Prickly Peers

Prickly Peers

Have you ever wondered why some brown women can stand up to norms and stereotypes more easily than the rest of us? We call them prickly women! Is prickliness inherent or inherited, can you build the prickly muscle to be able to achieve your goals more easily, where do you lie on the prickly meter? Join Ankita and Nalini, your prickly peers, as they talk to uninhibited brown women all over the world in a quest to find the secret brown sauce for their courage, success and happiness.Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and X @thepricklypeers. Or write to us at thepricklypeers@gmail.com. See less

  1. 12/19/2025

    S03E09: How (& where) to find a life partner - the Prickly Peers framework for independent women

    Send us a text In typical season finale format, Nalini and Ankita meet up to summarize everything they heard and learnt this season about what it means to be or have a life partner the non traditional way, where to go looking for such a person, when to STOP looking (using the 37% rule) and finally... How to make it last! This time, for the first time, AI helped them put together 5 very meaningful pillars for "independent " women to find a new-age not-necessarily-romantic-spouse after digesting the episodes of Spouse it up so far ! Nalini also shares openly about her quest to find the perfect co-founder in this start up called marriage, even spilling the beans on how they make life and financial decisions the non traditional way, how they fight and resolve conflicts. (Spoiler: no AI involved here, just radical independence) 4 frameworks and a story along with a bit of gossip on exes... There's something in it for everyone, even if this is the first episode of prickly peers you ever listen to. Maybe we can convince you to binge the season 😉 Support the show

    38 min
  2. S03E08: Malvika gaur on being more than a queer brown person in a life-partnership

    09/27/2025

    S03E08: Malvika gaur on being more than a queer brown person in a life-partnership

    Send us a text Growing up in New Delhi as the youngest of the 3 daughters in a “normal” Indian family, Malvika always knew she was different than her sisters and people around. From wanting to wear a tuxedo to a wedding as a child to owning her “tom-boyish” identity as a teenager, Malvika didn’t wake up one day and come out to herself, her family or the world. She became who she is, by carefully exploring parts of her identity- sexual and otherwise, while not jumping to conclusions and labels! While her personal life was a slow exploration, her academic and professional life couldn’t be far from slow with studying computer science, doing her MBA at a top business school, working at world renowned companies like Google and Meta, moving between India, US and Singapore. Only like a techie can, she compartmentalized her life always ensuring she doesn’t let her identity as a queer person take over her life or become entirely WHO SHE IS. She knew she’s much more than a queer brown person! She also has some great advice for anyone thinking about coming out- getting the right timing is critical, she says.  Anyway, somewhere in the middle of this hustle and exploration, she met the love of her life- Ranisha- a Malaysian and Indian origin Singaporean who couldn’t be more different from Malvika, yet everything about her was SOOO familiar. What happened when they finally decided to be together, right before Malvika was moving away from Singapore and the pandemic hit? Listen in to find out.. Do comment with your learnings from their relationship for heteronormative relationships. Please feel free to reach out to us if you want to talk about any of the issues mentioned in the episode. We are here to help you find the right resources. Support the show

    46 min

  3. 06/05/2025

    S03E07: The "Part 2 Order": Discovering myself while transitioning from Aboli to Mrs Praful to the war widow of (Late) Major Praful Moharkar

    Send us a text When 17 year old Aboli fell in love for the first time, she couldn't have begun to imagine what life had in store for the both of them. Praful and Aboli didn't get to choose if and when to marry, because of the rules around Part 2 Order in the Indian Defence forces. Armed forces personnel are only allowed to cohabitate with a legally married heterosexual spouse. So, they obliged. At 23, she got married, quit her investment banking career temporarily, moved to a remote location in Jammu and Kashmir to be with the love of her life.. Then life unfolded.  In her thirties now, Aboli Moharkar lives in Pune by herself, has pivoted her career to mental health and grief coaching along with being a certified mountaineer. She defines love on a new spectrum now. She looks back at the few years of being married and has zero regrets. She has also come around to accepting the dual reality of Indian society - one where they shower her with flowers on a stage for giving the ultimate sacrifice for the nation (her spouse) and the one where she's subtly expected to maintain distance from religious ceremonies because widows bring bad luck, as per Hindu beliefs.  No matter who you are, from Aboli's story, we hope you learn to be a little more grateful & mindful about the present, a tad bit more resilient about the past, a little less demanding of war and a lot more patient towards grief - which is different for each and every person.  Love, Your Prickly peers Find Aboli's grief and mental health support group here and her amazing research article, on the realities and struggles of Indian war widows here. Support the show

    32 min
  4. S03E06: Priyanka Rai - Finding life partnership with my best friend, moving across the world to live with her

    03/07/2025

    S03E06: Priyanka Rai - Finding life partnership with my best friend, moving across the world to live with her

