Hamro Yatra

Our guest for this episode is Aastha Pandey. Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, Aastha moved to Beijing with her family when she was only 2 months old. Fluent in Mandarin amongst other languages, Aastha is a strong and confident woman who is unapologetically herself.

In this episode, we go over Aastha’s childhood growing up in China and the intricate duality we all face of being brought up in a different culture yet trying to hold on to our Nepali heritage. We dive deeper into the idea of beauty taking into account Aastha’s very own experiences with beauty pageants. While talking about our insecurities, Aastha drives home the importance of self-acceptance more than anything else.

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review. You can also financially support us on thisishamroyatra.com/support.

Today we have with us Ayesha Giri, our first guest from New Zealand. With a degree in Hospitality and Events Management, Ayesha has worked tirelessly to build a career in Marketing but she will always be a musician at heart. The only female leading a band during the second season of Sprite Band Challenge back in 2010 Kathmandu and winning the second runner up award, Ayesha is a force to reckon with.

 

In this episode, we deep dive into Ayesha’s childhood, her growing up in a conservative family and breaking through societal barriers. We also discuss how therapy has helped her and the importance of it. Having gone through different life adversities, it is uplifting to hear Ayesha be so positive and still have the drive to build her empire.  I can’t thank Ayesha enough for trusting me with her story and being so open & vulnerable. I hope her journey inspires you to have more empathy and be kinder to yourself and others.

 

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review. You can also financially support us here.

Today we have with us Dr Kristina Gauchan. Born in Nepal, Kristina moved to England with her family when she was only 6 years old.  A dentist by profession, Kristina enjoys her job and the impact it has in her patients.

In this episode, we go over how Kristina got interested in pursuing dentistry, her experience working as a dentist in England and how she dealt with having to uproot her life to move to the States and get qualified all over again to practice dentistry again. For those who have been through this, knows it isn’t an easy process, but, with a smile, a positive attitude & a strong support network, Kristina has now graduated from University of Boston with a Doctorate of Medicine in Dentistry. Kristina is persistent and sees every obstacle as an opportunity to learn more.

I’m excited to see Kristina continue her journey in the West Coast of US later this year and have no doubt that she will be able to overcome any challenge that comes her way, with a smile on her face. You can follow her journey here. 

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review. You can also financially support us on thisishamroyatra.com/support.

For today’s episode we have Mili Adhikari, menstrual health advocate and activist. Based in the US, Mili has a degree in Public Health and is the director of the North American Chapter of ‘Dignified Menstruation’. She has also recently received admission to UC Davis School of Medicine.

In this episode, we go over what it means to be a girl in our society, moving from Nepal to the States, the application process for medical schools and her drive to become a holistic medical practitioner. She educates us on the power imbalance between menstruators and non-menstruators and how this discrimination has helped shape her passion in the field of reproductive health. Mili is grounded, knows her worth and emphasises the importance of being your authentic self.

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review. You can also financially support us on www.thisishamroyatra.com/support.

Today’s guest is the wonderful Arati Subba. Born in Urlabari and eldest of three, Arati is a people’s person and full of life. A hustler from her childhood, Arati is the kind of person to churn a lemon factory when life gives her lemons.

In this episode, we deep dive into the journey she has taken to follow her passion in fashion, what her jobs entailed and eventually what led her to leave her full-time job to travel the world with her boyfriend. Currently stuck in Kathmandu, Nepal, we also go over how she has been spending her days during COVID lockdown, the importance of always trying and why yellow is her favourite colour. You don’t want to miss this one!

It’s been a pleasure speaking with such a resilient and beautiful human. I wish Arati all the best and look forward to witnessing her growth even more in the future. You can follow her personal journey here, while this leads you to her travel page and details on her new venture 'Kipat Kipat' can be found here. 

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review. You can also financially support us on www.thisishamroyatra.com/support.

Our guest for today is the lovely Alena Gurung. Born in Nepal, Alena has moved quite a bit living in Hongkong and Brunei before finally settling in the UK with her family.  She comes from generation of family members working in the army, which has eventually led her to finding her own career in the British Army as well. 

