Channdika Thayver @_channdika is a Tamil woman who was born in Singapore with ancestral roots in Tamil Nadu, India. She is a settler on the stolen lands of the Katzie Nation in colonial Canada. Channdika is a Life & Wellness Coach who is committed to lifelong learning and unlearning in her efforts to show up as the best Co-Conspirator she can be in the creation of equity for all marginalized peoples, and believes that the creation of equity is birthed through the disruption and dismantling of systemic oppressions - requiring deep introspection and active disruption of her respective privileges, daily.

Gayatri Patel Bahl @gayatribahl is a multi-disciplinary artist: actress, Indian classical dancer and award-winning filmmaker. On TV, Gayatri, who will next be seen in Netflix's Partner Track, has been in Mr. Robot, Showtime's The Loudest Voice, HBO's Vinyl, Law & Order SVU, the Hindi Film Let’s Dance, and Yash Raj's Rishta.com (Netflix). As an Indian classical dancer, Gayatri was featured by Elle Magazine's Movement Series and has performed with Sa Dance Company at Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre, NYC’s SummerStage, & NJPAC. Her award-winning short film, TINA, has been screened at 30 festivals worldwide.

Sana Hoda @sanahoda is an entrepreneur, a writer, a creative, a mother, and a self proclaimed black sheep. Born in India and raised in the US, after 27 years in Washington DC, Sana decided to move back to India to do more than her 9-5. It was in Delhi that she launched a startup with her husband in consumer tech - HappyShappy - evolving the venture over the 4 years they were there. While in India, Sana also worked alongside her father on his foundation, the Hikmat Foundation, with a focus to educate girls in the most impoverished parts of India, and continues to deepen and evolve her role in the efforts of the foundation. Sana is also the author of "Diwali: A Cultural Adventure".

Joti Singh @jotiksingh s a dance creator and the Co- Artistic Director of Duniya Dance and Drum Company @duniyadanceandrum Joti began her dance training in Punjabi circles, carrying through her body the culture that’s in her blood and memory. As an adult, West African dance entered Joti’s purview, transforming her body’s imagination. Through this multilingual body, Joti explores where history intertwines with contemporary continuities of celebration and injustice, and as an arts educator and performing artist, Joti has created artistic works of dance and music addressing various aspects of her own roots, along with exploring a variety of social and historical themes and topics.

Priya Shah @priyashah16 is triggering social consciousness to challenge barriers and empower communities from the inside out. As a Chicago creative and entrepreneur, Priya has built a network of artists and collaborators dedicated to igniting social awareness and change through art and imagination. Shah began volunteering in developing countries at a young age, which inspired her to fill the gap between business and the social sector so she went on to earn degrees in both Accounting & Finance from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Priya's passion for art and travel has fueled her purpose to help better communities in Chicago and around the world, leading her to truly follow her calling when she founded The Simple Good @thesimplegood a non-profit with the mission to connect the meaning of good from around the world, empowering youth to become positive activists through art and discussion.

Priya Shah exemplifies so much of what Heartistry is all about, and is the living definition of what we call "heARTivism".

Rianjali @rianjalimusic is a South Asian American, singer-songwriter/composer from Queens, NY. A former domestic violence case worker, Ria was Hindustani classically trained as a child, and learned Western vocals after being admitted to the prestigious La Guardia High school for the Performing Arts (the "FAME" school). Since trying her hand in the music industry she has steadily built a resume of notable work, including multiple projects under Oscar winning composer, A.R. Rahman’s direction. Over the past few years, she’s gathered a collection of notable credits including performing with U2, A.R. Rahman, music supervising a Netflix Documentary, being Oscar-shortlisted for best Original Song, performing with Shawn Mendes at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, being the first South Asian american to sing for the Nets at the Barclay’s Center and more. She is currently composing for a new musical in production in NYC, “Bollywood Kitchen '' and continues to release her own original music.

Sonali Fiske @sonalifiske - host of #RevolutionaryVoices on Rukus Avenue Radio is a Sri Lankan-born, California-grown leadership mentor, spoken word artist, writer, international speaker, and mama to one teenaged-son. Her everyday work is to fortify and amplify revolutionary BIPoC* voices in a collapsing white-dominant, colonized landscape. Her other devotions are centering racial justice and social change on her show, writing to heal, ocean talk as soul survival & her mother’s rice & curry. In this unique episode which will air on Heartistry Talk Show and Revolutionary Voices, Farah and Sonali come together to be in conversation about their respective journeys and callings.

Be inspired by this conversation which exemplifies the beauty and power of women supporting and uplifting other women, and hear what both Sonali and Farah are currently up to.

Bushra Burney @bushrawriter is a Pakistani American Muslim writer and performer. Her first play, Designated Muslim, was featured by the City Lights Theater Company’s “Lights Up!” festival of new plays and Bushra has recently adapted it for a tv pilot. In 2020, Bushra debuted a virtual performance of her one-person show, The Kulfi Paradox, directed by Zahra Noorbakhsh @zahracomedy

This conversation addresses issues of tokenism, prejudice about those who wear hijab, and how Bushra has even received feedback about her work being "too Muslim" or "not Muslim enough". Bushra's goal is to stay true to her evolution as a writer, while sharing stories that are reflective of her own experiences.

Earlier this year, we opened Season 2 of the @heartistrytalkshow with Susanna Barkataki @susannabarkataki powerfully empowering conversation about the importance of honoring tradition, providing cultural context and calling out the white washing of ancient practices and cultural appropriation.

Susanna Barkataki @susannabarkataki is an Indian yoga practitioner in the Shankaracharya tradition, supporting practitioners to lead with equity, diversity and yogic values while growing thriving practices and businesses with confidence. Susanna's recently published book "Embrace Yoga's Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice" is a phenomenal history guide to the many facets of Yoga - not just asana as many in the western world have been exposed to - and is an interactive and reflective exercises that allow the reader to reflect on their own assumptions, perspectives, privilege identities as well as target identities.

Throughout the month of October, 2021, Susanna is doing a Virtual Book Tour with a series of events and conversations. What Susanna shares in this episode will have you feeling awakened and enlightened, and eager to learn and do more to ensure that we are not perpetuating the systems that degrade and disrespect practices such as Yoga, and instead work towards dismantling them.

Take a listen to a few excerpts from this episode which will undoubtedly leave you to wanting to hear the whole conversation!!

In 2020, yoga practitioners @sheis_mindfulmo and @yoganjali came together to host “Mindfully Just: Integrating Social Justice, Yoga, and Collective Transformation”, and are back with another 4 week series in October of 2021 and, in their words, here's why --

Now more than ever, there is an imperative for us to reflect within and act with courage on the ways in which we show up in the world around us, to co-create an anti-racist and equitable world. Change begins within us and ripples out to the world around us. This is an offering integrating Yoga and Social Justice, bringing together diverse perspectives and voices. The course will have relevant tenets from Yoga philosophy, reflection prompts, centering practices and readings to support your own path.

Previous guests on the Heartistry Talk Show, we hear from Anjali and Monique what called them to do this in 2020, and learn more about what they have coming up this year.

Hear more about this initiative, the intensive, the amazing people involved, and why these conversations and practices are critical now, and into our future.