Today I talk to fellow podcaster, Ginni Saraswati. She is Founder and CEO of Ginni Media, a podcast production company whose motto is, “Made Offbeat”- which describes my life. She is also a contributor to Entrepreneur and Rolling Stone Magazine.We talk about everything podcasting, her thoughts on the industry, and where she sees it going in the next 5 years.  She also talks about growing up brown in Australia, her appreciation for every culture she's been a part of, and what we both realize about our own culture as adults.She talks about coming out to her family, we figure out who the OG influencer is,  I talk about the time I shook Madonna's hand, and she tells me what she would like to be known for at the end of her career.If you’re interested in podcasting, the podcast industry, or have already launched your own podcast, this one is definitely for you!

Today I talk to the co-founder of India Rising, Gautam Kapur.India Rising is the home for brown athletes. It is a media platform designed to develop Indian basketball, showcase next-level talent, and compete in professional tournaments around the world.We talk about whether our genes allow Indian people to be true athletes, the impetus for starting India Rising, the highs and lows of building a very new start-up in the "brown space", and what they hope to accomplish in the next 5 years.Gautam tells me about how they assembled their team by looking at over 60 competitive pros around the world,  how they had 7 days to create a unified team chemistry before playing in the TBT- The Basketball Tournament, and when they will start working with brown female athletes.We talk about our college days and why joining an Indian dance team seemed to be the only way to show your "brownness" and he tells me more about the work he's doing with NBA's Asian Professional Exchange (APEX).https://www.indiarising.co/

Welcome back Tuckered Outers!As many of you know, India just celebrated her 75th year of independence. Our fall season begins with one of India's most renowned authors, Suketu Metha. Suketu  is the New York-based author of Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found, which was a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize. The book was based off of two years of research and was an account of his personal experiences living in Bombay.He talks to me about his latest article in which he shares his concern about the future of India, why it is crucial that India remains a democracy for all its citizens and the world, and the two biggest threats facing India today.He gives me an update on his close friend, Salman Rushdie, tells me why storytellers are more powerful than we think, and how he handles our volatile environment as a writer. I ask him what Bombay and New York City mean to him, what his favorite memories were growing up in Bombay, and about his current project that he refers to as a love letter to NYC.His latest book This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant's Manifesto, was published in June 2019 under a 2007 Guggenheim fellowship.

It's a reunion!  Twenty years after being his production assistant on a film set in Austin, TX, Kal Penn and I get a chance to sit down and catch up about it all.Kal Penn, is an American actor, author, academic lecturer and former White House staff member in the Barack Obama administration. You may know him from television shows such as House, Designated Survivor, Sunnyside, and How I Met Your Mother. He is also recognized for his performance in the film The Namesake and of course the Harold and Kumar series ( I personally still love Taj Mahal Badalandabad). Penn has taught at the University of Pennsylvania in the Cinema Studies Program as a visiting lecturerWe talk about it all from our first impressions, to those fantastic middle school years, to his job as a farmhand right before he went to UCLA. He talks about the meaning behind the Brown Catch-22, his journey with stereotyping in Hollywood, his experience going to India with President Barack Obama, and why he needed a mini-fridge in the White House.We of course bust out with some Gujarati (our native Indian language) which Kal definitely schools me on.His new memoir, You Can’t Be Serious, is out and it’s a fantastic read! There just wasn't enough time to give a shout out to all the uncles and aunties we loved growing up..... 

Hey guys! Just wanted to really quickly to let you know that we've got a very special conversation coming out this week!Twenty years after being his Production Assistant on a film in Austin, TX, I got a chance to sit down with my old pal with Kal Penn to talk about his book, You Can't Be Serious, and breadth of work throughout his careerWe touched on so many important topics, including his time at the White House and the challenges he faced as an Indian-American in Hollywood.  My conversation with Kal was uplifting, funny and real.  I wanted to give you just a little teaser today to get you excited because I definitely am!The full episode will be coming out tomorrow, July 20th, so before then, make sure that you're subscribed wherever you're listening to my voice right now, and that you tell a friend about the show so they can listen too.Also,  I'll be doing a giveaway for Kal's book, "You Can't Be Serious", so stay tuned all week for content surrounding the interview!Enjoy the clip and be sure to listen to the full episode on Wednesday and also be sure to rate and review the podcast! 

