Before You Speak, Your Energy Speaks! Artwork

The Hello Frequency

The Hello Frequency - a Lifestyle Podcast - is a captivating exploration of human experiences through candid dialogues. I, Caya, delve into the power of empathy, inviting individuals to share their authentic stories and unravel the threads of empathy for positive transformations and healing. Please visit here to view the transcripts of my podcast episodes and to engage with me, if you wish to review or comment: https://www.thehellofrequency.com/

All Episodes

The Hello Frequency

Before You Speak, Your Energy Speaks!

September 04, 2026 • Caya • Season 3 • Episode 6

0:00 | 40:48

A Conversation with Hafsar Tamesuddin.

There are many labels we give people.

Refugee. Former refugee. Stateless. Migrant. Asylum seeker. Minority. Foreigner. Queer.

And sometimes, long before we meet the person, we think we already know who they are.

My conversation with Hafsar Tamesuddin reminded me of something very simple: before all the labels, there is a human being.

Perhaps we cannot solve every injustice. But we can choose how we meet another human being.

We can listen.
We can learn.
We can refuse to dehumanise.
And we can remember the power we hold as people.

Music: Free music for podcasts from Transistor FM.

Citation: Divakalala, C. & Tamesuddin, H. (2026). Before You Speak, Your Energy Speaks. The Hello Frequency Podcast. A Lifestyle Podcast. Aotearoa New Zealand.

Remember, in a world where discord echoes loudly, let empathy be our pluriversal language!

In this episode of The Hello Frequency, I speak with Hafsar Tamesuddin about empathy, displacement, statelessness, dignity, and human rights.

Drawing from lived experience as a Rohingya person, a former stateless person and former refugee, as well as her work as a social worker and human rights defender, Hafsar speaks about the labels people are given, the assumptions that often come with them, and the importance of approaching one another with curiosity, humility and respect.

We speak about refugees and displaced communities, power and politics, misinformation, solidarity, and the role each of us can play, especially even when the problems around us feel much bigger than us.

Hafsar said something that has stayed with me:

“Before you speak, your energy speaks” - so I made it the title of this episode.

What would change if we approached one another with a little less assumption and a little more curiosity?

Perhaps empathy does not always begin with having the right words. Perhaps it begins with being willing to listen, to remain curious, and to recognise the human being in front of us.

Our energies speak before we do. So, let’s work together to cultivate and nurture positive energy.

People on this episode

Dr Cayathri Divakalala

Host