Evolving Door

See Rimi's work at https://www.minuvida.com https://www.rootsilience.com

02.37- When Rimi was 15 her parents got divorced, and she was calling for attention in all the wrong ways

5.38 - Her mother made it her mission to make Rimi's childhood different to her own in India. Both her parents really supported her education.

7.58- Her father remarried an African American woman and they visited India, her dad said it was very upsetting for him. Indians would offer Rimi whitening cream when she visited India after she’d got a tan.

8.57- Rimis' friends would get money for getting B’s on their report cards but Rimi’s dad would ask her why she got an A-minus when she should be getting A-pluses.

12.16- Her first job was on Wall Street, she tried to exceed expectations, and it led to promotions, she closed a huge deal and she was invited to breakfast, ‘’the exclusive Wall Street club’’ by the CEO.

17.13- Rimi began yoga because of a dare from her friend when she was 19 and she got hooked on it, it would help her relieve stress.

19.06- Rimi thought it was cool that she could smoke weed with her colleagues and bragged about it to her friends but what she realised was that they were trying to constantly numb themselves.

21.51- She realised that trying to get happiness outside of herself wasn’t going to happen with regard to drugs and alcohol. ‘‘What we need is right here within us’’. When she was being a rebel as a child, it was her growing and learning.

24.12- Rather than thinking he or she’s doing better than me or they’re getting more spotlight we should lift each other up and help each other.

29.52- During yoga classes she would recognise the voice in her head, she would hear it, if you’re not hearing it, you’re not aware.

31.17 - After successes at work she would go to yoga rather than going out drinking, she felt it was far more fulfilling and nourishing than the bender she’d go on.

33.15- Rimi took a trip to the Azores in Portugal where her husband is from to plan their wedding, she fell in love with the place.

35.32- Rimi’s aunt had died and left her with her life insurance policy, Rimi and her husband decided that they should invest the money in moving to Portugal. She turned down her dream job to make the possibility of moving to Portugal more real.

37.13- She named the business after her aunt ‘Minu Vida’ - it was a business of inspirational, motivational, educational, natural retreats.

41.03- Both Rimi and her husband had quit their jobs, they didn’t anticipate the renovation costs being so high and without 3 months both of their bank accounts were empty. 

48.52- Asking for help isn’t a weakness,if you don’t ask for help you’ll become lonely. Help stands for Hello Eternal Loving Presence.

56.19- Rimi's spirituality has gone from one physical yoga practice a week to being at the forefront of her mind pretty much constantly, and she’s always aware of it. She meditates every day and it has changed her life.

01.01.58- Rimi believes that we live on, life is never-ending but you’ve got to stay in your own lane and not interfere with anybody that’s not ready to believe in spirituality yet.

01.06.24- Your experience isn’t right, my experience isn’t right, it’s just we’re all seeing it through a different lens. But if you use the spiritual world for your own gain then it will always backfire.

01.09.01- It can be scary to be open but there’s no need to be scared because it’s a playground to experiment and learn.

01.13.59- While on a zoom cooking class, her dad said 'wow Rimi I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of what you’ve created. I’m so glad that you’re happy and you and your husband have a beautiful life.'

01.17.13- If you want to visit Rimi go to https://www.minuvida.com/

To find out more about the women’s leadership series you can visit https://www.rootsilience.com/

Bobby Friction is a larger-than-life character, a Radio1 DJ, and a supporter of young people coming up in the creative industries. In this episode, we dive deep, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

2.28- Bobby was doing an art degree channeling his inner rage about racism, by the time he’d gone to university he had survived an anti-Sikh genocide, and experienced the raw racism of the seventies.

4.45- For many years Bobby was the only Asian kid in the school, he spent his teenage years thinking he was the ugliest person that had ever been born because that’s what people told him.

9.39- Bobby was dressing up extravagantly which attracted more racism and bullying but he just wanted to express himself, the only escape he had was Prince.

17.24 - His first friend at Radio One was John Peel, Bobby picked up on his attitude and approach to music. 

19.52- Sikhism came out of a very intellectual Period in India’s history and when his mother and father taught him about his religion, it made him think that everything, even religion should be critiqued constantly.

