South Asian Trailblazers

Sakshi Sindwani: The Curve Model & Creator Redefining Beauty Standards in Indian Couture

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Sakshi Sindwani is one of India's most prominent curve models, content creators, and body-positivity advocates who has built a community of 700,000 women. In 2021, she became the first curve model to appear in a Manish Malhotra bridal couture campaign, and in 2026, the first Indian creator to walk the Grammys red carpet.

Recorded at the India Conference at Harvard, Simi's conversation traces Sakshi's path from growing up hearing "You're fat, you're never going to be worthy of love" to embodying self-love and normalizing representation among India's biggest fashion houses.

Sakshi shares the behind-the-scenes hustle most people never see: cold-calling designers to put herself on the runway at Dubai Fashion Week and why she believes inclusivity still needs to transcend surface-level representation. She opens up about the mother-daughter encounter that changed how she measures success, why she dropped her famous handle to reclaim her real name in 2026, and the message she has for every young woman: the quirks people criticize will become the strengths that carry you far and forward.

KEY TOPICS:

Making history as the first Indian creator at the Grammys in custom Manish Malhotra couture
Fighting tokenism and normalizing inclusivity in Indian and global fashion
Building a 700K female community through authenticity vs. virality
The hustle behind Dubai Fashion Week, Forbes, and global platforms
Self-love, identity, and the message young South Asian women need to hear

ABOUT SAKSHI SINDWANI:

Sakshi is a curve model & creator redefining beauty standards in Indian couture. She has walked for fashion houses including Manish Malhotra, Gaurav Gupta, and Papa Don't Preach, and partnered with brands like L'Oréal, Johnnie Walker, H&M, and Swarovski. She has walked red carpets at the Grammys, the Cannes Film Festival, and Paris Fashion Week. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, has walked Lakme Fashion Week and three shows at Dubai Fashion Week, and commands a powerful community of women as a creator. Originally from Delhi, Sakshi launched her channel in 2015 and broke out during COVID under the handle @StyleMeUpWithSakshi before rebranding to her given name in 2026.

Follow Sakshi:

Instagram | YouTube

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

Sid Sriram: A.R. Rahman's Protégé & Coachella's 1st South Indian Artist on How We Get Our "Bad Bunny" Moment

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:00:00 -0400

Simi Shah sits down with Sid Sriram — one of the most distinct voices in global music — for a live-recorded conversation at Harvard. Born in Chennai, raised in Fremont, trained at Berklee, mentored by A.R. Rahman, Sid Sriram has spent 15+ years alchemizing Carnatic and R&B music and putting Eastern and Western music "in conversation with each other."

He was the first South Indian artist to perform at Coachella and took NPR's Tiny Desk by storm. With over 3.8 billion+ Spotify streams alone, Sid Sriram opens up about his journey through three worlds of music — Carnatic, playback singing, and original — as well as the highs and profound lows that shaped his trajectory: from his first collaboration with the legendary A.R. Rahman to the profound ego death he faced in Covid.

Inside Sid reveals speaks to AI in music; the levitating sensation he first felt singing for the first time; how he's surmounted the classic traps around celebrity; and the path for South Asian artists to break through globally. He also teases a very special, unreleased song.

KEY TOPICS:

How cold emailing A.R. Rahman from his college dorm set him on a journey to 3.8 billion streams
His career across three worlds of music: Carnatic, playback singing, and his original sound
Why AI is the first thing that's made Sid Sriram feel like an "old head"
The buzzing, levitating sensation that's been Sid Sriram's north star since age six
The Bad Bunny Super Bowl moment — and what it's actually going to take for South Asian artists to get there

ABOUT SID SRIRAM:

Sid Sriram is a singer, songwriter, and producer whose work bridges Carnatic music, R&B, and soul. Born in Chennai and raised in Fremont, California, he trained at Berklee College of Music and got his start as a playback singer in 2012 when A.R. Rahman called him to record "Adiye" for the Tamil film Kadal. He has since become one of India's most-streamed artists with 3.8 billion+ Spotify plays.

Sid Sriram's original work — including the recent single "Soul" and a forthcoming album — represents what he calls the "kaleidoscope" of all his influences finally existing within each other. He is widely credited with helping shape the modern wave of Indian creators putting their roots in conversation with global sound.

Follow: @sidsriram

Recorded live at the India Conference at Harvard.

Masoom Minawala: India's Original Influencer on Authenticity in the Age of AI, Motherhood & Why India Is Undervalued | South Asian Trailblazers

Wed, 20 May 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Simi speaks with Masoom Minawala — one of India's pioneering influencers. Masoom bet her career on the internet at 17, starting her fashion blog Miss Style Fiesta in 2010, a decade before the world knew what an influencer was. She became the first Indian content creator to walk at Milan Fashion Week, a fixture on the Cannes red carpet, and has collaborated with over 500 brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Hermès. She also launched the #SupportIndianDesigners movement that generated 300,000+ posts during COVID-19.

But 16 years in, Masoom Minawala isn't resting on her highlight reel. In this episode, she reveals the identity crisis that hit after becoming a mother — "I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize myself" — and how it forced her to tear down her personal brand and rebuild as the founder of MSF Media, one of India's fastest-growing media platforms dedicated to the global woman. Masoom Minawala also shares her bold thesis that India is being dangerously undervalued as the "next superpower," why AI will make authenticity the only strategy left for creators, and the two words her husband said that changed everything.

KEY TOPICS:

How motherhood rewired Masoom Minawala's brain and forced her to reinvent her career
Why Masoom Minawala says India is not the "next superpower" — it's already here
Surviving 16 years in the creator economy — from blogger era to AI age
Indian fashion on the global stage: Milan, Cannes, and why IP still isn't protected
The $770 billion GDP gap and why women's economics matter

ABOUT MASOOM MINAWALA: Masoom Minawala is one of India's most influential digital creators and the founder of MSF Media. She launched Miss Style Fiesta in 2010, has collaborated with over 500 brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hermès, and Samsung, and became the first Indian content creator to walk the runway at Milan Fashion Week. She hosts The Masoom Minawala Show, the most-watched podcast by women in India. She is the author of "She'll Never Make It" and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia. Masoom Minawala splits her time between Dubai and Mumbai and is a mom of two.

Follow:

Masoom Minawala | The Masoom Minawala Show

South Asians in Sephora — Diipa Büller-Khosla, Lisa Mattam, Nisha Phatak, Rooshy Roy (Live Panel)

Thu, 07 May 2026 07:00:00 -0400

In a first-ever live multi-founder panel from South Asian Trailblazers, Simi Shah sits with 4 South Asian beauty founders at the vanguard of South Asian-inspired beauty: Diipa Büller Khosla (indē wild), Rooshy Roy (Aavrani), Nisha Phatak (Lion Pose), and Lisa Mattam (Sahajan).

The conversation was born from a single line. When Rooshy returned to Trailblazers to announce Aavrani's acquisition, Simi asked about whether the dynamics with other founders were collaborative or competitive. Her response?That there's actually a "Desis at Sephora WhatsApp group." Simi made it her mission to bring that group chat to life — every South Asian beauty founder in Sephora who could be in the room.

Inside: how Diipa built indē wild's hair oil from her mother's recipe into Sephora's #1 seller; why Rooshy says she launched Aavrani at Sephora "too early" — and that it'll take 100 brands for South Asian beauty to become a true category; how Nisha cold-emailed Mindy Kaling and took a Zoom 48 hours after giving birth; how Lisa pioneered clean + clinical Ayurveda before Sephora had a "Clean" shelf.

KEY TOPICS:

Why South Asian beauty isn't yet mainstream — and what makes a true category
Sephora's road map: when to launch, when to wait
The influencer-to-founder pivot, fundraising, and being underestimated
Building for the US, UK, and India consumer at the same time
Founder life and motherhood: the "balance is a lie" doctrine

Follow:

Diipa Büller Khosla: @diipakhosla · @indewild
Rooshy Roy: @rooshyroy · @aavrani
Nisha Phatak: @nishaphatak · @lionpose
Lisa Mattam: @lisamattam · @sahajan

Raj Shamani: On Building the #1 Podcast in India and Soon, the World

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Simi speaks with Raj Shamani — India's #1 podcaster, ranked #25 in the world — in a special live-recorded episode in New York City. Across 540+ episodes, 15 million subscribers, 400 million annual views, the Host of Figuring Out, Raj Shamani, has interviewed Bill Gates, President of France Emmanuel Macron, Aamir Khan, MS Dhoni, MrBeast, Vijay Mallya, and several other notable figures. Raj speaks primarily in English with moments of Hindi throughout — subtitles on YouTube.

But here's what makes today different — Raj Shamani rarely gets on this side of the mic. So when India's #1 podcaster sits down with the leading South Asian diaspora podcast, in front of a live audience in New York, you get the crossover episode of the year. In a rare conversation, Raj Shamani resets the myth of his own origin story, walks Simi through how he turned 15,000 rupees into a global media platform, what the Indian Diaspora gets wrong, and his path to becoming the #1 podcast in the world.

KEY TOPICS:

Resetting the origin myth — what really happened when Raj's father got sick
Why "values over views" makes Raj turn down guests offering insane money
The hidden habits of the world's top 1% — billionaires, presidents, world champions
What the South Asian diaspora gets wrong (and right) about India today
Why building trust beats going viral as the modern creator strategy
The 10-Year Framework Raj uses to know whether to enter any new field

ABOUT RAJ SHAMANI

Raj Shamani is an Indian entrepreneur, author, and host of Figuring Out with Raj Shamani — India's #1 podcast, ranked #25 globally. Born in 1997 in Indore, he stepped into his family's soap manufacturing business at 16 after a family health scare. He represented India at the United Nations Youth Assembly, built a global personal brand on Instagram, and launched Figuring Out in 2021. In 2023, he co-founded House of X, raising seed funding from Lightspeed, Razorpay, and Mamaearth's founders. He is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and an angel investor in Classplus, GrowthSchool, Wint Wealth, and Neko Health.

Follow Raj:

Instagram | LinkedIn | X

Follow Figuring Out:

YouTube | Instagram

Revathi Advaithi: From the Factory Floor to Fortune 500 CEO of Flex

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 06:00:00 -0400

Simi speaks with Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex — a $24 billion global manufacturing company that builds the critical infrastructure behind AI, cloud, healthcare, and automotive. Flex operates in 30 countries with over 140,000 employees, and under Revathi's leadership, the stock has soared from ~$7 to over $60.

Revathi started her career on a factory floor in small town Shawnee, Oklahoma. She is the youngest of five sisters and lost her father at the tender age of 15 in India. After nearly failing out of engineering school, she built her career in the industrials sector in small-town America at companies like Honeywell and Eaton. She ascended to the C-suite at Eaton and was eventually tapped to lead Flex. In 2024, she was diagnosed with breast cancer while traveling — and chose to stay on as CEO, working through treatment without missing a single day. Today, she is one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women in the World, Fast Company's Modern CEO of the Year, and serves on the board of Uber and MIT.

Recorded live in San Francisco in partnership with Pratham USA, this unfiltered conversation covers breaking into the boardroom, immigrant grit, a battle with breast cancer, and what it actually takes to lead at the highest level.

KEY TOPICS:

Breaking into the boardroom as an immigrant woman in industrial America
Leading through a cancer diagnosis without stepping down
Transforming a legacy manufacturer into an AI infrastructure powerhouse
On work, family, and navigating motherhood across continents
The moments that nearly broke her — and the ones that made her

Revathi's TIME Op-Ed on her Cancer Battle

ABOUT REVATHI ADVAITHI:

Revathi Advaithi is CEO of Flex, the global manufacturing partner helping a diverse customer base design and build products improving the world. Since 2019, she has led Flex's transformation across 30 countries, driving technology innovation and supply chain resilience. Previously, she served as President and COO of Eaton's electrical sector with corporate responsibility for EMEA, and spent six years at Honeywell in manufacturing and supply chain leadership. She has been appointed by the U.S. President to advisory committees on trade policy and supply chain competitiveness, and serves as co-chair of the World Economic Forum's Advanced Manufacturing CEO Community. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from BITS Pilani and an MBA from Thunderbird.

REVATHI ADVAITHI
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revathiadvaithi/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/revathiadvaithi/

Ananya Birla: Carving Her Own Path inside the Multi-Billion Dollar Birla Dynasty

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Simi sits down with Ananya Birla, business leader, artist, mental health advocate, and 7th-generation scion of one of India's oldest and most storied family businesses — the Aditya Birla Group.

Ananya is building across more industries than most people will touch in a lifetime. At 17, she founded what is now India's second-largest microfinance institution. After dropping out of Oxford to pursue music, she became the first Indian artist to go platinum with an English single. A consummate multi-hyphenate, she joined the family business — the first woman in her lineage — now leading subsidiaries across film, real estate, cosmetics, and AI. Today, Ananya is recognized as one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women in the world, shaping India's relationship with the world.

Recorded live at the India Conference at Harvard, this unfiltered conversation covers leadership principles and privilege, music and mental health, and what it means to craft your own legacy when you were born into one.

KEY TOPICS:

Dropping out of Oxford to pursue music
Launching her own ventures and earning credibility in the family business
Being the only woman in the boardroom
On leadership, privilege, and her vision for the Birla Family legacy
Leading Birla Studios, Birla Cosmetics, Birla AI Labs, Birla Real Estates
Self-worth, mental health advocacy, and leadership principles

ABOUT ANANYA BIRLA:

Ananya Birla is the Founder and Chairperson of Svatantra Microfin — India's second-largest and best-performing microfinance institution with a $7 billion portfolio, over 4 million customers, and 24,000 employees across 19 states. The company is heading toward IPO in 2026 — the fastest any Birla has taken a company public in seven generations. The international PE firm Advent invested $400 million alone.

