BONUS EPISODE!!Before we begin our fall interviews in September, we wanted to post some of our favorite chats from this past year for the next 5 days.  The final episode for our "highlight" series is my interview with actress and author, Lisa Ray.  Thank you for your support and for subscribing to our podcast.  We'll see you next week with all new episodes!Internationally acclaimed performer, philanthropist, author, and public speaker Lisa Rani Ray does not shy away from a challenge.  With a career that spans three decades and several continents, this trailblazer has a reputation for taking on issue-orientated films with courage and grace.   The two of us get a chance to play catch-up after 18 years (I basically was a chaiwallah on her movie set) and talk about it all.  From her first taste of public attention, to working in Bollywood in the 90's, to how serendipity has really played a major role throughout her career.  We talk about how all the unexpected turns in her life, including her multiple myeloma diagnosis, led her to completing her memoir, Close to the Bone, and her plans to continue writing in the future.  From motherhood to breaking it down with Govinda to pet names for our hubby's, we pretty much cover it all.  Let me tell you guys, I would be a chaiwallah for this fascinating woman any day.  

AmiTuckeredOut

Lisa Ray Is Close To The Bone

BONUS EPISODE!!Before we begin our fall interviews in September, we wanted to post some of our favorite chats from this past year for the next 5 days. Next in line for our "highlight" series is my interview with chef, restaurateur, author Maneet Chauhan.Maneet Chauhan knows a thing or two about best-laid plans...they often tend to go awry.  From India to Nashville, we talk about her journey and relationship with food, what it is really like building a business with her husband, how she didn't know she was going to have twins and why she was born to be a judge on Food Network's Chopped.We discuss her upcoming book CHAAT and the epic train ride through India that inspired it as well as her support for the #BLM movement and what it felt like to open up a few of her restaurants in the time of Covid. After this interview, a road trip to Nashville will be happening.  

Chaating It Up With Maneet Chauhan

BONUS EPISODE!Before we begin our fall interviews in September, we wanted to post some of our favorite chats from this past year for the next 5 days. Next in line for our "highlight" series is my interview with author, Alka Joshi.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 hopes these books will be her legacy. www.alkajoshi.com

Alka Joshi and The Henna Artist

BONUS EPISODE!!Before we begin our fall interviews in September, we wanted to post some of our favorite chats from this past year for the next 5 days. Next in line for our "highlight" series is my interview with comedian and writer, Nimesh Patel.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.We talk about growing up brown in New Jersey, how he actually did try the whole doctor route, what it was like seeing Chris Rock laugh at his jokes, and why Hasan Minhaj was sleeping on his dirty couch.  Nimesh talks about his passion for comedy and writing, how SNL was the Harvard for a comedic education, how he got away with working in finance while pursuing his real passion, and who he thinks are the funniest people in his life.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.  This one made me laugh.  The series and the interview.www.zooidiots.com@findingnimesh

Finding Nimesh Patel

BONUS EPISODE!Before we begin our fall interviews, we wanted to post some of our favorite interviews from this past year for the next 5 days.  First up, my interview with Manpreet Singh.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/

Manpreet Singh Discusses India's Farmers Protest

Premal Dharia has spent the last twenty years dedicated to challenging injustice in the criminal system and nearly 15 years as a public defender.  She has tried dozens of cases and supervised lawyers at various levels of practice. Premal will be joining Harvard Law School as the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute to End Mass Incarceration, launching this summer. The Institute’s mission is to end mass incarceration in the United States through a movement-centered, action-oriented organizing and advocacy program with a bold and ambitious innovation institute.We talk about the history of mass incarceration and the current situation as it stands in the United States. She discusses why prisoners are disproportionately Black and Latino,  her work as a public defender and civil attorney, why she thinks public defenders are key to systemic change within the criminal system, founding and directing the Defender Impact Initiative, and what we need to know about post-colonialism and the impact it has had on people of color.We discuss her upbringing as a South Asian woman, what she is most excited about in he new role as Executive Director, and why public defenders have the reputation they do.To learn more, please check out-https://endmassincarceration.org/https://inquest.org/

