The Root & Seed Podcast

In our season finale, we sit with Dr. Louisa May Khoo, an urban planner, storyteller, and compassionate observer of humanity, to explore what truly shapes how we live, age, remember, and belong. Through deeply thoughtful reflections on Singapore’s evolution, the transformation of iconic Chinatown spaces, and the unseen emotional costs of progress, she helps us consider how memory, place, and ident...

"Once Mini Me, Now Mini You" traces the evolution of a mother–daughter relationship as it shifts from teaching to learning, guiding to witnessing. In this episode of Root & Seed , host Anika Chabra sits down with Kiran Mann, CEO of Brar’s, one of Canada’s leading South Asian food brands, and founder of M2M Business Solutions, and her daughter, Simran Mann, who works in digital market...

In this moving episode of the Root & Seed Podcast, host Anika Chabra speaks with Dr. Caron Leid, caregiver, educator, author, and accidental activist whose life was reshaped by two decades of caregiving. Caron shares how her experiences supporting her mother through Alzheimer’s, navigating grief, and rebuilding her life as a single parent shaped her professional path and PhD research on sandwi...

In this episode, we explore the evolving mother–sons dynamic behind Lo & Sons, the family-run travel brand founded when Helen Lo was 65. What began as Helen’s frustration with not being able to find a lightweight, stylish, functional travel bag became the spark that launched the company’s very first product and, ultimately, their entire family business. Helen and her son Jan reflect on how thi...

Season Eight continues with an intimate conversation about caregiving, identity, and the small “glimmers” that shape family connection. In this heartfelt episode, Anika speaks with mother–daughter duo Jacqueline and Olivia Vong about how memory, resilience, and cultural expectations inform their caregiving journey. Jacqueline reflects on growing up with a strong and stylish mother who balanced ind...

Season Eight opens with a powerful conversation about legacy, leadership, and the stories we inherit. In this special live-recorded episode, Anika welcomes back filmmaker and social impact leader Mohan Sivaloganathan , joined by his sister Janani , to explore the making of Mohan’s documentary In Pursuit Of . Following the passing of their father, Mohan and his family travelled to Sri Lanka to walk...

This interview is icing on the cake of a season all about identity and connection in the workplace. Part two of the conversation with Mohan Sivaloganathan is just as enlightening as the first interview. Mohan and Anika discuss the ways in which true respect between generations occur, why younger people’s leadership is exactly what the world needs right now, and the practical ways co-creation can b...

What does it look and feel like to build a world where there is deep connection between generations in mind? Where we can learn from the wisdom of younger generations with the same respect and reverence we do the older ones? Just ask Mohan Sivaloganathan an acclaimed TED speaker, founder of Harmonious Leadership, who builds systems of change every single day in the work that he has committed his l...

What happens if you don’t have all the answers from your family heritage and/or if your past was filled with trauma and turbulent role models in your upbringing? Bobbie Breckenridge, an innovative social worker and mind-body coach is living proof that healing can take place and that inviting in courage and compassion, often starting with yourself, can lead to healthy connection with others. Bobbie...

How can one design solutions for one of biggest growing demographics in a way that is unique to its proclivities but sensitive to its diversity? By listening to the experts. One such expert, Dr. Samantha Sandassie from AgeWell, a federally funded network for technology and aging, joins host Anika Chabra in this episode. Together they discuss tangible ways in which innovators can adopt a mindset an...

Sounds like a dream, right? No matter what stage of your career, aligning your personal and professional values feels like the path to a fulfilling, long standing relationship with your workplace.  For our more visual and strategic listeners, this feels like a giant Venn diagram, with a juicy middle in service of what’s best for employer and employee. Host Anika Chabra explores the topic of congru...

Know yourself, and then sell better. When guest Peter Ahn advises tech founders he encourages them to weave their personal story through their pitches and presentations, building empathy and trust with the audience.  In this interview, Peter and Anika dispel the historical stereotype of the salesperson, forging a new narrative and path for effective selling - a life and professional skill they bot...

