Colour Me PR is a new podcast created and hosted by Mubashira Farooqi, a recent Public Relations – Corporate Communications graduate. With the desire to inspire others at the forefront of each episode, Mubashira wants to create a space where women of colour within the PR and communications field can express their thoughts and experiences about the industry. “The podcast is about creating a community that recognizes the value that diversity brings to the field and what current women of colour are doing to help make this possible. The podcast is really a way to amplify their voices and to show the positive work they’re doing,” she says.
Mubashira launched the podcast because it was always something she wanted to do. “I really enjoy talking to people and networking, and I thought having a podcast where I can connect with guests who are industry professionals and who have a lot of insight to offer would be really great.” With an Undergraduate degree in Diversity & Equity at Toronto Metropolitan University and the PR program she completed at Centennial, Mubashira thought a podcast where she could mesh her skills in PR and her passion for diversity and equity would be really worthwhile. She says it started off as a crazy idea, but with the encouragement of her husband and those around her, the idea turned into a reality.
The name of the podcast came from Mubashira’s love of puns and cheesy sayings. “I’ve always really loved the expression ‘colour me surprised’ and I thought it would be great if I had every episode with that theme. The latest episode is called #ColourMeMOTIVATED because I genuinely felt motivated after speaking to the guest, and I felt like listeners would feel that way as well. Each episode would have a theme, and it would also include the word ‘colour’ which was really important to me because while I don’t want to limit myself to the conversations that we have on the podcast, I definitely always see it being about the value that being a person of colour brings to the table. So that’s why I came up with Colour Me PR so that it’s clear it’s about diversity, and PR and communications,” she says.
Prior to the launch of the podcast, Mubashira won the IABC/Toronto Student of the Year Award, which is an award that celebrates the next generation of communications professionals. As a result, she had some initial contacts she could reach out to and ask if they would be interested in joining as a guest. She also took a course called The Art of Podcasting, which helped to prepare her for everything that goes along with being a podcaster. “Luckily, the talking to people part I have down; I enjoy that, and I have been doing it for a long time, so I don’t struggle with that. Everything else that goes into it, such as the production of it and the promotions, is something I’ve been learning as I go,” she says.
While in the planning stages, she explains, “There was a lot of work that went into really figuring out what I want to share with the industry and what I want them to take away from the show. Part of it is wanting to establish my credibility and what I have to contribute to this field, but it’s also about inspiring others, and that’s what it always comes down to. I want to be able to share something that inspires others because I get inspired easily and I love having conversations with people and feeling like those conversations empower me and the work that I do.”
After arranging a plan on what she wanted the podcast to focus on and organizing the logistics side of it all, Mubashira was ready to premiere the first episode. The first guest was Priya Bates, an executive-level professional in the communications field. “I started with her because I thought it would be really valuable to have the insight of what the field was like when she started over twenty years ago, how things have changed, and where she sees where we are now. The episode was really great to film, and she had a lot of really interesting points to share. I got a lot of really positive feedback from that very first episode,” she says.
Looking at the future of her podcast, Mubashira hopes to broaden her scope. “Right now, my short-term goal is to interview professionals from the GTA, but eventually, I would like to interview people from across the world. I already had people suggest names for professionals I can reach out to from other countries like the UK and the US, who also have a lot of great insight to provide. Taking it internationally is definitely one of my goals. I’ll also eventually be looking into sponsorships because part of what I want to do is to be able to amplify the voice of organizations that are making a positive impact.” A long-term goal Mubashira hopes to achieve involves other women of colour. “At some point in time, I’d love to be able to host a scholarship or something that provides an opportunity for women of colour who are coming into the field and that are working hard to make a positive impact and change. To have an award that my podcast and my partners can help provide, would be amazing,” she says.
At the present moment, Mubashira has only released a couple of episodes. Nonetheless, she has already received such amazing responses, especially with the written reviews. In response to them, Mubashira says, “It was exactly what I was hoping that this podcast would be. I was hoping that this would be something that everyone, not just junior communicators, could be inspired by and something that makes people feel like they’re part of this community. I wanted to build a community and I feel like it’s starting to become that.”
One review in particular that Mubashira values immensely is from a current PR student, Sarah Heiman. Since leaving the review, Sarah wants to add:
“After listening to two short episodes from Mubashira’s Colour Me PR podcast, I felt an immediate connection to the messages the podcast was sending. As someone who identifies as Japanese and Indigenous, I look up to women of colour within the industry. With that being said, I am thrilled to see such dedication toward DE&I for the industry. As a new student to the public relations graduate program at Centennial College, I am surprisingly thrilled to hear so much conversation around anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion. I was introduced to Mubashira and her podcast through this program, which has inspired and motivated me tremendously. The energy and message the podcast emits has given me great aspiration toward diversifying the industry myself. This podcast inspires BIPOC PR students to feel confident for their futures and has genuinely helped my confidence in talking about DE&I in my own life. Knowing Mubashira as a recent graduate of this program, she has truly been an inspiring figure in my life to know I can make the same impact for other BIPOC students. I have directed my education to prioritize racial justice, equity and inclusion and have felt extremely enlightened after being introduced to the Colour Me PR podcast. Thank you, Mubashira, for setting the example and creating this inspiring podcast!”
The response Mubashira has received is incredible, and the messages that are emanating from the podcast are so important. New episodes of Colour Me PR come out every two weeks on Wednesdays, which you can listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and buzzsprout. Congratulations on all of your hard work, Mubashira!
By: Alexandra Few