What does it really look like to respect yourself, but through all the mess and changes of real life? In this episode, I sit down with Gaby, owner of the finest Miami French Restaurant ( and my favourite), Frenchie's. I ask him questions what it means to make choices for yourself, even when the path is unclear or unconventional. Drawing from Gabriel’s story of moving countries, failing, starting over, and learning hard truths about honesty and self-care, I’m looking at how our work, our families, and our sense of risk all shape how we show up for ourselves and others. If you’ve ever felt torn between responsibility and authenticity, or wondered what it takes to rebuild your own sense of purpose, this one’s for you. For more follow: instagram https://www.instagram.com/kirtana168youtube https://www.youtbue.com/@kirtana168
CHAPTERS

• 00:00 — Getting Comfortable: Starting the Conversation
• 01:08 — Leaving Home and Searching for Place
• 02:09 — What Living in a Cave Taught Me
• 04:14 — Army Lessons and Learning Respect
• 07:02 — Work, Restlessness, and Searching for Meaning
• 16:12 — Why Human Connection Matters
• 25:50 — Selfishness, Divorce, and Discovering Self-Respect
• 33:01 — The Leap: Moving, Starting Again, and Taking Risks
• 40:09 — Money, Investments, and Chasing Challenge
• 46:48 — Failure, Success, and Defining Both
• 51:21 — Making Choices: France, Miami, and a Coin Flip
• 58:00 — Reinventing Work, Living the Mix
• 01:04:10 — Looking Back: What Really Shapes a Life
• 01:07:31 — The Real Question: Do You Respect Yourself?

Money you can lose and make again. Time, you can't.In part two with Camila, one strand showed up that neither of us planned… time. Not time as money, but time as seasons, as ageing, as culture. She lives in a country with no seasons, so nothing outside the window marks time passing. I'd never thought about how much that shapes the way a whole culture moves, plans, and even shows up late.We talk about dressing for the body you have now rather than the one in your head, why "I'm coming" means something completely different depending on where you're from, and the one thing she wants her daughters to remember: be true to yourself, whatever anyone thinks.If you've ever felt at war with time… your age, your calendar, other people's version of "on time"… this one will shift something.In this episode:

• You've moved more inside your body than across any border (00:00)
• Dressing for who you are now, not who you were at 26 (02:00)
• Blending the entrepreneur back into corporate life (08:00)
• What each of six countries taught her about communicating (12:00)
• "I'm coming"… the same words, two cultures, one clash (15:00)
• Why countries without seasons feel time differently (19:00)
• The one thing she'd leave her daughters (22:00)

If this made you rethink your own relationship with time, I'd love to hear it. More of my thoughts live on my Substack… link in the description.Do you want to kow more about us: https://link.kirtana168.com/podcast
Camila is a Colombian-born brand and retail leader whose life and career have been shaped by movement, culture, and reinvention. She spent over ten years living and working across Europe before building a strong chapter of her life in the Middle East, where she has spent a total of seven years across different periods.With a career rooted in fashion and retail, Camila has built and led brands across multiple markets in Europe and the GCC, working at the intersection of creativity, commercial strategy, and cultural relevance. Her global experience has given her a deep sensitivity to how identity, femininity, and self-expression evolve across cultures.Alongside her professional journey, Camila is also a mother—an experience that has deeply reshaped her perspective on leadership, balance, and purpose. Today, she brings a human-centered approach to her work, guided by storytelling, inclusivity, and the belief that fashion, like life, is about growth, belonging, and becoming

You don't change. You expand.Camila has lived in six countries… Colombia, Argentina, Italy, Qatar, London, Dubai… and somewhere along the way she stopped believing she had to reinvent herself every time she moved. In this conversation she reframes reinvention as expansion, and it shifts how I think about every fresh start since.We talk about what home actually is when it isn't a place, what migration costs children, the grief of losing the version of your life you were in control of, and how positivity works as a real skill rather than a slogan. If you have ever felt the pressure to become someone new for a new city, a new job, or a new chapter, this one is for you.In this episode:

• Why moving expands you instead of changing you (00:00)
• Six countries, five languages, one thirst to explore (03:00)
• "Home is not a place" and what it is instead (10:00)
• The grief no one warns you about when you migrate with kids (14:00)
• Positivity as a survival skill, not a personality trait (21:00)
• How to ask for help, build a network, and lower your risk (26:00)
• Imposter syndrome, and seeing the greatness others already see in you (30:00)

