Nri Woman

Shabnam Samuel from Frederick, Maryland is a woman of many talents with a number of accomplishments under her belt. She is a writer, author, business coach, social media trainer and a mum. She talks candidly about her life to us, After being abandoned by her parents, Shabnam was taken care of by her maternal grandparents but knew nothing else outside of that lifestyle. At age, 27, She moved to the US with an estranged husband and 3-year-old son, having to raise the child all by herself, carve a niche for her family and find herself in a country she knew nothing of. From being a girl to a woman, her struggles, trials and tribulations speak volumes in this first episode of our season 3, of NRIWoman Podcast. How did she find the voice she never had growing up and the strength to move on? She is our strong and fearless NRIWoman author and founder of The Panchgani Writers Retreat, who tells the world of her stories in her memoir ‘A fractured life’. Connect with the guests:Email: shabnamwrites@gmail.comFa

Ruchi Gulati is a blogger, the founder of the first Thyroid support group in Singapore and creator of a clothing line for plus sized women, Curvy Craze. She shares her story of embracing her curves with confidence and conquering the world with love, fun and kindness. Ruchi has been curvy for as long as she can remember. She’s also always been confident about herself and her abilities. About ten years ago she was diagnosed with Hashimoto's, a condition in which one's immune system attacks the thyroid making it hard for her to shift the weight. She loves her curves and has detached from the stigma that comes with the word fat and hopes one day all women can embrace their bodies the way they are and for everybody to offer the same dignity and respect to people irrespective of their size. She's our curvy NRI Woman and this is her story. Until next time keep learning, keep inspiring and be kind. Connect with the guests:Email: rucci66@hotmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/gulatis/ If you

Malini Ohri our guest today is a certified beauty and health consultant and aromatherapist. She has a career in the health and wellness industry spanning over 40 years and as an aromatherapist for over 30 years. She has a passion for using and making things all natural. She chats with us about aromatherapy, its benefits, how to introduce aromatherapy into one's life and most importantly how to pick the right products. Aromatherapy is a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being. It enhances both physical and emotional health. Some of the health benefits of aromatherapy include reducing anxiety and stress, improving focus, alleviating pain, eliminating headaches and increasing circulation. Malini is the creator of the aromatherapy line Saanté. Connect with the guests: Email: maliniohri@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/malini.ohri Saanté: https://www.facebook.com/saantearoma/ If you like what you hear, please tell your friends about us and do su

Maithili Appalwar is a 22-year-old senior at Georgia Tech. She and her team won the People's Choice Award at the Ideas to Serve Competition hosted by Georgia Tech's Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship and they used the money as their pilot fund for Thrive. Maithili is passionate about improving mental health in low-resource communities which is why she started Thrive with two friends. Thrive hopes to be a platform that helps improve student mental health in India including mental health literacy workshops delivered to students and teachers by Thrive facilitators and daily meditation and gratitude journaling activities delivered by trained teachers. She is our passionate NRI Woman and this is her story. Until next time. Keep learning, keep inspiring and be kind! Connect with the guests: Email: maithili.appalwar@gatech.edu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maithili.appalwar If you like what you hear, please tell your friends about us and do subscribe to our Podcast. Don’t forget to follow us o

Unexplained Infertility. two words that provide hope and cause frustration in equal measure. Our guest today Supna Shah dealt with this for ten years before getting pregnant through IVF. While dealing with the infertility was distressing, the process of IUI and IVF was emotional, physically and financially exhausting. Supna chats with us about her journey through infertility, the treatment, managing postpartum depression and now raising emotionally intelligent triplets Pranav, Pavani and Vraj. She's raising her children while managing a business of organic clothing line for children and a first parenting web-network, WeGo Kids. She's our NRI Woman and this is her story. Until next time keep learning, keep inspiring and be kind! Connect with the guests: Email: supna@wego-kids.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supna.shah.1 If you like what you hear, please tell your friends about us and do subscribe to our Podcast. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We promise not to bore you! Sub

