November 27, 2024 • 30 mins
In this inspiring episode, Mundanara Bayles sits down with Amanda Mudege-Fleischer, one half of the dynamic duo behind It’s Layered, a podcast featured on the Black Cast Network. Amanda shares her journey from Zimbabwe to Australia, how she found her voice in podcasting alongside her co-host Rumbi (based in the Czech Republic), and the challenges and triumphs of creating a platform for honest conversations about life in the diaspora.
We yarn about the power of storytelling, representation in media, and the importance of creating spaces where Black voices can thrive unapologetically. Amanda reflects on the cultural richness of her African heritage, the realities of navigating life in a new country, and the profound connections forged through podcasting.
Whether you’re a seasoned podcaster or considering starting your own, this episode is filled with insights on intention, persistence, and the value of amplifying diverse voices.
✨ Don’t miss this engaging yarn about culture, creativity, and community.
Links & Resources:
- https://www.itslayeredpodcast.com/about
- https://open.spotify.com/show/2kG8UKCcxtsSR9joyURQjl?si=86add357b14a4911
Website: www.blackmagicwoman.com.au
Follow us on Instagram - @blackmagicwomanpodcast
The Black Magic Woman Podcast is hosted by Mundanara Bayles and is an uplifting conversational style program featuring mainly Aboriginal guests and explores issues of importance to Aboriginal people and communities. Mundanara is guided by Aboriginal Terms of Reference and focusses more on who people are rather than on what they do.
If you enjoyed this episode, please ‘Subscribe’ on Apple Podcasts or ‘Follow’ on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! If you’d like to contact us, please email, info@blackmagicwoman.com.au
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Black Cast, Unite our voices.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Black Magic Women Podcast acknowledges the traditional owners of the
land we have recorded this episode on. We also acknowledge
traditional owners of the land where you, the listener of
youer are tuning in from.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
We would like to pay our respects.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
To our elders past and present and acknowledged that this
always was Aboriginal land and always will be Aboriginal land.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
We've got so much diversity, as you said, that's so
not seen in mainstream media.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
It's like an untapped gold mine.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
And people are just sitting on it and then it's like, Okay, well,
how can we connect, how can we come as one?
Speaker 4 (00:42):
You know? And I think podcasting's a perfect plug for that.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Welcome to the Black Magic Woman Podcast with Mandanara Bales.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Welcome to another episode of the Black Magic Woman Podcast.
I am here on the Cooler Nations, which is well
actually South Yarra, a place that I don't often get
to venture out to, and I'm actually here with one
part or one half of it's layered. So we've got
Amanda here joining me on the couch, and it's been
(01:19):
literally something that I've always wanted to do is actually
yarn with other podcasters that are on the black Cast network. So,
without further ado, do you mind introducing yourself and just
share a little bit about yourself to our listeners and
our viewers on YouTube. Your name, a little bit about
(01:41):
where you grew up. And I always say things that
you cannot google, what what we won't find on the internet.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
That's a good one, you know, especially as a podcaster,
because you think, what do you mean? Everyone knows me now,
but there's always something, isn't there There is? Well, my
name's Amanda. I like to say I'm the worst half
of slird Roomy. We missed you here, We wish you
were here with us. Originally from Zimbabwe, moved over when
I started university to Australia and it was one of
(02:11):
those things where it was like as a British colony,
which is what Zimbabwe is. It was like either go
to the UK, America or Australia. And I was like, hey,
where is the furthest I can go that No one
would come and visit me from my big family. I'm
trying to run away from every car. So I in
(02:32):
my own family, like we don't even have to use
the word cousin, has to do like it's like you're what,
that's your brother, that's your sister. And I think also
growing up, we had a lot of people like coming
to live with us, like if they had a situation
going on with their own family. My dad was like,
now they can come and live with us for a
(02:52):
little bit and then a little bit just wants to
do while in school because my dad was just so
privileged that he wasn't a good job.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
So you was just like, I'll wear it for everyone.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Just so I just grew up with all Like even
remember Roomby She's like, oh, Amanda, you've got two brothers. Wait, no,
You've got like she's always getting confused because I'm like, oh,
even I don't count their.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Most cousin yeah and multiple multiple my friend yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yeah, So I thought where can I go and no
one would find me? In Australia was where it was
started on Perth and then moved over to Malbourne in
twenty seventeen and now here I am.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
And I was gonna say, did you move when you
were in Perth? Did you meet anyone there?
Speaker 4 (03:36):
So in Perth, yes, me and my husband they did,
yeah yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
There tried to convince him to move to Melbourne. He's like,
the weather are so bad and the beaches, and I.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Was like, but I got a good job. We need
to go.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
And I want to do more to do with styling
and be around the creatives.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
And Melbourne is where it sh just where it's at.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah, It's one of those cities you visit and you
just think, I want to come back, And then I
just thought, let's just move. So then started doing podcasting
from that because you know, the Black Lives Matter movement
happened actually when we're in Melbourne. And then I was like,
how else can I plug.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
In into this?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Like, you know, we talk about a lot of the
excuses we kept hearing was oh, we never knew about this,
We never knew people felt this way, you know, privilege
and all this stuff. And then I was like, you
know what, in a podcast format is the best way? Yeah,
because you can take accessible, it's accessible, you can take
it in little tidbits, you can rewind, you can the
information's there if you wanted, which is also why black
(04:37):
Cast Network also tied in well with us, because we're like,
these are like minded people who know the power of being.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
A diverse voice.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, and just yeah, so that's literally how we are
where we are today.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
And I literally ran into you as the only visible.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Black There could have been other black people there, but
visibly black faces. At the Australian Cast Awards in Sydney last.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Year did a year ago? That was last year?
Speaker 4 (05:09):
That was last year. Stop?
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Okay, So last year at the Sofater Hotel, I seen
up on the screen the finalist and then I seen
it's laid and I saw two black people and I'm like, wow,
there's a there's another black podcast that's a finalist, right, yeah, yeah,
it was Were.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Fighted With alongside Private Affairs is another podcast Zimbabwean produced,
produced here in Melbourne. And we were like, okay, we're
gonna go together. I just see what this is going
to be.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
Like.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I've never been to these awards and I'm one of
those people is like, nah, this is not my thing.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Networking.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yeah, But then when we were there, I was like, wow,
this is much bigger than I thought, and how underrepresented
are we in this room?
