Redefining ABCD

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Sneha and Keerthi talk all things election. They talk about recent events with Biden stepping down, Kamala running and announcing her running mate, to the emerging prescence of South Asians in politics. As they talk about current events - they dive into voter thinking and how technology can affect information spreading. They end on what they are looking ahead on and what to keep in mind as we get closer to voting for our presidential candidate.

In this special episode of Brown Art Network, Keerthi talks with Sonya Balsara - actress and Broadway star who plays Jasmine on the hit Broadway Musical Aladdin! They dive into the process of becoming Jasmine, how Sonya got started in acting, and pursuing performing arts as a career. They also talk all about South Asian representation and her experience growing up with a mixed cultural identity. They conclude the episode with Sonya's next ambitions and advice she has for others looking to get into Broadway and an acting career path. See other work Sonya has been in: https://sonyambalsara.com/media.html Get tickets to Disney's Aladdin on Broadway here: https://aladdinthemusical.com/tickets/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw97SzBhDaARIsAFHXUWBU3Bk2Xc5P61E4zEVWfd_mKWBH-48M45CzEo8N-hrDkR-9E7cZ3KgaAt1OEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.d Stay connected with Sonya on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sonyabalsara

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk with Tanzil Ahmed, a political strategist, storyteller, and artist based in Los Angeles. They talk about her career as a writer and activist, the experiences she had when building her career to what is now, and some of the mediums she has released. They also dive into her latest collection Grasping at This Planet Just to Believe that was written through 10 Ramadans. Finally, they end the conversation with talks about the South Asian identity, advice for up-and-coming activists/writers, and how to keep connected with South Asian American history that isn't typically taught in US history. More about Tanzila: https://www.tazzystar.me/ Grasping at This Planet Just to Believe info: https://www.writlargeprojects.com/shop/p/tanzila-ahmed-grasping-at-this-planet Resource she shouted out in the episode - South Asian Digital Archive: https://www.saada.org/about

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha pick apart the topic of Cancel Culture. They talk about their views of what the umbrella term means, how it sways views and opinions on social media, the implications of the reactionary behavior cancel culture brings, and ways we can be better or better use of the collective mindset. Referenced Article by the New York Times: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eco82jrqWsEEqbPABayORhPjpjpae6Vf/view?usp=sharing

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha talks with Samhita and Arjun about the origins of South Asian A Capella as a genre and South Asian A Cappella Association (ASA), is a national non-profit organization committed to the growth of South Asian A Cappella across the globe (ASA). Arjun is one of the founders of ASA and Samhita is the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Relations Officer for ASA. They share how they got involved in music, how to sustain their passions while balancing their professions and school, and their goals and growth for ASA. To learn more about ASA click here: http://desiacappella.org/ Or Follow On Instagram @desiacappella

In this first episode of season 5, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Sonia Kahlon - founder of Everblume, an online community for alcohol recovery support and sobriety meetings. Sonia shares her experience with alcohol and her journey to sobriety. As they discuss her personal life, they also dive into the community perspective of how South Asians perceive and talk about alcohol. They talk about the problems that it can lead to and how it affects conversations around mental health and support for those wanting to recover from addiction. Finally, they talk about Everblume, methods to support those recovering from an addiction, and Sonia's advice for those looking to gain insight on how to get started on their sobriety journey. Learn more about EverBlue here: https://www.joineverblume.com/our-story

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Suswati Basu - a South Asian British journalist and editor, as well as podcast host of How to be…- a books podcast focusing on enhancing mental well-being, self-development, and understanding key social issues on a global scale. They start with how disabilities are defined - physical, mental, and hidden and talk through stigmas with each. As Suswati shares her experiences, Keerthi and Sneha also talk about theirs which leads the conversation to the healthcare system - particularly gaps in the current system that were hyperbolized with the pandemic, the approaches for diagnosis, patient care, and training of healthcare professionals. While they talk about the growing issues and similarites within the UK and the US, they dive into approaches within the corporate world to address this, especially getting leadership buy-in for inclusive efforts, and nuances with South Asian culture that affect navigating certain conversations around disability awareness and treatment. They finally end the conversation with advice on how we can actively improve the system and problem areas and how individuals can find the support and care they need in the initial parts of their journey. To learn more about Suswati and her career: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/suswati-basu Link to her podcast 'How to be' : https://howtobe247.com/

