How to launch a second act in life, with comedian Zarna Garg

Summary

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Post Reports: How to Launch a Second Act in Life, with Comedian Zarna Garg

Podcast: Post Reports (The Washington Post)
Air Date: November 29, 2025
Host: Ella Hay
Guests: Zarna Garg (comedian, author), Zoya Garg (daughter & COO of Zarna Garg Productions)
Recorded at: Washington Post Global Women’s Summit (with a live audience)

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Episode Overview

This special episode focuses on the meteoric rise and unconventional career journey of comedian Zarna Garg, who started her stand-up career after years as a lawyer and stay-at-home mom. Featuring her daughter and business partner, Zoya Garg, the episode explores building a personal brand, navigating family business dynamics, the power of social media, and the importance (and challenges) of launching a “second act” in life. The discussion is both humorous and deeply insightful, with commentary on identity, entrepreneurship, resilience, and women supporting women—reaching its emotional peak around the Riyadh Comedy Festival and closing on advice for anyone contemplating a major life pivot.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Zarna’s Unlikely Path to Comedy

[01:51–03:43]

• Zarna describes her journey: emigrating to the US as a teen, putting herself through law school, then being a stay-at-home mom for 16 years.
• Comedy was "not on [her] radar" but, in retrospect, she’s always been “the funny one” in her family, much to her traditional Indian parents’ confusion and disappointment.
  • Quote:

    "My parents were literally devastated. We didn’t get the doctor, we didn’t get the engineer, we didn’t even get the accountant. We got the funny one. What do you do with the funny thing?"
    — Zarna Garg [02:31]

2. Zoya’s Role in Sparking Zarna’s Career

[03:43–05:22]

• Zoya believed Zarna’s personality and entrepreneurial spirit were unique:
  • “She raised me like a business. There was nothing about me that was accidental, down to the baby carrot. Everything was calculated.”
• List of Zarna’s failed ventures (tomato sauce, matchmaking, toothbrushes) led Zoya to suggest stand-up.
• Zoya’s insight: “I wanted her to get paid for it.”
  • Quote:

    "Nobody would buy her products...but people would buy just because they wanted to talk to her for an extra minute."
    — Zoya Garg [04:40]

3. Zarna’s Comedy and Finding Common Ground

[05:29–06:24]

• Zarna’s act focuses on immigrant family life, especially “mother-in-law” material.
• She aims for commonality in a divided world:
  • Quote:

    "No matter what you believe in and no matter what you think of immigrants, you probably hate your mother-in-law. So let’s just stay in that one area where we’re all united."
    — Zarna Garg [06:24]

4. Family as Business: “Believe in Child Labor”

[06:45–12:00]

• Zoya is COO and runs digital strategy; Zarna employs her whole family (sons do social media, husband does financials).
• Zoya quips, "We could use an HR department. I’ve only recently started getting paid."
• Zarna describes bringing her kids to shows—initially for supervision and now as business training.
  • Quote:

    "I took my kids along because I wanted them to learn — learn how to build a business, how to take rejection... I wanted them to be completely normal with the idea that most shots you take in life, you're going to fail at."
    — Zarna Garg [11:00]

Memorable Family Anecdotes

• Zarna jokes about Indian Zoom shows during COVID: "The Indian uncles don’t hold back. The chat is lit: ‘She’s not funny.’...You’re still delivering the joke and the reviews are coming in mid-joke.” [12:17–12:33]
• Zoya recounts their social media breakthrough (her brother’s idea):
  • Their TikTok clip about Zarna never saying "I love you" to her husband goes viral.
    • Quote:

      “Which I would never. It’s only been 26 years. What’s the rush?”
      — Zarna Garg [13:49]

5. Pioneering Comedy on Social Media

[12:50–15:21]

• Lack of stage time led the family to post standup bits online—a novelty in comedy at the time.
• Their viral success shifted focus from club gatekeepers to building direct audience engagement.
• Zoya details how this approach now influences the entire industry.