Karina Calver is a survivor of incest. She shares her story of enduring rape and how she has turned her life around to become the woman she is today. The silence that surrounds incest survivors can make them feel isolated, and Karina hopes by sharing her story others will know they are not alone. Survivors are all around us, among our friends, at school, at work, places of worship and it's likely we don't know they are survivors. The taboo around the subject makes it hard for them to share their stories and for others to understand the impact this can have. Karina wants to bring the conversation out in the open where nothing is a taboo anymore so that victims do not need to be scared to speak their truth, fear seeming inadequate and not being an equal. She wants others to know that they are capable of building a life of their choice filled with love, happiness and surrounded by people who are willing to help every step of the way. She is our NRI Woman and this is her story! Until next time keep learning,

Prasha S Dutra is a is a mechanical engineer currently working as a Quality Manager in a manufacturing facility in Rhode Island. She grew up in a small neighbourhood of Delhi in India and was always interested in the science of things. Prasha credits this curiosity to her upbringing. Growing up her father encouraged her to watch How it's made on the discovery channel, and she observed her mum be the unconventional one as the only working mum. She shares her story as she wants more girls and women to have the opportunities life offered her because of her education and hopes more mums and dads are persuaded to encourage their daughters to follow careers in the STEM (Science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields. Through her podcast her stem story, she is trying to create a community of brave, smart, aspiring and confident women, who can inspire girls to take up more challenging higher education and fill the gender gap in STEM fields around the world! She is our wonder-NRI Woman and this is her story

This week we chat with Purnima Jagtiani and our first couple on the show Meena and Gopa. They share their stories of detection, treatment and recovery from breast cancer. Purnima has been in remission for a year and Meena for ten years. Neither expected it to happen to them. Yet when it did they had to find a way to move forward without losing hope. They've all embraced living in the present, keeping a positive attitude, not sweating the small stuff and not being attached to the outcome as a philosophy. These are not sad stories but ones of hope, strength and support. They are our upbeat NRI Women and these are their stories of survival! Connect with the guests: Purnima Jagtiani Email: purnima@panacheme.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purnima.jagtiani Meena Gopakumar Email: meenag@cox.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meena.gopakumar Gopa Ganesan Email: gopa.k.ganesan@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gopa.ganesan If you like what you hear, please tell your friends about us and d

Sandi Saxsena, our guest today played the role of a supporting spouse in all aspects of her family except financial planning. She was focused on the children as they grew up and her husband met all the wants and needs of the family. That is, until one day, they hit financial challenges. Sandi had to step out into the working world for the first time at 44 with no prior work experience. Sandi did not let that stop her. She kept her faith and focus on finding a job, and she did as a financial consultant. Now 20 plus years on, she has gone on to pay off the debts and secure her future. She is completely independent and lives life on her terms. She believes every woman whether one is working or not is responsible for their financial future and she shares her insights on how one can start on that path. She's our NRI Woman, and this is her story! Until next time, keep learning, keep inspiring and be kind. Connect with the guests: Email: sandi@echelonamc.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandi.rich.7 If

Our guest today Sheetal Mulani shares her story of rebuilding her life after her son Mohit passed away at the age of 21. The loss of a child regardless of age is one of the most devastating experiences a parent can face. One is never going to stop feeling the loss, and that gap is never going to be replaced. Sheetal and her family have had to find a way to love and care for each other so their family can survive despite missing a very precious part. Mohit was diagnosed with anxiety and ADHD while he was away at university and put on medication, which Sheetal believes changed the person Mohit was. She was unaware of his diagnosis or treatment until it was too late. She hopes in sharing her story more parents become aware of some of the changes to watch out for in their children so more children can be safe. She's our NRI Woman and this is her story! Until next time, keep learning, keep inspiring and be kind. This episode contains discussion about a sensitive subject. Please be mindful of your surroundings

