Masala Podcast: The South Asian feminist podcast

Breaking the Cycle of South Asian Cultural Shame | Masala Podcast I'm peeling back the layers on a tough topic for South Asian diaspora experience: Cultural Shame. This isn't just about feeling "different"; it’s about the deep-rooted psychological burden of feeling that our culture, our bodies, and our very existence are "wrong" in a Western context. 1. Why We Feel Cultural Shame We didn't wake up...

Have you ever looked at your life and thought it looked perfect on the outside—maybe even "Instagrammable"—yet felt a deep, invisible ache inside? In this episode of the Masala Podcast , host Sangeeta Pillai gets more personal than ever to break the silence around a global epidemic: Loneliness . Sangeeta shares the raw reality of her own "peak" moment—standing in London’s Leicester Square looking...

The Pleasure is All Yours: Stop Waiting & Start Owning Your Fire Why is female pleasure still the ultimate taboo? In our community, we talk about marriage, children, and duty—but we rarely talk about a woman’s right to her own sexual satisfaction . This week on the Masala Podcast , we’re exploring the psychology of pleasure and the biology of bliss . This episode is a deep dive into sexual age...

Can you ever truly be a "good" daughter while staying true to yourself? In this episode: understand the the Mother Wound, learn how to stop passing it on. The bond between a mother and daughter is often described as sacred, but for so many of us, it's a complex battlefield of unspoken expectations, inherited trauma, and deep-seated guilt. In this raw and revealing episode of the Bad Daughter minis...

Masala Podcast is back with the Bad Daughter miniseries. Where we carry on exploring taboo topics, have provocative conversations and challenge patriarchy. Let's go! GOODBYE GOOD GIRL, HELLO BAD DAUGHTER! Are you constantly editing yourself, tweaking yourself, minimising yourself to fit into what the world wants you to be? In this episode, I’ll be exploring Good Girl vs Bad Daughter. In fact, we'r...

Tantra and Kamasutra secrets - plus Three Interactive Sensual Meditations SPICY LIVE EPISODE WITH TANTRA & KAMASUTRA EXPERTS, RECORDED AT LONDON PODCAST FESTIVAL Explore the power of pleasure and learn how to tap into own your own body’s innate sensuality. Hint: it’s not about sex positions. Learn Tantra and Kamasutra secrets - plus Three Interactive Meditations to activate your sensuality! Al...

"Can I be a feminist and ask a man to get rid of mice?" An fun, light hearted episode asking questions about feminism. And mice infestations. Are you a strong feminist? Are you proud of what you've achieved? I know that I am. I own my own house, I pay my own bills, I buy my own jewellery. But when a mouse crept into my bedroom - I suddenly wanted a man to come get rid of it. In this episode, I tal...

"But where are you really from?" An episode investigating South Asian identity and belonging. Do you feel like you belong? And where do you feel like you belong the most? Belonging often gives us a sense of fitting in or feeling like we are part of something bigger, that we really fit in one place more than any other. I’ve often struggled with that sense of belonging – and in this podcast episode...

"Why does resting make me feel guilty?" - Rest feels radical for women, particularly South Asian women. Because we're brought up to work, to serve, to always say yes. We've seen our mothers and grandmothers exhaust themselves endlessly looking after everyone else. And so we normalise being tired, overworked and overwhelmed. On this episode of Masala Podcast Unfiltered, I talk about going on holida...

"Where are your kids?" - South Asian women are expected to be mothers, they're told that is the very purpose of being a woman. In fact, society expects all women in all cultures to be mothers. On this episode of Masala Podcast Unfiltered, I talk about a very personal episode in my life where a stranger stopped me on the street, demanding to know where my kids were. It started me thinking about how...

Richa Moorjani on South Asian Beauty & Identity: S5, Ep 13 Never Have I Ever & Fargo star Richa Moorjani is talking with me, Sangeeta Pillai, host of Masala Podcast! I'm thrilled to share my conversation with the exceptionally talented Richa Moorjani. We talk about challenging beauty standards, about the importance of representation, about our dual identities as South Asian women...

Why I became a South Asian feminist activist: Guest Sangeeta Pillai: S5 Ep 12  In this extra-special episode, Masala Podcast creator Sangeeta Pillai becomes the guest. She is interviewed by Hollywood actor & producer Melanie Chandra about the importance of South Asian feminism. Sangeeta talks about her own personal and painful experiences growing up in the Mumbai slums...