24.20- In 2020 and the rise of Black Lives Matter he only started to come to terms with the racism hr faced was when he was younger- he realised he didn’t change because the racism stopped because it stayed, it was his makeup, dressing up and expression that helped him

25.01- In the seventies when Bobby was a child he used to be abused on the street by adults on a daily basis.

27.56- Bobby loves this country, he bleeds red, white and blue but he looks back at his childhood and thinks what was this country back then?

28.19- Bobby was once headbutted in the park by an adult when he was 10 years old.

31.08- The working class are usually the ones who physically racially abuse others but you realise that they are suffering under the system as well, it’s the middle-class racist that you’ve got to watch out for because they are nice to you. The middle class accepts that racism is a problem and knows it’s wrong.

33.38- People of colour at any class level have some kind of connection with working-class white people

35.10- Friendships with white working-class people tend to last but friendships with middle-class white people tend to fade because they constantly need to justify the relationship eg they tell you constantly that they went backpacking in India...

37.03- Bobby started BBC Radio One in his early thirties after thinking in his twenties ‘wouldn’t it be great playing Asian music on Radio One’ - it took him 10 long years of hard graft to achieve his mission.

40.06- Bobby finally felt good enough, overnight it had gone from a racist society to talking about gay rights and racism, it was pretty radical in the late nineties to say British Asian. Tony Blair’s labour party changed things in a positive way.

42.42- Bobby was treated as a warrior that had won a battle after representing British Asians on Radio One and showcasing Asian music

43.53- Bobby handled the pressure and fame very well because of the long journey he’d taken to get there and because of the fact he was a grown-up in his thirties

49.08- People complain about the Asian network existing when really they want to be complaining about the general society and how BBC treats the Asian culture.

57.34- In 1984 in Delhi, a mob tried to get into the house and kill Bobby and his family. They locked themselves in the bathroom upstairs. His mum was hiding jewellery. They didn’t know if they could trust their Hindu neighbours but they lead them to a tiny house where every Sikh in the neighbourhood was hiding out.

1.00.00- Prince indelibly shaped Bobby, he gave Bobby the chance to be himself, to be creative. He saved Bobby from all the racism and trauma.

In this final part of this epic conversation we dive deep into the lived experience of the family. They share what it was like when Malala was shot, to suddenly find themselves in another country and how it impacted on Khushal and his relationship with his dad.

There are some wonderfully funny moments towards the end which I hope will bring some joy to your soul. Enjoy.

0.50 - Why are the Taliban against education and should we feel bad for them because they haven't had a good education that teaches them to be good humans?

In part two of this epic conversation, we cover the importance of dreaming for a better future and overcoming small-minded thinking.

2.00 - The first person you have to fight with is yourself and your current way of thinking.

4.45 - I find great shelter in my wife's support and advice

6.30 - The current framework or culture sets the standard of what is expected. Then it is a war of nerves on who prevails.

7.30 - A strong person goes against the tide, the strongest person changes the tide.

8.00 - The social norms of the past become the stigmas of the present.

11.00 Ideologies that aren't the fittest for the coming generations will become extinct.

14.00 - Hatred in the name of religion divides people.

14.40 - My faith must be very fragile if it becomes shaken by someone thinking differently than me.

17.00 - The same sun has different names in different countries.

19.30 - We were an egalitarian family believing in equality and things were good.

21.50 - The dream was very simple, to educate my children.

25.15 - A preacher named girls on the radio praising them for stopping their education.

25.50 - Taliban wanted to destroy everything I was trying to build.

26.45 - I wanted her to be educated and heard and known by her own name.

29.50 - They would announce people's names on the radio and the next day they would be dead.

31.00 - On 9th October 2012 everything changed.

38.51 - I wanted revenge for a long time but when Malala forgave them I forgave them.

43.00 - A bigger house and a more comfortable situation can make you feel removed from the common people.

44.30 - Jealousy is self-harm.

47.13 - My weaknesses keep me humble.

53.50 - We become absorbed in the small when we lose sight of the great.

57.15 - In some countries, they don't teach philosophy in universities because they don't want people to think.

58.40 - Wherever education is stopped we should have alarm bells.

59.35 - I feel for the extremists that they are scared of a girl, that they are scared of knowledge.

1.00.00 - Why are the Taliban scared of education?

Join us in part three to find out and so much more.

