queer becomings: beyond survival
meet the team
Allison Kam (they/them)
A life lived at the intersection of vision and execution, Allison is a DEI professional, world traveler, activist, and self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie. Allison has worked in 3 industries, explored 24 countries, organized countless social justice events, and participated in everything from SCUBA diving to glacier hiking.
For nearly a decade, they have worked in DEI training hundreds of leaders to navigate complex, high-stakes human dynamics with clarity, integrity, and care. Their work spans organizational strategy, leadership development, and culture transformation, with a focus on expanding how people think, relate, and lead.
Allison holds a degree in Neuroscience from Duke University and a Master’s in Community Planning from Auburn University, grounding their curiosity about people in both science and systems.
Their desire to explore the heights and depths of people emerged from their journey through identity, faith, and education growing up in Auburn, Alabama. As a racially ambiguous person of Trinidadian immigrants, who is also queer, gender nonconforming, and . Allison also grew up with a strong Catholic foundation. Their journey through identity, faith, education, and lived experience led them to radically reexamine the world, cultivating a profound capacity to listen, bridge perspectives, and evolve communities.
Host
Alex Brookins (he/they)
Alex is a speaker, writer, and communication coach committed to joy, peace, and freedom. He aims to simplify what seems complex and remove barriers between people and what they really want.
Growing up in Charlotte, NC as an Indian trans person, early on they developed a deep curiosity about identity, perception, and the possibility of a world without limitations. This grew into nearly two decades of experience with recovery work and transformational practices, including non-duality, Reiki, and ontology, and speaking publicly across the country. From classrooms to large audiences, he shares on mental health, identity, and creating a world where queer and trans people thrive. An avid traveler, Alex has been to 39 states and 11 countries, and speaks 4 languages.
After studying video game design at the Savannah College of Art and Design and a few years in the corporate world, Alex shifted toward more impactful work. He created a coaching and consulting practice supporting individuals and small businesses in realizing their goals, and now lives in Valencia, Spain working remotely in financial services, helping make financial freedom accessible to all.
Host
Elliot Baum is a multi-disciplinary artist, a trained arc welder, and a Twitch streamer. He approaches life and the process of becoming with a perspective shaped by curiosity, love, and self-discovery. In his spare time, he can be found marching at protests or brunching with his local queer community.
In Spring of 2022, Elliot and his friends created an online server for neurodivergent people like himself to come together called NeuroHaven -- a place where everyone could share their individual experiences, and create a community of support for one another. As a team, they curated the space to be welcoming to people of all backgrounds while maintaining a compassionate approach to conflict resolution and cross-cultural education.
His experience as a reconnecting indigenous person informs his spiritual and artistic expression, both of which include a variety of established modalities as well as his own intuitive approach. He is a diviner, un curandero (yerbero), and a psychic artist. Embodying a maker’s spirit in everything he does, his creative inspirations pull from existentialism, his identity, and the natural beauty of the Mojave Desert.
Host
Elliot Baum (he/him)
Desiree Lim (she/they)
Producer
DESIREE LIM is an award-winning Canadian filmmaker - a multilingual, cultural hybrid growing up in Malaysia and Japan. She has written, directed, and produced documentaries, lifestyle shows and news segments for both Canadian and Japanese television since 1996, before moving into writing and directing drama in 2000. Her independent films have screened worldwide at international film festivals to sold-out audiences. In 2012, Desiree began a journey of spiritual awakening and found her calling as a spiritual healer. Trained by world renowned Tao Grandmaster Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha, Desiree is a Certified Master Teacher and Healer applying Tao healing through the healing arts of Tao Song and Tao Calligraphy for helping others in healing and transforming all aspects of life. Since 2017, Desiree has been serving Vancouver’s LGBTQ Community Centre by leading the Rainbow Light Meditation group to promote mindfulness and wellness in the community. She is also the host of the Queer.Love.Lightpodcast - a portal to share spiritual wisdom and practical tools for healing and modern-day spirituality. Fluent in English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese and Malay, Desiree continues to transcend geographical and cultural borders to breathe life and give voice to the unique and original stories she has to tell through film while sharing her healing gifts with the world. Her faith in the power of authentic personal stories to inspire and initiate transformation is what motivated her to help launch and produce the Queer Becoming podcast with Alex, Elliot and Allison.