Speaker 4 (05:56):
So when I saw you, I was like, where we were.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
At life right, conversation, quick swapping of contact and here
we are now.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Can you believe it?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
It's like the universe right, you always said things. It's
not always a coincidence, like it was meant to happen
in we're in podcasting and in Australia.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
For people that.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Are not in Australia, not based here, have no idea
really about the landscape here. There are three hundred different
nationalities that live in this country and call this place home.
And yet when you look at podcasting across all the
different big networks, it's very white.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
And there might be one Asian.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yeah, I don't think I had, and.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I think a lot of them piggyback off being in
a reality yes, sure, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
They usually have a profile.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
This is like you're some sort of influenza reality show.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Then you take podcast podcasting, Yes, it's just another revenue
stream for most peoplexactly, whereas for us it's like, okay,
we want to your stories. Yeah, such a different aspect,
doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yeah, in terms of our motivation, what drives us?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
What has driven us to put so much of ourselves
and our lives and commitment and resources into something that actually,
in terms of monetizing, do not get into podcasting if
you think you're going to.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Make money, keep your job, Keep your job.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
But it's it's definitely not about making money. Now, if
you do make money, that's a bonus. If you can
grow your podcast.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Your audience, your network, you're download.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
It is a huge it's a huge, like I don't
think people realize the hours that go into trying to
create content that might take off one day and it
might not take off. Don't let that stop you though,
from you know, if you really want to do a podcast.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Especially in Australia. I feel like it's such a growing market.
We've got so much diversity, as you said, that's so
not seen in mainstream media. It's like an untapped gold
mine and people are just sitting on it. And then
it's like, okay, well, how can we connect, how can
we come as one? You know, And I think podcasting
(08:22):
is a perfect plug for that, and I just think
it's it's it's quite unfortunate actually that people think of
Australia as one way, then when they live here they
see a completely different Australia. You know.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Somehow, our like global.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Image is not what it's like on the streets, like
down here in Chapel Street.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
It's not what you're gonna see, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
They think surfboard and all that, and then.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
You get that you see kangaroos. I'm like, we're not
exactly where I live, but sometimes I say kangaroos, but
not all the time.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
And it's even for me, it's like, oh, there's a kangaroo.
It's not such an everyday thing. But it's so funny
coming from Africa, people ask me, oh, you see, did
you grow up with elephants? I guess I'm so used
to always explaining my existence, which is so you know,
you come from proud people and sometimes it's like so
tough when you're told to be small, you're forced to
(09:19):
be small because you're like, nah, we proudly were our colors,
we proudly allowed, we proudly are the way we are.
And I don't have to fit into your box.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
So what's normal?
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Is that what it's like, it's about your podcast, definitely.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I think it's just it shows there's more layers to us.
I think it's so funny, like Australians would think Africa
is just like one continent and one country, so to speak.
We can expect Europe to be different. You know, if
someone from Finland is not the same as someone from Portugal.
But it blows their minds to think someone from two
different African countries are different.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
So how many different African countries?
Speaker 3 (09:59):
I think it's fifty four fifty four plus Please don't
quote me and come for me if I have not quoted.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Right, So, yeah, it's crazy something.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
And then you think to yourself, each country has its
own dialects or tribes. That's just such a diverse hub
of people, isn't it. But yet people just think and
I mean World Vision definitely had a lot to do
with playing that whole you know, save Africa, starving kids
in Africa, and.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Yeah, that's one side of it. Then when you go
over this.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
It's so urban, it's so diverse that you're like, okay, yeah,
we do have that side of us, of course, but
we also have all this other stuff going on.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
There is there's economies, there's industries, there's appointments exactly.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
We have thoughts and dreams and you know, beyond just
donate money to us because we're all, you know.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
I must say.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Growing up and when I first got a job, the
first thing I did was I sponsored a child your
heart and I literally got this letter from my you know,
World Vision child. And I used to as an eighteen
year old, I thought this was I'm doing a really
(11:13):
good thing here, and maybe I was doing a good thing,
whether the money got there or not.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I've never thought about.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
It until now, but my perception as an eighteen year
old Abaginal woman living in this country was that Africa
was this poor country, one country somewhere over there in
the African desert for jungle. And then you see these safaris,
you see some cruelty, you know, with people as a sport.
(11:42):
They go wealthy white people going.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
Hunting and poaching and yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Which is illegal in most places. So to leave that
world behind come over to Australia, do you go back?
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Yeah? I go back often. I tried to.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
You know now it's like so hard because you want
to travel and you know you've got kid. I've got
a kid, and it's like okay to actually calculate how
much this costs.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
And I tried.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
To go at least every two years just to keep
that connection. And thankfully with technology now it feels like
someone's just right next to you, right when you can
give them a call.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
See not missing people, I'm not missing as much.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
But to your point about how you thought about Africans,
growing up in Australia. It's almost the opposite of how
I thought of Australians in Africa, Like I would be like, oh, yeah,
Australia is equal to Skippy and Regimi and a tall
blonde surfar like that was just mine, neighbors, neighbors, expert.
(12:42):
So when I came over and I saw First Nation people,
I was like, what is.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Going on a lot of people say that.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
It blew my mind.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
It's still to this day how there's such a disconnect
to what the world thinks Australia looks like. Yeah, it
sometimes even when we are taking up spaces, like even
on your network, you have to sometimes think deeper and
think am I taking someone else's space?
Speaker 4 (13:08):
And I think that's where.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
I'm sure a lot of migrants in Australia feel that way,
where it's like, we know we're not treating the actual
owners of this land as they ought to be treated,
especially coming from where we're coming from. You know, we've
gone through colonialism, so we're like, we know how this feels,
so to come here and sometimes you feel like you're
taking spaces that aren't necessarily yours to take. But then
(13:34):
you see some people in Australia are completely fine with that,
and that's such a hard pill to swallow.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Yes, to try to navigate it.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Is to navigate that.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
So it's been a growth even being on the network
for us as well, because it's like, okay, now we're
actually working in harmony.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yes, you know, how do we do more of this?
