who we are

Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this complex and powerful episode, CarolLaine shares her family’s story, and how many lineages flow through her, from West African, Spanish, Portuguese and Indigenous Taíno, creating a living legacy of the colonial history of her land and people. She shares how this complexity impacted her, and how she came to deeply accept and work with all of these parts of herself as well as finding balance between her scientific, academic mind and her intuitive self.To find out more about CarolLaine’s work, see here.

A gentle note - this episode contains some mentions of sexual assault. Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this fascinating episode, Hannah eloquently captures the distinction between historical and intergenerational trauma, weaving her personal history between the two. As someone whose parents are Indonesian and white British, she speaks powerfully of the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized parts within herself, of truth and forgiveness, and how she learned to move through these challenges into heart-led action. We speak about the current colonial energies affecting Bali, where Hannah lived for a while, and how corrosive yet now-needed western tourism continues to be for the people of the land. Hannah's work can be found here.

A gentle note - this episode contains some mentions of sexual assault.Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this rich and powerful episode, Magalí talks us through the colonial history of her ancestral lands and peoples, sharing both collective and familial stories across generations. She shares her own experiences of life as a woman of colour in America (Turtle Island) and how a harrowing incident while studying in England as a young woman became a defining moment in her life. Join us for a candid, beautiful, deeply spiritual and complex journey of colonial harm, loss, abuse, healing and - ultimately - what it means to love each other as well as our collective home, Mother Earth.

Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this deeply moving episode, Dany vulnerably shares the painful and courageous story of her family's journey from Cambodia to America/Turtle Island, as refugees escaping the Cambodian genocide. We unpack the many layers of emotions that are held inside the body through the generations as a consequence of carrying this heavy history, including grief, anger and the messier emotions that are hard to tie a neat bow around. Dany shares some of the challenges of growing up in the US as a girl of Cambodian descent, and how she is working to heal herself from the physical to the spiritual level to help create a healthier, more healed world for herself and others. You can find Dany's work here and @sreydanysnow

A gentle note - this episode contains some mentions of sexual abuse.Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this powerful episode, Glecie not only shares how detrimental the impact of colonization was on her family, but also how the patriarchal and colonial Catholic culture in which she was consequently raised taught her to silence her truth and her voice. This led to years of silence both before, during and after experiencing childhood sexual abuse. Glecie shares how it felt to finally share her truth with her family, and how she started to decolonize her mind, body, spirit and feminine sexual energy through rediscovering her voice, power, and indigenous ancestral practices. You can find Glecie's work at @thebastosbruha

Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this episode, Paulina shares the challenges and deep value of having such a rich yet heavy ancestral heritage, given Cambodia’s traumatic history. She tells us what it was like growing up in California to parents of Cambodian descent, and how she was perceived when she went back to visit Cambodia on a solo trip. We talk about the complexity of straddling two worlds yet feeling like we never truly belong in either, and how Paulina has found deep compassion for herself, her parents and other people through her journey of healing. Find Paulina’s work here and @paulinadavie

Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this episode, Meng shares some poignant stories from their family members and ancestors, as well as one of the Chinese mythological stories that shaped them. We explore what it means to be someone who was born on their ancestral lands, but now lives in the United States, where Asian people are still considered an ethnic minority and have to face the persecution and violence that this can bring. We touch on how European ‘influence’ left its mark on some of the prevailing cultural mindsets that still impact people today, and how Meng is ultimately reclaiming their body, mind and spirit from systems of oppression. We speak of opening our hearts and embodying wisdom, which is something Meng does so powerfully.Find Meng's work here and @mengwencao

Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this episode we explore the goddess mythology around Mayon volcano from Isabel’s ancestral lands. She shares more about growing up in America as a Filipina and how she started learning about the colonization of the Philippines. We dive deeper into how she started reclaiming her culture and heritage, as well as some of the nuances of being brought up in so-called ‘developed’ countries. We discuss the Christian colonization of the Philippines and how that’s impacted the culture. and we end with words of encouragement for those who may also feel removed from their ancestral cultures and lands and are working on reclaiming their roots. You can find Isabel's work here and @unconventionalbliss

Welcome to who we are, a multicultural storytelling podcast hosted by Maya Kalaria. We share decolonization stories and healing journeys of cultural reclamation, finding identity and belonging in the wake of colonialism. We explore social justice through reclaiming our own narratives. In this episode we explore Laxmi’s connection to her ancestry on both her maternal and paternal side, and how fragmentation through colonization and migration impacted these connections. She shares how her parents met, what they did and how she grew up. We explore how she’s reclaiming her roots and which side she feels culturally closest to, as well as aspects of colonization she has struggled with. We end by speaking about the world she wishes to help create for those who come after us. You can find Laxmi's work here and @thislakshmi