6. On Material, Audience, and “Selling a Vibe”

[15:21–17:37]

• Zarna dismisses traditional worries about burning material online:
  • Quote:

    "No one is going to a comedy club to hear a joke anymore… The jokes are a way to open the door, but we stand for a lot more than that."
    — Zarna Garg [16:03]

• Representation: She’s aware that “brown women had never seen anybody that looks like them do what I do.”
• Zarna: “We’re in the joke writing business. I write jokes all day long.” [16:52]

7. Riyadh Comedy Festival Controversy

[17:37–22:11]

• Zarna was one of three women invited to perform in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• She acknowledges the criticism (“the backlash was interesting because it was mostly comics who weren’t invited who turned that into a press tour”) but defends her decision:
  • She was motivated by messages from Saudi women watching her in secret and wanting their daughters to see her on stage.
  • Zarna felt a duty to “show up and talk to people you disagree with, deal with people that scare you” for the larger goal of advancing women.
• Memorable moment: Her mother-in-law ironically encouraged her to go and was surprised she returned unscathed.
  • Quote:

    “I went for the women because I’m trying my best to advance women everywhere I go. I’m trying my best to create more opportunities for women everywhere I go.”
    — Zarna Garg [20:49]

8. What Zoya Learned from Zarna’s “Second Act”

[22:11–24:22]

• Zoya observed hidden strengths emerge as Zarna developed as a performer.
• On cultural pride in performance:
  • Zarna always performs in a “salwar kameez and a bindi.”
  • Zoya: “There are so few rooms left where we can actually push the political boundary of what’s culturally appropriate and have these hard conversations. And I think a stand-up club is one of those rooms.” [23:40]

9. Zoya’s Own Career & The Power of Pressure

[24:22–26:36]

• Zoya successfully led the campaign for Zarna’s memoir to become a New York Times bestseller, learning everything about book marketing and using AI tools for bulk orders.
• Zarna’s unapologetic pressure:
  • “If I don’t make this work, I’m getting fired. There is no severance package.”

10. Advice for Aspiring “Second Act” Dreamers

[26:58–28:20]

• Zarna’s philosophy:
  • Quote:

    “You can’t afford to not. You just have to…If you’re living your life, you should be taking shots every day. Take shots and fail. It doesn’t matter. Nobody cares. But you don’t want to look back…Even if I win the day before I die, I still won.”
    — Zarna Garg [27:01]

  • Powerful closing remark on women taking risks, engaging creatively, and seeking inspiration.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We didn’t get the doctor, we didn’t get the engineer, we didn’t even get the accountant. We got the funny one.” — Zarna Garg [02:31]
• “My mom has always been so entrepreneurial. She raised me like a business.” — Zoya Garg [04:00]
• “I wanted her to get paid for it.” — Zoya Garg [04:40]
• “If you want to get to know anybody, you should work with them.” — Zoya Garg [09:17]
• “Hashtag, believe in child labor.” — Zarna Garg [09:42]
• The viral TikTok moment:
  • “It’s only been 26 years. What’s the rush?” — Zarna Garg [13:49]
• “No one is going to a comedy club to hear a joke anymore. You want to hear jokes, they're available...The jokes are a way to open the door, but we stand for a lot more than that.” — Zarna Garg [16:03]
• “I went for the women because I’m trying my best to advance women everywhere I go.” — Zarna Garg [20:49]
• "If I don’t make this work, I’m getting fired. There is no severance package.” — Zoya Garg [24:24]
• “You can’t afford to not. You just have to. You can't afford. It’s not an option. If you’re living your life well, you should be taking shots every day.” — Zarna Garg [26:58]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:51–03:43: Zarna’s path to comedy and her parents’ reaction
• 04:00–05:22: Zoya’s behind-the-scenes push and failed family businesses
• 05:56–06:24: Zarna on finding common ground in her comedy
• 06:45–12:00: Family as business, teaching resilience through participation
• 12:50–14:24: Social media as a game-changer for Zarna’s career; viral TikTok
• 15:21–17:37: “Selling a vibe,” and joke writing philosophy
• 17:37–22:11: Discussion of the Riyadh Comedy Festival, criticism, and Zarna’s perspective
• 22:11–24:22: Zoya on seeing Zarna’s transformation and the power of standup
• 24:22–26:36: Zoya’s campaign to make Zarna’s book a bestseller using AI
• 26:58–28:20: Zarna’s advice for launching a second act