One of my favorite things about doing this podcast is reconnecting with people who have been part of different phases in my life. Dr. Sumun Pendakur and I met 20 years ago when I was a production assistant on her hubby’s film set. Needless to say, I knew she was a rock star even then. She is a #dei strategist, consultant and trainer who has spent the last 20 years focusing on building community strength as well as institutional capacity for #socialjustice and #racialjustice in the #highereducation sector. She was the #chieflearningofficer @uscraceequity center and has built programs that address underserved needs and communities. We talk about the influence her parents had on her career, how they were definitely both “woke” back in the day when a lot of #southasianimmigrants were not, how she got involved in amplifying the #asianamerican voice, and the history and true meaning of the term “model minority”. I admit that I have had a certain narrative in my head about the South Asian community, we discuss the awful violence against out #aapi brothers and sisters, and she tells me what she finds so shocking about it all, even after being on the frontline for so long. This episode is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the #indianapolis #oakcreekgurdwara and #atlantaspa #massshootings #balbirsinghsodhi , #vilmakari and to all of those who have suffered because of these heinous #hatecrimes www.sumunpendakur.com

One of our favorites from the past year, our interview with Malini Agarwal.....We're talking to a media mogul!! Malini Agarwal, aka MissMalini, is India's most famous blogger with a following of 7.5 million worldwide. We start out talking about how her "diplobrat" life growing up has helped shape her into the women she is today. Malini discusses living through a civil war in Lebanon, how her mom has been her rock and champion FOMO queen, and what led her to the City of Dreams. She tells me why radio is still her favorite medium, the bucket list of 24, her book, To The Moon: How I Blogged My Way To Bollywood, and some epic stories that you can only experience in Mumbai.We of course dive into her best and worst interviews, what it is really like to work with her husband, and her plan to shed light and start conversations around cyber bullying and sexual harassment in India with #ignorenomore. Malini is a staunch supporter of women supporting women, as can been seen with MissMalini's Girl Tribe, and she tells me what she regrets the most throughout her legendary journey. And guys, there's so much more....

I'm officially a Texan!....now for the unpacking. While I'm setting up shop over the next few weeks, I'll be playing some of my favorite episodes from the past two years....this episode is for all you bad betis & besharam bibis!Today I catch up with activist, writer & speaker, Sangeeta Pillai, who is the the founder of Soul Sutras. Soul Sutras is the South Asian feminist platform that is all about tackling taboos in South Asian culture, creating safe spaces where South Asian women can explore everything from sex to mental health.Their projects include Masala Podcast, featuring interviews with fierce South Asian women about taboo topics and Masala Monologues, a series of writing workshops and theatre shows in the UK & the US.Starting life as a blog, Soul Sutras now boasts a range of projects from podcast, theatre shows, webinar to books & beyond.She has become a key voice in British South Asian feminism speaking at the Women of the World (WOW) 2020 and has been featured in the Huffington Post, BBC Asian Radio, Brown Girl Magazine and is the winner of British Podcast Awards 2020 & 2019.She tells me about living life in the slums of Bombay, her volatile relationship with her father and the affect it's had on her throughout life, the complicated relationship between culture and identity, and how it's so refreshing to see the younger generation of South Asian women speak up.http://www.soulsutras.co.uk/ 

While I'm packing away for my big move to Texas, I'll be playing some of my favorite episodes from the past two years.   I think this episode sums up how I'm feeling right now;)....Well guys, it's the end of the year and of course that means reflecting back on 2021 and thinking, why did I eat my kids (both of them) entire birthday cake this year? I get it, trust me, I already yelled at myself in the mirror this week. And that's why I so needed to talk to my next guest! Dr. Amy Shah is a renowned wellness expert, immunologist, nutritionist, and author. After years of practicing nutrition and immunology, it was a personal scare in 2012 that made Shah turn to Ayurveda and take more holistic approaches to health which involves clean eating, intermittent fasting, balancing hormones, and strengthening the gut. Basically, all the things that we know we're suppose to do but just don't have time to do it! She has written a book, I’m so Effing Tired, which highlights some of the things we can tweak to help reach our peak mind and body health. We talk about how one huge scare back in 2012 changed her journey, why we grew up thinking taking a break for ourselves was considered selfish, how its the little tweaks that we need to make that really make the difference, and why we are so addicted to Starbucks. If you’ve been struggling to achieve your health goals, follow Dr Amy Shah on Instagram (@fastingmd) for some honest and thoughtful advice. www.amymdwellness.com