If this made you look at your own life differently, I share more of these thoughts on my Substack. Link in the description.Camila is a Colombian-born brand and retail leader whose life and career have been shaped by movement, culture, and reinvention. She spent over ten years living and working across Europe before building a strong chapter of her life in the Middle East, where she has spent a total of seven years across different periods.With a career rooted in fashion and retail, Camila has built and led brands across multiple markets in Europe and the GCC, working at the intersection of creativity, commercial strategy, and cultural relevance. Her global experience has given her a deep sensitivity to how identity, femininity, and self-expression evolve across cultures.Alongside her professional journey, Camila is also a mother—an experience that has deeply reshaped her perspective on leadership, balance, and purpose. Today, she brings a human-centered approach to her work, guided by storytelling, inclusivity, and the belief that fashion, like life, is about growth, belonging, and becoming.

In part two of my conversation with Cyndi, we get into Minal Qalb, Arabic for "from the heart," her project illustrating and platforming women across the Middle East. It started with frustration at how mainstream media gets it wrong, and turned into real friendships: with Nouf at the Jeddah F1, with the Rawazi hiking team in Riyadh, with women whose stories never made it past the stereotype.We talk about:- Why an abaya photo made her Belgian friends worry- The name Minal Qalb, and why she chose Arabic before she'd learned the language- Balancing logic and emotion, in marriage and in business- Why she keeps AI out of the conversations that matter most- The one-word, one-smile theory of changing the worldOne idea I keep coming back to: you cannot judge what you have not lived. Curiosity, not comparison, opens the door.Follow us : https://link. kirtana168.com/podcastEpisode highlights1:35 Introducing Cyndi and the Minal Qalb Project5:10 How the project actually started9:50 Meeting Nouf at the Jeddah F117:23 Balancing awareness, logic and emotion26:41 Choosing kindness, every day
Cindy Van pollaert is a person who loves from the heart. She is the Happiness Manager at 555 Live Experience, a cultural bridge-builder, and the founder of the storytelling project Min Al Qalb.She blends live events with human connection and storytelling, turning moments into memories across cultures, with a strong focus on the Middle East.Alongside her work in large-scale international events across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the wider region, Cindy created Min Al Qalb (“From the Heart”) as a cultural platform that celebrates inspiring women through illustration, narrative, and shared human experiences. The project aims to bridge cultural gaps and present a more authentic, human view of the Middle East to the rest of the world.Through initiatives and gatherings the project also brings people together offline, encouraging dialogue, connection, and mutual understanding in simple, meaningful ways.Guided by her personal philosophy, “Enjoy the little things,” Cindy believes that lasting impact is created not only through big moments, but through small, heartfelt connections.Follow Cyndi: https://www.instagram.com/vanpollaert

Joy isn't a performance for Cyndi, co-founder of 555. It's how she runs a company.Cyndi and Kirti talk about what positivity actually looks like inside a fast-paced, high-pressure events business, the little things that carry her through no-sleep weeks, and the one line she won't let anyone cross: "If I am not my kindest version to you, it means you have crossed my values." Real talk on boundaries, self-care, and leading multicultural teams with kindness that isn't a performance. Follow on: https://www.instagram.com/vanpollaert
Cindy Van pollaert is a person who loves from the heart. She is the Happiness Manager at 555 Live Experience, a cultural bridge-builder, and the founder of the storytelling project Min Al Qalb.She blends live events with human connection and storytelling, turning moments into memories across cultures, with a strong focus on the Middle East.Alongside her work in large-scale international events across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the wider region, Cindy created Min Al Qalb (“From the Heart”) as a cultural platform that celebrates inspiring women through illustration, narrative, and shared human experiences. The project aims to bridge cultural gaps and present a more authentic, human view of the Middle East to the rest of the world.Through initiatives and gatherings the project also brings people together offline, encouraging dialogue, connection, and mutual understanding in simple, meaningful ways.Guided by her personal philosophy, “Enjoy the little things,” Cindy believes that lasting impact is created not only through big moments, but through small, heartfelt connections.