Rachna Nath shares her story of how an emotional choice she made as a teenager impacted her career. As a biologist, she now understands why she made the choice. That choice has shaped how Rachna takes on life, with confidence, not afraid to take risks and with an unconventional attitude. Listen in as she shares her journey of resilience and perseverance. She is our NRI Woman, and this is her story. Until next time, keep learning, keep inspiring and be kind! Connect with the guests: Email: rachnanath@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachna.nath.9 If you like what you hear, please tell your friends about us and do subscribe to our Podcast. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We promise not to bore you! Subscribe! Apple Podcast App Stitcher (available on AppStore and Google play) Get in touch. Instagram: @nriwomanpodcast Twitter: @nri_woman Facebook: NRI Woman Email: hello@nriwoman.com Credits Edited & mixed by Deepthy Shibish @ deepthysivadasan@gmail.com

Sonia Anand believes stillness is the key to restoring the balance within ourselves and on a larger scale the world. She thinks when the organic beauty of our soul evolves through gentle practices we automatically begin to radiate love health and positivity to the universe. Sonia was like most of us, wearing many hats at the same time. From raising her young kids, managing the home to juggling her corporate job, Sonia felt like she was being pulled in ten different directions at the same time. This overly scheduled and hard life left her feeling physically exhausted most of the time. It reached a point where she was so stressed with the daily routine that she thought she couldn't take it anymore. It was at this point she was diagnosed with depression. She sought the necessary treatment needed to help her get on track, but she also knew she needed something more. She decided to explore Yoga to help her cope with the depression. That decision changed the course of her life. She eventually went on to give up h

Sameera Khan comes from a traditional Muslim Indian family and she's decided to pursue a path, unlike others who come from a culture similar to hers. She's a standup comedian. Ten years ago Sameera's exposure to standup was limited to watching Russel Peters on YouTube, she never thought then that ten years on she would be on a stage making people laugh. So what changed? How did she do it? Her journey from having crippling stage fright to overcoming it and performing in front of a tough crowd has been one that she has enjoyed. She hopes in sharing her story you will be inspired to go for your dreams and push yourself to achieve what you want. She's an NRI Woman and this is her story. Connect with the guests: Email: sameera.mk@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sameerakhanm If you like what you hear, please tell your friends about us and do subscribe to our Podcast. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We promise not to bore you! Subscribe! Apple Podcast App Stitcher (available

Jennifer Dsouza, our guest on today's show chose to become a single mother at the age of 45 via adoption. Adoption by single women in the Indian culture is uncommon. Recent changes by CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority) giving preference to single, financially stable women over 40 means that it is changing and more single women now have the opportunity to become a parent. Jennifer shares her story of why she chose to adopt, the adoption process and how she's changed after becoming a parent. Listen to her story as she builds a family with the love of the many hearts around her. Connect with the guests: Email: jenadsouza@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenadsouza If you like what you hear, please tell your friends about us and do subscribe to our Podcast. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We promise not to bore you! Subscribe! Apple Podcast App Stitcher (available on AppStore and Google play) Get in touch. Instagram: @nriwomanpodcast Twitter: @nri_woman Facebook: NRI

Season two begins with the inspiring and surprising story of Caroline Monteiro. She was lost on the streets of Mumbai when she was just seven years old. From living on the streets to finding a home with an adoptive family to building her own family, Caroline has come a long way. We all need something to hold onto, something that gives us the confidence that we can go on with life, even when things don’t go the way we want them to. For Caroline it’s her faith in God, She believes it may not be going the way she planned it but it's going exactly the way God intended it, and she’s happy with it. She's our NRI Woman and this is her story! Connect with the guests: Email: carolinemonteiro69@gmail.com Facebook: http://bit.ly/2oARJFz If you like what you hear, please tell your friends about us and do subscribe to our Podcast. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We promise not to bore you! Subscribe! Apple Podcast App Stitcher (available on AppStore and Google play) Get in touch. Instagram: 