In music, Ananya has multiple English-language multi-platinum singles in India, was the first Indian artist featured on an American national Top 40 chart, and has collaborated with AR Rahman and Sean Kingston. She also leads Birla Cosmetics (LOVETC and Contraband), Birla Studios, and Birla AI Labs.

Ananya serves on the Aditya Birla Group's apex strategic body ABMCPL and on the boards of Hindalco, Grasim, and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail. The Birla conglomerate is one of the largest industrial dynasties in India and the largest Indian greenfield investor in the U.S. ($15 billion).

Priyanka Chopra and Anjula Acharia: The Partnership Powering Priyanka's Global Stardom from Bollywood to Hollywood

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Simi sits down with power duo Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Anjula Acharia — like you've NEVER seen them before. In this first-of-its-kind conversation, Priyanka and Anjula — best friends and business partners of 15 years — sit down together to tell the full story of how they built one of the most extraordinary careers in global entertainment.

15 years ago, Priyanka was searching for her next chapter in Bollywood. Anjula, a VC investor with a knack for spotting unicorns, saw something the rest of the world hadn't realized yet: a star who could transcend both Bollywood and Hollywood and become truly global. After an awkward first phone call, a partnership was born — one that would transform the two LARGEST film industries in the world and build a global crossover career unlike anything that came before.

Recorded live at the India Conference at Harvard, ahead of the premiere of her new film The Bluff, Priyanka keeps it cool and candid with her best friend and business partner, Anjula, the investor and entrepreneur who bet on her when no one else would. It's our most star-powered episode yet. Rich with insight, advice, and real talk, this is the origin story behind the icon — as told by the partnership that powered this global stardom.

ABOUT PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS:

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a global icon — actress, producer, entrepreneur, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She won Miss World in 2000 and went on to become one of India's biggest film stars with iconic performances in Fashion (2008, National Film Award for Best Actress), Barfi! (2012), Mary Kom (2014), and Bajirao Mastani (2015, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress). With over 60 Bollywood films and five Filmfare Awards, she is one of the most decorated actresses in Indian cinema.

ABOUT ANJULA ACHARIA:

Born in England, Anjula Acharia is an entrepreneur, investor, and cultural strategist who built her career in venture capital before pivoting into entertainment. She backed Bumble and ClassPass, both became billion-dollar companies. She has managed Priyanka Chopra Jonas's career for 15 years, orchestrating her crossover from Bollywood to Hollywood. In 2025, she co-founded 5 Junction Records with Warner Music Group to develop South Asian artists globally, from Rhea Raj to Nora Fatehi. She has been recognized by Billboard, Forbes, Vanity Fair, and ELLE.

PREVIOUS EPISODE:
Anjula Acharia, Season 6 (2023)

ANJULA ACHARIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anjula_acharia/

PRIYANKA CHOPRA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/priyankachopra/

AAVRANI has been Acquired: Founder Rooshy Roy on Exiting her Beauty Brand

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500

AAVRANI has been acquired — and founder Rooshy Roy shares the full story for the first time on South Asian Trailblazers.

Six years ago, in Season 1 (2020), Rooshy first sat down with Simi as a freshly-funded, newly-married Forbes 30 Under 30 founder building one of the first beauty brands rooted in Indian heritage. Today, she becomes the first trailblazer to ever return to the podcast — here to share the end of her nine-year journey bringing Indian Ayurveda-inspired beauty to the world.

In this raw, deeply personal conversation, Rooshy walks through the complete arc of building in beauty — from meeting her co-founder on the second day of Wharton, to raising $10M+ in venture funding, to pivoting from skincare to hair care with Sephora, to partnering with Lilly Singh, to the moment she realized she was playing a game she no longer wanted to win. She reveals why she decided to let go of the brand she spent nine years building and her process in finding an acquirer.

This episode is essential listening for ambitious women, founders building in consumer brand, and anyone wrestling with when to hold on and when to let go.

KEY TOPICS:

AAVRANI's acquisition announcement and what's next
The truth about launching in Sephora in 2024
How celebrity partnerships work (Lilly Singh)
Fellow South Asian beauty founders in Sephora: competitive or collaborative?
3 things Rooshy would do differently
Choosing family, chasing dreams, and knowing when to let go

About Rooshy:

Rooshy Roy is the founder and former CEO of AAVRANI, a premium beauty brand inspired by ancient Indian beauty traditions rituals. She co-founded at Wharton in 2017. A first-generation Indian American, Rooshy previously worked at Goldman Sachs and Warburg Pincus before launching AAVRANI to bring Ayurvedic beauty rooted in Indian traditions to the global stage. She was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 in Retail & E-Commerce. AAVRANI expanded from skincare into hair care at Sephora in partnership with Lilly Singh, and was acquired at the end of 2025.

PREVIOUS EPISODE:
Rooshy Roy, Season 1 (2020)

Follow Rooshy & AAVRANI:

Rooshy on Instagram
Rooshy on Substack
AAVRANI Website
AAVRANI on Instagram

U.S. Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi, Shri Thanedar, & Suhas Subramanyam

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 13:00:00 -0400

U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Representative Shri Thanedar (MI-13), and Representative Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) join South Asian Trailblazers Host Simi Shah for a timely and wide-ranging conversation live from the Impact Summit 2025 in Washington, D.C. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.

On this special panel concluding Season 8, we dive into:

💬 How increased political violence is shaping their leadership
💬 The urgent need for immigration reform and protections for our community
💬 Combating disinformation, hate, and cuts to healthcare
💬 U.S.–India relations, tariffs, and the $130B in trade at stake for small businesses
💬 The path ahead for South Asian representation in Congress — and beyond

About the U.S. Congressmen:

Raja Krishnamoorthi, who previously joined us on South Asian Trailblazers, is in his fifth term representing Illinois’ 8th District. He is the first South Asian American to lead a Congressional committee, serving as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party.

Shri Thanedar, representing Michigan’s 13th District since 2022, is a former chemist, entrepreneur, and immigrant from southern India who rose from poverty to public service. He is the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability.

Suhas Subramanyam, elected in 2024 to represent Virginia’s 10th District, is the first Indian American elected to Congress from Virginia. A former Obama White House technology advisor and Virginia state legislator, he now serves on the Oversight and Science, Space, and Technology Committees.

🎧 This is South Asian leadership in action — inside the nation’s halls of power.

Ani and Ayan Sanyal, Founders of Kolkata Chai Co.

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0400

Brothers Ani and Ayan Sanyal, Co-founders of Kolkata Chai Co., join Host Simi Shah ahead of National Chai Day for a conversation around building one of the most iconic South Asian brands in America. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.

What started as a side hustle in 2018 is now an 8-figure empire spanning viral NYC cafés, a booming e-commerce arm, and a cult following. The Bengali-American brothers have build a fast-growing food & beverage brand bringing authentic masala chai to the Western world, winning checks from investors like CPG Guru — and our previous guest — Nik Sharma and Celebrity Investor Hasan Minhaj, who went from loyal customer to the company’s second-largest stakeholder. Before Kolkata Chai, the brothers co-founded a creative agency called Green Room Creative, inspired by their roots in an immigrant household in Massachusetts.

In this episode, we dive into:

☕How a trip to India sparked the idea for KCC
☕The realities of being co-founders and brothers (including therapy!)
☕Bootstrapping through COVID before raising a $1M pre-seed
☕How to sell without selling out (your culture)
☕Their organic partnership with celebrity investor Hasan Minhaj
☕Overcoming impostor syndrome

From pushing chai to have its $15B global “matcha moment” to intersecting community and commerce, this is the story of two brothers redefining South Asian culture in America — one cup at a time.

Karishma Mehta, Founder of Humans of Bombay

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 23:00:00 -0400

All the way from Mumbai 🇮🇳✈️ our latest LIVE ✨podcast features Karishma Mehta: Founder & CEO of Humans of Bombay, India’s largest storytelling platform. This memorable live conversation from June 2024 is finally here. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.

Born and raised in Mumbai, Karishma launched Humans of Bombay at just 21. Over the past decade, she has grown it into India’s largest storytelling platform — spanning a photo blog, YouTube series, podcasts, books, and an agency — sharing thousands of stories that have inspired, mobilized, and connected millions.

We talk about:

💬 The origin story of #HumansofBombay and its 10-year journey
💬 Navigating the highs and lows of building a media company in India
💬 Lessons on #manifestation, balance, and detachment as a founder
💬 The challenges of living and creating in public
💬 How storytelling — from Marine Drive to global boardrooms — is evolving

🎧 Tune in for a candid conversation with one of India’s leading storytellers.

Thanks to our partners in this event: DesiGalli, Rupee Beer, The Third Place Co, and Photographer Dhaval Shah.

Ali Sethi, Musician

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Globally-acclaimed Singer, Songwriter, and Author ‪Ali Sethi sits down with South Asian Trailblazers Host Simi Shah for a deeply personal podcast conversation on the heels of his debut solo album #LoveLanguage. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.

Born in Lahore, educated at Harvard University and currently based in New York, he studied under acclaimed mentors across musical genres before rising to international acclaim with his viral hit “Pasoori,” which has surpassed a billion streams. From ghazals to reggaeton, Carnegie Hall to Coachella, he blends the classical with the contemporary in ways that transcend borders.

A vocalist, composer, and published author, Ali is a TIME100 Next honoree whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Pitchfork. His debut novel The Wish Maker received international acclaim, and with Love Language, he offers his most personal work yet.

In this deeply personal conversation, we unpack:
💬 Growing up in a household of dissenters in Pakistan
💬 The story behind Pasoori — and how the most hummed song of 2022 became a cultural flashpoint
💬 The symbolism of the color red in his new album
💬 How a Harvard class on Sufi poetry and a collaboration with Mira Nair transformed his creative path
💬 What it means to be a queer South Asian artist making art in a climate of fear

Tune in for a rare and resonant conversation with one of the most compelling artists of our time.

Vir Das, Comedian & Actor

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 09:00:00 -0400

On the night his new Netflix special Full Volume hits screens, global comedy icon Vir Das sits down with South Asian Trailblazers Host Simi Shah for an unforgettable podcast live-recorded at the ‪Asia Society of New York. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.

🎧 This is Vir Das off-script — raw, real, and as per always, hilarious.

Born in Dehradun, raised in Lagos, and educated everywhere from Delhi to Knox College in Illinois, Vir Das is definitionally global.

He has traversed Hindi cinema and inspired India’s comedy scene – from crowd favorites like Delhi Belly to performing stand-up at Carnegie Hall. In his career, he has worn the hats of actor, director, writer, comic, and soon-to-be author.

To date, he’s released five global specials – winning an Emmy for his special: Landing in 2023. In 2024, he hosted the International Emmy’s. Vir was the first Indian comedian from India to launch a special on Netflix. The night of this conversation, he launched his 5th special – VIR DAS: FOOL VOLUME with the streamer.

This year, he’s back with his boldest work yet — not just this special – but a memoir entitled The Outsider: A Memoir for Misfits and a host of other inspired projects.

Hosted in partnership with Neerja PR and Asia Society.

Sandeep Acharya, Founder and CEO of Octave Health

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0400

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Sandeep Acharya — Founder and CEO of Octave, a company that’s quietly but powerfully transforming how we experience mental health care in America. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.

Under his leadership, Octave has partnered with major insurers to make high-quality, affordable therapy accessible across 23 states. It’s been named a LinkedIn Top Startup and one of the best places to work in the country.

Before founding Octave, Sandeep wore many hats: investor at Bain Capital and Insight, consultant at Bain & Company, and executive at One Medical, where he helped scale the company nationwide and saw firsthand how deeply unmet our mental health needs are.

In this conversation, we go far beyond the bullet points — talking about his battle with cancer, the role of spirituality and music in his life, and what it really takes to build a company that’s both mission-driven and sustainable. He shares unfiltered insights on leadership and navigating uncertainty.

This one’s for the builders, those fighting their own battles, and the believers.

Dilawar Syed, U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Deputy Administrator

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 07:00:00 -0400

On the nostalgic grounds of their shared alma mater, Wharton, Simi speaks with Dilawar Syed, the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). A role he was nominated into by President Biden, Administrator Syed was the highest-ranking Muslim official in the U.S. Government at the time of this recording. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.

Syed came to the SBA from the State Department where he served as Special Representative for Commercial & Business Affairs. As the State Department’s top commercial diplomat, Deputy Administrator Syed advocated for U.S. companies to compete and win abroad and helped ensure U.S. competitiveness in markets across the globe.

Before joining the Biden Administration, Syed held the roles of CEO at Lumiata, an AI healthcare company, and President at software company, Freshworks. Earlier in his career, Syed oversaw business operations for Yahoo!'s platforms and infrastructure and was a product manager at Siebel Systems and SAP.

His transition to public service is marked by civic efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. He was the founding Chair of the California Entrepreneurship Task Force with the Governor's Office, served on President Obama's White House Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), and chaired the White House Initiative on AAPIs’ Economic Growth Committee. In that role, Syed led the administration’s engagement with small businesses across the U.S. after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2020, Syed was tapped by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo to help lead Silicon Valley’s pandemic recovery as a member of the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable. Syed holds an M.B.A. from Wharton and earned a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin.

South Asian Trailblazers at The Oscars: Mindy Kaling, Charithra Chandran, Manish Dayal, Deli Boys

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0500

South Asian Trailblazers at the Oscars 🏆 WATCH this episode HERE.

Founder & Host, Simi Shah, takes us inside a celebration of South Asian excellence at the 2025 Academy Awards. She speaks with trailblazers across generations and genres about their journeys to the hallowed halls of Hollywood. Join us for interviews with and speeches from this Oscars Pre-Party!

