Interview with Melia VL Pillay

Melia VL Pillay is a radiant voice of strength, softness, and self-discovery. Born in the Caribbean and now based in the UK, she carries with her the layered experiences of a woman who has traversed oceans, cultures, and personal transformations. A proud transgender woman, Melia’s journey has been one of resilience and self-love, shaped by moments of heartbreak, hope, and healing. Whether speaking about childhood memories of skin bleaching or the quiet power of reclaiming her beauty, Melia brings an honesty that disarms and uplifts. Her voice is thoughtful and full of grace, shaped by the complexities of womanhood, especially in a world where trans identities are too often misunderstood or marginalized.

 

She is open about the pressure to fit in, the longing to be loved, and the bittersweet reality of giving more than she received. And yet, love is central to her world, romantic love, yes, but also the love of chosen family, of late-night laughter, and of the self. In her current chapter, Melia balances a fulfilling career with advocacy, dreams of starting a podcast, and hopes of one day being called “Dr. Pillay.” Her goals are rooted not in ego, but in a deep desire to serve, to create safe spaces, and to be a light to others navigating life’s hardest questions. With elegance, warmth, and a fierce commitment to authenticity, Melia invites us into her world, and we are all the better for it.

Interview with Paula Griffin

Paula Griffin is a radiant spirit whose journey embodies resilience, transformation, and unapologetic authenticity. For years, Paula lived between two worlds, Paul, a devoted football fan and workaholic, and Paula, a vibrant trans woman embracing her true self through nights of clubbing and fearless exploration. Yet beneath this dual life lay a deep fear of acceptance, both from others and from herself. A life-changing cancer diagnosis became the catalyst that shattered denial and gave Paula the courage to finally step into her womanhood. Faced with loss and the fragility of life, her beloved sister Kerry passing away amid Paula’s own fight, she chose renewal over despair. With strength forged in hardship, she quit old habits, embraced her identity, and found confidence that allowed her to stand taller than ever before.

 

Paula’s journey is marked by courage beyond personal transformation. She has broken barriers on the football field, competing with fierce passion while confronting the harsh realities of misogyny and transphobia. Yet her spirit remains unbowed. Through documentaries, modeling, and advocacy, Paula shares her story with grace and fierce determination, reminding us all that femininity is not defined by others, but by the love we carry for ourselves and the lives we choose to live. From trekking the Andes to embracing a new community of sisters, Paula continues to inspire with her warmth, humor, and unwavering commitment to authenticity. She is a beacon of hope and pride, a woman who, against all odds, refuses to disappear and instead shines brighter every day.

Interview with Noni Salma

Noni Salma is a filmmaker who doesn’t ask for permission, she creates with purpose, beauty, and unapologetic urgency. A Nigerian-born, New York-based transgender woman, Noni is part of a generation of storytellers redefining cinema on her own feminist terms. Her work dares to center women, queer people, and those whose lives are too often pushed to the margins. Through film, she offers both resistance and celebration, carving out space not just to be seen, but to be understood, respected, and remembered. Raised in the electric chaos of Lagos, Noni’s earliest impressions of the world came with color, contradiction, and complexity, all of which inform her storytelling today. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Lagos and later honed her directorial voice at the New York Film Academy. Her NYFA thesis film Morning After Midnight earned 1st Place at the Treasure Coast International Film Festival, signaling the arrival of a bold new voice in cinema. That voice became unmistakable with Veil of Silence, her haunting, heartfelt short documentary that premiered at the BFI Flare London LGBTQ+ Film Festival and later screened at the United Nations, Egale Canada, and the German Foreign Office. The film resonated deeply across continents, winning second place for Best Short Documentary at CineHomo Film Festival in Spain, an audience award that speaks to the impact of Noni’s human-centered lens.

 

Her storytelling isn’t confined to genre. With Alibi, a suspenseful short thriller, she claimed Best Crime Mystery at the Manhattan Film Festival. And her recent screenwriting projects show the same defiant tenderness: Raison D’être, a feature drama, was a finalist for the ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship, and her razor-sharp comedy pilot Badass earned her a spot on The GLAAD List 2022, which honors the most promising LGBTQ-inclusive screenplays yet to be produced. A Stowe Story Labs Fellowship finalist, Noni Salma writes and directs not from theory but from lived experience, from survival, joy, and feminist fire. Noni is a woman building worlds where our stories matter, where silence is shattered, and where laughter, pain, resistance, and love coexist.In the conversation that follows, I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Noni about her journey, her vision, and what it means to create as a trans woman, as an African woman, and as an artist who refuses to compromise.

