TRUST ME I KNOW WHAT I'm DOING

Three-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej, joins Abhay to chat about his music and environmental advocacy.  They chatted about collaboration, carbon footprints, the "lifestyle for the environment" movement, all as embodied by Ricky's music.  Of note, Abhay wears the same black shirt for most of these podcast sessions!
(0:00 - 2:49) Introduction
(2:49 - 14:55) Part 1 - carbon neutral?, awards and accolades, spirituality and niche music
(14:55 - 27:46) Part 2 - reverence for tradition, collaboration, being an advocate
(27:46 - 41:46) Part 3 - incremental change, lifestyle for the environment
(41:46 - 50:39) Part 4 - making music as art
(50:39) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by director, writer, and actor Ravi Kapoor.  Ravi grew up in Liverpool and has lived in Los Angeles for nearly 25 years, acting, writing, and directing along the way. They chatted about it all - the backdrop of his British upbringing, how he's portrayed a lot of doctors in his acting career, making Miss India America and his latest feature Four Samosas, and his journey as a storyteller.  No laddoos were consumed as they'll save that for next time.
(0:00 - 2:26) Introduction
(2:26 - 12:40) Part 1: being British in LA and channeling the diaspora
(12:40 - 27:15) Part 2: transitioning from acting to directing and making films like Four Samosas
(27:15 - 39:00) Part 3: trusting the process, making a pitch, and storytelling for the powerless
(39:00) Conclusion

Integrative nutrition expert and Harvard trained molecular biologist Kanchan Koya joins Abhay to chat about the intersection of food, cooking, and health science.  They chatted about how gaining expertise evolved for her, about helping harness and coach instinct, and building trust and credibility through learned lessons. 
(0:00 - 2:39) Introduction
(2:39 - 13:18) Part 1: developing expertise and integrating the culture
(13:18 - 30:41) Part 2: using instinct, eating with your hands, living traditions
(30:41 - 40:40) Part 3: lessons learned, parenting, and building trust
(40:40) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by mountain climber Lhakpa Sherpa, who has climbed Sagarmatha (also known as Mt. Everest) more than any woman in the world. They chatted about her upbringing in Nepal, climbing and facing danger through trust, climbing for women, and climbing with her family!  Learn more about Lhakpa at cloudscapeclimbing.com
(0:00 - 3:20) Introduction
(3:20 - 13:22) Part 1: growing up in Nepal, the gamble of the mountain, solving a puzzle
(13:22 - 25:07) Part 2: summitting and descending Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest), the death zone, missing the mountain
(25:07 - 33:59) Part 3: Trust as a climber, climbing as a family, ongoing lessons from the mountain
(33:59) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by Priya Arora, a queer non-binary South Asian American journalist writing and telling stories related to pop culture, entertainment, California, and everything in between!  They chatted about LA, about South Asian American entertainment, about Bollywood, about the variety of journeys they've taken, and about evoking activism through their presentations.  
(0:00 - 2:38) Introduction
(2:38 - 13:15) Part 1: returning to and rediscovering LA, entertainment culture
(13:15 - 25:06) Part 2: Madhuri Dixit, Bollywood, blending themes
(25:06 - 39:40) Part 3: being a lighthouse, Queering Desi, using their writing voice
(39:40) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by Ryan Agarwal, college basketball athlete at Stanford University.  The 6'6" freshman guard chats about the tournament, being a great teammate with empathy, his identity as an Indian American, and improving his game in making the transition to college as a student and an athlete.  Thankfully for everyone involved, there was minimal Cal-Stanford trash-talking...

(0:00 - 2:12) Introduction
(2:12 - 14:17) Part 1: parity in the tournament, empathy, being a great teammate, role models
(14:17 - 30:50) Part 2: being an Indian-American athlete, labels and unidimensionality
(30:50 - 42:32) Part 3: empowerment in the NIL era, transitioning to college, being a better player and learning
(42:32) Conclusion

Abhay welcomes back Snigdha Sur, founder and CEO of the Juggernaut to the podcast.
They chatted about the surprises learned and the growth of the Juggernaut this year, about Bollywood (of course), and about thinking ahead.
(0:00 - 2:20) Introduction
(2:20 - 22:18) Part 1: surprises in storytelling and diverse angles, advancing the Juggernaut
(22:18 - 35:18) Part 2: labeling ourselves, Bollywood
(35:18 - 49:53) Part 3: the brown-gaze, outlook for the future, and being "good" at something
(49:53) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by growth investment venture capitalist and partner at IVP, Somesh Dash.  They talked about the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, the value of identity, relationship development, empathy, and garnering trust.  There was even a mention of some calculus...

(0:00 - 2:27) Introduction
(2:27 - 16:13) Part 1: Silicon Valley Bank - the story and the outlook
(16:13 - 33:25) Part 2: identity and growth investing in Silicon Valley
(33:25 - 46:50) Part 3: surprises, trust, relationship development
(46:50 - 1:01:27) Part 4: home runs vs singles, empathy, instinct
(1:01:27) Conclusion

Abhay is joined by comedian and writer, Abby Govindan.  They talked about being back home, her comedy heroes, sharing her personal challenges on stage, and her Indian/South Asian American identity.  The conversation organically wandered into discussing AI...or did it?
(0:00 - 2:41) - Introduction
(2:41 - 15:05) - Part 1: being at home, Abby's comedy influences
(15:05 - 30:39) - Part 2: how she's evolved, sharing her struggles on stage
(30:39 - 42:27) - Part 3 : identity and AI, what she leaves for her audiences

Abhay is joined by Padmaja Kumari Parmar, princess and daughter of the House of Mewar, the former royal house of Udaipur in Rajasthan, and the founder of Friends of Mewar.  They chatted about being part of the longest unbroken serving dynasty of over 1400 years, about her journey and philanthropic priorities, and about legacy.
(0:00 - 3:18) Introduction
(3:18 - 12:32) Part 1: understanding the living heritage 
(12:32 - 31:32) Part 2: Friends of Mewar, philanthropic priorities
(31:32 - 40:42) Part 3: Balancing contrasts as a leader, evolution of a legacy
(40:42) Conclusion