Despite increasing visibility, there remains a profound lack of understanding about the transgender experience in our society. Too often, trans individuals face discrimination, violence, and appalling prejudices rooted in ignorance about what it means to be transgender. In this episode, Celia Sandhya Daniels courageously takes us through her journey from struggling with gender dysphoria as a child without the language to understand it, to her evolution in embracing her authentic identity as a tr...
Feb 22, 2024•49 min•Season 6Ep. 72
We’re thrilled to host interculturalist Pratha Shetty, who guides us through the fascinating world of cross-cultural understanding. We learn about Pratha’s early fascination with why people from diverse cultures think and act differently. This curiosity sparked a career unveiling complex cultural concepts through educational tools, speaking, and writing. A highlight is the colorful children’s book Pratha created called “When I Grow Up,” which teaches cultural empathy through storytelling. Pratha...
Feb 15, 2024•25 min•Season 6Ep. 71
In this episode, Shilpa offers wisdom on nurturing your passions with patience, making time for what inspires you, looking beyond labels to live authentically, and uplifting others along the way. With humor and compassion, Shilpa opens up about her multifaceted life, from balancing family and work to staying motivated through struggles. Learn Shilpa’s advice on personal growth, the insights she’s gained from mentors, and her thoughts on unlocking your potential through deep listening. Discover k...
Feb 08, 2024•17 min
On our show today is the multi-talented Aarti! With degrees in two seemingly contrasting fields – psychology and computer engineering – Aarti has cultivated a distinctive perspective that fuses logic and artistic creativity. Aarti talks about her interests, from nurturing her flair for writing and painting, to channeling her energy into Bollywood dance, to succeeding in technical careers by blending left-brain analytics with insight into the human psyche. She shares how she manages to integrate ...
Feb 01, 2024•17 min•Season 6Ep. 69
Anu Sehgal is a spirited cultural educator whose adventure spans over 25 years from India to the US. Hers is a heartwarming story of craving authentic Indian experiences and how that desire transformed her into an advocate for cultivating cultural awareness, heritage, and language in children. “The Culture Tree,” Anu’s brainchild initially focused on language education has now blossomed into a delightful mix of cultural events and community bonding. Anu’s story isn’t just hers; it’s an opportuni...
Jan 25, 2024•23 min
Meet Anuradha Gupta, a passionate angel investor and the creative mind behind Vows for Eternity, a globally renowned matchmaking firm. Anuradha’s journey is all about following her heart, understanding people, and taking a unique path in the business world. Growing up in India and later living most of her life abroad, Anuradha sensed a missing piece in the typical matchmaking process. The usual exchange of biodata felt shallow, pushing her to dream up a platform that goes beyond mere numbers and...
Jan 18, 2024•24 min•Season 6Ep. 67
Meet Sharan, the creative soul with Becker Muscular Dystrophy, who, despite the challenges, remains a creator, an inspiration, and a unique voice in the big conversation about life. This conversation isn’t about putting a spotlight on someone because they are differently-abled; it’s an open invitation for all of us to think about how we see and connect with people whose experiences and circumstances might be different from our own. So, grab a seat as we dive into some deep questions about life, ...
Jan 11, 2024•31 min•Season 6Ep. 66
Roshni isn’t just making waves in the fast-paced world of PR marketing – she’s leaving an unforgettable impression on high-profile South Asian celebrities, not just in North America but globally. Beyond being the co-founder of the wildly popular Urban Asian news platform, her story goes way beyond the usual tale of success, reaching past the shiny exterior of her career. Beyond her professional accolades, she unveils the layers of her journey, especially her experiences with mental health. In th...
Jan 04, 2024
In this episode, we explore the fascinating journey of manifestation through quantum jumping through Bianca’s lens. Discover how she taps into intuition and spiritual insight to navigate the complexities of life, offering a refreshing perspective on creating your reality, even in the face of uncertainty. Bianca shares her personal stories and insights, offering practical wisdom on manifesting your desires, overcoming obstacles, and embracing the unknown with confidence. Join us as we delve into ...
Dec 28, 2023•28 min
We couldn’t have picked a more informative episode to end our season with. Sanya Sharma is a 19-year-old law student based in the UK and the founder of the global organization Scarlet Udaan. The aim of the organization is to raise awareness of Female Genital Mutilation. The team has members from different parts of the world including India, UK, Indonesia, US, Canada and many more. The World Health Organization estimates that 200 million females around the world have undergone FGM/C. The name Sca...
