Yuki Ellias is an Actor, Theatre Director, and Corporate Coach - her talent is beyond measure, her creativity is beyond amazing, and her drive is beyond infectious. Be ready to be inspired by the multitalented @yuki.by.yuki and hear about her incredible projects, such as her phenomenal one woman show "Elephant in the Room" (spoil alert: she performs a short excerpt). Yuki endeavors to make theatre for diverse spaces and diverse audiences, and is also a corporate coach, working with organizations in Indian and across the globe in the areas of Executive Presence, Crucial Conversations, Presentation and Pitch Impact, Big Stage and Speech Coaching etc.

Suhaee Abro is a dancer and actress, born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. Suhaee @suhaeeabrodance was trained by Pakistani artist-activist Sheema Kermani, specializing in Bharatanatyam as well as South Asian folk dances, and later received contemporary dance training in Italy, where she now lives. Her acting career includes TV, TV plays, music videos, documentaries and feature films, often taking on roles and stories that represent marginalized communities and individuals within and outside of Pakistan.

Farah and Suhaee talk about the challenges she has faced as a woman and a dancer in Pakistan, and how she also uses dance to heal her own trauma as well as teaches dance to others as a form of therapy.

Setso @setso.s is an independent singer and songwriter from Gauteng, South Africa. Her heartfelt lyrics, coupled with her melodic and entrancing delivery, all wrapped up in the warmth of the musical arrangement - we're in love with it all. Now the best part...While searching for the Heartistry Talk Show on Spotify, Farah came across an album of the same name HEARTISTRY! She had to listen and was instantly taken with the artist, who is none other than Setso! The two connected on social media, and now here we are, getting the chance to hear from this brilliant artist in South Africa, her experience of beginning her musical journey as a child, her thoughts and perspectives on the Black Lives Matter movement and so much more. A true celebration of Heartistry - the coming together of 2 artists from different parts of the world.

This excerpt highlights just one of the topics Setso talked about. Be sure to listen to the whole episode to also hear some of her (in the moment) amazing vocals, as well as some of her beautiful tracks.

Seetal Kaur @seetal_ is an arts manager, dance artist and social activist. As a Relationship Manager for Arts Council England, she provides advice and insight to individuals and organisations to develop dance as an art form and manages a portfolio of dance organisations in the Midlands region. Seetal has also founded her own social initiative to develop South Asian women and creatives called ForwardCulture CIC and is also a practicing Kathak artist training under Smt. Aditi Sen and Pt. Rajendra Gangani.

Seetal is that rare, but wonderful combination of sharing & absorbing, leading & learning - a blend that we can all learn a lot from!

Manasi Arya @artwithmanasi is a Special Education teacher, currently pursuing her Masters in Special Education. Influenced by her mother who is also an artist, Manasi grew up around art and art supplies. Joining a growing community of digital artists, Manasi decided to start her IG account a few years ago to share various paintings and her stories. Within a year, she embraced an opportunity to start a small business and began more digital art as well. Using her art and platform to create a voice for other women, with a focus on South Asians, Manasi's desire and intent is to spark positive conversations through art.

Amit Patel @_amitdances is a professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A first generation born Indian American, Amit strives to fuse his cultures by bringing together different disciplines of dance, and has developed an unconventional style of dance called "Indian Contemporary" - something he fell in love with as he fused his diverse training in both Eastern and Western forms of dance. Amit is equally notable for his rebellious pieces in heels, known as “Bollywood Heels,” which challenge the norms of gender roles and sexual identity in dance.

Hear this excerpt of Amit talking about the gender appropriation that takes place in various dance forms, and the need to create conversations within and about dance to reexamine these gender roles.

Sheherazaad @sheherazaadmusic & Chanpreet Singh @virchanpreet share their unique and individual artistic paths as well as their recent collaboration.

Sheherazaad (aka Sanjana Shukla) is a performer-composer, whose new-age sound echoes her experiences as a child of diaspora. She pulls from traditional South Asian and Western classical, where her contemporary, modern synthesis can be described as alternative-folk & experimental ballad. Her original lyricism re-interprets existing Hindi-Urdu poetic forms, channeling questions of identity, mother tongue, homeland, and displacement. She recently released her debut album, "Khwaabistan" (Dreamland), encompassing her rich vocals and moving lyrics, enveloped in melodies that will stay with you for days.

Chanpreet is an actor, poet and a writer. Having performed on stage in various theatrical productions as well as in films both in the US and India, Chanpreet is often recognized for his versatility and portrayal of complex characters He writes in English and Hindi, receiving praise from readers of both languages. Alongside his pursuit of arts, he also works as a Director at a multi-national consultancy firm advising large companies based in Silicon Valley.

Listen to 2 excerpts from our conversation with Sanjana and Chanpreet as they speak about the importance of "finding celebratory moments that are very private" during the creation process rather than waiting for it to be shared with others, as well as pushing oneself outside of their comfort zone to "truly know what lies instead of you" and always remaining authentic to who you are.

Heartistry Talk Show is closing out 2020 with the fabulous Saba Gul! @sabagul is an MIT-educated engineer turned entrepreneur, raised in Lahore, Pakistan. She currently leads strategy for technology products, with a focus on ethics. Previously the founder of Popinjay @popinjay_co an artisan label with a supply chain spanning Pakistan, Vietnam and China, Saba is an advisor to several startups and investment funds, and speaks frequently on entrepreneurship and gender at forums like the United Nations, the World Bank and TEDx events. Saba has lived and worked across the world – from France to Sri Lanka to Ethiopia, and brings her global experience to her work.

A perfect example of the phrase "when one door closes, another one opens", Saba leads her life with her heart as her guide - always in search of various ways to give back and make this world a better place for all.

Listen to 2 excerpts from our conversation with Saba to hear 1) the important distinction between persistence and stubbornness, and 2) Saba's thoughts on the importance of time for rest and reflection versus just jumping into the next "thing".

David Herrera @herr.dave is the Artistic Director/Choreographer for David Herrera Performance Company @davidherreraperformancecompany in San Francisco. Growing up in Hollywood, CA, David was influenced by the film industry and the cultural eclecticism of his neighborhood and his Mexican-American Heritage. After making the decision to pursue his education in dance and theater arts, without prior formal training, David followed his passion and persevered to obtain a BA in American Studies and in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz, following that up with a Graduate Certificate in modern dance/theater. In addition to the work with his own dance company, David is a member of a cohort, "Dancing Around Race", a community program dedicated to the discussion and implementation of cultural equity in the dance arts in San Francisco, and has also created the only comprehensive culturally centered mentorship and networking program in the U.S., "LatinXtensions”. The program advises emerging Latinx & Hispanic dance artists in developing their professional artistic practice and the arts administration skills that are necessary to sustain a long term career in the arts.

Kumu Hula Kawika Keikiali'ihiwahiwa Alfiche @kawikaalfiche has been teaching hula and Hawaiian cultural arts for over 26 years. Kawika is the Kumu Hula (Master teacher) for Hālau o Keikiali'i, and is the Director for the Kaululehua Hawaiian Cultural Center in South San Francisco. With a mission to preserve and perpetuate all things Hawaiian, Kawika spends his life learning, teaching and sharing his culture through the hula and cultural arts and continues to teach throughout the Globe.