Travels, Tales and Takes with Preethi Preethi Parthasarathy

It's the most festive time of the year! Christmas is here, 2021 is just around the corner and we're all hoping for a new year that's far better than the one that's going by. I wanted to bring a special Christmas episode here, and for this one, you and I are going to be listening to magical stories from Europe's fabled Christmas markets!

Listen in, and I won't be surprised if Europe in winter shoots up a few ranks on your bucket list!

A HUGE thanks to the voices in this episode -

Susana Quadros - www.instagram.com/slidestospices
Vinodini Sunder - www.instagram.com/travelsmusingsandmore
Satya Nair
Juliana Nair
Romeeta Sukhtankar - www.instagram.com/livabledesignproject
Soumya Nambiar - www.instagram.com/soumna_travelbooksfood and www.travelbooksfood.com
Ankita Bora - www.instagram.com/ankitabora07
Shreya Sharma - www.instagram.com/shreyasharma15
Sandhya Venkateshwaran

I'd love to hear from you! Follow me on www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl, check out my website www.peppytravelgirl.com, and feel free to drop me a message at either. Happy listening!

Music by Pranav Chadha.

Photo by Elijah G on Unsplash

The larger part of my favourite travel memories is defined by interactions with people. Of these, chance encounters take the top spot, and in this #PepTale, join me for a short conversation with a stranger over breakfast in Tainan. Some stories don't really end. They're just.. left hanging for the listener to imagine as they wish, and this is one. If you're reading this, drop me a line on my Instagram www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl and tell me how you wish this story would end. If it does at all :) Happy listening!

Also, please forgive the audio quality. I recorded this on the go in a very remote destination when I went down memory lane and felt the story was coming out at its best. Thank you!

Follow me on www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl.

Feedback always welcome at www.peppytravelgirl.com!

Music created by Pranav Chadha.

Few sense an opportunity when presented, and fewer actually reach out and grab it with both hands. Japleen Kaur is one such human, who saw what she had dreamed of her whole life in front of her life, and without a second thought, leapt at it. She's a Mumbai girl who moved to Bir in Himachal Pradesh to live the life of her dreams. Her love for travel showed her the place where she would build her life as it is today, and in this episode, we talk all about moving to the mountains, calling them home, exploring Bir, and uncovering some secrets that go beyond paragliding.

Lots of stories, dialogue, and laughs in this one! Watch out for a fun segment where Japleen and I spin a yarn together ON THE SPOT with no prior preparation.

Japleen is a travel content creator and a master storyteller who also conducts writing workshops every week. Catch up with what she does at www.instagram.com/millennialladki.

Drop me your feedback at www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl and www.peppytravelgirl.com. As always, I love to hear from you!

It took me losing joy in the one thing that gave me joy to realise that maybe something was wrong. I was diagnosed with chronic anxiety and depression in Nov'19 after having been living with it for months, and seeking therapy was one of the best decisions I have ever taken. In my journey with mental health, I've met crusaders, activists and warriors who are making such a difference in the mental health space. In this #PepTake, Stuti Ashok Gupta joins me to discuss mental health and why it is important. Stuti is a qualified psychotherapist who has been practicing for 5 years. She's also an entrepreneur, and is creating a community around wellness at her family business, Amrutam. This discussion throws light on some very pertinent points relevant to today's day and age, and I feel like we've just skimmed the surface. Very excited to create more on this with Stuti!
The episode opens with WHY I am talking about this. My own tryst. Hop to 03:40 to hear how it started for Stuti. At 05:15, she tells us about how human response to mental health has changed over time, which brings me to my own journey with therapy and talking about it with loved ones at 06:10.  Stuti talks about her own journey with therapy at 07:16, and at 09:20, we discuss WHEN one should seek therapy. 11:38 shines light on the role of a support system in mental health and 13:00 delves into where the stigma behind this came from. We also understand how childhood behaviour and emotional environments provided during upbringing affect our behaviour as adults. At 21:15, we understand what 'Psychosomatic Symptoms' are - 'The pain is real.'
23:20 explores how talking to family and friends is different from therapy, and at 24:40, Stuti answers the question 'What can one expect from therapy?' At 27:50, there's the big one - 'HOW do I seek help?' 32:00 onwards, we talk about finding the right therapist, and then move to how we can help someone with a mental condition out at 39:00.
We touch upon generational trauma at 41:00, and discuss the importance of self-awareness and its role to play in undoing said trauma. The episode concludes at 48:00 with resources one can refer to to seek help.
To find a therapist, you can visit www.amrutam.co.in/findatherapist .
Follow Stuti's work at www.instagram.com/stutiashokgupta .
Feel free to reach out to me at www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl and www.peppytravelgirl.com! I welcome comments, compliments, feedback!
Music by Pranav Chadha.

Travelling solo ain't always a cakewalk. While it's always a lot of fun and never fails to entertain, it does, sometimes, serve up its own moments that can terrify, that can cause your stomach to sink, and sometimes leave you thanking your lucky stars. As a girl travelling alone, there are far too many of those, let's face it. Today's #PepTale is a story from a time which could've gotten really, really bad. The episode opens with a few thoughts on what the internet has been looking like recently and why I'm talking about this story and then goes into a tale that I don't want to give away much of. Listen in! It opens up another glorious angle to solo travel and everything that makes a part of it. ESPECIALLY that beautiful thing known as 'gut-instinct'!

I'd love to hear from you! Follow me on www.instagram.com/peppytravelgirl, check out my website www.peppytravelgirl.com, and feel free to drop me a message at either. Happy listening!

Music by Pranav Chadha.

Living in a body that's not "conventionally attractive" can mean a ton of self-sabotage, as I realised on multiple occasions when I denied myself experiences when I was travelling. Thinking back, it hurts, but also begs the question - WHY? Why do we self-sabotage? Why is acceptance of one's body so difficult? Why do we live with so much shame and where did it come from?

Anushka Kelkar joins me on this #PepTake to delve into the topic of bodies, shame, and acceptance. We talk about where body image issues come from and its impact on our life, how capitalism has its part to play, and how we can set out on a journey of befriending something that's going to be with us for the rest of our life.

Anushka fosters an online community called Brown Girl Gazing which opens its doors for women to meet at a common platform, share their journeys with their bodies and unlearn shame together. Follow her work on www.instagram.com/browngirlgazin.

Music by Pranav Chadha.