That's what we need. We need more people to take
up space.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
So there's what all of these you know, minority voices,
ethnic communities, migrant communities, New Australians. Maybe some people have
been here for a couple of generations. It might be
from Lebanon or Sudan or other countries. We need to
get people to see that one you know, there's a
network here now that's looking at really kind of shaking
(14:24):
shit up.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
I can say that, how do we get.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
More people to kind of step up and go, oh
my god, I want to do what they're doing. So
in your community, do you talk to a lot of
people about podcasting? Oh, because a lot of people that
I took together, they're like, oh, yeah, I've always wanted
to a podcast, but no one's actually there's not many
people doing it because people have full time jobs and
(14:51):
they're looking after kids and looking after their grandmothers or whatever.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
So it's not easy.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
So how did you actually start a podcast? What was
it where you went, we need to buy some because.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
That's when you see when it goes beyond the laptop.
I think for us it was just we knew we
have stories to tell and we are the best people
to tell them. And I think after Black Lives Matter,
we were like, this is the right time.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
So ours got.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Born straight after that, Like you know, you go to
the protests and you take part in then you you know,
do all the things social media wise. Then you're like,
but what is after this? What does this look like
five years from that? And it takes consistency having a podcast,
Like it's not easy scheduling, especially because Roombe is based
in Czech Republic, so a lot of times you're like, Okay,
(15:41):
what time is it there?
Speaker 4 (15:42):
What time is it here? But we just knew we
have to keep going.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
And I guess the reception from the community, Like you're saying,
a lot of people say we want to do it,
we actually ends up doing it.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
You know, want to have these conversations.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
A lot of the stuff we talk about, it's not
necessarily taboo, but you notice with Africans again speaking about
being proud people, we have some topics you don't really
go deeper into, you know, like black tax, for example,
sending money home. People are like, oh, yeah, you know
you ought to do it, but it's like no, but
why let's go into that generational wealth. How are we
going to grow it if you're always sending money home?
(16:15):
Like it's just the So the domino effect of all
these conversations, I think we were wondering as we're growing
up in these spaces that aren't really for us.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
So we're like, as a black.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Woman living in diaspora, living far from home, I'm facing
this are you and then sharing those ideas how are
you navigating this? How are you navigating people want to
touch your hair? How are you navigating it? On people
saying oh, your brains look amazing, and then you want
to touch it and you're like no, like just alone
or you know, like it's all those little things where
(16:45):
it's like this was a safe space. Podcasting was a
safe space where we could share our thoughts and not
be judged because I mean, when you're talking the two
of you like we are now, you're just like, well,
worst case scenario.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
This ends up on the editing.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
You but to be edited that don't know.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
So I think it was just we were quite intentional
about what we want to do. We have a lot
of Zimbabwean guests, and now we're trying to open it
up to not only Zimbabwe, but other countries in Africa.
You know, musicians and fellow creatives who have a voice
but don't have somewhere to actually amplify the ad.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
I talk about musicians, what about affronation, Oh my gosh,
that was pretty dead. Like watching it there, I was like,
we needed to be there.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I wish that wasn't there in my twenties because I
need to have more energy for the It's a couple
of day, three day festival, and so they do it
in Portugal by the beach. So your calves are absolutely
dying from dance sand sand.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I don't know if I could dance on sands.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
I mean, it was just nice to see such a
fusion of different African countries, people who are influenced by
African culture. It was just a good old time to
be honest, And sometimes I think we're going through life
and you're going through this rat race. You don't take
time to just chill and enjoy.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
They say, stop and smell the roses exactly. So you
went to Portugal for three day festival. Yeah, what was
the highlight?
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I would probably say looking around and seeing people who
get it. Yeah, being in that space and knowing I
can be loud, I can be proud.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
You know, I'm just gonna blowing.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Yeah, cut for the lie when you make a quick
friend and you just had that like camaraderie that I
think I missed being in Australia. There's there's a bit
of policing that we give ourselves and some of these
spaces we're in like Okay, I can only be this certain.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Mind of loud. It's this acceptable and tolerant. Yet we
know that other people.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Yeah, like, oh I can't turn it on too much,
you know, turn it down?
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Are you my husband?
Speaker 2 (18:53):
And it's beautiful? Love you pace my husband's amazing. But
sometimes you'll be like you're talking loud.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get the same. We're talking too much,
Like all of it.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Just taste. I'm like, yeah, I know.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
And I think also with the Promised Land that's coming up,
I think that's the same energy where people wait for
this one festival to be proudly who they are.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
I'm just quite sad, you know, especially when.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
You think the amount of festivals that we have that
are not necessarily POC friendly. In Australia, there's lots of
festivals during the summer time, so it's like, why you're
waiting for one?
Speaker 4 (19:32):
There should be this should just be normal.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
You know, afrobeats and all this music that's coming out
on piano, All this that's coming out now is also
another safe space and should be celebrated just as closely
as you know, hip hop and rock and everything else.
So it was a mount It was a good melting
pot of people, and I left feeling quite energized.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
I think, like I was like, hmmm, yeah, I want
to keep doing this.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
I don't know if I can afford three three days
every so often every year, but every day every year. Yeah,
there's in twenty eighteen, I think. And then obviously with
COVID and it's the Portugal. Yeah, Portugal, maybe we need
to go to Portugal. Told my husband I would love
to do Rio Carnaval.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Take me with you enjoying it about your husband? Take
me a girls trip. Yeah, we're going. We're going.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
So in Australia back to podcasting after Affro Nation. Was
there anything from that trip that you started to think about,
Oh my god, we need to have some other podcast
or was there something over there, anyone over there.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
That you met.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
I think for me it was the fact that he
had all these artists in one room or one space
and no one to find out their stories.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Yeah, it's so funny.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
We have some like media is a weird thing where
you like have some people who you see everywhere all
the time, you know, especially with white artists like a
Dull or Billie Eilish, you sees so many interviews of them,
and then when it comes to certain artists, it's like
you barely see them and you think, oh, they must
not be willing.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
But it's just there's no chances for them.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Yeah, there's no there's no interest.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
Yeah yeah. And then people say, oh, no one's interested.
But is that true? Did you really do this? That's on?
Speaker 3 (21:16):
That?
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Is that what you perceive to be true?
