Eric and Ayka sit down with multimedia artist, researcher, and storyteller Husna Aboubakar to talk about what it really means to be Swahili in a world that keeps getting it wrong.

Husna shares her experience as a third culture Swahili woman from Mombasa, Kenya, growing up between the Swahili coast and the U.S., and how that tension pushed her to question Western ideas of success, identity, and “the right way” to live. She breaks down Occidental vs. Orientalist frameworks, talks honestly about being a woman of color at RISD in a deeply colonial city, and why she set out to decolonize her own design practice.

They get into her shift from graphic design into film, textiles, and installation, her powerful work around Swahili homes, motherhood, and matrifocal culture, and the responsibility she feels as the first in her family to earn a graduate degree. Husna closes with a message for creatives caught between cultures: your indigeneity isn’t a problem to fix—it’s your power.

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Swurl is building a new kind of networking platform focused on real connections, not self-promotion.

"Music by Vlvt. If you are working on a podcast, get your Swurl Radio discount code and save 20% on anything at Vlvt.fm"

Eric and Ayka sit down with Edmund Earle, a veteran 3D animator and motion designer whose work spans PBS, National Geographic, Hulu, and John Oliver. Edmund breaks down what it really takes to survive today’s animation industry — from pricing and client management to choosing between being a generalist or specialist. They also talk AI, short-form content, and the hard lessons new animators need to hear.

Support Swurl
Swurl is building a new kind of networking platform focused on real connections, not self-promotion. If you like what we’re building, support the Swurl Kickstarter and help bring it to life.

Support -> Swurl Kickstarter

"Music by Vlvt. If you are working on a podcast, get your Swurl Radio discount code and save 20% on anything at Vlvt.fm"

In this episode of Swurl Radio, Eric and Ayka sit down with Emmy Award–winning designer and educator Chris Do. Chris opens up about reinventing yourself after failure, growing up between cultures, battling introversion, and the mentors who shaped his life.

We talk about unlearning old rules, overcoming fear, rebuilding identity, and why discomfort is the real path to growth. Chris shares powerful insights on navigating mistakes, finding confidence, and discovering who you are after everything falls apart.

If you’re in a season of reinvention, self-doubt, or rebuilding your story — this episode is for you.

“Music by Vlvt. If you are working on a podcast, get your Swurl Radio discount code and save 20% on anything at Vlvt.fm”

Support Swurl
Swurl is building a new kind of networking platform focused on real connections, not self-promotion. If you like what we’re building, support the Swurl Kickstarter and help bring it to life.

Support -> Swurl Kickstarter

"Music by Vlvt. If you are working on a podcast, get your Swurl Radio discount code and save 20% on anything at Vlvt.fm"