Podcast
South Asian Trailblazers
Hosted by Simi Shah | Trailblazers Media · EN
Diving deep into the journeys of trailblazing South Asians. To date, Host Simi Shah has interviewed Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Zarna Garg, Raj Shamani, Ananya Birla, Vas Narasimhan -- from founders to Fortune 300 CEOs, comedians to congressmen. Learn more at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com.
14episodes
Episodes
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South Asians in Sephora — Diipa Büller-Khosla, Lisa Mattam, Nisha Phatak, Rooshy Roy (Live Panel)
1w ago01:37:24Tap to summarizeIn a first-ever live multi-founder panel from South Asian Trailblazers, Simi Shah sits with 4 South Asian beauty founders at the vanguard of South Asian-inspired beauty: Diipa Büller Khosla (indē wild), Rooshy Roy (Aavrani), Nisha Phatak (Lion Pose), and Lisa Mattam (Sahajan).The conversation was born from a single line. When Rooshy returned to Trailblazers to announce Aavrani's acquisition, Simi asked about whether the dynamics with other founders were collaborative or competitive. Her response?That there's actually a "Desis at Sephora WhatsApp group." Simi made it her mission to bring that group chat to life — every South Asian beauty founder in Sephora who could be in the room.Inside: how Diipa built indē wild's hair oil from her mother's recipe into Sephora's #1 seller; why Rooshy says she launched Aavrani at Sephora "too early" — and that it'll take 100 brands for South Asian beauty to become a true category; how Nisha cold-emailed Mindy Kaling and took a Zoom 48 hours after giving birth; how Lisa pioneered clean + clinical Ayurveda before Sephora had a "Clean" shelf.KEY TOPICS:Why South Asian beauty isn't yet mainstream — and what makes a true categorySephora's road map: when to launch, when to waitThe influencer-to-founder pivot, fundraising, and being underestimatedBuilding for the US, UK, and India consumer at the same timeFounder life and motherhood: the "balance is a lie" doctrineFollow:Diipa Büller Khosla: @diipakhosla · @indewildRooshy Roy: @rooshyroy · @aavraniNisha Phatak: @nishaphatak · @lionposeLisa Mattam: @lisamattam · @sahajanSouth Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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Raj Shamani: On Building the #1 Podcast in India and Soon, the World
Apr 1000:56:32Tap to summarizeSimi speaks with Raj Shamani — India's #1 podcaster, ranked #25 in the world — in a special live-recorded episode in New York City. Across 540+ episodes, 15 million subscribers, 400 million annual views, the Host of Figuring Out, Raj Shamani, has interviewed Bill Gates, President of France Emmanuel Macron, Aamir Khan, MS Dhoni, MrBeast, Vijay Mallya, and several other notable figures. Raj speaks primarily in English with moments of Hindi throughout — subtitles on YouTube.But here's what makes today different — Raj Shamani rarely gets on this side of the mic. So when India's #1 podcaster sits down with the leading South Asian diaspora podcast, in front of a live audience in New York, you get the crossover episode of the year. In a rare conversation, Raj Shamani resets the myth of his own origin story, walks Simi through how he turned 15,000 rupees into a global media platform, what the Indian Diaspora gets wrong, and his path to becoming the #1 podcast in the world.KEY TOPICS:Resetting the origin myth — what really happened when Raj's father got sickWhy "values over views" makes Raj turn down guests offering insane moneyThe hidden habits of the world's top 1% — billionaires, presidents, world championsWhat the South Asian diaspora gets wrong (and right) about India todayWhy building trust beats going viral as the modern creator strategyThe 10-Year Framework Raj uses to know whether to enter any new fieldABOUT RAJ SHAMANIRaj Shamani is an Indian entrepreneur, author, and host of Figuring Out with Raj Shamani — India's #1 podcast, ranked #25 globally. Born in 1997 in Indore, he stepped into his family's soap manufacturing business at 16 after a family health scare. He represented India at the United Nations Youth Assembly, built a global personal brand on Instagram, and launched Figuring Out in 2021. In 2023, he co-founded House of X, raising seed funding from Lightspeed, Razorpay, and Mamaearth's founders. He is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and an angel investor in Classplus, GrowthSchool, Wint Wealth, and Neko Health.Follow Raj: Instagram | LinkedIn | XFollow Figuring Out:YouTube | InstagramSouth Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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Revathi Advaithi: From the Factory Floor to Fortune 500 CEO of Flex
Mar 2401:23:59Tap to summarizeSimi speaks with Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex — a $24 billion global manufacturing company that builds the critical infrastructure behind AI, cloud, healthcare, and automotive. Flex operates in 30 countries with over 140,000 employees, and under Revathi's leadership, the stock has soared from ~$7 to over $60.Revathi started her career on a factory floor in small town Shawnee, Oklahoma. She is the youngest of five sisters and lost her father at the tender age of 15 in India. After nearly failing out of engineering school, she built her career in the industrials sector in small-town America at companies like Honeywell and Eaton. She ascended to the C-suite at Eaton and was eventually tapped to lead Flex. In 2024, she was diagnosed with breast cancer while traveling — and chose to stay on as CEO, working through treatment without missing a single day. Today, she is one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women in the World, Fast Company's Modern CEO of