The Raz Patel Show

Traditional South Asian parents ask about marriage before you've even had your first date. This episode gets into why, and what it costs both generations. In this episode, Dhaval Shah joins Raz for an honest conversation about growing up between two cultures, dating under parental expectations, and why mental health is still a taboo topic in so many South Asian households. In this episode, you'll...

Being talented and hardworking isn't enough. Most people who stay invisible in business aren't lacking skill, they're lacking access. In this episode, Raz sits down with Cindy Sha, founder and president of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Cindy left a PhD in textile engineering and a career in research to build something the business community was missing: a single place connecting entrepre...

He applied twice to become a NASA astronaut. Both times, he didn't make it. So instead, he spent the next eleven years studying what happens to the human body he wanted to send into space anyway. That's Dr. Jojo Sayson. Long before NASA's Human Research Program brought him on as a consultant, Jojo was a physical therapist who couldn't let go of one question: why does the human spine hold up fine u...

What happens when networking becomes something more meaningful—when it becomes community? In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Raz Patel sits down with Lisa Ann Adams, founder of the Social Collectives, to explore the power of connection, belonging, and creating spaces where people genuinely feel welcomed. From building relationships that extend beyond exchanging business cards to creating commu...

She arrived in America at four years old, without a word of English. Decades later, a diagnosis made her stop being quiet. “A man goes in for Viagra - it’s covered. I have cancer, and the test that could help save my life isn’t.” That’s Vesna Cottrell. She isn’t speaking rhetorically. She’s describing her own coverage. Vesna arrived in America at four years old without speaking English. She grew u...

We have more access than ever — more profiles, more choices, more swiping — and yet real connection feels harder to find than at any point in history. So why are we lonelier than we've ever been? In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Raz sits down with Sanjay Sharma ("Sanju Mama") and Shailu Maasi, the matchmakers behind Tota-Maina — a personalized matchmaking platform built on intention, family...

Could You Spot Danger Before It’s Too Late? Most people think self-defense begins when danger becomes physical. Instructor Tarika Sethi says it starts much earlier—with a boundary being tested, a repeated pattern, an attempt to isolate you, or a feeling you keep explaining away. At four feet ten inches tall, Instructor Sethi can put someone twice her size on the ground. She is the female instructo...

Manjit Singh, a Sikh American civil-rights leader and first‑generation immigrant, breaks down how fear, hate crimes, and silence are stripping power from South Asian and immigrant communities in America’s 250th year. From 57,000 anti-South Asian slurs in a single month to Japanese internment, family separation at the border, and crackdowns by ICE/CBP, he connects history, law, and lived experience...

What role should Indian-Americans really play in shaping the future of U.S.-India relations? In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Kapil Sharma - a veteran of U.S.-India relations, government affairs, and diaspora advocacy breaks down why storytelling, economic security, local politics, and community leadership matter more than most people realize. This is a conversation about far more than polic...

Imagine walking away from global stardom at the peak of your career to raise a family in suburban Texas. Bollywood icon Meenakshi Seshadri joins us to share her incredible journey of reinvention, from being the heartbeat of Indian cinema to finding her true self in the quiet moments of motherhood and spirituality. This is a story about the courage to begin again and the power of choosing your own...

What happens when global fame still isn't enough? In this episode of The Raz Patel Show, Big Bang Theory actor Kunal Nayyar explains why fame wasn't enough and what he built next – opening up about life after Raj Koothrappali, family, anxiety, identity, and the deeply personal experience that pushed him to create IQ 1to1 and Roll Call for families around the world. Kunal and Raz go far beyond a ty...

Most success stories skip the uncomfortable details. This one doesn't. Next week on The Raz Patel Show: Janelle Harris. They tried to silence her voice. She didn't just reclaim it. She turned it into power. Now she's helping others do the same through Exist Magazine. This is what happens when you refuse to stay silent. Subscribe and hit the bell 🔔 This is The Raz Patel Show. Frozen to Fearless. T...

South Asians send billions back home every year. But who is feeding the family next door? A tech founder. A Hyatt banquet chef. A dedicated mother. They left their careers to answer that question. What started as one woman's grief became a grassroots movement: Anna Sudha Community Kitchens, now serving 6,500 meals every month across Northern Virginia. Zero government funding. Zero paid staff. Sixt...

