PennTalks the Podcast

In this episode I chat to Lajja Champaneria, a mindfulness coach and landscape architect, who shares her journey towards practising mindfulness. 

From growing up as a creative and studious child in Mumbai, to migrating to Australia for her further studies, Lajja graciously shares her story of how mindfulness became a source of healing and motivation in her life. 

To contact Lajja for her mindfulness coaching, visit her Instagram profile @lajjachampaneria_leadyourway

Music by @lavanmusic

In this episode I speak with Isha Bassi, a South Asian woman with an education background and a deep passion for community impact. Over the past five years, Isha has presented to hundreds of secondary and tertiary youth on the growth mindset and soft skill topics through intensive workshops and focused programs. 

Isha shares her journey of once being the quiet kid at school to now presenting in front of hundreds of students. She talks about the events in between that spurred her growth and how we can employ the growth mindset to help achieve our goals. 

Originally published in August 2022.
Music by @lavanmusic

A short introduction where I talk about what the podcast is all about, what inspired me to start it, as well as what I hope for it to be. 

Originally published in March 2022. 
Music by @lavanmusic

In this episode I speak with Isha Bassi, a South Asian woman with an education background and a deep passion for community impact. Over the past five years, Isha has presented to hundreds of secondary and tertiary youth on the growth mindset and soft skill topics through intensive workshops and focused programs. 

Isha shares her journey of once being the quiet kid at school to now presenting in front of hundreds of students. She talks about the events in between that spurred her growth and how we can employ the growth mindset to help achieve our goals. 

A short introduction where I talk about what the podcast is all about, what inspired me to start it, as well as what I hope for it to be. 

A short introduction where I talk about what the podcast is all about, what inspired me to start it, as well as what I hope for it to be. 

In this episode, we are joined by Anjana Chandran – a dancer, choreographer, content creator and actor from Sydney, Australia. Classically trained in Bharatanatyam, Anjana shares her Classical-Western fusion dance reels to an audience of over 75, 000 on TikTok. This episode is all about Anjana's journey in dance. She shares her experience of breaking the stereotype of a Bharatanatyam dancer, why she has consciously moved away from fear-based teaching, the community's response to her fusion dance style, and the pros and cons of sharing dance content online.  

We are joined by Rubi Balasingam, an Australian-Tamil actor and writer from Melbourne, Victoria. Well established in theatre, Rubi has also appeared in ABC's television drama series Jack Irish and the short film, I am Kannagi. In this episode, she shares her insight into what it is like being a South Asian woman in the acting space, the community's response to her career choice, and even a few tips for budding actors. 

In Episode 3, I speak with Inika and Danisha, the two South Asian women behind the Instagram platform, The Filter Facade. Under the hashtag #educate2advocate, the duo share their knowledge on physical and mental wellbeing. This episode is all about why Inika and Danisha are so passionate about sharing realistic wellbeing strategies, the detriments of toxic positivity, and some of the barriers that South Asian children face speaking to their parents about mental health issues. 

In this episode, I chat with Jumana Khan about menstrual stigmas in the South Asian community. Jumana is the founder of Bija Ruh, a platform where she shares her knowledge on menstruation and womanhood, specifically to daughters of immigrants and ethnically-diverse women. We talk about why she started Bija Ruh, why we need to get rid of menstrual shame, and the importance of menstrual literacy.