Podcast
Stories Seldom Told
Hosted by Smita Tharoor · EN
Stories Seldom Told with Smita Tharoor
True stories of resilience & rediscovery — celebrating the strength it takes to be human.
In Stories Seldom Told, Smita invites guests from around the world to share the untold moments that have shaped their lives — stories of challenge, growth, & rediscovery. From Kabul to Mexico, Moscow to Mumbai, each episode explores how our experiences define us — or how we choose to redefine ourselves through them.
Through heartfelt conversations Smita unpacks one timeless question: Who are we, really, & how can we live fully and happily, no matter what life brings.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Day Surrender Saved Me
1w ago00:45:34Tap to summarizeWhat happens when the thing you rely on to cope becomes the thing that almost destroys you?In this episode of Stories Seldom Told, I speak with writer, filmmaker and creative entrepreneur Benji Thomas about his journey through addiction, recovery, and rebuilding a life with purpose. From working in London’s nightlife scene as a teenager to experiencing withdrawal seizures, multiplerock bottoms, and eventually entering rehab in South Africa, Benji shares his story with remarkable honesty and insight. We explore the nature of addiction, the illusion of control, the role of grief and anxiety, and why recovery is about far more than simply giving up alcohol. Benji reflects on surrender, connection, creativity, and the importance of finding something worth living for. Today, three years sober, hechannels those hard-won lessons into storytelling, filmmaking, and building communities that help people feel seen. This is a conversation about resilience, vulnerability, second chances, and the extraordinary possibility ofstarting again.Podcast: Stories Seldom ToldHost: Smita TharoorGuest: Benjij ThomasProduced by: Abhishek BhatnagarConnect with Smita TharoorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smitatharoor?igsh=MXRqaXlsaHpiMmk2OA==Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/smitatharoor_storiesseldomtold-podcast-sonaligupta-activity-7463913591788716032-9_2e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAHUJwoBHR47npoT_WF37rEixlVIGKlB65YConnect with Benji Thomas:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benakt?igsh=MTd4cGlqcm5taWdzNw==Watch more heartwarming conversations here:https://www.youtube.com/@UCOoPdYQWFaJODbhweo_ujsg
Transcribe →
An Undercover Cop with a Death Wish—and a Reason to Live| Ft. Todd Maguire
3w ago00:48:24Tap to summarizeAt 25, Todd McGuire's life changed forever when he discovered that his partner had taken her own life. Consumed by grief, guilt, and unanswered questions, he spent years trying to outrun the trauma.What followed was a remarkable journey into the dangerous world of undercover policing, where Todd adopted a new identity, infiltrated criminal networks, and repeatedly risked his life—all while battling PTSD, addiction, and his own inner demons.In this raw and deeply honest conversation, Todd shares what trauma really looks like, why so many people suffer in silence, and how he eventually found a path toward healing, self-forgiveness, and hope.A powerful story of loss, resilience, and the courage to keep moving forward when life pulls the rug from beneath your feet.Todd is the author of Donny: An Undercover Cop with a Death Wish, a memoir chronicling his extraordinary journey from trauma to healing.Podcast: Stories Seldom ToldHost: Smita TharoorGuest: Todd McguireProduced by: Abhishek BhatnagarConnect with Smita TharoorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smitatharoor?igsh=MXRqaXlsaHpiMmk2OA==Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/smitatharoor_storiesseldomtold-podcast-sonaligupta-activity-7463913591788716032-9_2e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAHUJwoBHR47npoT_WF37rEixlVIGKlB65YConnect with Todd McGuireInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/todd_author_donny_?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Watch more heartwarming conversations here:https://www.youtube.com/@UCOoPdYQWFaJODbhweo_ujsg
Transcribe →
Grief evolves, Love remains| Ft. Sonali Gupta
May 2300:45:44Tap to summarizeGrief evolves. Love remains.Podcast: Stories Seldom ToldHost: Smita TharoorGuest: Sonali GuptaEdited by: Abhishek BhatnagarWatch more heartwarming conversations here:https://www.youtube.com/@smitatharoorSonali Gupta Youtube Channel:https://youtube.com/@mentalhealthwithsonali?si=6Vy2sK-oN0Ixx7ACConnect with Smita TharoorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/smitatharoor?igsh=MXRqaXlsaHpiMmk2OA==Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/smitatharoor_storiesseldomtold-podcast-sonaligupta-activity-7463913591788716032-9_2e?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAHUJwoBHR47npoT_WF37rEixlVIGKlB65YSonali Gupta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentalhealthwithsonali?igsh=MWZrMDU4bDdjMmtjaQ==Smita Tharoor Website: https://Tharoorassociates.comIn this very touching episode of Stories Seldom Told, our host Smita Tharoor talks to clinical psychotherapist and bestselling author Sonali Gupta about grief — not just as loss of a loved one, but as something far more universal. About the very real topics of grief, loss, healing, and how we learn to carry love after losing loved ones.Together, they discuss how grief transforms over time, the fact that there isn’t one “right” way to deal with grief, the heavy impact of silence and suppressed emotions, and finally, how grief can heal by learning to move forward in love rather than by moving on completely.“We don’t forget people we love. We build our lives around the memories of them.”This episode is honest, tender, funny and full of insight for anyone who has loved, lost, carried silence, or tried to make sense of life’s emotional complexities. Thank you Sonali Gupta for a great conversationIf this conversation moved you, do take the time to like, comment, and subscribe for more insightful conversations ahead!#StoriesSeldomTold #Grief #Healing #MentalHealth #SonaliGupta #SmitaTharoor #Podcast #Loss #EmotionalHealing #ConversationsThatMatter
Transcribe →The Stories Objects Remember | ft. AT Boyle
Mar 2400:35:11Tap to summarizeWhat do objects remember… that we don’t?In this deeply reflective episode, we sit down with AT Boyle, the mind behind Ex Objects, a project born from loss, memory, and the quiet stories hidden in everyday things.From a preserved wedding cake dove to fragmented paintings shaped by grief, this conversation moves through the spaces we often avoid: loss, distance, and the things left unsaid. More importantly, it explores what comes after, creation, connection, and finding meaning in what remains.We talk about:– How grief can transform into art– The idea of “things we don’t see” in the people we love– Objects as carriers of memory, emotion, and untold stories– Why making something, anything, can help us move forwardThis isn’t just about loss. It’s about what we choose to hold on to, and what we create from it.🎧 If you’ve ever attached meaning to something small… this one’s for you.
