Amituckeredout

Premal Dharia has spent the last twenty years dedicated to challenging injustice in the criminal system and nearly 15 years as a public defender.  She has tried dozens of cases and supervised lawyers at various levels of practice. Premal will be joining Harvard Law School as the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute to End Mass Incarceration, launching this summer. The Institute’s mission is to end mass incarceration in the United States through a movement-centered, action-oriented organizing and advocacy program with a bold and ambitious innovation institute.We talk about the history of mass incarceration and the current situation as it stands in the United States. She discusses why prisoners are disproportionately Black and Latino,  her work as a public defender and civil attorney, why she thinks public defenders are key to systemic change within the criminal system, founding and directing the Defender Impact Initiative, and what we need to know about post-colonialism and the impact it has had on pe

It's time for an update people!We've done over 60 episodes, brought on big names, shared fantastic stories, and undoubtedly have some new listeners to the show from all around the world . So, I wanted to take this week to re-introduce myself a bit, as well as re-introduce the show -- what we're all about here at Tuckered Out, what we're trying to accomplish, and where we're hoping to go with everything.I started this show because I wanted to tell the stories of South Asian voices around the world and share all the amazing contributions my community is a part of.  I also wanted to hear their journeys and how they found their calling because frankly, I was Tuckered Out (see what I did there) from trying to find what mine was.The hope for this podcast is simply this- to share stories for underrepresented voices, to share lessons to those who are figuring out what their mission really is, to share what our culture and heritage represents, and of course to share laughs.   Because let's face it, I gots the jokes.Al

My next guests have built an organization that is not just starting the conversation around menstrual hygiene in India, but they are educating people across India and changing the way menstruation has been talked about in the past and even today.Tarun Bothra and Kristin Kagetsu are co-founders of Saathi, a purpose driven manufacturing company that makes eco-friendly hygiene products. Their mission is to create hygiene products that are good for the body, environment, and community. Saathi pads are biodegradable and compostable, using plant-based materials for the leak-proof outer layers of the napkin.Kristin has been featured on Forbes 30 under 30 as well as the Women Economic Forum.  I have no doubt that these are the kinds of  ideas and the people that will help change our world for the better.www.saathipads.com  

Pallavi Sharda knows what chasing your dreams is all about.  Growing up in Melbourne Australia, she knew from a very young age she wanted to become a Bollywood actress.We talk about making the decision to move to India to fulfill her dreams of working in Bollywood, her biggest takeaways from her time there and what she learned about herself, what she would tell other young women who want to make their mark on the world's largest film industry, and her relationship to Bollywood now.She discusses why there is still a lack of diversity and representation for South Asian women in the film industry,  how being an Indian-Australian forced her to redefine herself time and time again, and the reason coming back home to Melbourne helped reclaim her voice and identity.An honors graduate from the University of Melbourne Law, Arts and Languages schools, Pallavi is an advocate for India-Australia relations and the strengthening of intercultural links between the two countries. She was named on the list of forty most influ

In honor of Pride Month, I had the honor of interviewing my friends, Parag Mehta and Vaibhav Jain,  a couple who has not just inspired the LGBTQ+ community, but also the South Asian community around the world.Last March, they tried to register their marriage with the Indian Consulate in NYC under India’s Foreign Marriage Act, which is a pretty standard process for Indian citizens who get married abroad (Parag is from Texas and Vaibhav is from Delhi).  This is their story, their journey really, from the time they got denied the registration at the NYC consulate to filing  a precedent-setting petition with the Delhi High Court, urging the Indian government and its Ministry of External Affairs to recognize same-sex marriages.We talk about the history of gay rights and laws in India, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, attorneys Menaka Guruswamy  and Arundhati Katju, the faces behind the historic Section 377 verdict in 2018, and other gay couples who are fighting for equal and inclusive rights in India.Parag an

Sharbari Zohra Ahmed is a Bangladeshi-American writer and was on the writing team for the ABC show Quantico, making her the first woman of Bangladeshi origin to write for a network show.We talk about why she never thought she would get picked to walk into the writers’ room for the show, why the show didn’t focus on Priyanka Chopra’s cultural background, the reason she was heavily trolled online for an episode she didn’t write, why there is still a lack of diversity behind the scenes and how that affects stories revolved around minority families, and the reasons South Asians still have a hard time supporting one another when it comes to the arts.We discuss the reason her family fled from Bangladesh while she was just 3 weeks old, how that move shaped her life and inspired her creative journey, and why identity and a strong female protagonist has been a central theme in a lot of her writings.She discusses her debut novel, Dust Under Her Feet, and her current projects including Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Bose Perki

