Confessions of Successful Asian Women

By Aliya Janjua

What's Confessions of Successful Asian Women about?

Confessions of Successful Asian Women is a platform for women to Connect, Share and Inspire through conversation. Join me every month as I interview successful Asian women who are climbing the ladder of success.

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Confessions of Successful Asian Women episodes:

08.15.2018
COSAW 037: How Sukhi's brought Indian food to mainstream America from Wholefoods to Costco
Sukhi Singh is the founder of the multi-million dollar Indian food company, Sukhi’s. Sukhi is responsible for bringing Indian food to mainstream America through venues like farmer’s markets, Wholefoods and Costco.
06.07.2018
COSAW 036: How Tia Bhuva Launched a Successful Business Helping South Asian Women Reconnect with the Sari
Optimist. Dreamer. South Asian Fashion Game Changer. Tia Bhuva created the Cancan skirt and Saree Silhouette to wear under the traditional 6 yard saree. Tia gained influencer status amongst South Asian women.
04.09.2018
COSAW 035: How Tech VP of People Mai Ton Made The Best Investment In Her Career
Mai Ton brings over 15 years of experience to her role as VP of People for tech companies. She is a frequent speaker and shares her HR leadership and management experience to help others in the competitive landscape specific to...
03.08.2018
COSAW 034: How Yasmine Khan brings human faces and human stories to inform product design
Yasmine leads Design Research at Credit Karma in San Francisco where she brings the financial journeys of real people from diverse backgrounds into the workplace. She is a budding stand up comic. In 2014, Yasmine lost her brother to a...
02.06.2018
COSAW 033: How engineer Nancy Hoque holds her own in the masculine field of engineering
Nancy Hoque is a multipotentialite, as she is a woman of many different interests and creative pursuits in life. Nancy was a solutions engineer, entreprenuer, and is MBA student UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.
01.03.2018
COSAW 032: How Modest Fashion Blogger Minara Rahman Gives A Voice to Women of All Shapes and Sizes
Minara Rahman is the founder of Hijabi Life, a Muslim lifestyle blog about being Muslim in America, food, fashion, beauty, and parenting. As a Muslim American in social media, she felt a void of Muslim lifestyle blogs particularly for women...
12.05.2017
COSAW 031: How Dian Alyan found a divine purpose after losing 40 family members in the 2004 tsunami
Dian Alyan started her career as an engineer for the leading multinational company, Proctor Gamble. In 2004, the tsunami devastated Indonesia and Dian lost forty family members in the disaster. The tsunami led Dian to find GiveLight.org.
11.08.2017
COSAW 030: How Iranian-American Muslim Comedian Zahra Noorbakhsh uses her talents to change hearts and minds
ZAHRA NOORBAKHSH is a Feminist Muslim, Iranian-American comedian and the cohost of the award winning podcast #GoodMuslimBadMuslim.
10.24.2017
COSAW 029: How Haute Hijab CEO Melanie Elturk built the fastest growing modest fashion brand
Melanie Elturk made the hijab (Muslim head scarf) mainstream through her modest fashion brand, Haute Hijab. She launched the company in 2010 and since then, it’s the fastest growing modest fashion line with close to 200K followers on Instagram...
09.06.2017
COSAW 028: How Zahra Billoo fights for the civil rights of American Muslims and the marginalized
Zahra Billoo is a civil rights attorney and the Executive Director of the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American‐Islamic Relations (CAIR‐SFBA). Zahra is a leading voice on the civil rights of American Muslims. She led the...
08.07.2017
COSAW 027: How Sandhya Patel Became A Meteorologist For ABC7 News
Twenty four years ago, Sandhya Patel broke into one of the toughest industries as a minority woman. Sandhya Patel changed the face of meteorology as she broke barriers with hard work, perseverance and grit to be where she is...
07.05.2017
COSAW 026: How Nafisa Bakkar of Amaliah Helps Muslim Women Look And Feel Good
Nafisa Bakkar and her sister, Selina, launched Amaliah from their mother's kitchen table in 2015 as an Instagram page to curate Muslim-friendly clothes from top brands. Since then, that page has grown into an online community of more than 250,000...
06.01.2017
COSAW 025: How Dr. Sonia Patel Learned To Figure Herself Out Through Rap and Writing
Dr. Sonia Patel practices psychiatry in Honolulu and is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult novel, “Rani Patel in Full Effect”. She is especially passionate about helping teens work through the emotional trauma of sexual, physical, and mental abuse. Sonia...
05.02.2017
COSAW 024: How Saba Gul Empowers Global Women Through Connecting Their Stories to Products