Queer | Gender Non Conforming | Multiracial | Life Coach | DEI Professional | Christian | Southerner | Activist | Organizer | World traveller | Adrenaline Junkie
Allison Kam (they/them)
A life lived at the intersection of vision and execution, Allison is a DEI professional, world traveler, activist, and self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie. Over 23 years Allison has worked in 3 industries, explored 24 countries, organized countless social justice events, and participated in everything from SCUBA diving to glacier hiking.
For nearly a decade, they have worked in DEI training hundreds of leaders to navigate complex, high-stakes human dynamics with clarity, integrity, and care. Their work spans organizational strategy, leadership development, and culture transformation, with a focus on expanding how people think, relate, and lead. Allison holds a degree in Neuroscience from Duke University and a Master’s in Community Planning from Auburn University, grounding their curiosity about people in both science and systems.
Allison’s desire to explore the heights and depths of people emerged from their experiences growing up in a small town in Alabama as a gender nonconforming, racially ambiguous, child of Trinidadian immigrants with a strong Catholic foundation. Their journey through identity, faith, education, and lived experience led them to radically reexamine the world, cultivating a profound capacity to listen, bridge perspectives, and evolve communities.
Meet the Team
Queer | Gender Non Conforming | Multiracial | Life Coach | DEI Professional | Christian | Southerner | Activist | Organizer | World traveller | Adrenaline Junkie
Alex Brookins (he/they)
A life lived at the intersection of vision and execution, Allison is a DEI professional, world traveler, activist, and self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie. Over 23 years Allison has worked in 3 industries, explored 24 countries, organized countless social justice events, and participated in everything from SCUBA diving to glacier hiking.
For nearly a decade, they have worked in DEI training hundreds of leaders to navigate complex, high-stakes human dynamics with clarity, integrity, and care. Their work spans organizational strategy, leadership development, and culture transformation, with a focus on expanding how people think, relate, and lead. Allison holds a degree in Neuroscience from Duke University and a Master’s in Community Planning from Auburn University, grounding their curiosity about people in both science and systems.
Allison’s desire to explore the heights and depths of people emerged from their experiences growing up in a small town in Alabama as a gender nonconforming, racially ambiguous, child of Trinidadian immigrants with a strong Catholic foundation. Their journey through identity, faith, education, and lived experience led them to radically reexamine the world, cultivating a profound capacity to listen, bridge perspectives, and evolve communities.
Queer | Trans | Multiethnic | Artist | Twitch Streamer | Indigenous | Spiritual | Skeptic
Elliot Baum (he/him)
Elliot Baum is a multi-disciplinary artist, a trained arc welder, and a Twitch streamer. He approaches life and the process of becoming with a perspective shaped by curiosity, love, and self-discovery. In his spare time, he can be found marching at protests or brunching with his local queer community.
In Spring of 2022, Elliot and his friends created an online server for neurodivergent people like himself to come together called NeuroHaven -- a place where everyone could share their individual experiences, and create a community of support for one another. As a team, they curated the space to be welcoming to people of all backgrounds while maintaining a compassionate approach to conflict resolution and cross-cultural education.
His experience as a reconnecting indigenous person informs his spiritual and artistic expression, both of which include a variety of established modalities as well as his own intuitive approach. He is a diviner, un curandero (yerbero), and a psychic artist. Embodying a maker’s spirit in everything he does, his creative inspirations pull from existentialism, his identity, and the natural beauty of the Mojave Desert.