Zia Yousafzai is Malala Yousafzai's father and Khushal is her brother.

Malala is the amazingly brave and powerful young woman that was shot by the Taliban for speaking out for the right of girls to go to school. 

In this powerful conversation, Zia and Khushal share what it was like growing up in Pakistan and the cultural challenges they faced even before Malala was born and subsequently after she was born and Zia broke from convention and the cultural norms in the way he brought her up.

I hope you will love our discussion, this is a unique and intimate insight into their world and I am proud to be releasing it as we announce the acquisition of my feature documentary A Girl Can Touch The Sky by international sales agent Abacus Media Rights.

This is the first of three parts of our conversation, each filled with depth, humor, and candor about many of the issues society is still grappling with with regards to gender equity. 

0.50 - intro - Malala is the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Jon Miller is super-intelligent and super eclectic. Maybe that is why I find him so interesting.

In part two we discuss his time at various big agencies and how his work with the biggest companies in the world changed his perspective on how social impact could be developed. 

He realised a lot of the big issues business is dealing with are also social issues, and was excited by the idea that businesses could also deliver social value alongside financial value.

This led to him setting up Open for Business, which explores The Business Case for LGB&T Rights & Inclusion.

Enjoy!

Jon Miller is a super intelligent guy and also super eclectic. Maybe that is why I found him so interesting.

From growing up between the countryside and the city, to his interest in psychedelics and philosophy, to his dot.com boom and bust experience.

Jon experienced a double bereavement which hit him hard, he began a period of intense travel and work and got into yoga which has become a daily practice.

We end part one with a bombshell in relation to Jon's sexuality and a new chapter that would inform so much of his work in the area of social impact thereafter.

Enjoy!

This is the first in the mini-series brought to you by the Road to Vrindavan documentary feature film which examines the importance of education for girls in India & the insight needed for tradition to be applied in ways that uplift rather than oppress.

You can watch the film by checking for screenings at www.roadtovrindavan.com (UK Premiere is on right now from March 31st to April 5th and can be accessed globally)

In this episode, I sit down with Shaena Jasmat who shares growing up in an Asian family and the pressures and expectations from the community especially on girls. From experiencing racism as a young person to becoming pregnant and making the very difficult decision to not have the baby to her struggles with alcohol. She struggled for many years with multiple fresh starts but the cracks re-appeared. 

When she finally stopped trying to hide her problems, she started to talk about them and has found acceptance within herself and what was her weakness has become her strength. She is now doing really well, has found a spiritual path, and is also helping others too.

You can connect with her on social media @shaena_kaseyjay

I have just released the feature Documentary Road to Vrindavan after 4 years of working on it.

It's set on an epic 1800km road-trip along the west coast of India in a convoy of tuk-tuks and examines the importance of education for girls and the insight needed for tradition to be applied in ways that uplift rather than oppress.

I am interrupting series one to bring you this mini-series of interviews that are on topics broadly related to the documentary and to encourage you to check out the documentary and share it with your friends, colleagues, neighbours and so on :)

You can check out upcoming screenings at www.roadtovrindavan.com/screenings

The final 2 episodes of series one will be with you after this mini-series and I already have some great interviews recorded for series two as well to share with you soon. I would like to hear more from you folks who are listening and to be able to respond more to what type of guests you would like to hear and what kind of content you have liked the most etc. Reach out and say hi :)

Join Jean Griesser (spiritual name Visakha Devi Dasi) and I for part two of this conversation to discover how she overcame the discrimination she experienced as a woman and how she gradually became more and more involved in her spiritual practices through her association and loving experiences with her spiritual teacher Srila Prabhupada.

She shares how she overcame her skepticism and found a deeper meaning in life and how as a leader in the community she supports and relates to people at all levels of spiritual practice and the importance of not judging people whatever level they are on.

Although she grew up feeling an outsider, she now has a very clear faith that following your own path that nourishes you and makes you happy is more important than doing what other people are doing just to fit in.

Do remember to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, it is so encouraging to see those come through. If you don't have Apple podcasts please share your thought with me through social media, looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback.

You can check out her wonderful book 'Five Years, Eleven Months and a Lifetime of Unexpected Love' which has so much more depth on her adventures on this link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Years-Eleven-Months-Lifetime-Unexpected/dp/1522838449