TURN it up!

Sogand breaks down confidence as something you build with evidence, not a mood you wait for, and we test whether “fake it till you make it” works when you pair it with psychology and neuroscience. We share concrete ways to stop avoidance loops, track real wins, and reframe nerves so you can show up even on the days you do not feel it. 

• Why confidence often spikes as summer ends and new routines begin 
• Confidence shaped by learning, behaviour, social feedback, memory, and how we interpret failure 
• The difference between self-confidence, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-worth 
• Acting your way into confidence using Bandura’s four evidence sources 
• How avoidance quietly weakens confidence over time 
• Using small attempts and small wins to create “proof” your brain believes 
• Working with negativity bias by keeping a visible inventory of wins 
• Why confidence is context dependent and not the same as competence 
• A writing exercise to turn past success into usable evidence today 
• Neuroscience of learning, dopamine, and prediction updates that support confidence 
• Anxiety as shared physiology and using stress reappraisal to perform better 
• Practical delivery tools: slower speech, pauses, breathing, outward focus, eye contact, and body language 

Tune in to Wellbeing Wednesdays with Sogand on The Universal Radio Network, 97.9 FM in Edmonton, or globally at www.theuniversalradio.com.

IG: @theuniversalradio

We sit down in Edmonton with the Honourable Ruby Sahota to talk about South Asian representation in Canadian politics and what it takes to lead when you are often the only one in the room. We connect identity, community support, and public safety work to a simple message for the next generation: be brave and step forward. 

• Entering Canadian politics as a South Asian woman and what acceptance can look like 
• Feeling like an outsider growing up and finding a place in public life 
• Anti Brown hate and hate crime increases and what that signals for communities 
• Balancing regional public safety needs while making policies meant to apply evenly 
• Why diversity in politics strengthens how issues are seen and communicated 
• How community life builds leadership through volunteering and public speaking 
• The grade seven David Suzuki moment and learning to face an audience 
• Practical ways young women can start now through local groups and campaigns 
• Defining successful representation as brave and ready to go to bat for people 

Tune in daily to The Universal Radio Network on 97.9 FM 5 PM onwards

IG: @theuniversalradio

We lay out what’s confirmed about the stabbing during morning prayers at an Edmonton gurdwara, then sit with what it feels like to process fear while an investigation is still unfolding. We connect the immediate facts to the wider climate of religious hate, justice system gaps, and the community-level choices that help us stay open rather than shut down. 

• Walking through the known timeline and confirmed details from police and reporting 
• Separating verified facts from rumours while the hate crime unit investigates 
• Community reactions from political leaders and Sikh organizations 
• Questions about release supervision and what happens when check-ins fail 
• Why motive matters and why we refuse to speculate 
• Practical safety steps and resources including Stop Hate Alberta 
• Remembering Oak Creek and what Chardi Kala looks like after trauma 
• Parallels with Islamophobic targeting at Al-Rashid Mosque in Edmonton 
• Hate crime statistics in Canada and the trend toward more violence 
• The tension between freedom of expression and hate speech 
• What Bill C-9 could change for accountability 
• Restorative justice ideas and the Restore programme for desistance 
• Small local actions that rebuild connection after fear 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Ravia follows the history bangle from ancient times to the intensely personal rituals of South Asian weddings, where jewellery becomes a public signal of love, duty, luck, and grief. We also dig into how bangles show up in politics and poetry, proving the clink on your wrist can carry a whole archive of memory and meaning. 

Here's what she gets into:
 • Ancient bangle history from the Denisovan stone bracelet to Indus Valley sites 
• Symbolic meaning of bridal bangles across South Asian culture and the diaspora 
• Why ornamentation works as cultural identification and communication 
• Where the word bangle comes from and how many regional names exist 
• How glass bangles are made and what modern materials can include 
• Major bangle hubs like Firozabad and Hyderabad 
• Marital status meanings including widowhood and the symbolism of broken bangles 
• Punjabi choora ceremony details including milk cleansing covering and wear timelines 
• Wedding kalirey traditions including the playful “who marries next” ritual 
• The 1930s Bangle League and how bangles became a tool of protest 
• The sound of bangles in motherhood literature and intimacy 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Ravia untangles Raksha Bandan from its neat origin stories and follow how a simple thread becomes myth, empire policy, protest symbol, pop culture script, and big business. We also sit with the tension between love and patriarchy, from “protection” as a promise to rakhi as friend-zone code and a tradition younger people keep rewriting. 

• Raksha Bhandan basics, meaning of raksha and bandhan, and how the tradition look now 
• Competing origin myths and why they contradict each other 
• Raksha sutra versus sibling ritual and what got retrofitted over time 
• How Mughal courts, elites, and later mass culture help popularize Rakhi 
• Tagore’s cross-religious Rakhi as protest and solidarity against partition 
• Commercialization, spending pressure, imports, and e-commerce influence 
• Bollywood and music shaping the emotional script of sibling protection 
• “Friend zone technology” and research on teens, attraction, and respectability 
• How the full moon date holds many regional rituals across South Asia 
• The feminist debate, inheritance, coercion controversies, and modern reworks 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Ravia traces the pre-wedding turmeric paste ceremony across South Asia and the diaspora, from Ayurvedic roots to the many names and regional rules that shape how turmeric gets used before a wedding. Here is what she dives into:

