Podcast Guest - Preparation Guide

Updated May 21, 2026

Purpose of the Grown Between Worlds Podcast

Grown Between Worlds is a podcast by and for adult children of immigrants (i.e., people who immigrated during childhood or adolescence, or were born into 1st or 2nd generation immigrant families after settlement) and their partners, exploring their unique and often overlooked experiences. This podcast aims to elevate the voices of women, queer and trans, neurodivergent and disabled people in immigrant communities and in inter-ethnic / inter-racial / inter-faith partnerships. This is a space where stories of identity, belonging, resilience, love, and the in-between of cultures can be seen and heard.

Audience

  • Adult children of immigrants seeking validation and connection.

  • Non-immigrant partners wanting to better understand their loved one’s background.

  • Women, queer and trans, neurodivergent and disabled folks navigating immigrant family and cultural dynamics, or intercultural / interethnic / interfaith / interracial / queer partnerships.

  • Therapists, educators and community workers supporting immigrant communities.

Goals

  1. Building visibility and community for the often-overlooked experiences, narratives and needs of adult children of immigrants and their partners.

  2. Providing practical insights and shared wisdom for listeners navigating identity, relationships, life choices, mental health and wellbeing.

  3. Highlighting the layered realities of women, queer and trans, neurodivergent and disabled immigrants, particularly when navigating partnership or career choices that challenge familial, cultural or community expectations.

  4. Creating companion resources (guidebooks) that extend the podcast into tangible tools

Future Companion Resources

  • Guidebook for Child & Teen Immigrants  (and likely a children’s book)

  • Guidebook for Non-Immigrants Partnering with Adult Children of Immigrants

  • Guidebook for Therapists, Educators & Community Workers supporting Adult Children of Immigrants and their Partners

Guest Criteria

  • We only invite guests who identify as adult children of immigrants (anyone who immigrated as a child / teen or was born into an immigrant family after settlement), OR partners of adult children of immigrants, particularly in intercultural, interfaith, interracial, or queer partnerships.

    • We especially aim to amplify the voices and stories of women, queer and trans, neurodivergent, chronically ill and disabled people with deep connections to immigrant communities.

  • Because many of the topics we discuss involve identity, relationships and mental health, we prioritize guests who are trained in &/or have experience working in the mental health field.

    • Guests may work in a variety of roles (including counselling, psychotherapy, community work, academia, research, teaching, policy, or authorship), but share a grounding in mental health-informed and trauma-informed practice.

      • This helps ensure conversations remain thoughtful, boundaried and reflective, rather than therapeutic in nature.

Practical Notes for Guests

  • Recording: Guest interviews take place online via Riverside. The podcasters will email you a private Riverside meeting/recording link, once your interview has been booked and confirmed.

  • Length of Episode: 40–80 minutes (depending on conversation flow).

    • Recording session will be scheduled for 90-minutes to allow for enough time and space.

  • Style: Warm, conversational, open-ended, reflective and process-oriented (without emphasizing private and intimate personal details). Guests may draw on relevant insights from their lived experiences and professional experiences, as they see fit and within their own boundaries.

  • Informed Disclosure: Guests are welcome to share as much or as little personal information as they are ready and comfortable to disclose publicly, during their podcast interview.

  • Confidentiality: If guests prefer to participate anonymously, only their audio (not video) will be recorded and released. Guests will also be asked to select a pseudonym.

  • Before Recording:

    • Guests will connect with Forouz Salari for a 30-40 min video call (via Zoom) to discuss what they feel drawn to talk about, clarify any questions, and schedule their interview recording.

    • If professional guests (particularly therapists, counsellors, coaches, consultants, instructors or facilitators who support / serve immigrant communities) would like to publicly disclose their work, they will be asked to provide a brief bio, a profile photo and a link to their online professional profile / website. This info will be included in Guests’ episode description, cover photo, and related marketing (e.g., podcasters’ websites, blogs, social media accounts, etc.). Podcasters will NOT endorse any services or products.

    • Guests must read, complete and submit a digital Guest Consent & Release Form, at least 72-hours before their scheduled interview recording session. The link to this digital form will be shared with guests, once their interview is booked and confirmed.

  • Intro Question for Each Guest at Episode’s Start:

    • "Tell us a bit about your personal connection to immigration (either as someone who is an adult child of immigrants OR as someone partnered with an immigrant)"

  • Final Reflection Question for Each Guest at Episode’s End:

    • "If there had been a guidebook for immigrant kids / teens OR for people partnering with adult children of immigrants — what’s one piece of advice or wisdom you’d want included?"

