Welcome to a special series of episodes, where WestWords Academy alumni interview their favourite creatives.

In this episode, Academy alumni Sheryl speaks to Sonam Mahatme about her identity as Queer South Asian person living in Australia, and her experiences navigating family, community and culture. Together they discuss what role a creative practitioner, whether they are a writer, composer or artist, can play in representing marginalised identities in their creative work.

Sonam Mahatme is an organisation development consultant with a broad range of experience. She has served on the Board of the Aurora Group, an LGBTQIA+ community-led funding organisation. Sonam works for a not-for-profit with a focus on improving gender equality issues in workplaces both in Australia and globally. She started her career as a lawyer and has used her experience and expertise to advocate for positive change, to make a difference. She strongly feels that awareness, education, empathy and action are key to changing mindsets. 

Sheryl Fernandes Dixit is a marketing professional with a passion and flair for writing. People, animals, absurdity and humour are her forte and she enjoys creating stories from memories and life.