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Because if you look at their following online it tells
you a different story exactly.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Yeah. So those two million people following you obviously want
to see more.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
And more of course, so we need more representation especially
in media podcasting. Here in this beautiful city which is
you know, arts, everything to do with fashion, entertainment, whatever,
this is like the place where it's happening. So do
you feel like the scene here is starting if you
(21:50):
think outside of podcasting, Melbourne is such a melting pot
of people from different walks of life.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
And it is what do they say, it's the most
livable city.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
The most Liverpool city, I think called top three year
old thing like that.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
I definitely think there is, Like I've gone to some
events where I'm like, oh wow, there's a lot of
people here who you don't typically see all the time.
It's definitely people came to do it, and I think
it's an awareness thing and people probably just don't market themselves,
you know, we don't bet on ourselves. There's this thing
that you know, black people people of color do where
(22:25):
we just think if it's not perfect, it's not worth it.
But it's like no, no, no, Like no one starts
out perfect to do an event. Mayb people won't come,
and people will come, but do it anyway and then
let's see where it goes.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
And I feel like.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Just trying to grow something from scratch, start something from
scratch backing yourself. Is there more people, whether there's Zimbabwean
or Ghanaian or Nigerian in this space that we need
to know about.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Definitely anyone popping up to say, have you considered.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
There's this amazing fellow podcaster, but she doesn't. She does
storytelling through podcasts, so it's called Private Affairs amazing podcast
and I'm always telling her you need to be on TV,
like you really need to bring this from podcasting to TV.
Just an audio drama you could sink your ears to
and you follow this a person's the premises, it's a
(23:23):
love life that you're following and her dating life, you know.
But it's so you think, oh, that's been done so
many times, but it hasn't been done through this lens.
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
I was about to say that this is yeah, yeah,
And she wrote.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
It, produced it directly, oring all the hats as you
would know, like you wear all the hats. And it's
so hard in the beginning to let go right because
you're like, but when you listen to it, and obviously
you will link it and everything, it's just word And
I think it did win Podcasts of the Year with
(23:56):
the first season when it came out, so you're like, Okay,
people did see the quality in it.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
But then it's like funding, right, how do you keep
it going? How to keep picking? How do you pay
all these voice actors? Yes, going, and.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Yeah, we need more and more of that, and these
these are the kind of spaces where you've got other
podcasters talking about podcasters. That's one way that we can
actually grow our audiences. And every download and this is
good for you to know. Every time someone listens and
they hear that ad, then there's like a I don't
(24:29):
know if it's five cents that we.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
Get paid per download.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
So if there's like, you know, a thousand downloads a month,
that might be sixty dollars and that is really doesn't
cover my weekly coffee bill. So to try and get content,
good quality content that we need some resource. So if
people are listening to this or watching this podcast and
you really want to support the growth of you know,
(24:57):
indigenous black and people of color, the BIPOP community, to
try and actually give us an opportunity to share our
stories that represent our communities, our experiences here in this
country maybe around the world, then get onto the Black
Cast Network, have a look at the podcasters that are
already on the network, and there's a lot of opportunity
(25:21):
for us to grow this network if we know that
you exist, or if there's something that's missing within you know,
what's stopping you from launching the podcast, what's stopping you
from taking that first step? And sometimes it's just a
phone call, get on Instagram.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
This is what I did with you.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I messaged and I'm like, we need more representation on
this network if we're truly going to achieve our objective,
which is about you know, being a platform to celebrate multicultural,
diverse Australia through podcasting. And I'm so pleased that it's
(26:03):
laid our first. You know, it's non indigenous, but indigenous
to your country. So I want people to know that
black Cast Network is not just a network for Aboriginal podcasters.
We want to really represent Australia and true representation through
(26:23):
you know, the bipop kind of lens and community. So
if there was a piece of advice you would give
to anyone that's thinking of podcasting, what would that piece
of advice be, Like, what would you wish you've known
or that somebody would have told you that might have
made your little journey? Could have been a long journey,
(26:45):
a little bit easier, easier.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I think my first thing probably two part. Look, I
don't even listen you said one, and I'm thinking of
two things. My first one would be just start, because
you can get so lost in what do I get?
Speaker 4 (26:58):
What do I do?
Speaker 3 (26:59):
What?
Speaker 4 (26:59):
Gear? Do I need? What?
Speaker 3 (27:01):
And of course all those things are important, but a
lot of the things is just getting into the habit
of actually doing it to build a consistency, right, getting
to that, And also what's your intention?
Speaker 4 (27:10):
What are you trying at the end of the day.
What do you want people to walk away having gone? Ah? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (27:15):
And it could be just want to have jokes and
laughs yea, or it could be all the way too serious,
deeper conversation. But whatever it is, you need to know
first what it is you want to convey. And I
think for a while we took a while to find
our voice.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Because we're a bit like, oh what people think? What
will people say? You know?
Speaker 3 (27:33):
But then and then the day you just realize, but
this is what I want to do. It's got hopefully
become along for the journey, but even if they don't,
this is what I want to put out in the world.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Yeah, don't be afraid to give it again. Be afraid
and don't be afraid to fail if you.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Have to start again, what's like, what's the worst thing
that can happen is the you scrap it and you
start again or.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
You go you know what this is?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
This is a lot, This is hard work. Yeah, I
don't have time, don't have the resources. I can't commit.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
You know, I'm not social media. A big part of
podcasting is having a social media presence. Now, I didn't
even have TikTok. We did one video and TikTok banned me,
so now we.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
Have to get into a story time about that. That's
exactly it.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
So look, I just want to say thank you for
jumping on the podcast, making your way, sitting on this
couch and just being part of my journey with my
little Black magic Woman, which I never thought would be
what it is today. And I just want to inspire
especially black women like you know, if one day that
(28:42):
this becomes my full time job, that'll be like surreal.
I don't ever think this will be my full time job,
but I imagine five years time.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yes, do you remember that time? Remember and look what
you're doing now?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
This is your full time, husle, but I'm enjoying doing
it on the side, and I'm enjoying.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
You know, the fact that I get to meet people
like you and here about people like you.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
So my community and people that have been following me
now hopefully get over and follow Amanda and Rombe and.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
We can't wait for you to jump on this couch.
So we'll come back and do a part two. So
on that note, enjoy the rest of your evening.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Thank you for having me, and thank you for Black
Cast Network. Really it feels like we're home. It really does,
and when you're far away from home, that's the best feeling.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Oh stop, Well, we need more people to feel that
sense of belonging, that there's a yes, that there's there's
a place for a lot of other mob you know,
like the people don't realize that Aboriginal peoples and families
and communities are so welcoming. And that's what I hope
that we're creating it. The black Cast definitely coming over.