Interviews

Charithra Chandran, Actor | Bridgerton, One Piece
Saagar Shaikh, Actor | Deli Boys, Ms. Marvel
Manish Dayal, Actor | The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, The Resident, 90210
Swayam Bhatia, Actor | Succession, The Mighty Ducks
Iqbal Theba, Actor | Deli Boys, Glee
Sukki Menon, Writer, Director, Producer | I See Her, From Here

Speeches

Mindy Kaling, Actor, Writer, Producer | Running Point, The Office, Never Have I Ever, The Mindy Project
Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai, Director, Writer, Producer | Oscar-nominated Anuja
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Journalist & Filmmaker | Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Smriti Mundhra, Director & Producer | Oscar-nominated I Am Ready, Warden, Indian Matchmaking
David Taghioff, Associate Producer | Oscar-nominated Emilia Pérez
Pawo Choyning Dorji, Filmmaker & Photographer | Oscar-nominated Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

SPECIAL LIVE: Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

In this special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Simi Shah hosts a LIVE podcast with Gurbir S. Grewal — the Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement and former Attorney General of New Jersey — at the law offices of Morrison Foerster in New York City. WATCH this episode on YouTube.

This event was proudly hosted in partnership with global law firm, Morrison Foerster and The South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY). SABANY is an organization devoted to the needs, concerns, and interests of lawyers of South Asian heritage in the New York Metropolitan Area.

South Asian Trailblazers is a media company, community, and talent agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. To learn about future events and upcoming episodes, subscribe to our newsletter at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. Our episodes are available on Apple, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.

About Gurbir S. Grewal: Gurbir S. Grewal is the Director of the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission – the SEC. Before joining the Commission in 2021, he served as the Attorney General for the State of New Jersey – becoming the first-ever Sikh and second-ever South Asian American to serve as state attorney general in American history. Prior to this role, Gurbir held the role of Bergen County Prosecutor, the chief law enforcement officer for New Jersey’s most populous county. In this capacity, he concentrated on fighting the opioid epidemic and white-collar crime.

Earlier in his career, Gurbir served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, where he was the Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit. He also spent time as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where he was assigned to the Business and Securities Fraud Unit.

Gurbir began his career in law in private practice at Howrey LLP. He holds a J.D. from the College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law, and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Please join me in welcoming Director Gurbir S. Grewal.

SPECIAL LIVE: Jay Sean, Multi-platinum Artist, Entrepreneur, & Record Label Executive

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 06:00:00 -0500

In this special, LIVE-recorded edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Host Simi Shah kicks off Season 8 with Jay Sean — multi-platinum artist, entrepreneur, and record label executive. WATCH this and EVERY FUTURE episode on YouTube.

South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com.

This special live episode was proudly hosted in partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG). A special thanks to Karma Wellness Kitchen, Kulture Khazana, Stitched Sweets, Aayka Fashion, Bollygood, Rupee Beer, Woops!, Malai, DesiGalli, Tinto Amorio, Banyan & Birch, Pics by Dhaval, MishMedia+, Ravi Ray Audio.

British-born international superstar and cultural icon Jay Sean took the US pop culture market by storm in the mid-2000s, launching a career that has spanned nearly 20 years. In addition to being the first Indian artist and the first South Asian artist in history to achieve a No. 1 on Billboard’s charts. In 2024, he founded 3AM Entertainment, a record label under Virgin Music Group, alongside Range Media Partners, to support artists from the South Asian diaspora on their journey to becoming global stars.

Exciting Updates: Upcoming Events, Season 8, and our Agency

Fri, 10 May 2024 06:00:00 -0400

Happy AAPI Heritage Month from South Asian Trailblazers! 👋🏼 In this short soundbite, I’m sharing exciting updates about events we’re hosting around the world(!), Season 8, and our Agency. The highlights:

Season 8 goes live this Fall! But we couldn’t wait to share a sneak peek with you…which is why you can enjoy our latest LIVE recording with the esteemed Gurbir S. Grewal, the Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement and former Attorney General of New Jersey. WATCH this episode on YouTube.
We launched the Trailblazers Agency and Speaker’s Bureau to propel South Asian leaders in our network onto mainstages around the world. Over the last few months, we’ve brought their stories and expertise to tech companies like Flatiron Health and institutions like Harvard Business School. If you want to source and host expert, diverse South Asian talent for your conference, retreat, AAPI Employee Resource Group (ERG), brand campaign, or more, email us!
Upcoming Events: This Summer, we’re going global. RSVP for your city below!

Washington D.C. | May 15, 2024 | Register for the Summit or RSVP Here for JUST the Happy Hour
London | June 2024 | RSVP
San Francisco | July 2024 | RSVP
New York | July 2024 | RSVP below
- For all event announcements, follow us on Instagram & LinkedIn while the pod is on hiatus. We'll also announce in our newsletter.
- RSVP for South Asian professionals in media
- RSVP for South Asian professionals in family businesses/ family offices

Until the Fall!

Amol Shah, Go-To-Market at OpenAI

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0500

For our Season 7 Finale, we catch up with Amol Shah from OpenAI, one of the world's leading artificial intelligence companies and the creator of ChatGPT.

Amol's career spans roles at tech giants like Facebook and TikTok, and more recently, he served as the Chief Revenue Officer for blockchain startup QuickNode. Before his foray into the tech c-suite, Amol served as the Head of the US Disruptor team and Founding Sales Leader at TikTok. Between 2015 and 2019, he led platform sales at Facebook.

Amol began his career in the investment banking and principal investment divisions at Goldman Sachs and got his start in tech in 2013 at RocketFuel, an ad tech company. He entered the sector after graduating with his MBA from Harvard Business School. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. In October of 2023, preceding a period of immense controversy at the company, Amol joined OpenAI's Go-to-Market team -- driving partnerships with the company's largest customers to advance OpenAI's mission of bringing the benefits of artificial intelligence to all of humanity. Join us for a conversation about Amol's role sitting at the controversial yet cutting edge of AI, his pivot from finance to tech sales, and the impacts of his identity as a queer South Asian man in industry and beyond.

Nishant Roy, Chief Communications & Impact Officer at Chobani

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 06:00:00 -0500

In this episode, we meet Nishant Roy, Chief Communications and Impact Officer at Chobani.

Chobani is one of the fastest-growing food companies in the world and has been a pioneer in the natural food movement for the last decade. Nishant has an incredibly variegated career to date. He began his career with distinguished service in the United States Air Force as an airman where he served with the Security Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Upon his honorable discharge, he channeled his commitment to service into a role as a Domestic Policy Assistant at the Clinton Foundation, during which time he also completed his B.A. in Economics from St. John's University. Upon his graduation, he spent time at Goldman Sachs in their Asset Management Division.

After two years at the financial institution, he was recruited back into public service in 2009. He joined the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) where he served as a special adviser during President Obama's administration. He contributed significantly to President Obama's "Feed the Future" and "Power Africa" initiatives. Today, Nishant serves in the c-suite of Chobani, a company he joined almost seven years ago (2017). He initially joined as Chief of Staff to illustrious CEO and Founder Hamdi Ulukaya. He later took on the role of Chief of Strategic Operations, before ascending to his current role spearheading communications and impact work. Nishant is an alumnus of NYU Executive MBA Program, as well as a team member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He also sits on the Board of La Colombe, the famed coffee company recently acquired by Chobani.

Akash Mehta & Niki Mehta, Founders of Fable & Mane

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Simi welcomes our first-ever sibling founder duo: Akash and Nikita Mehta, Co-Founders of Fable & Mane. Fable & Mane is an Ayurveda-inspired hair wellness brand.

Akash is a British entrepreneur and influencer. He graduated from Imperial College London with a degree in electrical engineering. His professional journey spans roles at Burberry, Estee Lauder, and Dior, where he notably served as their youngest-ever global digital manager. Currently, Akash serves as the CEO of Fable & Mane. In addition to that, he owns a digital agency- studio, CO-ANU. Akash is also the host of the rising beauty podcast, Founded Beauty, and holds the position of an investor in Patou, making him one of the youngest board members at LVMH. Beyond his professional pursuits, Akash has amassed a significant social media following, acts as a global guardian for UNICEF, and is a co-founder of The Fable Fund, a fund dedicated to wild tiger conservation and protection.

Niki is a visionary and conscious beauty entrepreneur. She holds a degree in computer science and management from the University College of London and spent much of her building French fragrance brands. Currently, Niki serves as the Creative Director and Head of Product Innovation at Fable & Mane.

Niki recently co-executive produced the Netflix documentary film Game Changers. She is also an investor and board member of LVMH's Patou and co-founder of The Fable Fund. She is also a certified mindfulness teacher and, in 2022, completed 200 hours of meditation training.

Niki and Akash started Fable & Mane in 2020 and have since scaled it globally -- with a debut in Sephora in 2022. Together, we discuss how Akash and Niki have not only shaped Fable & Mane into a distinctive global brand, but have also successfully navigated the challenges of launching an Ayurveda-inspired brand into global markets, all while collaborating as socially-conscious siblings.

Raja Kumari, Rapper, Singer, Songwriter

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 07:00:00 -0500

Simi speaks with the revered RAJA KUMARI. Born Svetha Rao, Raja Kumari is a Grammy-nominated, international singer, songwriter, and rapper.

With over 43 million monthly Spotify streams, she has launched multiple hit singles and albums and collaborated with John Legend, AR Rahman, Iggy Azalea, and Fall Out Boy. Drawing from her Indian roots, she is trained in multiple styles of Indian dance and is regarded as one of India's top female rappers. She has been featured in Billboard, Vogue India, Elle India, and Harper’s Bazaar India, was the global face of MAC Cosmetics, and served as a judge on MTV’s "The Hustle." She was the first female rapper signed to artist Nas' record label in 2020. She recently founded Godmother Records, her own label, in order to have the freedom to pave her own way in music. She has toured globally, performed at Coachella, and most recently, released the debut album of her own label, The Bridge. In this episode, Raja Kumari reveals how she first fell in love with music, the obstacles she's faced along the way, and how she endeavors to set the next generation of talent up for success.

Nikhil Saboo, Broadway Star and Actor

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0500

Joining us on South Asian Trailblazers is Actor and Broadway Star, Nikhil Saboo. Most recently, Nikhil played the iconic Connor Murphy in the National Tour of Dear Evan Hansen, becoming the first South Asian to ever take on the Tony-nominated role. He also performed in the 1st National Tour of Hamilton: An American Musical and in the original Broadway cast of Mean Girls: The Musical.

Nikhil's career in the arts is extensive. In addition to appearing on Broadway, he has been featured on television as a singer for the 72nd Tony Awards and in SNL’s Season 43 Finale. He has also served as a camera operator and cinematographer for Amazon Prime.

Nikhil received his Bachelor’s in Music and the Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology from NYU. From there, he immediately jumpstarted his career, doing national tours with A Christmas Story: The Musical and Junie B. Jones. Tune in to hear about how Nikhil's early inclination toward the arts was spurred by a battle with heart disease and how he's stayed resilient in the face of all kinds of adversity.

Priya Singh, Chief Strategy Officer & Senior Associate Dean at Stanford Medicine

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0500

For our mid-season finale, Simi is joined by Priya Singh — Chief Strategy Officer, Senior Associate Dean, & Vice President of Stanford Medicine.

Stanford Medicine encompasses a $13 billion preeminent academic health center comprised of the Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. Priya first began her career at Stanford in 2002, when she joined Stanford’s Graduate School of Business as the Director of Marketing for their Executive Education program. By 2006, she had become an Assistant Dean at the Business School. After a decade, in 2013, she transitioned to Stanford University’s School of Medicine, where she would serve as Senior Associate Dean, before transitioning to the broader Stanford Healthcare enterprise.

Prior to her time at Stanford, Priya led marketing management in senior roles at Oracle, a startup called Respond.com, and iconic apparel company, Levi Strauss & Co. She is a writer who has written extensively about the Great Pretend — the code-switching, concealing, and compromising that women often partake in and are subjected to in the workplace. For her extensive work at Stanford and beyond, Priya was named one of the 100 Outstanding Silicon Valley Professionals in the 2020 Class of Women of Influence. Priya is originally from India and earned her Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees in Business Management at the University of Bombay, India.

Nora Ali, CEO and Co-Founder of Mason Media

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0400

Simi is joined by Nora Ali, the CEO and Co-Founder of Mason Media, a full-service production company and brand studio, which she co-founded alongside MLB all-star Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) and tech billionaire Marc Lore.

With a degree in Statistics and Quantitative Finance from Harvard, Nora began her career by building a foundation in capital markets as an Asian Equities Associate on the trading floor at Goldman Sachs. She then helped build and launch e-commerce company Jet.com as an early member of the product and marketing teams, seeing the company through its $3.3 billion acquisition by Walmart. She took her finance, retail, and startup expertise to Cheddar, where she joined as an on-air anchor covering tech, business, and entertainment news from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. At Cheddar, Nora also created, produced, and hosted several specialty series, with a special interest in elevating historically overlooked voices. Nora recently hosted Morning Brew’s flagship podcast “Business Casual,” a Top 10 business podcast on Apple upon her debut as its new host.

Nora is a child of Bangladeshi immigrants, and a proud Minnesotan now living in New York City. She is also an award-winning violinist and pianist, having frequently performed the national anthem at MLB games, appearing as a soloist with several professional orchestras, and making her Carnegie Hall debut in May 2023. In this episode, we explore Nora's incredible pivots from finance to broadcast journalism to entrepreneurship, along with the triumphs and tribulations she's faced along the way.

Diipa Büller-Khosla, Global Influencer, Founder of indē wild, Model

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 17:00:00 -0400

In a first for South Asian Trailblazers, we welcome Global Influencer and Entrepreneur Diipa Büller-Khosla. Diipa is not only one of the first Indian influencers to have gained international renown, but is also breaking barriers as a founder, model, public speaker, and activist.

At age 18, Diipa moved from India to Amsterdam and eventually London to study international human rights law. She interned at the United Nations’ International Criminal Court and IMA Influencer Agency, one of the biggest influencer agencies in Europe. The experience inspired her to take the leap into digital media celebrity.

