You just got to start!

In this episode of Tea with Tooting Mama, I am joined by Dee Gibson, a highly sought-after British Sri Lankan interior designer. We talked about a pivotal holiday in Sri Lanka that changed her life resulting in Dee becoming a hotelier through the creation of her boutique hotel, Kalukanda House, which has been featured in HIP Hotels and Conde Nast Traveller. Kalulanda House is more than just a hotel. It has become the foundation to start a new conversation to shift the narrative of Sri Lanka. Her new initiative, HERA Project X, is a curated programme of events, retreats, and cultural exchange to champion women’s creativity and entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka and the global diaspora. Dee is looking out for like minded retreat leaders with impact who can offer enticing options and are able to provide reciprocal scholarship places to local HERA Project X beneficiaries. During our conversation Dee revealed her favourite Sri Lankan restaurant in London and the way she has weaved Sri Lankan food into her bicultural family’s lives.Shownotes:* Discover Kalukanda House and HERA Project X in HIP Hotel and  Conde Nast Traveller* Find out more about Dee’s successful interior design practice Velvet Orange * The restaurants we discussed: Kolamba restaurant, Jaffna House, MUVS ALLDAYTooting Mama is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I just want to say a big thank you to Dee who, over the last few months, has been gently prodding me to get this podcast off the ground.Whether you are building a hotel or launching your podcast:You just got to start! Dee Gibson, Founder of Kalukanda House and HERA Project XGrab my free guide to Sri Lankan cooking, join the Tooting Mama community by signing up for my weekly newsletter here. Find my recipes here. Check out my Instagram hereNever miss a single episode by subscribing to the podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify and tell your friends about Tea with Tooting Mama and my Stubstack Tooting Mama Why not take a screenshot of the podcast and post it on your  Instagram stories and let’s spread the word about this podcast and the fantastic stores we have to share within the Sri Lankan community. Get full access to Tooting Mama at tootingmama.substack.com/subscribe