South Asian Impact Project

Vidhi Bhansali
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Society & Culture

The South Asian Impact Project celebrates stories of South Asians driving positive change in their American communities. Host Vidhi Bhansali sits down with changemakers whose stories reveal resilience, identity, culture, and the quiet courage behind real impact to the community. Each episode offers intimate, human conversations that inspire connection and community. Follow me for updates and new episodes: https://www.facebook.com/southasianimpactproject https://www.instagram.com/southasianimpact/ Your feedback and recommendations for other community leaders are most welcome! Contact me at southasianimpact@gmail.com. This podcast is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved.

  1. 13m ago ·  Bonus

    Not Doctor, Lawyer or Engineer: Choosing an Unconventional Career | Venkat Sisters

    Shreyaa and Esha Venkat both grew up planning to be doctors. One was accepted to Georgetown under the pre-med track and dropped it after a semester — to run the nonprofit they had started as kids. "Families spread these ideas that this is the path to have all the money, the career… not knowing that you can do both at the same time." In this Impact Edit they make the case that running an organisation is not a detour from a career — it is career training. "No matter what career path we chose, we could use those skills." In this episode: The pressure to pick medicine, law or engineering — and what it costs to opt outThe Venn diagram that resolved it: "they both involve people and they both involve helping people"Why their parents asked about character, not gradesHow a volunteer organization actually scales: "We are two people. We cannot teleport yet."Being taken seriously as young women of color, and learning to take up spaceShreyaa and Esha Venkat are the co-founders of the nonprofit NEST4US. Learn more at https://nest4us.org/. ABOUT IMPACT EDIT Impact Edit is a short-form series from the South Asian Impact Project — one idea per episode, cut from our full-length interviews. Watch the full conversations on the channel. SPONSORS This season is supported by Seva Global and The Sink Boutique (use code SAI10 at checkout). Thank you to both for making this season possible. SUPPORT THE SHOW Learn more and support the work at https://southasianimpactproject.com. Every contribution goes directly toward bringing more stories of inspiration from our guests to more people. Subscribe or follow for new episodes. This content is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved. MUSIC CREDITS: Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: KP2ZWFSURT9FIYHC, 3M37RGEPWGOC1KM4, NT4ZMY602SZGD928 #CareerAdvice #Nonprofit #YouthLeadership #CareerChange #SouthAsianImpact

    Not Doctor, Lawyer or Engineer: Choosing an Unconventional Career | Venkat Sisters

  2. 20m ago ·  Bonus

    Early Signs of Dyslexia and Autism Parents Miss | Nidhi Tandon, SLP

    You can see signs of dyslexia long before a child starts reading — difficulty with rhyming, trouble learning letter sounds and names, a limited vocabulary. Most parents don't connect those to the late talking they were told the child would outgrow. Nidhi Tandon is a speech-language pathologist, and in this Impact Edit she walks through what to watch for, the three misconceptions that cost families years, and why "wait and see" is the advice that does the most damage. In this episode: Early signs of dyslexia, visible before a child reads at allWhat speech-language pathologists actually do — far more than clearer speechWhy dyslexia is a language-based learning difference, not a vision or reading problemWhy early intervention carries no downside, and waiting doesWhat to do first if something feels off, and who to callNidhi Tandon is the founder of ThinkSpeech Therapy: https://www.thinkspeechtherapy.com/ ABOUT IMPACT EDIT Impact Edit is a short-form series from the South Asian Impact Project — one idea per episode, cut from our full-length interviews. Watch the full conversations on the channel. SPONSORS This season is supported by Seva Global and The Sink Boutique (use code SAI10 at checkout). Thank you to both for making this season possible. SUPPORT THE SHOW Learn more and support the work at www.southasianimpactproject.com Every contribution goes directly toward bringing more stories of inspiration from our guests to more people. Subscribe or follow for new episodes. This content is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved. MUSIC CREDITS: Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: TQTI17RYICS4K1GL, KP2ZWFSURT9FIYHC, 3M37RGEPWGOC1KM4. #Dyslexia #Autism #EarlyIntervention #SpeechTherapy #Parenting #SouthAsianImpact