      • This question anchors the podcast’s purpose – building resources, guidance and community wisdom for those navigating life “between worlds.”

      • Guests’ names and professional contact info (or pseudonyms) will be included in such resources as “contributors”, to acknowledge their generosity in sharing their personal and/or professional experiences and insights.

  • After Recording:

    • Guests will have the right to withdraw their consent to participate in the podcast up to 30 days after the recording date of their interview.

    • At least 30 days prior to the release of a season that includes the Guest’s episode, they will be sent a private, view-only link to review an edited version of their episode. During this review period, Guests may request the removal of any significant factual inaccuracies, unintended over-shares, or content that no longer feels appropriate to disclose publicly, in alignment with the podcast’s trauma-informed approach. Requests for edits must be submitted within the timeframe provided alongside the review link.

  • Spread the Word: Guests are asked to share the podcast’s marketing materials and relevant links with their networks.

Guiding Questions for Guests

Before their podcast interview, guests are asked to consider and reflect on these guiding questions, paying close attention to what they’re feeling drawn to talk about:

For Adult Children of Immigrants:

  1. Now as an adult, what cultural / ethnic / national identity do you claim? How was your journey of arriving at this identity? What influenced or impacted the identity you’ve chosen to claim? If your identity has changed over time, how so?

  2. Looking back, what was the hardest part of trying to “fit in” (within the wider society of your host culture or country &/or in your cultural, ethnic or national community-of-origin)? Conversely, what was the easiest part?

  3. What’s one part of growing up as an immigrant kid — or as the child of immigrants — that you really wish more people understood?

  4. At what points in your life — whether in relationships, school or work — have your immigrant experiences felt especially present or important?

  5. How do you think your immigrant background has shaped the choices you’ve made in love, career or life overall? Has that influence shifted over time?

  6. Have other aspects of your identity or lived experiences been more impactful or influential than your immigrant background? Has that shifted throughout your life? How has this been perceived by your immigrant family or community?

  7. What stands out to you the most about your experience of “Code-Switching” between different spaces or communities? How has this impacted your identity formation, sense of self and overall wellbeing, throughout your life?

  8. What does “success” mean to you, as an adult child of immigrants? What influenced your definition? How has your definition shifted, throughout your life? Have there been any barriers to you recognizing and living out your own aspirations?

  9. What’s one challenge or interesting moment you and your partner have faced when balancing Canadian norms with your family’s cultural traditions?

  10. What’s one thing you wish your non-immigrant partner already knew about your background, your family, or the immigrant experience — without you needing to explain it?

  11. If you could go back, what’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self about navigating life as a child of immigrants?

  12. If you were put in your immigrant family’s or community’s shoes, what’s one thing that you would’ve done differently? Why?

For Non-Immigrant Partners:

  1. When you first started dating your immigrant partner, was there something you were nervous or unsure about asking them — or their family?

  2. What has been the most surprising or confusing part of building a partnership with someone from an immigrant background?

  3. What differences between you and your partner have stood out the most? And what unexpected similarities have you noticed?

  4. How do you and your partner find ways to weave together your family traditions with the norms of your host culture (i.e., the country that you’re living in together)?

  5. Through your partnership, what’s one thing you’ve had to reflect on or re-learn about your own upbringing, identity, or assumptions?

  6. Based on your experiences, what has stood out to you about the ways that people from different cultures and generations deal with meal-time, holiday celebrations, gift-giving, life’s milestones, achievements, etc.?

Please enter your preferred names.
Please enter the best email we can use to reach you.
Please select the option(s) that best describe you.
Please select ONE option that best describes you. Guests MUST be OVER 18. 
Please select only ONE option that best describes your immigration history or your connection to immigrant communities. Because of our podcast's focus, this connection is imperative for anyone who wants to participate as a guest. 
We ask this question because our podcast prioritizes the voices and stories of marginalized communities. 
Please select ONE option that best describes you.
Please select ALL options that apply to you, to help us learn a bit about the professional experiences that shape your perspectives and approach.
Guests can choose to participate with both audio & video, audio-only (with their name, photo & professional info included), OR completely anonymously (with a pseudonym and audio-only).
Please select the option that best describes your experiences. Prior experience is NOT mandatory.