For our season finale, we're talking about a subject that is mainly Indian- Joint families, an arrangement where many generations bound by a common relationship live together in the same household. It’s common to see this kind of living arrangement in Indian families residing outside India as well. Some of us may have grown in one, and others married into one. Either way, it's likely we know of someone who is part of a joint family. Joining us in our conversation today is Aashna Mulgaonkar who was born and grew up in one of the largest joint families in India. At its peak, 150 members lived together in the same house - the Mhamai Kamat family in Goa. The Mhamai Kamat family has a rich history dating back to the 17th century. Aashna shares the story of her family, its history, how it grew to so many members and what it was like growing up with so many people around where one was never alone. Connect with the guests: Email: aashna@aam-associates.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aashna.mulgaonkar I

Our guest, Padmini Gupta, is an Oxford graduate, World Economic Forum Fellow and a social entrepreneur tackling a USD 5 billion industry in the Middle East. She combines her passion for solving social issues with building an enterprise that is sustainable and profitable. RISE, her fintech company, is her first foray as a social entrepreneur, and she hopes to change the lives of the 750,000 maids and nannies currently working in the UAE so they can upskill and plan for a better future for themselves. Padmini shares her story of why she thinks the world needs more social entrepreneurs and how to raise the next generation more aware of the social circumstances around them. "It was many years ago I met Elie Wiesel, the illustrious writer, and Nobel Laureate. I told him how he inspired me and how I wished to live his values. But today's a day that made me realize I already am. He once wrote “No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them.

Feng Shui means wind and water and is a traditional Chinese concept linking the destiny of a man to his environment. Samita Khanna is a master consultant of Feng Shui with over twenty years of practice. The fundamental principle is that energy known in China as "Chi" flows through one's environment and all objects possess chi that can be used to bring luck, wealth and opportunity into one's home or business environment. It's believed the reverse is also true. As an example, we’ve all had years where things move in the direction we want it to, everything is smooth and effortless, and then there are years where everything is a struggle. One needs to look back and see when did this start, was it when they moved to a new home or was it when space was redecorated. So many things could have contributed to one inadvertently fostering negative chi. Samita has seen first hand how Feng Shui has transformed her life and she shares tips to help you get started to foster the right chi in your lives. Connect with the

From a psychotherapist to a makeup consultant after a 20-year gap, our guest today Sanyukta Kumar is an exemplar of new beginnings. She moved to a new country with her kids when the youngest one was just three months old and her older daughter was four. Sanky, as she is lovingly known, decided like so many of us do, with a move and new additions to the family, to take a break from her job. When she was ready to go back to her career, she found that it was not an option. The laws of the country demanded that her practice is current. The break meant she could not continue as a psychotherapist, a job she is passionate about and loves. That didn't stop her though, and she embarked on an entirely new career as a makeup consultant and launched a consultancy "Blend by Sanky" where she teaches women makeup application techniques. She believes makeup is more than just about beautifying oneself. She thinks makeup done well helps one feel positive and face the world with quiet confidence. Listen in as she shares he

Ikigai is a Japanese word that roughly translates to the reason for being. Why are we here? What is our purpose? Are these some of the questions you ask yourself? Some of us would have spent our whole lives without finding or knowing it. Our guest today Harsha Makhija believes she has found her Ikigai. How? Listen in to find out. Harsha is a pilates instructor, mum to three and a vagabond at heart. She believes everything she does must have a purpose and she lives her life with that in mind. Discovering one's Ikigai requires self-reflection and the simplest way to find it according to author Dan Buettner is by making three lists: your values, things you like to do, and things that you are good at. The cross-section of the three lists is your Ikigai. One's Ikigai also takes into consideration what one can be paid for and it's at the cross-section of these four that one can find their Ikigai! Ultimately discovering our Ikigai means we can live a life of joy, fulfilment and balance in our daily lives as our