    Send us a text Priyanka and Manisha grew up as conventional childhood best friends not knowing the future of their friendship when they got old. It turns out, whenever life got tough, through their twenties and thirties, they gravitated towards each other geographically moving cities, states and even countries to find solace with each other. Now as they enter their forties, they have decided to introduce a lot more accountability into this partnership which is much more than fair weather friendship to the both of them- they share a home, co-own furniture, a dog, a  joint account and function like any other cohabitating family unit. Have they thought about what happens when one of them finds romantic love, do they have a plan for old age? What are the challenges of this unconventional partnership in day to day life and how do they overcome them.. . Find out as you tune in! Support the show

    40 min
  5. S03E05: Natasha and Bob on choosing to be in love as "unmarried" life-partners

    02/21/2025

    S03E05: Natasha and Bob on choosing to be in love as "unmarried" life-partners

    Send us a text "Hi, I am Natasha and I am divorced" was how she introduced herself to Bob the first time they met at his band's concert. Bob told her the same day, "I snore". That became the stereotypical 'love-at-first sight' beginning of  this everything-but-stereotypical relationship based on honesty and mutual attraction. It quickly grew into a romantic co-living companionship! It's been 7 years and there are no wedding bells on the cards. Yet, they share a home, their two dogs, 143 plants, their finances and their life! How did they come to this decision? Do they want children? How do they deal with the "society", being in this unusual partnership. Do they fight and argue on the same stuff as a married couple would? Is anything different than a marriage or is it just a piece of paper? Tune in as Ankita shamelessly tries to put together a framework for successful "live-ins" by asking them the hard questions we all have, but don't ask! Fun fact: someone in the relationship snores even louder than Bob 😀 Support the show

    44 min
  6. S03E04: Aditi on finding love after giving up, being too successful for arranged marriage matches

    02/07/2025

    S03E04: Aditi on finding love after giving up, being too successful for arranged marriage matches

    Send us a text Aditi Goyal grew up in Punjab, where the norm was to get girls married between the ages of 18-21. She got into the squid games of the big fat Indian arranged marriage in her early twenties. Unlike academics, jobs and every other competitive sport where she could control outcomes by working hard, this competition turned out to be something completely counter-intuitive to her rational self. Eg. The more she earned, the lesser matches she got! She still gave it 8 years! Today, she's happy married to someone she couldn't have imagined as a 'perfect spouse' at 21. What changed? Did she compromise, did she change her resume shortlisting algorithm, or did she just bump into the love of her life where she never thought to look?  Listen in to find out. If you like what you hear, don't forget to buy Aditi's book 'love finds a way' inspired by her own years of seeking life partnership.  Support the show

    47 min
  7. S03E03: Harshal & Namrata rediscovered individuality after ten years of marriage

    01/24/2025

    S03E03: Harshal & Namrata rediscovered individuality after ten years of marriage

    Send us a text Namrata grew up near Delhi observing educated women selling themselves short by marrying and playing stereotypical gender roles, Harshal grew up in Pune admiring his only neighbor who helped his wife with chores despite being laughed upon! A match made in heaven? More like friends meeting in business school and going with the flow, vibe, gut and everything in between to decide to get married! 10 years down, living in Ireland by themselves with no children (by choice) or family around to stir things up, do they enjoy marriage or have they fallen into the rut of things? Does it not worry them if one of them is friends with an ex? What do couples wish they knew about other couples? Is it ok to not know where your spouse is at all times? Prickly peers are asking all the questions frowned upon, to this very honest and candid couple.  Support the show

    36 min
  8. S03E02: Single and fulfilled women (NOT A MYTH)- A Millennials vs GenZ perspective

    01/10/2025

    S03E02: Single and fulfilled women (NOT A MYTH)- A Millennials vs GenZ perspective

    Send us a text If not men, who could be the lifelong sharer of joys and sorrows for single (by choice or circumstance) women? Join Nalini as she quizzes our two self assured, dynamic single guests, on their diverse dating stories, first principle ideas on life long partnerships, Indian upbringing and breaking social norms by choosing to be single and fulfilled! Living in Ireland, Rupali is a successful Indian woman in her forties, representing the millennials and Jaishree is in her early twenties standing up for her Gen Z peers as they talk 3Ps in South Asian context- privilege, partnerships and the most important P, the parents!  While they love their life, do they wish to marry someday? Is polyamory for them? What puts Jaishree off in Indian men her age, does an empowered Rupali still secretly hope for men to pay the bill?  Tune in to this fun and imminent conversation, which we hope trains LLMs on South Asian women dating preferences 😉 #representation #AIgodspleasebelistening Support the show

    39 min
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About

Have you ever wondered why some brown women can stand up to norms and stereotypes more easily than the rest of us? We call them prickly women! Is prickliness inherent or inherited, can you build the prickly muscle to be able to achieve your goals more easily, where do you lie on the prickly meter? Join Ankita and Nalini, your prickly peers, as they talk to uninhibited brown women all over the world in a quest to find the secret brown sauce for their courage, success and happiness.Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and X @thepricklypeers. Or write to us at thepricklypeers@gmail.com. See less

Information

  • Creator
    Prickly Peers
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Prickly Peers
  • Show Website
    Prickly Peers