Author Mira Jacob on Fighting Racism with Books: S5 Ep 11  Mira Jacob is a novelist, memoirist, illustrator and cultural critic. Her graphic memoir, 'Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations,' was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award, longlisted for the Pen Open Book Award, nominated for three Eisner awards, and named a New York Times notable book, as well as a Best Book of the...

Comedian Aparna Nancherla on Depression & Jokes: S5 Ep 10  Aparna Nancherla is an LA-based comedian, actor and writer who performs all over the US and worldwide. Her TV stand-up appearances include Netflix's 'The Standups,' HBO's 'Two Dope Queens,' and Comedy Central's 'The Half Hour.' Aparna was also a series regular on Comedy Central's 'Corporate,' and appeared many times on HBO's 'Cras...

At just 18, Avantika is already a force as a well-known Hollywood actor and producer. She was the first ever Indian American lead in the Disney Channel Original Movies 'Spin'. She was named in Variety’s Young Hollywood 'Up Next' list in 2021. Avantika plays a lead role in the Sony Screen Gems feature 'Horoscope'. Avantika also starred opposite Rebel Wilson in a #1 mov...

Tanya Gupta was a NASA aerospace engineer, a childhood dream for so many of us and Tanya made it happen. She worked on a prototype aircraft, which now sits at the Smithsonian, and she also owns a software patent with Kennedy Space Centre. Born in the UK, she and her family moved to the US and spent some time in India too, all of which informs her work. These days, Tanya calls herself a New York ba...

S5 EP7 Michelle shares her beauty secrets as the founder of Ranavat, a skin and hair care brand, based on age-old Ayurvedic traditions. Leveraging her expertise in the pharmaceutical industry and her background in engineering, Michelle honors her South Asian heritage to create a line of beautiful skin and hair treatments. Founded in 2017, Ranavat became the first Ayurvedic skincare brand to launch...

Melanie Chandra on Diversity & Equality in Hollywood: S5 EP6 Melanie Chandra is an award-winning actress and producer passionate about bringing more empathy to this world through her work. She uses her platforms both on-screen and behind the camera to share powerful and diverse stories about women and minorities. I loved chatting with Melanie Chandra, we discovered our common Kerala...

Tanya Ravichandran, making waves with sustainable fashion: S5 EP5 Tanya Ravichandran is just 21 years old and incredibly wise. She is the South Asian creator, director and photographer making waves in the fashion and beauty industries. Tanya was photographing campaigns for well-known brands by the age of 15. She has amassed over one and a half million followers across TikTok and Instagram. Some of...

Reshma Saujani On Why Women Need Money: S5 EP4 Reshma Saujani is a leading activist and the founder of Girls Who Code as well as founder and CEO of Moms First (formerly Marshall Plan for Moms. Reshma began her career as an attorney and Democratic organizer. In 2010, she surged onto the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress. Reshma has spent more than a decade...

Teen Vogue Editor Versha Sharma on brown fashion power: S5 Ep3 Editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue Versha Sharma talks about the power of brown women in fashion and elsewhere. She focuses on covering social justice, culture, fashion and politics through the lens of young people. She also talks about the surge of incredible South Asian Americans creatives in the US. Varsha was named South Asian woman of...

Raveena Aurora on music, spirituality & sensuality: S5 Ep2 Raveena Aurora is a massive music star & the first woman of Indian descent to play at Coachella. And she’s on Masala Podcast!  A gorgeous mix of music, spirituality & sensuality, Raveena talks about the barriers of being a brown woman in the music business. Her genre-bending style mixes soul, jazz, Bollywood & R&B...

Dr. Varuna Srinivasan on Being Bisexual & South Asian: S5 Ep1 Season 5 of the multi-award-winning Masala Podcast is a USA Special. Our first episode features the trailblazing sex educator, sexual health expert and advocate Dr. Varuna Srinivasan. Listen for a thought-provoking journey as we dive into the heart of sexual orientation, identity, and LGBTQ+ rights with Varuna. Varuna's story is inc...

What do you get when you put four of the baddest betis (daughters!) on a stage to discuss what it means to break the mould as a South Asian woman? A whole lot of love, laughter & inspiration!” Season Four of the fiercely feminist Masala Podcast ends with a brilliant season finale recorded live at the Women’s Podcast Festival. This special show featured three amazing guests. Shazia Mirza,...

  “How are we expected to present ourselves as women from South Asian culture? Together, we discuss our experiences as South Asian womxn living all over Europe and what it means to be South Asian feminists today.” The fiercely feminist Masala Podcast goes international! This very special live episode was recorded in Cologne, Germany. Sangeeta Pillai chats with three amazing guests: Prasa...