I could not think of a better person to end this summer with than Mita Mallick.  Mita is a DEI leader, the host of Brown Table Talk on Linkedin, and a Linkedin Top Voice.We talk about having our names mispronounced our entire lives, the horrific bullying she faced growing up in a predominately white neighborhood, how that has affected her personal and professional journey, and how she finally embraced being Indian-American.She talks about the challenges shaping minds in a corporate setting as a DEI leader, the importance of impact vs. intent, why the real training of DEI initiatives starts at home, her own toxic work experience and why having an immigrant mentality stopped her from walking out, and her transition to becoming one of Linkedin Top Voices and sharing Brown experiences.She shares a time she experienced immense heartbreak,  who she would like to collaborate with on her podcast, Brown Table Talk, and why it's so awkward to make new friends as adults (hint, you may need some drinks to help out).

Hey guys!  We've had to take a mini-break the last few weeks to get life in order- moving homes, new babies, and getting ready for summer time madness.  We'll be back with 2 more episodes before we take our summer break where we'll rest, regroup, and get ready for an amazing fall season! Until then, enjoy this gem from last summer.Premal Dharia has spent the last twenty years dedicated to challenging injustice in the criminal system and nearly 15 years as a public defender. She has tried dozens of cases and supervised lawyers at various levels of practice. Premal will be joining Harvard Law School as the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute to End Mass Incarceration, launching this summer. The Institute’s mission is to end mass incarceration in the United States through a movement-centered, action-oriented organizing and advocacy program with a bold and ambitious innovation institute. We talk about the history of mass incarceration and the current situation as it stands in the United States. She discusses why prisoners are disproportionately Black and Latino,  her work as a public defender and civil attorney, why she thinks public defenders are key to systemic change within the criminal system, founding and directing the Defender Impact Initiative, and what we need to know about post-colonialism and the impact it has had on people of color. We discuss her upbringing as a South Asian woman, what she is most excited about in he new role as Executive Director, and why public defenders have the reputation they do. To learn more, please check out- https://endmassincarceration.orghttps://inquest.org/

Arun Venugopal is an American journalist and a Senior Reporter in the Race & Justice Unit at WNYC. He covers news regarding race, immigration, gender, and identity in the United States.We discuss our personal experiences growing up Indian-American in Houston, TX,  when he started reflected on these experiences while critiquing ideas of Asian-American exceptionalism in the United States, how the Model Minority myth may have evolved, and his favorite conversations while hosting WNYC's Micropolis series.We also touch upon the fear white working -class Americans still have, the idea of replacement theory,  and the political and cultural consciousness of the South Asian diaspora in the United States.He talks to me about his perfect NYC day, the time he experienced heartbreak, who he would like to collaborate with, and good old fashion Indian uncle jokes.Arun has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air.".  Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. 

With the upcoming Netflix film Wedding Season coming out this summer, a romantic comedy that highlights the Indian fascination for arranged marriages starring Pallavi Sharda and Suraj Sharma,  I thought we should play our interview with Pallavi from last year.  This interview was the first one I did live after the pandemic.  We sat in our friends apartment on the LES, had a few liquid companions, and had a blast....It's our first live interview almost 2 years!! I sit down with my friend, Pallavi Sharda, in our friends apartment in NYC and chat about it all. Pallavi knows what chasing your dreams is all about. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, she knew from a very young age she wanted to become a Bollywood actress. We talk about making the decision to move to India to fulfill her dreams of working in Bollywood, her biggest takeaways from her time there and what she learned about herself, what she would tell other young women who want to make their mark on the world's largest film industry, and her relationship to Bollywood now. She discusses why there is still a lack of diversity and representation for South Asian women in the film industry, how being an Indian-Australian forced her to redefine herself time and time again, and the reason coming back home to Melbourne helped reclaim her voice and identity. An honors graduate from the University of Melbourne Law, Arts and Languages schools, Pallavi is an advocate for India-Australia relations and the strengthening of intercultural links between the two countries. She was named on the list of forty most influential Asian-Australians at the inaugural Asian-Australian Leadership Summit. Her film credits include Oscar nominated film Lion (2016), Bollywood films Begum Jaan (2017) and  My Name Is Khan, Dus Tola, and Besharam. (2015), and comedy Australian film Save Your Legs! (2012). She has worked in Hindi films like My Name Is Khan, Dus Tola, and Besharam. This year, she starred in Tom Jerry and The One, now streaming on Netflix. She also has two feature films coming out in 2022- Black Site and Wedding Season.

