This week's episode of TWD is a little different than usual - Nehal Mehra (@_nehalmehra on IG), a guest from Season 1, confidence coach, friend, makeup artist, and content creator joined the conversation to weigh in on dating in your thirties, confidence, setting standards, not fearing loneliness, and so much more. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedI...
Sep 07, 2021•51 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Surrogacy is an avenue for parenthood that is often shrouded in mystery. From choosing a gestational carrier to terminology to questions to ask, this episode was enlightening and thought-provoking. In fact, it fostered a part two conversation surrounding surrogacy in South Asia as an upcoming episode! But for now, part one about surrogacy as an option for parenthood is out now on all major podcasting platforms. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores incl...
Aug 31, 2021•51 min•Season 6Ep. 4
TWD is in conversation with Sukhjeen Kaur this week - the founder of Chronically Brown, an organization aimed at decreasing the stigmas surrounding disabilities within the South Asian communities. The conversation is a drop in the ocean: there's so much to learn! But invisible versus visible disabilities, accessibility across websites and social media, stigmatization, shifts in views of disabilities, and more, are the beginning of an important discussion around how we can make positive chan...
Aug 17, 2021•54 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Welcome back to Season 6 of The Woke Desi! It's been a long hiatus of nearly 5 months but Annika and Nehal are back and they're interviewing...each other?! Tune in for chatter about pandemic learnings, podcast happenings, rebrands, travel plans, book releases and more on the soft launch of Season 6! Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twi...
Aug 10, 2021•49 min
It's been a great Season 5 and TWD is closing it out with the ladies of Loudmouth Ladkis, a podcast that feels like a little sister show, and Anu Manner of Masala My Life, a store that brings together East and West. With five people on this show spanning from Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z, first-generation stories and experiences are shared, from immigration stories, experiences in rural areas versus cities, high schools, and toys that have transcended time. Listen now! Annika's book, Sugar...
Mar 09, 2021•1 hr 18 min
On this week's episode, the role of long hair in South Asian beauty standards is discussed with representation advocate and alopecia goddess Neehar Sachdeva, who began her journey of empowerment, owning her story, and reclaiming her beauty a few years ago and hasn't looked back. From ingrained value in long hair, to the aunties and uncles fearing the audacity of women who embrace the way they look, to misconceptions about alopecia, Neehar powerfully shares insights that will stick with...
Mar 02, 2021•49 min
Get ready for a playful, chatty, and sexy episode of TWD. Guest Mira Patel, a digital creator, influencer, model, and makeup artist, joins the show to talk about self-love, sexy time, confidence, and shattering stereotypes. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twitter , and catch up with the hosts, Annika and Asana Voices on IG. Until next time, kee...
Feb 23, 2021•43 min
TWD is joined by Dr. Pinkey Patel, a PharmD, fitness instructor, mama of 2, and startup founder of The Snapback, an app designed to aid womxn from prepregnancy to postpartum, and from mental to physical health. Postpartum depression, in particular, is an underreported, underdiagnosed, and unfortunately accepted part of motherhood in South Asian communities. During the most momentous transformation in a person's life, healthcare systems need to be designed to support mothers fully and, hopef...
Feb 16, 2021•44 min
Wellness coach and advocate for empowerment, Punita Mangat (@Thrivehigherdaily) joins TWD this week to discuss sexual empowerment, thriving after divorce, South Asian expectations of divorcees (and how they should go in the trash), and so much more. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twitter , and catch up with the hosts, Annika and Asana Voices o...
Feb 09, 2021•39 min
Relationships between South Asian nations, particularly over religious differences, are unstable at best - and relationships between Hindus and Muslims are filled with history between conquering nations, colonialism, partition, conflicts over land, the use of armed forces on each other. This brings us to this week's topic of Islamophobia and how we need to dismantle some of the biases that our families have passed on through their own trauma. That's why we got a second to chat with Ays...
