New Beginnings: How Zoya Brar Balances Culture, Family, and Business Abroad | Diasporaa Podcast Episode 30
In this episode of Diasporaa, host Aditya Mehta sits down with Zoya Brar, a serial entrepreneur with roots in Punjab, India, now based in Blaine, Washington. The conversation delves into Zoya's experiences growing up in various cities in North India, including her time at Google, founding and eventually exiting Core Diagnostics, and her move to Canada. Zoya shares the cultural shocks and adjustments she faced as an immigrant, the challenges of balancing multiple cultural identities, and her latest venture, Molecules and Mothers, which intersects caregiving, early life biology, and intergenerational stories. The episode also highlights the startup ecosystem in Canada and the nuances of settling abroad with family.
List of Resources:
Bade Miya: https://bademiya.com/about-us/
Bharatnatyam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatanatyam
Calangute: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calangute
Chandigarh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandigarh
Chowpatty beach: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girgaon_Chowpatty
Delhi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi
Diwali: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali
Holi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi
Khan chacha rolls: https://khanchacha.com/
Ludhiana: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludhiana
Munna bhai MBBS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munna_Bhai_M.B.B.S.
Sanskrit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit
Vande Bharat flight: https://www.mea.gov.in/vande-bharat-mission-list-of-flights.htm
Watermelon milkshake: https://youtu.be/KI0l6De4egI?feature=shared
About the Podcast:
Diasporaa was Aditya's third startup based in Vancouver, BC. It focused on helping new immigrants in Canada find their feet, get off to a running start and ease their assimilation into Canadian life. A big part of the platform were conversations, community and support. Though the startup stopped growing once Aditya moved to Seattle, WA - it remained alive in the form of several discussion groups and online communities.
Now, Diasporaa has been resurrected in the form of a podcast focused on uncovering and sharing interesting immigrant stories from the South Asian diaspora. It is available on YouTube, all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, etc. and is also broadcast as a radio show on Alternative Talk 1150 AM and 98.9 FM HD Channel 3 on Wednesdays from 2-3pm PST.
About Aditya Mehta:
Aditya is a Bombay boy who has lived in Austin, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Vancouver before making it to his current home in Seattle. He has degrees in marketing, urban planning, real estate and strategy but has spent his career in financial services, social media and now real estate - mostly as an entrepreneur and partly as an employee at Amazon.
He balances Indian, Canadian and American culture, loves helping those who are new to North America and looks forward to the interesting stories that his interview guests bring each week. When not podcasting, he is helping his wife Prachi build her pharmaceutical business or hanging out with his son Arjun.
Connect with Diasporaa:
-Instagram: @diasporaapodcast
-YouTube: https://linke.to/dspyoutube
-Bio Link: linke.to/diasporaa
-Listen on Spotify: https://linke.to/dspspotify
-Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://linke.to/dspapple
-Diasporaa Podcast on KKNW Alternative Talk Radio: https://linke.to/kknw1150