the Year, and serves on the board of Uber and MIT.Recorded live in San Francisco in partnership with Pratham USA, this unfiltered conversation covers breaking into the boardroom, immigrant grit, a battle with breast cancer, and what it actually takes to lead at the highest level.KEY TOPICS:Breaking into the boardroom as an immigrant woman in industrial AmericaLeading through a cancer diagnosis without stepping downTransforming a legacy manufacturer into an AI infrastructure powerhouseOn work, family, and navigating motherhood across continentsThe moments that nearly broke her — and the ones that made herRevathi's TIME Op-Ed on her Cancer BattleABOUT REVATHI ADVAITHI:Revathi Advaithi is CEO of Flex, the global manufacturing partner helping a diverse customer base design and build products improving the world. Since 2019, she has led Flex's transformation across 30 countries, driving technology innovation and supply chain resilience. Previously, she served as President and COO of Eaton's electrical sector with corporate responsibility for EMEA, and spent six years at Honeywell in manufacturing and supply chain leadership. She has been appointed by the U.S. President to advisory committees on trade policy and supply chain competitiveness, and serves as co-chair of the World Economic Forum's Advanced Manufacturing CEO Community. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from BITS Pilani and an MBA from Thunderbird.REVATHI ADVAITHIInstagram: httpSouth Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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Ananya Birla: Carving Her Own Path inside the Multi-Billion Dollar Birla Dynasty
Mar 1000:54:51Tap to summarizeSimi sits down with Ananya Birla, business leader, artist, mental health advocate, and 7th-generation scion of one of India's oldest and most storied family businesses — the Aditya Birla Group.Ananya is building across more industries than most people will touch in a lifetime. At 17, she founded what is now India's second-largest microfinance institution. After dropping out of Oxford to pursue music, she became the first Indian artist to go platinum with an English single. A consummate multi-hyphenate, she joined the family business — the first woman in her lineage — now leading subsidiaries across film, real estate, cosmetics, and AI. Today, Ananya is recognized as one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women in the world, shaping India's relationship with the world.Recorded live at the India Conference at Harvard, this unfiltered conversation covers leadership principles and privilege, music and mental health, and what it means to craft your own legacy when you were born into one.KEY TOPICS:Dropping out of Oxford to pursue musicLaunching her own ventures and earning credibility in the family businessBeing the only woman in the boardroom On leadership, privilege, and her vision for the Birla Family legacy Leading Birla Studios, Birla Cosmetics, Birla AI Labs, Birla Real EstatesSelf-worth, mental health advocacy, and leadership principlesABOUT ANANYA BIRLA:Ananya Birla is the Founder and Chairperson of Svatantra Microfin — India's second-largest and best-performing microfinance institution with a $7 billion portfolio, over 4 million customers, and 24,000 employees across 19 states. The company is heading toward IPO in 2026 — the fastest any Birla has taken a company public in seven generations. The international PE firm Advent invested $400 million alone.In music, Ananya has multiple English-language multi-platinum singles in India, was the first Indian artist featured on an American national Top 40 chart, and has collaborated with AR Rahman and Sean Kingston. She also leads Birla Cosmetics (LOVETC and Contraband), Birla Studios, and Birla AI Labs.Ananya serves on the Aditya Birla Group's apex strategic body ABMCPL and on the boards of Hindalco, Grasim, and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail. The Birla conglomerate is one of the largest industrial dynasties in India and the largest Indian greenfield investor in the U.S. ($15 billion).South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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Priyanka Chopra and Anjula Acharia: The Partnership Powering Priyanka's Global Stardom from Bollywood to Hollywood
Feb 2200:30:23Tap to summarizeSimi sits down with power duo Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Anjula Acharia — like you've NEVER seen them before. In this first-of-its-kind conversation, Priyanka and Anjula — best friends and business partners of 15 years — sit down together to tell the full story of how they built one of the most extraordinary careers in global entertainment.15 years ago, Priyanka was searching for her next chapter in Bollywood. Anjula, a VC investor with a knack for spotting unicorns, saw something the rest of the world hadn't realized yet: a star who could transcend both Bollywood and Hollywood and become truly global. After an awkward first phone call, a partnership was born — one that would transform the two LARGEST film industries in the world and build a global crossover career unlike anything that came before.Recorded live at the India Conference at Harvard, ahead of the premiere of her new film The Bluff, Priyanka keeps it cool and candid with her best friend and business partner, Anjula, the investor and entrepreneur who bet on her when no one else would. It's our most star-powered episode yet. Rich with insight, advice, and real talk, this is the origin story behind the icon — as told by the partnership that powered this global stardom.ABOUT PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS:Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a global icon — actress, producer, entrepreneur, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She won Miss World in 2000 and went on to become one of India's biggest film stars with iconic performances in Fashion (2008, National Film Award for Best Actress), Barfi! (2012), Mary Kom (2014), and Bajirao Mastani (2015, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress). With over 60 Bollywood films and five Filmfare Awards, she is one of the most decorated actresses in Indian cinema.ABOUT ANJULA ACHARIA:Born in England, Anjula Acharia is an entrepreneur, investor, and cultural strategist who built her career in venture capital before pivoting into entertainment. She backed Bumble and ClassPass, both became billion-dollar companies. She has managed Priyanka Chopra Jonas's career for 15 years, orchestrating her crossover from Bollywood to Hollywood. In 2025, she co-founded 5 Junction Records with Warner Music Group to develop South Asian artists globally, from Rhea Raj to Nora Fatehi. She has been recognized by Billboard, Forbes, Vanity Fair, and ELLE.PREVIOUS EPISODE:Anjula Acharia, Season 6 (2023)ANJULA ACHARIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anjula_acharia/PRIYANKA CHOPRAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/priyankachopra/South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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AAVRANI has been Acquired: Founder Rooshy Roy on Exiting her Beauty Brand
Feb 1001:09:38Tap to summarizeAAVRANI has been acquired — and founder Rooshy Roy shares the full story for the first time on South Asian Trailblazers.Six years ago, in Season 1 (2020), Rooshy first sat down with Simi as a freshly-funded, newly-married Forbes 30 Under 30 founder building one of the first beauty brands rooted in Indian heritage. Today, she becomes the first trailblazer to ever return to the podcast — here to share the end of her nine-year journey bringing Indian Ayurveda-inspired beauty to the world.In this raw, deeply personal conversation, Rooshy walks through the complete arc of building in beauty — from meeting her co-founder on the second day of Wharton, to raising $10M+ in venture funding, to pivoting from skincare to hair care with Sephora, to partnering with Lilly Singh, to the moment she realized she was playing a game she no longer wanted to win. She reveals why she decided to let go of the brand she spent nine years building and her process in finding the ultimate acquirer.This episode is essential listening for ambitious women, founders building in consumer brand, and anyone wrestling with when to hold on and when to let go.KEY TOPICS:AAVRANI's acquisition announcement and what's nextThe truth about launching in Sephora in 2024How celebrity partnerships work (Lilly Singh)Fellow South Asian beauty founders in Sephora: competitive or collaborative?3 things Rooshy would do differentlyChoosing family, chasing dreams, and knowing when to let goAbout Rooshy:Rooshy Roy is the founder and former CEO of AAVRANI, a premium beauty brand inspired by ancient Indian beauty traditions rituals. She co-founded at Wharton in 2017. A first-generation Indian American, Rooshy previously worked at Goldman Sachs and Warburg Pincus before launching AAVRANI to bring Ayurvedic beauty rooted in Indian traditions to the global stage. She was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 in Retail & E-Commerce. AAVRANI expanded from skincare into hair care at Sephora in partnership with Lilly Singh, and was acquired at the end of 2025. PREVIOUS EPISODE:Rooshy Roy, Season 1 (2020)Follow Rooshy & AAVRANI:Rooshy on InstagramRooshy on SubstackAAVRANI WebsiteAAVRANI on South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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U.S. Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi, Shri Thanedar, & Suhas Subramanyam
Sep 2500:52:19Tap to summarizeU.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Representative Shri Thanedar (MI-13), and Representative Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) join South Asian Trailblazers Host Simi Shah for a timely and wide-ranging conversation live from the Impact Summit 2025 in Washington, D.C. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.On this special panel concluding Season 8, we dive into:💬 How increased political violence is shaping their leadership💬 The urgent need for immigration reform and protections for our community💬 Combating disinformation, hate, and cuts to healthcare💬 U.S.–India relations, tariffs, and the $130B in trade at stake for small businesses💬 The path ahead for South Asian representation in Congress — and beyondAbout the U.S. Congressmen:Raja Krishnamoorthi, who previously joined us on South Asian Trailblazers, is in his fifth term representing Illinois’ 8th District. He is the first South Asian American to lead a Congressional committee, serving as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the Chinese Communist Party.Shri Thanedar, representing Michigan’s 13th District since 2022, is a former chemist, entrepreneur, and immigrant from southern India who rose from poverty to public service. He is the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability.Suhas Subramanyam, elected in 2024 to represent Virginia’s 10th District, is the first Indian American elected to Congress from Virginia. A former Obama White House technology advisor and Virginia state legislator, he now serves on the Oversight and Science, Space, and Technology Committees.🎧 This is South Asian leadership in action — inside the nation’s halls of power.South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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Ani and Ayan Sanyal, Founders of Kolkata Chai Co.