Feb 02, 2021•1 hr
Immigrant women are often at a loss about their finances due to dependence, culture, abuse, and social structure. TWD talks with financial coach Parween Mander (IG: @parween.mander) about what empowering women financially looks like and what steps people can take to ensure better money choices. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twitter , and catc...
Jan 26, 2021•37 min
TWD interviews fashion designer Mani Jassal, a creative and powerhouse woman who has dressed names like Ashanti, Diipa Khosla, and Zendaya. From her roots designing prom dresses as she put herself through school, to adjusting business models during COVID-19, this interview is a must-listen for all creatives who need a dose of determined inspiration. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on ...
Jan 19, 2021•46 min
Of the world's 30 million slaves, 50% are in India. The societal, political, and industrial relationships between South Asian countries are ripe for trafficking survivors across borders, particularly once power dynamics come into play. TWD speaks to documentarians Arpita De and Pallavi Pundir of Vice World News about sex trafficking and their documentary, "The Forgotten Ones: Human Trafficking in Nepal," which features survivors who have brought their voices out to speak against t...
Jan 12, 2021•1 hr 8 min
TW: Suicide, loss Guest Pooja Mehta (yup, the same from Season 3!) comes back to chat about grief, loss, and the process of moving forward when someone in your life has passed from suicide. This is also a relevant and timely episode for those who have faced losses from COVID-19 - grief doesn't discriminate. Let's work together to empathize, be kind, and support others in our community in knowledgeable and conducive ways. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at...
Dec 15, 2020•48 min
Author Tanuja Desai Hidier, the critically acclaimed author of the first young adult novel with a South Asian-American protagonist, Born Confused (and its sequel Bombay Blues), speaks with the ladies of TWD about South Asian identity, her groundbreaking work, reader responses across the globe as their lives were changed by seeing themselves in writing, her writing process, and New York-London-Paris love. Music credits for this episode: BORN TWO [the Born Confused theme] from WHEN WE WERE TWINS (...
Dec 08, 2020•1 hr 7 min
COVID-19 and quarantine has led to many young people moving in with family, fast tracking relationships into the move-in stage, or finding themselves with friends who live in close proximity. Boundaries can be hard to come by. TWD chatted with Anjali Chakra about boundary-setting, relationship hacks during this stressful time, love languages, and small ways to let close spaces create individual growth. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Bar...
Dec 01, 2020•41 min
Theater. Film. Television. Aasif Mandvi, the groundbreaking South Asian actor, does it all. From SNL to CBS' Evil, he dives into his acting career and recounts his stories of answering services while auditioning, his baby's giggle, brown representation, and so much more, on this episode of The Woke Desi. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , an...
Nov 24, 2020•1 hr 21 min
Makeup guru. Youtube superstar. Total sweetheart. Kaushal joins the ladies of TWD to chat about makeup, her career, how she got started, her marriage to Vex King, her low points, family, and more. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twitter , and catch up with the hosts, Annika and Asana Voices on IG. Until next time, keep lighting That Desi Spark!...
Nov 17, 2020•1 hr
It's been a long two months, friends, but the ladies of The Woke Desi are back with Season 5. In this insights episode, Annika and Nehal talk about their lives in the last six months and how COVID-19, personal challenges and growth, the election, mental health, racial tensions and more have come together. Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twitter , and catch up with the hosts, Annika and Asana Voices on IG. Until next time, keep lighting That Desi Spark!...
Nov 10, 2020•23 min
It's the TWD Season 5 finale...with Sahaj Kohli, the remarkable and insightful presence behind Brown Girl Therapy, the largest community for children of immigrants and their mental health. Sahaj talks to the ladies of TWD about parental expectations, setting boundaries, how therapy should be encouraged for everyone, and how support and connection are powerful unifiers. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , an...
