12. After sixteen years of being a SAHM, Zarna found herself struggling really hard to get back into the workforce. She felt like the world was passing her by everyday and it stripped her of her confidence. She began to pursue the HOW to get out of her routine while  considering WHAT the world needs, and through the support of her children and community she discovered her superpower  - making people laugh. 

The timing was brilliant; while her first stand-up comedy show was on Feb 2020 at Carolines in Broadway, the circumstances of March 2020 forced her to venture on to a different stage - Tik Tok. As of today, Zarna Garg has amassed over 45million + views on TikTok, performs stand-up comedy live, digitally and for her social media community.

This episode is for anyone who has ever hesitated to take the first step. Been told that after you are a SAHM, there is nothing left. That Indian women don't write or perform stand-up comedy. That TikTok is just for Gen Z. That creativity has a limit. That reinventing yourself is impossible. This episode is for you!

Watch Zarna Garg in action LIVE this weekend on August 15th near Edison, NJ in her show "Sari, Not Sorry" with special guests Pranav Behari and Usama Siddiquee. Click here for  ticket info.
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From Your Host - Aasheekaa

Thank you for supporting Always Aligning. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Who do you want me to interview next?
Email me: [email protected] or DM me on Instagram and let me know  your thoughts!

Loved the episode?
*Please RATE & REVIEW on Apple Podcasts. Review are really important during this growth stage. 

*Share the episode with a friend

*Don't forget to Subscribe

September 2021 group coaching experience waitlist is underway.

If you are a woman of color seeking support through a period of deep transition - this container safe space container is for you.  Connect with me for more.

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11. Being on reality television, can change your reality. At least that is what Aparna has been experiencing.  The Netflix show "Indian Matchmaking" went viral when the world was still indoors and consuming all the content. It struck a controversial chord bringing to light many issues and opened up the floor for many a healthy debate. Aparna became a household name overnight and many facets of her world changed.

In this episode of Always Aligning with host Aasheekaa , Aparna shares how she is flowing with the tides of her life and embracing unimaginable opportunities headed her way i.e.: publishing a book, taking a sabbatical from her ten + law career and even a move to New York.

Aparna's vulnerability and honesty will immediately make you fall in love with the real person Aparna, a far cry different from the heavily edited version we saw on the silver screen.

Embracing change, surrendering control and aligning with the present as it comes your way is no easy task, but Aparna speaks about what she chose to let go and the adventure she has embraced.

Pre-order her book, She's Unlikeable releasing February 2021. Connect with Aparna on Instagram.

Notes from Host Aasheekaa

*Please  Rate & Review the show on Apple Podcasts
*Share the episode with a friend
*Don't forget to Subscribe
*DM me on Instagram or send me an email to [email protected] // I welcome your feedback! 

September 2021 group coaching experience waitlist is underway.
If you are looking to grow in a container of like-minded women, contact me!

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10. Affirmations - is it a new buzzword? What exactly are affirmations? Do they  work? How do you practice them?

In this episode, host Aasheekaa dives into her personal story of how she found the power of affirmations at a time in her life when she needed the support the most.

She shares a specific time when she used it, and how she was able to shift into a more positive mindset using the power of affirmations and manifest her desires.

In this episode, you will learn:
Aasheekaa's personal story
How she became familiar with affirmations
When she applied it as a practice
Ways in which you can explore affirmations
Examples of affirmations you can try

To quote Peggy Fitzsimmons, psychologist and author of Release: Create a Clutter Free and Soul Driven Life, “The thoughts we think determine our emotions, the energy we exude, and the actions we take. When we affirm a thought enough times, it becomes a belief."

Resources
Visit www.aasheekaa.com  - when you sign-up for the newsletter, you will receive a Free Gift of affirmations for you!

Check out Aasheekaa' Instagram for a series of affirmations across various topics.

If you enjoyed this episode, could I request you to please support me?

You can support Always Aligning best by:
1. Rate and review on Apple podcasts
2. Share the episode with a friend
3. Post a screenshot of you listening to the show on Instagram so I can re-post and don't forget to tag me @Aasheekaa

Have comments or questions? Want me to interview someone?
Write to me [email protected]!  
I appreciate your feedback and love hearing from my Always Aligning community.

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Ep. 9: Do you show up authentically on the internet?

In this episode, I chat with Lisette Calveiro - content creator, coach and consultant of “all things influencer marketing”.

Lissette's intro to the world of social media involved taking on debt to fund a lifestyle and sharing content that was similar to what she was seeing online - cutesy travel pics with catchy one liners. As she began to grow as a person of influence - she had a reckoning.  If she was going to share the highlights, she was also going to reveal the low lights. 

Through this revelation, Lissette learned what it meant to show up authentically and create impact. Through her brand, Influence with Impact, she helps others explore how to do the same. 

 This episode is for you fellow content creator, business owner and social media user.
In this episode, you will learn from Lissette on
1. How to think of your "me-ssion statement"
2. How to align your personal values to the story you want to tell
3. Ways to implement social media boundaries
4. Future trends to keep a look out for

To learn more about how to work with Lissette, you can visit her website and instagram.
To connect with me, follow me on instagram here or sign up for my weekly Sunday newsletter.
To support the show - please like, review and share with a friend! 