Listen to Popinjay’s CEO Saba Gul, who started out from MIT in a career in engineering and is now making a global social impact through connecting indigenous craft to global markets, and to connect the makers of products to their...
03.07.2017
COSAW 023: How Dr. Kimberly Chang Is Combatting Human Trafficking of Young Asian Girls
Dr. Kimberly Chang is an activist family doctor who has been leading the way for policy change to prevent human trafficking and provide better health care for young Asian girls who have been victims of sex trafficking. Based at Asian...
01.26.2017
COSAW 022: How TechWomen Transformed Two Women’s Lives
Join me for this special episode of Confessions of Successful Asian Women. Mentoring is my confession for success. Hear directly from two global female leaders about their experience working in the US and discovering their leadership voice through the TechWomen...
01.10.2017
COSAW 021: How Dr. Shinkai Hakimi’s Life Plans Changed From A Planned Surfing Trip
A surfing trip that became a mission to help refugees in Lesvos, Greece, listen to the heartwarming story of Dr. Shinkai Hakimi. A firm believer in the power of education for all, Dr. Hakimi, a native of Afghanistan and a...
12.22.2016
COSAW020 Part 3: How Hosai Mojaddidi Learned to Become Vulnerable After A Life Changing Trip
Hosai Mojaddidi is the co-Founder of www.mentalhealth4muslims.com where she advocates for and writes about various mental health related topics tailored for Muslims. She has served the American-Muslim community for nearly 20 years as an activist, writer/editor, mediator, interfaith organizer, and...
12.22.2016
COSAW 020 Part 2: How Hosai Mojaddidi Explains the Significance of the Hijab in Islam and the Essence of Islam
Hosai Mojaddidi is the co-Founder of www.mentalhealth4muslims.com where she advocates for and writes about various mental health related topics tailored for Muslims. She has served the American-Muslim community for nearly 20 years as an activist, writer/editor, mediator, interfaith organizer, and...
12.22.2016
COSAW 020 Part 1: How Hosai Mojaddidi Became A Muslim Spiritual Advisor And Found Her Calling
Hosai Mojaddidi is the co-Founder of www.mentalhealth4muslims.com where she advocates for and writes about various mental health related topics tailored for Muslims. She has served the American-Muslim community for nearly 20 years as an activist, writer/editor, mediator, interfaith organizer, and...
12.22.2016
COSAW 020 Full Episode: How Hosai Mojaddidi Became A Muslim Spiritual Advisor To Her Community
Hosai Mojaddidi is the co-Founder of www.mentalhealth4muslims.com where she advocates for and writes about various mental health related topics tailored for Muslims. She has served the American-Muslim community for nearly 20 years as an activist, writer/editor, mediator, interfaith organizer, and...
10.27.2016
COSAW 019: How Farah Yasmeen Shaikh Builds Bridges And Performs Storytelling Through Dance
A rising name in the world of dance, known for her powerful and evocative storytelling, technical precision, delicacy, and grace, Farah Yasmeen Shaikh is breaking new ground, bringing a clairvoyant voice to the contemporary stage, whilst simultaneously maintaining the deep...
09.14.2016
COSAW 018: How Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla Made A Career Pivot and Made It Her Mission To Preserve Oral Histories
Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla is a physicist turned founder of the 1947 Partition Archive. After a 2008 visit to the oral testimony archives at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial she was inspired and began interviewing Partition witnesses in 2009. This led...
08.21.2016
COSAW 017: How Dr. Amita Roy Shah Is Empowering Parents To Invest In Their Children’s Cultural Wellbeing
Dr. Amita Roy Shah is an author, educator and thought leader. Amita made it her life’s mission to empower parents to invest in the cultural wellbeing of children so that they become connected to their identities and increase their curiosity...
08.01.2016
COSAW 016: How Sheba Najmi Is Creating Social Impact Through Civic Technology
Sheba Najmi’s mission in life is to create social impact through technology and design in order to change the way people interact with their governments. Sheba is the Founder and Executive Director of Code for Pakistan, a non-profit that is...
07.21.2016
COSAW 016: How Sheba Najmi Is Creating Social Impact Through Civic Technology
Sheba Najmi’s mission in life is to create social impact through technology and design in order to change the way people interact with their governments. Sheba is the Founder and Executive Director of Code for Pakistan, a non-profit that is...
07.01.2016
COSAW 015: How Jane Bolander Is Running A Sports PR Firm And Battling Leukemia
