Amituckeredout

Alka Joshi was born in India and raised in the U.S. since the age of nine. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. At the age of 62, Joshi published her debut novel, The Henna Artist, which immediately became a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, was long listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and is being developed into an episodic series by Miramax TV starring Frieda Pinto.The sequel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, premieres June 2021, and will be followed by the third book in the trilogy in 2022.We talk about what it was like growing up in India and the transition to Iowa,  how her family viewed dating and relationships,  why she decided to break the glass ceiling on her own terms, and how she became an "accidental writer".She talks about the origins of The Henna Artist and how the main character, Laxmi, is an ode to her mother,  her mother's own journey finding herself, why she believes women are better leaders, and how she hop

When Siyona Vikram realized there were few Indian podcasts specifically for children, she decided that it was time to start one herself.Siyona’s podcast is called Little Mind Chats and focuses on helping kids breakdown the news, current events, and important topics.  She covers everything from science, the environment, politics around the world, and important figures in history such as Gandhi.We talk about what it's like to work with her partner, her mom, on the podcast, how it's been learning remotely this past year, and what she envisions herself doing with the podcast.She also talks about her Change.org petition focusing on banning plastic toys, who her dream interview would be with ( hint, hint Elon Musk), and also helps me out with a few interview tips!Her slogan, "Minds Are Little, Not Our Thoughts", is spot on. One thing is for sure, Siyona is proving that we should never underestimate the power of a child's mind.www.littlemindchats.com

The #BlindianProject is the "meeting place for Black x South Asian communities". Started as a passion project in 2017, the project drew its inspiration from an incident in which street mobs attacked African students in Noida, New Delhi.Restarted at the beginning of 2020, the events of this year have seen the community grow enormously. The #BlindianProject aims to normalize Black x South Asian relationships while dismantling anti-Blackness and believes in removing negative stereotypes by creating experiences that unite our communities and inspire solidarity.  To date, the #BlindianProject has been featured in international publications such as: The BBC World News, The Lily (Washington Post), The Times of India, BBC Asian Radio, and many others.​@blindianprojectwww.blindian-project.com 

As part of my podcasting fellowship with On Deck (beondeck.com) , I had the chance to interview On Deck fellows Nivi Jayasekar and Paula Hernandez Forero about their peer coaching platform for women called YaYa.joinyaya.com 

Dr. Saya Nagori is a Digital Health Executive who is passionate about telehealth and innovation in healthcare. She is widely known in the health tech space for her early work in telemedicine and increasing access to healthcare through innovative patient solutions.In 2015, Dr. Nagori created the first remote telemedicine eye exam. Since 2015, her company Simple Health (previously known as Simple Contacts) has grown from a team of 3 to a team of over 70 people who are passionate about increasing access to birth control and reproductive health care. Femhealth was founded by Dr. Nagori in 2019 to educate and empower individuals through evidence-based information direct from doctors.This free resource and physician community is helping to stamp out misinformation in medicine so people have a place to find information with ease and confidence. @doctor.sayawww.femhealthproject.com

India’s six-month-long farmer protests, which has recently gained global attention, has been on the forefront of news around the world.  With the recent attacks on protestors and a government shutdown of the Internet, the international community is left wondering what exactly is happening there.I chat with my friend, Manpreet Singh, trial attorney and board member of the Sikh Coalition as well as the ACLU, about the history of the Sikh community in India, what she understands about the protests, and what deregulation means for farmers in India.She also talks about the outpouring of international support, why farmer suicides have been such a big issue, what we can do from here to support the cause, and why we should always remember "no farmers, no food".Please check out these two organizations for more information:https://www.sikhcoalition.org/https://www.khalsaaid.org/

Rajiv Satyal is a Los Angeles-based comedian/host with over 50 million views on YouTube.  From stand-up performances, to going on tour, to hosting talk shows, events, and podcast, this one-man band has done it all.We talk about how Pete Sampras' advice impacted his comedy career, what it was like closing for Jerry Seinfeld, whether he would open up for Prime Minister Modi again, and why he believes in keeping his act "clean".He tells me why dating apps really do work, why his tour No Man's Land changed his life, what his opening monologue would be if/when he hosts the Oscars, and all about his new game show, Desi Chain, now playing on Facebook.Rajiv has a lot more up his sleeve, but don't worry, he won't be pulling out any curse words...at least not yet.@funnyindianwww.rajivsatyal.com

Jia Wertz is  a South Asian true crime documentary filmmaker and director.. Her debut film, Conviction, recently released on Amazon Prime and, selected at 11 film festivals around the world, and won 3 awards. The documentary sheds light on the shortcomings of the criminal justice system through Jeffrey Deskovic's wrongful conviction of a rape and murder in New York. In addition, Jia is a featured writer for Forbes, and the Founder and fashion designer of Studio 15. https://www.jiawertz.com/

