In this episode of Larger Than Us, Sneha and Keerthi talk all things election. They talk about recent events with Biden stepping down, Kamala running and announcing her running mate, to the emerging prescence of South Asians in politics. As they talk about current events - they dive into voter thinking and how technology can affect information spreading. They end on what they are looking ahead on and what to keep in mind as we get closer to voting for our presidential candidate.

In this special episode of Brown Art Network, Keerthi talks with Sonya Balsara - actress and Broadway star who plays Jasmine on the hit Broadway Musical Aladdin! They dive into the process of becoming Jasmine, how Sonya got started in acting, and pursuing performing arts as a career. They also talk all about South Asian representation and her experience growing up with a mixed cultural identity. They conclude the episode with Sonya's next ambitions and advice she has for others looking to get into Broadway and an acting career path.

See other work Sonya has been in: https://sonyambalsara.com/media.html

Get tickets to Disney's Aladdin on Broadway here: https://aladdinthemusical.com/tickets/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw97SzBhDaARIsAFHXUWBU3Bk2Xc5P61E4zEVWfd_mKWBH-48M45CzEo8N-hrDkR-9E7cZ3KgaAt1OEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.d

Stay connected with Sonya on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sonyabalsara

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha pick apart the topic of Cancel Culture. They talk about their views of what the umbrella term means, how it sways views and opinions on social media, the implications of the reactionary behavior cancel culture brings, and ways we can be better or better use of the collective mindset.

Referenced Article by the New York Times: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eco82jrqWsEEqbPABayORhPjpjpae6Vf/view?usp=sharing

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha talks with Samhita and Arjun about the origins of South Asian A Capella as a genre and South Asian A Cappella Association (ASA), is a national non-profit organization committed to the growth of South Asian A Cappella across the globe (ASA). Arjun is one of the founders of ASA and Samhita is the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Relations Officer for ASA. They share how they got involved in music, how to sustain their passions while balancing their professions and school, and their goals and growth for ASA.

To learn more about ASA click here: http://desiacappella.org/ Or Follow On Instagram @desiacappella

In this first episode of season 5, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Sonia Kahlon - founder of Everblume, an online community for alcohol recovery support and sobriety meetings. Sonia shares her experience with alcohol and her journey to sobriety. As they discuss her personal life, they also dive into the community perspective of how South Asians perceive and talk about alcohol. They talk about the problems that it can lead to and how it affects conversations around mental health and support for those wanting to recover from addiction. Finally, they talk about Everblume, methods to support those recovering from an addiction, and Sonia's advice for those looking to gain insight on how to get started on their sobriety journey.

Learn more about EverBlue here: https://www.joineverblume.com/our-story

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Suswati Basu - a South Asian British journalist and editor, as well as podcast host of How to be…- a books podcast focusing on enhancing mental well-being, self-development, and understanding key social issues on a global scale. They start with how disabilities are defined - physical, mental, and hidden and talk through stigmas with each. As Suswati shares her experiences, Keerthi and Sneha also talk about theirs which leads the conversation to the healthcare system - particularly gaps in the current system that were hyperbolized with the pandemic, the approaches for diagnosis, patient care, and training of healthcare professionals. While they talk about the growing issues and similarites within the UK and the US, they dive into approaches within the corporate world to address this, especially getting leadership buy-in for inclusive efforts, and nuances with South Asian culture that affect navigating certain conversations around disability awareness and treatment. They finally end the conversation with advice on how we can actively improve the system and problem areas and how individuals can find the support and care they need in the initial parts of their journey.

To learn more about Suswati and her career: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/suswati-basu

Link to her podcast 'How to be' : https://howtobe247.com/

In this episode of Larger Than Us, Keerthi and Sneha talk with Natasha Mahtani - a certified Relationship Coach and accredited Divorce Coach. She is also the founder of her own coaching service where she uses her passion to help other women feel empowered in their relationships and marriages. They dive into the stigmas around divorce in the South Asian community, perspectives on divorce from different points of view - arranged vs love marriages, children seeing their parents go through a divorce, and stay-at-home significant other vs a double income household. Natasha opens up about her experience going through her own divorce and how it motivated her to help others and her advice to current couples thinking about marriage. They also discuss how young couples can prepare themselves to be "future-proof" going into marriage and understand what type of conversations they need to have to help them have a strong start to the next chapter of their life. Finally, they wrap the episode with Natasha giving advice to individuals who recently got divorced and are going back into the dating world.

To follow Natasha and learn more about her platform see the links below:

https://natashamahtani.com/

https://www.instagram.com/natashacoaches/

In this episode of Brown Art Network, Sneha and Keerthi invite Urwa Zubair - a South Asian producer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles to this segment. Urwa has produced 50 digital commercials and her clientele includes United Airlines, Haleon brands like Flonase & Voltaren, Target, State Farm, WB & Paramount. Most recently, she is the producer of an upcoming feature film in development, BANI, a coming-of-age comedy-drama on the misunderstood cultural practices of South Asian countries. They discuss the differences between Pakistan's movie industry and Hollywood, how she got started as a producer, the unique contributions to the creative process she has as a producer, and all the developments and themes seen in her current feature film. As they discuss her career and experiences, they also discuss the recent/ongoing strike and dive into AI's impact on the creative industry. Finally, they wrap up the conversation with Urwa advising up-and-coming producers and entertainers looking to get investors for their scripts and work.

More about Urwa and her work: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7809854/

Reach out to her on Instagram @urwazubair