Today, Diipa has been featured on seven international magazine covers including Vogue, walked at the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals, and been an ambassador for brands like Estée Lauder, Pandora, and Kérastase by L'Oréal. In 2018, Diipa was India's very first global influencer to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2023, she became a first among Cannes hosts via her new company, indē wild — a debut that broke the internet (hear all about it in this episode!).

A serial founder and passionate activist, Diipa previously founded non-profit, Post for Change, to rally influencers to harness the power of social media by actively addressing social and global issues, like colorism. Her newest entrepreneurial endeavor is inspired by her mother’s work as an Ayurvedic doctor and her own personal battle with skincare. She’s transforming the industry with her brand, indē wild, by combining Ayurvedic rituals with revolutionary science-backed chemistry into its products. In juggling her many hats, Diipa lives between Amsterdam and India with her husband, Oleg, and their daughter, Dua. Dive in with Simi as she explores Diipa's conviction in her ability to scale herself into a multi-faceted, international brand and the wisdom she has gained through her journey.

Ruchi Bhowmik, Vice President of Public Policy at Netflix

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0400

Simi sits down with Ruchi Bhowmik, Vice President of Public Policy at Netflix.

In this role, Ruchi strategizes around the streaming giant's relationships with key stakeholders: regulators, non-governmental organizations, and elected leaders in the United States and Canada.

Prior to joining Netflix, Ruchi was Global Vice Chair of Public Policy at EY, one of the big four accounting firms. There she was responsible for the firm’s public policy operations in 150{ countries. As Global Vice Chair, Ruchi focused on shaping the firm’s position on regulatory and public policy, with a focus on corporate reporting and ESG, artificial intelligence, data privacy, cybersecurity, and the future of work. She previously served as the Senior Vice President for Global Public Policy and Government Affairs for PepsiCo. Between 2013 and 2017, she served as Chief of Staff to the Global CEO of EY with a focus on emerging markets and Inclusive Capitalism.

Prior to entering the private sector, Ruchi served in multiple senior-level roles in the United States government, including serving as President Barack Obama’s Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Special Assistant to the President for Policy in the Office of the Chief of Staff. She also served as Legislative Director and Legislative Counsel to Barack Obama when he was a Senator.

Ruchi has served on numerous boards and commissions, including as a member of the Executive Consultation Group of the Blue Dot Network for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the G7 Impact Transparency Project, focused on transparency issues around environmental disclosures as part of COP26. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Global Affairs at New York University, the Board of the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the Board of the DC Public Library Foundation. She holds a B.A. in History from Yale University and received her J.D. from the University of Virginia. In this episode, we see how Ruchi's work bridges the public and private sectors -- from her early days as a staffer on the Hill to her work in corporate America as a pioneer in policy.

LIVE: Vas Narasimhan (CEO of Novartis) & Dr. Srishti Gupta Narasimhan (Physician Leader in Health and Education)

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0400

To kick off South Asian Trailblazers Season 7, power duo Dr. Vas Narasimhan (CEO of Novartis) and Dr. Srishti Gupta Narasimhan (Physician Leader in Health & Education) join Simi all the way from Basel, Switzerland for a LIVE recording at Novartis Headquarters in Cambridge, MA. WATCH this episode on YouTube.

South Asian Trailblazers is dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. To learn about our events, subscribe to our newsletter at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Vas Narasimhan and Srishti Gupta Narasimhan are two highly accomplished individuals...who also happen to be married. In this conversation, Simi delves into how Vas and Srishti first met at Harvard Medical School, Srishti’s two decades at McKinsey and board service in biotech, and Vas’ varied leadership roles at Novartis leading up to the moment he was named CEO of the world-renowned pharma company. It’s an extraordinary journey that encompasses multiple moves across the world — with Srishti and Vas rising in their respective careers, while also supporting each other’s unique aspirations and building a family. It’s one of our most special episodes yet.

About Srishti: Dr. Srishti Gupta Narasimhan is a physician leader who dedicates her time to board service at Idorsia Pharmaceuticals, the Norrsken Foundation, and the BackPack Foundation. Previously, Dr. Gupta spent 2 decades at McKinsey as a Senior Expert in the Global Health Practice. She also supported talent programs as Global Director for McKinsey Alumni & Strategy, Director of Global Programs, and Director of Diversity and Inclusion. She holds a BA, MA, MPP, and MD from Harvard University and an M. Phil from the University of Cambridge.

About Vas: Dr. Vasant Narasimhan is the CEO of Novartis. Since becoming CEO in 2018, Vas has led a transformation to build a fully focused medicines company. He leads 105,000 associates across 140 countries. Since joining Novartis in 2005, Vas has held myriad roles, including Global Head of Development for Novartis Vaccines, Global Head of Drug Development, and Chief Medical Officer. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and Chair of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. He holds a BS from the University of Chicago and an MD/MPP from Harvard University.

Visit Scrumptious Wicks & Prana Kitchens.

Shruti Ganguly, Filmmaker, Director, and Producer

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 05:00:00 -0400

For our Season 6 Finale, Simi invites Shruti Rya Ganguly: award-winning Filmmaker, Producer, and Writer to the podcast.

In 2017, Shruti started honto88, a production company that works in a variety of formats — from narrative and doc features to series and branded content. She launched it with a narrative feature produced by Keanu Reeves. She has directed videos for Google, Unilever, Nike, and Chanel. Recently, she also co-founded Prism Entertainment to craft South-Asian focused films and television series.

Shruti’s latest work: she directed TRIPPED UP, starring Leah Lewis, Ariel Winter, and Vanessa Williams. She sold DEATHSPA, a psychological horror film to Sony International, and is currently writing SECRET DAUGHTER for Amazon Studios, a drama starring Priyanka Chopra. Her coming-of-age feature comedy, PRIYA, AT 12 is in production. On the TV front, Shruti is a writing-EP on the series BROWN BABY set up at Apple UK, and has been developing FLOSSY, a half-hour with comedian Kerry Coddett. Her films have premiered at major festivals, including Sundance, Venice, Tribeca, and Berlin — namely, Spirit-winner H. and the Nora Ephron Prize-winner INITIALS SG.

Previously, Shruti worked closely with James Franco on numerous films, and also worked at NYLON, MTV, and Conde Nast, producing Vogue’s famed 73 Questions series. She served in President Obama’s ECCO (Entertainment Creative Collaborative Outreach) program, where she worked alongside 30 leaders in entertainment. Additionally, Shruti is a published writer and the co-founder of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of singers. She received her Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, and earned her dual MFA/MBA from NYU. She hails from India, by way of Oman.

Gaurav Shah, CEO of Rocket Pharmaceuticals & Grammy Award Winner

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0400

The founding CEO of a breakout biotech company AND a Grammy Award winner? Gaurav Shah is no stranger to dualities. In this episode, Simi speaks with the Co-Founder and CEO of Rocket Pharmaceuticals, a company developing first-in-class gene-modified cell therapies to treat rare diseases.

Prior to his role as founding CEO, Gaurav was a Global Program Head in the Cell & Gene Therapies Unit at Novartis, where he had strategic oversight of 12 functions and helped spearhead pivotal trials for patients with leukemia and lymphoma. His earlier roles at Novartis span being a Global Clinical Program Head for CART-19 and Biosimilars, and lead physician for Afinitor in several global oncology submissions. Gaurav started his career in industry at ImClone/Eli Lilly as a Medical Director overseeing oncology trials.

Gaurav graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience. He received his M.D. from Columbia University, completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and hematology/oncology fellowship training at Memorial-Sloan Kettering. After receiving board certification in medical oncology, he served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Oncology at Columbia.

To find balance, Gaurav also has long explored his passion for Indian classical music. In 2019, he and his wife were Grammy nominees and in 2022, they won the Grammy for Best Children’s Album, for their album entitled A Colorful World. In this conversation, Simi explore's multidimensional career from medicine to music and the unexpected parallels between them.

SPECIAL LIVE EPISODE: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal at Impact Summit 2023

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 06:00:00 -0400

In this special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Simi hosts a LIVE podcast with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal — the first South Asian woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives — to kick off Indian American Impact's 2023 Summit in Washington D.C. WATCH this episode on YouTube.

In addition to elevating the stories of South Asian leaders, South Asian Trailblazers is also dedicated to convening them. If you're interested in attending future community events, including our live podcasts, subscribe to our newsletter at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. This episode was hosted in partnership with Impact, an organization working to ensure equitable South Asian American representation at every level of government. Support their President, Neil Makhija, in his run for Montgomery County Commissioner.

Elected in 2016, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is now serving her fourth term in Congress, representing Washington's 7th District. She is not only the first South Asian American woman elected to the US House of Representatives, but also one of only two dozen naturalized citizens currently serving in Congress.

Congresswoman Jayapal is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. She also serves on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. She is the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which represents nearly 50% of the entire Democratic caucus; the Immigration Task Force for the Congressional Asian Pacific Asian Caucus; and a Vice Chair of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus where she is the co-chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force.

Prior to serving in elected office, Congresswoman Jayapal spent 20 years working internationally and domestically in global public health and development and as an award-winning national advocate for women’s, immigrant, civil, and human rights. She spent almost a decade working on global health and development for the international nonprofit organization, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), and spent 12 years as the founder and Executive Director of OneAmerica, formerly known as Hate Free Zone, the largest immigrant advocacy organization in Washington State and one of the largest in the country.

Representative Jayapal was born in India, grew up in India, Indonesia and Singapore, before immigrating to the U.S. by herself at age 16 to attend Georgetown University. She later received her MBA from Northwestern University, worked in both the public and private sectors, and has published 2 books. She is married to Steve Williamson, a long-time labor leader and strategist, and is the proud mother of a transgender daughter, Kashika, and step-son Michael.

Zarna Garg, Comedian

Tue, 30 May 2023 06:00:00 -0400

You’ve likely seen Zarna Garg — the Indian immigrant mom and comedy sensation cracking mom jokes on Instagram, opening for Tina Fey, or most recently, making headlines for her comedy special, Zarna Garg: One in a Billion, which premiered on Amazon Prime in May.

But do you know what came before?

Born and raised in India, Zarna Garg immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager to escape her father's plans for an arranged marriage. She landed in Akron, Ohio, where she pursued her B.S. at the University of Akron and a J.D. at Case Western Reserve's School of Law. After practicing law for several years, she became a stay-at-home mom for 16 years — until 2018, when she unexpectedly launched a career in... comedy.

Today, Zarna is a regular at New York’s iconic Comedy Cellar and Caroline's on Broadway. She has toured nationally at historic venues like the Kennedy Center; opened for the likes of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler; and starred in Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton’s new show, Gutsy. Her special marks just the latest milestone in a growing list of accomplishments, which include another national tour and a film she’ll soon star in alongside Deadpool's Karan Soni. Join us for a conversation full of funny, as we hear how Zarna went from one open mic to full-fledged comedian, her encouraging advice for moms and creatives yearning for their turn, and what’s next for the rising star.

Pooja Goyal, Chief Investment Officer of Carlyle Global Infrastructure

Tue, 16 May 2023 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we meet Pooja Goyal: Partner and the Chief Investment Officer of Carlyle Global Infrastructure, Co-Head of the Carlyle Global Infrastructure Opportunity Fund (CGI), and Carlyle’s Head of Renewable and Sustainable Energy. With over $381 billion assets under management (AUM), Carlyle is one of the world’s largest investment firms — a megafund that specializes in private equity and private credit.

Prior to joining Carlyle, Pooja was the Head of the Alternative Energy Investing Group at Goldman Sachs, where she led investments in the renewables sector. She joined the group as an associate in 2005, was promoted to Managing Director in 2012, and took over as Head of the group in 2013. Under her leadership, the group built a portfolio of investments dedicated to the renewable energy and sustainable resources sector.

Pooja has held several board and committee positions, including on the boards of Vivint Solar and the American Council of Renewable Energy and the investment committees at Altus Power and Goldman Sachs’ Special Situations Group. Prior to 2005, Pooja was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. She holds a BS in finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a BAS in computer and cognitive science from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. In this episode, Simi explores Pooja's role as an influential investor shaping the future of energy at one of the foremost private equity firms in the world.

Medha Gargeya, Associate Counsel to VP Kamala Harris, U.S. Air Force Reservist, Adjunct Professor

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 23:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Simi speaks with Medha Gargeya: Associate Counsel to Vice President Kamala Harris, reservist with the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, and Adjunct Professor of Law.

As Associate Counsel at the White House, Medha helps manage ethics and oversight for the Vice President's office and works on policy areas ranging from criminal justice to voting and reproductive rights. She is a member of the reserve force of the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, the legal arm of the U.S. military's air force.

She previously worked at the international law firm, WilmerHale LLP, where she focused on administrative law, appeals, and anti-discrimination matters. Medha's foray into government service began in 2020, when she worked on voter protection for the Biden-Harris campaign in North Carolina and eventually worked on judicial nominations during the Presidential Transition. The year prior, Medha was a law clerk to the Honorable Roger Wollman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. She has also spent time as an adjunct professor at the University of South Dakota School of Law teaching Art Law. Medha received her A.B. and J.D. from Harvard University in 2014 and 2019 respectively. In this episode, Simi peels back the layers on Medha’s passion for service and her dynamic range of legal experiences across the three branches of American government.

SPECIAL LIVE EPISODE: Anjula Acharia, Manager to Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Investor, and Entrepreneur

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 03:00:00 -0400

In this special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Simi speaks with trailblazer Anjula Acharia in front of a LIVE audience in New York City. WATCH this episode on YouTube.

In addition to elevating the stories of South Asian leaders, South Asian Trailblazers is also dedicated to convening them. If you're interested in attending future community events, including our live podcasts, subscribe to our newsletter at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube.

