American Desi

Shalika Neelaveni is a Stanford PhD studying mechanical engineering. Shalika and I have a conversation about women in stem. Shalika shares her journey.

I got to interview, my childhood friend Vyas. We talked about being Indian and growing up being neurodivergent! Vyas has a great podcast, called Bright Colors of Inspiration. Here's the link to his podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/1WEOtXyGjLWyd3jUcwRLe5?si=8bClqqhBTrqb7ctfI1vzLA

Interview with Matt Strong, PhD student at Stanford University, studying robotics. Matt also gives advice to Computer Science students.Spoiler alert, we give away endings from the movies iRobot and Big Hero 6

A glimpse into life coaching - an unedited life coaching session with my client. https://nylifecoach4u.wixsite.com/nylifecoaching --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha832/support

My friends are back to discuss another topic. We're talking about cultural appropriation. We appreciate people appreciating our culture, but just in a respectful way, not offensive. We discuss videos on social media. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha832/support

 Lillian Frances is a self-produced indie pop artist based out of Sacramento, CA. She is a sonic collager of sorts - weaving together organic and synthetic sounds to create captivating sonic landscapes. While crafting her music, Frances isn't bothered by genre, or motivated to create in a particular style. One minute she leads you through a poppy, textured dream-land, the next you tumble into sparse, trappy beats as Lillian glides effortlessly between English and Spanish.https://open.spotify.com/artist/2wNWtyoNoZkC3L5mYJDA2f?si=B7dN9lW0RQK4JY1QHswnDQ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha832/support

The film documents Selena's struggles with fame, physical illness and mental health. Selena shows us it's OK to NOT be OK. She shows it by sharing her vulnerabilities. Selena Gomez is a successful actor, producer and philanthropist. Trigger warning: talk of suicide, mental health and chronic illness --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha832/support

I got the opportunity to meet and talk with Nagarjuna!! He is an Indian movie superstar! He has been a leading actor for the past 40 years. The legendary film actor has also been an entrepreneur, television presenter, producer, philanthropist, and studio owner. He has acted in over 100 films and has received many awards over the years. It was an honor speaking with him; he was very kind and welcoming. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/natasha832/support

I interviewed Aleena from WEAVE (When Everyone Act Violence Ends). Aleena is Community Educator/Youth Advocate from WEAVE. Aleena received two bachelor degrees from the University of California, Davis in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies. Aleena is passionate about prevention education especially when it comes to talking to youth about consent and building safe/healthy relationships. When Aleena is not engaging with the community, they can be found enjoying a farmer's market, spending time in nature, and trying out a new craft hobby! Weave Support Line: 916-920-2952  Weave Business Line: 916-448-2321  https://www.weaveinc.org --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I talk about how people in India prefer having sons over daughters. https://youtu.be/ZwjU_zuXazQ https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRVCLK29/ https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRVCMtvg/ https://youtu.be/q68P2iNk9as https://youtu.be/fo2yDJdyIu https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRgyo7Cu/ https://youtu.be/_UAj-kqwKh https://youtu.be/TE7NE1qw0mI --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Zara and I met through Desi Rainbow, which is an organization for South Asian queer people and their parents. It's an amazing organization and I'm glad To be a part of it. I got to meet so many wonderful people like Zara. Zara Ahmed is non-binary Pakistani educator, organizer, and advocate for inclusion and equity in the media industry. Zara had held leadership roles in multiple fields, including documentary filmmaking, youth media, public school education, refugee resettlement, and small business operations. Through all of these experiences, they have cultivated a strong sense of community building, holding space for vulnerable conversations, and utilizing storytelling as a tool for healing. Zara currently works as the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager at BAYCAT, a San Francisco production studio an academy centered on supporting young BIPOC and Queer creatives in navigating barriers to employment in the the film and media industry. Outside of the nonprofit world, Zara is passionate about building intergenerational community within the Queer and Trans South Asian diaspora, and they do so by producing art and food pop ups with their collective Queer Mango. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I talk about the importance of Indian representation in main stream media. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Over the past few years I've been going on a journey to find my true self. I talk about my experiences. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I can't believe I have fans!! That's so cool!! I went to my cousin's wedding last week, at event I met two of my biggest fans. They messaged me over Instagram, but this was the first time I met them in person. I decided to do an impromptu interview with them. Sorry for all the background noise, it was really loud at the wedding venue. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

