.jpg)
Our True Colors
Our True Colors is a podcast that explores the challenges of being racially ambiguous and focuses on identity and belonging. What’s it like when you fit everywhere yet belong nowhere all at the same time? If you or someone you care about might be considered a racial riddle, an ethnic enigma, or a cultural conundrum, this show is for you! Conversations are facilitated by your host, Dr. Shawna Gann, along with guest co-hosts who join each season.
Our True Colors is an extension of True Culture Coaching and Consulting, a firm dedicated to enhancing workplace culture through the principles of business psychology and diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information and to schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Gann, visit www.truecultureconsulting.com.
Our True Colors
Reshaping an Identity with Guest Carmen Watson
Join the conversation — Send a Text Message!
In this episode I chat with my guest, Carmen Watson, about her journey of self-identity. Carmen is Chinese and white and grew up just about all over Canada, in places like British Columbia (BC), Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and the Northwest Territories. She moved back to British Columbia in 2014, to start university in Vancouver. She holds a BA in History (Honors) and International Relations from the University of British Columbia, with a focus on decolonization (see her recommended reading list below).
It wasn't until she was attending university that she actually accepted that she was a person of color. It really struck her in the second or third year of "uni" that she actually fit in with the themes she was looking at in her classes about decolonization; she could finally put words/themes/social concepts to the feelings she'd had her whole life. She found it to be a benefit that she was living in a city with one of the largest Chinese-Canadian populations, and a part of that includes a large number of people who are mixed, just like her.
She always knew that she didn't quite fit in with the 'white' kids, but I never really saw herself as someone whose experiences were in fact shaped/impacted/driven by the intersections of gender, race and class. You can't miss this episode as Carmen and I discuss this journey!
Check out some of Carmen's reading recommendations if you are interested in decolonization. Both are scholars/writers/artists and really detail the lived experiences of Indigenous women :
Leanne Simpson's Dancing On Our Turtle's Back
Lee Maracle's I am Woman
Want to be a guest or know someone who should join us? Click this link to complete the guest interest form.
Don't forget to subscribe and follow us on Instagram and new for Season 5, check us out on YouTube, and TikTok, and keep up with True Culture on LinkedIn.
If this is your first time with OTC, check out EPISODE 1: START HERE for more background on the show.
Our True Colors is sponsored by True Culture Coaching & Consulting. Head to our website to find out how True Culture Coaching and Consulting can support you and your organization, and subscribe to our LinkedIn Newsletter, The Culture Clinic, for more great content. You can find us at truecultureconsulting.com where you can also contact us to schedule a free consultation.
