The Indian American Experience Podcast
In our country, Indian Americans are a group that defies being painted in one stroke, be it in political/ideological leanings, definition of identity, or perception of their place in society. So, why not then hear directly from a diverse group of Indian-Americans, or desis, their experience, through light-hearted, casual conversations, and see if we can find common threads, maybe shed some myths, and hear some interesting stories!
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Episodes
48 episodes
48: Rashi: The Epitome of Compassionate Leadership
In this podcast episode, I have a conversation with Rashi Livesey, an Indian American millennial pursuing a master's degree in social work. Rashi eloquently expresses her pride in her Indian heritage, discusses the challenges of maintaining her...
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20:48
47: Rajvi: Navigating Heritage Delicately & Wisely
In this episode, our guest is Rajvi, a 28 year-old software engineer at Microsoft living in New York City. Born and raised in New Jersey, with a stint in Seattle, Rajvi shares her journey of embracing her Indian heritage while growing up in Ame...
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20:27
46: Mayor Ravi Bhalla: Modeling Honesty, Hard work and Humility
In this captivating interview, Mayor Ravi Bhalla of Hoboken, New Jersey, serving as the city's 39th mayor since 2018, shares his journey from a civil rights lawyer to a two-term mayor. He discusses his childhood, his path to politics catalyzed ...
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20:29
45: Samina Radia: The Aspirations of a Promising Young Gen-Z’er
Samina Radia is a sophomore at Adelphi University majoring in political science, who, at just 19 years old, exemplifies dedication to public service, highlighted by her various roles such as interning at the New York City mayor's office, active...
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21:50
44: Shaun Vakil/DJ Paz’s Journey of Hospitality through Music
In this interview, Shaun Vakil, also known as Paz, discusses his two-decade-long career in music as a DJ and music curator for Paz America. He shares his experiences working with top hospitality brands, Fortune 500 companies, and philanthropic ...
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34:25
43: Anika's Journey as a Young Indian American
In this episode, I chat with Anika, a first-generation Indian American and pharmaceutical market access consultant, who shares her remarkable journey of balancing her rich Indian heritage with a modern digital nomadic lifestyle. From her roots ...
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30:36
42: Anchal Dhir on Life as a Young Indian American
In the second episode of the young generation’s perceptions and aspirations about life as an Indian American, Anchal Dhir, in her gentle, sensitive, inimitable way, shares candidly and generously her thoughts and feelings about the importance o...
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30:52
41: Addy Pai: A Young Millennial’s Take on Life as an Indian American
In this episode, I welcome Addy Pai, a young millennial working in sustainable research in New York City. Addy, who was born in India and raised in New Jersey, shares her love for both her Indian culture and American identity. We disc...
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Season 2
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20:09
40: Season 1 Epilogue
In the Season 1 conclusion of the Indian American Experience podcast, we reflect on the intricate layers of the Indian American experience, the diversity of answers we got to the questions on identity, cultural heritage, parenting styles, assim...
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5:43
39: Sanjay Bery: A Love-Story of Gratitude, Bravery and Resilience
In this episode, retired senior IT executive Sanjay Bery shares his inspiring journey from growing up in a vibrant joint family in Delhi to becoming a successful tech leader and a dedicated community leader in New Jersey. Sanjay discusses the c...
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38:53
38: Navigating Entrepreneurship: Insights from Jai Shekhawat's Journey
Jai Shekhawat is the Chairman, Technology Advisory Board, Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC. He was the Founder and former CEO of SAP Fieldglass, maker of the world’s most widely used Cloud platform for the procurement of contract labor and servic...
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51:17
37: Kapil Seth: Tireless Work, High Ideals and the Pursuit of Flawless Gemstones
My guest Kapil Seth was born and raised in India, and came to the US about 40 years back and got his doctorate degree in Economics from The New School in NY. Kapil is a fine and rare gems specialist, though he describes it a little differ...
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32:45
36: Prema Roddam: Deriving Strength from Service
Prema Roddam is a senior associate with the New Jersey office of Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, a firm of 6000 professionals across 60 offices worldwide (https://www.fragomen.com/). She focuses her practice in the areas of global ...
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32:20
35: Rajinder Rai: Redefining Midlife Transition
My guest Rajinder Rai is a Wellness Coach and the founder of Sunrais Health that empowers women in midlife through information and inspiration. Rajinder has taken her expertise in physiology and biochemistry along with her training in functiona...
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29:13
34: Pradip Patiath: A Story of Serendipity, Friendship and Optimism
In this episode, I interview Pradip Patiath, currently a senior partner at McKinsey & Company. Pradip shares how serendipity molded his career and personal life paths. He recounts his journey working for Schlumberger in Europe to studying c...
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31:28
33: Deepak Verma: Modeling Success as a Force for Good
My guest Deepak Verma’s is a story of deep dedication and drive, of building up on one rich experience to lead to another bigger and more impactful accomplishment, each done with selflessness and grace and joy. In spite of all his accomplishmen...
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27:58
32: Viji & Anirvan: An inspiring story of grit, dedication and harmony
My guests this week are VijayaLakshmi Nagaraj and Anirvan Sengupta. Together they are a confluence of spirited dedication, intelligence and wisdom. VijayaLakshmi, Viji to her family and friends, got her Doctorate degree in Microbio...
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40:25
31: Nadia Jagessar - A Spirited Romantic, Savvy Entrepreneur and a Visionary
My lovely guest this week, Nadia Jagessar, is an Indo-Caribbean Jersey girl who may be best known for her appearance on Netflix's "Indian Matchmaking". But Nadia is much, much more than an ex-cast member of a reality show. She is a ...
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33:53
30: Suren Pai - A Tireless Individualist, Innovator, Maverick
Suren Pai, in his various roles as an engineer, management consultant, C-suite executive, entrepreneur, and most recently, advisor and mentor to entrepreneurs, has fearlessly followed his passion and creativity and commitment to innovation. He ...
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38:55
29: Puja Shah - An Author with Beautiful Strength and Thoughtful Intelligence
My guest Puja Shah, one of my younger guests, may also be one of the most articulate and thoughtful. Maybe it comes from her long journey being deeply creative, or maybe it comes from an equally long journey straddling the duality of her cultur...
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26:34
28: Monisha Rao: Unassuming, Driven, Balanced
Monisha Rao is a pediatrician in Southern California. She immigrated to the US along with her family about 40 years ago after finishing tenth grade in India. She is married and a mother of two adult children. Monisha’s story is di...
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36:37
27: Rahul Gosain: A Force of Brilliance
Rahul Gosain’s is a story of generous grace, positivity, supreme accomplishment, and an attitude that would make a saint blush. Being a medical oncologist, he has no dearth of reasons to be very proud, but what he focuses on from his experience...
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22:47
26: Poonam Alaigh: Generously Committed to Impactful Change
My guest Dr. Poonam Alaigh is a nationally recognized leader with a multifaceted background in healthcare of over 25 years that includes the public sector at the federal, state government and policy level as well as the private sector. In these...
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31:36
25: Sejal Desai: Working Tirelessly For Both Her Homes
Sejal Desai‘s is a riveting story of dedication and drive. She is an admirable steward of both the Indian and American parts of her identity. With a passion now for her nonprofit work, Sejal has had a long and varied career which has helped bui...
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23:07
24: Nilima - A Bumpy Road to Becoming a Soaring Butterfly
Nilima, who calls herself an ex-people-pleaser, identifies herself now as a Brown Butterfly. She grew up in Maryland in the 70s as 'the brown girl' in her school and experienced the unsavory implications of that. Fast forward several decades, N...
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22:01