Our True Colors: Mixed Race Voices and Other Stories of Belonging
Our True Colors is a podcast about identity, belonging, and life in the in-between. We explore what it means to be mixed race, multiracial, multicultural, racially ambiguous — or to grow up across cultures, through adoption, or in any space where identity doesn’t fit neatly into a box.
What’s it like to feel like you fit everywhere yet belong nowhere, all at the same time? If you or someone you love has ever been called a racial riddle, an ethnic enigma, or a cultural conundrum, this show is for you.
Each season, host Dr. Shawna Gann — a business psychologist and storyteller — is joined by a new co-host who brings their own lens. Together with guests, they share candid conversations, family stories, and professional insights that remind us we don’t clock in and out of our identities.
At its heart, Our True Colors is about connection: creating a space where mixed, multicultural, and cross-cultural voices can be heard, where belonging is explored, and where “otherness” becomes something powerful to claim.
Our True Colors is an extension of True Culture Coaching & Consulting, Dr. Gann’s practice dedicated to building stronger, more inclusive workplace cultures. Learn more and connect at www.truecultureconsulting.com
Our True Colors: Mixed Race Voices and Other Stories of Belonging
Reshaping an Identity with Guest Carmen Watson
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
If this is your first time with OTC, check out EPISODE 1: START HERE for more background on the show. Continue the conversation on Instagram and find Season 5 episodes on YouTube.
Our True Colors is powered 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.
