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. Song of the week: K.O.S Determination by Black Star
Mar 17, 2020•44 min•Ep. 28
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. Song o...
Mar 03, 2020•53 min•Ep. 27
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. Song of the week: Gonna Love Me by Teyana Taylor
Feb 18, 2020•45 min•Ep. 26
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. Song of the week: Formation by Beyoncé
Feb 04, 2020•42 min•Ep. 25
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. Song of the week: Hallelujah by k-os
Jan 21, 2020•38 min•Ep. 24
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. Song of the Week: 5 Year Plan by Chance the Rapper, Randy Newman
Jan 07, 2020•38 min•Ep. 23
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. Song of the week: These Walls by Kendrick Lamar ft. Bilal, Anna Wise, and Thundercat
Dec 17, 2019•41 min•Ep. 22
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. Song of the week: In My Feelings by Kehlani
Dec 03, 2019•56 min•Ep. 21
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. Song of the week: F.U.B.U. by Solange
Nov 26, 2019•37 min•Ep. 20
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. Song of the week: Another Spring by Nina Simone
Nov 19, 2019•43 min•Ep. 19
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. Song of the week: Ready or Not by The Fugees
Nov 12, 2019•40 min•Ep. 18
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. Song of the week: P...
Oct 01, 2019•38 min•Ep. 17
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. Song of the week: My Power by Thierra Whack, Beyonce and Moonchild Sanelly
Sep 24, 2019•38 min•Ep. 16
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. Song of the week: Bag Lady by Erykah Badu
Sep 17, 2019•37 min•Ep. 15
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. Song of the week: New Apartment by Ari Lennox
Sep 10, 2019•40 min•Ep. 14
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. Song of the week: Runnin’ by Naughty Boy ft. Beyoncé, and Arrow Benjamin
Sep 03, 2019•41 min•Ep. 13
SEEN was created out of a desire to connect personal healing with collective liberation work—but what does that even mean? Is it possible to be an advocate of social justice and transformational change in our communities if we aren’t doing our own personal work? In this episode, Lala and Nic explore the heart of the podcast, provide insight on the harms that come when the two pieces do not exist together, and offer ideas on how we can make sure our work is sustainable by rooting it to our own he...
Aug 27, 2019•39 min•Ep. 12
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. Song of the week: Mad by Solange ft. Lil Wayne
Aug 20, 2019•37 min•Ep. 11
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! Song of the week: Insecurities by Syd
Aug 13, 2019•53 min•Ep. 10
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. Song of the week: Don’t Hurt Yourself by Beyoncé ft. Jack White
Aug 06, 2019•48 min•Ep. 9
Work is one of the biggest sites of capitalism that we brush up against daily, and consumes more time out of our lives than nearly any other activity we do. In this episode, we explore how cultural messages on work and productivity can harm us, and imagine new possibilities for fulfilling work as QTBIPOC. Song of the week: Excellent by Princess Nokia
Jul 30, 2019•53 min•Ep. 8
Religious or spiritual? Agnostic or dont-give-a damn? Believing in things bigger than ourselves can be energizing, grounding and comforting, but what about organized religion? Coming from vastly different backgrounds, in this episode Nic and Lala share their experiences, along with what's helped and what's harmed them by way of spiritual beliefs. Song of the week: Babe Ruthless by Angel Haze
Jul 23, 2019•52 min•Ep. 7
Bodies. We all have them, so it should be easy for us to love them, right? Well, it’s complicated: how we see our physical form is just one part of the equation, and so much more is at play in the way we view our bodies as worthy, acceptable, and desirable. In this episode, Lala and Nic break things down to explore pleasure and the power of the erotic. Song of the Week: Exactly How I Feel by Lizzo
Jul 16, 2019•51 min•Ep. 6
How does white supremacy work through some of our own supposed allies? Not ones to pull punches, Lala and Nic talk about the insidious ways that white feminism and white women harm womxn of colour. Song of the week: Untitled 03 by Kendrick Lamar
Jul 09, 2019•52 min•Ep. 5
Family can be a source of love and support, but for many of us, it can simultaneously be a source of harm, trauma, and unmet needs. In this episode, we challenge societal ideas of which relationships we should prioritize, and explore how we can discern which ones sustain and support us the best. Song of the week: FRIENDS by The Carters
Jul 02, 2019•46 min•Ep. 4
Some things have changed, yet so much has not. As survivors of violence in a post #MeToo world, hosts Nic and Lala create space for each other to grieve, rage, call-in and call-out. They share their disappointments and imagine new possibilities that truly centre survivors. This one’s for us. Song of the week: U.N.I.T.Y by Queen Latifah
Jun 18, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 3
Nic is Black. Lala is not. And while hip hop is global, it comes from a specific time, place, and people. So what does it mean for non-Black folks to love the genre? What does it mean for Black folks to protect it? In the first of many conversations on the topic, Nic and Lala discuss the gifts hip hop has given us and what we can do to give back. Song of the week: Superstar by Lauryn Hill
Jun 18, 2019•45 min•Ep. 2
What does it mean to accept yourself as you truly are, and what does freedom have to do with it? In this first episode, Nic and Lala pull back the curtain of silence and share the impetus of Seen. Saying the things that they need to hear and centering the perspectives of Black and brown queer women, they invite those on the margins to a place where our voices and experiences matter. Song of the week: Public Service Announcement by Jay-Z
Jun 18, 2019•47 min•Ep. 1