The recent news of the leaked Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade and end the constitutional right to an abortion and started political firestorm and is deepening divisions.  This decision would essentially dismantle 50 years of precedent, paving the way for states to limit abortion rights.Dr. Meera Shah is the Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, the author of “You’re the Only One I’ve Told: The Stories Behind Abortion”, and the Medical Director of Whole Women’s Health Alliance in South Bend Indiana.I ask her about her decision to join Planned Parenthood, her highs and lows the past four years, what she believes Planned Parenthood stands for for women across America, the threat abortion providers experience, and the ground-breaking work she is doing with trans and non-binary community at her clinics.She talks about her experience working with patience from India, why the right language is so important to use and understand, what prompted her to write her book, and why everyone needs to remember that each case is unique.We of course discuss the repercussions of Roe v. Wade being overturned, who will be affected the most, what abortion clinics are preparing for now, and what the major consequences of this decision will mean for our future

Anjali Kumar works with entrepreneurs and C-level executives in all stages of business, focusing on early-stage tech, consumer products, and luxury fashion companies with a social conscience.Anjali recently founded Slightly Reserved, a home for all of Anjali’s entrepreneurial and creative ventures, including an advisory firm providing legal counsel and business strategy for entrepreneurs, executives, talent, and brands. She is also a co-founder of COVID Tech Connect which sent nearly 20,000 smart devices to hospitals and senior care facilities across the US that allow critically ill patients to connect with their loved ones.Prior to that, Anjali was the Founding Chief People Officer and General Counsel at Cheddar, the Founding Head of Social Innovation and Founding General Counsel at Warby Parker, Founding General Counsel at Acumen, and Senior Counsel at Google. She has recently launched The Important Things with Bobbi Brown and Anjali Kumar, a podcast that focuses on the things that really fulfill our souls. 

BONUS EPISODEThe George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, an act that would have created national standards for policing in an effort to increase accountability, sadly couldn’t reach a bipartisan deal-leaving it dead in the water. We all have heard about the horrific killing of George Floyd, the protests that occurred after, and the many stories that have been shared over social media. Today, I interviewed Rahul Dubey, one of Time Magazine's Heroes of 2020 who simply, as he puts it, opened the door to those in need. On June 1, 2020, Rahul Dubey was at home in Washington, DC, as demonstrators filled the streets to protest the killing of George Floyd. After a 7 p.m. curfew, he noticed crowds in the street outside who were seemingly trapped and being pepper-sprayed by police. We talk about his story of housing 70 protestors overnight to help them avoid curfew, the fear and pure terror he felt for himself and the demonstrators, and how that one night changed his life.  https://www.wsj.com/articles/george-floyd-should-receive-posthumous-pardon-for-drug-charge-texas-parole-board-says-11633461144

Pallavi Golla is the Founder and CEO of Lark Adventurewear (larkadventurwear.com), the first and only childrens activewear brand for children 0-10 years and now adults (their fastest growing segment). They're on a mission to make technically superior clothing that makes life less stressful for parents and more comfortable for childrenArmed with years of experience working in investment research at hedge funds and later beverage product development and branding at e-commerce darling WINC wines, Pallavi Golla dove headfirst into the apparel industry -- determined to create a next gen apparel brand for millennial families  focused on making functional clothing to make life less stressful and more comfortable.Lark has uniquely positioned itself as a thread-to garment technical bamboo apparel brand in the $100 bn activewear market due to its exclusive Softek bamboo that is UPF 50 sun safe, temperature regulating and hypoallergenic.They have been mentioned in numerous magazines and media outlets including Vogue, INC, Forbes, Business Insider and Huffington Post.Pallavi was generous enough to send me and my girls some of the clothing and let me tell you, I AM IN LOVE!!!  They are comfortable, chic, clean and most importantly, we didn't want to take them off. 