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Tone & Style

The conversation crackles with mutual affection, frequent ribbing, and classic mother-daughter dynamic. Zarna delivers unapologetic, sometimes tough-love wisdom, peppered with punchlines, while Zoya brings youthful candor and strategic acumen. The episode seamlessly blends comedy with motivational takeaways, striking a balance between laughter, inspiration, and real talk about what it takes to reinvent yourself—and lift others as you go.

Transcript

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[Ella Hay]

Hi there, it's Ella Hay. Today I wanted to bring you something a little different for our weekend episode. Last week I interviewed a comedian you've probably heard a lot about lately, Zarna Garg. She's got streaming specials, a best selling book and millions of followers on social media. And she only started doing this six years ago. I sat down with Zarna and her daughter turned business partner, Zoya Garg at the Washington Post Global Women's Summit. We spoke before a live audience. It was a really funny conversation, but we also hit some serious notes. We talked about how they built her business, Zarna's decision to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival and the controversy around it. And also I get Zarna's advice for anyone who wants to begin a second act in life.

[Washington Post Announcer]

Okay.

[Ella Hay]

I hope you enjoy the show. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Zarna Garg and Zoya Garg. Zarna. Zoya, thank you so much for being here today.

[Zarna Garg]

Thank you. Thank you so much for having us. Namaste, Washington Post. Namaste.

[Zoya Garg]

Thank you so much for having us.

[Ella Hay]

Yes. And thank you for participating in the Washington Post Global Women's Summit. I want to first ask this question for you, Zarna, as the video showed, you know, you came to the US As a teenager. You put yourself through law school. You were a stay at home mom for 16 years. I would imagine standup comedy was not on your radar as a thing that you would do. But I now ask you, now that you have become a very successful standup comic in a relatively short period of time, looking back on your life, do you see that comedy was always present for you or did you come to and find comedy?

[Zarna Garg]

So people always told me I was funny my whole life. And that is the worst thing you can tell an Indian woman. My parents were literally devastated. They were like, we didn't get the doctor, we didn't get the engineer, we didn't even get the accountant. We got the funny one. What do you do with the funny thing? You know, so my whole life I was like, okay, I'm funny, but like, where is My math gene. Why am I not good at math? You know, and so people have been saying I'm funny my whole life. I just didn't think it was a job. Until who? I remember the open mic. My kids. My daughter made me go to this open mic, and the first time I was out there, I was like, white people do this on a Wednesday afternoon. This is their work.

[Ella Hay]

Yeah. Like, in a basement of a restaurant.

[Zarna Garg]

In the basement of a Mexican restaurant. Indian people don't feel like they're at work unless they're, like, crying. Like, there's, like, a heart transplant waiting to happen. That's like, my cousins.

[Ella Hay]

You weren't stressed is what you were saying.

[Zarna Garg]

Yeah. We've taken 10 exams and failed and had to take an exam again. So none of this made any sense. But I've been told I'm funny my whole life.

[Ella Hay]

Well, and so Zoya was the one who convinced you six years ago to try standup. So, Zoya, your mom is saying, everyone's always told her she was funny, but doing standup is different than just being funny. What convinced you that she could do it? And how did you actually persuade her to do it?

[Zoya Garg]

Okay, so my mom has always been so entrepreneurial. From a very young age, she raised me like a business. Like, there was no. There was nothing about me that was accidental, down to the baby carrot. Everything was calculated. And so I was like, man, my mom is something special. She was starting all these businesses. A tomato sauce company, a matchmaking service, tutoring, toothbrush company, too.

[Ella Hay]

Okay, we're gonna have to circle back on.

[Zoya Garg]

Yeah. And nobody would buy her products.