Sep 01, 2020•47 min
From unmarried womxn terrified of the stigmas attached to being an unwed mother and premarital sex, to married womxn who don't feel stable enough in their lives to bring children into their current situation, to trans men who became pregnant because of healthcare inadequacies, TWD is talking to Dr. Meera Shah (@mjshah8), author of the INCREDIBLE book, "You're the Only One I've Told," about abortion, barriers to access and how abortion can impact all kinds of policy from ...
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 1 min
To quote guest Ryan Budhu: "Systemic inequity impacts distinct parts of our community differently, and [Ryan's brother who died in police custody] Ravi’s story is just one facet of a larger narrative. To understand this larger story, South Asians should strive to understand this nation’s history and how our current legal system can perpetuate inequality. In doing so, there will be a greater recognition that the road to equal treatment for all, particularly for communities of color and ...
Aug 18, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Sonalee Rashatwar - also known as The Fat Sex Therapist - speaks with TWD about fatphobia, sexual pleasure and how it does not need to be penetrative to be intimate, and Health At Every Size. Full of controversial opinions and urging listeners to examine science closely, Sonalee has insights worth listening to about diet culture, South Asians, children's consent before dieting, and shame. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and N...
Aug 11, 2020•55 min
Closing out the second half of this two-part series is Nadia Jagessar, the breakout star and lovable heroine of her own love story on Netflix' Indian Matchmaking. Did she have some realities strike after filming? How did she adjust to her heartbreaks being played out on screen? What were her stories? Find out now on this episode of TWD! Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagra...
Aug 06, 2020•37 min
Indian Matchmaking, the #1 show on Netflix in recent weeks, has taken the world by storm. From problematic themes regarding colorism, casteism, sexism, to being the train wreck you can't turn away from, one cast member has become a person people love to hate. Vinay Chadha, the man who stood up fan favorite Nadia, speaks to TWD about his story in part one of two surrounding the show in this double-feature week. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores ...
Aug 04, 2020•41 min
Brown Girl Magazine CEO Trisha Sakhuja-Walia joins TWD to discuss her journey as an entrepreneur, buying out her partners, how there is space for all South Asians on the world stage, the identity of BGM and her plans to expand. This episode is a must listen-to for emerging entrepreneurs and those who aspire to think outside the box. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Faceb...
Jul 28, 2020•49 min
Two of the four founders of the South Asian Sexual and Mental Health Alliance join TWD to discuss colonized health, minority stress theory, stigmatization and expectations around sexuality, and how full body health has to include both mental health and sexual health in the conversation. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Twitter , and catch up wit...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 5 min
*This episode is sponsored by Soma Ayurvedic* Pink Ladoo Project's Raj Khaira joins the ladies of TWD to explore gender inequality in South Asian communities. From women propagating sexism, to how on earth we expect women to stand up for themselves after a lifetime of inferiority, to how feminism needs to be intersectional, this conversation is a must-listen when it comes to dismantling thousands of years of toxic behavior toward women in the South Asian community. Annika's book, Sugar, Spi...
Jul 14, 2020•59 min
The rate of chronic pelvic pain across the world varies from 14-32%. This stat is likely underreported because women, particularly those in South Asian cultures, assume pain is normal--and it isn't! Dr. Tayyaba Ahmed joins TWD to go over sociocultural factors, endometriosis, pain during sex, why South Asian women's sexual activity is associated with pain, and the differences between Europe and the US when it comes to pelvic floor health. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice...
Jul 07, 2020•52 min
Diipa Khosla--one of the world's biggest influencers. Entrepreneur. Creator of social change. On one of the biggest episodes of TWD, Diipa joins the ladies to discuss her rise to Insta-fame, her lessons as an entrepreneur, her journey with mental health, representation as a South Asian and how beauty standards need to change. Annika's book, Sugar, Spice, and Can't Play Nice, is available at all bookstores including Barnes and Noble , Bookshop , and Amazon ! Follow TDS on Instagram , Faceboo...
Jun 30, 2020•50 min