Jane Bolander broker barriers as one of the first Asian women to enter the sports public relations industry when she founded her own firm, JSY Public Relations, in 2005. As CEO and Founder of JSY PR, Jane and her colleagues...
06.13.2016
COSAW 014: How Farheen Umar Is Creating Documentaries To Clear Misrepresentations and Show Reality
Farheen Umar is a documentary producer/director with works that have broadcast on PBS and international television. Farheen’s first documentary, “Women of Islam-Veiling and Seclusion” sets the record straight on Muslim women and the veil. Her second documentary, “Farah”, was filmed...
06.03.2016
COSAW 013: How Ching Valdezco helps you get out of your head and develop executive presence
Ching Valdezco helps professionals present, communicate, and influence more effectively. She had a long standing career working in global companies, which started in the Philippines and ended in the US. Fifteen years later into her career and three countries later,...
05.25.2016
COSAW 012: How Arezoo Riahi Takes Care of Herself and Helps Global Women Be The Best Version of Themselves
Arezoo Riahi serves as Director of TechWomen, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State implemented by IIE, which bring together emerging women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from across the globe with their counterparts in the...
05.18.2016
COSAW 011: How Myra Nawabi Went From Being A Former Refugee To Doing Rocket Science For A Living
Myra Nawabi is a Senior Project Engineer with LockHeed Space Systems, a Mentor to several women in tech organizations, and a facilitator of the largest Lean In circles in CA. As a former refugee from Afghanistan, she has had her...
05.10.2016
COSAW 010: How Shradha Balakrishnan Landed As An Asian In An Asian Country And Traveled To 50 Countries
Shradha Balakrishnan spent 6+ years studying and working in Japan before moving to the US. Shradha managed technology-driven social impact programs sponsored by the US State Department and is currently a Product Manager at GoDaddy.
05.04.2016
COSAW 009: How Michelle Nicole Ng Became A Craftswoman With Her Passion
Michelle Nicole Ng is the owner and photographer for Michelle Nicole Photography. Find out how Michelle's passion followed her and the journey she took to become a craftswoman. She has traveled around the world for photography and has been featured...
04.26.2016
COSAW 008: How Joy Lin Helps You Become The Person You Didn’t Think You Could Be
Joy Lin is a Music Industry professional and Career Strategist. She made a commitment to build a purposeful personal and professional path. She recently founded her platform, Quarter Life Joy, to inspire and coach millennials to architect a career and life that serves their...
04.19.2016
COSAW 007: How Shalu Saluja Practices Letting It Go
Shalu Saluja is a mother, wife, and General Counsel. Shalu is a doer, go getter and a lifelong learner. She defines success as having a happy, well balanced family and a purpose- which is doing positive things and making a...
04.12.2016
COSAW 006: How Heather Donnell Follows Her Passions Wisely and Responsibly
Born in South Korea and adopted by Caucasian parents from the Midwest, Heather Donnell is a woman of many possibilities. She is a technical writer in her day job, filmmaker in the rest of her life and a yoga instructor...
04.05.2016
COSAW 005: How Salehah Janjua Takes Risks To Pursue Lifetime Opportunities
Salehah Hassan Janjua is one of the first technical recruiters in the Seattle Facebook office. I am thrilled to share Salehah’s story in how she lives by the Facebook motto “fail harder” and uses rejection as a learning tool.
03.29.2016
COSAW 004: How Minal Mehta Shares Her Joy Of Fitness To Build A Vibrant Community
Minal Mehta is the Co-Founder and President of BollyX and her mission is to empower people who have a passion for dance and fitness, to build a vibrant community around healthy living and to share the joy of fitness with others. ...
03.22.2016
COSAW 003: How Tehniat Cheema Stands Up For Her Beliefs and Challenges Cultural Norms
This podcast is about how Tehniat Cheema stands up for her beliefs and chose a career path that is not sought out by Asian parents. Tehniat is a trail blazer in her community who is sowing the seeds for a...
03.15.2016
COSAW 002: How Spojmie Nasiri Is Helping Others Find A New Life
Spojmie Nasiri is a former Afghan refugee turned Principal Immigration Attorney who is helping make a difference in people’s lives. Spojmie took her own personal struggle as a refugee from Afghanistan and made it her life mission to give back...
02.28.2016
COSAW 001: How Masuma Mansuri Is Empowering Girls Through Fashion
Episode 1 features Masuma Mansuri who is the Founder and Creative Director at Pink BANOO. Masuma launched her South Asian women’s clothing brand benefiting girls’ education in need in May 2014. Find out from this episode how Masuma overcame barriers...