The India Covid crisis has devastated the country and has affected many of us living in the US. I chat with Megha Desai, President of The Desai Foundation, about their efforts to help thousands in need and what we can do to support the cause.We also talk about the Asani Sanitary Napkin Program, which trains women in rural India to manufacture and distribute sanitary products.  We talk about why there has been such a negative stigma in our culture when it comes to women’s menstrual cycles and how we need to help change the conversation.The Desai Foundation was born in 1997 as a family foundation started by Samir A. Desai and Nilima Desai. The Foundation had one simple goal: to serve the communities that had served them. After ten years of successful partnerships, the Desai Foundation found itself getting more and more involved in its partner organizations.The Desai Foundation is now a robust public and programmatic organization working to empower women and children through health and livelihood in India and th

Recognized among TIME Magazine’s 16 people fighting for a more equal America, Simran Jeet Singh is Senior Adviser for Equity and Inclusion at YSC Consulting, a professor at Columbia University, a Senior Fellow at the Sikh Coalition, a 2020 Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, an author, a father, and a devout San Antonio Spurs fan. We talk about his American story, the reasons that pushed him to embrace advocacy, his new book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going, and his upcoming book, More of This Please, which talks to audiences about his unique experiences of racism, and shares how Sikh teachings give us a model for engaging hate without internalizing it.We dive into his experiences growing up Sikh in San Antonio, Texas, how his faith helped him respond to racism all his life, why he wrote about the oldest marathon runner in the world, and his deep work focusing on empathy-building as an approach for personal development and social change.www.simranjeetsingh.org

As immigrants to this country from India, Reshma and her family had to build a new life from the ground up and make every dollar work for them.  A graduate of MIT, Reshma was an advisor to the NYC Comptroller’s office for almost a decade, including during one of the City’s darkest moments, 9/11.This past year has laid bare a failure of government on many levels and highlighted that NYC is not serving all of its people equally. Reshma is running for NYC Comptroller because right now our City needs to be able to stretch a dollar far like her parents taught her and to make sure that, as we rebuild, all New Yorkers are part of the solution.Listen in as Reshma's talks about using her skills to fight for equity for all and why she has never wavered. Her commitment to service has remained steadfast and she is ready to apply that experience and vision to the NYC Comptroller job from day one. www.reshma2021.com

Nitin Pandey is the founder and CEO of Parentune.com, a pro-parent network supporting parents in India to do more for their child. Parents can find trusted advice, validated solutions and real time support on the platform. Their vision is to be the must-have support for each parent and believe that an empowered pro-parent community is crucial to improve the quality of child development. Parentune supports parents to overcome their day-to-day challenges and achieve more for their child within their limitations at various life stages.The startup has grown rapidly and has been recognized by Nasscom Design Awards, the Wall Street Journal Global startup showcase, Superstartups by Superbrands, Smart50CEO, HOTTECH100, and as BusinessWorld Techtors-Technology company to watch out for.Parentune is also doing ground-breaking work by helping to open up conversations around children's mental health, autism, sexual wellness, high-risk pregnancies and much more.They are building the future of India, one healthy child at a

Sharan Dhaliwal founded, developed and now runs the UK’s leading South Asian magazine Burnt Roti, which is a platform for young creatives to showcase their talent, find safe spaces and destigmatise topics around mental health and sexuality, amongst others. Her particular interests focus on discussing the representations of young women, South Asian women and queer women.She is the Director of Middlesex Pride and creator of Oh Queer Cupid, a queer speed dating and comedy night.She has had bylines in i-D, HuffPost, the Guardian and was on the list of global influential women for the BBC 100 Women 2019.She is currently writing her debut non-fiction, Burning My Roti, to be released in Feb 2022 by Hardie Grant.www.burntroti.com

Smita Sharma is an award winning photojournalist and visual storyteller based in Delhi, India, reporting on critical human rights and social issues in her own community as well as in the Global South on assignments for Human Rights Watch, National Geographic Magazine, and other publications.From documenting the effect of pregnancy on girl’s education in Kenya to child marriage in Nepal, and sex-trafficking across India and Bangladesh, Sharma is committed to representing people with dignity and telling underrepresented stories with impact. Sharma is an IWMF Reporting Fellow and a TED Fellow. Her work has been exhibited and shown globally including at the UN Headquarters in New York.Smita is a member of Women Photograph and Diversify Photo and has taken HEFAT training in Mexico City organized by IWMF. She is a graduate from the photojournalism and documentary photography program of International Center of Photography, New York and has a post graduate diploma in Journalism from University of Pune.In 2016, Smita

