Anu Bhatnagar is a theta healer, a women's health equity strategist and a coach and mentor. She leads a self-love movement for girls and women. She teaches how to bring heart aligned living and leadership in everyday life. 

In this episode, Anu explains her choice to move close to “Mother Ganges, which is the.holiest river in the entire world”… the importance of spiritual practices and healing… the significance and blessings of Ganges in the lives of families in India… reexamining how she defines success , happiness, and her own identity… exploring the equation between self and the feeling of being controlled… reframing the way she defines success and including herself in the kindness and generosity that was once directed only to others… the importance of devoting even a few minutes each to do something that helps us feel that we are being kinder to ourselves… not trying to live up to the “superwoman narrative”… the concept of diving timing… how changes in how we see ourselves can change our relationships with others… acknowledging and honoring what we feel… the interrelationship between our voice and our power… and this message to us all: “Your life is your life. Your journey is your journey. You're meant to reach your highest potential in your own timing.“

Urmi Hossain is a Finance professional, author, speaker, and Co-Chair of Women in Leadership Montreal. She is passionate about mentoring and empowering women, and is involved with organizations like Women in Leadership and Dress for Success, where she supports women in building confidence, navigating their careers, and reaching their goals. 

In this episode, Urmi discusses how growing up in a culturally conservative South Asian household in Italy, and experiencing gender-based expectations, later sparked her passion for women’s leadership… her parents’ belief in education and in the importance of studying and getting good grades… early ideas about what she might want to be when she grew up… in her childhood and adolescence, the challenges and opportunities of being Italian Bengali, living one culture at home and a different culture outside her home… finally understanding that it was not about choosing one culture over the other, but rather embracing both… immigrating to Canada to attend university and successfully pursuing a career in Finance… learning about mentorship, choosing to mentor others, especially women, and understanding the importance of mentoring other women of color… the concept of “friendtors,” her term for women who have wanted to guide and encourage her… how we are all conditioned to strive for external validation without being encouraged to develop internal validation… realizing how important it is to make choices that bring us joy… creating Stories Beyond Borders Podcast as a platform for people to share their stories immigration and cultural identity…. and the reminder to us all that “you can be anything that you want. I think that's what I would have told to my younger self. And that's what I would tell to all the younger generation. You don't need anyone's validation for the choices that you make. If you're happy with it, go for it.”

Dr. Dawn Arda is a Health and Life Coach and Science Writer specializing in health and nutrition. She studied Natural Sciences and Chemical Engineering to PhD level at the University of Cambridge and spent over ten years at a Cambridge research consultancy, researching and analyzing scientific evidence across hundreds of projects for multinational food and health companies. Dawn has written a book exploring how we can use nutrition and a holistic approach to help restore balance in the body, reduce chronic inflammation and support long-term health, which she is currently seeking to publish.

In this episode, Dawn discusses what sparked her interest in the link between nutrition and health... loving the sciences when she was growing up and eventually specializing in chemical engineering…. working in industry, then pursuing a PhD… working for a consultancy where she completed science projects across a wide range of topics… realizing the importance of listening to her heart and taking a Health Coaching course through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition… becoming a Health and Life Coach… and helping people understand how their mindset and thoughts affect their health… gratitude to her parents for the values they instilled and for their holistic approach to health… her efforts to make nutrition information easier to understand by breaking down complex research into a simple 5-step framework called BOOST: Balance your nutrients, Order your gut, Optimize your blood sugar, Shape your weight, and Train your resilience... the importance of “eating the rainbow” for adults and children… cultivating joy by focusing on gratitude and by accepting what is… encouraging us to really listen to others so they feel that what they have to say has value… and the reminder that “we have so much control over our health and well-being.”

You can learn more about Dr. Dawn Arda at dawnarda.com and follow her on Instagram at @dawnarda and X at @dawnarda.

Japleen Pasricha has been a storyteller for over a decade and an enabler of women telling their own stories. She founded Feminism in India (FII), an award-winning digital intersectional feminist and bilingual media platform, to create a generation of young women who are aware and educated about feminism and social justice and put a feminist lens on day-to-day current affairs

In this episode, Japleen talks about the everyday inequality she experienced as a student, and how that frustration led her to start FII in 2013, first as a Facebook page. The platform grew from there: a blog, then a full media platform, and then a bilingual platform built around getting women's voices into everyday coverage of current affairs. She built FII with no resources and no formal training, and learnt on the job. Along the way, she found an online community of people who shared her belief in gender equality, and that community helped carry FII forward. She talks about how much she values FII's readers and the feedback they give her. 