(29:53):
If we don't know about us, then Google.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
Yeah we're everywhere, like no excuse now, So look that
you mob.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
I hope you've enjoyed this amazing yarn Until next time,
By for now.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
If you'd like any more info on today's guest, please
visit our show notes in the episode description. A big
shout out to all you Deadly Mob and allies who
continue to listen, watch, and support our podcast.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Your feedback means the world.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
You can rate and review the podcast on Apple and Spotify,
or even head to our socials and YouTube channel and
drop us a line.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
We'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
The Black Magic Woman podcast is produced by Clint Curtis.
Black Cast, Unite our voices.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Black Magic Women Podcast acknowledges the traditional owners of the
land we have recorded this episode on. We also acknowledge
traditional owners of the land where you, the listener of
youer are tuning in from.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
We would like to pay our respects.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
To our elders past and present and acknowledged that this
always was Aboriginal land and always will be Aboriginal land.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
We've got so much diversity, as you said, that's so
not seen in mainstream media.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
It's like an untapped gold mine.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
And people are just sitting on it and then it's like, Okay, well,
how can we connect, how can we come as one?
Speaker 4 (00:42):
You know? And I think podcasting's a perfect plug for that.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Welcome to the Black Magic Woman Podcast with Mandanara Bales.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Welcome to another episode of the Black Magic Woman Podcast.
I am here on the Cooler Nations, which is well
actually South Yarra, a place that I don't often get
to venture out to, and I'm actually here with one
part or one half of it's layered. So we've got
Amanda here joining me on the couch, and it's been
(01:19):
literally something that I've always wanted to do is actually
yarn with other podcasters that are on the black Cast network. So,
without further ado, do you mind introducing yourself and just
share a little bit about yourself to our listeners and
our viewers on YouTube. Your name, a little bit about
(01:41):
where you grew up. And I always say things that
you cannot google, what what we won't find on the internet.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
That's a good one, you know, especially as a podcaster,
because you think, what do you mean? Everyone knows me now,
but there's always something, isn't there There is? Well, my
name's Amanda. I like to say I'm the worst half
of slird Roomy. We missed you here, We wish you
were here with us. Originally from Zimbabwe, moved over when
I started university to Australia and it was one of
(02:11):
those things where it was like as a British colony,
which is what Zimbabwe is. It was like either go
to the UK, America or Australia. And I was like, hey,
where is the furthest I can go that No one
would come and visit me from my big family. I'm
trying to run away from every car. So I in
(02:32):
my own family, like we don't even have to use
the word cousin, has to do like it's like you're what,
that's your brother, that's your sister. And I think also
growing up, we had a lot of people like coming
to live with us, like if they had a situation
going on with their own family. My dad was like,
now they can come and live with us for a
(02:52):
little bit and then a little bit just wants to
do while in school because my dad was just so
privileged that he wasn't a good job.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
So you was just like, I'll wear it for everyone.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Just so I just grew up with all Like even
remember Roomby She's like, oh, Amanda, you've got two brothers. Wait, no,
You've got like she's always getting confused because I'm like, oh,
even I don't count their.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Most cousin yeah and multiple multiple my friend yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yeah, So I thought where can I go and no
one would find me? In Australia was where it was
started on Perth and then moved over to Malbourne in
twenty seventeen and now here I am.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
And I was gonna say, did you move when you
were in Perth? Did you meet anyone there?
Speaker 4 (03:36):
So in Perth, yes, me and my husband they did,
yeah yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
There tried to convince him to move to Melbourne. He's like,
the weather are so bad and the beaches, and I.
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Was like, but I got a good job. We need
to go.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
And I want to do more to do with styling
and be around the creatives.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
And Melbourne is where it sh just where it's at.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah, It's one of those cities you visit and you
just think, I want to come back, And then I
just thought, let's just move. So then started doing podcasting
from that because you know, the Black Lives Matter movement
happened actually when we're in Melbourne. And then I was like,
how else can I plug.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
In into this?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Like, you know, we talk about a lot of the
excuses we kept hearing was oh, we never knew about this,
We never knew people felt this way, you know, privilege
and all this stuff. And then I was like, you
know what, in a podcast format is the best way? Yeah,
because you can take accessible, it's accessible, you can take
it in little tidbits, you can rewind, you can the
information's there if you wanted, which is also why black
(04:37):
Cast Network also tied in well with us, because we're like,
these are like minded people who know the power of being.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
A diverse voice.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, and just yeah, so that's literally how we are
where we are today.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
And I literally ran into you as the only visible.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Black There could have been other black people there, but
visibly black faces. At the Australian Cast Awards in Sydney last.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Year did a year ago? That was last year?
Speaker 4 (05:09):
That was last year. Stop?
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Okay, So last year at the Sofater Hotel, I seen
up on the screen the finalist and then I seen
it's laid and I saw two black people and I'm like, wow,
there's a there's another black podcast that's a finalist, right, yeah, yeah,
it was Were.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Fighted With alongside Private Affairs is another podcast Zimbabwean produced,
produced here in Melbourne. And we were like, okay, we're
gonna go together. I just see what this is going
to be.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
Like.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
I've never been to these awards and I'm one of
those people is like, nah, this is not my thing.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Networking.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Yeah, But then when we were there, I was like, wow,
this is much bigger than I thought, and how underrepresented
are we in this room?
Speaker 4 (05:56):
So when I saw you, I was like, where we were.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
At life right, conversation, quick swapping of contact and here
we are now.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Can you believe it?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
It's like the universe right, you always said things. It's
not always a coincidence, like it was meant to happen
in we're in podcasting and in Australia.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
For people that.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Are not in Australia, not based here, have no idea
really about the landscape here. There are three hundred different
nationalities that live in this country and call this place home.
And yet when you look at podcasting across all the
different big networks, it's very white.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
And there might be one Asian.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yeah, I don't think I had, and.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I think a lot of them piggyback off being in
a reality yes, sure, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
They usually have a profile.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
This is like you're some sort of influenza reality show.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Then you take podcast podcasting, Yes, it's just another revenue
stream for most peoplexactly, whereas for us it's like, okay,
we want to your stories. Yeah, such a different aspect,
doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yeah, in terms of our motivation, what drives us?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
What has driven us to put so much of ourselves
and our lives and commitment and resources into something that actually,
in terms of monetizing, do not get into podcasting if
you think you're going to.
