Seen

Seen

If you can see it, you can be it. But what happens when you look around and nobody looks like you? Seen is an interview podcast that talks to inspirational Australians who have come from under-represented backgrounds and communities, and made astonishing impacts on our culture. Join host Yumi Stynes this season celebrating older women who take risks, show huge courage, resilience, and tenacity to rise to excellence in their third act. Meet pro surfer Pauline Menczer, renowned artist Lindy Lee, community chef Duang Tengritrat and Tiwi Island Sistagirl Crystal Love Johnson, and more.

Episodes

February 20, 2023 2 mins
If you can see it, you can be it. But what happens when you look around and nobody looks like you? Join host Yumi Stynes for Seen, a new SBS podcast about cultural creatives who rise to excellence in spite of arriving in a role-model vacuum. Trailblazers like writer Yassmin Abdel-Magied, musician Ray Ahn, and Olympian Ellia Green share the transformative moments they felt seen.
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Narelda Jacobs is a Whadjuk Noongar woman and the first Aboriginal, openly lesbian newsreader on TV in Western Australia. Join Yumi Stynes as the pair reflect on Narelda’s relationships with her parents, coming to terms with her sexuality, forging her career in media and the responsibility she bears as a very visible First Nations media personality.
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Growing up, Hannah Diviney was constantly asked what her paralympic sport was going to be. “I would always turn around and be like, see my two sisters over there. How come you're not asking them what their Olympic sport is going to be?” Join Yumi Stynes as the pair discuss why representation is so important, taking on Lizzo, and how Hannah is working to shatter misconceptions about disability.
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As a young actor looking to make his mark, Michael Mohammed Ahmad faced one problem, people only wanted to cast him as a drug dealer. Yumi Stynes sits down with Michael Mohammed - novelist, playwright and founder of Sweatshop Western Sydney Literary Movement. We hear about his experiences growing up as a young Muslim Lebanese man in a post-9/11 world, the defining moments that have shaped his career, and how mirroring is key to nua...
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Writer, activist and broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied is, for better or worse, one of the most visible women in the Australian media. The negative backlash that followed a couple of social media posts in 2017 left her questioning what she’d done wrong and where she belonged. In this episode of Seen, Yumi Stynes and Yassmin chat about the limitations of the model minority myth, what it’s like to be ‘cancelled' and what moving on loo...
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Atong Atem’s way of expressing herself has taken the art world by storm. Within a culture that celebrates whiteness, Atong’s futuristic self-portraits celebrate and centre blackness. Yumi Stynes speaks to artist Atong Atem about her experience migrating to Australia, finding community and the weight of hypervisibility as a black woman in today’s world.
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Imagine performing shirtless as an Asian male in a room full of neo-Nazi’s? In the height of the punk scene in the 80’s, the Hard-Ons were a force to be reckoned with, defiant in the face of all odds. Yumi Stynes talks to punk legend Ray Ahn about his experience coming to Australia as a Korean migrant, discovering his love for punk rock, and the Aussie rock legend who shaped what Ray himself thought was possible.
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When Shyamla Eswaran sat down for a portrait with Archibald prize-winning painter Blak Douglas, he saw Shyamla in a light they weren't ready to see themselves. Yumi Stynes chats with the dancer and artist about growing up South-Asian in Sydney’s Shire, reckoning with their gender fluidity, and connecting with their culture through dance.
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Most Australians would regard our health system as world class, but there’s an ecosystem of discrimination that many of us often don’t see. Stuart Yiwarr McGrath is a Galiwin’ku man from north-east Arnhem Land. He’s passionate about shifting the dial on health discrimination and providing culturally appropriate healthcare to his community. Yumi Stynes speaks to Stuart about becoming the first Yolngu registered nurse, and what it me...
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Professor Veena Sahajwalla spent her childhood running through the the bazaars of Mumbai and watching her mother’s holistic approach to medicine. These experiences shaped Veena’s unique perspectives on science, which have seen her recognised as the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year and awarded the Eureka Prize. In this episode of Seen, Yumi Stynes speaks with Professor Veena Sahajwalla about her passion for recycling, her determinati...