• What Haldi is and why turmeric paste goes on the body before the wedding 
• Vedic references and Ayurvedic uses of turmeric as skincare and healing 
• North India Haldi structure plus the “you’re next” superstitions 
• Punjabi Maya and Vatna traditions including rangoli boards and family roles 
• Bengali Gaye Holud as a link between two households 
• Gujarati Pithi and who gets to apply the paste first 
• Tamil Nadu and turmeric as a transition ritual across life stages 
• Diaspora evolution from backyard rituals to heavily photographed events 
• Why turmeric persists: antiseptic, exfoliating, auspicious colour, purification, evil eye protection 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Ravia sits down with Sakshi Chopra to unpack the 2000s pop nostalgia behind her sound and the real work it takes to build a pop career across Mumbai and Los Angeles. We talk writers’ rooms, identity, live performance highs, and why momentum beats perfection when you’re creating. 

• Chasing a 2000s pop feeling and turning it into a modern sound 
• Vocal training in Mumbai and why Los Angeles felt like the right move 
• Experimenting across pop subgenres while keeping a clear artistic centre 
• Co-writing basics, room energy, and “cracking the chorus” first 
• Writing from heartbreak, desire, pain, power, and reinvention 
• Keeping Indian elements present while refusing to stay in one box 
• Shaping a dark, cinematic, moody EP and planning visuals in India and LA 
• Building an Indian pop princess persona without having many role models growing up 
• How moving abroad alone accelerates growth and self-knowledge 
• Memorable shows, including selling out The Troubadour and performing at Venice Beach 
• Leaning on family support, consistency, and doing the work 

Make sure you stay connected with us across socials at the Universal Radio. 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com. Follow us across socials: @theuniversalradio

IG: @theuniversalradio

This show was on-air on Thursday, August 13, 2026, one day before Independence days of Pakistan and India which are marked by the splitting of five rivers, that birthed two countries, Pakistan on August 14, 1947 and India on August 15, 1947.  This event is known as "The Partition," as the rupture of Punjab caused massive displacement and violence. Ravia traces how Punjabi music carries Partition memory through pop patriotism, border-crossing musicians, river metaphors, and the diaspora’s ongoing search for home. 

• India and Pakistan independence dates as a shared origin story with a divided aftermath 
• Punjab’s five rivers as geography turned into grief and memory 
• Pakistan’s official anthem versus emotional anthems like “Dil Dil Pakistan” and Junoon’s stadium-scale patriot songs 
• Radha Kapuria’s research on Punjabi musicians navigating caste, institutions, and a hardened border 
• Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Iqbal Bano as artists shaped by pay, citizenship, censorship, and protest 
• “Double nostalgia” as longing running both directions across East Punjab and West Punjab 
• Rivers in Punjabi folk and pop as a recurring Partition metaphor 
• “Sanjha Punjab” music as mourning without pretending the border is simple 
• Kartarpur Corridor as a single sacred crossing amid major geopolitical tension 
• Diaspora projects like Project Dastan and Punjabi Leher reconnecting families through tech and storytelling 
• Diasporic “home” as something we actively produce through language, community, and music 

Tune in weekly on Mondays & Thursdays to TURN it up with Ravia on 97.9 FM or live-stream at www.theuniversalradio.com. Follow us across socials: @theuniversalradio

IG: @theuniversalradio

Gurjeet talks through why mental health can vary so much across occupations, and what the research says about frequent mental distress in different industries. We also share practical ways to choose work more wisely by looking at job demands, schedule control, social support, and whether the work feels meaningful. Here's what Gurjeet gets into:

• How workload, autonomy, and social impact shape well-being 
• A journaling prompt for procrastinators to make tomorrow easier 
• What “frequent mental distress” means and why 14+ bad days matters 
• Industries flagged for higher distress including arts and media, food service, health-care support, and sales 
• Stress tolerance jobs and why health care dominates the list 
• The surprising #1 stress tolerance role: film and video editors 
• Why manager support and office culture can lower distress 
• Questions to ask when choosing a career path or switching fields 

Tune in weekly to Wellbeing Wednesday with Gurjeet Gill on The Universal Radio Network, 97.9 FM in Edmonton, or globally at www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio

Sapreet sits down with Ziyah Karmali to talk about what it takes to become visible in Canadian media when you don’t see yourself reflected on screen. We unpack ambition, the pressure of being forward-facing, and why Edmonton’s community energy can turn a big leap into real momentum. Here's what they talk about:

• Edmonton’s busy summer culture and thriving in the chaos 
• South Asian representation on local television and why visibility matters 
• Choosing broadcasting over culturally expected career paths 
• What mainstream media still gets wrong about South Asian women 
• The loneliness of ambition and believing in yourself early 
• Pressure to be camera ready and the hidden struggles people don’t see 
• Building a support system and finding a real off-duty balance 
• Launching This Is YEG with Jean Principé to spotlight local stories 
• Networking in Edmonton and creating content with the tools you have 
• Redefining success beyond titles and security on paper 

Give us a follow us across socials @theuniversalradio. Tune in 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day at 97.9 FM in the Edmonton area or livestream www.theuniversalradio.com

IG: @theuniversalradio