Aftab Pureval is the 70th Mayor of Cincinnati. He was raised in Southwest, Ohio and is making history as Cincinnati’s first Asian American Mayor.  As Mayor, he is committed to serving Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. He has made equitable economic growth a top priority of his administration, as well as a comprehensive reform and improvement of public safety, affordable housing, and environmental action. In this conversation, we discuss: How Mayor Aftab took a leap a faith into public...

Michael Maliakel is a multi-talented singer, dancer, actor, and Broadway star. Maliakel currently plays the lead role of Aladdin in the Broadway (New York City) musical Aladdin. His credits are numerous:  The Phantom of the Opera (Raoul u/s). NYC: Anything Can Happen: The Songs of Maury Yeston. Regional: Other World – Bucks County Playhouse; Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding – Berkeley Rep; She Loves Me – PlayMakers Rep; Bernstein’s MASS. Ravinia Festival. TV: “Bull” (CBS), “FBI” (CBS).  In this...

Dr. Siva Sivaram serves as the Chairman of the board of trustees for Akshaya Patra USA, the world’s largest NGO dedicated to feeding school children. Established in 2000, Akshaya Patra serves 1.8 million children daily in close to 20,000 schools through 55 kitchens across India.  It costs only $20 to feed a child for an entire school year – just an incredible stat. For his day job, Dr. Siva Sivaram serves as President of Western Digital Corporation where he focuses on developing the...

Sarika Jain is a Love Advisor and Dating Coach to successful, go-getter South Asian millennials. Her unique approach encompasses everything from uncovering relationship patterns and closing one’s ‘Ex Files’ to practicing self-love and mindfulness in relationships, all with the goal of inspiring people to live the lives they’ve dreamed about – experiencing profound love, success and fulfillment. Sarika’s background includes working in the corporate world and on Wall Street for over fifteen...

Hi everyone! I’m Sameer – the founder and host of the podcast South Asian Stories. Thank you for visiting our page. In this podcast, I profile South Asians who have taken unconventional career paths and elevate their identities, successes, failures, and most important stories. I’ve been fortunate to talk individuals like Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, TikTok Star Rahul Rai, FBI agent Asha Rangappa, and Musician Madame Gandhi. So jump right in your favorite podcast player and let me know...

Dr. Ranjan Ravaliya is a Hindu priest and wedding officiant in the New England area. However, she didn’t start this until she was 62 after a long career as Environmental Scientist and a consultant in Sustainable Development for over thirty years! Ranjan’s desire to learn about the Hindu Vedic philosophy was reignited once more by the constant struggle and confusion I was confronted with when my children, nieces and nephews asked me “Why do we do this ceremony?”, “What does it mean?”, during...

Dr. Raj Iyer is first Chief Information Officer of the United States Army after the Pentagon created the position in July 2020. One of the highest-ranking Indian-American civilians in the US Department of Defense, Raj Iyer, who holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Army. He directs representation of the secretary in matters relating to information management/information technology (IT). Equivalent in rank to a three-star General,...

Hi everyone! Today we have an episode from my good friend Suraj from Brown People We Know podcast.  Similar to South Asian Stories Podcast, Brown People we Know  iis interview podcast about the non-traditional paths and shared experiences of the South Asian American diaspora. In this episode, Suraj chats with Vikas Arun. Vikas is a professional tap dancer that has performed on So You Think You Can Dance, done commercials for J. Crew and Vogue, and is the first South Asian...

Sunnie Delilah is a British fashion designer and founder of Delilah’s Dressing Room.  She focuses on creating functional designs and bespoke accessories for Men, Women, and Children.  Last year, Sunnie invented a long beard mask to protect men with long beards and those who wore religious headwear such as turbans during the COVID 19 pandemic.. Her design and invention was praised on a global scale as well as aired on news stations worldwide, such as BBC, CNN, Sky, Metro, ITV and more. In...

Azeem Azhar is an award-winning technology author, entrepreneur, and investor. He produces Exponential View the leading newsletter and podcast on the impact of technology on our future economy and society with close to 50,000 subscribers including investors, academics, and journalists around the world.  Azeem brings a unique background to explain the intersection of breakthrough technologies and the economies and societies in which we live. An entrepreneur and an investor in many technology...

Romen Borsellino is a staff writer on NBC’s A Little Late with Lilly Singh and was executive producer, and co-creator of Freeform’s 2020 election series Kal Penn Approves This Message.   He has also written for Adam McKay and Will Ferrell’s This Giant Beast That Is The Global Economy on Amazon Prime and worked on Michael Schur’s 2019 primetime NBC comedy Sunnyside.  Romen previously served as a political appointee in the United States Department of the Interior under President Obama. Romen...

  Karan Soni is an Indian-born American actor who is best known for playing Dopinder in the Deadpool films. He was born and raised in New Delhi, India and he grew up studying theater and continued his education at the University of Southern California.  While in school Karan began auditioning for film and TV roles, eventually landing a lead role in Safety Not Guaranteed. Since that film, he has starred in several other feature films including the Deadpool movies, Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters,...

