Chai Break

by Shwetha Ravishankar

Entrepreneurship Society & Culture

Season 2

A Chai-versation with Co-Founder & CEO of Ode, Jashima Wadehra

Jashima Wadehra is the co-founder and CEO of Ode, a brand strategy, talent management and business development firm catering predominantly to children of immigrant brands, businesses and artists. While companies rely on third-party metrics, Jashima specializes in taking a “lived experience meets data” approach to representing talent and brands. Specifically from communities whose consumption patterns and preferences are often not aggregated by general marketing data firms or cultural nuances that talent agencies are not well versed in. Ode’s talent roster has worked with Audiomack, Netflix, Tunecore, Amazon, VEVO, Lincoln Center, Meta, Applaus, Kulture Khazana, Brown Girl Mag, 5XFest, DesiFest and many more on both the talent representation and brand strategy side. With a background in music journalism, consumer psychology and events, Jashima is the link between brands and companies to create intentional and impactful campaigns. chaiversations.org

A Chai-versation with Angel Investor & Venture Capitalist Chandani Bhatt

With a background in behavioral psychology, Chandani wears many hats. From co-founding a marketing tech agency to more recently becoming an angel investor and venture capitalist, she is here to talk to us about the world of finance and importance of financial wellness in the South Asian space. In our chaiversation, we talk to her about the journey to entering a largely man's world AKA the world of finance. She gives listeners handy tips on investing, and how to navigate a world that is somewhat overwhelming for newbies. chaiversations.org

A Chai-versation with Amrita Doshi, Co-Founder of SOAR

Amrita Doshi, is the co-founder and Executive Director of South Asian SOAR, a national organization dedicated to ending gender-based violence in the US, within the South Asian diaspora. She is deeply committed to advancing healing and justice for South Asian survivors and communities. Amrita comes to this work with her own experiences of survivorship as well as several years of work across public health, technology, and art. chaiversations.org

A Chai-versation with Divya Soneji, Founder of South Asian Nation

Today’s episode is all about how one woman’s mission to share the truth turned into a 40 thousand strong following. From gender inclusivity, fighting the patriarchy, breaking stigma, supporting marginalized voices and curating South Asian content beyond the ordinary, Divya Soneji, Founder of South Asian Nation, has made it her life mantra to use her platform and voice for the greater good.

A Chai-versation with Ragini Jha, Founder of Cardamom Counseling

Mental health in the South Asian community has always been taboo. Although we've made great strides, we still have ways to go in normalizing conversations around going to therapy/seeking professional help, not just when you experience a life changing event, but on a regular basis, it's like taking your vitamins! Our chaiversation this week is with Ragini Jha, a trained counselor, based in the UK, she specializes in the area of cultural-relations and cognitive behavioral therapy, focused in the South Asian diaspora space. https://www.cardamomcounselling.com/

A Chai-versation with Climate & Sustainability Activist Niha Elety

Niha Elety is a sustainable fashion advocate and designer/founder of Tega Collective. She uses fashion, art and heritage to bring awareness about sustainability and its importance. When joining the sustainability space full of advocates and leaders, Niha noticed that there weren't many discussions about culture and ancestral knowledge. Since then her goal has been to bring inclusivity and a variety of perspectives from BIPOC creators (the original sustainability leaders) to the environmental movement.

A Chai-versation with Award-Winning Actress Anjali Bhimani

In this episode, we chat with Indian-American actress Anjali Bhimani, so much talent packed in one person, its astounding! Her "why not me" attitude helped her pave a unique path in a world where she did not see representation, so she decided to lead the way and not be bogged down by rejections! From the world of TV, theatre, film, virtual gaming world, voice over — you name and she has delved deep into each of these mediums and excelled in it, no less! And today, she adds yet another feather to her cap, "BESTSELLING AUTHOR", with the release of her very first book, "I'm Fun Size & So Are You" - a raw, real, engaging book, that actually feels like a conversation with your BFF! PS: We have a very special GIVEAWAY with Anjali. Be sure to check out our Instagram page - @chai_break_podcast chaiversations.org

A Chai-versation with Arthropod Curator & Eco-Socialist, Anjali Pujari

As a chalk carver and Arthropod curator, Anjali has spent over a decade carefully weaving her interests around the natural world. Along with practicing ways of permaculture, she intends to inherit her values from the balancing forces of Gaia and other elements. She is on a quest to bridge the loopholes in the community using her interdisciplinary art skills to narrate diverse thought-provoking subjects. Her research on eco-socialism with the tribal communities has helped her understand the importance of indigenous presence in our societies. “I want to trace back the lost wisdom to help individuals connect with earth like our ancestors did, resulting in a harmonious way of life". I deeply resonate with diversified indigenous instruments, and vivid cultures and look forward to reviving them using interdisciplinary arts with time”, says Anjali. She considers herself as someone who can never be put in a box!

A Chai-versation with Documentary Photographer & Film Maker Shravya Kag

Born and raised in Vijayawada, India, Shravya moved to Brooklyn in 2015 and graduated from the School of Visual Arts with an MPS in Photography. Captivated by oral histories and how they can shape a culture, her work is an exploration of home, identity and personal space largely focuses on the intimate and interpersonal stories of people of color and of queer people. In this chai-versation, we talk about her journey to America and how she created a niche for herself and her tales of trials and triumphs along the way. https://www.shravyakag.com/ chaiversations.org

A Chai-versation with Glowreel Founder, Shilpa Bhim

Shilpa Bhim is the founder of Glowreel, a media startup dedicated to celebrating the achievements and amplifying the stories of BIPOC, Black, Indigenous, and people of color women. Through Glowreel, Shilpa's aim is to ensure current and future generations of BIPOC women feel represented, empowered and inspired to blaze their own trail! We talk to Shilpa about how it was like growing up brown in Kiwi land, her career in Social reform and policy and what led to her eventually starting Glowreel and her thoughts on USA's recent Roe V Wade decision by the Supreme Court, based on what NZ's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently said in the light of the courts ruling. chaiversations.org

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