Speaker 4 (07:25):
Make money, keep your job, Keep your job.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
But it's it's definitely not about making money. Now, if
you do make money, that's a bonus. If you can
grow your podcast.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Your audience, your network, you're download.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
It is a huge it's a huge, like I don't
think people realize the hours that go into trying to
create content that might take off one day and it
might not take off. Don't let that stop you though,
from you know, if you really want to do a podcast.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Especially in Australia. I feel like it's such a growing market.
We've got so much diversity, as you said, that's so
not seen in mainstream media. It's like an untapped gold
mine and people are just sitting on it. And then
it's like, okay, well, how can we connect, how can
we come as one? You know, And I think podcasting
(08:22):
is a perfect plug for that, and I just think
it's it's it's quite unfortunate actually that people think of
Australia as one way, then when they live here they
see a completely different Australia. You know.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Somehow, our like global.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Image is not what it's like on the streets, like
down here in Chapel Street.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
It's not what you're gonna see, you know.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
They think surfboard and all that, and then.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
You get that you see kangaroos. I'm like, we're not
exactly where I live, but sometimes I say kangaroos, but
not all the time.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
And it's even for me, it's like, oh, there's a kangaroo.
It's not such an everyday thing. But it's so funny
coming from Africa, people ask me, oh, you see, did
you grow up with elephants? I guess I'm so used
to always explaining my existence, which is so you know,
you come from proud people and sometimes it's like so
tough when you're told to be small, you're forced to
(09:19):
be small because you're like, nah, we proudly were our colors,
we proudly allowed, we proudly are the way we are.
And I don't have to fit into your box.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
So what's normal?
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Is that what it's like, it's about your podcast, definitely.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I think it's just it shows there's more layers to us.
I think it's so funny, like Australians would think Africa
is just like one continent and one country, so to speak.
We can expect Europe to be different. You know, if
someone from Finland is not the same as someone from Portugal.
But it blows their minds to think someone from two
different African countries are different.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
So how many different African countries?
Speaker 3 (09:59):
I think it's fifty four fifty four plus Please don't
quote me and come for me if I have not quoted.
Speaker 4 (10:03):
Right, So, yeah, it's crazy something.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
And then you think to yourself, each country has its
own dialects or tribes. That's just such a diverse hub
of people, isn't it. But yet people just think and
I mean World Vision definitely had a lot to do
with playing that whole you know, save Africa, starving kids
in Africa, and.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
Yeah, that's one side of it. Then when you go
over this.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
It's so urban, it's so diverse that you're like, okay, yeah,
we do have that side of us, of course, but
we also have all this other stuff going on.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
There is there's economies, there's industries, there's appointments exactly.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
We have thoughts and dreams and you know, beyond just
donate money to us because we're all, you know.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
I must say.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Growing up and when I first got a job, the
first thing I did was I sponsored a child your
heart and I literally got this letter from my you know,
World Vision child. And I used to as an eighteen
year old, I thought this was I'm doing a really
(11:13):
good thing here, and maybe I was doing a good thing,
whether the money got there or not.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
I've never thought about.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
It until now, but my perception as an eighteen year
old Abaginal woman living in this country was that Africa
was this poor country, one country somewhere over there in
the African desert for jungle. And then you see these safaris,
you see some cruelty, you know, with people as a sport.
(11:42):
They go wealthy white people going.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
Hunting and poaching and yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Which is illegal in most places. So to leave that
world behind come over to Australia, do you go back?
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Yeah? I go back often. I tried to.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
You know now it's like so hard because you want
to travel and you know you've got kid. I've got
a kid, and it's like okay to actually calculate how
much this costs.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
And I tried.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
To go at least every two years just to keep
that connection. And thankfully with technology now it feels like
someone's just right next to you, right when you can
give them a call.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
See not missing people, I'm not missing as much.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
But to your point about how you thought about Africans,
growing up in Australia. It's almost the opposite of how
I thought of Australians in Africa, Like I would be like, oh, yeah,
Australia is equal to Skippy and Regimi and a tall
blonde surfar like that was just mine, neighbors, neighbors, expert.
(12:42):
So when I came over and I saw First Nation people,
I was like, what is.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Going on a lot of people say that.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
It blew my mind.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
It's still to this day how there's such a disconnect
to what the world thinks Australia looks like. Yeah, it
sometimes even when we are taking up spaces, like even
on your network, you have to sometimes think deeper and
think am I taking someone else's space?
Speaker 4 (13:08):
And I think that's where.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
I'm sure a lot of migrants in Australia feel that way,
where it's like, we know we're not treating the actual
owners of this land as they ought to be treated,
especially coming from where we're coming from. You know, we've
gone through colonialism, so we're like, we know how this feels,
so to come here and sometimes you feel like you're
taking spaces that aren't necessarily yours to take. But then
(13:34):
you see some people in Australia are completely fine with that,
and that's such a hard pill to swallow.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Yes, to try to navigate it.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Is to navigate that.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
So it's been a growth even being on the network
for us as well, because it's like, okay, now we're
actually working in harmony.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Yes, you know, how do we do more of this?
That's what we need. We need more people to take
up space.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
So there's what all of these you know, minority voices,
ethnic communities, migrant communities, New Australians. Maybe some people have
been here for a couple of generations. It might be
from Lebanon or Sudan or other countries. We need to
get people to see that one you know, there's a
network here now that's looking at really kind of shaking
(14:24):
shit up.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
I can say that, how do we get.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
More people to kind of step up and go, oh
my god, I want to do what they're doing. So
in your community, do you talk to a lot of
people about podcasting? Oh, because a lot of people that
I took together, they're like, oh, yeah, I've always wanted
to a podcast, but no one's actually there's not many
people doing it because people have full time jobs and
(14:51):
they're looking after kids and looking after their grandmothers or whatever.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
So it's not easy.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
So how did you actually start a podcast? What was
it where you went, we need to buy some because.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
That's when you see when it goes beyond the laptop.
I think for us it was just we knew we
have stories to tell and we are the best people
to tell them. And I think after Black Lives Matter,
we were like, this is the right time.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
So ours got.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
Born straight after that, Like you know, you go to
the protests and you take part in then you you know,
do all the things social media wise. Then you're like,
but what is after this? What does this look like
five years from that? And it takes consistency having a podcast,
Like it's not easy scheduling, especially because Roombe is based
in Czech Republic, so a lot of times you're like, Okay,
(15:41):
what time is it there?
