Down to Brown

Sarika Shah, MS, RD is known as "The Indian Nutritionist" on Instagram. On her platform she helps her clients and followers understand how to nourish themselves best, without giving up cultural roots. She covers how and why she got into the nutrition space, the emphasis of foods and movement in Indian and American culture, and Q&A on commonly wondered myths about food.

(Timestamp: 0:00-2:30 is the introduction, 2:30 onward includes discussion with guest.)

Priya Macpherson and Lahari discuss a woman's choice to freeze - or not - freeze her eggs. We cover motivations for freezing, the privilege associated w/ family planning, Wired's article on the implications for women's careers, and the concept of "social freezing".

Note: We're not doctors, so this conversation is based on personal experience/opinion and articles/research. We'll be following-up with an episode featuring a medical expert next!

Part 2 of 2. Roshanda Smunt, Copywriter and Story Strategist, talks to Lahari about how she found her voice and story as a Black and Indian woman. Rosh shares heart-pulling experiences of how she navigated love, divorce, identity, and therpay as a Blindian gal on the search to belong.

Part 1 of 2. Roshanda Smunt, Copywriter and Story Strategist, talks to Lahari about how she found her voice and story as a Black and Indian woman. Rosh shares heart-pulling experiences of how she navigated love, divorce, identity, and therpay as a Blindian gal on the search to belong.

Lahari interviews Jonah Batambuze, founder and CEO of the Blindian Project. We discuss how it started, how to strengthen the relationship between our Black and Indian communities as we combat anti-blackness, and the importance of seeing oneself in the world.

Swasti Shukla Buick of Buzzfeed and Lahari continue to delve into the nuances of Indian beauty standards. They lament over the Fair and Lovely narrative in the media, the cycle of judgment in our families, and drawing better boundaries to protect self-compassion. We also cover Swasti's love for the horror genre and the intention to better accept and own our unique beauty. Includes 'chup chup' round.

Swasti Shukla Buick, who you'll recognize from Buzzfeed, & Lahari discuss working through internalized misconceptions about body and beauty. They cover the cycle of judgment, South Asian noses, "pretty for an Indian girl," ever-changing trends, lifting weights/bodybuilding, and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Part 1 of 2.

Part 1 of 2. Hetal and Lahari talk about inclusion in cooking media, working with her daughter Elara, pursuing a career outside the pressure of STEM, and building our confidence. We wrap with a chup chup round.

Part 2 of 2 episodes. Hetal Vasavada, founder of Milk & Cardamom, tells us how her career led her to the culinary space, making it to MasterChef, and South Asian representation in food.

Shelly Patel and Lahari take the conversation about Indian & American gender norms into relationships. They cover interdesi marriages, husbands who cook, daughter-in-law expectations, and the psychology of "sacrificial love" and social limits that have been placed on desi women.