Even with a professional science degree from India, our guest found herself working in a department store when she immigrated to the U.S. However, she chose to take this experience as an opportunity – an opportunity to learn the American language, accent and the system. Now she is established in her own field as a scientist, but reflects on her retail experience as pivotal in developing her confidence and sense of self in a new country.

In this episode, my guest shares her experiences about how she had to let go almost everything she had learnt while growing up in India to build a new life with her husband who had not lived in India for a very long time,  and her American-born children. By staying flexible and open-minded, she transformed in ways she herself could not have imagined!

In this episode, our guest reflects on what we gain by living in the United States. Through her own experience, she shows that it's possible for American culture to positively enrich and influence your life while still holding onto the Indian value system and family ties you grew up with. It is about arriving at a fine balance within yourself and with your current environment.

What started as a series of unbelievably scary nightmares, eventually turned around completely with patience and perseverance! In this episode, our guest recounts the rough start she had as a newly arrived immigrant; however, by staying focused on the real purpose of her stay in this country, she was able to overcome these deeply disturbing obstacles & built a successful life for herself in the United States.

In this episode, our guest shows us that where there's a will, there's a way! Coming to the U.S. to provide her children with a better life was initially difficult without compromising her own career. While it was taxing (physically, emotionally, financially), and full of critical sacrifices; our guest proves that determination and commitment go a long way.

Even with a degree in computer science from India, our guest had a clear vision for her future: She always wanted to be a helpful homemaker and a loving mother. In this episode, our guest explores the pros and cons of being a homemaker in India vs. the U.S. While she personally prefers the organized lifestyle of America, she reflects on growing up in India with her mother as her sole mentor. We also discuss what we learn by raising a family in a new country, and the cultural differences between her and her U.S. born children.

Navigating a new workplace as an immigrant is never easy. From language barriers, to cultural and social differences, many immigrants feel isolated and cast out by their professional peers. In this episode, our guest reflects on the very real prejudice she felt in her career and how she overcame it. What began as an insecurity-- the color of her skin and accent—she turned it around as her source of strength.

The most unexpected part of the immigrant experience is the unique way we change after living abroad. In this episode, our guest shares the ways she has grown and changed after living outside India for 30 years, despite the fact that her family and friends say that she has “not changed at all.”.

The first five years are notoriously difficult for most immigrants in the U.S. In this episode, our guest recounts her initial years settling in a new country, and how the time and investment she made in her family aided the transition. From supporting her husband through his grad school, to taking an active role in her kids’ education and upbringing, she managed to build a community for herself.

In this episode, our guest talks about wanting to be ‘ a rich dhobi ka kutta’ - the washerman’s dog that gets fed twice. We immigrants should aim to make our lives twice as rich - with two countries to call our own, two cultures to learn from, and several places to call home. A perfect way to be an immigrant in the U.S.