What's Confessions of Successful Asian Women about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Confessions of Successful Asian Women episodes:

COSAW 037: How Sukhi's brought Indian food to mainstream America from Wholefoods to Costco

COSAW 036: How Tia Bhuva Launched a Successful Business Helping South Asian Women Reconnect with the Sari

COSAW 035: How Tech VP of People Mai Ton Made The Best Investment In Her Career

COSAW 034: How Yasmine Khan brings human faces and human stories to inform product design

COSAW 033: How engineer Nancy Hoque holds her own in the masculine field of engineering

COSAW 032: How Modest Fashion Blogger Minara Rahman Gives A Voice to Women of All Shapes and Sizes

COSAW 031: How Dian Alyan found a divine purpose after losing 40 family members in the 2004 tsunami

COSAW 030: How Iranian-American Muslim Comedian Zahra Noorbakhsh uses her talents to change hearts and minds

COSAW 029: How Haute Hijab CEO Melanie Elturk built the fastest growing modest fashion brand

COSAW 028: How Zahra Billoo fights for the civil rights of American Muslims and the marginalized

COSAW 027: How Sandhya Patel Became A Meteorologist For ABC7 News

COSAW 026: How Nafisa Bakkar of Amaliah Helps Muslim Women Look And Feel Good

COSAW 025: How Dr. Sonia Patel Learned To Figure Herself Out Through Rap and Writing

COSAW 024: How Saba Gul Empowers Global Women Through Connecting Their Stories to Products

COSAW 023: How Dr. Kimberly Chang Is Combatting Human Trafficking of Young Asian Girls

COSAW 022: How TechWomen Transformed Two Women’s Lives

COSAW 021: How Dr. Shinkai Hakimi’s Life Plans Changed From A Planned Surfing Trip

COSAW020 Part 3: How Hosai Mojaddidi Learned to Become Vulnerable After A Life Changing Trip

COSAW 020 Part 2: How Hosai Mojaddidi Explains the Significance of the Hijab in Islam and the Essence of Islam

COSAW 020 Part 1: How Hosai Mojaddidi Became A Muslim Spiritual Advisor And Found Her Calling

COSAW 020 Full Episode: How Hosai Mojaddidi Became A Muslim Spiritual Advisor To Her Community

COSAW 019: How Farah Yasmeen Shaikh Builds Bridges And Performs Storytelling Through Dance

COSAW 018: How Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla Made A Career Pivot and Made It Her Mission To Preserve Oral Histories

COSAW 017: How Dr. Amita Roy Shah Is Empowering Parents To Invest In Their Children’s Cultural Wellbeing

COSAW 016: How Sheba Najmi Is Creating Social Impact Through Civic Technology

COSAW 016: How Sheba Najmi Is Creating Social Impact Through Civic Technology

COSAW 015: How Jane Bolander Is Running A Sports PR Firm And Battling Leukemia

COSAW 014: How Farheen Umar Is Creating Documentaries To Clear Misrepresentations and Show Reality

COSAW 013: How Ching Valdezco helps you get out of your head and develop executive presence

COSAW 012: How Arezoo Riahi Takes Care of Herself and Helps Global Women Be The Best Version of Themselves

COSAW 011: How Myra Nawabi Went From Being A Former Refugee To Doing Rocket Science For A Living

COSAW 010: How Shradha Balakrishnan Landed As An Asian In An Asian Country And Traveled To 50 Countries

COSAW 009: How Michelle Nicole Ng Became A Craftswoman With Her Passion

COSAW 008: How Joy Lin Helps You Become The Person You Didn’t Think You Could Be

COSAW 007: How Shalu Saluja Practices Letting It Go

COSAW 006: How Heather Donnell Follows Her Passions Wisely and Responsibly

COSAW 005: How Salehah Janjua Takes Risks To Pursue Lifetime Opportunities

COSAW 004: How Minal Mehta Shares Her Joy Of Fitness To Build A Vibrant Community

COSAW 003: How Tehniat Cheema Stands Up For Her Beliefs and Challenges Cultural Norms

COSAW 002: How Spojmie Nasiri Is Helping Others Find A New Life

COSAW 001: How Masuma Mansuri Is Empowering Girls Through Fashion