Q&A - Leadership Network podcasters making a difference
In the first article of a series highlighting the podcasts of Leadership Network members, we chat with four network members about their podcasts and what inspired them.
Unpack – Thabiso Sibanda and Kii Small
Thabiso and Kii: "The comment section truly is the good, the bad and the ugly of the country..."
What's the Unpack podcast about?
Unpack dissects New Zealand history and culture through the comment section on social media, allowing our audience to learn about pivotal moments in our history through narratives they would usually look away from. Through our three seasons, we've tackled a wide range of topics from Oranga Tamariki, The Flag Referendum and Waitangi Day through to Crate Day, Stag Dos and Police Ten 7.
Why did you create Unpack?
We often disregard comments from people who appear misinformed and totally exclude their position. Digging deeper into our history and culture while giving knowledge to those misinformed, unaware or even well-informed is one of our main goals with the podcast. Additionally, we don't see many podcasts run by two immigrants such as ourselves, so that was a large drive as well.
What do you hope people will get out of listening to the podcast?
Not just a better understanding of New Zealand, but a better understanding of how we need to navigate social media/internet if we are going to trust it to deliver news media. Additionally, a greater appreciation for diverse perspectives. The comment section truly is the good, the bad and the ugly of the country, but it's one of the only places where people feel like they can truly express themselves.
Through their media company Kii and Thabiso also produce the podcast: PhD: Unpacked.
Sparking Sparks – Magdeline Huang
Magdeline: "I want these conversations to spark inspiration and motivation within the listeners."
What's the Sparking Sparks podcast about?
Sparking Sparks is a podcast that shares the stories of young people from diverse minority backgrounds making waves in the fields of STEM, entrepreneurship, the arts, and advocacy. Through these honest conversations, we explore themes such as growing up Asian in New Zealand, finding a community, embracing change, pursuing your passion, and being a woman in tech.
Why did you create Sparking Sparks?
While there is a lack of minority representation in STEM, entrepreneurship, the arts, and advocacy, there are in fact a lot of young people from diverse minority backgrounds quietly doing great work, both in New Zealand and beyond.
Too often, their stories are not portrayed in the media either, so I thought, "Why not start a podcast to create a platform to share these stories?"
I began by reaching out to all the young people who had inspired me, starting with my friends in my local community, and then branching out to those I followed on the Internet but did not know in real life. Having these conversations with them has given me much inspiration, so I hope that more people can be inspired via my podcast.
What do you hope people will get out of listening to the podcast?
As the name suggests, the aim of my podcast is to spark sparks. I want these conversations to spark inspiration and motivation within the listeners.
You can't be what you can't see (or hear, in this case), so particularly for my listeners of minority backgrounds, I want these stories to empower them so that they feel like they too can go out there and achieve amazing things.
Sparking Sparks is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor, and RadioPublic.
You can also find Sparking Sparks on Instagram.
The Arinality – Arina Aizal
Arina: "The Arinality is there as a platform for these women to feel safe to open up about their journeys of culture and wellbeing."
What's The Arinality podcast about?
My podcast 'The Arinality' is about cultural identities, belonging, wellbeing and passions of women in Aotearoa. It is a weekly podcast and radio show, where I interview the quiet voices of wahine in New Zealand to share their stories and topics that interest them.
My favourite topics to talk with guests are mental health related, the idea of home and belonging, and cultural practices that help with personal wellbeing. Because these women have 'quiet voices' you wouldn't read or find their stories on social media or mainstream media. The Arinality is there as a platform for these women to feel safe to open up about their journeys of culture and wellbeing.
Why did you create The Arinality?
I created the podcast because the whole concept of home, belonging and understanding cultural identities is my living experience. Growing up in both Malaysia and New Zealand, I struggled with belonging in both spaces. I didn't feel like I was fully at home in both worlds.
From some conversations I have with other wahine I meet prior to the podcast, I realised there were people who feel the same way as I do. I really wanted to document these stories so other people don't feel as alone as I did.
Some of the guests I have had korero with on The Arinality came back to me, sharing how empowering it was for them to share their stories, because they wouldn't do it otherwise. That is exactly why The Arinality exists - for these inspiring wahine and people who can relate to them.
What do you hope people will get out of listening to the podcast?
I hope that when people listen to The Arinality, they realise how increasingly diverse Aotearoa is, and how it is home to so many cultural identities. I also hope people become more comfortable talking about difficult topics like mental health issues and life struggles when they hear the conversations shared through the airwaves by normal people, like themselves.
The Arinality is here for the wahine of Aotearoa to promote accessibility of stories, authenticity of personalities and understanding of women's experiences.
The Arinality is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and OAR FM's website oar.org.nz
Dr NOS – Maple Goh
Maple: "My aim is to empower minority groups, whether aspiring or currently training, so that they can truly shatter glass ceilings and pursue any career of their choice."
What's DR Not Otherwise Specified (DR NOS) podcast about?
I set out to interview doctors from different backgrounds – ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, religious minorities, Māori and Pasifika – in their various sub-specialisations of medicine, in an effort to change the status quo of the standard Pākehā male.
Part of the journey of sharing stories is to humanise medicine, and humanise the doctors behind their white coats. For medically-inclined listeners, it also provides an insight into the different careers available within medicine.
Why did you create DR NOS?
I started my Doctor Not Otherwise Specified (Doctor NOS) podcast in 2021. It was borne out of my own experiences of seeing a lack of diversity and representation in medicine. The name comes from being an undifferentiated doctor - one that feels a little unclear as to their journey and place in life.
I realised that many of our collective experiences of racism, sexism, marginalisation, and all the other 'isms', could potentially be addressed and combatted if we had more diverse physicians sharing their experiences and solutions.
What do you hope people will get out of listening to the podcast?
My aim is to empower minority groups, whether aspiring or currently training, so that they can truly shatter glass ceilings and pursue any career of their choice.
If you're a network member and putting out a podcast that you would like to appear in a future Leadership Network podcasts article, please send Linh Le a paragraph answering each of the following questions:
What's your podcast about
Why did you create it
What do you hope people will get out of listening to your podcast
