Welcome back to Growing up with gal-dem, this week we’re joined by Lila Iké , genre-bending artist whose work touches reggae, hip hop and R&B. Joining us from Jamaica, Lila’s extract reads from an old Facebook bio written when she was 15. Reflecting on the wisdom and foresight she shared as a teenager 12 years ago, Lila talks through existential teenage thoughts and feelings, grounding yourself as a musician, and the importance of mentorship, friendship and collaboration in creative practice...
Aug 11, 2021•33 min•Season 5Ep. 2
We’re back with season 5 of growing up with gal-dem, welcoming our new host Niellah Arboine! This week, we’re kicking off with a bang with incredible artist Cat Burns , celebrating introspection, self-care and self-respect in the wake of her incredible new single Into You . Looking back on an iPhone note recorded in lockdown, Cat, Natty and Nie discuss what it means to hold yourself to a higher standard, the strength we can draw from voicing your opinions, the sacred space that is the Notes app,...
Aug 04, 2021•36 min•Season 5Ep. 1
It’s the final episode of this season of Growing up with gal-dem, and our last episode with Charlie! We’re rounding out the season with a special episode featuring everyone’s podcast dream girl-group, The Receipts. Joined by Tolly, Milena, and Audrey, we dig up old facebook statuses, blog posts, and recap the inevitable learnings (and cringes) that come as you grow up online. Covering everything from their upcoming book Keep the Receipts , to bride prices, motherhood, and “unleashing the beast”,...
Jun 30, 2021•32 min•Season 4Ep. 8
This week on Growing up with gal-dem , Natty and Charlie are joined by Christine Checinska , curator at the V&A and fashion historian. Christine talks us through her childhood as a creative child, teacher reports and advice on nurturing her skills, and how her interest in blackness, fashion, and self-imaging started. Covering everything from diasporic fashions, respectability politics, and the nuances of black womanhood, this week’s episode is a beautiful journey into conversations and areas...
Jun 23, 2021•42 min•Season 4Ep. 7
This week on Growing up with gal-dem, Charlie and Natty are joined by Sri Lankan musician Priya Ragu , who’s work fuses her Western influences with her South Asian origin and merges intercultural accumulation of traditional rhythms and contemporary r&b and soul. Raised in Switzerland by refugees of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Ragu and her brother, Japhna Gold, were not encouraged to pursue music, however Ragu did it anyway. Priya joins Natty and Charlie to talk through her vision board - our f...
Jun 16, 2021•34 min•Season 4Ep. 6
This week on Growing up with gal-dem, Natty and Charlie are joined by award winning British Sudanese economist and writer Nesrine Malik . Reflecting on her upbringing and travel to the UK, Nesrine talks to Natty and Charlie about what it means to navigate the worlds of education and work having grown up in the Middle East and Northern Africa, and how our need to mythologise, create stories, and sometimes delude ourselves is a universal trait. Nesrine reads an extract from an article written 9 ye...
Jun 09, 2021•47 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Content warning: mentions of assault. This week we’ve brought you a bumper 50 minutes worth of podcast, a beautiful conversation between Natty, Charlie, and the incredible poet, activist, writer and actor Staceyann Chin . Covering everything from motherhood, queerness, creativity and growing up in the Caribbean, Staceyann brings us into her world and how her upbringing and experiences in both Jamaica and the United States have informed her creative and activist organising. Reading her powerful p...
Jun 02, 2021•53 min•Season 4Ep. 4
This week Natty and Charlie are joined by Liv Francis-Cornibert, writer, Advocacy Academy alumni, and co-founder of the group Legally Black to discuss burnout and mental health within activist and social justice work circles. Reflecting on a poem written for an online diary, Liv, Natty, and Charlie talk about how hard it is to reconcile intersectional politics and work with our capacity to work and hold multiple stories at once, and how often we sacrifice our mental health in the process. Hosted...
May 26, 2021•31 min•Season 4Ep. 3
On this episode of Growing up with gal-dem, Natty and Charlie are joined by author of My Past Is a Foreign Country Zeba Talkhani, who reads us an extract from a journal. Reflecting on a friendship breakup from her teen years, Zeba talks about how memories are not always reliable, how recognising our wrongs is key to growth at any age, and the power of vulnerability and expressing our hurt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
May 19, 2021•44 min•Season 4Ep. 2
We’re back with another season of Growing up with gal-dem , and this season Charlie and Natty are joined by incredible artists, speakers, and authors for 8 episodes. In this first episode of the new series, we’re joined by the incomparable Sampa The Great , who reads a poem from 3 years before, and talks about racism in the music industry and community, how our words and power can become affected by the hurt we feel, and how we can find strength and healing in shared community. Sampa shares how ...
