The Desi Reality

Hey, guys! Welcome back to The Desi Reality 🥰 Today, we have Kashvi, a female South Asian author, joining us today. Kashvi is the author of the books Sinking Deep, a mental health related poetry book, and Little Kid with Big Problems, a children’s book discussing a South Asian boy named Ravi who starts at a new school and has trouble making friends📚. Both of her books have phenomenal messages re...

It has been TOO long since I’ve posted an episode 🎙️ I never thought that I would go MIA in college, but the transition truly was a whirlwind🌪️ Although I was gone for a bit, I am so excited to share all that I’ve learned, and all of my experiences with all of you! This episode goes into the social and emotional experiences that I have had as a college student—I overview all of the advice/realitie...

Hey guys! Today, I have Dr. Nabila Ismail, a Pakistani American Pharmacist turned creator, writer and entrepreneur, joining me on this episode🎙️ She is the founder of Dose of Travel Club ✈️, encouraging diversity in travel and organizing trips with desi people in mind!  Dr. Ismail opens up about the significance of her journey to becoming a pharmacist 👩‍⚕️ and quitting pharmacy, a step equivalent...

On this episode, I had the privilege to speak with another incredibly talented South Asian individual☀️ Ruhi Parikh, a talented author 📚 of the trilogy Subversion, Conversion, and Aversion, joins us to talk about her experiences pursuing a career as an author, explaining the importance of South Asian representation in every aspect, describing how imposter syndrome has and continues to impact her...

Setting boundaries is NOT disrespectful 🙅‍♀️ Let me reintroduce myself🤝 My name is Ananya, and not only am I the host of this podcast, but I am also aspiring to a career in medicine.👩‍⚕️ This episode is all about how I came to the realization that I wanted to pursue medicine, how I have been treated as a South Asian woman pursuing this career, and realizing that many South Asian women, includin...

Hey guys!☀️ Welcome to the official launch of The Desi Reality: Medicine 🩺 🧬🩹  This podcast episode is a collaborative for all South Asian medical professions, medical students, and aspiring medical professionals to share their journeys, stories, and experiences 📖🧑🏾‍⚕️I hope this chapter inspires and provides comfort to us all❤️ All of the episodes with the new logo are apart of the medical...

Talk about a woman in STEM! 🩺 Say hello👋 to Dr. Rosy Thachil! 🎊 Dr. Thachil is a cardiologist🫀, educator👩‍🏫, and content creator☀️! We dive deep as we discuss imposter syndrome—especially as a South Asian woman in medicine 🩹. We discuss her experiences with establishing credibility and pride in her accomplishments.✅ If you are looking for advice or understanding from someone who is a medic...

Hey, guys! 👋 Happy TWO YEAR anniversary 🎊of The Desi Reality! 🎉 As I move onto 2023, I have been reflecting on my experiences in 2022. 🪞 I have learned so much: From meeting a stranger on an airplane ✈️ to friendships 👭 to approaching adulthood, I have taken all of my experiences from 2022 and channeled them into a brand new mindset for 2023. I want to be positive☀️, kind to myself, and throw...

Today, we have @sweetathansugar joining us AGAIN after a year! Time truly flies by. 🕊 She opens up about and dives deep into navigating changes in her career and personal life, finding a balance between the two. She also shares some VERY exciting 😍announcements coming soon… Especially as we think about a post-pandemic world, there is lots of uncertainty and rapid change that don’t always have a c...

Hey, guys! On today's episode, we have Dr. Anjali Ferguson joining us to talk about her children's book and experience as a South Asian female psychologist. Dr. Ferguson is a culturally-responsive clinical psychologist, speaker, and global resource on racial and social equity trauma. Both her and her husband wrote a book called The Ordinary Day, a family conversation starter about racism, colorism...

Hey guys! Today, we have Shagun Patel joining the podcast to talk about knowing your worth, setting boundaries, cutting out toxicity, and navigating through mental health as a South Asian woman. She is one of the most well spoken and kind people I have spoken to, so I know for a fact many of you will enjoy today's episode. Her advice is phenomenal and left me with a lot of positive introspection....

Hey guys! In today's episode, we have Shanks joining me to talk about his experience as a South Asian LGBTQ+ content creator. We talked about lack of representation, discrimination he has faced from brands, struggles with finding one's identity, and advice for anyone who is struggling to come out. Be sure to listen in and DM me any feedback you have regarding this episode @thedesireality on Instag...