The Hindi platform gets specific attention in the conversation. Launching it broke a real linguistic barrier: young readers could suddenly talk to their parents about gender concepts in a language their parents actually read. FII's English site has published more than 10,000 articles; the Hindi site is close to 5,000. Readers use both as research material and as a resource for themselves. 

She also discusses FII's advocacy on reproductive rights and its work pushing back against subconscious victim-blaming, and touches on how her work and research have gained visibility outside India and, increasingly, worldwide. She closes by encouraging young girls and women to trust their own judgment and say what they actually think.

Sonya Shikhman, LL.B., is the Founder of Shikhman Barristers, a Toronto criminal defence law firm. Recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada for Criminal Defence in both 2024 and 2025, she has spent more than two decades defending individuals facing serious criminal allegations. Known for her fearless advocacy, she believes the justice system only remains fair when it is challenged, tested, and held accountable. In addition to her practice, she teaches Trial Advocacy at Osgoode Hall Law School and regularly provides legal analysis for CTV News and Newstalk 1010.

In this episode, Sonya shares the remarkable journey that began long before she entered a courtroom. Growing up in Odessa during the final years of the Soviet Union, she developed an early understanding of government power, injustice, and the importance of standing up for those whose voices are ignored. At just thirteen years old, she told her parents she would become a criminal lawyer. By seventeen, she was knocking on the doors of law offices across Toronto looking for an opportunity.

She reflects on the mentors who shaped her career, the confidence that carried her through unfamiliar situations, and the hidden humility that allowed her to keep learning throughout more than twenty years of practice.

Sonya also explains why criminal defence is unlike any other profession: representing people who have placed their lives in your hands, challenging the power of the state, and protecting the principles of fairness, due process, and the presumption of innocence. Throughout the conversation, she speaks candidly about leadership, independence, authenticity, and refusing to change who she is in order to succeed.

She leaves listeners with a philosophy that continues to guide both her work and her life: be deeply honest with yourself, know exactly why you do what you do, and always let your conscience lead the way. 

You can learn more about Sonya Shikhman, LL.B., at https://crimlawcanada.ca/criminal-lawyers/sonya-shikhman/

Jill Saberman is a California-based Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. In her professional practices, Jill focuses on Obstetrics & Gynecology, prenatal care, fertility, contraception and menopause. She values helping women understand their bodies, their health, and themselves. 

In this episode, Jill discusses her philosophy of care which includes these words, “I am forever grateful to be in a partnership with my patients” and focuses on being authentic, being a good listener, and creating a safe space for her patients… professional discretion and compartmentalization… thinking about a career in medicine when she was a child because her father was a physician and her mother is a psychologist and a Biofeedback and Stress Management Practitioner… choosing a different path in college and pursuing art classes and film production classes…graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts with a focus on film, video, and photography… stepping away from the film industry and deciding to consider graduate programs after a conversation with her own OBGYN Nurse Practitioner… pursuing a Masters degree in Nursing Science to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner… the winding path that that led her to find her sense of personal empowerment and fulfillment… the importance of sharing our stories and of reminding each other that it is okay to make mistakes while also having a sense of grace for ourselves… and her beautiful closing words, “I would just like for women to be mentors for each other. We all have something that can support, guide, encourage, teach, care, and love for what any individual wants to do or be.”

Hassanah Al-Saba is a commercial pilot from Jamaica who loves the beach and ice cream. She completed her training at the Aeronautical School of the West Indies and distinguishes herself as Jamaica’s first Muslim female pilot. She is now 25 years old. 

In this episode, Hassanah discusses the importance of perseverance and commitment in paving her life’s path… her interest in becoming a pilot when she was a young girl… loving the feeling of flying… her parents support at a young age, tempered by pragmatism about choosing studies that would yield job security… in her late teens, understanding that flight training was costly and that, at the time, there was no approved flight training available in Jamaica… beginning to study computer science in university and applying to become an air traffic controller… the establishment of the Aeronautical Club of the West Indies and her involvement with the club… continuing to pursue her dream of becoming a pilot with the help of scholarships and part-time jobs while studying… achieving her goal… her commitment to observing other people and learning from their mistakes… the fact that she has not experienced discrimination in her field because of her gender and has, in fact, been supported and encouraged by male colleagues… the experience and responsibilities of actually piloting a plane… how amazing women are in our resilience and our strength… the importance of looking within and knowing that your empowerment comes from yourself… and her closing reminder to us all–“Your career also doesn't define you…I am so much more than a pilot… I found that a lot of people have tied their self-worth to their career. I've seen that and I've again decided I don't want that for myself. I hope other people can also know that that one thing doesn't have to define you. You are worthy as you are.”

