Interview: Just Warm Spaces

Just Warm Spaces is a micropod hosted by two Afghan women, Negine Jasmine and Rona Akbari. I’ve enjoyed listening to these two discuss topics such as creativity and nourishing your soul. This is the perfect pandemic podcast when you just want to daydream about the wonders in life while being wrapped in the warmth the two hosts radiate with their voices. I had the pleasure to discuss the podcast with Negine Jasmine to learn more about the podcast and the hosts behind it.

1. Tell us about yourself.

My name is Negine Jasmine. Jasmine is the middle name my parents gave me so that I would have an American name to make life easier but they always pronounced it Yasmine. I was born in Sedona, Arizona and grew up in Phoenix. I moved to Los Angeles over a year ago to pursue filmmaking but I also love to do a lot of other things. Such as: film photography, embroidery, reading, screenwriting, plant-hunting, record collecting, whale-watching, and baking. I am also about to dive into the world of ceramics, which I can hardly contain my excitement for. My parents are both from Afghanistan, my dad from Kabul and my mom from Herat. I grew up speaking my mother’s dialect but sometimes mix the two and get made fun of by professional Afghans. I like to catch the sunrise and the sunset because it makes me feel human and spreading rose jam on fresh bread is one of my favorite joys in this life.

2. Who would your dream guest be?

For the podcast, my dream guest would be Jenny Slate. I think that her skills as a comedian, writer, and actress are both amorous and astute. She’s not afraid in expressing her true self, whether it’s the ugly, vulnerable, anxious, joyful, or tender self -- she’s just creating for her own inner world and that can be felt from her presence on screen or in her book. I look up to women who can be expressive in a limitless way while being in tune with their intuition and I think Jenny Slate embodies that with grace, humility, and strength.

3. Where did the name come from?

Just Warm Spaces is an extension of my Web Series Space for Us Journal. The name Space for Us comes from my avid belief that there is enough space for all of us to thrive and create in without the stressors of time-constraint and comparison that this society has drilled into our consciousness. I was meeting and interviewing women in their creative bubbles while discussing their journeys of pursuing their dreams as their careers. When the pandemic hit, I couldn’t necessarily meet up with a bunch of cool girls and film them in their homes -- which is when Just Warm Spaces came into fruition. The first season consisted of sweet conversations between my co-host Rona Akbari and I, but the second season will reflect more of the initial intent behind Space for Us Journal -- which means there will be a lot more guests! And to answer your question, the name Just Warm Spaces came from a past relationship I was in where I constantly urged for more warmth. Through that situation I learned that exuding, sharing, and basking in that warmth is truly the only way I can co-exist with another person, romantically, in friendships, and with my colleagues. Warmth is essential and without it, I don’t work too well. Just warmth.

4. How did you and your co-host Rona meet?

My sweet Rona and I met on Instagram many years ago. We quickly realized that both of our families come from Herat, Afghanistan. Not only that -- but my grandfather and her father knew one another. She’s said this before but if we hadn’t met through a social media platform in America, we might have met as neighbors in Herat in another life. A few years back, I was in New York City working as a production assistant and photographer for a musical. I messaged Rona that I was in town and we met up for the first time at a very special coffee shop and talked over freshly squeezed orange juice. We’ve been creating magic separately and together ever since.

5. Do you all have a favorite spot to record? Or get inspiration?

I record in my room and it’s nice because there’s a window that overlooks a small parking lot, trees, and neighbor’s cats. My street is filled with colorful hummingbirds and the best moments are when I am visited by one or two while I’m sitting at my desk. I get a lot of inspiration from the ocean, sunsets, pretty fruit, and music.

6. What episode have you found to be the hardest/most fun to make?

The hardest episode to make is the one that I tell everyone to listen to if they ask me where they should start (if not from the beginning). It’s called “Gosh Kon” which translates to “Listen” in Dari. It’s the seventh episode, Rona and I recorded snippets of our lives, our thoughts, and the sounds that made us feel a type of way. We brought those recordings together for an episode and it kind of feels like a personalized playlist filled with songs from our day-to-day existence. There are songs of the waves, songs of the birds, songs of the wind, and songs from our friends all in one episode.