Anjula Acharia is a legendary investor, entrepreneur, and manager/business partner to Priyanka Chopra Jonas. She is the CEO and Founder of A-series Investments and Management. Today, she works as a talent manager and strategic investor/advisor to a host of startups, including two early stage investments which eventually grew into unicorns: ClassPass and Bumble. Her extensive portfolio includes: The Muse, Hooked, Thrive Causemetics, Olipop, Gobble, and The Well. She also sits on BuzzFeed’s Board of Directors.

A serial entrepreneur herself, Anjula previously co-founded DesiHits!, a digital entertainment platform through which she pioneered the merging of global cultures by introducing artists like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and 50 Cent to India. She eventually returned the favor by launching esteemed actress, Priyanka Chopra Jonas' career in America, and who she continues to represent today. Tune in to hear Anjula candidly discuss the adversity she faced growing up as South Asian woman in England, her journey to tech and Hollywood, and the wins and losses she faced along the way.

This episode and event was hosted in partnership with Free Agency, DesiGalli, Kahani Digital, Junglee, Rupee Beer, Tinto Amorio, Artist Lakshmi Sarkar, Shaz & Kiks, Wander Beauty, LŪVIH, Mudita Earth, Golden Hour Candle Co, and Silk & Sonder. Editing by Ravi Ray Audio. Photo and video by MishMedia+ and Sanjida Ahmed.

Pooja Bavishi, Founder & CEO of Malai Icecream

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0400

Meet Pooja Bavishi, Founder and CEO of Malai, a trailblazer who is sure to pique your interest and... your sweet tooth.

Malai is an artisanal ice cream company, with flavors inspired by the nostalgic, aromatic spices and ingredients of South Asian culture. Pooja had always wanted to be in the business of delivering happiness, AKA desserts, and in 2015, she founded Malai following her graduation from the NYU Stern School of Business. She is incredibly hands-on in the everyday of Malai's operations, including in the creation of their ice cream flavors (from Kheer to Lemon Cardamom), managing their brick and mortar scoop shop in Brooklyn, and expanding their presence through nationwide shipping in both grocery stores and on Goldbelly.

Pooja previously claimed the title of champion after winning a battle on the Food Network's Chopped Sweets and was named one of Inc. Magazine's Female Founders 100 in October 2020. And prior to her full force foray into food, Pooja spent time in the world of urban planning, civil rights, and the broader universe of nonprofit and social impact work. She holds a B.A. from UNC Chapel Hill, an M.S. from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from NYU. Tune in as Simi digs into Pooja's experience building at the intersection of food and culture, a journey that will absolutely leave you hungry for more.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App. For more episodes, visit us at southasiantrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes in your inbox and follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube.

SPECIAL LIVE EPISODE: Akshay Kumar, Nora Fatehi, Mouni Roy, and The Entertainers

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0400

In this special episode, we mark our first-ever foray into Bollywood and the land of Indian cinema. Trailblazers Host, Simi Shah, joins some of Bollywood’s biggest stars on the Red Carpet as they kick off a U.S. show tour entitled, The Entertainers. The Entertainers is led by Bollywood icon Akshay Kumar, and also welcomes Nora Fatehi, Mouni Roy, Disha Patani, Aparshakti Khurana, Zahrah Khan, Sonam Bajwa, Stebin Ben, and Jasleen Royal to the stage.

As the stars walk the red carpet on their way to the tour's official launch party, Simi speaks with each of them about their journeys to stardom, advice they have for aspiring creatives, and of course, their highly-anticipated tour around the U.S. Join us for a live glimpse into this star-studded evening, with guests all the way from the hallowed halls of Hindi cinema.

This episode was made possible by the evening's hosts: Anip Patel, Jack Singh, the Garg Group, and Anand Entertainment. It is also brought to you in partnership with, McKinsey & Co. For more episodes, visit us at southasiantrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes in your inbox and follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Youtube.

Anita Chatterjee, Founder & CEO of A-Game Public Relations

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 01:00:00 -0500

To kick of Season 6, Simi speaks with Anita Chatterjee, Founder and CEO of A-Game Public Relations. A-Game Public Relations is a bicoastal firm representing celebrities, business leaders, venture capital firms, and innovative technology and consumer packaged goods companies. Anita has built the profiles of several high profile individuals, including Rohan Oza, Guest Shark on ABC's Shark Tank and Grammy Award-winning artist Ne-Yo. She has also worked with CAVU Venture Partners; Bai antioxidant drinks, which was acquired by Dr. Pepper for $1.7 billion; Gobble, the originator of the 15-minute gourmet dinner kit; and our former guest, ClassPass Founder, Payal Kadakia.

Prior to founding A-Game PR, Anita orchestrated PR campaigns for several celebrities, including Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Rihanna while serving as an executive at Desi Hits, a multimedia startup founded by famed investor and manager Anjula Acharia. Anita holds a degree in communications from DePaul University and a graduate degree in PR from Georgetown. To date, we've seen Anita around every corner... elevating so many of the very trailblazers we've had on this podcast. In this episode, we finally talk to the woman behind the curtain, learning how she makes the magic happen.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

SPECIAL 50th EPISODE: Reflections on 50 Trailblazers

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 03:00:00 -0500

In this very special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, we celebrate our 50th episode. To mark this exciting milestone, we wanted to do something a little bit different.

In the 50 episodes, 50 stories we’ve shared thus far, we’ve met some phenomenal individuals — visionary entrepreneurs, seasoned executives, next gen creatives... all the way from fashion to medicine. These leaders affirmed a lot of the early hypotheses we came in with: that success is rarely linear and that it has no singular definition. That representation matters because it’s hard to be what you can’t see. That our community is not just setting, but breaking precedents.

But in addition to confirming some of these early theories, Founder and Host Simi Shah has also uncovered some unexpected themes as we've gone 50 episodes and 52 trailblazers deep. So in this episode, she journeys back through our most thought-provoking and inspired moments to explore four of these motifs. We’ll talk about the internal and external forces that factor into success; the truth about the trials of leadership; and the non-linear paths and pivots that can be attributed to the fact that passions come in packs. Plus, there's a few of our favorite, awe-inspiring moments.

If you're new here, we hope this episode gives you a chance to get to know what we're all about: diving deep into the journeys of trailblazing South Asians. If you've been along for the ride, we hope our reflections inspire your own. To everyone out there, thank you for reminding us day in and day out why we do what we do. We are so thrilled to celebrate 50 episodes with you all, 50 instances in which we got to share the stories of the South Asian leaders and dreamers lighting the way across the diaspora and beyond. We can't wait to hear what you think!

This episode is brought to you in partnership with, McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

Prama Bhatt, Chief Digital Officer of ULTA Beauty

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 01:00:00 -0500

Joining us for this episode is Ulta Beauty's first-ever Chief Digital Officer, Prama Bhatt. Prama brings 20 years of digital expertise to this role, having brought to life innovative experiences and initiatives like Virtual Beauty Advisor, Skin Analysis, GLAMLab, real-time recommendations and more to meaningfully disrupt and drive the industry forward.

Before serving as CDO, Prama was senior vice president and vice president of digital and e-commerce at Ulta Beauty. Prior to that, she led teams at Toys R Us and Kenneth Cole and held several roles across product strategy, design and development at Ford Motor Company. Prama holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Oakland University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Wayne State University, and an M.B.A. in corporate strategy from the University of Michigan. She also serves on Hormel Foods Board of Directors and the Advisory Board for Shoptalk. A true trailblazer who exists at the cross-section of digital, e-comm, and consumer businesses, Prama shares deep insights into the evolution of beauty and retail in this episode.

This episode is sponsored by McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

Ziad Ahmed, Co-Founder/CEO of JUV Consulting

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:00:00 -0500

At 23-years-old, Ziad Ahmed is our youngest trailblazer to date. In this episode, Simi catches up with the CEO/Co-Founder of JUV Consulting, a purpose-driven Generation Z consultancy that works with clients (small businesses, non-profits, and major corporations) to help them authentically reach young people. To date, the company has worked with 20+ Fortune 500 companies (Unilever, VF Group), has been profiled by the New York Times, and has established full-time offices around the U.S.

A recent graduate of Yale, Ziad began JUV consulting in 2016, while still in high school. He previously founded a non-profit, Redefy, committed to furthering equality. Ziad has done significant work in progressive politics, having worked for the US Department of State, Hillary Clinton's 2016 Campaign, Martin O'Malley's 2016 Campaign, and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. He is also an active speaker as well as leader and advisor for Women's March Youth Empower, Yara Shahidi's EighteenX18, and various other campaigns and movements that focus on encouraging young people to become more civically engaged. In this episode, Simi and Ziad engage in a passionate discourse on the state of entrepreneurship, JUV's value proposition, and what's next for the young leader.

This episode is sponsored by McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

Megha Desai, President of The Desai Foundation

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 01:00:00 -0500

Simi speaks with Megha Desai, President of the Desai Foundation. The Desai Foundation empowers women and children through community programming that elevates health, livelihood and menstrual health, primarily in India. Initially established by her parents 25+ years ago, the public foundation has impacted 5 million+ lives across 2500 communities to date.

Before pivoting to the nonprofit world, Megha had a formative, decade-long career in the advertising industry. She previously founded MSD (Marketing. Strategy. Dharma.), a marketing shop for emerging impact brands. She served clients around the world during her time at top advertising agencies like BBH, Wieden and Kennedy, and Ogilvy. Today, Megha sits on the advisory boards of several startups and nonprofits including Spicewell and TakeTwo Film Academy. She is an active contributor to the Boston Globe and Huffington Post, and is also an avid singer as a member of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of 60+ women that has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center. In this episode, Megha delves into her unexpected foray into the social sector, insights from the advertising industry, and what the leadership of a public foundation truly entails.

This episode is sponsored by McKinsey & Co. Discover McKinsey's latest business insights through their Insights App.

Raju Narisetti, Global Publishing Leader @ McKinsey

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 01:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Simi is joined by a legend in the media business: Raju Narisetti, Global Publishing Leader at McKinsey.

Raju grew up in India where he studied business and journalism. He immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s, earning his Masters in Journalism from Indiana University. Here he kickstarted his career in local news in Dayton, Ohio. In 1994, he was recruited to the Wall Street Journal, where he climbed the ranks, becoming Deputy Managing Editor of the Wall Street Journal Global and Editor of the WSJ Europe. After 12 years at the preeminent outlet, Raju left the Journal to found Mint, a first-of-its kind business media company in India. He then spent a number of years leading digital transformation and strategy across pre-eminent news organizations including the Washington Post, Dow Jones & Co., and News Corp.

In 2016, Raju was tapped to become CEO of the Gizmodo Group, home to brands like Jezebel and Lifehacker. When Univision exited the business in 2018, he decided to pay his vast experience in media forward, leading the Knight Bagehot Fellowships in Economics and Business Journalism at Columbia University and serving as a Professor at the School of Journalism. In January 2020, he joined McKinsey, the world-renowned management consulting firm to spearhead their global publishing efforts. With a career in media that spans 3+ decades at some of the most prestigious organizations in the world, Raju digs into his various career pivots and the future of the media industry in this episode.

Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 01:00:00 -0400

We're mid-season and to celebrate, Simi welcomes Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot to Trailblazers. HubSpot is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform and publicly-traded company.

Prior to becoming CEO, Yamini served as the company's first-ever Chief Customer Officer. In September 2021, she succeeded CEO Brian Halligan, the co-founder of HubSpot who had served as CEO for the 15 years since the company's inception. A tech industry veteran, Yamini has more than 25 years of experience ranging from product marketing, sales, and strategy.

She previously served as Chief Customer Officer at Dropbox, where she was responsible for embedding a customer focus across the organization. Before Dropbox, she served as the VP of sales strategy and operations at Workday and she held several customer-facing leadership roles at SAP. Yamini holds a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering, a Master's in Computer Engineering and an MBA from Berkeley. In 2019, she was recognized as one of the most influential women in business. In this episode, she takes us on her journey through tech, sharing how she found her sweet spot in customer-facing leadership and her transition to the top job.

Arjun Pulijal, President @ Capitol Music Group

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 01:00:00 -0400

Beck, Paul McCartney, Troye Sivan, Maggie Rogers, Katy Perry, Sam Smith, Halsey, Masego, Doechii, Norah Jones — just a few of the greats on Arjun Pulijal’s star-powered artist roster. In our latest episode, Simi speaks with the esteemed President of Capitol Music Group.

Capitol Music Group is a premier American front line umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group. As President, Arjun oversees the company’s multiple labels and all areas of artist development including creative, marketing, and operations. Based in Hollywood, Arjun joined the company in 2013 as the Director of Marketing. In 2016, he ascended to the role of Vice President and was promoted to Senior Vice President Head of Marketing in 2020.

Prior to Arjun’s work at Capitol Music Group, he spent 7 years in New York at Epic Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. There he served as Director of Marketing & Artist Development, Manager of Digital Marketing, and started his career in A&R (Artists and Repertoire). Arjun graduated with a degree in Music and Computer Science from NYU in 2006. In this episode, he reflects on his adolescent dreams of being a musician and his ascent in the music business — now stewarding one the most prominent, star-powered labels in the industry.

Sean Desai, Associate Head Coach-Defense of Seattle Seahawks

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Simi catches up with a legend in the League, Sean Desai, Associate Head Coach-Defense for the Seattle Seahawks.

Sean has over a decade of experience as a coach at the NFL and collegiate levels. When he became defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears in 2021, he became the first Indian-American NFL coordinator in U.S. history.

Sean joined the Bears in 2013, where he served on staff for 8 years, initially as a defensive quality control coach, before coaching safeties. Previously, he spent the 2012 season as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Boston College. In 2011, he served as Assistant Director of Football Operations at the University of Miami. And prior to this experience, he spent five seasons at Temple University first as a graduate assistant for the Owls’ defensive/special teams and academics. He joined the Seahawks in early 2022.