What a way to launch a season! In this interview, host Anika Chabra draws a relationship between childhood experience, identity and the professional self.  Guest Michelle Bazargan, a technology executive advisor, conscious leadership coach and author encourages listeners to go inwards, uncover their stories and really get to know oneself in order to show up at work as your true self.  Michelle sha...

Season 7 of the Root & Seed podcast is launching on September 19th.  Over the past 3 years we have brought you stories to inspire discovery and celebration of family and cultural backgrounds. You have responded by listening, by giving us feedback and used our physical and digital tools to capture, collect and connect with others in your life. In some ways it feels natural to go where we are go...

What happens when Root & Seed co-founders Jenn and Anika get together with mics on to interview each other? Lots of storytelling, advice shared, and reflecting on their Root & Seed journey. For our season 6 finale, on the theme of relationships, they couldn’t help but provide a peek behind the curtain and answer the most asked questions from the Root & Seed community. Everything from h...

Is “almost" anything good enough? It sure is for this episode’s guest Brittany Muddamalle, the voice behind The Almost Indian Wife.  As a Caucasian/Romani woman married to an East Indian and now raising multiracial kids in America she is building a life that works for her and her family and in doing so is inspiring others to “meet in the middle” to honour all family tradition, culture and nor...

What does it mean to truly represent your culture in a way that is innate, intimate and unique?  Eric Hernandez is a Native American hoop dancer whose love for expressing his culture comes through movement and by telling his story, shedding a light on the diversity within the Native American and Indigenous communities. In this episode Eric reveals his choice to follow life’s whispers and nudges an...

Exploring the role that tradition plays in one’s life feels pretty core to the Root & Seed community.  But what role does it play when you have lost a loved one?  And at an age when you just starting to "adult"? We explore this and more with Francesca Saraco, someone who is navigating the world after losing both her parents in her 20s. How food can be a great connector to those who h...

It appears there are no conversations with Darius Bashar that stay on the surface and this is definitely one of them. Darius is a creator, yes, and someone who is helping to connect with others in a way that defies media and mode.  From dance to meditation, from photography to facilitator, he is on a mission to connect more intimately, evidenced by one of his many projects "No Strangers"...

We first discovered Mita Mallick on LinkedIn and we're enamoured with her content about making the workplace truly inclusive and inviting for all. How as leaders, it is in fact our experiences at home, our upbringing, our backgrounds that help inform, influence, and inspire how we show up at work. How when a sense of belonging and truly feeling part of a team is fostered, that it actually make...

Season 6 is upon us!  After almost 40 episodes of reflecting on our cultural discovery, appreciation, and preservation journeys, we wanted to remain reflective, but allow a bit more fluidity into our guests' stories. And this season we have some unbelievable guests. They are introspective, empathetic, heart-centered, and creative. Yes, all of them. But in different ways... and yet the common t...

What a way to end a season on identity! Charlene SanJenko's “official” journey to uncover her Indigenous roots started eight years ago.  However, we learn that in order to truly live into herself, she had to dig deeper into earlier experiences to inform how she wanted to move forward now, as a proud Indigenous woman.  As leader for a platform called reGEN Media she is helping to reimagine the...

There’s something about Samanta Krishnapillai ’s story that is familiar yet unique, destined yet delightful, average yet special.  As the founder of On Canada Project, Samanta and her team are distilling information and dispelling myths so that Canadians can truly comprehend societal issues and happenings.  Where does she get this drive?  A mystery perhaps, or is this the result of her upbringing,...

They say we remember moments not days. In part two of our interview with Dr. Jenny T. Wang, Dr. Wang crystallizes a moment between her and her mom, that feels relatable for all immigrants and their descendants, showing them that their hard work and sacrifices were ultimately worth it. Listen to that and more, including thoughts on resolving the role of our generation and how we can invite in tradi...

Just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Heritage month, we bring you part one of this two part series with clinical psychologist, Dr. Jenny T. Wang. In one of our most heart-felt, honest discussions to date we discuss about what it means to be descendants of immigrants, compassion and empathy for our parents' generation, and our role jostling be...