Brown Don't Frown was borne out of a personal journey with womanhood. As a British Bangladeshi, navigating mainstream Feminism often felt exclusionary to me because it didn’t seem to value the experiences or views which shaped my grandmother’s, aunts’, mother’s or friends’ lives. Through this podcast, we seek to build a more inclusive discourse, which breaks down presumptions about different cultures, and shines a positive light on the stories of underrepresented women. Featuring new guest(s) from different walks of life in each episode, Brown Don’t Frown seeks to engage ordinary women and facilitate openness towards entirely new perspectives. It hopes to spark honest and meaningful conversations about intersectional feminist themes in contemporary society with the acknowledgement that our views are shaped by our cultural, racial, religious, social and political experiences. Whether it's discussing society's preconceptions about the Hijab with a British-born Jamaican Muslim woman or examining the impact of gendered expectations on our ability to grieve on our own terms, we hope listeners finish each episode feeling more rounded than they did before. Follow us on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/browndontfrownpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bdfpodcast?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/browndontfrownpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/browndontfrownpodcast
Episodes
Sunday Apr 14, 2024
Sunday Apr 14, 2024
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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Monday Apr 01, 2024
Monday Apr 01, 2024
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.
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
LinkedIn - @browndontfrownpodcast
Sunday Mar 17, 2024
Sunday Mar 17, 2024
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.
Sign up to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/186e92c0ae06/browndontfrownpodcastnewsletter
If you enjoy listening to the podcast, please consider supporting it, for as little as the price of a coffee! You can donate here: www.patreon.com/browndontfrownpod.
Follow us on:
X - @BDFPodcast
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LinkedIn - @browndontfrownpodcast
Monday Mar 11, 2024
TRAILER: Season 6
Monday Mar 11, 2024
Monday Mar 11, 2024
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.
Sign up to our newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/186e92c0ae06/browndontfrownpodcastnewsletter
If you enjoy listening to the podcast, please consider supporting it - for as little as the price of a coffee! You can donate here: www.patreon.com/browndontfrownpod.
Follow us on:
X - @BDFPodcast
Instagram - @browndontfrownpodcast
LinkedIn - @browndontfrownpodcast
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
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
Monday Oct 10, 2022
Monday Oct 10, 2022
Katie Pearson is an old classmate from Sixth Form. She talks frankly about life as a stay-at-home mum, the societal stereotypes and stigma associated with it, “mum guilt” and how she manages her anxiety and negative thoughts.
The negative perceptions of stay-at-home mums have been created by women. We are the gatekeepers of this narrative. It often feels like whatever women do, they’re not good enough. If you’re a working mother, you’re neglecting your children, and if you’re a stay-at-home mother, you’ve failed to achieve your full potential. A lot of women calling themselves feminists are part of the problem of this women-shaming. We ask, do we have a problem with internalised misogyny?
Raising children is one of the most undervalued roles in life. Author of Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez, says “Women’s unpaid work is work that society depends on, and it is work from which society as a whole benefits[...]The unpaid work that women do isn’t simply a matter of “choice”. It is built into the system we have created – and it could just as easily be built out of it”. ONS analysis of time use data shows that women put in more than double the proportion of unpaid work when it comes to cooking, childcare and housework. I ask Katie whether this resonates with her and she shares her typical day of taking care of her children, and working around the house.
We round off with Katie sharing the best thing about being a mum, the hardest thing and a piece of advice she’d give to expectant or new mothers: be kind to yourself.
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
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Today’s guest is Jane Chelliah, a South Asian midlife influencer and blogger who talks candidly about motherhood, feminism and transforming the female midlife crisis into a happy phase in life. Jane didn’t always see herself as a mother but found that she was absolutely besotted in love with her daughter when she was born.
Jane describes herself as a Feminist mother. I ask her what that means to her and she shares an evocative metaphor: “It’s about putting that oxygen mask on yourself first before putting it on your child, and that way, you can not only be the best version of yourself but you can be the best for your child. It’s about empowered mothering.”