    Early Signs of Dyslexia and Autism Parents Miss | Nidhi Tandon, SLP

  3. 24m ago ·  Bonus

    How to Break Into Cybersecurity Without a CS Degree | Jasmeet Kaur

    You do not need a computer science degree to work in cybersecurity. Jasmeet Kaur started in microbiology, spent years in embryonic stem cell research and product development, then pivoted into IT and security — and found the research mindset transferred almost directly. The turning point was a panel where nearly every speaker had come from somewhere else: journalism, marketing, media. "That made me realise my journey is not that unique. This is very normal. It's only you who's limiting yourself. There's nobody else." In this episode: Why a science background maps onto security work better than people expectHow to make a mid-career pivot without starting overFinding mentors, and what to actually ask for in fifteen minutesWorking past impostor syndrome when you're the one without the traditional résuméWhy "any profession is not something you just learned in college"Jasmeet Kaur is the founder of the nonprofit Code Her Rising, which runs AI and technology workshops for small businesses and young professionals. Learn more at https://codeherrising.com/ ABOUT IMPACT EDIT Impact Edit is a short-form series from the South Asian Impact Project — one idea per episode, cut from our full-length interviews. Watch the full conversations on the channel. SPONSORS This season is supported by Seva Global and The Sink Boutique (use code SAI10 at checkout). Thank you to both for making this season possible. SUPPORT THE SHOW Learn more and support the work at southasianimpactproject.com. Every contribution goes directly toward bringing more stories of inspiration from our guests to more people. Subscribe or follow for new episodes. This content is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved. MUSIC CREDITS: Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HXLTB4MXQKMLVFCC, BKXRKVOTFIGDXWUT, SSBO296MWYA0DOCS, 3M37RGEPWGOC1KM4, KP2ZWFSURT9FIYHC #Cybersecurity #CareerChange #WomenInTech #CareerPivot #SouthAsianImpact

    How to Break Into Cybersecurity Without a CS Degree | Jasmeet Kaur

  4. 27m ago ·  Bonus

    How to Run for School Board — and Actually Win | Seema Dixit

    Most people have no idea how someone actually gets on a school board. Seema Dixit walked the whole ladder — classroom mom, PTA helper, PTA coordinator, vice-president, treasurer, secretary — and then won a seat on the Fairfax County School Board in 2023. In this Impact Edit she lays out the real path, and the part nobody warns you about: in public office you are criticised every day. "I used one word in one meeting out of about two and a half years on the board, and some people didn't like it, and I got criticised for that." In this episode: The exact ladder from your child's school to elected officeWhat a school board actually decides — boundary reviews, grading policy, collective bargainingWhy she is bringing textbooks back, and her case against screens in younger gradesWhat the job costs: meetings that run past midnight, ten invitations a weekWhere to start this month if you want to get involvedSeema Dixit serves on the Fairfax County School Board, is the founder of Women Empowerment Foundation, and is CEO of Samyak Solutions. ABOUT IMPACT EDIT Impact Edit is a short-form series from the South Asian Impact Project — one idea per episode, cut from our full-length interviews. Watch the full conversations on the channel. SPONSORS This season is supported by Seva Global and The Sink Boutique (use code SAI10 at checkout). Thank you to both for making this season possible. SUPPORT THE SHOW Learn more and support the work at southasianimpactproject.com. Every contribution goes directly toward bringing more stories of inspiration from our guests to more people. Subscribe or follow for new episodes. This content is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved. MUSIC CREDITS: Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: RU3GR4BCKIJV97MK, CEMQ2TIWU8BOC9OQ, BAIM2NJ8RFTFUOY7, F8PHJEWZUDENAUUA, 3M37RGEPWGOC1KM4, KP2ZWFSURT9FIYHC #SchoolBoard #LocalGovernment #PublicEducation #RunForOffice #SouthAsianImpact

