The Brown Voices Project Podcast

In this conversation, I sit down with Zohra Lasi — associate therapist, clinical mental health counselor, and the voice behind the popular TikTok account @therapysherapy — for the Brown Voices project.

Zohra’s practice is based in Atlanta, Georgia, where she works with South Asian American adults and families navigating anxiety, shame, people pleasing, and the slow work of unlearning a lifetime of cultural conditioning. Her boots-on-the-ground clinical experience bridges directly into what the research behind Brown Voices documents — the same patterns that show up in K-12 schools show up decades later in the therapy room.We talk about:

• Log kya kahenge... what it means, why it shows up everywhere, and why Zohra calls it a dream killer
• The fear of external judgment that quietly drives so many decisions for South Asian Americans
• How log kya kahenge shows up for kids in the classroom — not just adults in the therapy room
• The model minority myth as a psychological trap: why struggling feels like failing at being South Asian
• Why telling kids “you’re strong” can close the door you’re trying to keep open
• How the people-pleasing patterns formed at home show up later with teachers, bosses, and authority figures
• The “you don’t have to if you don’t want to” moment — and why that phrase doesn’t exist in our culture
• What parents of South Asian American kids actually need to hear
• Her advice for anyone watching: you have a seat at the log kya kahenge table too

“When you think about log kya kahenge, think about you as part of the log. You have a seat on that table.” —Zohra Lasi

Read more at punitarice.com/brown-voices

Neema Sharma is a Hollywood (and Bollywood) Assistant Director whose career in film has taken her all over the world. You’d recognize ALL her projects. Movies like Disclosure Day, The Wedding Guest, Extraction, Gray Man, Minx, Marty Supreme, or Hindi movies like Shaitan, The Lunchbox, Diwale, Singham, and the upcoming "Best of the Best" on Netflix… Neema’s also a graduate of the Directors Guild of America’s New York Assistant Director Training Program, which is one of the most competitive and rigorous paths into the industry that exists anywhere.I spoke with Neema for the Brown Voices Project about how she got started in the film industry, what it felt like to walk onto a set where everyone looked like her, and what she would tell young South Asians who want to do something nobody in their family has ever done (and I also had an absolute blast talking to her ❤️).______More information..."Brown Voices: South Asian American Experiences in Schools" is a forthcoming book based on doctoral research from Johns Hopkins about how South Asian Americans experienced in K-12 schools in America, and what parents, teachers, and educators need to know to serve them better.Learn more at https://punitarice.com/brown-voices-bookPreorder Brown Voices!📚 Kindle Edition – https://amzn.to/4gOGwfK📚 Paperback – https://www.punitarice.com/product/br...📚 Hardcover – https://www.punitarice.com/product/br...Brown Voices: The Conversations – https://www.punitarice.com/brown-voic...Let's Connect:🎥 Follow on TikTok: / punitarice📸 Follow on Instagram: / punitarice📬 https://punitarice.com/newsletter#brownvoices #brownvoices #assistantdirector #filmproduction #cooljobs #careerday #bestofthebest #bollywoodcareers #filmindustry #hollywoodjobs