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Have you ever spotted those paperback novels, with photos of a really attractive man with chiseled abs, or a stunning woman with beautiful, lush flowing hair and eyes to kill. If you ever took a peek inside, you would know that those romance novels offer way more than just romance. They are seductive, alluring, mysterious and thrilling.

In this episode, you will hear from USA Today bestselling author Sienna Snow.  Author of romance novels, Snow published her first book after 40.  That her background is South Asian and that she includes South Asian characters in a racy genre of novels where we are supremely underrepresented is just one of the many fascinating things about her.

Sienna's latest series - Street Kings - saw it's first release just last month, Dangerous Kings. Available where books are sold, this book will make for the perfect vacation read. I personally read  Masters of Secrets during a weekend getaway and loved it; it was everything I hoped from a sexy, thriller with hints of erotica and loads of romance, and so much more.
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The introduction of this episode is dedicated to highlighting a humanitarian crisis - the Covid crisis in India. I mentioned links to verified organizations supporting the fight on ground and live. Could I request you to consider giving back to India during her time of need? A little bit goes a long way, and every dollar counts.

 Support India's Covid Crisis - Donate Today:

Hemkunt Foundation
Desai Foundation
Khalsa Aid

Connect with your Host  Aasheekaa!

DM Aasheekaa on Instagram
Email: [email protected]
Visit her website

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What happens when passion meets social impact meets business? Brown Girl Magazine

CEO Trisha Sakhuja-Walia is on a mission to build an ecosystem supporting the South Asian diaspora. What started as advocacy to form a desi club at school, led her to follow her purpose of amplifying voices for the South Asian community and has now flourished into an impactful community.

In this episode, you will learn how Trisha  has grown and managed a team of 200+ volunteers, writers, editors and more, her entrepreneurship lifestyle and her determination to build a profitable business while staying rooted to the mission of BGM - amplifying voices of marginalized communities and building spaces for those with dual identities.

Click here to visit the Brown Girl Magazine website.

From the Host:
Always Aligning is growing and its all thanks to you. Watch this space for more but until then, let me know - do you love the show? Have a guest recommendation?
You can write to me - your host  Aasheekaa, at [email protected] or DM me on IG.
 

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Ep. 6:  What does home look like to you? For Smriti and Kartik, it's life in a van, on the road, travelling, and living out their wanderlust dreams. Smriti and Kartik, a South Asian vanlifer couple, have been living and travelling in their self converted Campervan for the past 7 months. They started their journey in the East Coast of Canada and currently, are exploring the western part of the USA, hoping to get to their end destination - Patagonia. They have a cute dog called Everest who guards them from everything. 

This is the life they always envisioned for themselves and aligns with their values of freedom and adventure. How do two people with a unique vision for their life, find one another and actually build out the dream? Tune in to this episode of Always Aligning to learn more!

You can follow their adventures on @thebrownvanlife

To connect with Aasheekaa, you can follow her on @aasheekaa, or send her a note here.

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Ep. 5: The journey through grief remains largely unknown; it's one of the most painful life experiences you may encounter, and yet remains completely mysterious.

What happens at that time? How do you prepare for it? How do you cope?

Do you ever find JOY?

Michelle De-Souza is a South Asian New Yorker who has spent her entire life in Aviation - from obtaining her pilotslicense which led to her move from India to the U.S as a teen to working the private aviation sector for almost 10 years She is the founder of Same Skin - a digital platform for women of color to share their lived experiences across the world 🌎 Since 2018,  her focus has been navigating the depths of grief while dealing with personal loss. Death has helped her reassess life through her shattered lens, begin to align with her purpose of creating art through photography and holding conversations around topics that society has stigmatized. When she isn't working she spends time traveling with her husband always in search of ways to blend cultures with her camera.

Links: SameSkin2020 | Bombay2Brooklyn

To support Always Aligning, subscribe to the podcast, leave a review and share it with a friend! 

https://aasheekaa.com

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Ep. 4: Sustainability and entrepreneurship don't typically go hand in hand, but Arjita Sethi is out to re-write the rules for herself and her life. In this episode, serial entrepreneur Arjita shares how she is focused on her mission of creating impact and making education accessible.e She is the founder and CEO of Equally, a universal platform to ignite the curiosity of kids. This became one of the semi finalists in the Global Learning XPrize and has reached kids in almost 10 countries.

She currently serves on the Advisory Board of Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, San Francisco and is a lecturer at the San Francisco State University where she teaches entrepreneurship.

Arjita is also the Founder of New Founder School, the most affordable platform for Immigrant and new founders to launch and scale their startups.
www.newfounderschool.com

https://arjitasethi.com

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Ep. 3: Barkha is a kathak dancer, choreographer, educator, and the artistic director of Barkha Dance Company. She shares with us how she aligned with her passion for dance and dedicated her life to the pursuit of this classical art form.

A touring artist, Barkha has performed solo and ensemble works at dance festivals in India and the U.S. She has been awarded a choreographic fellowship with NJPAC and in 2020 an Individual Artist grant from MAAF/NJSCA as well as mentorship in Dance/USA Institute for Leadership. Barkha was recently awarded a consultancy fellowship with Forge NYC. 

 Barkha teaches kathak to young and adult students while co-leading the NYC kathak practice group.

You can learn more about her company here: http://www.barkhadance.com

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