After graduating from Boston University, Sean earned a master's in higher and postsecondary education from Columbia University before moving onto Temple University where he earned his doctorate in educational administration. In this episode, Simi probes into Sean’s unexpected academic path to coaching and how he thinks critically about representation in sports -- reflecting on a time when his own 4-year-old son asked if he could 'paint his skin white' to make it big in baseball. More in our episode.

Seema Mody, CNBC Anchor and Reporter

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Simi sits down with a familiar face, Seema Mody, CNBC Global Markets Reporter.

A leading business journalist, Seema is CNBC’s FIRST South Asian on-air personality. She joined the network in 2011 and currently focuses on the intersection of foreign policy and Wall Street, as well as the travel industry. She also hosts European Close, a daily segment that keeps U.S. investors informed on European market happenings.

Seema has appeared on several additional CNBC shows including Street Signs, Closing Bell, and The Kudlow Report. In 2014, she spent a year in London, co-anchoring Worldwide Exchange as well as other live reports for CNBC Europe. Her journey in journalism actually kicks off with CNBC-TV18 in Mumbai, India, where she covered the country’s economy and co-anchored programs like Power Breakfast and After the Bell. Her reporting to date spans COVID-19, biotechnology, Brexit, Indian elections, and more. A graduate of the University of Washington, Seema initially began her career at Accenture. And beyond the newsroom, she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations — the prominent American think tank. In this episode, Seema reflects on her return to India as a reporter and the intricacies of covering global markets in today's fast-paced world.

Kal Penn, Actor

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0400

To kick off Season 5, Simi sits down with Kal Penn, esteemed Actor, Author, and former White House Staffer.

Kal jumpstarted his acting career in the early 2000s, with performances in The Namesake and Harold & Kumar franchise. He has also starred in a host of other fan favorites: Designated Survivor, House, and How I Met Your Mother to name a few.

In 2009, Kalpen made a left turn out of acting and into the Obama Administration where he served as the Principal Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement. He eventually co-chaired President Obama’s re-election campaign and also served on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Before becoming a professional actor, Kal studied film and sociology at UCLA.

Today, Kal continues to build his robust repertoire in Hollywood, with a forthcoming show about climate change, Getting Warmer with Kal Penn, a biopic about famed Raptors Superfan, Nav Bhatia, and several other projects. Last year, Kal released his You Can’t Be Serious which recounts his phenomenal journey and where he first publicly revealed he was gay and engaged to be married to his partner of 11 years. In this episode, Simi discusses Kal's dual passions: politics and acting and the road to representation that he paved for so many.

Megha Rao, Fashion Designer and Founder @ holiCHIC by Megha

Tue, 31 May 2022 07:00:00 -0400

For our Season 4 finale, Simi sits down with Megha Rao, Fashion Designer and Founder of holiCHIC.

A renowned global fashion brand, holiChic offers South Asian-inspired fashion ensembles with a Western twist. Megha’s brand made its runway premiere at New York Fashion Week in 2021, and was also featured in the iconic Jalebi Baby remix video with Tesher and Jason Derulo. Before starting holiChic in 2014, Megha spent a decade modeling for iconic Indian fashion brands. She also spent 15 years in corporate America at CitiBank, a career she recently left in 2020 to go full-time as a founder. Megha is a graduate of Hofstra University, where majored in communications. Tune in to hear from our first trailblazer in fashion discuss how she broke into the industry and what its meant to outfit some our community's icons, from her mentor Payal Kadakia to actress Mindy Kaling.

Dr. Sree Chaguturu, Chief Medical Officer of CVS

Mon, 16 May 2022 18:00:00 -0400

Simi sits down with Dr. Sreekanth Chaguturu, Chief Medical Officer at CVS Health.

Shortly after this episode was recorded, Sree ascended to this role, becoming CMO for all of CVS Health. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark — the patient benefits arm of CVS Health that ensures that patients have access to safe and affordable prescriptions. Before joining the company in 2019, Sree was the Chief Population Health Officer for Massachusetts General Brigham Hospital.

Sree completed his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he continues to practice internal medicine today. He also serves as a Lecturer at Harvard Medical School. After initially graduating from residency in 2007, Sree spent time as both a practicing physician and a healthcare consultant at McKinsey and Company, leading the firm’s Hospital Institute. To date, his articles have appeared in publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Health Affairs. He received his B.A. in biology from Brown and also his M.D. from Brown University’s Medical School.

In this episode, we traverse Sree's unique positioning a leader who’s operated from the industry's 3 critical vantage points: that of business leader, practicing physician, and distinguished academic.

Aditi Shah, Peloton Instructor and PUMA Ambassador

Mon, 02 May 2022 20:00:00 -0400

Simi welcomes our first trailblazer in fitness, Aditi Shah, Instructor at Peloton and Global Ambassador for PUMA.

Aditi joined Peloton in 2018, having been recruited to help launch their Yoga and Meditation practice. She first discovered her love of yoga while living in Mumbai after graduating from Rutgers University, where she studied math. While in India, she pursued modeling, appearing in campaigns for Garnier, Revlon, and BareMinerals.

Some years later, she moved to New York, where she pursued a career in acting, making appearances on hit shows like Elementary and Inside Amy Schumer. In recent years, she’s spent time as an entrepreneur and founder, and as as a digital marketing consultant for companies like health tech startup, Parsley Health. Today, she is Peloton’s only South Asian instructor and one of its most renowned. Recently, she also became a global brand ambassador for PUMA. In this conversation, Aditi covers everything from the cultural appropriation of yoga to spearheading this new practice at a major pandemic player like Peloton.

Maneesh Goyal, Founder of SONA NYC and Entrepreneur

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0400

In our latest episode, Simi is joined by Maneesh Goyal, Founder & Partner of NY-based restaurant SONA.

Maneesh is a serial entrepreneur. In 2003, he launched his own event marketing company called MKG, where he worked with the likes of Google, Target, Delta, and other high-profile clients before selling the company in 2019. He’s since founded 3 other companies: Live in the Grey, a company culture consultancy; Pink Sparrow Scenic, a design and fabrication shop; and 214, a brand strategy and design agency.

His latest entrepreneurial endeavor is in hospitality — having successfully opened New York’s iconic Temple Bar and SONA alongside partners Priyanka Chopra and David Rabin. Initially pre-med, Maneesh attended Duke and received in his Masters in Public Health from Yale. In 2014, President Obama appointed him to the Board of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship and more recently, he joined the National Board of Planned Parenthood. A champion of LGTBQ+ community, Maneesh is also the first out & proud individual to join us on Trailblazers. Today, he continues his professional journey as a startup investor and advisor through his company, Pineapple Co. In this episode, Simi digs into each of Maneesh's entrepreneurial endeavors and the catalysts behind them.

LIVE EPISODE: Aparna Shewakramani, Indian Matchmaking Star and Author

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 23:00:00 -0400

In this special edition of South Asian Trailblazers, Simi sits down with Aparna Shewakramani in front of a live audience, hosting our first-ever live podcast at the World Trade Center in New York City.

Aparna is the breakout star of Netflix’s hit series Indian Matchmaking — where she went from controversial character to overnight ambassador for women demanding to be heard. This conversation marked the launch of Aparna's highly-anticipated memoir, She's Unlikeable: And Other Lies That Bring Women Down. Born in London, Aparna spent part of her childhood in Dubai, until she moved to Texas, where she lived for 25 years. A recent New York City transplant, Aparna spends much of her time traveling and is the founder of a luxury travel company called My Golden Balloon. Previously a practicing attorney, she holds a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School and a B.A. from Rice University. In this conversation, Aparna recounts everything from surviving Hurricane Harvey to her battle with an autoimmune disease to the ways in which her life changed after the show.

A huge thank you to our event partners and sponsors: Brik + Clik, Brown Girl Magazine, Tinto Amorio, and Anheuser Busch’s PAC-Asia Group.

Shilpa Shah, Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Cuyana

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 23:00:00 -0400

Simi catches up with Shilpa Shah, Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer of Cuyana.

Founded in 2011, Cuyana is a direct-to-consumer luxury fashion brand founded on the philosophy of “fewer, better” to encourage customers to invest in fewer, but higher-quality essentials. Over the past decade, the brand has become a favorite among celebrities like Jessica Alba, Ayesha Curry, Poorna Jagannathan. In addition, the company has grown to encompass 7 brick-and-mortar locations and over 150 employees. During their latest funding round in 2019, they raised $30 million from H.I.G. Capital.

Before co-founding Cuyana, Shilpa began her career in information architecture and built web and mobile interfaces for multiple Fortune 500 companies like Disney, AT&T, and Sun Microsystems, as a part of the early class of UI/UX designers. She received her MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where she also completed her bachelor’s degree in Human Computer Interaction and Computer Science. Shilpa is a mover and shaker in the new cohort of conscious and compassionate executives stewarding the future of consumer goods.

Usman Ahmed, Head of Global Public Policy and Research of PayPal

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 22:00:00 -0500

Simi speaks with Usman Ahmed, Head of Global Public Policy and Research at PayPal.

Usman began his career in public service at non-profits focused on voting rights and good governance. Eventually, he decided to pursue his law degree at the University of Michigan. While there, he pursued a legal fellowship at eBay, quickly ascending to the role of Policy Counsel just a few years after graduating.

In 2015, after PayPal was spun off of eBay, he decided to joined the newly-separated company as Head of Global Public Policy and Research — his current role. In addition to his work in the tech sphere, Usman teaches international and fintech law as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown. He is also Millennium Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a Security Fellow at the Truman National Security Project, and he has been widely published in the World Economic Forum Global Information Technology Report, MIT Press Innovations Journal, and elsewhere. Beyond his J.D., Usman holds an M.A. from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a B.A. from the University of Maryland. In this episode, we hear about Usman's early inclinations toward civic engagement and law, his role in building PayPal's policy arm post-spinoff, and what the future of fintech holds.

Sushma Dwivedi, Head of Communications and Brand Marketing of Daily Harvest

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Simi catches up with Sushma Dwivedi, Head of Communications and Brand Marketing at Daily Harvest and Founder of the Purple Pundit Project.

Sushma spent the early innings of her career with major global communications firms including Edelman and Fleishman Hillard. Focused on food and beverage space early on, she worked closely with companies like Chobani, Dannon, and Perdue Farms.

In 2020, she joined Daily Harvest, a food startup that makes ready-to-blend smoothies, soups, and more all with the intent of making healthy eating easier. In November 2021, the startup raised their Series D at a valuation of $1 billion backed by investors like Serena Williams and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Sushma moonlights as a Hindu priestess or pundit. In 2016, she founded Purple Pundit Project to help South Asian couples more easily find modern, inclusive pundits and officiants for their weddings. To date, she’s officiated over 40 weddings, many of which were for LGBTQ+ couples — and one while she was in labor. More on that story and Sushma's vision for the future of food in this episode.

Saeed Ahmed, Director of Digital News of NPR

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 22:00:00 -0500

Simi speaks with Saeed Ahmed, Director of Digital News at NPR.

Prior to joining NPR in 2021, Saeed served as Assistant Managing Editor of CNN Digital. He began his 13-year career at CNN as a news desk editor for The CNN Wire, and went on to spearhead content diversity efforts and create the top two newsletters in CNN's portfolio: 5 Things and The Good Stuff. Prior to CNN, Saeed spent seven years at the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, where he was a part of the breaking-news team that became a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Recently, he was awarded a News Emmy Award for an interactive media piece: How American Police Gear up to Respond to Protests.

Originally born in Bangladesh and raised in the United Arab Emirates, Saeed first immigrated to the U.S. to attend Morehouse, a historical Black college. In this episode, Saeed takes us through his journey in journalism, from being an Atlanta-based cops and crimes beat reporter to shaping the future of news at National Public Radio today.

Payal Kadakia, Founder of ClassPass, Artist, and Author

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 21:00:00 -0500

To kick off Season 4, Simi welcomes Payal Kadakia, Founder of ClassPass, Artist, and Author.

ClassPass is a subscription-based platform that enables people to book a variety of fitness classes without paying for individual memberships. After founding the company in 2013, Payal served as CEO of the company until 2017, at which point she became Executive Chairman. By 2020, ClassPass became the first unicorn of the decade and in late 2021, the company was acquired by MindBody in an all-stock deal and secured $500 million in investment. Prior to founding ClassPass, Payal worked at Bain & Company and at the Warner Music Group.

She continues to serve as founder and artistic director of SA Dance Company, a contemporary Indian dance troupe that performed at hallmark venues. Payal holds a degree in Economics and Operations Research from MIT. She is also a newly-minted author with her upcoming book, LifePass. In this episode, Payal expands on the art of the pivot, how her identities and passions played into her career, and what's next for her.

Sunayna Tuteja, Chief Innovation Officer at the Federal Reserve

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 20:00:00 -0500

For our Season 3 finale, Simi catches up with Sunayna Tuteja, the first-ever Chief Innovation Officer of the Federal Reserve.

Prior to joining the Fed in February of 2021, Sunayna served as the Global Head of Emerging Tech & Strategic Partnerships at TD Ameritrade. She spent a number of years building out their cryptocurrency and blockchain practices as Head of Digital Assets. Prior to TD Ameritrade, she was at TD Bank, leading digital transformation. She brings 10+ years of experience leading change and innovation at the nexus of finance, technology, and policy. And she spent a number of years in banking and in the venture capital and tech ecosystem both in North America and Asia. Sunayna is a total firecracker — a trailblazer fit for our Season 3 finale. In this episode, Simi cracks the code on Sunayna's conviction in crypto and her future-forward vision for the U.S. central banking system.

Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 16:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Simi speaks with Paraag Marathe, President of 49ers Enterprises & Executive Vice President of Football Operations.

Paraag is no stranger to football — he is in his 21st year with the 49ers. And previously, he served as team president and Chief Operating Officer.

On the football side, Paraag serves as the team’s chief contract negotiator and salary cap architect, while overseeing the team’s football analytics department. Paraag has played an integral role in rebuilding the 49ers current roster, including QB Jimmy G. He also oversaw the development of Levi’s Stadium, and he leads 49ers Enterprises' minority ownership stake in Leeds United as Vice Chairman of the English Premier League club. In addition to his leadership in football and soccer, Paraag was named Chairman of USA Cricket in 2018.