I’ll be the first to admit that i’m utterly confused with US immigration and visa laws, and I also fully admit I’ve sadly paid little attention to the issue.  So when the founders of The Hidden Dream reached out to me last month, I knew I had to have them on.  The Hidden Dream was built to raise awareness of the countless struggles faced by visa immigrants, to share resources, and to create a community to uplift immigrants who have spent several years in this country without a pathway to citizenship.They specialize in creating resources for childhood visa arrivals (Children who entered the country on H4, L2, E2 etc. visas and are at risk of deportation)They serve visa immigrants (including visa dreamers, dependent visa spouses, families affected by the Green Card backlog, mixed status families and international students) by compiling and creating resources, guides, hosting workshops and support groups, providing a safe space for visa immigrants on social media, offering an annual scholarship, and creating crucial networking opportunities.This non-profit is a run by college/grad students who have all experienced the constant fear of deportation from a country they call home.  We talk about each of their own personal experiences, why immigrant families are embarrassed and fearful to talk about the topic, how they built The Hidden Dream, and what needs to be done to change US immigration laws.

Today I get to interview my 3rd author,  Neel Patel. Neel Patel is a screenwriter and author who grew up in Champaign, Illinois and currently lives in Los Angeles, where he writes for TV and film.  His first book, If You See Me, Don't Say Hi, is a New York Times Book Review Editors’ choice, an NPR Best Book of 2018, and has been optioned for television.His writing has appeared in Elle India, The Paris Review, on Buzzfeed.com, and many moreI chat with him about his debut Novel, Tell Me How To Be, which I found out about after Lilly Singh gave him a shoutout on her platform, Lilly’s Library.  It focuses on a mother-son relationship, Indian-American stereotypes, and has the best Guju (Gujarati) phrases sprinkled in throughout the book.  What else do you want?We also chat about how we were both bad at math, his coming out story, why stories like this are so important to the Indian-American community, why leaving home and then coming back helped inspire his novel, and all that yummy Indian homemade food we both miss.

Tuckered Outers!  I wanted to post our interview with Rabia Chaudry, which we published back in December, since we are planning a part 2 with her very soon!So I started this podcast back in 2017 after listening and being inspired by the first season of Serial, the most downloaded podcast of all time. I could not think of a better guest to round out this year than the woman who brought Adnan Syed's case to light, Rabia Chaudry.Rabia Chaudry is a Pakistani-American attorney, author and podcast host. A childhood friend of Adnan Syed, subject of the podcast Serial (2014), Chaudry subsequently wrote a book about his case called Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial (2016), which became a New York Times best seller. Chaudry co-hosts 3 podcasts- Undisclosed, a podcast on Syed's case and many others, which has now 360 million downloads, The 45th, which followed the crazy that was Trumps presidency, and The Hidden Djinn, showcasing the folklore and history behind the legends of the djinn, and connecting the tales through Islamic, Christian, and Jewish sources. She is also an Executive Producer of a four-part HBO documentary "The Case Against Adnan Syed." She tells me how she feels about Serial now looking back and how she is still not giving up hope, how Adnan and his family are doing now and the case as it stands, and her personal theory on what really happened. We also talk about her personal struggles at home during her first marriage and how law school saved her, the Safe Nation Collaborative, which she founded, and it's focus on CVE (countering violent extremism), Undisclosed, the biggest wrongful conviction podcast in the world, which has now helped exonerate nearly a dozen defendants, and her future innocence work with the Aspen Institute/ADL Civil Society Fellow. Rabia's second book, "Fatty Fatty Boom Boom", a memoir on food, fat, and family, is due to be out in 2022. There was so much to talk about, I have a feeling there may be a part two to this! So please enjoy my final episode of 2021 with Rabia Chaudry. www.rabiachaudry.com