In this conversation for the Brown Voices Project, I sit down with Saloni Nahar: actor, filmmaker, co-producer of the web series Anxious Brown Girl, and founder of the Chicago Actors Hub.Saloni has trained at The Second City, The Annoyance, and the Black Box Academy, and she runs the Chicago Actors Hub, which connects and uplifts local artists. Her story is one of the more unusual ones in this series: a South Asian American who grew up feeling genuinely celebrated at school, AND whose parents built a Desi community so intentionally that it became a protective force throughout her entire childhood.We talk about...— Growing up Brown in the Chicago suburbs and what her parents did to build cultural community from scratch— Her mom teaching Hindi and Marathi out of their home — and the trick she used to make kids actually want to learn— The STARTALK federal language program— What her schools actually got right (Ellis Island Day, World's Fair, four years of Indian cultural performances!)— Anxious Brown Girl, and what it's like to co-produce and act in the same project,— Representation, and why she defends Mindy Kaling and Lilly Singh— Why critiquing South Asian representation misses the point— What success means when you're in a career built on external validation— What it means to show up for your friends who are building things— What she would tell young Brown kids who are still figuring out their path"You have so much time and you're allowed to change your mind. Nothing can be a waste of time if it all connects to each other." — Saloni NaharRead more at punitarice.com/brown-voices-conversations"Brown Voices: South Asian American Experiences in Schools" is a forthcoming book based on doctoral research from Johns Hopkins about how South Asian American kids actually experience K-12 schools in America, and what parents, teachers, and educators need to know to serve them better. Rereleasing Fall 2026 wherever books are sold.Hi, I'm Punita Rice. I'm the researcher behind Brown Voices. I'm also the author of The River's Daughter and The River Goddess: A Prequel.📚 RESOURCES & BOOKS MENTIONED...The Brown Voices Project → https://punitarice.com/brown-voices-bookPreorder "Brown Voices" → https://amzn.to/4gdXVhQ"Uncompete" by Ruchika Malhotra → https://amzn.to/4z8SBTXAnxious Brown Girl →   / anxiousbrowngirlseries  Chicago Actors Hub →   / chicagoactorshub  CONNECT WITH ME:Newsletter: https://punitarice.com/newsletterInstagram: @punitariceTikTok: @punitariceAbout Brown Voices Conversations:Brown Voices Conversations is an ongoing series of interviews with South Asian Americans across creative fields, professions, and lived experiences — bridging the research behind Brown Voices: South Asian American Experiences in Schools with the real, full lives Brown people are building.Brown Voices: South Asian American Experiences in Schools is a forthcoming book based on doctoral research from Johns Hopkins about how South Asian American kids actually experience K-12 schools in America, and what parents, teachers, and educators need to know to serve them better. Rereleasing Fall 2026 wherever books are sold.Preorder and more information here:📚 https://punitarice.com/brown-voicesMy fiction books:Read "The River's Daughter" → https://amzn.to/4lpk0trRead "The River Goddess" → https://amzn.to/4gk2pDq

#anxiousbrowngirl⁠ ⁠#desiamerican⁠ ⁠#southasianamerican⁠ ⁠#desipodcast⁠ ⁠#indianamerican⁠ ⁠#startalk⁠ ⁠‪‬⁠#anxiousbrowngirlseries

In this conversation, I sit down with rapper, artist, and activist HEEMS — real name Himanshu Suri — for the Brown Voices: Be Inspired project.Heems is a founding member of Das Racist, one half of Swet Shop Boys with RizMC (Riz Ahmed), and the founder of record label Greedhead and lifestyle brand Veena Company. He appeared recently on Bait on Amazon Prime and released A Hundred Alibis last year. He has spent his career telling the South Asian American stories the community often prefers not to tell — working class, gritty, honest, and unpolished in exactly the right ways.In this conversation, we talk about:— Growing up working class and Brown in eastern Queens— Going to Stuyvesant — the sleep deprivation, the pressure, and what he told students when he went back— The model minority myth and who it actually serves (and erases)— The underbelly of the South Asian American experience: addiction, mental health, domestic violence, and why storytellers need to go there— South Asian kids with ADHD and dyslexia who get overlooked because teachers assume they're fine— Living two lives — Indian and American — and how his understanding of identity has evolved— What success actually means when you have to feed both your stomach and your soul— His advice to young Brown creative kids: don't quit your day job (yet)— What he wishes teachers knew about their South Asian American students— Birding, gardening, and what he started doing after his dad passed"Work hard. Be kind. Have faith. When those three things are firing on all cylinders, my life is the best — filled with gratitude for what I have, not lust for what I don't." — HeemsRead more at punitarice.com/be-inspiredNOTE:This conversation includes discussion of mental health and substance use disorder. If you or someone you know is struggling, resources are available at 988lifeline.org.Read more conversations here: https://www.punitarice.com/brown-voic...Brown Voices: South Asian American Experiences in Schools is a forthcoming book based on doctoral research from Johns Hopkins about how South Asian American kids actually experience K-12 schools in America, and what parents, teachers, and educators need to know to serve them better. Rereleasing Fall 2026 wherever books are sold.Preorder and more information here:📚 https://punitarice.com/brown-voicesHi, I'm Punita Rice. I'm the researcher behind Brown Voices, and the author of The River's Daughter and The River Goddess: A Prequel.The River's Daughter is a lush, lyrical, mythic tale of forbidden love, resistance, ancestral memory, and the magic that stirs beneath the surface. When Sahira Raazaan discovers powers tied to a mysterious stranger — and the river itself — she must choose between the life she was raised for and the truth in her blood. A feminist reimagining of the Punjabi legend of Mirza Sahiba.💙 Get "The River's Daughter" → https://amzn.to/4lpk0tr📚 Preorder "Brown Voices" → https://punitarice.com/brown-voices-book🎥 Follow on TikTok: / punitarice📸 Follow on Instagram: / punitarice#brownvoices

