South Asian writer and author, Sonya Singh, gave us a glimpse of what it's like being a South Asian CEO of a successful company through her book "Sari Not Sari". In this rom-com novel, Manny Dogra, the CEO of Breakup, an agency that helps people manage their relationship breakups, showcases the trials and tribulations that she faces with her own identity and realizing that she never truly gave herself a chance to understand herself and her culture. 

During this episode, we dive deeply into Sonya Singh's personal journey of finding herself, going through the motions of being a creative entrepreneur, and being a South Asian woman who took a chance on herself to search for what love meant to her.

Sujata Day, a first generation South Asian performer, creator, writer, and director from Pittsburgh, debuted her film, Definition Please in 2020. We have seen her starring in the role of Cece in The Misadventures of Awkward Black girl by Issa Rae, as well as Sarah in HBO’s Insecure.

Definition Please is a film that captures a unique angle of the South Asian mother to child dynamic, cultural pressures for South Asian children,  mental health and more, with a little romance and comedy in the mix. We got to sit down and chat with Sujata about her new film Definition Please, now available on Netflix!

Sujata Day

https://www.sujataday.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sujataday/

A perfect moment in time to chat astrology here at The Dating Culture. With Venus currently in retrograde, we couldn't have been more excited to chat with Kirah Tabourn; Astrologer, author and Co-founder of Cusp Astrology, the only modern astrology app focused on love, sex, relationships and the erotic. On this episode, we talk about the meaning of sun, moon and rising signs, the Cusp Astrology app, what Venus in retrograde currently holds for our love lives, and much more! Our host Payal also gets a live love astrology reading - tune in!

Follow Kirah

https://www.instagram.com/cusp.astrology/

Dil Mil is currently one of the largest South Asian dating apps in the game! We sat down with KJ Dhaliwal, CEO of Dil Mil, as he shared with us the inspiration behind Dil Mil, his own romantic experiences, and his thoughts on present day dating. 

Dil Mil Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dilmil/

Sign up for Dil Mil: https://apps.apple.com/app/id879383901?mt=8

The Dating Culture:

https://www.instagram.com/thedatingculture/?hl=en

Sonya Lalli is an author and first generation Canadian South Asian woman. We got a chance to sit down with Sonya to talk about her recent book, "Serena Singh Flips The Script". This is a story of a young woman, Serena, who experiences all the "things" that most South Asian women go through in their adult years as a single woman; marriage pressure, understanding platonic relationships, empathizing with immigrant parents, understanding what love means, and much more. As a South Asian author and first generation Canadian woman, Sonya shared through her book the many ups and downs that young South Asian women experience balancing their Western life while keeping their heritage in mind.

Sonya Lalli:

http://www.sonyalalli.com/

Where to purchase her books: https://www.amazon.com/Sonya-Lalli/e/B06Y1CK469%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

https://www.instagram.com/sonya_lalli/?hl=en

The Dating Culture:

https://www.instagram.com/thedatingculture/?hl=en

Payal Patel, founder of Manu Counseling, is a South Asian Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her extensive experience working with sexual trauma clients has allowed for her to work with clients with a variety of issues such as marital conflict, infidelity, sexual abuse, childhood abuse, domestic violence, anxiety, depression, grief as well as stress. During this episode, we dive deep into what sexual assault is, how common men experience sexual assault, the shame men feel around their sexual trauma, how to support a partner who has experienced sexual assault, and breaking down the value of therapy even further.

How to find Payal:

Website: https://www.manucounseling.com/what-we-do

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manucounseling/?hl=en

The Dating Culture

Check out The Dating Culture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedatingculture/

Check out Payal's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/payalmua/

Jalpa Dadhuk, a certified Reiki Master Teacher, Integrated Nutritional Coach and Occupational Therapist sat down with us to further break down just a few of the pressures that South Asian women experience. Jalpa helps break down the process of releasing guilt, sexual shame, and understanding what generational womb healing looks like.

Jalpa Dadhuk

https://www.instagram.com/nourishbyjd/?hl=en

https://www.nourishbyjd.com/

With so many new approaches to dating, it may never cross our minds to try working with a Dating Coach. The benefits? Give this episode a listen to get some great advice from Dating and Relationship Coach, Varsha Mathur, on the value of working with a coach while dabbling in the dating scene!

Varsha's Website: www.coachingbyvarsha.com

Varsha's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachingbyvarsha/

Check out The Dating Culture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedatingculture/

Check out Payal's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/payalmua/

Music: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/chill-day

Radha Patel, Founder of Single to Shaadi, began her matchmaking business in hopes to help people find love. She shared with us the realities of finding love, breaking down cultural norms, obstacles with matching, dating apps versus matchmaking services, and what her process is for helping folks find a partner! Tune in to Episode 3 to get some pointers on modern day matchmaking!

Where to follow Radha:

https://www.singletoshaadi.com/

https://www.instagram.com/singletoshaadi/

Check out The Dating Culture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedatingculture/  

Check out Payal's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/payalmua/

Music: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/chill-day