Transcribe →Beyond Suicide: A Sister's Story of Grief, Guilt, and Hope | ft. Neha Kirpal, Amaha Health
Mar 1000:53:38Tap to summarizeNeha Kirpal returns for a deeply personal conversation about loss, resilience, and the realities of mental health.In this episode, she speaks openly about her younger brother Arjun — the life he lived, the struggles he carried after years of childhood trauma, and what it meant for her family to lose him to suicide. Neha reflects on the signs families often struggle to recognise, the gaps in mental health care, and the emotional weight caregivers quietly carry.With honesty and vulnerability, she shares what grief can look like — the guilt, the questions, and the long journey of trying to make sense of a loss like this. Along the way, she asks an important question: how can families, communities, and institutions do better when someone is silently struggling?This conversation isn’t about easy answers. It’s about understanding, compassion, and the importance of talking about mental health before it reaches a breaking point.A powerful and deeply human episode about love, loss, and why these conversations matter more than ever.
Transcribe →
Holding Onto Hope: Living With Schizophrenia | ft. Neha Kirpal, Amaha Health
Feb 2200:44:15Tap to summarizeNeha Kirpal is a social entrepreneur and mental health advocate whose life has been shaped by resilience, caregiving, and the courage to turn pain into purpose.In this episode, she speaks candidly about growing up with a mother living with schizophrenia, navigating childhood trauma, and how those experiences led her to build one of India’s leading mental health platforms. From survival patterns to self-belonging, Neha reflects on what it truly means to move from strength to wholeness.This is a thoughtful, deeply human conversation about caregiving, identity, grief, and the ongoing journey of coming home to yourself.A quietly powerful listen for anyone interested in resilience, mental health, and healing.
Transcribe →Marc Boaz
Nov 2800:41:47Tap to summarizeDr. Marc Boaz is an existential psychotherapist, academic, and policy advisor whose work rethinks trauma through a deeply human lens. In this episode, he speaks about his own experiences, the inner work that shaped him, and how meaning-making became central to healing.Marc shares insights from his career across psychotherapy, teaching, authorship, and national policy — especially his work with marginalized communities and the UK Trauma Council. His reflections offer a grounded, compassionate reminder that healing isn’t about “getting over” the past, but learning to live with it in ways that honour who we are.A thoughtful and quietly powerful conversation for anyone interested in resilience, identity, and mental health.
Transcribe →Alan Green
Nov 1300:38:15Tap to summarizeGrowing up in Cornwall, surrounded by the music and lyrics of 80s pop, Alan Green always had a deep connection to sounds, music, and storytelling. Sure enough, he took on his path of adulthood, the big-city, structure and stability.Until the unexpected happened. A redundancy notice. A pause. And a question: “What now?”In this episode, Alan shares how that moment of uncertainty became a turning point, leading him to rediscover his voice as a writer and creator. His book, Sound Advice, blends lessons from his life, his love for music, and his belief that the lyrics we live by often shape who we become.
Transcribe →Carole Hopson
Nov 100:58:26Tap to summarizeAfter a successful 20-year career as a journalist and corporate executive, Carole Hopson made a bold decision to step into the cockpit. Today, she is a Boeing 737 Captain with United Airlines, based in Newark, New Jersey, and she's one of the few Black women in the world to hold that position.Carole’s journey wasn’t easy. Having faced an accident, financial sacrifice, the rigor of flight school, and motherhood, she pursued a dream that had waited decades to take flight. Alongside her aviation career, she remains deeply connected to her love of storytelling as the author of A Pair of Wings, a novel inspired by Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to earn a French pilot’s license.Through her work, Carole celebrates courage, legacy, and representation. Her nonprofit project, The Jet Black Foundation, aims to send 100 Black women to flight school by 2035 to create a new generation of pioneers in aviation.This episode is about more than flying; it’s about resilience, purpose, and daring to rewrite your story mid-flight.
Transcribe →Solange Ndip
Oct 1600:36:26Tap to summarizeSolange Ndip is the founder of Solange Rising Star (SRS), a survivor-led movement born from her own experience of SA trauma and resilience. What began as a deeply personal journey of healing has grown into an organization uniting survivors, witnesses, and allies to transform pain into collective power.“Our voices, once silenced by fear, can become the sound of hope.”Through initiatives like Kacherkatan, inspired by the metamorphosis of a butterfly, Solange and her team empower survivors across Cameroon’s rural and conflict-affected regions through education, advocacy, and creativity. Her story is one of courage, community, and refusing to let silence win.
Transcribe →