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk with Pooja Shah - photographer, creative director, and founder of Tembo Tones - a creative studio focused on photography, design, and art to capture storytellers and entrepreneurs of color. They talk with her about her experience growing up with a multi-cultural identity - Kenyan, Indian, American. While they talk about her identity and experiences growing up in Mumbasa, they dive into the vision and philosophy of Tembo Tones and how it can be a medium/bridge to uplift the melanin community. Pooja also shares the importance of photography in capturing art and culture in History and the power photos can have in shaping perspectives of different cultures. They wrap the episode up with advice to other up-and-coming creatives hoping to break into the art space or be an entrepreneur in the creative industry. To contact or learn more about Pooja and Tembo Tones, click here: https://tembotones.com/

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Natasha Mahtani - a certified Relationship Coach and accredited Divorce Coach. She is also the founder of her own coaching service where she uses her passion to help other women feel empowered in their relationships and marriages. They dive into the stigmas around divorce in the South Asian community, perspectives on divorce from different points of view - arranged vs love marriages, children seeing their parents go through a divorce, and stay-at-home significant other vs a double income household. Natasha opens up about her experience going through her own divorce and how it motivated her to help others and her advice to current couples thinking about marriage. They also discuss how young couples can prepare themselves to be "future-proof" going into marriage and understand what type of conversations they need to have to help them have a strong start to the next chapter of their life. Finally, they wrap the episode with Natasha giving advice to individuals who recently got divorced and are going back into the dating world. To follow Natasha and learn more about her platform see the links below: https://natashamahtani.com/ https://www.instagram.com/natashacoaches/

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi invite Urwa Zubair - a South Asian producer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles to this segment. Urwa has produced 50 digital commercials and her clientele includes United Airlines, Haleon brands like Flonase & Voltaren, Target, State Farm, WB & Paramount. Most recently, she is the producer of an upcoming feature film in development, BANI, a coming-of-age comedy-drama on the misunderstood cultural practices of South Asian countries. They discuss the differences between Pakistan's movie industry and Hollywood, how she got started as a producer, the unique contributions to the creative process she has as a producer, and all the developments and themes seen in her current feature film. As they discuss her career and experiences, they also discuss the recent/ongoing strike and dive into AI's impact on the creative industry. Finally, they wrap up the conversation with Urwa advising up-and-coming producers and entertainers looking to get investors for their scripts and work. More about Urwa and her work: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7809854/ Reach out to her on Instagram @urwazubair

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Hani Anis - founder and CEO of Kahani Digital, a full-service digital marketing agency uplifting and supporting South Asian American brands and clients. They talk with Hani to learn more about how she initially started Kahani Digital and her experiences working as an investment banker to her pivot to becoming an entrepreneur. As they learn about her background - they dive into issues with Corporate Culture and how to navigate the workplace as a woman of color, setting boundaries with work and life, and how Hani breaks the terrible culture she experienced in the past as she shapes Kahani Digital's vision and company values. They conclude the episode with how to break the stereotypical culture in the corporate world through specific leadership values and advice to individuals looking to become a founder and start their own businesses. Learn more about Kahani Digital Here: https://www.kahanidigital.com/

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi interview ROYAL - a Bengali-American multi-instrumentalist, singer, aCappella arranger, and Neo Desi music producer. During the day, he is pursuing his residency in general surgery, and by night, is hustling in the music industry. In this episode, they talk about the genre he coined as "neo-desi music" and how it symbolizes the blend of various cultures, how he derives his sound, his debut album shaunak, his efforts in mixing music for the desi dance network, and the behind-the-scenes process of developing his album. While they discuss all things music related, just like his dual identity, they also dive into a new way of defining careers by pursuing multiple passions at once. They conclude the episode with ROYAL sharing advice on how to get started making music and how to grow your passions into your brand/persona. Hear ROYAL's album shaunak here: https://royalmusic.lnk.to/shaunak