During this episode my friends and I have a conversation about the differences between South Indian and North Indian culture. Here are the links  I mention, if you're interested in watching https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdyPTcnE/.  https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdyGC2tK/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This episode is about suicide. I talk about the movie “A Long Way Down”, it was made in 2014. I give away most of the plot. Four strangers meet on the top of a building and are about to jump, but they don't because of each other. This is a very serious episode, if this is something that you're uncomfortable listening to, that's totally OK. https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines -International Suicide Hotlines https://www.wellspacehealth.org/services/behavioral-health-prevention/suicide-prevention -Well space health (Suicide Prevention) https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ -The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline http://www.suicide.org/hotlines/california-suicide-hotlines.html -Suicide.org (California Suicide Hotlines) https://afsp.org/find-a-support-group/ -American foundation of suicide prevention (Support Groups) https://www.crisissupport.org/programs/support-groups/groups/ -Crisis support services of Alameda County (Support Groups). http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html -Bullying Statistics --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This episode I talk about how things are not always what they seem. We should ask questions and try not to judge. SPOILER ALERT I talk a lot about the show "Unreal", and give away some interesting events. I also talk about some scenes from the shows "Switched at birth" and "Ordinary Joe". They are all really good shows by the way, you should watch them! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

On Instagram I posted a Q&A box for anyone to ask me questions. I answer three of those questions in this episode. "Who is your role model and why?" , "How do you manage your time?" and Questions about my podcast process. If any of you have more questions for me and would like more Q&A episodes, let me know. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

During this episode, I talk about mental health and how it is dealt with in Indian culture. It's important to have a safe space to express all your emotions. I talk about different characters in Media and books. Spoiler alert: I talk about the movie "The Duff" TV show "Home Economics" and the book "Midnight Library". --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

During this episode I talk about the concept "What will people think?", how others' opinions of us influence our decisions. Especially people in the Indian community. I also talk about Bollywood movies, Hasan Minaj, Lily Singh and Jay Shetty. How it's difficult to not follow the traditional path of becoming a doctor or engineer and do something different, like something in the arts. Spoiler Alert: I give away the plots to the 3 Indian movies I talk about, "Hum dil de chuka sanam", "Kabhi khushie kabhi Gham" and "Bommarillu"  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Welcome back to Season 2 of American Desi! During this episode I interview my friend Prerna. We talk about their identity and their experience discovering themselves. Prerna is Indian and identifies a they/them. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I talk about the power of words, how words can really hurt you. We should all be kind to one another. I quote Selena Gomez's song "Kill 'em with kindness" and I talk about Jay Shetty, who is a Podcaster, former monk and author. This is the last episode of season, I'll be back in September. I want to thank you all for listening. I really appreciate all your support. If you have any questions, ideas or comments for next season, you can email me at Americandesi2020@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I interviewed my friend Emily and we talk about mental health issues. It's not a topic that is generally discussed in the Indian community, but it is very important to educate ourselves and remove the stigma around it. Trigger Warning: We talk about suicide rates in Asian countries vs. Western countries. We also talk about suicide in the LGBTQ community. Sources mentioned/used in this episode: “Differences between patterns of suicide in East Asia and the West. The importance of sociocultural factors Author links open overlay panel”. John Snowdon. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2018.08.019 “Family Acceptance Saves Lives”. Human Rights Campaign. HRC Staff. 2017. https://www.hrc.org/news/family-acceptance-saves-lives “Family Acceptance in Adolescence and the Health of LGBT Young Adults”. Caitlin Ryan et al., Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, Volume 23, Number 4, pp. 205–213. 2010. https://familyproject.sfsu.edu/sites/default/files/FAP_Family%20Acceptance_JCAPN.pdf Chen, X., Graham, S. Doing better but feeling worse: an attributional account of achievement—self-esteem disparities in Asian American students. Soc Psychol Educ 21, 937–949 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-018-9447-9 Chang, M. X.‐L., Jetten, J., Cruwys, T., and Haslam, C. (2017) Cultural Identity and the Expression of Depression: A Social Identity Perspective. J. Community Appl. Soc. Psychol., 27: 16– 34. doi: 10.1002/casp.2291. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, I interview my friend Maria, whose family is from Bolivia. We talk about our immigrant experiences with regard to education, race and gender.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode I talk about the pressure to succeed in Indian culture. I mainly analyze the movie "Candy Jar" (SPOILER ALERT: I give away the whole movie!) I also talk about a scene from the show "Never have I ever". --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this episode, I have a conversation with my friend Shakthi about our chronic pain, being Indian and our friendship. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I talk about how in Indian culture, we are not very expressive with our emotions. I discuss when sometimes people try to make you feel gratitude, they inadvertently make you feel guilty. I also touch on failure, success, conflict, judgement and vulnerability. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I talk about how I sometimes felt like a burden to my friends and family. I had a hard time fitting in at school, but I did have a few really good friends. SPOILER ALERT:  "Stranger Things" - I give away the main plot of Season 1 and part of Season 2.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

I talk about how my abdominal pain started and progressed. From High School through College, along with the remedies that helped me. I touch on some other health issues as well. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This episode I introduce myself and the topics I will talk about in this podcast. I talk about my dyslexia and experience. I also talk about how being Indian affects my experiences.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app