Nov 30, 2020•19 min
Pooja Tripathi is a first-generation Indian American actor, filmmaker and violinist based in New York City. She grew up in Pittsburgh & NYC, and studied at Carnegie Mellon University. Pooja is the co-creator of new Dutch American dramedy series Amsterdam Ave . which was created by a 90% female crew and takes place in The Netherlands and NYC. Having a predominantly female crew was an intentional choice as she believes, the industry does not provide enough opportunities for women in filmmaking...
Nov 23, 2020•19 min
Yashi, as she’s popularly known, is a Connecticut based homeopath with nearly three decades of experience in the medical field. Yashi’s way of practising homeopathy is a bit different from the traditional way. She strives to empower and educate families that are looking for a safer, alternative way to good health. She does this by teaching them the basics of homeopathy so that they can manage everyday ailments themselves. Over the years, Yashi has helped hundreds of families and thousands in nee...
Nov 16, 2020•21 min•Season 5Ep. 61
Karthika Gupta’s career has been a wonderful mix of corporate, technology and creativity. Currently based in Chicago, but having lived and worked in many parts of the world, she was always surrounded by so many amazing people who brought a rich cultural diversity into her life. And these interactions led her to want to know more about not just her culture but about other cultures too. After a successful 15 year career in banking, finance and management, she turned to photography 8 years ago as a...
Nov 09, 2020•19 min•Season 5Ep. 60
Anahata Meher is a Shamanic practitioner based in Goa. Before finding Shamanism, she was a city brat living a comfortable life with no worries or ambition. Despite having all the comforts, Anahata found that she was angry all the time, to the extent that her husband suggested she seek help to manage the anger. She sought help from a hypnotherapist, but it was a trip to the mountains that truly changed her life. It was here that her journey of seeking began and led her to Shamanism which she beli...
Nov 02, 2020•24 min•Season 5Ep. 59
Water is the most important natural resource in the world; without it, life cannot exist. 2.1 billion people across the world lack access to clean drinking water. Marita Peters, the Executive Director of Surge UAE chapter, is determined to change that. Marita’s childhood friend, Shilpa Alva, is the founder of Surge. Growing up together, they had a shared dream to do something that makes a difference in the world. Both Shilpa and Marita shared similar lives growing up. They were NRI kids who most...
Oct 26, 2020•23 min•Season 5Ep. 58
Dipti Mehta is a scientist, entrepreneur, writer and an award-winning artist based in New York. She grew up in a conservative, patriarchal family in India. But she was not one to keep quiet; she questioned everything, especially why she was treated differently from her brothers. At twelve, an All India Radio executive discovered Dipti at an elocution competition and offered her a ten-minute slot on the radio. She used this opportunity to share her budding feminist ideas. Since then, Dipti has us...
Oct 19, 2020•22 min
“Don’t you have long sleeves you can wear while you’re outside?”, “I brought a new brightening face scrub for you to try.”, “Try not to stay in the sun too long, you’ll get dark.” South Asian kids listen to these kinds of comments all the time. And not from outsiders but people close to our hearts. This was also the case for Anu Kumar. Born in New York to Indian Immigrant parents, from Southern India, Anu moved and was raised in Knoxville, TN. Anu was confused when she realized that people, who ...
Oct 12, 2020•21 min•Season 5Ep. 56
Avani Modi Sarkar is the co-founder of Modi Toys a family-owned small business, that honours her Indian roots. They’re the first-ever makers of the original and mantra-singing Baby Ganesh, Baby Hanuman and Baby Krishna plush toys, which are both fun and cultural. Avani shares her story about building a generational brand that she hopes will help maintain and pass on the Indian culture. She, like so many others, wants children to be aware of their roots. Avani hopes to do this by sparking curiosi...
Oct 04, 2020•21 min
Today, Vandana Shah is amongst the top divorce lawyers in India. The story of how she got there is unique. Vandana was in an abusive marriage and only got out of it because her in-laws pushed her out of the house one night. With only 10 dollars in her account, Vandana rebuilt her life taking every opportunity that came her way. When she found that she was running around in circles as a litigant, because of her limited understanding of the law, she decided to study law. She chose to document her ...
Dec 01, 2019•21 min
Bhavna has a career in IT, but her passion lies in connecting people through food. She’s the author of the blog, Just a Girl from Aamchi Mumbai which featured in the top twenty blogs in Perth. Her most recent venture, The Modern Desi, a culinary experience represents both, the girl holding on to her culture and roots in India and the newer her as she embraces and grows in a different culture in Australia. Bhavna’s birth-home, India and home of choice, Australia are different at various levels. Y...