Sep 901:02:00Tap to summarizeBrothers Ani and Ayan Sanyal, Co-founders of Kolkata Chai Co., join Host Simi Shah ahead of National Chai Day for a conversation around building one of the most iconic South Asian brands in America. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.What started as a side hustle in 2018 is now an 8-figure empire spanning viral NYC cafés, a booming e-commerce arm, and a cult following. The Bengali-American brothers have build a fast-growing food & beverage brand bringing authentic masala chai to the Western world, winning checks from investors like CPG Guru — and our previous guest — Nik Sharma and Celebrity Investor Hasan Minhaj, who went from loyal customer to the company’s second-largest stakeholder. Before Kolkata Chai, the brothers co-founded a creative agency called Green Room Creative, inspired by their roots in an immigrant household in Massachusetts. In this episode, we dive into:☕How a trip to India sparked the idea for KCC☕The realities of being co-founders and brothers (including therapy!)☕Bootstrapping through COVID before raising a $1M pre-seed☕How to sell without selling out (your culture)☕Their organic partnership with celebrity investor Hasan Minhaj☕Overcoming impostor syndromeFrom pushing chai to have its $15B global “matcha moment” to intersecting community and commerce, this is the story of two brothers redefining South Asian culture in America — one cup at a time.South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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Karishma Mehta, Founder of Humans of Bombay
Aug 1900:42:32Tap to summarizeAll the way from Mumbai 🇮🇳✈️ our latest LIVE ✨podcast features Karishma Mehta: Founder & CEO of Humans of Bombay, India’s largest storytelling platform. This memorable live conversation from June 2024 is finally here. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.Born and raised in Mumbai, Karishma launched Humans of Bombay at just 21. Over the past decade, she has grown it into India’s largest storytelling platform — spanning a photo blog, YouTube series, podcasts, books, and an agency — sharing thousands of stories that have inspired, mobilized, and connected millions.We talk about:💬 The origin story of #HumansofBombay and its 10-year journey💬 Navigating the highs and lows of building a media company in India💬 Lessons on #manifestation, balance, and detachment as a founder💬 The challenges of living and creating in public💬 How storytelling — from Marine Drive to global boardrooms — is evolving🎧 Tune in for a candid conversation with one of India’s leading storytellers.Thanks to our partners in this event: DesiGalli, Rupee Beer, The Third Place Co, and Photographer Dhaval Shah.South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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Ali Sethi, Musician
Aug 501:10:03Tap to summarizeGlobally-acclaimed Singer, Songwriter, and Author Ali Sethi sits down with South Asian Trailblazers Host Simi Shah for a deeply personal podcast conversation on the heels of his debut solo album #LoveLanguage. WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE.Born in Lahore, educated at Harvard University and currently based in New York, he studied under acclaimed mentors across musical genres before rising to international acclaim with his viral hit “Pasoori,” which has surpassed a billion streams. From ghazals to reggaeton, Carnegie Hall to Coachella, he blends the classical with the contemporary in ways that transcend borders.A vocalist, composer, and published author, Ali is a TIME100 Next honoree whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Pitchfork. His debut novel The Wish Maker received international acclaim, and with Love Language, he offers his most personal work yet.In this deeply personal conversation, we unpack: 💬 Growing up in a household of dissenters in Pakistan 💬 The story behind Pasoori — and how the most hummed song of 2022 became a cultural flashpoint 💬 The symbolism of the color red in his new album 💬 How a Harvard class on Sufi poetry and a collaboration with Mira Nair transformed his creative path 💬 What it means to be a queer South Asian artist making art in a climate of fearTune in for a rare and resonant conversation with one of the most compelling artists of our time.South Asian Trailblazers is an award-winning media platform, community, and agency dedicated to elevating leading South Asians. Join our community at SouthAsianTrailblazers.com. Subscribe to our newsletter to get new episodes and updates on our latest events in your inbox. Follow us @southasiantrailblazers on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify.
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