Speaker 4 (15:42):
What time is it here? But we just knew we
have to keep going.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
And I guess the reception from the community, Like you're saying,
a lot of people say we want to do it,
we actually ends up doing it.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
You know, want to have these conversations.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
A lot of the stuff we talk about, it's not
necessarily taboo, but you notice with Africans again speaking about
being proud people, we have some topics you don't really
go deeper into, you know, like black tax, for example,
sending money home. People are like, oh, yeah, you know
you ought to do it, but it's like no, but
why let's go into that generational wealth. How are we
going to grow it if you're always sending money home?
(16:15):
Like it's just the So the domino effect of all
these conversations, I think we were wondering as we're growing
up in these spaces that aren't really for us.
Speaker 4 (16:24):
So we're like, as a black.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Woman living in diaspora, living far from home, I'm facing
this are you and then sharing those ideas how are
you navigating this? How are you navigating people want to
touch your hair? How are you navigating it? On people
saying oh, your brains look amazing, and then you want
to touch it and you're like no, like just alone
or you know, like it's all those little things where
(16:45):
it's like this was a safe space. Podcasting was a
safe space where we could share our thoughts and not
be judged because I mean, when you're talking the two
of you like we are now, you're just like, well,
worst case scenario.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
This ends up on the editing.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
You but to be edited that don't know.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
So I think it was just we were quite intentional
about what we want to do. We have a lot
of Zimbabwean guests, and now we're trying to open it
up to not only Zimbabwe, but other countries in Africa.
You know, musicians and fellow creatives who have a voice
but don't have somewhere to actually amplify the ad.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
I talk about musicians, what about affronation, Oh my gosh,
that was pretty dead. Like watching it there, I was like,
we needed to be there.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I wish that wasn't there in my twenties because I
need to have more energy for the It's a couple
of day, three day festival, and so they do it
in Portugal by the beach. So your calves are absolutely
dying from dance sand sand.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I don't know if I could dance on sands.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
I mean, it was just nice to see such a
fusion of different African countries, people who are influenced by
African culture. It was just a good old time to
be honest, And sometimes I think we're going through life
and you're going through this rat race. You don't take
time to just chill and enjoy.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
They say, stop and smell the roses exactly. So you
went to Portugal for three day festival. Yeah, what was
the highlight?
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I would probably say looking around and seeing people who
get it. Yeah, being in that space and knowing I
can be loud, I can be proud.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
You know, I'm just gonna blowing.
Speaker 3 (18:29):
Yeah, cut for the lie when you make a quick
friend and you just had that like camaraderie that I
think I missed being in Australia. There's there's a bit
of policing that we give ourselves and some of these
spaces we're in like Okay, I can only be this certain.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Mind of loud. It's this acceptable and tolerant. Yet we
know that other people.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
Yeah, like, oh I can't turn it on too much,
you know, turn it down?
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Are you my husband?
Speaker 2 (18:53):
And it's beautiful? Love you pace my husband's amazing. But
sometimes you'll be like you're talking loud.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get the same. We're talking too much,
Like all of it.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Just taste. I'm like, yeah, I know.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
And I think also with the Promised Land that's coming up,
I think that's the same energy where people wait for
this one festival to be proudly who they are.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
I'm just quite sad, you know, especially when.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
You think the amount of festivals that we have that
are not necessarily POC friendly. In Australia, there's lots of
festivals during the summer time, so it's like, why you're
waiting for one?
Speaker 4 (19:32):
There should be this should just be normal.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
You know, afrobeats and all this music that's coming out
on piano, All this that's coming out now is also
another safe space and should be celebrated just as closely
as you know, hip hop and rock and everything else.
So it was a mount It was a good melting
pot of people, and I left feeling quite energized.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
I think, like I was like, hmmm, yeah, I want
to keep doing this.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
I don't know if I can afford three three days
every so often every year, but every day every year. Yeah,
there's in twenty eighteen, I think. And then obviously with
COVID and it's the Portugal. Yeah, Portugal, maybe we need
to go to Portugal. Told my husband I would love
to do Rio Carnaval.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
Take me with you enjoying it about your husband? Take
me a girls trip. Yeah, we're going. We're going.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
So in Australia back to podcasting after Affro Nation. Was
there anything from that trip that you started to think about,
Oh my god, we need to have some other podcast
or was there something over there, anyone over there.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
That you met.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
I think for me it was the fact that he
had all these artists in one room or one space
and no one to find out their stories.
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Yeah, it's so funny.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
We have some like media is a weird thing where
you like have some people who you see everywhere all
the time, you know, especially with white artists like a
Dull or Billie Eilish, you sees so many interviews of them,
and then when it comes to certain artists, it's like
you barely see them and you think, oh, they must
not be willing.
Speaker 4 (21:07):
But it's just there's no chances for them.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Yeah, there's no there's no interest.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
Yeah yeah. And then people say, oh, no one's interested.
But is that true? Did you really do this? That's on?
Speaker 3 (21:16):
That?
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Is that what you perceive to be true?
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Because if you look at their following online it tells
you a different story exactly.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Yeah. So those two million people following you obviously want
to see more.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
And more of course, so we need more representation especially
in media podcasting. Here in this beautiful city which is
you know, arts, everything to do with fashion, entertainment, whatever,
this is like the place where it's happening. So do
you feel like the scene here is starting if you
(21:50):
think outside of podcasting, Melbourne is such a melting pot
of people from different walks of life.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
And it is what do they say, it's the most
livable city.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
The most Liverpool city, I think called top three year
old thing like that.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
I definitely think there is, Like I've gone to some
events where I'm like, oh wow, there's a lot of
people here who you don't typically see all the time.
It's definitely people came to do it, and I think
it's an awareness thing and people probably just don't market themselves,
you know, we don't bet on ourselves. There's this thing
that you know, black people people of color do where
(22:25):
we just think if it's not perfect, it's not worth it.
But it's like no, no, no, Like no one starts
out perfect to do an event. Mayb people won't come,
and people will come, but do it anyway and then
let's see where it goes.
