167 episodes

A podcast interviewing South Asian trailblazers, experts, and prominent voices around the world. We discuss the messiness of growing up brown, have honest conversations about personal and professional journeys, talk about projects that currently fulfill our souls, and discuss topics we could never talk about in front of those aunties we grew up with.

Uncle jokes included.

Tuckered Out with Ami Thakkar Ami Thakkar Raval: Podcaster and Writer

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.9 • 85 Ratings

A podcast interviewing South Asian trailblazers, experts, and prominent voices around the world. We discuss the messiness of growing up brown, have honest conversations about personal and professional journeys, talk about projects that currently fulfill our souls, and discuss topics we could never talk about in front of those aunties we grew up with.

Uncle jokes included.

    Michael Maliakel and Sonya Balsara: Breaking Barriers on Broadway

    Michael Maliakel and Sonya Balsara: Breaking Barriers on Broadway

    We're going to Broadway!

    Today, I am talking with the two South Asian leads in a very beloved Broadway show: Michael Maliakel and Sonya Balsara, who play Aladdin and Jasmine in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway.

    Michael made his Broadway debut with Aladdin in September 2021.  He has had theater experience, including being part of the national tour of the Phantom of the Opera. Sonya also made her Broadway debut as Jasmine in Aladdin and has recently worked on the pre-Broadway lab of The Karate Kid, Sense and Sensibility, and West Side Story in Tokyo, Japan..

    • 54 min
    Rohit Bhargava Discusses The Non-Obvious

    Rohit Bhargava Discusses The Non-Obvious

    In honor of SXSW coming up next week, I wanted to share a previous episode with one of the keynote speakers for the conference!

    Rohit Bhargava is the Founder and Chief Trend Curator of the Non-Obvious Company and is widely considered one of the most entertaining and original speakers on trends and marketing in the world.

    Rohit believes the world needs more Non-Obvious thinking. He helps leaders and professionals to be more open minded, see what others miss and learn to anticipate the future. He is the author of seven popular business books, including his signature Non-Obvious Megatrends which has been read or shared by more than 1 million people and was a #1 WSJ bestseller + USA Today bestseller earlier this year.

    Outside of speaking and consulting, Rohit is also the co-founder of Ideapress Publishing - a fast growing independent publisher that specializes in working with top authors to publish beautiful business books.

    We talk about what a Futurist does, why he is the trend guy, what the Human Mode trend is and why it's here to stay, how starting a publishing company kept him from becoming an a&&hole, and the reasons he wanted to start supporting the South Asian community.

    • 52 min
    Kavita Mehra Is Changing Conversations On Gender-Based Violence

    Kavita Mehra Is Changing Conversations On Gender-Based Violence

    Kavita is the Executive Director for Sahki for South Asian Women, a survivor-led gender justice organization whose goal is to eradicate gender-based and domestic violence. Sakhi is the second largest organization of its kind in the US, and celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. It has really changed the conversation on gender-based violence in our community while uniting survivors and institutions to work together.

    In our conversation,  Kavita delves into how Sakhi provides a safe space and community for survivors; the high rate of gender violence in the South Asian diaspora, the challenges in overcoming it, and its connections to South Asian culture and beliefs. We talk about South Asian family dynamics and how they have impacted us, She generously opens up about her own trauma, how it drove her to do the job she does, and how she overcomes trauma to this day.

    • 48 min
    Akruti Babaria Is Bringing Indian Kulture To Our Kids

    Akruti Babaria Is Bringing Indian Kulture To Our Kids

    When I met my next guest for the first time after getting to know her on social media, I felt like I’d known her forever.

    Akruti Babaria is the founder of Kulture Khazana , a business is dedicated to sharing Indian culture with children through educational and play activities.

    Her story began in 2018 after the birth of her son, Ayaan. When Akruti realized that the diverse places she has lived in had no sign of her culture or community, so she decided to do something about it

    Now through Kulture Khazana, Akruti is able to shares the South Asian culture with children around the US and all of its beautiful treasures.

    Kulture Khazana has a variety of incredible Indian toys and Diwali gifts as well as games, puzzles and online story albums for kids of all ages.  Kulture Khazana is also is now the first Indian cultural toy brand founded in target.com and nordstrom.com, and now will be launching with macys.com this year!

    As a mother of two little girls who is trying to share our culture as much as possible . I could not recommend checking out Kulture Khazana more.

    • 44 min
    Nisha Pahuja Spotlights Social Issues Through Her Lens

    Nisha Pahuja Spotlights Social Issues Through Her Lens

    How is it February already?? While we are working on a few other projects these past few weeks, we're going to share an episode from the end of last year that we submitted for The Webby Awards this year. Please do go watch "To Kill A Tiger", it's one of the most powerful documentaries I've seen.

    Nisha Pahuja is a writer, an artist, and director and now an Emmy-nominated filmmaker. Her passion for social impact is marked by a quiet courage towards exploring complex social issues that often breed division through the lens of her camera. We chat about her latest award-winning documentary "To Kill a Tiger," which has won 19 awards from prestigious festivals such as TIFF, Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Canadian Screen Awards, and Doc Aviv and has names like Dev Patel and Mindy Kaling attached to it. The film earned its way on The New York Times Most Anticipated Fall Releases list and Anne Thompson at the IndieWire’s Oscar Contenders list.

    I had the pleasure of moderating the premier of the film here in Dallas with some of the executive producers and was absolutely blown away by the film.

    Nisha's storytelling prowess goes beyond this latest project, with notable credits like the Emmy-nominated "The World Before Her," the documentary "Bollywood Bound," and the insightful series "Diamond Road." Her work doesn't just capture stories; it sparks conversations and challenges perspectives, especially around themes of cultural evolution, the reality of stereotypical depictions, and the grip that shame has on so many of us. As an immigrant from India to Canada, Nisha's unique vantage point enriches her narratives, bridging diverse worlds with empathy and insight. Her journey is not just about making films but also the art of fostering understanding, catalyzing change, and alchemizing adversity into inspiration.

    • 33 min
    Nick Rathod Is Bridging Hollywood and DC

    Nick Rathod Is Bridging Hollywood and DC

    Nick Rathod has been thinking a lot about the power of culture and using it as a platform for change. And he has some experience with that.

    Over the span of his 20-year career, Nick Rathod has built successful campaigns, businesses, governmental and non-governmental institutions and been a key advisor to the nation's leaders. Nick has served as special assistant to the President and Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs in the White House, and was also the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama-Biden transition team.

    Nick has also built a number of nonprofit organizations. Most notably, Nick was the founder and first Executive Director of the State Innovation Exchange. Nick has most recently served as the campaign manager for Beto's race for governor of Texas. He is now the President of Impact and a founding partner in the People of Culture Studios in Hollywood, California.

    • 51 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
85 Ratings

85 Ratings

WestCoastLogger ,

Great interview subjects and convo flow!

Really appreciate listening to the interview subjects and topics curated on Tuckered Out. One of my favorite podcasts.

Polopatel23 ,

She’s a natural!

Ami brings rich stories of South Asian trailblazers and naturally creates community around the advancement & lift of the South Asian Voice.

Will Wha ,

Fascinating stories with soul

Ami has a unique ability to connect with her guests and bring heart and soul to their stories. Highly relevant point of view in each episode and provides a powerful voice to such a large community.

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