Samira Rafaela about true diversity and more women in leadership positions - Episode 8

01/12/21 • 40 min

Samira Rafaela is a Dutch Member of the European Parliament for the social-liberal political party D66. She made great strides so far to change things for the better. Ever since her appointment, she helped to launch the Renew Europe Group, advocating for a strong, social and secure Europe. She also came up with the Women on Boards campaign, which aims to have at least 40% of non-executive director positions in listed companies held by women. This year, she won the Harper's Bazaar International Women of the Year 2020 Award for pursuing a more diverse political discourse. In this episode, she talks about one of her biggest role models: her own mother. Samira grew up just north of Amsterdam. She believes that it’s her culturally rich background – being the daughter of a Jewish Curaçaoan-Dutch mother and a Ghanaian-Nigerian Muslim father – that has given her this open-minded world view. The EU’s official motto to be ‘United in Diversity’ is what she stands for. In our interview, Samira touches on racial justice and how to implement anti-racism in children’s classes early on in life. Apart from that, she openly shares how she has dealt with personal attacks because of her public persona and standpoints. She speaks on gender-based discrimination and why we can’t have any setbacks if we want to move into a more fair and sustainable future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Carson Meyer about changing the status quo when it comes to birthing - Episode 7

When Carson Meyer watched the documentary ‘The Business of Being Born’ she was shocked about what many women have to go through in childbirth and how little she really knew about birth in general. Birth is beautiful and sacred, birth is messy, and no birth is the same, if you ask Carson, so let’s not try to fit it into a box. Watching that footage in her early twenties was like an awakening of sorts and led her onto the path to become the doula that she is today. Hailing from Los Angeles, she’s also the founder of clean beauty brand C & The Moon, a childbirth educator – offering in person and virtual classes for parents – and a birth photographer. Since Carson believes, as she also shares during our talk, that looking back at the tremendous power of your body during birth through pictures can actually help with healing and possibly dealing with trauma. In our interview she talks about her journey, mourning the old while embracing the new, always learning and how to support yourself during pregnancy and postpartum.

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Next Episode

Jeanne de Kroon about a sustainable and socially fair future for all - Episode 9

Dutch designer and social justice and climate advocate Jeanne de Kroon is making waves with her fashion label Zazi Vintage, founded in 2017. Her collections are lovingly handcrafted by local female artisans from places like Tajikistan and Afghanistan. With every one of these ladies, Jeanne has a personal bond. This way she doesn't just support ancient crafts that might otherwise be forgotten, but she also co-creates with these communities and gives them a platform. Jeanne is shifting the gaze from the model to the maker. Briefly working as a model when she was younger, made her realize how incredibly wasteful the fashion industry is and that it's time for massive systemic change. She also collaborates with the United Nations to really make a difference. In this episode, she touches on all things sustainability: from the blind spots of greenwashing to how to make sustainable living attainable for all. She talks about empowering women and her favorite women's stories. She opens up about cultural appropriation versus appreciation, decolonization, indigenous culture, connecting back to nature, and how she finds balance. While Jeanne has always been somewhat of a nomad, during lockdown she has settled down on a houseboat in Amsterdam surrounded by nature and her much-loved chickens.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.