Speaker 4 (22:39):
And I feel like.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Just trying to grow something from scratch, start something from
scratch backing yourself. Is there more people, whether there's Zimbabwean
or Ghanaian or Nigerian in this space that we need
to know about.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Definitely anyone popping up to say, have you considered.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
There's this amazing fellow podcaster, but she doesn't. She does
storytelling through podcasts, so it's called Private Affairs amazing podcast
and I'm always telling her you need to be on TV,
like you really need to bring this from podcasting to TV.
Just an audio drama you could sink your ears to
and you follow this a person's the premises, it's a
(23:23):
love life that you're following and her dating life, you know.
But it's so you think, oh, that's been done so
many times, but it hasn't been done through this lens.
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
I was about to say that this is yeah, yeah,
And she wrote.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
It, produced it directly, oring all the hats as you
would know, like you wear all the hats. And it's
so hard in the beginning to let go right because
you're like, but when you listen to it, and obviously
you will link it and everything, it's just word And
I think it did win Podcasts of the Year with
(23:56):
the first season when it came out, so you're like, Okay,
people did see the quality in it.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
But then it's like funding, right, how do you keep
it going? How to keep picking? How do you pay
all these voice actors? Yes, going, and.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Yeah, we need more and more of that, and these
these are the kind of spaces where you've got other
podcasters talking about podcasters. That's one way that we can
actually grow our audiences. And every download and this is
good for you to know. Every time someone listens and
they hear that ad, then there's like a I don't
(24:29):
know if it's five cents that we.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
Get paid per download.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
So if there's like, you know, a thousand downloads a month,
that might be sixty dollars and that is really doesn't
cover my weekly coffee bill. So to try and get content,
good quality content that we need some resource. So if
people are listening to this or watching this podcast and
you really want to support the growth of you know,
(24:57):
indigenous black and people of color, the BIPOP community, to
try and actually give us an opportunity to share our
stories that represent our communities, our experiences here in this
country maybe around the world, then get onto the Black
Cast Network, have a look at the podcasters that are
already on the network, and there's a lot of opportunity
(25:21):
for us to grow this network if we know that
you exist, or if there's something that's missing within you know,
what's stopping you from launching the podcast, what's stopping you
from taking that first step? And sometimes it's just a
phone call, get on Instagram.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
This is what I did with you.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
I messaged and I'm like, we need more representation on
this network if we're truly going to achieve our objective,
which is about you know, being a platform to celebrate multicultural,
diverse Australia through podcasting. And I'm so pleased that it's
(26:03):
laid our first. You know, it's non indigenous, but indigenous
to your country. So I want people to know that
black Cast Network is not just a network for Aboriginal podcasters.
We want to really represent Australia and true representation through
(26:23):
you know, the bipop kind of lens and community. So
if there was a piece of advice you would give
to anyone that's thinking of podcasting, what would that piece
of advice be, Like, what would you wish you've known
or that somebody would have told you that might have
made your little journey? Could have been a long journey,
(26:45):
a little bit easier, easier.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I think my first thing probably two part. Look, I
don't even listen you said one, and I'm thinking of
two things. My first one would be just start, because
you can get so lost in what do I get?
Speaker 4 (26:58):
What do I do?
Speaker 3 (26:59):
What?
Speaker 4 (26:59):
Gear? Do I need? What?
Speaker 3 (27:01):
And of course all those things are important, but a
lot of the things is just getting into the habit
of actually doing it to build a consistency, right, getting
to that, And also what's your intention?
Speaker 4 (27:10):
What are you trying at the end of the day.
What do you want people to walk away having gone? Ah? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (27:15):
And it could be just want to have jokes and
laughs yea, or it could be all the way too serious,
deeper conversation. But whatever it is, you need to know
first what it is you want to convey. And I
think for a while we took a while to find
our voice.
Speaker 4 (27:29):
Because we're a bit like, oh what people think? What
will people say? You know?
Speaker 3 (27:33):
But then and then the day you just realize, but
this is what I want to do. It's got hopefully
become along for the journey, but even if they don't,
this is what I want to put out in the world.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Yeah, don't be afraid to give it again. Be afraid
and don't be afraid to fail if you.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Have to start again, what's like, what's the worst thing
that can happen is the you scrap it and you
start again or.
Speaker 4 (27:55):
You go you know what this is?
Speaker 1 (27:57):
This is a lot, This is hard work. Yeah, I
don't have time, don't have the resources. I can't commit.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
You know, I'm not social media. A big part of
podcasting is having a social media presence. Now, I didn't
even have TikTok. We did one video and TikTok banned me,
so now we.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
Have to get into a story time about that. That's
exactly it.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
So look, I just want to say thank you for
jumping on the podcast, making your way, sitting on this
couch and just being part of my journey with my
little Black magic Woman, which I never thought would be
what it is today. And I just want to inspire
especially black women like you know, if one day that
(28:42):
this becomes my full time job, that'll be like surreal.
I don't ever think this will be my full time job,
but I imagine five years time.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yes, do you remember that time? Remember and look what
you're doing now?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
This is your full time, husle, but I'm enjoying doing
it on the side, and I'm enjoying.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
You know, the fact that I get to meet people
like you and here about people like you.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
So my community and people that have been following me
now hopefully get over and follow Amanda and Rombe and.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
We can't wait for you to jump on this couch.
So we'll come back and do a part two. So
on that note, enjoy the rest of your evening.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Thank you for having me, and thank you for Black
Cast Network. Really it feels like we're home. It really does,
and when you're far away from home, that's the best feeling.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Oh stop, Well, we need more people to feel that
sense of belonging, that there's a yes, that there's there's
a place for a lot of other mob you know,
like the people don't realize that Aboriginal peoples and families
and communities are so welcoming. And that's what I hope
that we're creating it. The black Cast definitely coming over.
(29:53):
If we don't know about us, then Google.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
Yeah we're everywhere, like no excuse now, So look that
you mob.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
I hope you've enjoyed this amazing yarn Until next time,
By for now.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
If you'd like any more info on today's guest, please
visit our show notes in the episode description. A big
shout out to all you Deadly Mob and allies who
continue to listen, watch, and support our podcast.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Your feedback means the world.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
You can rate and review the podcast on Apple and Spotify,
or even head to our socials and YouTube channel and
drop us a line.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
We'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
The Black Magic Woman podcast is produced by Clint Curtis.
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