I chat (and laugh) with the co-founders of Product of Culture, Archana Jain and  Monika Sharma.Product of Culture (#POCNation) empowers South Asian creatives and innovators to grow and thrive globally. The organization is a WOC founded and funded collective that amplifies Brown brands + creatives with strategy, content, and experiences rooted in culture.Based in New York City and Los Angeles, these women are changing the way South Asian creatives work and grow together.  #supportbrowncreativeswww.productofculture.org

CEO & Founder of Mango and Marigold Press (formally Bharat Babies) Sailaja Joshi sits down and chats with me about building her company literally starting from scratch.Joshi founded Mango and Marigold Press in 2014, a publishing company that aims to fill bookshelves across America with age-appropriate, culturally sensitive and visually vibrant books that tell tales of brown kids growing up in diasporic communities.  @mangoandmarigoldpresswww.mangoandmarigoldpress.com  

I dive into the details of the Georgia Senate runoff elections with my friend and public policy lawyer with Squire Patton Boggs, Amol Naik.Amol served as the Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Atlanta, where he reported directly to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and served as a member of her Cabinet, with responsibility for Atlanta’s efforts on sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and smart cities technology.  Prior to joining the administration, Amol served on the Mayor’s Transition team, leading its efforts on ethics and transparency reform.Additionally, Amol was a Mayoral appointee to the Atlanta Regional Commission. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has selected him as a 40 under 40 honoree, and the Daily Report designated him as one of the top 10 lawyers under 40 in Georgia.From basic questions about the Senate races in Georgia to his insight into election laws and his experience recounting votes, we talk about it all. He discusses the candidates in more detail, how each party has positioned itself, a

SPECIAL EPISODE: It's a new year. Thank god.  Although this past year has been a long and difficult, many of you were able to share some good moments that 2020 gave you.Here are a few of those moments.@amituckeredoutwww.amituckeredout.simplecast.com

For my last interview of the year, I stand-up with my guest, Nimesh Patel, and talk all things comedy.  Nimesh is the first Indian-American to write for SNL where he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for his work.  He is currently a staff writer for the 2nd season of A Little Late with Lilly Singh and has launched a new adult animation series called Zooidiots.  www.zooidiots.com@findingnimesh

BONUS EPISODE with Gautam Gupta, SVP Head of Strategy & Consulting, Pfizer is the first in a bonus series where we discuss and dissect important current events.  Gautam chats with me about Covid 'D-Day' (December 14th, 2020), the preparation leading up to the first day the vaccine was distributed, some of the logistics behind the scenes, and how the past nine months have been within the walls of Pfizer.  

When it comes to South Asian representation in the media, Sheetal Sheth has had a few conversations the past 20 years on the issue.  Author, actress, producer and activist Sheetal Sheth has been a trailblazer for women of color across media with 20 feature film roles and many TV show appearances throughout her compelling career. Sheetal’s story is a beautiful amalgam of strength, perseverance, grit and heart.  On a side note, she can also bust out with some ghetto Gujarati (Indian language from state of Gujarat, India) when needed.www.sheetalsheth.com@beneaththesheetzwww.equalitynow.orgwww.therepresentationproject.org

I sat down and chatted with my childhood friend, Devang Shah, who is Head of Marketing at AyurPrana and previously oversaw operations at Banyan Botanicals, both in Albuquerque, NM. He teaches me the basics of Ayurveda, its universal principles and how it is actually a sister science of yoga but why it isn’t as  well-known and understood.Please check out Banyon Botanicals and Live Ayurprana!www.banyanbotanicals.comwww.liveayurprana.comwww.ayurveda.com@banyanbotanicals@liveayurprana

Zameer Kassam is the Founder and CEO of Zameer Kassam Fine Jewelry, which he launched in 2011. Through every iteration of his career, one thing has remained constant: his passion for storytelling.  We get to hear some of those epic stories in this episode.Follow Zameer @zameerkassamhttp://www.zameerkassam.com/

In part two of South Asians and Voting, I sit down with one of the organizers of South Asians Vote 2020, Samidh Guha. He talks to me about why South Asians Vote is really a non-partisan organization and is focused on helping to resume a normal functioning government, the reason our parent's generation has different political views, and how South Asians Vote has reached out to this group by creating three videos (hint-think Whatsapp groups that have every member of your family). 

It's here guys. Election Day 2020.  I thought it would be a good time to understand more about South Asians and voting here in the US and the numbers that we need to know. Here is my interview with the  co-hosts of the South Asian Block Party for Biden/Harris, DJ Rekha and Rajan Shah.  This is part one of my two-part series.https://iwillvote.comhttps://www.southasiansforbiden.orghttps://www.southasianwomenforbiden.comhttps://chhayacdc.org       

It's rare to get a chance to sit and chat with a media mogul.  Someone who started her blogging career even before the age of Facebook.  Someone who had the foresight to see what was missing in a $24B  media and entertainment industry. Someone who built her own empire, without anything but her own ambition, the family and friends that stood by her side, and a voice that has been heard and respected in a typically male-dominated field.Enjoy my interview with Malini Agarwal.Follow Malini Agarwal @missmalini @maliniagarwal @malinisgirltribeFollow moi @amituckeredoutwww.amituckeredout.simplecast.com