Ending Mass Incarceration with Premal Dharia

It's time for an update people!We've done over 60 episodes, brought on big names, shared fantastic stories, and undoubtedly have some new listeners to the show from all around the world . So, I wanted to take this week to re-introduce myself a bit, as well as re-introduce the show -- what we're all about here at Tuckered Out, what we're trying to accomplish, and where we're hoping to go with everything.I started this show because I wanted to tell the stories of South Asian voices around the world and share all the amazing contributions my community is a part of.  I also wanted to hear their journeys and how they found their calling because frankly, I was Tuckered Out (see what I did there) from trying to find what mine was.The hope for this podcast is simply this- to share stories for underrepresented voices, to share lessons to those who are figuring out what their mission really is, to share what our culture and heritage represents, and of course to share laughs.   Because let's face it, I gots the jokes.Also, I need some help from you guys!  I  NEED YOUR VOTE for Best Asian Hosted Podcast!  Please log on to www.podcastawards.com and vote.  I WOULD SO APPRECIATE you rating and reviewing on Apple.  It really does help support the podcast and let's face it, it helps my ego.I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO CHECK OUT my website and sign up for upcoming emails I'll throw your way.  I promise, they'll be entertaining.I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! You guys, I need to hear your voices, your thoughts, your random uncle jokes.  Please email me or DM me to ask questions about the podcast,  if you have suggestions on people I should  interview, if you want to collaborate, or even if you have direct questions for my guests!  I'm sure I can make that happen.  I think.THANK YOU AGAIN FOR LISTENING AND SUPPORTING!!!  I love doing this and appreciate each and every one of you.  ami@tuckeredoutwithami.comwww.tuckeredoutwithami.com@tuckeredoutpodcast

Allow Me To Re-Introduce Myself

My next guests have built an organization that is not just starting the conversation around menstrual hygiene in India, but they are educating people across India and changing the way menstruation has been talked about in the past and even today.Tarun Bothra and Kristin Kagetsu are co-founders of Saathi, a purpose driven manufacturing company that makes eco-friendly hygiene products. Their mission is to create hygiene products that are good for the body, environment, and community. Saathi pads are biodegradable and compostable, using plant-based materials for the leak-proof outer layers of the napkin.Kristin has been featured on Forbes 30 under 30 as well as the Women Economic Forum.  I have no doubt that these are the kinds of  ideas and the people that will help change our world for the better.www.saathipads.com  

A Sustainable Solution for Feminine Hygiene in India

Pallavi Sharda knows what chasing your dreams is all about.  Growing up in Melbourne Australia, she knew from a very young age she wanted to become a Bollywood actress.We talk about making the decision to move to India to fulfill her dreams of working in Bollywood, her biggest takeaways from her time there and what she learned about herself, what she would tell other young women who want to make their mark on the world's largest film industry, and her relationship to Bollywood now.She discusses why there is still a lack of diversity and representation for South Asian women in the film industry,  how being an Indian-Australian forced her to redefine herself time and time again, and the reason coming back home to Melbourne helped reclaim her voice and identity.An honors graduate from the University of Melbourne Law, Arts and Languages schools, Pallavi is an advocate for India-Australia relations and the strengthening of intercultural links between the two countries. She was named on the list of forty most influential Asian-Australians at the inaugural Asian-Australian Leadership Summit.Her film credits include Oscar nominated film Lion (2016), Bollywood films Begum Jaan (2017) and Hawaizaada (2015), and comedy Australian film Save Your Legs! (2012). She has worked in Hindi films like My Name Is Khan, Dus Tola, and Besharam.This year, she starred in Tom Jerry and The One, now streaming on Netflix. She also has two feature films coming out in 2022- Black Site and Wedding Season. 

Pallavi Sharda: The Girl From Oz On Reclaiming Her Voice

In honor of Pride Month, I had the honor of interviewing my friends, Parag Mehta and Vaibhav Jain,  a couple who has not just inspired the LGBTQ+ community, but also the South Asian community around the world.Last March, they tried to register their marriage with the Indian Consulate in NYC under India’s Foreign Marriage Act, which is a pretty standard process for Indian citizens who get married abroad (Parag is from Texas and Vaibhav is from Delhi).  This is their story, their journey really, from the time they got denied the registration at the NYC consulate to filing  a precedent-setting petition with the Delhi High Court, urging the Indian government and its Ministry of External Affairs to recognize same-sex marriages.We talk about the history of gay rights and laws in India, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, attorneys Menaka Guruswamy  and Arundhati Katju, the faces behind the historic Section 377 verdict in 2018, and other gay couples who are fighting for equal and inclusive rights in India.Parag and Vaibhav discuss their family's journey of acceptance and love, how they met at Vaibhav's first Pride parade in DC and how they were able to support each other, why we all need to understand how mental illness can play a big role for many young kids who don't have the support they need, and why it is so important for them to represent the LGBTQ+ voices in India that are not being heard, even while they worry about the safety of their own families.And while their case is still going on, one thing is for sure-Parag and Vaibhav love their country. They see progress and they see a positive shift towards acceptance. They have faith in the Indian government, they have faith in the people, and most importantly, they have faith in true Indian values. 