Paraag moonlights as a faculty member at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, where he earned his MBA after graduating from UC Berkeley.

Chitra Nayak, Mythili Sankaran, Sruthi Ramawami, Founders of Neythri

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 18:00:00 -0400

Simi welcomes a founder trio to the podcast. Mythili Sankaran, Chitra Nayak, and Sruthi Ramaswami are the co-founders of Neythri, an organization dedicated to creating a network of South Asian professional women. Most recently, they launched the Neythri Futures Fund, a startup investment fund with an investor base of primarily South Asian women.

Now a little more about the women behind Neythri.

Chitra Nayak is currently an independent board member at companies like Infosys, and LifeWorks. Most recently, she served as COO at Comfy, a real-estate tech startup, and prior to this was COO at Funding Circle, an online lending marketplace. She was at Salesforce for eight years, where she served as COO of Platform and SVP of Sales Development. Chitra has an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MS in Engineering from Cornell University, and a BS in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.

Previously, Mythili Sankaran led regional operations for the U.S. - India Business Council and the American India Foundation. Mythili also served as CEO of Koollage, a web service company. Earlier in her career, Mythili spent several years in research and product at IBM and AT&T Bell Labs. She has a MS degree in Physics from Texas Tech University, a M.Sc in Electronics from the University of Bombay, and an Executive MBA from Wharton.

Sruthi Ramaswami is a growth equity investor at ICONIQ Capital, an investment firm that has served the likes of Sheryl Sandberg and Jack Dorsey. Prior to her current role, Sruthi was at Goldman Sachs. She is the co-founder of Shakti Collaborative, a digital platform that showcases the narratives of South Asian women. Sruthi holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Chicago.

In this episode, they discuss talk the ways in which each of their respective careers informed the building of Neythri, how they came together, and their work bringing together South Asian funders, founders, and operators.

Dhanusha Sivajee, Chief Marketing Officer of Angi

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:00:00 -0400

Simi catches up with Dhanusha Sivajee, Chief Marketing Officer at Angi.

In her role, Dhanusha is responsible for brand and marketing strategy. Angi, previously known as Angie’s List, is an online resource for finding vetted, local providers for various home services. Prior to Angi, Dhanusha served as Chief Marketing Officer of The Knot, a platform providing content and services to couples planning weddings and starting their lives together. She also previously served as Chief Marketing Officer at the AOL Brand Group prior to its acquisition by Verizon.

Dhanusha got her start in the space at Bloomberg and at HBO after pursuing her MBA at Duke. And while at HBO, she was part of the efforts to launched HBO on-Demand and HBO Go. Currently, she also sits on the board of HNI, one of the world's largest office manufacturing companies. Dhanusha is originally from England where she grew up immersed in the world of small businesses run by her Sri Lankan immigrant parents. In this episode, Simi explores the impact of Dhanusha's South Asian and small business roots on her career trajectory.

Brinda Adhikari, Showrunner and Executive Producer of The Problem with Jon Stewart

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 21:00:00 -0400

Simi welcomes Brinda Adhikari, Executive Producer and Showrunner of The Problem with Jon Stewart. This new AppleTV show marks the famed Jon Stewart’s return to television as he tackles a new societal issue in every episode. And Brinda — she's at the helm.

Brinda joined The Problem from CBS News, where she was a senior broadcast producer for segments anchored by major TV personalities like Norah O’Donnell and Scott Pelley. She began her career in broadcast television at ABC news, where she started as a researcher and rose the ranks to become a producer on World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer and David Muir. She spent over a decade at the organization. Brinda is unlike any other guest we’ve had on Trailblazers to date. In this episode, we delve into why she chose to pursue production, diversity in the industry, and her vision for her highly-anticipated new show.

Reshma Saujani, Founder of Girls Who Code and Marshall Plan for Moms

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 20:00:00 -0400

Simi sits down with Reshma Saujani — Founder of Girls Who Code. Reshma is also an international bestselling author, attorney, and activist.

The daughter of Indian refugees, Reshma studied political science and eventually went on to pursue her Masters in Public Policy and J.D.

After graduating from Yale Law, Reshma worked as a corporate attorney on Wall Street. But soon, she pivoted to politics. She founded South Asians for Kerry, during John Kerry’s 2004 presidential election run. She also served on the Hillary Clinton’s National Finance Board during her 2008 campaign. In 2010, she herself became the first Indian-American woman to run for congress. Though her was bid was unsuccessful, her time on the campaign trail laid the groundwork for Girls Who Code. Reshma’s visits to K-12 schools made her increasingly aware of gender disparities in STEM classrooms. So in 2012, she founded the nonprofit in an effort to close the gender gap in tech. To date, they’ve served over 450,000 girls around the world.

Since retiring as CEO of the organization, Reshma has embarked on a new mission: the Marshall Plan for Moms — her vision to revitalize women in the workforce and to compensate them for their unpaid labor. Her book on the subject, Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work is due for release in March 2022. Listen in for key insights into Reshma’s successes in law, politics, and tech.

Sruthi Lanka, CFO of Public.com

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 05:00:00 -0400

Simi welcomes Sruthi Lanka, Chief Financial Officer at Public.com. Public is a platform that makes investing easy, accessible, and social. The Robinhood rival launched in September 2019, and has since acquired 1 million users, achieving a valuation of $1.2 billion.

Before joining Public, Sruthi served as Head of Strategic Finance at MoneyLion, another emerging fintech startup. But Sruthi isn’t new to the financial trade. She previously spent time as an engineer at Goldman Sachs and in investment banking at the Royal Bank of Canada. Beyond her core roles, Sruthi has worked to empower women in and outside her industry, founding a women’s organization while at Money Lion, and now sitting on the Board of Women Creating Change, a non-profit that uplifts under-resourced women in New York City. She currently holds an MBA from Duke University and a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering from the National Institute of Technology in India, one of the country’s top engineering schools.

Nik Sharma, CEO of Sharma Brands

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 18:00:00 -0400

Simi sits down with Nik Sharma of Sharma Brands. Nik got his start in one of the most unique ways we’ve yet to see on this podcast: by managing social media for influential celebrities like Priyanka Chopra and Pitbull when he was just 15 years old. With that as his start, Nik decided to forgo college to make his mark in advertising and marketing. He eventually made his way to Hint Water to lead their Direct to Consumer (D2C) business. He also built audiences for Bustle Media Group and Refinery 29 and served as Head of D2C for VaynerMedia.

This all paved the path to Sharma Brands, where Nik advises companies on how grow and scale online. His portfolio of companies he advises and has invested in spans Morning Brew, Pill Club, JUDY, Orgain, and The Juggernaut. And because advising wasn’t enough, he recently launched a rolling fund called Masala Capital. In this episode, we dive into Nik's moniker as the "D2C guy," his origin story, and what it means to define brands of the modern era.

Geetha Murali, CEO of Room to Read

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 20:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Simi welcomes Geetha Murali, CEO at Room to Read.

Dr. Geetha Murali is the first non-founder CEO of Room to Read, an international education nonprofit that seeks to transform millions of children’s lives through the power of education. In her 12 years with them, Geetha has expanded Room to Read’s presence to 20 countries and reached 20 million children globally. Geetha began her nonprofit journey as a Program Officer at the American India Foundation, an organization committed to improving the lives of under-resourced individuals in India. Prior to that, she spent time in the world of pharma, startups, and as a teacher.

A senior leader in the industry, Geetha is also a member of Forbes Nonprofit Council, an invitation-only organization for executives at nonprofits. She holds an impressive BS in Biostatistics and a PhD in South Asian politics, and a member of the Young President’s Organization. Her extensive and transformational work in nonprofits has been recognized by the former First Lady Michelle Obama and the Gates Foundation. In this episode, Geetha gives Simi a peek behind the scenes into the world of nonprofit leadership, from an organizational redesign during the pandemic to her path to the sector.

Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer of Coinbase

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 21:00:00 -0400

In our Season 3 opener, Simi welcomes Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase.

As Chief Legal Officer, Paul spearheads all legal and regulatory matters for the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, which also IPO’d in April at a valuation of $65 billion. A friendly face in the world of law and tech, Paul previously served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Facebook. He began his career as an intellectual property attorney and as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California He sat on the bench for 6 years, and during his judge service, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts appointed him to the Magistrate Judge Education Committee. Paul holds a degree in Civil and Environmental engineering from MIT, and a JD from UChicago. In this episode, Simi maps Paul's unconventional path from the courts to crypto and what the day-to-day of his work looks like.

Ann Mukherjee, Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard North America

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 21:00:00 -0400

Simi speaks with Ann Mukherjee, CEO and Chairman at Pernod Ricard North America.

Ann is a marketing maven turned rebel executive at various household consumer companies: Pernod Ricard, Kraft Foods, and Pepsi. As Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard North America, she heads up hallmark brands in the spirits industry: Absolut, Jameson, Kahlúa, and others. Unafraid to center cultural issues, she led the Absolut team in taking a stand on consent; rallied the company’s manufacturing facilities to produce hand sanitizer in support of FEMA’s response to COVID-19; and she’s currently calling on brands across industries to stop hate speech online.

Ann joined Pernod Ricard from S.C. Johnson, where she broke ground as their first-ever Global Chief Marketing Officer and, later, ascended to the role of Global Chief Commercial Officer — overseeing a $12 billion business division in 90+ markets. She previously made a decade-long impact at PepsiCo, most recently as President of Global Snacks and PepsiCo Global Insights, and as Chief Marketing Officer for Frito-Lay North America. She similarly transformed brands at Kraft Foods Group for over a decade, after starting her career at Citibank Diners Club. In this episode, they talk about her leadership fundamentals and the anecdotes behind some of her most iconic marketing campaigns.

Snigdha Sur, Founder and CEO of The Juggernaut

Mon, 17 May 2021 21:00:00 -0400

Simi welcomes Snigdha Sur, Founder and CEO of The Juggernaut. The Juggernaut is a subscription media company and community that produces deep-dive reporting on South Asia(ns).

A trailblazer with a passion for telling South Asian stories? Dare I say more?

Snigdha Sur began her career journey at McKinsey. She subsequently moved to India and channeled her long-time passion for media into independently consulting for companies like Buzzfeed and Quartz. Shortly after, she pursued media investing and helped develop the launch strategy for Reese Witherspoon's media company, Hello Sunshine. What's more, Snigdha has ties to Bollywood, having worked in film production with Phantom Films which produced the Netflix hit, Sacred Games. She is an alumna of Yale, Harvard Business School, and the esteemed Y-Combinator. In this episode, Simi dives into Snigdha's journey to and experience building The Juggernaut — from its name down to the numbers. She speaks to fundraising struggles, her passion for Bollywood (and a chance visit with SRK), and how her experience in media shaped her vision for the company. Dive into Snigdha's story for her secrets to success and a round of South Asian story-telling.

Renu Gupta, VP of Sales @ Thrive Global

Mon, 03 May 2021 19:00:00 -0400

It's not all that often we see South Asians in sales. This week, Simi welcomes Renu Gupta, Head of Sales at Thrive Global.

Renu is a seasoned sales executive who’s traversed some of the most ambitious tech companies in the world. She currently serves as the VP of Sales at Arianna Huffington’s famed company Thrive Global, a behavior change platform tackling the burnout epidemic. Previously, she served as a Director of Sales at Slack for Large Enterprise, where she built the sales team and closed Fortune 100 customers. She has an extensive record in the tech space: having worked and led sales teams at Dropbox, Google, and Cisco.

A trailblazer in two traditionally male-dominated arenas (sales and tech), Renu has a record-breaking repertoire. In this episode, she shares how she got her start and paved her path to the C-suite. Want to learn what it takes to sell well and sell yourself? Listen to this episode.

Manik Gupta, Former Chief Product Officer @ Uber and Investor

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 20:00:00 -0400

Can you imagine a world without Google Maps? Well, imagine building it. Simi meets the man behind Maps, Manik Gupta, Investor and Former Chief Product Officer at Uber.

Manik Gupta mapped the world from scratch as a Product Leader for Google Maps, where he also spearheaded the Maps launch in India and led the parent company’s acquisition of Waze. His foray into tech began out of college, when he founded an e-commerce startup called BuyItTogether.com, which he subsequently sold. Afterwards, he joined Hewlett Packard, managing their e-commerce initiatives in Asia-Pacific.

In this episode, they chat about Manik's time spent leading an 1100+ person team as the Chief Product Officer at Uber, where he helped lead the company through its May 2019 IPO and grow to 100 million+ monthly active platform customers. And they also touch on his departure, his reasons why, and what he's up to since: becoming a startup investor and founding a non-profit, CVKey, devoted to helping small businesses battle Covid-19.

Adi Raval, Head of Communications @ Shield AI

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 20:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Simi welcomed Adi Raval to the pod. Adi currently serves as Head of Communications for Shield AI, a venture-backed AI company that serves the national security industry.

Adi's work in comms has spanned some of the best and brightest teams in the world: he served as Head of Communications for TaskRabbit, which was acquired by Ikea. He led global media relations at the Bechtel Corporation, one of the largest engineering and construction firms in the world. What's more, he spent time as a Senior Crisis Communications advisor for Lime Bike. His comms experience extends to public service: Adi served as the Communications Director for President Obama’s “Power Africa” initiative, a unique public-private partnership designed to deliver clean energy to countries throughout Africa. He began his time in government as a U.S. diplomat based in Afghanistan.

In a different lifetime, Adi also spent 12 years as a journalist with BBC and ABC News, including as the bureau chief in Iraq for BBC. In the episode, Adi shares how journalism paved his path to comms. He delves into his experiences abroad that shaped his career trajectory -- from covering the war in Iraq to Washington to venture. With serving society at the core of every decision, Adi has built a career around purpose and is a paradigm of passion and versatility. Be sure to check this one out!