Everyone told her to pick a lane. Cori Linder ignored them. 25 years as a marketing executive. Wrote a book. Competed as a swim coach. All at the same time. She refused to choose—and proved she didn't have to. But here's what actually matters: How do you turn being "complicated" into your competitive edge? In this episode, Cori shares the Identity Pivot—the exact reframe that transforms how you an...

Millions are taking GLP-1 medications. Almost nobody knows what happens next. Ana Reisdorf is a Registered Dietitian who's worked with hundreds of GLP-1 patients. She's giving you everything your doctor skipped: the silent muscle loss, the identity crisis when your body changes faster than your mind, why most people regain everything after stopping. But here's what actually matters: What does sust...

He flew to Venezuela for a business meeting. He didn't come home for 1,777 days. Jose Pereira was a senior executive at CITGO Petroleum until November 2017, when a routine trip to Caracas turned into nearly five years of wrongful imprisonment on fabricated charges. One of the most condemned cases of hostage diplomacy in recent history. But here's what matters: How do you survive that? And what do...

World-class hospitality looks perfect from the outside. Nobody talks about what it costs the people running it. Most leaders choose: Excellence OR wellbeing. Not both. Torsten Richter, General Manager of the legendary Anantara Siam Bangkok, proved there's another way. In this episode, Torsten unpacks: - The leadership philosophy that builds legendary without burning people out - Why emotional inte...

$67. That's all he had at 16 years old. Today, His Excellency Nawab Syed Algazi represents 88 countries on the world stage. No connections. No safety net. No plan B. Just an unshakeable belief that purpose is more powerful than circumstance—and the discipline to prove it every single day for decades. In this episode, Raz sits down with H.E. Nawab Syed Algazi to unpack: - The mindset that builds em...

They tried to silence her. Most people stay silent after that. Samantha Barber didn't. She built a movement so powerful it's now changing the lives of hundreds of families. But here's what actually matters: How did she transform being silenced INTO a voice that changes systems? In this conversation, Samantha reveals: - The exact moment she chose courage over compliance (and what that decision cost...

She grew up in Flint, Michigan with nothing. She left as  the greatest woman combat sports has ever seen. Claressa Shields is a 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, 4-time Undisputed World Champion and professional MMA fighter — the GWOAT. But in this episode she's not talking about trophies. She's talking about the battles nobody sees. The fight to be taken seriously in a sport that didn't want her. The...

Nobody talks enough about the friendships that actually  keep you alive. In this Friendsgiving special, Raz sits with three incredible women — Anu Rao, Neetu Singh and Rita Vashee — for a raw, funny and deeply honest conversation about the friendships that shape us, the ones that break us, and everything in between. They go there. All of it. Friendships in your 20s vs your 40s and 50s. Motherhood,...

She found documents that changed everything. What was in them — she never saw coming. Sarita Chauhan walks into a room today as VP of Human Resources at YRCI — composed, accomplished, unshakeable. Nobody in that office knows what it took to get there. In this episode she opens the door on everything — the financial abuse, the manipulation, the cultural pressure that kept her silent, the homelessne...

The air is killing people across Southeast Asia. And almost nobody is talking about it. Dr. Yongyut Tiyapairat has served as Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Secretary to the Prime Minister and President of the National Assembly. He has spent decades at the intersection of politics, policy and environmental crisis — and in this episode he is not holding back. Smoke haze is...

A teenage boy. Trapped in a war zone. No way out. Everyone said it was impossible. What Tony Sabio did next — nobody saw coming. Tony Sabio is a U.S. Navy veteran, former Secret Service K-9 handler and CIA counterintelligence expert. When war broke out in Ukraine — he made a choice that would change everything. In this episode he sits down with Raz Patel to talk about what it actually feels like t...

Someone tried to silence a journalist with 50 years of truth telling behind him. It didn't work.   ⬇️ This one is for everyone who has ever been pressured to stay quiet.   Aziz Haniffa spent 50 years as Washington correspondent for India Abroad — the publication that gave generations of Indian-Americans their first mirror in American media. In this episode he sits down with Raz Patel to talk about...