[Zarna Garg]

Even though the tomato sauce was outstanding. I just want you to know. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Zoya Garg]

But people were inedible. It was inedible. But. But people would buy just because they wanted to talk to her for an extra minute. And I remember when I was 16, I was like, you have the personality to go on stage and be a Seinfeld. And she was like, that's not a. And I grew up here, and I grew up with standup comedy being a big part of my life. I'm a New Yorker, public school New Yorker, very proud of it. Yeah. And New York. And so I. Yeah, I was just. I knew that she had this ability to make anybody laugh. I wanted her to get paid for it.

[Ella Hay]

Was that the thing that got her to say, yes, I'll do it. I can get paid?

[Zoya Garg]

I was like, I don't see anybody else making mother in law jokes.

[Ella Hay]

And then, okay, well, Zarna, I want to ask you, your act for those unfamiliar. You have obviously, like, yes, you make fun of your mother in law, but you focus on the joys and the complexities of the immigrant story and journey, which is very. Everyone has a different immigrant story and journey. But I'm wondering, your material, your comedy, are you finding it's resonating differently right now in this current moment that we're in?

[Zarna Garg]

Yeah. I mean, every. You know, every year, there's some new stress out in the world, and that affects the comedy, that affects the audience. But I think people are ready to laugh even at the whole immigrant situation. Like, there's so much anger. There's so many comics who do political comedy, so they focus on the politics of it all, and they, like, are, you know, pundits in their mind.

[Ella Hay]

I get the feeling that's not your vibe.

[Zarna Garg]

I'm like, no matter what you believe in and no matter what you think of immigrants, you probably hate your mother in law. So let's just stay in that one area where we're all united. Yeah.

[Ella Hay]

You're looking for common ground, and let's build from there. That's so.

[Washington Post Announcer]

Wow.

[Ella Hay]

There might be a peace plan in this. So, Zoya, when I think about what you now do, you did more than just convince your mother you run her digital strategy. You are the COO of Zarna Garg Productions. I almost think of it as the flip of the typical, like, momager. You're like a dottager. Feel free to take that if you haven't used it already. You're welcome. How has working for your mother and being in this sort of role with her, how has that changed your relationship with her as a daughter?

[Zoya Garg]

We could use an HR department. We could. We could. I've only recently started getting paid, so. No, in all seriousness, it is the greatest gift to get to spend so much time with my mom. I think a lot of people graduate. I just graduated from Stanford.

[Zarna Garg]

Thank you.

[Zoya Garg]

Yeah.

[Zarna Garg]

And tell them with what degree? Because I'm gonna die if they, like.

[Zoya Garg]

They need to know I got a classics degree. And.

[Zarna Garg]

No. And.

[Zoya Garg]

And I also got a computer science degree.

[Zarna Garg]

Thanks.

[Ella Hay]

Congratulations, Zarna.

[Zoya Garg]

Why are you congratulating her?

[Ella Hay]

I know what happened.

[Zarna Garg]

She knows. Listen, she wanted to do a classics degree because she's a great writer and all of that. Fine, whatever. And I was like, I'm not paying. It is so expensive. If you want to write, just stay at home and write. I am not paying. If you're at Stanford, you're going to learn computer secrets every day. I don't care. It's like, if you go to the back at Stanford, like, make sure that if there's any secrets on the toilet paper, get them all.

[Zoya Garg]

Okay. I just want to open it up to the audience. Do you guys think it's hypocritical that my mom, who is a professional artist. Professional artist. Does not want me to pursue my talents as a writer? Round of applause if you think that's hypocritical. Yep. I didn't pay them to say that.

[Zarna Garg]

No, guys, I know she's my kid, but you don't have to agree with her.

[Ella Hay]

You can still love her and not agree with her, but.

[Zoya Garg]

Yeah, I feel like a lot of graduates oftentimes say they don't get a lot of time with their parents when they graduate. They have to move to a new city, and I don't have that problem. We spend all of our time together, 24 hours of the day, and it's been so wonderful. I think if you want to get to know anybody, you should work with them.

[Ella Hay]

You'll get to know them in a different way.

