We Are Spiraling

New notes, one year later: A year ago this show was just an idea. Since then: conversations with lawmakers, comedians and actors, coverage in The New York Times and Business Insider, and MAYURA, the hair care line I talk about here, launches next month. Starting something? Hear where I was before it all began. 

Original description: A reporter who covered startups for a decade starts her own: the curly hair care product line she’s always wanted. This show investigates curly hair in our culture.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

British stand-up comedian and actor Sindhu Vee describes the intricate and intimate role hair has played in her life, from her time at boarding school in India to moving to the U.K. and becoming an investment banker, to now as a performer who is also a mother, daughter and wife.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

People go to great lengths to hide their curls, either through straightening or buzz cuts. We investigate the cultural forces that made, and continue to make, so many feel their natural hair is something to fix. It isn't.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

The word “frizz” actually has a benign definition. Priya investigates the history of how this term was co-opted against us, first by a writer in colonial times and later (even now) by legacy beauty brands. She explains her philosophy around curly hair.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

Throughout history, poets have, like me, been inspired to make curly hair a focus of their work. Curls have been used as a symbol of romance, charm and beauty. I share verses from Hafez, Rumi and Ovid, along with works by modern poets that resonated with me. I hope they make you feel like you are a work of art.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

New York state implemented a law this year requiring cosmetology schools to teach students how to work with textured hair. We speak with state assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages, who pushed to make it happen. She explains why hair is a key part of her policy agenda, the role it played in her Haitian immigrant upbringing and what laws she hopes to pass next.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

Today’s minisode dives into how we think about making and growing this show with an audio version of a behind-the-scenes story originally shared on WeAreSpiraling.com.

I break down what actually happens when you get media coverage, and why founders are wrong to chase press validation from the get-go, from the perspective of a reporter turned founder.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

There’s an unwritten dress code across corporate America: everywhere you go, there are secret curlies. We unpack why this isn’t just happenstance, just like how it’s not a coincidence that a disproportionate number of CEOs are white men over 6 feet tall. For part 1, find episode #2 (Why Are So Many People Secretly Curly?) in our feed.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

We unpack the powerful connection between your hormones and your hair through different stages of life with Dr. Jordan Emont, a board certified obstetrician-gynecologist. From testosterone to iron levels, thyroid shifts, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause, we explore why your hair changes over time, what those changes are actually telling you and what you can do about it.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.

We dig into Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," exploring Matt Damon's representation of Odysseus and Zendaya's Athena, and consider the role of hair in Greek literature and mythology.

Join the MAYURA waitlist for early access when we launch.

Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes stories: WeAreSpiraling.com

Follow Priya on Instagram and TikTok

And follow the show on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.