob the cat makes an appearance 🐈💭 reflections on: what is cultureTune into this minisode to understand the many complex layers of culture using the iceberg analogy. This goes in depth into...

Send us a textHow do you understand time? Is it linear? Do things progress with time? Or do they regress?Axel’s Two-Part InterviewEpisode 6, Season 1: 🎹 it is not with bones and skin, it’s all with feeling — with Axel [Part I]Episode 7, Season 1: 🎹 a man is synonymous with describing a soldier — with Axel [Part 2]More about: Axel KacoutiéWebsite | Instagram | Twitter—Newsletter Alert: The QUEST. Newsletter👉 Click here to Subscribe Basically I...

Send us a textWe talk a lot about culture around here, so I thought it was about time we actually break it down — what is culture? On some level, we all know what it is, but it helps to understand the nuances of the word and for this explanation I’m going with the iceberg analogy to illustrate the visible and invisible layers of culture.Newsletter Alert: The QUEST. Newsletter 👉 Click on this Link to Subscribe Basically I set out a QUEST and you have a month to nerd out on it, before you ...