India's Foreign Marriage Act with Parag Metha and Vaibhav Jain

Sharbari Zohra Ahmed is a Bangladeshi-American writer and was on the writing team for the ABC show Quantico, making her the first woman of Bangladeshi origin to write for a network show.We talk about why she never thought she would get picked to walk into the writers’ room for the show, why the show didn’t focus on Priyanka Chopra’s cultural background, the reason she was heavily trolled online for an episode she didn’t write, why there is still a lack of diversity behind the scenes and how that affects stories revolved around minority families, and the reasons South Asians still have a hard time supporting one another when it comes to the arts.We discuss the reason her family fled from Bangladesh while she was just 3 weeks old, how that move shaped her life and inspired her creative journey, and why identity and a strong female protagonist has been a central theme in a lot of her writings.She discusses her debut novel, Dust Under Her Feet, and her current projects including Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Bose Perkins, which she adapted for the screen. 

Sharbari Ahmed Is In The Writers' Room

The India Covid crisis has devastated the country and has affected many of us living in the US. I chat with Megha Desai, President of The Desai Foundation, about their efforts to help thousands in need and what we can do to support the cause.We also talk about the Asani Sanitary Napkin Program, which trains women in rural India to manufacture and distribute sanitary products.  We talk about why there has been such a negative stigma in our culture when it comes to women’s menstrual cycles and how we need to help change the conversation.The Desai Foundation was born in 1997 as a family foundation started by Samir A. Desai and Nilima Desai. The Foundation had one simple goal: to serve the communities that had served them. After ten years of successful partnerships, the Desai Foundation found itself getting more and more involved in its partner organizations.The Desai Foundation is now a robust public and programmatic organization working to empower women and children through health and livelihood in India and the U.S. The Foundation believes that empowering local community members to run projects leads to the best results. And that restoring dignity is at the center of helping people to dream beyond their circumstances.www.thedesaifoundation.org

The Desai Foundation with Megha Desai

Recognized among TIME Magazine’s 16 people fighting for a more equal America, Simran Jeet Singh is Senior Adviser for Equity and Inclusion at YSC Consulting, a professor at Columbia University, a Senior Fellow at the Sikh Coalition, a 2020 Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations, an author, a father, and a devout San Antonio Spurs fan. We talk about his American story, the reasons that pushed him to embrace advocacy, his new book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going, and his upcoming book, More of This Please, which talks to audiences about his unique experiences of racism, and shares how Sikh teachings give us a model for engaging hate without internalizing it.We dive into his experiences growing up Sikh in San Antonio, Texas, how his faith helped him respond to racism all his life, why he wrote about the oldest marathon runner in the world, and his deep work focusing on empathy-building as an approach for personal development and social change.www.simranjeetsingh.org

Simran Jeet Singh Keeps Going

As immigrants to this country from India, Reshma and her family had to build a new life from the ground up and make every dollar work for them.  A graduate of MIT, Reshma was an advisor to the NYC Comptroller’s office for almost a decade, including during one of the City’s darkest moments, 9/11.This past year has laid bare a failure of government on many levels and highlighted that NYC is not serving all of its people equally. Reshma is running for NYC Comptroller because right now our City needs to be able to stretch a dollar far like her parents taught her and to make sure that, as we rebuild, all New Yorkers are part of the solution.Listen in as Reshma's talks about using her skills to fight for equity for all and why she has never wavered. Her commitment to service has remained steadfast and she is ready to apply that experience and vision to the NYC Comptroller job from day one. www.reshma2021.com

Reshma Patel Is Rebuilding NYC

Nitin Pandey is the founder and CEO of Parentune.com, a pro-parent network supporting parents in India to do more for their child. Parents can find trusted advice, validated solutions and real time support on the platform. Their vision is to be the must-have support for each parent and believe that an empowered pro-parent community is crucial to improve the quality of child development. Parentune supports parents to overcome their day-to-day challenges and achieve more for their child within their limitations at various life stages.The startup has grown rapidly and has been recognized by Nasscom Design Awards, the Wall Street Journal Global startup showcase, Superstartups by Superbrands, Smart50CEO, HOTTECH100, and as BusinessWorld Techtors-Technology company to watch out for.Parentune is also doing ground-breaking work by helping to open up conversations around children's mental health, autism, sexual wellness, high-risk pregnancies and much more.They are building the future of India, one healthy child at a time.www.parentune.com

Nitin Pandey Is Fine-Tuning Parenthood

A podcast about growing up brown in America, topics we tend to shy away from and all those "What The..." moments in between.

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AmiTuckeredOut

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