The Root & Seed Podcast

Is “almost" anything good enough? It sure is for this episode’s guest Brittany Muddamalle, the voice behind The Almost Indian Wife.  As a Caucasian/Romani woman married to an East Indian and now raising multiracial kids in America she is building a life that works for her and her family and in doing so is inspiring others to “meet in the middle” to honour all family tradition, culture and norms. All the while leaving the unnec...

What does it mean to truly represent your culture in a way that is innate, intimate and unique?  Eric Hernandez is a Native American hoop dancer whose love for expressing his culture comes through movement and by telling his story, shedding a light on the diversity within the Native American and Indigenous communities. In this episode Eric reveals his choice to follow life’s whispers and nudges and how the teachings of his ancestor...

Exploring the role that tradition plays in one’s life feels pretty core to the Root & Seed community.  But what role does it play when you have lost a loved one?  And at an age when you just starting to "adult"? We explore this and more with Francesca Saraco, someone who is navigating the world after losing both her parents in her 20s. How food can be a great connector to those who have come before us, transporting us...

It appears there are no conversations with Darius Bashar that stay on the surface and this is definitely one of them. Darius is a creator, yes, and someone who is helping to connect with others in a way that defies media and mode.  From dance to meditation, from photography to facilitator, he is on a mission to connect more intimately, evidenced by one of his many projects "No Strangers". In order to do so, Darius has nee...

We first discovered Mita Mallick on LinkedIn and we're enamoured with her content about making the workplace truly inclusive and inviting for all. How as leaders, it is in fact our experiences at home, our upbringing, our backgrounds that help inform, influence, and inspire how we show up at work. How when a sense of belonging and truly feeling part of a team is fostered, that it actually makes good business sense - something w...

Season 6 is upon us! 

After almost 40 episodes of reflecting on our cultural discovery, appreciation, and preservation journeys, we wanted to remain reflective, but allow a bit more fluidity into our guests' stories. And this season we have some unbelievable guests. They are introspective, empathetic, heart-centered, and creative. Yes, all of them. But in different ways... and yet the common thread in all of those traits is how...

What a way to end a season on identity! Charlene SanJenko's “official” journey to uncover her Indigenous roots started eight years ago.  However, we learn that in order to truly live into herself, she had to dig deeper into earlier experiences to inform how she wanted to move forward now, as a proud Indigenous woman.  As leader for a platform called reGEN Media she is helping to reimagine the system of creative storytelling for...

There’s something about Samanta Krishnapillai’s story that is familiar yet unique, destined yet delightful, average yet special.  As the founder of On Canada Project, Samanta and her team are distilling information and dispelling myths so that Canadians can truly comprehend societal issues and happenings.  Where does she get this drive?  A mystery perhaps, or is this the result of her upbringing, early experience as a brown girl in...

They say we remember moments not days. In part two of our interview with Dr. Jenny T. Wang, Dr. Wang crystallizes a moment between her and her mom, that feels relatable for all immigrants and their descendants, showing them that their hard work and sacrifices were ultimately worth it. Listen to that and more, including thoughts on resolving the role of our generation and how we can invite in tradition in a healthy way. And the way ...

Just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Heritage month, we bring you part one of this two part series with clinical psychologist, Dr. Jenny T. Wang. In one of our most heart-felt, honest discussions to date we discuss about what it means to be descendants of immigrants, compassion and empathy for our parents' generation, and our role jostling between aging elders and the next gen...

Daniel Mazzone grew up surrounded by familial influences in creativity, so it's no surprise that he became an artist. However, his upbringing and lived experiences didn't initially lead to success. Spending much of his youth on the streets of Toronto and pursuing a career that wasn't for him, Daniel eventually tapped into his early influences and a desire for more, leading him to pursue his passion for a life filled wit...

It’s one thing to be able to list off the places you've lived and the experiences you’ve experienced.  It’s another to understand how those textures and nuances are interwoven to make you uniquely you and to channel those into being a leader. This episode’s esteemed guest New York Times and Sunday Times best selling author and CEO of Become a Good Ancestor, Layla Saad is one such person.  We talk about everything from her upbri...

We are back with another family duo, this time father & daughter Ab and Layla Freig. Layla reflects on what it was like to grow up not fitting into a box, as a mixed Muslim and Jewish person and how her yearning to be connected to her background led to experiences that pushed the boundaries of what was evident and obvious around her. The connection between father and daughter is apparent through their respect for one another an...

From the Oscars to Root & Seed in under a week!  This episode's guest is photographer of the rich and famous, George Pimentel. As a third generation photographer, George shares the stories behind the man he is today and how family, experience and connection to his roots has led to life of both balance and contradiction.  And he wouldn't want it any other way!  From travelling to his motherland of Portugal as...

Aren't they?  In Part Two of our interview we hear Ryan's softer side including the people, traditions and rituals that make Ryan, Ryan.  All through the lens of his mixed heritage.  We hear Ryan's perspective on why being sad isn't so bad, how he's connected with his deceased family members through his dreams and how love through unique cultural ways is still love.  All heart, all love, all Ryan.

Ryan Alexander...

What a way to start off this season!  This episode we talk to Ryan Alexander Holmes in the first of a two part series and kick off Season 5 on the topic of identity. We talk about his mixed-ness, Black excellence, Asian American excellence, how he is always searching for narratives that put his culture at the centre of it and Ryan tells us family stories that he wishes lives on for generations to come.  Perhaps most jaw d...

Our relationship with our cultural background, significant events in our upbringing, present day societal and even inherited experiences of generations inform our identity and the choices of what to take forward. All helping to answer the question: who do we think we are?  We explore topics like this and more with interviews with some incredible guests like actor and content creator Ryan Alexander Holmes, changemakers, Samanta...

What do the 90s, hip hop and basketball have to do with one another?  For a good number of youth who grew up in Toronto, especially those from immigrant backgrounds during that decade, the answer is everything.  Anish Bhalla has embarked on a playful, yet therapeutic journey of documenting his upbringing in the animated series Bhalla Show.  It’s playful, because of nostalgic humour, and therapeutic because of the rol...