In this conversation, I sit down with Sabeen Marghoob aka @HennaBySabeen—a henna artist, content creator, tattoo apprentice, and one of the most recognizable names in the South Asian henna art space—for the Brown Voices: Be Inspired project.Sabeen's henna has been featured in Vogue, Allure, and Elle Magazine. She's the artist behind the henna donned by Lupita Nyong'o at the 2023 premiere of Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding musical, and her work has earned her 23,000+ combined followers across TikTok and Instagram.We talk about...— How she discovered henna entirely by accident during the pandemic lockdown—Climbing to AVP at a financial services firm...—...and why she walked away from the corporate ladder— Why her creative friends in the arts tell her not to quit her day job (and what she thinks about that)— The unspoken pressure of growing up South Asian in a high-achieving school— The PRESSURES of the model minority myth growing up in a competitive school— What she'd tell young Brown kids who want to live creatively— What she wishes educators knew about their South Asian American students"Two things can be true at once. You can pursue the things that pay the bills at the same time as pursuing your creativity." — Sabeen MarghoobAbout Be Inspired:In Brown communities, the stories we hear about what success looks like are often narrow. But they don't have to be. "Be Inspired" is a curated archive of conversations spotlighting South Asian Americans living bold, often un-stereotypically successful lives — artists, creators, thinkers, and professionals who have forged paths beyond expectation and convention.Brown Voices: South Asian American Experiences in Schools is a forthcoming book based on doctoral research from Johns Hopkins about how South Asian American kids actually experience K-12 schools in America, and what parents, teachers, and educators need to know to serve them better. Rereleasing Fall 2026 wherever books are sold.Preorder Brown Voices!📚 Kindle Edition - https://amzn.to/4gOGwfK📚 Paperback - https://www.punitarice.com/product/br...📚 Hardcover - https://www.punitarice.com/product/br...Be the first to know everything—sign up for my newsletter!📬 https://punitarice.com/newsletterHi, I'm Punita Rice. I'm the researcher behind Brown Voices, and the author of The River's Daughter and The River Goddess: A Prequel.The River's Daughter is a lush, lyrical, mythic tale of forbidden love, resistance, ancestral memory, and the magic that stirs beneath the surface. When Sahira Raazaan discovers powers tied to a mysterious stranger — and the river itself — she must choose between the life she was raised for and the truth in her blood. A feminist reimagining of the Punjabi legend of Mirza Sahiba.💙 Get "The River's Daughter" → https://amzn.to/4lpk0tr🎥 Follow on TikTok: / punitarice📸 Follow on Instagram: / punitarice#brownvoices #beinspired #southasianamericans #desiamerican #hennaartist #mehendiartist #tsouthasiantattoos #hennatattoodesign