Nov 24, 2019•21 min
Suzanna grew up surrounded by nature and by all things natural in Munnar, India. When she moved to the city, she quickly adapted to the city life of access and “use and throw” mentality. All that changed when Suzanna’s daughter was born. She wants her daughter to grow in a world that is not being crushed under the burden of consumption. And so, Suzanna became conscious of the everyday choices she made. She found this shift in her way of living was not easy, cheap or accessible. We consume and ne...
Nov 17, 2019•18 min
Priti Raman Vishwakarma’s love for travel began after her first solo trip to Himachal Pradesh in India. Despite her initial apprehensions, she found the courage to travel alone, and her life was forever changed. She hopes that by sharing her experience, others are encouraged to travel more. That’s how Womaniya on road trips, a travel company for women, led by Priti began. Priti has Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and was advised by the doctor to stop travelling after she had a seizure at an airport ...
Nov 10, 2019•21 min
Reshma is an artist-activist advocating and supporting several issues from mental health and sexuality to human rights. Val Resh as she’s popularly known was diagnosed with schizophrenia at twenty-two. Since then she’s had many diagnoses. She does not let these labels define her and calls herself the schizophrenist, combining the words schizophrenia and artist-activist. She gives us an insight into what it is like to live in our society with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, in her book Fallen, Stan...
Nov 03, 2019•29 min
Sonam Shekhawat is the first Indian to win an Emmy Award for writing. She shares her story of growing up in Jaipur, India, watching cartoons all day to becoming one of the most coveted animation series writers. Sonam had offers to pursue a degree in medicine or engineering from some of the most prestigious colleges in India, and she chose to pursue a degree in animation, a career choice her parents were not keen on. However, they supported her decision, and Sonam is grateful for their support. C...
Jul 07, 2019•34 min
Isha Soni has moved between twelve apartments, four cities and two countries over the past three years and is currently settled in Canada. She shares her story of growing up in India and then moving to the west and finding herself in an environment that felt completely alien, causing a kind of cultural chaos she hadn’t expected. She chats about her about life abroad, trying to make sense out of different cultural norms and a whole new way of living while trying to hold on to her culture, identit...
Jun 30, 2019•29 min
Snehaa Sundaram, our guest today works with Wildlife Trust Of India, helping address wildlife emergencies across the country. Before this, she worked in the forests of Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh), Sanjay-Dubri National Park & Great Nicobar Island. She followed her passion for a career, and it led her to find love with Yaju, a naturalist, in the beautiful Sal forests of Kanha. Working closely with nature every day means they are always aware of the impact we have on earth and chose t...
Jun 23, 2019•25 min
If the word diet immediately makes you think of a stringent weight-loss plan, you are not alone. Humans have been obsessing about their weight for over two thousand years. We chat with Uma Narula about the importance of nutrition and why we must focus on nourishing ourselves instead of obsessing about following diet fads. She shares her opinion on various current diet fads. She believes in holistic nutrition and not overcomplicating food and that a happy, healthy and balanced life can be achieve...
Jun 16, 2019•28 min
Suman Manning is an events organiser, entrepreneur, manages the community Twinplus Arabia which supports parents of multiples and is mum to triplets Zara, Zoe and Zander. She shares her story of finding love with Shane, fertility struggles, having triplets and now raising them in a culture that is different from both hers and her husbands. She hopes her children will grow up to be cross-cultural and can feel at home anywhere in the world. Connect with the guests: Email: suman@square1me.com Insta...
Jun 09, 2019•27 min
Parshati Patel is an astrophysicist, planetary scientist, science communicator and educator. As a young girl, she discovered astronomy on a trip to the planetarium on holiday with the family and has not looked back. She struggled to convince her traditional Gujarati family about her career choice and found a unique way to win them over. With her family convinced, she moved to Canada to study astronomy and build her career as an astrophysicist. Today she is a passionate advocate for Women of Colo...
Jun 02, 2019•21 min
Addiction is a progressive mental illness. Mehek Gidwani shares her story of addiction, recovery and now living a sober life. She was born and raised in Hong Kong and had her first interaction with alcohol and drugs at the tender age of thirteen. The drug didn’t seem like a drug. It was a natural thing found around the house. What started as a fun, exhilarating experience and way to fit in with friends quickly progressed to full-blown addiction by the age of fifteen. She was torn, one part of he...
May 26, 2019•35 min
