Suba Unscripted: Power in Us

Suba Umathevan
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  • Personal Journals

Suba Unscripted: Power in Us is born from the space between the personal and the professional. It’s shaped by my own journey from refugee beginnings to leading a philanthropic foundation, and by the countless people I’ve met across the world who are building futures with courage, creativity, and agency. This podcast weaves together leadership, cultural identity, and everything I feel called to explore along the way, from the big questions of purpose and belonging to the quiet inner shifts that shape how we live and lead. It lives in us.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    The Power of Being Impolite: Kumaran Nadesan on Identity, Leadership, and the Courage to Challenge the Status Quo

    In this episode of Suba Unscripted, Suba sits down with Kumaran Nadesan, CEO and co-founder of 369 Global and author of The Impolite Canadian, for a conversation about identity, ambition, leadership, and the courage to challenge the status quo. From his early experiences volunteering in war-affected northern Sri Lanka to fifteen years in the Ontario public service and eventually building a global business, Kumaran reflects on how his Tamil heritage has shaped his understanding of purpose and responsibility. He shares why he has spent much of his career bringing people together, creating opportunities for diaspora communities, and connecting public policy, business, and social impact. Together, Kumaran and Suba explore what it means to lead without losing yourself. Kumaran speaks candidly about becoming a reluctant CEO, the pressure of living up to his own expectations, and the reality of balancing leadership, family, and community commitments. They also reflect on the power of identity, the difference between genuine inclusion and tokenism, and why our histories and lived experiences should give us the confidence to enter any room as equals. The conversation turns to his book, The Impolite Canadian, and a provocative question: When does being polite become a form of complacency? Drawing parallels between Canada and Switzerland, they discuss the importance of speaking up, challenging established thinking, and taking responsibility for the world we leave to the next generation. At its core, this episode is about finding power in who we are, bringing our whole selves into leadership, and having the courage to act on what we believe. Personal, thoughtful, and refreshingly candid, this conversation is a reminder that our roots do not have to define our limits. They can be the very source of our strength.

    The Power of Being Impolite: Kumaran Nadesan on Identity, Leadership, and the Courage to Challenge the Status Quo

  2. Jul 27

    Nobody Does This Alone: Tessie San Martin on Identity, Humility, and Collective Power

    In this episode of Suba Unscripted, Suba sits down with Tessie San Martin, President and CEO of FHI 360, for a conversation about identity, gratitude, and the quiet discipline of leading with humility. Born in Cuba, raised in Puerto Rico and Miami, and shaped by her family's history as refugees, Tessie reflects on how the question "where are you from?" never had a simple answer, and how gratitude for the opportunities she was given became a lifelong sense of purpose. She traces her path from vaccinating children in Paraguay at fifteen to the top of the international development sector, and the lessons she gathered along the way: finding a safe space among other CEOs, learning to advocate for yourself when good work alone won't get you noticed, and the courage to speak openly about failure. Together, Tessie and Suba explore the gendered realities of ambition and pay, the maternity gaps that quietly shape women's careers, and why investing in people and organizational culture is not overhead but the work itself. Tessie also names a deeper reckoning: that decades of doing development the same way have created dependency in the very communities it set out to help. At its core, this episode is about power as connection rather than control, mobilizing resources for impact over revenue, and the belief that no single organization holds a silver bullet for problems this big. Honest, warm, and full of hard earned wisdom, this conversation is a reminder that the strongest leaders are often the most candid ones.

    Nobody Does This Alone: Tessie San Martin on Identity, Humility, and Collective Power

  3. Jun 30

    Clowning Through War: Sabine Choucair on Laughter, Trauma, and the Power to Heal

    In this episode of Suba Unscripted, Suba sits down with Sabine Choucair, humanitarian clown and founder of Clown Me In, for a conversation about laughter as resistance, healing, and a way back to one's own humanity. Drawing from her own journey growing up during the civil war in Lebanon, Sabine reflects on how childhood coping mechanisms became a calling, how clowning taught her to be fully present, and how she turned vulnerability into one of the most disarming forms of strength. Together, Suba and Sabine explore generational trauma, the hidden toll carried by humanitarian workers, and why psychosocial support is not a luxury but a necessity in crisis response. They discuss games that help children regulate fear during active bombing, the radical professionalism of not taking oneself too seriously, and the realities of motherhood and showing up as a leader without armor. Along the way, Sabine shares how Clown Me In grew from a two-person idea into a team working across some of the world's most difficult contexts, often with shrinking resources and unwavering belief in the mission. At its core, this episode is about reclaiming joy as a form of power, refusing to let suffering be reduced to numbers, and recognizing that healing often begins with someone willing to fully arrive, look you in the eye, and let you be human. Honest, tender, and unexpectedly funny, this conversation is proof that grief and laughter can coexist, and that holding both might be one of the most powerful things we can offer each other.