Rehma sees what most people miss. In part two of this conversation, the stylist reads Kirti's wardrobe like a memoir — spotting the London blazers, the shift to free-flowing colour, the body that changed and the self that grew with it. They talk about styling through perimenopause without fighting your body, why modesty is built on cultural awareness, intentional styling and emotional wellbeing, and how to tell cultural appreciation from appropriation. Rehma shares why she wore black to stay invisible for thirteen years — and what made her finally choose colour. A conversation about clothes that turns out to be about acceptance, identity, and the quiet courage of letting yourself be seen.
00:00 Back with Rehma, part two01:01 Styling when your body changes01:35 Rehma's conversation with her own body03:35 Letting go of clothes that no longer fit05:34 Stop forcing your body06:14 Perimenopause as a season, not a problem08:25 Conservative London, vibrant Dubai09:39 Modesty is not a restriction10:24 The three pillars of modest fashion13:46 Appreciation or appropriation15:43 Wear it for yourself, not to fit in18:30 The boldest thing she ever wore20:32 The magic of colour21:11 Rehma reads Kirti's wardrobe24:00 One suitcase, two lipsticks29:23 Do we hide our journeys in our clothes?29:49 Thirteen years of wearing black33:13 Dressing to be seen34:14 What she'd tell her younger self35:16 The one thing she'd leave behind
Drop Your Noise — shortlisted for Podcast of the Year, Women in Business Awards 2025. Hosted by Kirti Daryanani.
Subscribe and join the conversation on Substack.#ModestFashion #SelfAcceptance #Perimenopause #StyleAndIdentity #DropYourNoise

Rehma grew up being told her dark skin tone made her less — less worthy of color, of fashion, of choosing how she showed up in the world. In this episode she sits with Kirti and traces the long road from that to self-contentment: the comparisons, the silence she learned, and the makeover that turned out to be about far more than clothes. This is a conversation about skin tone bias, confidence, modesty and style, and what it takes to finally look in the mirror and mean it when you say you look good. Part one of two. Would you like to find out more on how to pause the pressure of what's expected of you and find a fresh way to speak your mind? Connect with us : https://link.kirtana168.com/podcast
About Rehma MirzaRehma Mirza is a Sustainable Style Consultant and the Founder of The Self-Investment System™, a purpose-led framework that integrates self-awareness, confidence, styling awareness, and mental wellbeing. She is recognised as a pioneer in the GCC for linking mental wellbeing with styling awareness through structured workshops and educational programmes for both youth and adults.She is also a contributor to ISO 45003 (Psychological Health & Safety at Work) recognition within a government organisation in Dubai. Her work focuses on empowering individuals to build self-trust, emotional intelligence, and intentional self-presentation through culturally respectful, accessible tools that support long-term wellbeing, confidence, and future readiness.www.stylebyrehma.com, stylebyrehma (Instagram), Rehma Mirza (Linkedin)
Time
01:16 — How Rehma got here, and why01:21 — Growing up the "different" one: gender bias in an orthodox home02:27 — When color comparison entered the family04:00 — Learning that pleasing others was the only path04:53 — "You don't fit that role because of your color"06:42 — Falling into depression before she had a word for it09:54 — Labelled difficult, sensitive, too much10:17 — Kirti's side: comparison cuts from the other direction too12:09 — The marriage market and the cost of comparison14:58 — Married at 21, still dressed by everyone but herself15:52 — "Are you really happy?" — the question her husband kept asking17:23 — Mirrors, breaking points and self-harm22:25 — Pregnancy, melanin and the cruelty of people close to her24:22 — Normalizing the negativity until it stops sounding like harm26:40 — The pivot: Dubai, depression, and a gift she didn't want27:45 — Two hours of weeping in a stylist's chair28:40 — "We need to get your head fixed first"29:34 — The eye-opener: every color she'd worn was wrong31:32 — Turning her own makeover into a way to help other women33:57 — Inner alignment and outer presence34:53 — Happiness vs. self-contentment: the word that changed things36:39 — Kirti's own story: yoga, weight, perimenopause and lost confidence38:57 — Styling for a body that keeps changing39:24 — The question that carries into part two

Kirti breaks down the pressure to look and act a certain way, sharing stories about shame, family, and everyday criticism.Keywords