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After a car accident left him paralysed, medical student Dinesh Palipana didn’t know if a future in medicine was even possible. Yumi Stynes speaks to Dinesh about finding purpose in life, creating meaning from tragedy, and his journey to becoming Queensland's first quadriplegic medical intern.
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All eyes were on Ellia Green when he won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics with the Australia rugby sevens team, but there was only person he needed to know was watching. In the final episode of this first season of Seen, Yumi Stynes speaks to the first Australian Olympian to come out as a trans man, Ellia Green, about his upbringing in Fiji and Australia, his journey to the Olympics, and the women who helped him feel seen.
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If you can see it, you can be it. But what happens when you look around and nobody looks like you? Join host Yumi Stynes for a new season of Seen, an SBS Audio podcast about trailblazers who have taken risks, shown huge courage, and risen to excellence without visible role models in mainstream culture showing them the way. Celebrity chef Kanh Ong, drag royalty Kween Kong, writer and academic Dr Amy Thunig, activist Tarang Chawla an...
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Kween Kong captivated audiences on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under and became the first drag artist to be nominated for a Logie. A big change for someone who was on the path towards professional rugby! As an artist of Tongan and Samoan descent, Kween was also often the first person of colour in the spaces she inhabited. Join Yumi Stynes as we walk through Kween’s story of embracing feminine energy and breaking down limiting expectati...
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Dr Amy Thunig knows what it’s like to be ostracised. Growing up, Amy and their family experienced adversity and racism. But that didn’t stop Amy from absolutely thriving in academia. Today they are a prominent academic and writer who advocates for better representation of Indigenous voices and knowledge. Amy and Yumi Stynes reflect on the generational cycles that shape us, and in spite of the challenges, how beautiful they can be.
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Khanh Ong wears a lot of hats — cook, presenter, author, ex-DJ and fan favourite contestant on MasterChef. But he didn’t grow up thinking he could be any of those things. In fact, he thought his only option was to be a surgeon. In this episode, host Yumi Stynes chats with Khanh about what food can represent, coming out as gay to his Vietnamese mother, and how he once rolled out of a moving car to avoid a difficult conversation.
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March 18, 2024 30 mins
Tarang Chawla is most recognised for his work as an activist against gender-based violence — but if you ask him, it’s something he wishes he didn’t have to do. In this episode, you’ll hear about Tarang’s journey from profound loss to impactful activism, and how above all, his voice isn’t the one that needs to be heard. The voices he wants to amplify are the voices of victims of gender based violence like his sister Nikita Chawla, a...
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Darcy Vescio is a professional footy player in AFL Women’s with a mighty list of achievements under their belt. Two-time AFL Women Leading Goalkicker, Darcy was the first player to reach 50 career goals in the league! But if you spoke to Darcy at 14, they were ready to give up footy for good - there was no space for people like Darcy to play professionally. Host Yumi Stynes chats to Darcy about rediscovering footy, locker room talk...
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Debbie Kilroy is one of Australia's leading advocates for criminalised women and children. From her horrific experience in prison to becoming a lawyer and a leading voice in the fight for prisoners' rights, Debbie's journey is a testament to resilience. Join Yumi Stynes as the pair walk through Debbie’s life in prison, her pursuit of education as a tool, and the invisibility of the community she’s fighting for.
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Tea Uglow is an influential voice in the tech world. A pioneering force behind Google's Creative Lab where she led experimental tech projects for 17 years, Tea Uglow's brilliance extends beyond technology. Join Yumi Stynes as the pair walk through Tea's personal journey, and how her experience as a trans autistic woman has become a powerful lens through which she reshapes the tech landscape.
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