“What I’ve learned to be true is my intuition has never lied to me once. It doesn’t know how to lie”.

Barry Brandon (he/ they/ her/ ze) aka The Queer Indigo lives at the intersections of advocacy & creativity, empowerment & entertainment. It’s Barry’s intuition that has landed him there - as a content creator, influencer, public speaker, emcee & host, community builder & LGBTQ+ leader. I’ll also throw iconic fashionista in there too! And it’s an exciting time for Barry as you’ll hear in this episode of ‘Pause. And Rewind…’

As The Queer Indigo, Barry harnesses social media as a canvas for awareness, expression & connection blending aesthetic appeal with meaningful content that transcends conventional boundaries to a global audience. I’ve followed & loved his Instagram page since its early days several years ago so when our paths crossed through We Create Space, I was overjoyed. The content - bold, empowering, stunning - has helped me to embrace myself more, celebrate my body, femininity & style. It’s a journey as it is for many of us in the LGBTQ+ community and I loved hearing Barry talk about its beginnings as a “dumb walk” and has been able to most past seeing it as simply fun & frivolous through to the realisation of how much impact it has.

This podcast very much explores two origin stories. The origin of The Queer Indigo - as a result of life-changing three hour conversation with a stranger which he describes as “an absolute disruption to my entire life” - and that of Barry’s life before then.

As an 8 open-heart surgery survivor with operations spanning from birth to aged 27, Barry was acutely aware from a young age that “tomorrow was not necessarily promised”. He spent much of his childhood in hospitals looking out of the window simply wishing. Much of his experiences have resulted in Barry’s fearless approach to life (his only fear is “getting dead”) along with an early yearning for justice, a sense of ridiculous at situations around him at times and confusion at the state of the world.

Whether in hospital as a child or throughout life, Barry has always been surrounded by people - it’s something we see in his content now with his love of creating community. He talks about the pride he has in his friendships and how as queer people, we’re “better when we’re together”

As a creative force, I probe Barry about choosing a life of graft following a particular job that paid him an obscene amount of money. “It wasn’t a choice” he replies. Whether producing exquisite content, organising show-stopping events or launching his new magazine ICONIQA, Barry is focused on celebrating queer excellence & joy, amplifying others and empowering everyone to follow an unapologetic of self expression. He’s truly passionate about the queer community and has learned that although our languages, political systems, cultures & traditions may differ, we’re often aligned in our identities, moral compasses, values & search for freedom.

Barry is incredibly humble. He sees himself as a vessel for lifting up & championing others, enabled by his lack of ego & jealousy. Barry expresses how discovering self joy & the adventure of self exploration has led to his happiness, peace & self-value, both professionally & personally.

The three words Barry uses to describe him & his origin story are ‘Resilience. Dreamer. Courageous’. This episode is packed with so many wonderful moments and it was a dream to sit down with Barry for my first in-person recording whilst he was in London. We explore Barry’s love of Oprah, his queer awakening in Berlin & a hilarious childhood anecdote that speaks to both his humour, love of performance & fearlessness. Enjoy!

Please note: Some of the topics we cover during this podcast are sensitive. Please take care of yourself whilst listening.

I first saw Saski on an elevated platform in the middle of the parade during Pride in London as she hyped up the crowds & I thought ‘WOW. I want to be able to do that’. Her energy & warmth were both all enveloping & infectious

Saski (she/her), like many guests on 'Pause. And Rewind...' wears many hats. An LGBTQIA+ inclusion specialist & trainer. A public speaker, presenter & host. A community speaker for the MET Police. A singer, life coach & a mum. And with all of that comes a ton of Saski's energy & enthusiasm!

Saski, or Jo - her birth name, grew up in East London. Her parents ran a pub & Little Saski would run around getting punters to give her money. She was a bit of a self-confessed tom-boy raised in a loving home. Saski shares a deep love for her family and she shares a lot about how supportive her family were when she went through bulimia as a teenager & later, her coming out. Her acknowledgement of this support vs seeing the lack of support her friends had growing up has hugely influenced what she's doing now.

We explore the birth of 'Saski' as an entertainer and how she has wound up working in inclusion merging her identity, professional outputs & ambitions! There's a great story about a beloved pair of red jeans, life as a pop star on the queer scene & dissecting growing up in the 90s compared to today as well as chat about being a mum & those who shape us in not so positive ways.

Saski's most proud of the work she's done on herself over the years. "You can go through it or grow through it" she says. BOOM. The three words she uses to describe her origin story are 'Tenacity. Empathy. Fun'. Each perfect for Saski - enjoy the episode!

PS. As mentioned, we cover the topic of bulimia so please take of yourself whilst listening if this is something you find triggering.

This weeks guest is an activist, author, community builder & public speaker - as well as software engineer by day. They're also a bisexual role model & community leader so it's a timely episode as this week marks Bisexual Awareness Week!

When Vaneet Mehta (he/him) first came up with the hashtag #BisexualMenExist, he did so for a number of reasons. To help challenge bi-erasure & abuse, to educate people on bi-dentities, to create connections and support those, like Vaneet, who were struggling to accept themselves and felt alone, isolated and unsupported. Vaneet went on to write the wonderfully received book 'Bisexual Men Exist: A Handbook for Bisexual, Pansexual & M-Spec Men. A book I've really appreciated in my own allyship towards the bi-community and those in my life. And just this year, he co-edited 'It Ain't Over Til the Bisexual Speaks: An Anthology of Bisexual Voices' alongside his colleague, friend and someone he says has shaped him the most along the way, Lois Shearing aka Lake. This collection of essays is a "radical & ambitious attempt capture the multiplicity of bi identities". It's needed as bisexual individuals are still hugely misrepresented & underrepresented - despite making up over 50% of the LGBTQ+ community.

Vaneet's work now as he advocates so strongly for his community is shaped enormously by his own story... from the way he was treated at a young age by his father through to a breakdown in family relationships as a result of his identity. There were times in Vaneet's childhood where he didn't feel Indian or boy-ish enough just as a bisexual adult, there's been moments where he's not felt queer enough resulting in anger, mental health issues & at times, suicidal ideation. These experiences are things that are a work in progress as Vaneet navigates towards building the life around him that he wants featuring belonging, boundaries & joy.

And there is a lot of joy in Vaneet's life right now. He reflects on how he feels much more connected to 'Little Vaneet' right now and taps into his silly, fun side when he's with friends. Building a life with his partner is a major source of joy and it was wonderful to see Vaneet beam as he talks about how much happiness his home & garden bring him! Though it's a moment of pride, we explore his complex feelings about his debut book and also chat about his love of Pokemon, Paramore and travelling - with a well deserved break & trip to Thailand coming up. Oh and we trash the term 'Love is love' #sorrynotsorry.

Vaneet uses these three words to sum up his origin story: Rage. Silly. Soft. You'll get all of these throughout - please take care of yourself whilst you listening as we do cover challenging conversations.