Your Neighbourhood Show By Ubuntu Foundation
Theme:
Your Neighborhood Show is a podcast by the Ubuntu Foundation about building and celebrating community. Hosted by Carolyn, the series delves into the universal human experience of connection and disconnection, highlighting personal stories of belonging, resilience, and community-building.
Purpose:
Through heartfelt conversations and inspiring stories, the podcast aims to normalize moments of disconnection in life, explore ways to overcome them, and celebrate the power of human connections in enriching lives. Carolyn’s own journey of rediscovering community after moving across countries serves as the foundation for the series.
Key Focus Areas:
- Stories of Connection and Disconnection:
Real-life stories from diverse guests about their struggles and triumphs in finding belonging. - Community-Building Strategies:
Insights and practical tips for fostering meaningful relationships and building supportive networks. - Highlighting Inclusive Initiatives:
Featuring organizations and initiatives that create spaces of belonging for marginalized groups, promote peace, or bring people together. - Personal Growth Through Community:
Exploring how connecting with others fosters personal transformation, resilience, and happiness.
Target Audience:
Anyone who has felt disconnected, seeks a sense of belonging, or is passionate about building stronger, more inclusive communities. Whether you’re a neighborhood advocate, a community leader, or just someone searching for ways to connect, this podcast provides stories and strategies that inspire and resonate.
Why It’s Unique:
Rooted in Carolyn’s own experiences of culture, migration, and resilience, Your Neighborhood Show brings warmth and authenticity to conversations about community. By sharing deeply personal and diverse stories, the series humanizes the universal need for connection and offers listeners actionable ways to build their own network of support and belonging.
Your Neighbourhood Show By Ubuntu Foundation
Episode 16: Speaking for Herself: Menaka Thomas on Inheritance and Individuality.
In this heartfelt and inspiring episode, host Carolyn sits down with award-winning Indian-Australian singer Menaka Thomas for a deeply personal conversation about identity, belonging, motherhood, and the healing power of music. From growing up in Brisbane as a child of immigrants to navigating cultural expectations, career paths, and health challenges, Menaka shares with honesty and grace. A pivotal moment — losing her eyesight due to a rare condition — ultimately reconnected her with music in a transformative way. Through stories, laughter, and even a live performance, this episode celebrates resilience, culture, and the quiet strength we often forget we possess.
⏱ Episode Breakdown
00:00 – Introduction
Carolyn introduces the show and welcomes Menaka, recalling their first meeting at a Women in Voice concert.
03:10 – Early Life
Menaka shares her upbringing in Brisbane and her parents’ migration from Mumbai to remote Queensland.
10:25 – School Years
Growing up in a less diverse school, she reflects on feeling different and the emotional toll of disconnection.
18:30 – Cultural Roots
Her mother’s influence as a classical music teacher helped Menaka stay connected to her heritage.
25:00 – High School
At a multicultural school, she found confidence through music, public speaking, and a unique way of making friends.
32:40 – Family & Relationships
Menaka discusses cultural expectations, her approach to marriage, and open conversations with her parents.
41:15 – Meeting Sam
She recalls meeting her husband at work and navigating love across cultural lines with care and respect.
46:00 – Health Crisis
Menaka opens up about the condition that led to vision loss and how it changed her life and career.
50:15 – Music as Healing
In Kerala, she began writing songs in English — a turning point in reconnecting with music and herself.
54:30 – Live Performance
Menaka performs from her debut album and shares her work on Back to Biloela, a story of community resilience.
57:20 – Final Reflection
Menaka shares her greatest life lesson: finding strength through suffering, and grace on the other side of pain.
🎧 Listen now and be inspired by how connection, creativity, and cultural heritage can shape a life well lived.
https://www.ubuntufoundation.com.au/your-neighbourhood-show