Motherhood can make women lose that sense of self, of who they were before they became mothers. When I ask Jane about whether motherhood affected her identity, she explains how it added further dimensions to her ability to be more compassionate and thoughtful towards another human being and for herself too. Contrary to societal preconceptions of motherhood, it actually sharpened her ambition and empowered her to be more motivated.
We also examine the “motherhood penalty”, assumptions and prejudices in the workforce, how austerity has rested disproportionately upon mothers from economically deprived groups, and the hollowness that comes with becoming an empty-nester.
You can read more about Jane on www.amidlferinlondon.com and www.ambitiousmamas.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
Sunday Sep 11, 2022
Sunday Sep 11, 2022
The first guest of this special series on the joys and challenges of maternity and motherhood, is Joeli Brearley, Founder and Director of Pregnant Then Screwed. It started off as a safe space for mothers to share stories of their pregnancy discrimination and has evolved to become a one-of-a kind charity that lobbies against the gender pay gap, maternity discrimination and aims to be a voice for working mothers.
Joeli shares striking examples of pregnancy discrimination she’s come across through PTS’s Advice Line and how she’s used these examples to galvanise change in maternity policy. She also talks about the work PTS is doing to reach underserved groups and more Black and Brown women.
Childcare in the UK has been unfit for purpose for a long time. We ask, how do we fix the system? And how can we better engage with employers to encourage them to make their workplaces the best they can be for working parents?
We finish with Joeli sharing her thoughts on the best thing about being a mum and the hardest thing, and one piece of advice she’d give to expectant or new mothers.
You can join the March of the Mummies protest on childcare reform and better parental leave on 29 October, taking place across 11 cities in the UK: https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/event-march-of-the-mummies/
RESET 2022 Online Festival of motherhood and mental health takes place from 12 - 16 September: https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/reset-2022-festival-of-motherhood-and-mental-health/
Follow Pregnant Then Screwed:
Instagram - @pregnant_then_screwed
Twitter - @PregnantScrewed
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
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
TRAILER - Season 5
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Wednesday Sep 07, 2022
Brown Don’t Frown is back! Season 5 drops September 2022! Make sure you hit the subscribe button and you will be notified as soon as a new episode goes live.
Inspired by my own personal journey with pregnancy and motherhood, this will be a special series covering the joys and challenges of motherhood and maternity, empowering change in childcare, mental health and the workforce.
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.
You can find us on:
Twitter - @BDFPodcast
Instagram - @browndontfrownpodcast
Facebook - @browndontfrownpodcast
LinkedIn - @browndontfrownpodcast
Sunday Jul 11, 2021
Sunday Jul 11, 2021
The final episode of season 4 is here and joining us is Dina Begum, a British-Bangladeshi cook and writer who is passionate about highlighting the underrepresented recipes and authentic food traditions of Bangladesh.
For Bengalis and Bangladeshis, and across much of the South Asian continent, food is inseparable from humanity, community, purpose and love. I ask Dina why food is so important to her and whether she always saw herself as a cook. Food is a very visceral experience. Flavours, spices or certain dishes can be nostalgic if we associate them with a particular memory or event. Food can symbolise traditions, rekindle a sense of identity and bring people together; that’s why Bengali hospitality is second to none. We look at why food is so critical to familial spaces and what it symbolises for us.
In the UK, most of what we class as “Indian food”, is curated by Bangladeshi restaurant owners and chefs. The recognition and appreciation for homemade-style food and the desire to seek out unique flavours is a more recent phenomenon which has empowered the Bangladeshi diaspora to spotlight their cuisine, rather than grouping it under “Indian” or “curry”. Dina has written about how recipes are passed down from one generation to the next, usually not by writing them down, but by demonstrating. We consider the contrast between the observation/estimation styles of Bangladeshi cooking versus the meticulous measurements in English recipes. Finally, we talk about our favourite Bangladeshi dishes and our three staple spices for the kitchen.
You can follow Dina on Twitter: @dinasfoodstory.