GRIT. by Aaki Vora Aakanksha Vora

In the penultimate episode of season 1, I interview Akanksha Deo Sharma, the only Indian designer at IKEA. I don’t want to give too much away, but we had one of the most incredible conversations that covered the intersection between design, diversity, gender, and identity, and several other topics, making this one of my favorite episodes so far.
I do hope you like this episode and urge you to check out Akanksha’s amazing new sustainable, and, genius collection called Forandring at IKEA

If you enjoy our podcast, please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review. It helps us a lot. You can also follow us along on instagram @gritbyaakivora

In this episode I interview Shweta Srinivasan and Mani Kumar, the cofounders of the mind clan, which is a “mental health platform dedicated to giving individuals access to a curated list of tools for mental health care." They took time out to discuss how the idea for the platform came about, the resources that they offer, and the status of mental healthcare in India today.

I do hope you like this episode and urge you to check out the incredible resources at themindclan.com!

If you enjoy our podcast, please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review. It helps us a lot. You can also follow us along on instagram @gritbyaakivora

In this episode, I interview Payal Khandwala, one of India’s leading fashion designers. She started her eponymous fashion label in 2012 when she couldn’t find the kind of clothes she wanted to wear. Although she never envisioned building an empire and creating a category of her own in the Indian fashion space, Payal has gone on to do that and more. Even though her clothes are now adorned by A-List Bollywood celebrities and are often featured in the news, for Payal it has never been about fame, money, or features. It is her love for creating clothes that empower that motivates and inspires her.

She generously opened up about her journey, design philosophy, and why she does what she does in this incredible episode, which I hope you love as much as I do.

If you enjoy our podcast, please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review. It helps us a lot. You can also follow us along on Instagram @gritbyaakivora

In this episode, I interview Nihaal Mariwala, the founder of Setu, a company that produces vitamin and mineral supplements. Setu is revolutionizing the preventive healthcare space in India, and Nihaal took the time to tell me about how he built the company, the nature of the nutrition supplement industry in India, and how we can take ownership of our own health.
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In this episode, I interview Arunima Patel, one of the founders of iGenetic Diagnostics, India’s fastest growing pathology lab. In addition to the standard menu of microbiology tests, Arunima’s company specializes in molecular testing and genetic sequencing. Molecular testing drastically reduces the turnaround time for test results for life-threatening diseases allowing patients to begin treatment quicker. Testing using genetic sequencing provides doctors valuable information to treat patients, especially those battling cancer, by giving them targeted treatment that minimizes side effects. Not only is her company democratizing healthcare in India by expanding to Tier II and III cities and by making diagnostics more accessible and affordable, but it is also aiding India’s fight against coronavirus. iGenetic developed a COVID test in January, and their team has since been tirelessly running their labs to provide quick and accurate results. Arunima took time out to tell me about how she left her job in private equity to start a pathology lab and how telemedicine may revolutionize our healthcare system.

Follow us on Instagram @gritbyaakivora. The cover art is designed by Naomi Shah (@itsnaomishah)

In this episode, I interview Olympian, Arjuna Awardee and Swimminer-turned-Golfer, Rehan Poncha. Rehan is one of the most inspiring and accomplished people I've met and we all have a lot to learn from him and his journey from fighting asthma and a chlorine allergy to become a national champion, and retiring at the top of his game to build a successful career from the bottom in a new sport. Rehan is a close friend and mentor and was the inspiration behind the show so it was only fitting that he be the guest on our pilot episode.
For behind-the-scenes action and sneak peeks into upcoming episodes follow us on Instagram @gritbyaakivora.
The cover art is designed by Naomi Shah and the show is created and produced by Aakanksha Vora