Sara Hirsh Bordo is an award-winning documentary filmmaker of women and girls’ stories. She is the Founder of a female empowerment production company called Women Rising® and a first-time author.  Sara’s book, Autoimmunity and the Good Girls, How Permission to Put Ourselves First Has the Power to Keep Us Well, is a personal transformation story that reminds women that their healing begins when they give themselves permission to speak up and take charge of their health. 

In this episode, Sara discusses her book… the DNA of a Good Girl… her experiences growing up as the eldest and only daughter in a large, Texan Lebanese family… how the birth of twin brothers, when she was three-and-a-half years old, was “also the birthplace of ‘Be a good girl and help mommy,’ and ‘Be a good girl and help daddy,’ and ‘Be a good girl and do this for yourself’… becoming the Good Girl character that her family needed, an archetype that she has since explored extensively in her research for Autoimmunity and the Good Girls… years of long work days, of championing female empowerment on screen and on stages, while caring for others and also  encountering a series of her own serious health challenges and diagnoses… the exploration of choices that would help her restore her health… ancestral healing and the stories her family has told across generations… being married at 24 and the realizations that the end of that marriage sparked… being judged by family values that she had not chosen… a pyramid that she created and called The Identity Immunity Story, a tool that helps Good Girls understand the stories and rules they have allowed to govern their lives… rebellion against family rules and expectations that empower us to rewire Good Girl DNA and reprogram our immune system… the observation that we either live according to the rules that were given to us or we choose to write our own rules… and her closing reminder to us all–“The accepting of the invitation to be truer to you is done one step at a time.”

Jovia Kusiima is a project manager by profession, menstrual justice educator, social impact leader and entrepreneur. Jovia serves as Vice Chairperson of the European Union Delegation to Uganda Youth Sounding Board. She is very passionate about advancing the dignity and accessibility of menstrual justice. 

In this episode, Jovia discusses aspects of menstrual justice, including freedom from shame and discrimination, access to pads and safe, clean places to change and discard them, and access to clean water… period poverty and its impact on school attendance… questioning the distribution of free condoms but not free sanitary pads… an auntie who experienced gender-based violence because she asked for pads... fighting to eliminate taxes on pads… the need for menstrual leave in workplaces… building her confidence to speak about dignity, access, and equity… as a project manager, having the  opportunity to work with health workers in the Ministry of Health in Uganda… the importance of monitoring and program evaluation… the opportunity to go to the East African Parliament of Tanzania… being inspired by Lillian Bagala… her transition into a youth leader who speaks about menstruation and menstrual justice in the Parliament at the national level… and her call to action for us all, “We need to keep on sharing our lived realities and stories. Why? Because when people really share their lived experiences, they shift how others understand issues. Storytelling turns private struggles into public awareness. We, as advocates or young people or women, really need to have turned our voices into action. Speaking is powerful, but pairing it with action makes it stronger.”

Yamina Bibi is an award-winning former Acting Deputy Headteacher and English Teacher from London.  She is currently Education Project Specialist at Chiltern Learning Trust and The Chartered College of Teaching, and a freelance consultant and coach. Alongside this work, Yamina is co-founder of South Asian Educators’ Network, a Diverse Educator Associate and a #WomenEd Network Leader. Yamina is the author of The Little Guide for Teachers: Thriving in Your First Years of Teaching.

 In this episode, Yamina discusses her book, The Little Guide for Teachers: Thriving in Your First Years of Teaching, and how she was inspired to write it… overcoming her inner critic… the importance of trying to be a positive voice, a positive role model to young people, and the lasting effect that our conversations with them might have… gratitude for fellow teachers, mentors, and coaches who supported and encouraged her early in her career… the reminder that we do not need to prove ourselves to anyone… #WomenEd, a global, grassroots organization, founded in England, that supports women in education, at whatever stage they are in their career or in their leadership journey, encouraging them to be 10% Braver!… her role as a #WomenEd Network Leader in London… how much she loves coaching others… the significance of her decision to leave full-time senior leadership in school to work as a consultant… urging us to invest in ourselves and in our mental health… figuring out what work-life harmony is for her… and the advice to “Surround yourself with people who will say your name in a room full of opportunities, but who will also challenge you, who will also guide you, who will also advocate for you.”