May 12, 2021•44 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In the last episode of Season 3, we're joined by the incredible OluTimehin Adegbeye, a Nigerian writer, speaker, and founder of Quietly Queer . OluTimehin discusses parenting in a queer relationship in Nigeria, compassion-focussed activism, and protecting your peace. Reading a letter that she wrote at 25 to herself aged 16, OluTimehin reflects on what it means to accept yourself as existing both within and beyond your body, how to find self love in oppressive environments, and what it means to s...
Apr 22, 2021•40 min
This week on Growing up with gal-dem, Natty and Charlie are joined by Mireille Harper, award winning editor, writer, sensitivity reader and author of the viral infographic 10 steps to Non Optical Allyship. In extracts from private messages and submitted essays, Mireille reflects on the ways we try to mask and shield our feelings to appear strong, and the resilience we can find by accepting our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses, and our softness. From toxic friendships to stressful environments, Mi...
Apr 15, 2021•48 min
This week on Growing up with gal-dem, Charlie and Natty are joined by musician and DJ and the new host of Trippin's Roots & Ritual podcast , Yasmin Shahmir , as we discuss travel, ancestry, and ritual, as well as what it means to truly listen - not just to hear. Reading an extract from her journal, Yasmin reflects on femininity and duality and uses this as a jumping point to discuss the importance of using ritual and conversation to truly connect and listen to our elders and communities. Hos...
Apr 08, 2021•39 min
On the podcast this week we’re joined by writer, author and broadcaster Afua Hirsch . She shares an extract from an article she was featured in when she was 18, marking the beginnings of her long history of writing about being black in Britain. In the rest of the episode, Afua speaks about the alienation that can come with being unapologetically black, why she’s unfazed about critics calling her ‘divisive’ and how she came to the decision to no longer put energy into trying to change the minds o...
Mar 31, 2021•46 min
CW: mention of assault In this week's episode of Growing up with gal-dem, Natty and Charlie are joined by BAFTA Breakthrough actor Susan Wokoma . Reflecting on an email sent to a boyfriend while travelling, Susan reflects on the many moments of independence she's had growing up - be it leaving home early, travelling solo around Europe, or confronting grief and death. Through the conversation Natty and Charlie celebrate Susan's ability to share and reflect joy in so many ways, and bring complexit...
Mar 25, 2021•50 min
This week we're joined by bestselling and award-winning author Yaa Gyasi , who's debut book Homegoing made waves in 2017. Back this year with a new book Transcendent Kingdom , which has been longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction, Yaa speaks to Charlie and Natty about fulfilling childhood dreams, pandemic puppies, and the power of words and writing in rebellion. We're updating our on-site transcriptions of our podcasts! Check our website to find them now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...
Mar 18, 2021•33 min
On this week's episode of Growing up with gal-dem, we're joined by Georgina Lawton, columnist, podcaster and author of the new book Raceless . Georgina shares her love of travel with a diary excerpt from her time in Thailand, and reflects on learning your limits, passport privilege, and how to travel responsibly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 11, 2021•39 min
On this week's episode of Growing up with gal-dem, Natty and Charlie are joined by food writer and editor of new food publication Vittles , Jonathan Nunn. Jonathan reads us an early review of his from online food forums, and explores how social media in all its forms has shaped the world of food journalism, and what he's learned along the way. We are updating the transcripts on our website - thank you for bearing with us! You can find episode transcripts here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
Mar 04, 2021•42 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This week on Growing up with gal-dem we're joined by international dominatrix and empowerment coach Madam Storm who introduces us to the world of dominatrixes and dungeons, and reads us a letter she wrote to her sister years ago. Reflecting on the importance of self confidence and believing in your own self-worth, Madam storm tells us how she grew up and learned to love herself, and the role that her community of Black dominatrixes is having in her own personal growth and celebration. We are upd...