1. How does cultural pressure affect women's confidence? 
2. Speaking up when feeling judged for appearance 
3. Emotional impact of family comments about weight 
4. Kirti Drop Your Noise styling and well-being episode 
5. Handling criticism about appearance at work 
6. Tips for dressing across different cultures 
7. Women's voices in multicultural workplaces 
8. Indian family expectations for women 
9. Why do clothes affect self-esteem? 
10. Stories about hiding due to shame 
11. Real talk about skin color and beauty standards 
12. Finding identity while living abroad 
13. Multicultural challenges for professional women 
14. How do casual comments affect self-worth? 
15. Effects of cultural beauty pressure on speaking up 

Tags
communication
women at work
multicultural
family pressure
self-esteem
speaking up
appearance
shame
styling
Kirti Timestamped chapters

• 00:00 Why talk about styling and well-being? 
• 00:45 Clearing out old photos in Curacao 
• 01:19 First memories of college friendship 
• 02:04 When appearance shaped opportunity 
• 02:45 Family criticism and pressure 
• 03:35 Childhood shame and secret eating 
• 04:11 Aunties, skin color, and judgment 
• 05:05 Male allies and encouraging confidence 
• 05:51 Switching from suits to yoga clothes 
• 07:01 Second-guessing sharing discomfort 
• 07:10 The lasting influence of outside comments 
• 08:23 Why styling still matters 
• 09:36 Finding style in different countries 
• 10:17 Clothing, confidence, and well-being 
• 11:21 Closing thoughts

How much of your voice are you leaving out online? Annie shares stories of working with women on visibility, the messy reality of putting yourself out there, and the things we’re worried about but rarely say out loud. Kirti and Annie get honest: comparison, confidence, what actually works on LinkedIn (hint: it’s not just posting daily), and how being a little bit more yourself might be the most valuable thing you can do—in business and beyond.Get our latest releases and behind the scene thoughts: https://kirtana168.substack.comAbout Annie:Annie Meikle is a communications strategist with 17 years of experience helping brandsand senior leaders articulate their narrative with clarity and confidence. She began hercareer at the start of the region’s social media era, where she helped establish theSocial@Ogilvy practice at Memac Ogilvy. As Head of Content at OgilvyOne, she led workfor global brands including Sprite, IBM, SAP, Volkswagen, Kotex and Sony Mobile, shapingcontent designed for real audience engagement in the Middle East.In 2016, she co-founded The Social Shop by Aurora, a Dubai-based social media agencyfocused on corporate and consumer communications in sectors such as technology,aviation, retail, and health. Over time, the agency developed a niche in delivering high-impact social strategies to B2B companies.In 2023, Annie launched Meikle Communications to focus on strategic thought leadershipfor corporates and senior executives — particularly on LinkedIn — alongside employeeadvocacy and social media enablement programs. Her work blends narrativedevelopment, executive positioning, and practical execution frameworks that help leaderscommunicate with influence and purpose.

You've been told to leave your feelings at the door. But what if that's exactly what's breaking your team?Lillian is a change management specialist with 35 years of experience working across the Netherlands and the Caribbean. In this conversation, we get into why emotions keep getting treated as a problem to solve when they're actually the most useful information in the room.We talk about why change keeps failing even when the methodology is perfect, what happens when leaders outsource their instincts to AI, and the one question Lillian asks junior managers that always gets a laugh and then opens everything up.This is a conversation about efficiency, trust, and what it actually costs to stay human at work.Drop Your Noise is shortlisted for Podcast of the Year, Women in Business Awards 2025. Hosted by Kirti Daryanani, founder of Kirtana168 and creator of the PAU...SE. methodology
00:00 Are you outsourcing your social intelligence to AI?01:17 Lillian introduces herself, 35 years of change before it had a name04:03 The speed problem: AI, efficiency, and why faster isn't always better06:23 Why emotions got left out of change management11:10 Resistance isn't a problem. It's information.12:01 The seating story: how one small blindside derailed an entire team22:00 The AI in the meeting room, when a leader consulted ChatGPT instead of asking the person in front of them29:29 When methodology replaces gut instinct33:45 Why high-performing leaders have been conditioned to see emotion as inefficiency39:53 Emotion is just information. That's it.47:38 Change fatigue is real and the antidote isn't mindfulness51:07 Lillian's practical moves: how to talk about emotions without saying the word54:11 Professional maturity and what it means to not take things personally57:16 Nobody can lead change they haven't accepted in themselves first1:02:27 The unwritten rules: the one question that tells you everything about where emotion is being suppressed