[Zoya Garg]

For sure. Yeah. It brings out the good, the bad.

[Ella Hay]

Zarna's face. Zarna. Okay. I have to say, for those listening, your face. You're doing a lot with your face.

[Zarna Garg]

And I will get to know your Gen Z employees really well.

[Ella Hay]

Well, okay. It's not just Zoya. You also, your sons help with your social media. Your whole family is involved.

[Zarna Garg]

Yes. Because hashtag, believe in child labor.

[Zoya Garg]

There they are on the screen.

[Zarna Garg]

I had a day of thinking, why am I the only one working? Like, what?

[Ella Hay]

But, like, on a serious note, also, your husband provides financial advice. Why was it important for you to involve your family in your business? Because I think some people are like, I'm not going to do business with my family.

[Zarna Garg]

Yeah. I have three kids, Right? So it first started because I knew that leaving them home alone, I was a stay at home mom for 16 years. The thought of leaving these kids alone, I had a moment of like, did they make me do comedy? So I'm out of the house nights and weekends. Cause that was smart, right? The job is nights and weekends. And I was like, if I leave them home alone, they're gonna be up to no good. You know that, right? Look at how cute my son is. Look at him.

[Washington Post Announcer]

No comment.

[Zarna Garg]

The older one. The older one has green eyes. I was like, no, no. Some girl is gonna step in there and try to take my son.

[Zoya Garg]

By the way, no regards or concerns about the daughter here.

[Zarna Garg]

She was fine.

[Zoya Garg]

Just the eldest son.

[Zarna Garg]

So I started taking Them with me, honestly, I took my kids along because them to learn.

[Ella Hay]

Learn what?

[Zarna Garg]

Learn how to build a business. Like how to take rejection. They were with me every time my businesses before comedy failed. And I wanted them to be completely normal with the idea that most shots you take in life, you're going to fail at.

[Ella Hay]

That's a really interesting point because I think, especially with standup, there's so much failure built in. The only way you learn how to do it is getting in front of human beings and. And bombing performing badly. And the fact you wanted your family to witness the ups and the downs. Like you were methodical and wanting to build resiliency in that it's an education.

[Zarna Garg]

And you have to learn. And they saw it. You know, it's still easier for you to take a shot and fail. It's very hard to watch your loved one. I could see my kids getting tortured, but I've had so many. Not a lot, actually. A few bad shows. A few bad shows.

[Ella Hay]

Wow.

[Zarna Garg]

And I used to do shows for Indian uncles. Like, if you. Okay, let me tell you, tell you something.

[Ella Hay]

Tough crown.

[Zarna Garg]

Like, okay, Zoom comedy Covid years that I was one of the first to go straight to Zoom. Cause I knew that's where the future was.

[Ella Hay]

And for people who don't know, it was like during COVID you would. Instead of going to a live show, you'd log onto a Zoom and just see Zarna talking into a computer screen.

[Zarna Garg]

So let me tell you, in Zoom, the Indian uncles don't hold back. The chat is lit. She's not funny. She not funny. That wasn't funny. You're still doing the show. You're reading the same chat.

[Zoya Garg]

You're like.

[Zarna Garg]

And as you're delivering the joke, the reviews are coming, like mid joke. But they were all in the rooms with me because one was managing the lighting and one was managing. So they saw that surviving that and having to survive that is a part of building a business.

[Zoya Garg]

And if it wasn't for how desperate we felt in the very beginning, because this didn't come out of nowhere. It is an honor to be in this room with all of you. And really surreal, genuinely, that it's only happened in six years. But when we started, no New York City comedy club wanted to give her minutes because she was a mom and that wasn't new. And at this time, social media wasn't such a big part of the equation. Like, things were just getting started. And I remember a lot of standup comedians weren't comfortable with putting their standup online because you want to save your standup. You want to save those minutes for ticket buyers. And my brother, who was 14, was like, let's just put mom set on TikTok. And my mom was, like, kind of hesitant, like, okay, I haven't really heard of TikTok, but we can try it. I mean, nobody else is giving me minutes. And I remember we put her joke about I've never said I love you to my husband on TikTok.