    How to Run for School Board — and Actually Win | Seema Dixit

  5. 33m ago ·  Bonus

    What Is Art Therapy? For Kids, Seniors and PTSD | Sangeeta Prasad

    Art therapy is a mental health profession, not an art class — and you do not have to be any good at art to benefit from it. "You do not have to be an artist or be good at art. The artist is within each of us." Sangeeta Prasad trained in psychology, neuroscience and art, and did her internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital during Desert Storm, working with service members returning with PTSD. In this Impact Edit she explains what the work actually involves, who it helps, and how to tell a trained art therapist from someone who took a weekend workshop. In this episode: What art therapy is, and the training and board certification behind itWhy it reaches people who can't yet put an experience into wordsThe work with children, with grieving families, and with older adultsWhat happens in the brain — the window of tolerance, and why making art calms the bodySomething to try at home that costs nothing and needs no suppliesSangeeta Prasad is an art therapist, artist and author. This conversation is for general education and is not therapy or medical advice. ABOUT IMPACT EDIT Impact Edit is a short-form series from the South Asian Impact Project — one idea per episode, cut from our full-length interviews. Watch the full conversations on the channel. SPONSORS This season is supported by Seva Global and The Sink Boutique (use code SAI10 at checkout). Thank you to both for making this season possible. SUPPORT THE SHOW Learn more and support the work at southasianimpactproject.com. Every contribution goes directly toward bringing more stories of inspiration from our guests to more people. Subscribe or follow for new episodes. This content is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved. MUSIC CREDITS: Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: KP2ZWFSURT9FIYHC, 3M37RGEPWGOC1KM4. #ArtTherapy #MentalHealth #PTSD #CreativeHealing #SouthAsianImpact

    What Is Art Therapy? For Kids, Seniors and PTSD | Sangeeta Prasad

  6. Sep 23

    Abuse Doesn't Check Your Résumé | Seema Dixit, Women Empowerment Foundation

    Content note: This episode discusses domestic violence and financial abuse. Please take care of yourself while listening. If you need support: Women Empowerment Foundation (Virginia) · (571) 248-1575 · womenmpower.org National Domestic Violence Hotline · 1-800-799-7233 · text START to 88788 In immediate danger, call 911 If your phone or computer may be monitored, use a device someone else can't access. The women who walk through Seema Dixit's door are engineers. Doctors. IT professionals. Women with degrees, careers, and people who love them. That was the first thing I got wrong about domestic violence. In this conversation, Seema walks through how abuse actually begins, and it's almost never where you'd expect. Control comes first. Then isolation, one friendship at a time. The confidence goes long before anyone raises a hand. We talk about what makes the situation different for immigrant women, where a dependent visa, a missing passport, and a lie about calling the police can close off every exit in advance. We talk about what to do tonight if you're afraid. And we talk about what to do when a friend tells you what's happening, where nearly every instinct a good person has turns out to make it harder. Then we shift gears completely. Seema also sits on the Fairfax County School Board, and she got there starting as a classroom mom. We get into what it actually takes to run, what the job demands once you're in it, and how she stays motivated. Seema Dixit co-founded the Women Empowerment Foundation nine years ago. She runs a federal consulting firm and represents the Sully District on the Fairfax County School Board. Her organization lists fifteen signs of abuse. Most of them happen long before anything physical: womenmpower.org/domestic-violence-counseling/ Chapters00:04 Introduction to Women Empowerment Foundation 00:54 Sponsorships 04:17 Programs and Support Offered 05:32 Challenges Faced by Immigrant Women 08:27 Understanding Abuse and Its Signs 11:19 Empowerment Through Financial Independence 14:03 Success Stories and Community Impact 16:12 Safety Plans for Women in Danger 18:46 Advice for Bystanders and Support Systems 27:05 Navigating Bystander Intervention 31:52 The Role of Community in Domestic Violence Awareness 32:22 Balancing Multiple Roles: Nonprofit and Public Service 35:00 Running for School Board: A Parent's Perspective 38:49 Challenges of Public Office: Scrutiny and Responsibility 42:33 Educational Equity and Community Support 45:01 Encouraging Community Involvement in Public Service 47:39 Women Empowerment Initiatives and Support Groups 49:31 Legacy and Future Aspirations Guest: Seema Dixit Women Empowerment Foundation · womenmpower.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seemadixitsamyak Follow South Asian Impact Project for more stories: Instagram: @southasianimpact Facebook: @southasianimpactproject Or contact southasianimpact@gmail.com. Episodes available on YouTube, Apple Podcast, and Spotify. This content is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Music codes: FS993DC8OC6ASM6C, GL7E3GGWKI3BSZAD, QBL6JOM97L3QIDQ8, OHGZHKYIBURKYNUT, I0TA8IYBBWADAM5R, OUCYU5GF63DGPBPF

