My guest this month is South African-born Indian-Australian Saalihah Seedat. She is a consultant clinical pharmacist, personal development coach, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, mentor and mum of three. Saalihah is passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, social issues and making a difference in people's lives. In 2025, Saalihah was named one of Brisbane's top 60 most inspirational women.

In this episode, Saalihah chats about what it was like growing up in South Africa during the Apartheid era, the strong legacy of the women in her family and the tragedy of losing her mum and grandmother during the COVID lockdowns. We find out what drew Saalihah to the health field and why stress management is an important part of our wellbeing. Saalihah also tells us about the ways she deals with discrimination and how younger women are more confident and graceful at it than we are, as well as why we all benefit from building an intercultural community of women.

This podcast is written, produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live, the Yuggera and Turrbal people. I pay my respects to their Elders and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Black lives matter.

• Email: lionessheartpodcast@gmail.com
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram: @nettafinneymejia
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

My guest this month is Sri Lankan-Australian artist Kuweni Dias Mendis. Kuweni integrates movement, sound, film, installations, markings and sculptural ritual objects to create immersive works. These works invite you to reconnect to your heartbeat, rhythm, gait, posture, and sense of time and space within a decolonised body. Her practice is shaped by her cultural experiences of Sri Lanka and Australia. As a migrant on unceded lands, Kuweni advocates for and amplifies the voices of marginalised women through collaborative artworks, exhibitions and participatory experiences. She creates spaces where these voices can be heard and valued.

In this episode, Kuweni and I chat about what prompted her to leave her corporate career and follow her dream of becoming an artist, how she found a new family of aunties and discovered she's a river woman. We also yarn about why connection to culture and country is important, how Kuweni's art is a bridge between two cultures, and why we need to make sure we go to the table where we belong.

Visit Kuweni's art exhibition 'Riverscope' at Logan Art Gallery from 11 August to 12 September 2025. Check out her website: Kuweni – Kuweni Dias Mendis and follow her on Facebook: dimuthu.dias or Instagram: kuweni_artist

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM and Global Digital on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: lionessheartpodcast@gmail.com
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram: @nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia

My guest this month is Councillor Trina Massey. Trina is a proud, queer woman and immigrant of Filipino and African American ethnicity. She's also the first ever Black, Asian, queer woman to hold political office in Queensland! As a record-spinning DJ with an extensive music collection, Trina goes under the name Black Amex.

We yarn about what it was like for Trina growing up as a mixed race kid in Brisbane, how she likes to surprise Filipinos by bursting out in Tagalog, and the importance of community and social justice. We also talk about how emotional white men can be, being authentic and doing politics differently, and encouraging diverse women to get into politics.

Check out Trina's website: Trina Massey - Greens Councillor for The Gabba Ward. Follow her on Facebook: Trina Massey Councillor for the Gabba Ward or Instagram: trinamasseygabba.

This podcast is produced and hosted by Netta Finney Mejia. Recorded in the studios of Brisbane Multicultural Radio 4EB 98.1FM and Global Digital on Turrbal and Yuggera Country. Broadcast on the Community Radio Network around Australia. Music by Stephen Utting.

• Email: lionessheartpodcast@gmail.com
• Facebook: Netta Finney Mejia
• Instagram: @nettafinney
• Linktree: Netta Finney Mejia