Sheel Mohnot, Co-Founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures and Investor

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:00:00 -0400

Sheel Mohnot is a serial entrepreneur, fintech investor, and acquired podcaster — so naturally this was quite the conversation for Simi.

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon and University of Michigan, Sheel was formerly a General Partner with the the FinTech Fund at 500 Startups. More recently, he co-founded Better Tomorrow Ventures, a fund leading pre-seed and seed rounds in financial technology companies around the globe. BTV raised a $75 million debut fund in 2020.

But before delving into investing, Sheel was a founder — multiple times over. He first founded Innovative Auctions, a provider in auction software and consulting services. Later, he exited FeeFighters, a Stripe-like product that sold to Groupon in 2012, and also a food delivery company called Thistle. He even “exited” his popular podcast, “The Pitch,” a spin on Shark Tank where entrepreneurs pitched investors. It sold to Gimlet Media which was then acquired by Spotify. In this episode, Simi and Sheel chat about why fintech is the future, how he met one of his co-founders on a train in India, and how he landed himself in Ariana Grande’s “Stuck With U” music video. Put two startuppers and podcasters in a room? This one is a must-listen.

Anita Kumar, POLITICO's White House Correspondent

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 22:00:00 -0500

In quite the role reversal for Anita Kumar, Simi interviews the White House Correspondent and Associate Editor at POLITICO.

An expert on the institution of the presidency, Anita Kumar is currently covering her third president, Joe Biden, following eight years reporting on Donald Trump and Barack Obama. Prior to moving to POLITICO in 2019, she covered the White House for McClatchy’s, one of the country’s biggest local news companies.

She began her career in local and state politics, writing for the Washington Post and the Tampa Bay Times. She reported on Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020, Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016 and Obama's reelection campaign in 2012. Anita also became the first Indian American journalist elected to the board of the White House Correspondents' Association. In this episode, we leave few stones unturned. We chat about why Anita doesn't usually lean into her South Asian identity and what life covering the presidency really looks like -- from the White House greens to Air Force One.

Rabia Chaudry, Attorney, Advocate, Author

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 08:00:00 -0500

Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, advocate, and author of the New York Times bestselling book "Adnan's Story.”

Her book follows the story of Adnan Syed, a very close friend of Rabia’s who was convicted for murder in 2000. His story and the plot holes revealed in the world-renowned podcast, Serial, which garnered national attention. But what many people don’t know was that it was Rabia who first brought the case to host, Sarah Koenig.

Rabia herself is the co-host of 3 podcasts, one of which, Undisclosed, has accumlated 360 million+ downloads with its focus on wrongful convictions and that has led to the exoneration of nearly a dozen defendants. She previously practiced immigration and civil rights law for over a decade before moving into the CVE (countering violent extremism) policy sphere.

In 2011 Rabia founded the Safe Nation Collaborative, a CVE training firm, providing cultural competency training to law enforcement officials and providing CVE training to Muslim communities. She has worked closely with the US Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and several other prominent and internationally-recognized policy-driven institutions. In this episode, we discuss the power of media as it related to ajudication, and Rabia's passion projects from wrongful convictions to a new book called, "Fatty Fatty Boom Boom."

Hitha Palepu, CEO @ Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 20:00:00 -0500

Simi welcomes Hitha Palepu to the pod. Hitha is the definition of a multi-hypenate -- an entrepreneur, investor, writer, and speaker.

With a background in pharma, she currently serves as CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals. Rhoshan Pharma is an early stage life sciences company creating enhanced versions of existing drugs to provide essential early treatment to the acute leading causes of death. Hitha also doubles as a startup investor and advisor, having invested in primarily in female-founded companies like MM.LaFleur and The Juggernaut. In addition, Hitha's runs a blog, Hitha On The Go, which has gained a significant following and paved the path to her first book.

In this episode, Hitha delves deep into why she believes in the future of pharma and what it's like to wear the hat of operator as an investor. She gets candid about "doing it all," and offers advice for young South Asians who aspire to do the same.

Rinki Sethi, Chief Information Security Officer @ Twitter

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 16:00:00 -0500

Simi opens the season with Rinki Sethi, the Chief Information Security Officer at Twitter.

Rinki’s hiring at Twitter was a watershed moment. Not only because she's trailblazer as a South Asian women holding traditionally male-dominated position, but also because she joined the team after the platform suffered a major hack in July 2020. The Twitter crypto scam compromised the accounts of figures from President Joe Biden to Elon Musk.

Previously, Rinki served as the CISO at cloud data management company Rubrik, and also held senior cybersecurity roles at IBM, Palo Alto Networks and Intuit. She began her career at the PG&E, Walmart, and Ebay. On the side, Rinki serves as an advisor to several startups, including LevelOps, Authomize, and organizations like Women in Cybersecurity. In this episode, we catch up on everything from the moment that unlocked her passion for cybersecurity to what it's like to fend off threats on a platform used by 330 million people across the globe.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, U.S. Congressman (IL-08)

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 09:00:00 -0500

Subramanian Raja Krishnamoorthi is an American businessman and politician who has been the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 8th congressional district since 2017. The Congressman is a member of the Democratic Party and serves on the House Oversight Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is also Chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy. Krishnamoorthi attended Princeton for his engineering degree and went on to Harvard Law School, after which he served on two of Former President Obama’s congressional campaigns.

South Asians have shaped the Congressman’s career — from his campaigns to his policy agenda — a reality discussed we discuss in this episode. Congressman Krishnamoorthi details his path to policymaking, from serving on Former President Obama’s congressional campaigns to catering to a constituency that can’t always pronounce his name, endearingly calling him “Raja.” In a whirlwind of an election year, where policymakers must consider how to forge unity in the face of polarization and pandemic, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Deepa Subramaniam, Chief Product Officer at ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 13:00:00 -0500

Simi Shah catches up with Deepa Subramaniam, the first-ever Chief Product and Digital Officer for the ACLU. Deepa began her career at Adobe, where she spent a formative decade. She then transitioned to world of non-profits and politics. leading product at charity: water, a non-profit that provides clean water to populations in the developing world and on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Before landing her current role at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), she served as the VP of Product and Design at Kickstarter, and launched her own product consulting business, Wherewithall.

Deepa's been a trailblazer in product for going on 15 years. In this episode, we get an insider's look into her path to product, and the impact it can have on a broad range of organizations. Deepa shares anecdotes about her time spent with Former Secretary Clinton and actionable advice about how to consider a career in tech with real human impact. Whether you're an aspiring product manager or a newbie to the land of product, it's an episode you don't want to miss.

Priya Krishna, Food Journalist

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 15:00:00 -0500

Simi speaks to Priya Krishna, contributing food writer for the New York Times, the New Yorker, and other prominent news outlets. Priya Krishna is a trailblazers in the world of food media. She’s the author of two cookbooks, Indian-ish, one of the top cookbooks of 2019, and also Ultimate Dining Hall Hacks, a college-themed cookbook. Priya’s also a YouTube personality, known for fashioning her famous dishes on video for the Food Network and Bon Appétit’s Test Kitchen channel. As many of you know from our newsletter, Priya bravely exited the Conde Nast-owned video platform this Summer, in response to pay inequities for its PoC contributors.

In this conversation, Priya delves into her foray into the food world and also her exit from Bon Appétit. Priya's candor is salient: she shares harsh industry realities faced by minorities, and the ways in which she's struggled. But she also is careful to acknowledge the solidarity she's found among other food journalists and other South Asian trailblazers. The resounding message from the pod with Priya is about hustle: how a cold email led her to the path she's on today and the conviction with which she'll enter any future newsroom.

S Mitra Kalita, CNN Senior Vice President

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Simi sits down with S. Mitra Kalita. Mitra is a media veteran who currently serves as Senior Vice President at CNN Digital. Mitra has served as Managing Editor of the LA Times, Executive Director of Quartz, and Founding Editor of Mint, an Indian newspaper. Under her stewardship, the LA Times won a Pulitzer Prize. While at Quartz, she oversaw the launch of Quartz India and Africa. She also spent time as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and other esteemed outlets.

In this episode, we discuss Mitra’s journey through journalism. We discuss the longstanding challenges facing newsrooms and the litany of experiences she’s had in this world: from winning Pulitzers to managing the “fake news” cycle. We also dive into her why: what drew her to media in the first place and what’s next for her. Mitra recently announced her forthcoming departure from CNN to pursue community media ventures, so don't miss the opportunity to hear about media's past, present, and future from one of the most powerful women out there.

Arianna Afsar, Hamilton Star-Singer-Songwriter

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Simi catches up with Arianna Afsar. Arianna is best known for her starring role as Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton in the Chicago production of Hamilton. But Ari has had a stage presence all her life. She won the title of Miss California in 2010 and competed in American Idol as a high schooler. She went on to pursue musical theater via Hamilton and her latest project, Jeannette, an original musical that honors Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress in 1916. Off stage, Ari works closely with the ACLU of Illinois and other women's rights advocacy groups.

In this episode, we dive into Ari’s journey on stage, from American Idol to her musical, Jeanette. She shares the ins of working with icons like Lin-Manuel Miranda and the outs of a Broadway shuttered by the coronavirus. Most significantly, Ari presents a career that intersects her passions: women’s rights and the theater. From hosting musical fundraisers for progressive candidates to opening for Michelle Obama at the United State of Women, Ari’s trailblazing a path forward in activism through the arts.

Rooshy Roy, CEO of Aavrani

Sun, 04 Oct 2020 23:00:00 -0400

In Episode 5, Simi welcomes Rooshy Roy to Trailblazers. Rooshy is Co-founder and CEO of Aavrani. Aavrani is a premium skincare brand for women, inspired by ancient Indian beauty traditions and rituals. She co-founded Aavrani in 2017 while at Wharton, after spending a number of years in finance. To date, the company has raised upwards of $2 million in funding. In the last several months, she not only launched Aavrani 2.0, but also was named a Forbes 30 under 30.

Rooshy gets candid in this conversation. She shares her triumphs and her challenges -- from a chance meeting with her now co-founder to navigating a complex relationship with her brand, and by proxy, her heritage. She delineates what it means to be Founder versus a CEO, and what it means to infuse a piece of yourself into your work, every step of the way. Ultimately, this episode is a leadership crash course from a trailblazing South Asian woman intent on making South Asian beauty the next big thing.

Nandini Jammi, Founder of Sleeping Giants & Check My Ads

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 21:00:00 -0400

Nandini Jammi, brand safety expert and digital advertising activist, visits the pod. In 2016, she co-founded Sleeping Giants, a social media campaign that alerts companies about how their ad placements might fund hate speech. Within one year, the campaign's efforts resulted in a 90 percent drop in Breitbart News’ ad revenue. Since then, she has led campaigns that have convinced advertisers to flee outlets like The O’Reilly Factor and spearheaded efforts to de-platform problematic white nationalists. In June 2020, she launched Check My Ads to help brands understand and redirect their digital media spend.

You might remember Nandini from our first issue, which highlighted a piece in which she reclaims the narrative around her co-founding of Sleeping Giants. In this episode, she shares her story in vivid color -- from the propagation of misinformation to advice for women at risk of being erased from entire movements they've built. In a world where The Social Dilemma is the new norm, this is an episode you can't miss. Nandini is a trailblazer, pioneering the path forward in ad-tech and for women everywhere.

Sujata Day, Actor and Director

Sun, 06 Sep 2020 22:00:00 -0400

Simi catches up with Sujata Day, actress-model-screenwriter-director extraordinaire. She is best known for her starring role as CeCe in Issa Rae’s series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and her role on HBO’s Insecure. Over the course of her career, she’s appeared in an array of TV shows from Greek to The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In 2017, she produced and sold a short film titled Cowboy and Indian. More recently, she directed her first film, Definition Please, a South Asian dramedy about a former spelling bee champ.

In this episode, Sujata sheds light on how she first paved her path to Hollywood, from her early cameos on iconic shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer to her starring roles. She underscores the challenges she faced as a South Asian woman in the industry, and how those same experiences inspired her to tell her brown girl story. Listen in to hear hers -- it's powerful and telling of where South Asian representation is headed with women like Day at the helm.

Sarina Siddhanti & Arian Agrawal, Founders of Riya Collective

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 20:00:00 -0400

Simi sits down with Sarina Siddhanti and Arian Agrawal, co-founders of Riya Collective. Riya Collective is a YC-backed social shopping platform where customers can buy and consign clothing and goods from around the world, starting with Desi products. Riya Collective has been featured in Vogue and has raised $2.2 million to date.

Sarina and Arian are college classmates turned serial entrepreneurs who always knew they wanted to be in business together. In this episode, they share their experiences launching Riya from their living room and navigating headwinds brought on by the pandemic. They discuss innovating by and for South Asians, and the ways in which they found and maintained conviction in their ideas. Tune in to hear their inspired vision for the platform -- with these two at the helm, the future looks bright.

Sopan Deb, New York Times Journalist

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 20:00:00 -0400

In our inaugural episode, Simi catches up with Sopan Deb, a journalist for the New York Times. Previously, he covered Donald Trump's presidential campaign for CBS. His work has appeared on The Boston Globe, Al Jazeera, NBC News, and other prominent news outlets. Sopan recently published his first book, Missed Translations: Meeting The Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me, which recounts a poignant reunion with his estranged parents. In this conversation, they leave no stone unturned: from the inspiration behind the book to the South Asian creatives that have inspired him. Sopan shares his journey to journalism and political intersections in the NBA and the... SpongeBob musical. Yes, you read that right -- you don't want to miss this episode.

Introduction to Trailblazers

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Trailblazers! In this trailer, we introduce our new podcast.

Trailblazers dives deep into the journeys of trailblazing South Asians, sharing the stories of the leaders and dreamers lighting the way across the Diaspora and beyond.