[Zarna Garg]

And which I would never.

[Ella Hay]

What's the joke?

[Zarna Garg]

It's only been 26 years. What's the rush? Like, yeah.

[Ella Hay]

So you put that, and it went viral, right?

[Zoya Garg]

And it was like 100,000 views, 200,000 views. A million, two million from people around the world who were like, yes. I also have never said I love you to my husband. And after that point, it wasn't about whether or not the comedy clubs wanted to book her. It was about who wanted to see her. And I believe that she pioneered the beginnings of putting stand up on social media. Now every standup comic is doing it. But six years ago, that wasn't the case.

[Ella Hay]

After the break, more of my conversation with Zarna and Zoya Garg. We'll be right back.

[Washington Post Announcer]

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[Ella Hay]

There is this tension among many comics of wanting to preserve their material for the live show, for the special. I mean, you already have two specials in six years in addition to a book that's, like, pretty prolific as far as comics go. And I remember years ago first talking to you for a story precisely about this. And at that time, I was, when I asked you that question of, like, aren't you worried? Don't you want to preserve some of your material for your live shows? And I was really struck by how you talked about your audience and your fans. And at the time, you told me, I'm selling a vibe here. Can you tell me a little bit more about how you knew, like, from the beginning, this is how I'M going to approach it. I'm not going to worry about this.

[Zarna Garg]

I, I believe no one is going to a comedy club to hear a joke anymore. You want to hear jokes, they're available on YouTube for free. You can hear endless hours of jokes. You can even craft your own on ChatGPT. You can be like, it's not very.

[Ella Hay]

Good, though, I have to say.

[Zarna Garg]

You can put your mother in law's photo up there and be like, write jokes about her. And in a minute you'll get custom jokes. Wow.

[Ella Hay]

Technology is amazing.

[Zarna Garg]

Zarna, whoever created that feature at OpenAI, thank you. I think, I believe that people who follow us on our journey follow us for more reasons beyond the jokes. The jokes are fine. The jokes are a way to open the door, but we stand for a lot more than that. I think a lot of moms follow me because they feel like they too can have a second act in life. A lot of women follow me because they think, oh, maybe they can. Like brown women. Had never seen anybody that looks like them do what I do, you know, So you don't buy a ticket to go to a show because, oh, I wonder if there's gonna be a new joke, which, by the way, I write jokes every day. It's my business. That's the other thing. A lot of comics are precious about their jokes, as if they're only gonna create for a day or a month or a week. We're in the joke writing business. I write jokes all day long. I walked here, I wrote a joke. You know what I mean?

[Zoya Garg]

But who gives her the material?

[Ella Hay]

Now I see why you're the coo.

[Zarna Garg]

Yeah.

[Ella Hay]

And you did build up this audience very quickly. And, you know, you brought up being a woman, woman of this. You know, you're a brown woman, you're a woman of this age starting out, and you have reached a lot of people. I did want to ask you this other question, which is a couple of months ago, Zarna, you were one of, I believe, just three women who were invited to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. And this was put on by Saudi Arabia. Since then, many of the comedians who participated in this festival have been criticized for their participation given the kingdom's record of human rights. And we should say that also includes journalists, including a Washington Post columnist. And I know some comics who participated since then have spoken about this. They've either defended their participation or they have since apologized for you. Why did you agree to do this? Why did you decide you wanted to do this? And what do you make of the backlash now.

[Zarna Garg]