  Dr. Sana Shaikh is currently the Director of School Operations for Springfield Public Schools. She is also the founder of her diversity, equity, and inclusion company called TimeED (Taking Initiative, Making Equity in Education). She holds two Bachelors from the University of California, Berkeley in Political Science and Near Eastern Studies – Islamic Civilizations with a minor in Global Poverty and Practice. She has two Masters, one in Urban Studies from Johns Hopkins and one in Social...

  Rizwan Jagani is an  accomplished American violist of Indian/Pakistani heritage and is an accomplished solo performer, orchestral and chamber musician, arranger, and producer.  Coined The “New-fit” musician, Rizwan reimagines the idea of what the viola can do by combining his Western Classical training with other musical genres such as Bollywood, Musical Theatre, Pop, Rock, and more. You can hear this in his various renditions of popular musical works, many of which have been recognized...

Marianna Kuttothara is the Cash and Relief Lead for the American Red Cross’s International Service Department. In this role Marianna is responsible for providing technical and operational assistance to American Red Cross funded projects supporting disaster preparedness and response across the globe.   Marianna has deployed to disaster response operations around the world – including the Bahamas, Dominica, Ecuador, Nepal, and the Philippines.  Marianna was born and raised in Mexico City, and...

This is a special one – our 25th episode! Thank you for listening and being part of the journey. I could not be more thrilled to bring one of my personal heroes Dr. Vivek Murthy.  Dr. Vivek Murthy served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States between 2014 and 2017. As the Vice Admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, he commanded a uniformed service of 6,600 public health officers globally. During his tenure, Dr. Murthy launched the Turn the Tide campaign,...

Neeta Sreekanth is a Sports Media Maven and has worked at some of the most iconic sports and media companies like the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN, IGN, and INFLCR. Neeta got her start in the digital and social media world at the Dallas Cowboys.  She then transitioned to ESPN working in their social media department as an associate producer and social media manager for a little over 4 years. There, she helped ESPN maintain a ​#1 ​ranking in sports social media engagement during her entire...

Rahul Rai is an award-winning actor currently living in Los Angeles who has built a massive following on TikTok (937k followers and over 34M likes as of July 2020). His videos are some of my favorite – some laugh out loud funny, some emotional, and some really informative (Like his other financial literacy TikTok account – TheLaymanInvestor).  While Rahul spends most of his time honing his craft in acting and dance, he also finds time for his other passions, martial arts and philosophy.  He...

Dr. Arati Kreibich is a Democratic Council Member in Glen Rock, New Jersey who is running for election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District! She is a trained neuroscientist who earned her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005 with her research focused on opiate addiction.   In 2016, she ran for Glen Rock’s Borough Council in 2017. She won, becoming the first South Asian elected to the council. Arati has made the climate crisis a priority, leading...

Wardah Khalid is a policy analyst, activist, and speaker on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, refugees/immigration, and Islam in America. She currently works on Capitol Hill as an APAICS Congressional Fellow and is the Founder and President of Poligon Education Fund, a national civic education and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening Muslim American engagement with Congress.  Wardah has significant experience advocating on refugee and immigration policies with faith based...

Brian Benni is one of the stars of the hit show Family Karma on Bravo and one of my favorites on the show. Family Karma (See Vogue review!) tracks the stories of seven first-generation Indian Americans and their parents in Miami. Growing up in traditional, multigenerational households, this group is bonded by their strong cultural ties and vibrant Miami social lives.  With parents and grandparents instilling their cherished Indian customs, and adult children who are drifting more towards the...

Vikram Vij is an Indian-born Celebrity Chef and Owner of three Indian restaurants Vij’s Restaurant, Rangoli Restaurant, and My Shanti. He has received numerous accolades and awards – including Vancouver Chef of the Year, Best Indian Award, and Best Restaurant.  Vikram has been a guest judge on Top Chef Canada, Chopped Canada, as well as the first Indo-Canadian Dragon on CBC’s Dragons’ Den.  Vikram released his autobiography in spring of 2017, entitled Vij: A Chef’s One Way Ticket to Canada...

Pooja Tripathi is an Indian American filmmaker, actress, and musician. She grew up in Pittsburgh & New York City, and studied Business Administration and Violin Performance at Carnegie Mellon University. Pooja began her career in the fashion industry, working in buying and digital marketing at top brands including Fendi, Bloomingdale’s, and Dior. She entered the world of film production as a producer of video content for Videofashion, covering exclusive fashion events including New York...

Aman Advani is Co-founder and CEO of Ministry of Supply, a clothing brand inventing a new category: Performance Professional OR performance dress clothes. The company was founded in 2012 with the mission to make dress clothes feel like gym clothes by incorporating fundamental engineering and performance principles into dress clothing staples, ultimately building a wardrobe that both looks good and feels comfortable. (Think Nike meets Brooks Brothers).  Prior to co-founding Ministry of...