  7. Sep 12

    Where Your Donation Really Goes — Nehal Gandhi on Nonprofit Economics, USAID & The Nonprofit Paradox

    We're taught to brag that 95 cents of every dollar goes "to the cause" — and Nehal Gandhi says that instinct is quietly starving the nonprofits we're trying to help. Nehal has spent more than 20 years on every side of the philanthropy world: the funder writing the check, the nonprofit cashing it, and the consultant brought in to figure out why the system around the check keeps breaking. She started at the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, one of India's oldest philanthropic institutions, and went on through Aga Khan Services, the Institute of International Education, the International Youth Foundation, and years of USAID-funded work. In 2025, as USAID was dismantled, she wrote The Nonprofit Paradox. In this conversation, she unpacks the "overhead myth" and why low overhead doesn't mean high impact; why a nonprofit's budget is really a blueprint of its values; what the end of USAID means for communities right here in the DMV, not just overseas; and the practical questions every donor should ask before giving — whether it's $100 or $10,000. Whether you give, receive, or manage money for social good, you'll come away asking better questions about where your donation really goes. Nehal's book, The Nonprofit Paradox, is available on Amazon. Learn more at or contact Nehal at ngandhi@socialechoes.org. Follow South Asian Impact Project for more stories: Instagram: @southasianimpact Facebook: @southasianimpactproject Or contact southasianimpact@gmail.com. Episodes available on YouTube, Apple Podcast, and Spotify. This content is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HUERAUERN0AVQEFG, OAAKOFA88V9VN5MN, Z6AGQM84WJNH18W5, RIXYVUF0EWPV4RNO, RUVSKWIVJW9BGURS

  8. Aug 17

    Started Young — Shreyaa & Esha Venkat on Building NEST4US and a Global Youth Movement

    Shreyaa and Esha Venkat started NEST4US at a kitchen table in Ashburn, Virginia when they were thirteen and ten. Ten years later, it's a global movement of 9,000+ volunteers, $6.5M+ in volunteer value, and hundreds of thousands of meals served. In this episode: how a family full of volunteering became two kids running a nonprofit. Why they chose service over the doctor-lawyer-engineer script — without walking away from elite schools. How they got adults to take them seriously as kids, including the networking moment when Shreyaa was told, "I don't want to waste my business card on you." The homeless man in DC and the stack of handwritten notes he'd kept for months. And the sibling dynamic behind the CEO and COO titles. Shreyaa is now CEO of NEST4US. She completed her M.S. in Global Health at Georgetown and works with GivingTuesday. Esha, the COO, is the 2026 student commencement speaker at Georgia Tech. Ten years in, they're still finishing each other's sentences. Guest links: NEST4US — nest4us.org Instagram — @joinnest — For more stories from South Asians shaping American communities, follow The South Asian Impact Project: Instagram — @southasianimpact Facebook — @southasianimpactproject Email — southasianimpact@gmail.com Content produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: 9GAZYSCFVOXS0RL4, 1U7LNBZDM3OXYFIQ, KKCLK0P61DT9R8LG, BWPLXYRM70OIGIL2, QGWFFRVML31WQD6K

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The South Asian Impact Project celebrates stories of South Asians driving positive change in their American communities. Host Vidhi Bhansali sits down with changemakers whose stories reveal resilience, identity, culture, and the quiet courage behind real impact to the community. Each episode offers intimate, human conversations that inspire connection and community. Follow me for updates and new episodes: https://www.facebook.com/southasianimpactproject https://www.instagram.com/southasianimpact/ Your feedback and recommendations for other community leaders are most welcome! Contact me at southasianimpact@gmail.com. This podcast is produced and owned by South Asian Impact Project LLC. All rights reserved.

Information

  • Creator
    Vidhi Bhansali
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Vidhi Bhansali
  • Show Website
    South Asian Impact Project