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha interview Anjali Badrinath - a recent graduate from the College of New Jersey in clinical mental health counseling. They dive into aspects of generation trauma - what that may look like, how the conversations occur with different relationships (elders, younger family members, etc.), and how first-generation/second-generation South Asian Americans can start finding ways of breaking that generational cycle. While they discuss different mental health issues, they also talk about the available resources and what clinical mental health counseling is so people can differentiate the different types of professionals and resources based on their needs. As they conclude the episode, Anjali, Sneha, and Keerthi talk about their personal experiences in an effort to open up the dialogue about mental health concerns within their own families and advice for others to try and do the same. South Asian Mental Health Resources Recommended by Anjali: South Asian Mental Health Initiative and Network (SAMHIN) South Asian Therapists directory MannMukti Project Lotus Browngirl Magazine Brown Girl Trauma

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk with Krishma, author of From Ash to Ashes. This coming-of-age story follows Mira and her immigrant family as they grapple with the stark differences between their traditional Sikh faith and the changing culture of the world around them. As they talk about the various themes in the book, they dive into Krishma's background and how she used her book to grieve the loss of her firstborn. They talk about how culture affects the way we process grief, address mental health concerns, and modernize parenting techniques as we go into the future with dual identities becoming more common than before. They wrap the episode with Krishma's writing career and what she hopes readers take away when reading her book. Preorder From Ash to Ashes here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/from-ash-to-ashes-krishma-tuli-arora/19747265 (Book releases May 23rd) Follow Krishma and her writing journey: www.krishmatuliarora.com or IG: @krishmawrites

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk about how the different generations are perceived - from the perspective of Gen Z and the typical stereotypes we see in society. They talk about how different aspects of our life affect how we think (generationally) like communication, social dynamics, relationships, and friendships. While discussing those dynamics, they also talk about how it impacts how they set career goals and ambitions. Keerthi and Sneha finally wrap the episode by answering - what does the future hold for Gen Alpha? What good and bad things are we passing down to them?

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk about streaming services and the effect it has on the entertainment industry. They dive into their platforms, where they see positive impacts in the type of media available, how it changes the quality of shows and films available to us, and even how it showcases representation of our community on the big stage. While they discuss the impact, they look forward to their conversations of how the streaming services will continue to diversify the content available to viewers. They end the episode with their thoughts on what the content quality will look like going forward.

Welcome to Season 4! We start this season with a Larger Than Us episode in time for Valentine's day/month - love languages. Keerthi & Sneha guess each other's love languages and talk about how love languages affect different scenarios & dynamics in relationships, friendships, and work/corporate life. As they discuss different experiences and considerations of how love languages, they also discuss how each category is defined based on societal biases (gender roles and expectations within different environments). Not sure what your love language is? Take this test and share your results with us on social media!

In this episode of Larger than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk about what it means to be stressed vs burnt out. As we come close to the end of the year - life's pace picks up a little - Sneha and Keerthi talk about triggers and forms stress can be present in their life. While they talk about ways they view stress, they also talk about different advice they've received from mentors and experiences in order to look to become better at managing stress. As they break down certain aspects - work-life balance, work scenarios, friendships, and relationships - they conclude the episode with ways they find themselves motivated to continue working on themselves.

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi talk with Veena Murali - a 22 year-old solo female traveler who’s traveled to a total of 55+ countries and recently went on a ‘Journey Around the World in 180 Days’ solo trip. They talk with her to learn more about her passion for travel and how she became a solo traveler. While they learn about her personal experiences with the countries she's visited, they also talk about the perception different cultural identities have around the world and how to push past what the media shares of those countries to expand your own perspective. Not only do they touch upon the perceptions of traveling in terms of identity, but they also talk about the beauty of traveling solo, the stigmas of traveling alone (especially as a desi woman), and how to travel on a budget. As they conclude their conversation, Veena provides advice from her experiences to those who look to break out of their comfort zone and travel by themselves, especially as a desi woman. To stay in touch with Veena's traveling and experiences, follow her on Instagram @nyctonomad. To learn more about her journey to countries around the world, read her book Far, Wide, and Solo here: https://books2read.com/b/farwideandsolo

We are back from our break! In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk about the idea of self-love and how they would define it from their experiences, how confidence, social media and other realms of thought in society affect the way we perceive ourselves. While they discuss these topics, they also dive into the aspects of our community that limit us from practicing self-love and how we can move forward in breaking those perceptions. They end the episode with concluding thoughts on the future and how they see themselves growing further into the idea of loving their whole authentic self. ----- [intro/outro credits] Ravi Ray Audio: https://ravirayaudio.com/