So the backlash was interesting because it was mostly comics who weren't invited who turned that into a press tour. And that was an interesting choice, like jobs that we were not doing. Because I don't really involve myself in decisions that other comics make or don't make. So I, you know, but whatever gets them the eyeballs, I get it. Like, I'm a content creator. I get it. I personally understand, I understand the anger, especially at Washington Post, given, you know, the history. I completely understand it. But I also understand that the women of Saudi Arabia are watching me. So my jokes are being watched in secret by those women. Like, believe it or not, I'm like the bad comic. Cause I'm like trashing my mother in law. So they're watching me in secret and writing to me all day. My inboxes are full. Both my comedy specials were number one in the Middle East. And so all these women are writing me all the time. They're like, please come to us. We want to see what you do. We want our daughters to see what you do. So I personally was caught between a rock and rol in a hard place. And I was like, you know what? I wanna go there and see with my own eyes what it's like, what are the people like? What are we dealing with here? Because you read the news in America then I read Indian newspapers every day because I'm Indian and that's what I'm used to. And today in 2025, how do we do we have any hope of moving forward in some way, even with the history of that regime? So I went with an open mind. And the audience was all everyday women who've never. They're like, we can trash our mother in laws. Yes. Yeah. I was like, yes. Let's start there, you know, again, full circle. Going back to if I'm your Gloria Steinem on this topic, let's go. But it is true, they had never seen this as a possibility in their lives. And. And I believe that even to effect any kind of change, you've got to fight for a seat at the table. You've got to show up and talk to people you disagree with, deal with people that scare you. Quite frankly, a little scary to go there as a woman. Like, we don't know. I didn't know what it's like. I'd never been to Saudi Arabia.

[Zoya Garg]

She didn't allow me to go.

[Ella Hay]

You didn't go with Zoe at all?

[Zoya Garg]

She didn't allow me because I wasn't.

[Zarna Garg]

Sure what the lay of the Land is. And, you know, there were a lot of moments where I was like, should I be doing. I get it. I get why my fellow comics have their own feelings about it. But I went for the women because I'm trying my best to advance women everywhere I go. I'm trying my best to create more opportunities for women everywhere I go. My opening act on my tour is a single mom who has Ms. She tours with me all over the world and no club was gonna give her a spot. But I don't want her to be stopped by this, so that's why I went. And honestly, like, the person who was most excited I was going, my mother in law, she was like, go, go do your favorite thing. Give them all your opinions. They say, don't drink, but have a cocktail or two. So when I came back, she was disappointed. She was like, you're back? And I said, yeah. And she goes, how was it? I said, it was great. I got a standing ovation. And she's like, they didn't put you in prison. They didn't reprimand you? I was like, no. In fact, I think they want me back. I had a sold out show. They want to hear more stories about you.

[Ella Hay]

So. So, Zoya, you've had this front row seat from the beginning to seeing what I mean. I know it's not just your mother. There's a whole crew. It's a small crew. You're part of it. But it is her material. She's out there as an artist. Seeing her take on the second act and everything she's built and find her voice in this way. Although you strike me, Zarna, as the type of person who always had her voice. You just brought your voice to us. How has that made you think differently about your path? You just graduated college, as you said, as you make your way in the world.

[Zarna Garg]

I just.

[Zoya Garg]

I've never seen the fullest extent of what my mom could be until she took on the second act. There's so many parts of her identity that were so, like nascent and kind of hiding under the surface. And then with every gig, with every appearance like this, with every opportunity she got, she got a little bit stronger and a lot funnier. And her outfit, I mean, her outfit in many ways is a protest to what, Like a stand up comedian's outfit?

[Ella Hay]

Let's talk about it for those just listening.

[Washington Post Announcer]

Yeah.

[Ella Hay]

What do you mean by that?

[Zoya Garg]

I mean she wears a serva kameez. Did I pronounce it right? Oh, my God, every inch.

[Ella Hay]

Eye roll. There's an Eye roll.

[Zoya Garg]

Guys, I know Latin. I don't know Hindi, but you know, she wears a bindi everywhere she goes and she proudly spreads her culture. I think a lot of people sometimes ask, what's the most important job in the next 10, 20 years? I think standup comic. There are so few rooms left where we can actually push the political boundary of what's culturally appropriate and have these hard conversations. And I think a standup club is one of those rooms. And so I just, I feel in awe that I get to work with somebody so brilliant every day.

[Ella Hay]

Well, does it allow you.

[Zarna Garg]

I'm streaming and my mother in law is watching as we speak. I can see her being like.

