About the Grown Between Worlds Podcast
Grown Between Worlds began from years of private conversations with loved ones and clients about identity, belonging, migration, queerness, and the quiet negotiations we make every day between cultures.
We kept noticing something:
These weren’t just personal stories.
They were shared experiences.
And they deserved space.
Across North America, the UK, Europe, Australia, South Asia and Southwest Asia / the Middle East, we are witnessing rising xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Across continents, we are also witnessing growing hostility toward queer, trans, neurodivergent, disabled, and other marginalized communities.
And yet...
People who live between cultures and identities continue to model resilience, adaptability, tenderness, humour, creativity and deep wisdom.
This podcast exists to honour those stories.
To hold complexity without oversimplifying it.
To create a space where you can hear your own experience reflected back with care.
Who This Podcast Is For
Grown Between Worlds is created for:
Adult children of immigrants (i.e., people who immigrated as kids or teens, or were born into immigrant families after settlement) who are seeking validation, connection and a shared language for their experiences.
Non-immigrant partners wanting to better understand their loved one’s background and lived experiences.
Women, queer and trans, neurodivergent and disabled people who are:
navigating immigrant communities and cultural dynamics.
intercultural, interethnic, interracial, interfaith &/or queer partnerships.
Therapists, educators, and community workers supporting immigrant communities and wanting to deepen their cultural humility.
Whether you are living these experiences personally or supporting someone who is, this space is for thoughtful listening and reflection.
Our Goals:
At its heart, Grown Between Worlds is about visibility, nuance and community.
We aim to:
Build visibility and community for the often-overlooked experiences, narratives, and needs of adult children of immigrants and their partners.
Offer practical insights and shared wisdom for listeners navigating identity, relationships, life choices, mental health, and wellbeing.
Highlight the layered realities of women, queer and trans, neurodivergent, and disabled immigrants — especially when navigating partnerships or career paths that challenge familial, cultural or community expectations.
Develop companion resources over time that extend these conversations beyond the podcast.
This is not just a series of interviews...
It is the beginning of a growing body of shared knowledge.
Meet the Team
FOROUZ SALARI, MA, MSW, RSW (she/her)
Founder, Executive Producer, Primary Host, Operational Lead
Forouz is a first-generation Iranian immigrant and white-passing settler in Canada since childhood.
She identifies as a bisexual, cisgender, neurodivergent woman in a heterosexual-passing, inter-ethnic and inter-faith partnership.
Professionally, she is a social worker, psychotherapist, clinical consultant, leadership coach and workshop facilitator, with a Bachelors in Psychology and two Masters in Socio-Cultural Anthropology and Social Work.
She has worked in the social services field since 2012, primarily with immigrants, women, queer and trans folks, neurodivergent and chronically ill people, navigating complex identities and lived experiences.
This podcast has been decades in the making, shaped by her own immigration experience at age nine and the responsibilities of translating language, expectations, emotions and spaces, from a young age.
MIRANDA RAMNARAYAN, MSA (she/her)
Executive Editor, Producer, Co-Host, Production Lead
Miranda is a second-generation Indo-Caribbean cisgender woman, born and raised in Canada and currently based in Australia.
She is in a heterosexual, inter-ethnic and inter-faith partnership.
Professionally, she works in Geographic Information Systems / Sciences and holds a Masters in Spatial Analysis. She has worked in her field since 2015.
She brings curiosity, steadiness and deep reflection to conversations about place, movement, migration and belonging, both geographically and emotionally.
Our Approach
This is not a debate space.
It is not a hot-take space.
This is not a space for sensationalized trauma.
It is not a space where people are reduced to headlines.
It is a space for:
Long-form conversation
Nuance over polarization
Lived experience over generalization
Humour alongside depth
Compassion alongside truth
We believe stories can reshape how we understand ourselves and each other!
We're honoured to share this space and community with you...
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Gentle Boundary Statement
Grown Between Worlds is a storytelling and reflective space — NOT a debate forum, a hot-take platform, or a place for sensationalized trauma.
While many guests work in mental health and community settings, this podcast does NOT provide therapy, clinical advice, diagnosis or crisis support.
If you are experiencing acute distress or are in crisis, please contact local emergency or mental health services in your region.
FAQs
Who is this podcast for?
Grown Between Worlds is for adult children of immigrants seeking validation, language, and connection.
It’s also for non-immigrant partners who want to better understand their loved one’s lived experience, and for therapists, educators, and community workers supporting immigrant communities.
We especially center women, queer and trans, neurodivergent, and disabled people navigating complex cultural and relational dynamics
Do I need to identify as an immigrant to listen?
NO. While we centre adult children of immigrants, our themes — identity, belonging, love across difference, family expectations, and redefining success — resonate widely.
If you’ve ever felt “in between,” you may find yourself reflected here.
Why does this podcast feel important right now?
In a time of rising xenophobia and hostility toward marginalized communities, we believe stories matter.
This podcast creates space for nuance, visibility and shared wisdom — honouring the resilience and depth of people living between cultures.
Is this a mental health podcast?
Not in a clinical sense...
While many guests work in mental health and community settings, this is a storytelling space — not therapy or clinical advice.
Listening does NOT replace professional support.
What topics do you explore?
We explore identity, code-switching, intergenerational dynamics, intercultural partnerships, queerness, neurodivergence, redefining success, and the ways migration shapes love, career and wellbeing.
Each season includes an introduction, guest conversations, and closing reflections.
Can I suggest a topic or apply to be a guest?
YES. You can share anonymous feedback, suggest themes, or apply to be a guest through our Contact page.
We review submissions seasonally.
We are committed to creating a space grounded in respect, anti-oppression and compassionate dialogue.
Hate speech, harassment or dehumanizing rhetoric will not be tolerated in community interactions!
Land Acknowledgement
Grown Between Worlds is recorded and produced across lands now known as Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and Queensland (Australia).
In Toronto, we acknowledge that Tkaronto is situated on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee, and the Mississaugas of the Credit River, and is covered by Treaty 13 and the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Treaty. This land is now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples, as well as settlers and newcomers.
In Queensland, we acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which this work is created, and we pay respect to Elders past and present.
As a podcast exploring migration, belonging and identity, we recognize that our conversations take place within ongoing histories of colonization and displacement. We are committed to continued learning, reflection, and support of Indigenous-led communities and initiatives in the places we live and work.