    Clowning Through War: Sabine Choucair on Laughter, Trauma, and the Power to Heal

  4. Jun 10

    Smashing the Patriarchy: The History We Were Never Told | Sindhu Rajasekaran

    In this episode of Suba Unscripted, Suba sits down with Sindhu Rajasekaran, author, filmmaker, academic, and unapologetic storyteller, for a powerful conversation on identity, patriarchy, power, and what it means to live authentically. Drawing from her own journey as a queer Tamil woman, Sindhu reflects on growing up in Chennai, challenging expectations around gender and sexuality, and finding the courage to define herself on her own terms. Together, Suba and Sindhu explore the hidden histories of women in South Asia, the legacy of colonialism, the complexity of feminism, and why agency matters more than victimhood. They discuss everything from caste, colourism, and workplace inequality to queer rights, women's leadership, and the stories that shape how societies understand power. Along the way, Sindhu shares how writing became her way of making sense of the world and herself. At its core, this episode is about reclaiming voice, questioning inherited narratives, and recognizing the power that exists within us long before anyone gives us permission to use it. Honest, courageous, and deeply thought-provoking. For anyone who has ever felt different, challenged the role they were assigned, or searched for the confidence to live as their true self, this conversation is a reminder that real power begins with authenticity.

    Smashing the Patriarchy: The History We Were Never Told | Sindhu Rajasekaran

  5. Apr 28

    Beyond the Code: Leadership in the Age of AI | Cristina Vintila

    In this episode of Suba Unscripted, Suba sits down with Cristina Vintila, a senior leader at Google, for an honest conversation on identity, leadership, and what it means to find your power. Born in Romania and now navigating one of the world's most fast-moving industries, Cristina shares what it was like to grow up where hard work was simply expected, where being a woman in engineering never felt like a barrier, and how that changed the moment she crossed into Western Europe and looked around the room. Together they explore inclusive leadership, the tension between humility and confidence, AI safety and its everyday stakes, and why staying connected to real community, your neighbours, your team, your inner voice, matters more than ever in a tech-driven world. At its core, this episode is about connecting the dots between where you came from, who you are leading, and the world you are quietly helping to shape. Honest, grounded, and full of unexpected warmth. For anyone who has ever had to earn their place in the room, or simply wanted a reminder that real power lives in the connections we choose to make.

    Beyond the Code: Leadership in the Age of AI | Cristina Vintila

  6. Apr 9

    Choosing Yourself, with Sharandeep

    In this episode of Suba Unscripted, Suba sits down with her longtime friend Sharandeep for a deeply personal and reflective conversation on identity, courage, and what it really means to choose yourself. Born and raised in the UK to Indian parents, Sharandeep grew up navigating life between cultures, constantly balancing who she was at home with who she felt she could be in the world outside. She shares what it meant to grow up as a third culture child, the quiet ways she learned to adapt, and the longing to fully belong. The conversation moves into expectations placed on South Asian women, the pressure to follow stable and traditional paths, and the moment where that begins to shift. Sharandeep opens up about building a successful career in finance, walking away from it in search of something more meaningful, and the courage it took to retrain, start over, and eventually step into entirely new worlds, from wellness to acting. Together, they reflect on self-awareness, generational patterns, forgiveness, and the power of listening to your inner voice. At its core, this episode is about learning to move from people pleasing to self-trust, from expectation to intention, and from surviving to consciously choosing your life. This conversation is honest, grounding, and expansive. It is for anyone who has ever felt caught between worlds, questioned the path they were on, or wondered if it is too late to begin again.

    Choosing Yourself, with Sharandeep

  7. Mar 2

    Showing Up

    In this debut episode of Suba Unscripted, Suba introduces herself and the heart behind this podcast. Born in Sri Lanka, raised in Switzerland as a refugee child, and having spent over two decades in international development and philanthropy, Suba has spent her life navigating between worlds. Here, she opens up about what that has shaped in her: the fractures, the gifts, and the quiet power that lives in the in-between. She reflects on growing up as a third culture child, the weight of South Asian family expectations, her journey into mental health and what it took to bring her parents along, and what two decades of working alongside grassroots changemakers across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and beyond has taught her about what real power looks like. This episode is personal, honest, and intentionally unscripted. It's also a manifesto for anyone who has ever felt between worlds, carried a problem too big to hold, or waited too long to show up.

  • 7 Episodes

About

Suba Unscripted: Power in Us is born from the space between the personal and the professional. It’s shaped by my own journey from refugee beginnings to leading a philanthropic foundation, and by the countless people I’ve met across the world who are building futures with courage, creativity, and agency. This podcast weaves together leadership, cultural identity, and everything I feel called to explore along the way, from the big questions of purpose and belonging to the quiet inner shifts that shape how we live and lead. It lives in us.

Information

  • Creator
    Suba Umathevan
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Suba Umathevan