[Ella Hay]

Like rolling her eyes a little bit unsure. I mean, but like, does it make you think of, like you're in awe of her, but does it give you, does it empower you? Does it, does. Do you feel like a sense of, well, if my mom did this, like, what's to stop me from doing what.

[Zoya Garg]

I want to do? Well, I'm constantly under threat.

[Ella Hay]

I mean, what do you mean?

[Zoya Garg]

Meaning if I don't make this work, I'm getting fired. Oh, oh, there. Is there no severance package? Oh, no, no. It's very serious business. I mean, she puts a lot of pressure on me. In fact, like, my most recent accomplishment within our business was I led the New York Times best selling campaign for her memoir, this American Woman, which you.

[Ella Hay]

All are getting a copy of, I believe.

[Zoya Garg]

Yes, thank you.

[Ella Hay]

Surprise.

[Zoya Garg]

It's very well documented. Forbes did a story on it. How I used AI tools to help us get on the bestseller list. But I, in November of my senior year of college.

[Ella Hay]

Wait, how did you do that real quick?

[Zoya Garg]

Oh, I'll explain.

[Zarna Garg]

I'm Michael.

[Zoya Garg]

I'll explain.

[Ella Hay]

Hold up.

[Zoya Garg]

It wasn't anything bad. I didn't do anything bad, but I was very strategic. But in November, I had just completed an internship at Apple and I was exploring technology a lot because I was in the heart of Silicon Valley. I mean, how could I not? I had three this intense amount of FOMO around the AI boom. And my mom was like, go be an engineer. And I was like, oh my God, okay. And I didn't feel like my heart was really in it. And I remember I felt really lost. I was like, I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know what my role is. And her memoir was about to come out. And for many of you who might be unfamiliar with the book industry, pre orders determine whether or not you make a bestseller list. Pre orders determine whether or not bookstores stock your book. Pre orders basically determine the success of a book. It's not about the sales afterwards. And so she looked at me and she said, hey, I need somebody to sell 10,000 copies of my book before it's out. It's going to be you. I was in my senior year of college, and my mom looked at me. She was like, sell 10,000 copies of this book. Figure it out. Go. And I was like, what? I don't even know what a pre order is. I don't know how to sell a pencil. I mean, I just didn't know what to do. And over the course of, like, nine months, I learned everything you could possibly learn about selling a book. I talked to AI models. I was like, how many books do I need to sell? I helped source leads for small businesses that we could collaborate on small bulk orders with. And now I've like, advised incredible teams like Bobby Brown and Malala on their own book campaigns.

[Ella Hay]

Okay, so now you're like an AI book promoter. This is amazing.

[Zoya Garg]

They tried to poach me, but she wouldn't let me.

[Ella Hay]

She wouldn't let you. So we're almost out of time. And before we wrap up, Zarna, I want to ask you this question. You touched on it, this idea of you're in your second act of life. What advice do you have out there for women and for anybody listening to if they are a little nervous about taking a second act in life?

[Zarna Garg]

My advice is the way true to my voice, it's a little bit of tough love. You can't afford to not. You just have to. You can't afford. It's not an option. If you're living your life, you're well, you should be taking shots every day. Take shots and fail. It doesn't matter. Nobody cares. But you don't want to look back. The way I saw it, when I was losing every day, I was like, even if I win the day before I die, I still won. I still won. And that's all you should be focused on. And I think as women, we cannot afford not to take shots. We all have to roll up our sleeves and get involved in the world, in creating, in engaging in every way possible. Which is also exactly why I did reality. It is not helping anybody for me to sit here and give a press conference. I gotta go there. 2000 women there saw what I do. 2000 women there now know that a woman that looks like them can do what I do. And that's me. Your version could be different. Your version could be whatever other things that you want to try. But we need every human being with good intentions to get involved and like, seek inspiration from the world we're in. People who should have imposter syndrome don't have it.

[Ella Hay]

Well, that's a great note to leave on.

[Zarna Garg]

And they're running for president. You can start your chili business. It's good.

[Ella Hay]

Well, unfortunately, we have run out of time. So Zarna and Zoya, thank you so much for joining me in this great conversation.

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