Being Biracial is a podcast born from a shared curiosity and a gap in representation. Created by friends and former housemates Maria Birch-Morunga and Kate Robinson, the series delves into the nuanced, sometimes messy, and always heartfelt stories of mixed-race identities.

What began as a search for answers about their own heritage has evolved into a space for others to share family stories, cultural connections, and creative journeys. Now in its second season, we sat Maria and Kate down ahead of their event MPavilion live with Being Biracial to uncover how heritage shapes art, identity, and belonging, weaving a tapestry of voices that reflect the joys and complexities of dual identities.

What inspired you to create Being Biracial, and how has the podcast evolved since its inception?

We were housemates for a long time before we realised that we were both mixed race. But once we did, we couldn’t stop talking about it! We searched for content about the biracial experience in Australia and Aotearoa and couldn’t find anything substantial – so we decided to create it.

Kate has been obsessed with podcasts for years. They were a place where she found stories that helped her to connect to what it means to be Persian. Maria loves the sense of closeness that comes from listening to a podcast week in week out, learning from and growing with the hosts. For both of us, podcasts had given us the vocabulary to start to describe all of our feelings about being mixed race.

When we started creating Being Biracial, we thought we were going to find the answer to how to be mixed race. But years and many episodes later, we have realised that there is no answer, and instead have settled into allowing our guests to tell their family stories with all the nuance, prickly bits and gossip that comes along with them. We think there is something very special about seeing your story represented in someone else’s experience – even if it’s just that you were both Scary Spice.

In the second season we have been focussing on how artists approach their craft and how it intersects with their heritage. For example, we recently interviewed Kitiya Palaskas, a multi-disciplinary designer in Naarm and love how she described her love of colour as a connecter to her Thai background. Connection comes in the most unexpected places!

Can you share a moment or guest story from the podcast that profoundly shifted your perspective?

There have been so many moments while creating Being Biracial that have impacted us deeply. A big part of that has been our friendship and the invigorating creative space we have carved out within it. To embark on a project that is so connected to your sense of self with a friend is a risk, and yet somehow it has only brought us closer together as we weave our stories beside each other.

Both of us were incredibly touched by the wisdom in Jen Cloher’s episode, Walking Towards Your Culture. We always feel in awe that our guests feel comfortable enough to be so generous and vulnerable with their stories. Particularly for me (Maria), my connection to Māori community in Naarm, Melbourne has transformed since interviewing Jen earlier this year, I am so grateful for them and their story.

If you could leave the audience with one message about navigating dual identities, what would it be?

There is no one way to be mixed race, no code to crack, no perfect way to navigate dual identities. From our interviews, the one throughline seems to be that everyone has simultaneously experienced the joy of belonging and the woes of disconnection on their journey. Please know that you are not alone!

How does the concept of Home Ground resonate with you and your work, or shape your understanding of home?

The concept of Home Ground resonates deeply with the themes we explore in our podcast. Being Biracial is all about our experiences of searching for belonging, exploring our family histories and connecting to culture. How do you grapple with duality? What makes us whole? While most of our guests live in Naarm now, many are from diaspora communities. We often discuss how people weave their own connection to culture here on stolen Aboriginal land. And sit in the knowledge, that it is a tapestry that will never be finished.

Be part of these shared stories at MPavilion Live with Being Biracial Podcast by making a free booking here.