Hey guys! On today's episode, one of my closest friends Sanya Mahajan is joining us to talk about toxic diet culture in general, insecurities during the summer/insecurities that come with being South Asian, and the struggles of being South Asian as well as having body image issues. Sanya is one of the sweetest, most kind hearted people I know, and all of her advice is very thoughtful + helpful. Sh...

Hey guys! Today's episode is in honor of pride month and the importance of being supportive no matter what month of the year it is. Being South Asian, a lot of individuals struggle to come out because of the extreme stigma and guilt complex we feel as immigrant children. I wanted to highlight a couple of your experiences you all have shared with me and remind you all that your identity is nothing...

Hey everyone! Today, I have one of my close friends Japna Kaur joining me to talk about the South Asian mental health taboo, generational differences, advice, resources, and the importance of seeking the right kind of help at the right time. This episode is like being on a FaceTime call with us, so hopefully it feels like a relaxed/relatable episode for all of you to tune into. She's an aspiring Y...

Hey guys. In honor of Cooper Noriega's passing and Mens' Mental Health, I decided to do this very raw and real episode. It's extremely unstructured in comparison to my normal question answer format, but it's a real conversation that we must have. Mens' mental health matters. The South Asian cultural norms/constructs only add to the pressures and necessities to destigmatize mental health. Check in...

Hey guys! Today, we have Simran Duggi, Ms. Teen South Asia International, joining us to talk about her experiences in pageantry, her thoughts on representation in mainstream media, how she is using her platform, her experiences with mental health, and more. I hope you all enjoy today's episode! Be sure to DM me any feedback on @thedesireality on Instagram. I hope you all are having an amazing week...

Hey guys! Today's topic is a bit sensitive, so I want to give you all a TW regarding conversation on rape culture. We preface this in the second half of the episode, so if you'd still like to listen to the firsthand regarding how curvy women are treated in the South Asian community, you definetly can. Sonya, from YouthSpeaksCA, joins me to talk about her first hand experiences regarding both of th...

Hey guys! It is such an honor to have the iconic Nadia Jagessar from Indian Matchmaking join me today! We discuss her experiences on Netflix, mental health, the importance of therapy, South Asian representation, her experiences being Guyanese, and more! Nadia is such a sweetheart and has such an uplifting outlook on her experiences/passions. I hope you guys enjoy today's episode! Be sure to show h...

HEY GUYS! Happy new year!!!! I love you all so much!! Also, happy 1 year anniversary to this podcast!! I'm so grateful to be able to spend one of my best decisions of 2021 on the same day as the new year. I hope you guys are able to listen in- I'm so grateful for every bit of your support and I truly hope you guys remember to take care of yourselves this year. This is our year. Here's to many more...

Hey guys! Today, I have Krish Shah joining me to talk about his book called "The Game Of Life". This book is about mental health, specifically issues related to beauty, confidence, academics, and status being all apart of perception. As stated on the campaign page, the book is "a diary about love, hope, faith, and understanding." I really hope you guys enjoy listening to this episode! Be sure to c...

Hey guys! Today, Aimen is joining us to talk about her journey to creating a "clean-ingredient", South Asian owned, sustainable, hybrid skincare and makeup product makeup brand. She opens up about her switch from pursuing dentistry and how she's using her background to guide her in her creative creation process. I hope this episode is a reminder to all of you to pursue what you want to do. Be sure...

Hey guys! Today's episode is all about ending child marriages. Child marriages are a lot more prevalent than you think- they are apart of almost every culture and occur in numerous places. The laws that still allow child marriages that still exist in our community is appalling. The domestic violence, physical violence, emotional violence, sexual assault, and deprivation of opportunity that has to...

Hey guys! Today's episode is with Tulsi Thakor! She is a student and amazing influencer! She opens up about her personal experiences and gives her advice to those of you going through abusive/toxic relationships, PTSD, anxiety and or depression. As she continues to represent South Asian culture in a beautiful way, she opens up to break the stigma/remind all of you that you're not alone. I've been...

Hey guys! I hope you're doing well! I hope you enjoy this episode where Hiba comes on and opens up about her unique experiences especially as a Muslim Indian woman! She's a sweetheart! Be sure to check her out on Instagram @_hibasiddiquii and follow @thedesireality/ DM @thedesireality us your feedback!