In this episode, we go over Alena’s love for acting impersonating Disney characters as a child, her teenage years in the pageantry & modelling world to now being in the British army as a single mum. We explore what life is like working in the British army and the changes motherhood has brought in her life. 

Through the ups and downs of her life, it is inspiring to see the gratitude Alena brings along in her day and the positivity she marches forward with. You can tell from our conversation that Alena now has a depth to her from all her life experiences and a beautiful son around whom her life revolves. You can follow her journey here. 

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review if you're feeling generous. This really helps other listeners find our podcast. Thank you 🙏🏽

Today we are joined by bridal makeup artist and a rising influencer Chhimmi Gurung.

Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, Chhimmi has been into the arts from early on. She has taken this passion for creativity into the world of bridal makeup here in the UK. When the COVID-19 lockdowns started last year, Chhimmi’s wedding makeup business took a big hit but she has been able to turn the situation around and start building her personal brand online.  It has been such a pleasure to witness her growth over the year and gain the momentum she truly deserves.

In this episode, we go through various challenges Chhimmi went through to start her bridal makeup business. We also deep dive into how she has been able to pivot during the year of uncertainty and come out of it stronger than ever. You can follow her journey here. 

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review if you're feeling generous. This really helps other listeners find our podcast. Thank you!

Until next time 👋🏽

Today’s episode comes highly requested and it is with none other than Chef Santosh Shah. One of my highlights from last year was seeing Santosh Shah in national TV representing Nepali cuisine in Masterchef UK 2020, so it has been an absolute pleasure talking to him and learning about his journey so far.

Born in Karjanha village, Nepal, Santosh Shah has been hardworking & entrepreneurial from an early age. He has over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry and from his presentation in Masterchef, we also know he is super creative.

In this episode we go over Santosh’s journey from Nepal selling pauroti and plastic bags to moving to India at the age of 15, working his way to being an executive chef and moving to the UK. Santosh reminds us that you are the master of your own life & that no one knows you better than yourself. He believes that you are never too old to learn and grow either. You can see this drive from the positivity he radiates in everything he does. I hope this conversation inspires you to set and tweak your life’s formula accordingly to receive the outcome you want. You can follow Santosh on his Instagram here.  

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review if you're feeling generous.

Namaste & welcome back to Hamro Yatra. On our first episode of 2021, we have TV personality Sujan Shakya. Based in Seoul, South Korea, Sujan is kind and down to earth. He is also the youngest Nepali to be recognised & given the ‘Honorary Seoul Citizen’ award for his contributions in bridging the gap between Seoul and Nepal.

In this episode, we will go over Sujan’s journey from Nepal to South Korea, his own struggles learning a new language and finishing university while supporting himself. Taking Oprah as a role model, Sujan has been inspired to say ‘yes’ to life which has helped him land the opportunity to be involved in local television and has changed his life trajectory. His journey so far is such a great example of how you never know what lies ahead of you and all you can do is be patient, continue working hard and be ready for any opportunities life throws at you. You can follow his journey here. 

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review if you're feeling generous.

On our final episode for the year 2020, we have none other than international fashion model, and singer songwriter Varsha Thapa.

Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, Varsha has walked countless runways in cities all over the world and appeared in prestigious magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar amongst many. A true Sagittarius at heart, Varsha is spontaneous, values her freedom and is unwavering in identifying and reaching her goals. With life as her mentor, her experiences and learnings can be heard in her first song ‘Maaya’ and her newly released EP ‘Adhuro’.

In this episode we go over Varsha’s childhood and how her curious nature has guided her to where she is today. Amidst our love for pahelo daal, we explore her journey to self-love and drive to achieve what most of us would call impossible. I hope this episode encourages you to embrace your own shadows and create the life you want wherever you are.

As always, if you enjoy these conversations, please share with your friends and family. Remember to follow our instagram page @hamro.yatra for updates, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and leave us a 5-star review if you're feeling generous.