Feb 25, 2021•40 min•Season 3Ep. 4
CW: Childhood sexual trauma On this week's Growing up with gal-dem we're joined by the brilliant Ericka Hart, who is a Black queer femme activist, writer, speaker and award-winning sexuality educator with masters of education in human sexuality. Ericka shares a piece of writing from 4 years prior where she reflects on memories of childhood trauma and the impact this has had on her ability to centre herself throughout her life. Ericka joins Natty and Charlie to talk about reclaiming the act of ca...
Feb 18, 2021•38 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this week's episode of Growing up with gal-dem, Charlie and Natty are joined by author, model, and broadcaster Naomi Shimada , who's work encourages us to practice care and tenderness with ourselves. Naomi shares (and translates) an entry she wrote as a child about her mother, the grief she and her family were processing at the time, and reflects on how much responsibility and wisdom she bore during that period. We are updating the transcripts on our website - thank you for bearing with us! Y...
Feb 11, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Welcome back to Season 3! In this first episode of our new season, Natty Kasambala is stepping in while Liv takes a well deserved break. Natty Kasambala is an ex-editor, and long-time contributor to the gal-dem family, and an incredible music, arts and culture commentator, curator and creative who we're so excited to have with us for the next few episodes. In this episode, gal-dem are joined by wellness educator, spirit-led guide and co-founder of Black Girl Magik , Shydeia Caldwell . She shares...
Feb 04, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 1
For the last episode of the season, hosts Liv Little and Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff share their own extract: an essay they collaborated on years previously about ‘rushing women of colour syndrome’. Reflecting back on their headspace at the time of writing it, Liv and Charlie reflect back on what has changed, what has stayed the same and what they’ve learned along the way. Growing up with gal-dem is taking a short break, but we'll be back with you in February! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy ...
Jan 07, 2021•43 min
For this episode, gal-dem are joined by arts broadcaster, host, cultural consultant and journalist Zezi Ifore who shares an extract that she wrote as a teenager at the turn of the century. Zezi reflects on her hopes for the 2000’s as a fifteen year old, as well as delving into the community she was grounded in. Join gal-dem and Zezi as they discuss everything from Nigerian culture and the church, to wellness and meditation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 31, 2020•41 min
In this episode, gal-dem talk to chef and influencer Rachel Ama , who discusses motherhood, hair and food. Rachel shares an extract from her younger years, disclosing the pressure she felt to manipulate her hair with relaxers and heat in order to appear ‘presentable’. Rachel speaks her journey of self-love with her hair and how thinking about what she put into her body on the inside, made all the difference on the outside. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 24, 2020•41 min
In this episode, gal-dem are joined by visual artist, DJ and co-founder of BBZ, Tia Campbell, who discusses family, the pressures of being a teenager and why they’ve decided to move to the other side of the world. Tia shares a conversation with a family member and explains why asserting boundaries was imperative in helping to heal their relationship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 17, 2020•40 min
Singer songwriter Shingai Shoniwa delves into her liberating musical journey into becoming a solo artist. Once the lead singer of the Noisettes , Shingai shares difficult moments she faced in the music industry and touches on the treatment of black artists. Reflecting back on a song that she started writing at the age of sixteen, Shingai draws similarities to the girl she once was, but also shares why being bold became one of her best lessons from growing up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...
Dec 14, 2020•50 min
In this episode, gal-dem chat with writer, screenwriter, editor and mentor Nikesh Shukla as they take a closer look at his career and the writing world. Nikesh explains how he didn't allow a saddening and unforgettable experience with a scam company at a young age to overcome him, and instead, made him realise the respect that should be given to his work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 03, 2020•36 min
For this episode gal-dem are joined by East London hitmaker Nao. Here, Nao describes her initial issues with confidence as a singer and what it was like to come up in the midst of the Soundcloud movement, a creative space that gave prominence to so many musicians today. Join us, as we also discuss finding your sound, the importance of mentors and why balance is key in life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 26, 2020•29 min
In this episode, we catch up with a fave member of the early gal-dem team, the wonderful Simran Randhawa , whose career as a model and writer has skyrocketed over the last few years. Delving into topics such family, social media and imposter syndrome, Simran shares an extract from a turning point in her life and shows how ultimately, facing her past meant that she was able to flourish and feel grounded in the present. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Nov 19, 2020•33 min