One of my favorite things about doing this podcast is reconnecting with people who have been part of different phases in my life. Dr. Sumun Pendakur and I met 20 years ago when I was a production assistant on her hubby’s film set. Needless to say, I knew she was a rock star even then.She is a #dei strategist, consultant and trainer who has spent the last 20 years focusing on building community strength as well as institutional capacity for #socialjustice and #racialjustice in the #highereducation sector.She was the #chieflearningofficer @uscraceequity center and has built programs that address underserved needs and communities.We talk about the influence her parents had on her career, how they were definitely both “woke” back in the day when a lot of #southasianimmigrants were not, how she got involved in amplifying the #asianamerican voice, and the history and true meaning of the term “model minority”.I admit that I have had a certain narrative in my head about the South Asian community, we discuss the awful

I could not think of a better guest for EPISODE 50

Zarna Garg is an Indian immigrant, mom, and lawyer turned New York comedian and TikTok star (https://www.tiktok.com/@zarnagarg) with more than 20 million views on the platform. She has performed standup at sold-out clubs across the country and headlined her own show My American Dream at the famous Carolines on Broadway. Unwilling to let the pandemic stop her, Zarna has kept audiences laughing with online comedy shows (which were recently profiled in the New York Times) and impromptu sets outside major landmarks across New York City including Central Park and The Met.Her debut romantic comedy screenplay “Rearranged” won the Best Comedy Screenplay Award at the 2019 Austin Film Festival (placing #1 out of 11,000 scripts), and was also a 2019 Academy Nicholl Fellowships Semi-Finalist. The script has been optioned by Marginal Mediaworks. 

Pat Shah has had his ear pressed against the audio industry for awhile now.  He is the Head of Content Acquisition and Development for Audible, a  membership service that provides customers with the world's largest selection of audiobooks as well as podcasts, exclusive originals, and more.We talk about how both of our dads would teach us math nightly using white boards,  how he initially thought about taking the doctor route but found out early that wasn't the right path for him, and how our parents dealt (or didn't deal) with dating and relationships growing up.Pat talks about his remarkable career path- from Wall Street to his own start-up to working at Universal, Spotify, and Twitch-and his takeaways from each role,  his experience working side-by-side with Paul Allen, and why he currently has the best job in the world.He tells me what he looks for in storytellers, why the past 3 years have been a watershed moment for the audio industry,  how he's excited about the future with NFT's, and we discuss who sho

Alka Joshi was born in India and raised in the U.S. since the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. At the age of 62, Joshi published her debut novel, The Henna Artist, which immediately became a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, was long listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and is being developed into an episodic series by Miramax TV starring Frieda Pinto.The sequel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, premieres June 2021, and will be followed by the third book in the trilogy in 2022.We talk about what it was like growing up in India and the transition to Iowa,  how her family viewed dating and relationships,  why she decided to break the glass ceiling on her own terms, and how she became an "accidental writer".She talks about the origins of The Henna Artist and how the main character, Laxmi, is an ode to her mother,  her mother's own journey finding herself, why she believes women are better leaders, and how she hop

When Siyona Vikram realized there were few Indian podcasts specifically for children, she decided that it was time to start one herself.Siyona’s podcast is called Little Mind Chats and focuses on helping kids breakdown the news, current events, and important topics.  She covers everything from science, the environment, politics around the world, and important figures in history such as Gandhi.We talk about what it's like to work with her partner, her mom, on the podcast, how it's been learning remotely this past year, and what she envisions herself doing with the podcast.She also talks about her Change.org petition focusing on banning plastic toys, who her dream interview would be with ( hint, hint Elon Musk), and also helps me out with a few interview tips!Her slogan, "Minds Are Little, Not Our Thoughts", is spot on. One thing is for sure, Siyona is proving that we should never underestimate the power of a child's mind.www.littlemindchats.com

The #BlindianProject is the "meeting place for Black x South Asian communities". Started as a passion project in 2017, the project drew its inspiration from an incident in which street mobs attacked African students in Noida, New Delhi.Restarted at the beginning of 2020, the events of this year have seen the community grow enormously. The #BlindianProject aims to normalize Black x South Asian relationships while dismantling anti-Blackness and believes in removing negative stereotypes by creating experiences that unite our communities and inspire solidarity.  To date, the #BlindianProject has been featured in international publications such as: The BBC World News, The Lily (Washington Post), The Times of India, BBC Asian Radio, and many others.​@blindianprojectwww.blindian-project.com 

As part of my podcasting fellowship with On Deck (beondeck.com) , I had the chance to interview On Deck fellows Nivi Jayasekar and Paula Hernandez Forero about their peer coaching platform for women called YaYa.joinyaya.com