In this conversation, I sit down with Pinkal Panchal — associate marriage and family therapist and LA-based relationship counselor — for the Brown Voices project.Pinkal's practice focuses on helping modern love thrive inside traditional and multi-generational family systems. She works with couples, families, kids, and teenagers — and she has a front-row seat to the pressures South Asian American children carry in and out of school. This conversation bridges the research behind Brown Voices with what's actually happening in real time, inside real families.We talk about:— The academic and cultural pressure South Asian kids bring into the therapy room— Why kids absorb their peers' views of their own culture — and what that actually sounds like— The dual identity split: "too Desi for the Americans and too American for the Desis"— The language at home that plants the wrong seeds — including "behave like Indians" and "you're not pretty so you can't afford to be dumb"— Why constantly telling kids "you're strong" can close the very door you're trying to keep open— The "you don't have to if you don't want to" moment — and why that phrase doesn't exist in our culture— Five concrete things South Asian families actually need to hear— How to help kids love their culture without forcing it — and why the strategy is to plant seeds and wait"Too Desi for the Americans and too American for the Desis. So where are we?" — Pinkal PanchalRead more about the Brown Voices project at punitarice.com/brown-voicesBrown Voices: South Asian American Experiences in Schools is a forthcoming book based on doctoral research from Johns Hopkins about how South Asian American kids actually experience K-12 schools in America, and what parents, teachers, and educators need to know to serve them better. 🔗 Preorder ebook: https://amzn.to/4gdXVhQ📚 Learn more about the book: https://punitarice.com/brown-voices📬 Get my Newsletter: https://punitarice.com/newsletter

In this conversation, I sit down with Vishal Vaidya — Broadway actor, performer, voice teacher, and my childhood friend — for the Brown Voices: Be Inspired project.

Vishal has performed in Groundhog Day and Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway (now streaming on Netflix), worked alongside Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez, and performed as Ajit in the DDLJ musical at The Old Globe and is currently performing in the world premiere of The Lunchbox at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, runs a private voice teaching practice, and has partnered with Broadway for Arts Education.In this conversation, we talk about...

• Creativity as "a way of life"
• Coming out publicly
• Moving away from hustle culture and what he's chasing instead
• Approval-seeking in a career built on auditions — and how he unlearned it
• The model minority myth and the gap between "A student" and functioning adult
• The explosion of South Asian talent in theater post-pandemic
• The Lunchbox world premiere and what it represents for the community
• What he hopes for for the theater world
• What he'd tell young Brown kids who feel boxed in by expectations
• What he wishes educators knew about their South Asian American students

"Creativity is a way of life." — Vishal Vaidya

About the Brown Voices Be Inspired Project:

In Brown communities, the stories we hear about what success looks like are often narrow. But they don't have to be. "Be Inspired" is a curated archive of conversations spotlighting South Asian Americans living bold, often un-stereotypically successful lives — artists, creators, thinkers, and professionals who have forged paths beyond expectation and convention.

You can read more at ⁠⁠punitarice.com/be-inspired⁠⁠

Find me on YouTube at ⁠⁠@punita-rice⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@punita-rice⁠⁠

In this conversation, I sit down with Jyoti Chand — author of the graphic novel Fitting Indian, content creator, fashion founder, and the voice behind @mamajotes — who has built a following of over 350,000 across platforms by sharing her life with radical honesty, for the Brown Voices: Be Inspired project.

We talk about:

• How she built a creative career (and what her husband said that changed everything)
• Writing Fitting Indian from her own experience with depression, alcohol, and a suicide attempt at 18
• The dual identity of growing up South Asian in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood in California
• Her hopes for her kids' generation of brown kids in American schools
• Her upcoming book Unsuitable — and why she's done writing about struggle

"My biggest marker of success is that I own my time."— Jyoti Chand

About the Brown Voices Be Inspired Project:

In Brown communities, the stories we hear about what success looks like are often narrow. But they don't have to be. "Be Inspired" is a curated archive of conversations spotlighting South Asian Americans living bold, often un-stereotypically successful lives — artists, creators, thinkers, and professionals who have forged paths beyond expectation and convention.

You can read more at ⁠punitarice.com/be-inspired⁠

Find me on YouTube at ⁠@punita-rice⁠

⁠https://www.youtube.com/@punita-rice⁠

Content Warning: suicide, alcoholism