Usha Tummala-Narra, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and the Director of Community-Based Education at the Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute and Research Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. Her research and scholarship focus on immigration, trauma, race, and culturally-informed psychoanalytic psychotherapy. She is also in Independent Practice, and works primarily with survivors of trauma from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. Dr....

Former Obama Administration Official & Maryland Gubernatorial Candidate Ashwani Jain joins us to discuss current political events and topics in the United States.

Ashwini Prasad is a South Asian Indian immigrant to Canada and the United States, but her life is more complex. She was born in Fiji Islands, raised in Calgary, AB and Vancouver, BC, and has spent her adult life in the United States, mainly in the Pacific Northwest. Equity and justice are her pillars as an anti-racist educator and screen writer. Her pillars were rooted in college which is now over 20 years of experience in anti-racism, anti-oppression and social justice work with two...

Former Obama Administration Official & Maryland Gubernatorial Candidate Ashwani Jain joins us to discuss current political events and topics in the United States.

Shanita Liu is a mom of three, TEDx speaker, Author of DEAR DURGA, veteran spouse, artist, and Fulbright Scholar. She is a certified life coach accredited through the International Coaching Federation's Leadership That Works: Coaching For Transformation program. Shanita is an award-winning writer and has contributed to various platforms that include ForbesWomen, Thrive Global, and Brown Girl...

Dr. Maneesha Ahluwalia joins the podcast to discuss her work as a Professional Certified Life Coach. We’re all stuck somewhere. Dr. Ahulwalia believes a great relationship with your family, friends, and parents is waiting for you--she's excited to help clients from all over the world to seek better understanding of themselves and those in their life.

Usha Reddi, a leader in the Kansas DNC, was sworn in as the first Indian American to serve in the Kansas State Senate. Reddi was also the first Indian-American to serve as a mayor in Kansas and Commissioner. Reddi's family immigrated from India to the United States in 1973, when she was eight years old. Her father, a retired anesthesiologist was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with nine years suspended, for raping her repeatedly in the 1970s when she was a child. Usha has refused...

FATIMA IQBAL-ZUBAIR IS A TEACHER, IMMIGRANT, AND MOTHER RUNNING FOR CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY IN DISTRICT 65. She runs because she believes in a government that works for all of us, not just the select few. Born in Dubai, Fatima’s family immigrated to Canada and eventually to the United States to find a safe haven away from the Gulf War. As a Muslim, immigrant and woman of color, Fatima learned from a very young age what it felt like not to belong. However, she also learned the power that...

Kumar Barve was the first Indian American elected to serve in a state legislature in United States history. He has represented a Montgomery County district in the Maryland House of Delegates since 1990. He is the Chairman of House Environment and Transportation Committee. Recently he named "Environmental Legislator of the Year" For his leadership in banning Fracking. Barve has been in legislative leadership for much of his career, serving as House Majority Leader from 2003-2014 and now as...

Maleeha Aziz is Pakistani American abortion storyteller with We Testify, an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions at the intersection of race, class, and gender identity. She also works as an Organizer at Texas Equal Access Fund (TEA Fund) supporting their clients through the Client Engagement Program and organizing events, actions, works to engage volunteers to advocate for abortion access in north Texas.

Rishi is an attorney and small business owner who believes in fairness, justice, and common sense solutions. As a former prosecutor, Rishi worked hard to fight for justice for victims of domestic violence crimes. He has fought for his clients as an attorney and brought parties together to resolve issues as a mediator. Through his experience as a small business owner, Rishi understands the importance of growing Florida’s economy while making sure that everyone has a fair chance to succeed.

Ashmi Sheth is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to the United States from India. From regulating big banks at the Federal Reserve and advocating for small business protections on the Hill, to building climate resiliency products and movements for minority rights, Ashmi is ready to bring new progressive ideas to Congress. Ashmi received her Undergraduate Degree from University of Maryland and a Master’s Degree from Columbia University.

Pakistani American Maleeha Aziz of Texas Equal Access Fund or Tea Fund as it is known, joins the show to discuss the organization's advocacy in offering emotional and financial support to people who are seeking abortion care in Texas---one of the United State's most restrictive states as it pertains to Abortion. Maleeha shares her personal story and experience about having a Medication Abortion when she was a college student in Texas. Her goal in sharing her narrative and in her work on...

The host of 'A Desi Woman' Podcast is interviewed by the hosts of Stokemeter podcast about what led her to launch this groundbreaking series and how this creative journey has impacted her as a human being.

Jennifer Pierotti Lim is the Founder and Executive Director of Republican Women for Progress and was previously the Founder of Republican Women for Hillary. After RWFH gained national attention in the summer of 2016, Jennifer was invited to speak on the closing night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where she addressed a television audience of close to 33 million people. Jennifer regularly appears on outlets including CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and PBS and her written work has been featured...

Manka Dhingra is Deputy Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate. She brings two decades of experience as a prosecutor and behavioral health expert to her roles as chair of the Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee and vice chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee. She also serves on the Ways & Means Committee. Dhingra was first elected to the Senate by the constituents of the 45th Legislative District in November 2017, the first Sikh legislator elected in the nation. Since...

Manga Anantatmula (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Virginia's 11th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on May 7, 2022. Manga is a first generation American who immigrated to the U.S. almost 30 years ago with her husband and young son.

Padma Kuppa is the Michigan State Representative representing the state's 41st House District. She is now running for Michigan State Senate and is committed to serving Troy and Clawson by supporting shared values, ensuring that every child has access to a quality public education, that Michigan moves to protect its Great Lakes and ensure access to clean safe drinking water. She is also impassioned about ensuring that health care and prescription drugs are affordable and accessible to all...

Suraj is a first-generation American attorney and business ethics professor who worked for President Obama who is running for Congress because he feels Democrats need a new generation of leaders - leaders who will stand up for science, safety, and our democracy. He was born to parents who immigrated to the US from India and is running to represent New York’s 12th District.

Ashwani Jain is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor of Maryland. He’s a first generation American who was born to parents who immigrated to the U.S. from India, and went on to become successful small business owners in the state of Maryland. Ashwani is a pediatric cancer survivor and a product of the Maryland public schools and graduate of the University of Maryland, Ashwani is the youngest candidate running for governor. And if elected, he would be the state’s first millennial...

Senator Niraj Antani is currently serving his first term in the Ohio Senate, and he made history as the youngest serving member of the Senate, and also the first Indian American and Hindu American state Senator in Ohio history. Niraj has been named at Forbes list of the top 30, under 30 people in the US for law and politics, and Newsmax named him the second most influential Republican in the nation under 30. Niraj just received the Legislator of the Year Award by the AMVETS Department of...

Chaitra Vedullapalli is recognized as an influential Business Leader with a passion to enable digital equality and access to achieve economic prosperity in our communities. She is the Co-Founder and CMO of Meylah focused on helping customers to modernize their business with Cloud solutions. She is also the Co-Founder of Women in Cloud, sits on the board of several companies and drives global conversations with the United Nations and top corporations. Using the power of AI, Cloud, and IoT,...

Shekar Krishnan is a community activist, civil rights attorney, and the first South Asian to ever be elected to New York city council. Shekar is devoted his career to serving the most vulnerable communities in New York city. His advocacy has focused on amplifying the voices of those so frequently, unheard and unseen by powerful institutions. And he's very focused on organizing for dignified and just treatment for communities of color. Shekar is fiercely committed to fighting alongside those...