Intreview with Keva Schulz

Before you meet Keva Schulz, let me just say: you’re about to fall for an engineer with eyeliner, an ecologist with edge, and a trans advocate who could probably fix your Wi-Fi and rewild your backyard in one afternoon. Keva is many things: artist, athlete, environmentalist, engineer, and absolute ERG goddess. She hails from the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and Little Wolf, Wisconsin (because one home base simply isn’t enough when your personality contains multitudes). She studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, went on to dazzle at IBM as an R&D engineer, and later managed teams at Seagate, until the tech world learned the hard way that a trans woman with a mission and a high EQ is basically their final boss. In 2015, Keva began hormone replacement therapy, switching from testosterone to estrogen, and has been living in glorious “bonus time” ever since. As she puts it, estrogen didn’t just affirm her gender, it cleared the noise in her head, soothed the tension in her muscles, and reminded her that sleep is actually a thing humans are supposed to do. She identifies as pangender, a word that barely begins to capture her beautiful complexity. Think: more masculine than most men, more feminine than most women, all at once. Her style says “soft power,” her presence says “don’t underestimate me,” and her résumé says “seriously, don’t.”

 

Before retiring in 2019, Keva lit up the corporate DEI world like it was Pride Month every month. She founded Seagate PRIDE!, the company’s first LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, and soon became the fabulous face of inclusion, organizing events, mentoring employees, launching new ERGs, and helping her company earn a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. And when backlash came (as it often does when someone fabulous rocks the boat), she kept showing up with strength, grace, and just the right amount of sass. Let’s also not forget: Keva’s love for nature goes way back. At age 14, she won a statewide ecology essay contest and even got a letter from Senator Gaylord Nelson (yes, that Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day). Fifty years later, she’s still fighting to protect this planet with the same earnest fire. So buckle up. In the interview ahead, you’ll meet a woman who defies binaries, blends brilliance with boldness, and reminds us all that living your truth, especially in the face of resistance, is the fiercest form of leadership.

Interview with Karen Cobham

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when kindness meets competence, with a dash of lipstick and a pinch of sparkle, look no further than Karen Cobham. Karen is the Scottish Regional Contact for the Beaumont Society, though to call her that is like calling a diamond “just a rock.” She doesn’t just answer emails. She builds bridges between isolated lives, organizes magical weekends that bring shy souls out of the shadows, helps run the One Voice committee, supports members across Northern Ireland and Eire, and somehow still finds time to help prepare the Beaumont Magazine. I suspect she has a wand hidden in her handbag. She came into the Beaumont family in 2020 after retiring and quickly became the friend, guide, and gentle push many trans people didn’t even know they needed. Some of her closest friendships have blossomed through the Society, and she’s helped many others find their own wings, often after years of solitude. Her story is proof that when you step into yourself, others feel brave enough to do the same.

 

Karen identifies as non-binary and prefers to present en-femme, although, as she sweetly puts it, if that’s not appropriate, it’s not a big deal. There’s a lovely calm to her spirit, like someone who has known the storms and made peace with them. She speaks of being “a bit different” with the same ease one might say they take sugar in their tea. She knows who she is. And more importantly, she knows how to make others feel safe being who they are too. Karen has been with her soulmate for over 30 years, proof that love does flourish when it's rooted in honesty and nurtured with grace. And though she’s helped so many trans people blossom, she never loses her humility. You’ll find no diva here. Just a woman with wit, warmth, and more courage than she’ll ever admit to. So pour yourself a cup of something comforting, or something sparkly, and enjoy this conversation. It’s not just an interview. It’s a meeting between two women who’ve walked winding roads, swapped the map for a mirror, and found themselves, at long last, right where they were always meant to be.

Interview with Bree C

Bree C is a storyteller, creator, and trans advocate whose raw honesty and emotional vulnerability have resonated with thousands. Known as @laser.breems on Instagram, Bree made headlines and touched hearts across social media with a deeply moving video in which she, as her present self, speaks directly to her past self, just days after coming out as transgender in April 2021. What started as a personal journal entry evolved into a viral message of affirmation, healing, and courage for trans people everywhere. 

 

In the video, Bree gently responds to her younger self's doubts and fears with love, pride, and hard-won wisdom. Her words, “You never needed permission. Just let yourself happen.” became a powerful reminder that authenticity is not something to be earned, but embraced. Now, four years into her transition, Bree continues to share her journey with openness and grace. Through her posts and reflections, she invites others to see the beauty in becoming, the strength in vulnerability, and the light that returns when you finally start living as yourself. Her content doesn’t just document her transition, it uplifts an entire community walking similar paths. Bree’s story is one of rediscovery, resilience, and a fierce pride in every version of herself that brought her to where she is today.