Nerissa Trindade on Layers, Lies, and Letting Yourself Be

Episode 5 of Under the Brown Rainbow welcomes Nerissa Trindade — a neuro-transformational coach, speaker, bestselling author, and the force behind Speak for IMPACT. Their pronouns are they/them.

In this conversation with host Kashif Harrison, Nerissa opens up about growing up queer in Kolkata – bullied at a Catholic school with Irish nuns, told that everything about them was wrong, and spending 30 years living a version of themselves that everyone else had written. They share what it took to finally say "I can no longer live this lie," why they had to build an entire independent life before they felt safe enough to come out, and how discovering the concept of non-binary identity felt like finally being allowed to stop choosing.

We also talk about the energy we pour into not being ourselves, why brown queers so often tick every other box before exploring identity, and how Nerissa now channels all of it into coaching others to share their stories in their own authentic voice – because the version only you can offer is the one that matters.

Under the Brown Rainbow is hosted by Kashif Harrison and produced by Kunal Mirchandani. Presented by Trikone Australia.