Aftab Pureval is the 70th Mayor of Cincinnati. He was raised in Southwest, Ohio and is making history as Cincinnati’s first Asian American Mayor.  As Mayor, he is committed to serving Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods. He has made equitable economic growth a top priority of his administration, as well as a comprehensive reform and improvement of public safety, affordable housing, and environmental action. In this conversation, we discuss: How Mayor Aftab took a leap a faith into public service after giving up a comfortable career Behind the scenes details on what it’s like to be a mayor&nbs ..read more

Michael Maliakel is a multi-talented singer, dancer, actor, and Broadway star. Maliakel currently plays the lead role of Aladdin in the Broadway (New York City) musical Aladdin. His credits are numerous:  The Phantom of the Opera (Raoul u/s). NYC: Anything Can Happen: The Songs of Maury Yeston. Regional: Other World – Bucks County Playhouse; Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding – Berkeley Rep; She Loves Me – PlayMakers Rep; Bernstein’s MASS. Ravinia Festival. TV: “Bull” (CBS), “FBI” (CBS).  In this conversation, we discuss:  Michael’s experience breaking into Broadway and getting the ..read more

Dr. Siva Sivaram serves as the Chairman of the board of trustees for Akshaya Patra USA, the world’s largest NGO dedicated to feeding school children. Established in 2000, Akshaya Patra serves 1.8 million children daily in close to 20,000 schools through 55 kitchens across India.  It costs only $20 to feed a child for an entire school year – just an incredible stat. For his day job, Dr. Siva Sivaram serves as President of Western Digital Corporation where he focuses on developing the corporate strategy and the technologies that fuel its growth. In this conversation, we discuss: Dr. Sivar ..read more

Sarika Jain is a Love Advisor and Dating Coach to successful, go-getter South Asian millennials. Her unique approach encompasses everything from uncovering relationship patterns and closing one’s ‘Ex Files’ to practicing self-love and mindfulness in relationships, all with the goal of inspiring people to live the lives they’ve dreamed about – experiencing profound love, success and fulfillment. Sarika’s background includes working in the corporate world and on Wall Street for over fifteen years before deciding to pursue her dream full time of creating a movement around healthy love and empowe ..read more

Hi everyone! I’m Sameer – the founder and host of the podcast South Asian Stories. Thank you for visiting our page. In this podcast, I profile South Asians who have taken unconventional career paths and elevate their identities, successes, failures, and most important stories. I’ve been fortunate to talk individuals like Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, TikTok Star Rahul Rai, FBI agent Asha Rangappa, and Musician Madame Gandhi. So jump right in your favorite podcast player and let me know what you think. Thanks for listening! Connect with South Asian Stories Podcast Instagram Twitter Facebo ..read more

Dr. Ranjan Ravaliya is a Hindu priest and wedding officiant in the New England area. However, she didn’t start this until she was 62 after a long career as Environmental Scientist and a consultant in Sustainable Development for over thirty years! Ranjan’s desire to learn about the Hindu Vedic philosophy was reignited once more by the constant struggle and confusion I was confronted with when my children, nieces and nephews asked me “Why do we do this ceremony?”, “What does it mean?”, during religious events at the temple and at home. Inevitably, these questions were followed by statement ..read more

Dr. Raj Iyer is first Chief Information Officer of the United States Army after the Pentagon created the position in July 2020. One of the highest-ranking Indian-American civilians in the US Department of Defense, Raj Iyer, who holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Army. He directs representation of the secretary in matters relating to information management/information technology (IT). Equivalent in rank to a three-star General, Raj Iyer supervises an annual budget of USD 16 billion for the US Army’s IT operation. Over 15,000 civilia ..read more

Hi everyone! Today we have an episode from my good friend Suraj from Brown People We Know podcast.  Similar to South Asian Stories Podcast, Brown People we Know  iis interview podcast about the non-traditional paths and shared experiences of the South Asian American diaspora. In this episode, Suraj chats with Vikas Arun. Vikas is a professional tap dancer that has performed on So You Think You Can Dance, done commercials for J. Crew and Vogue, and is the first South Asian artist-in-residence at the American Tap Dance Foundation.   His story is really interesting, as Vikas ..read more

Sunnie Delilah is a British fashion designer and founder of Delilah’s Dressing Room.  She focuses on creating functional designs and bespoke accessories for Men, Women, and Children.  Last year, Sunnie invented a long beard mask to protect men with long beards and those who wore religious headwear such as turbans during the COVID 19 pandemic.. Her design and invention was praised on a global scale as well as aired on news stations worldwide, such as BBC, CNN, Sky, Metro, ITV and more. In this conversation, we discuss: Sunnie’s favorite memory growing up and her identity being Sikh ..read more

Azeem Azhar is an award-winning technology author, entrepreneur, and investor. He produces Exponential View the leading newsletter and podcast on the impact of technology on our future economy and society with close to 50,000 subscribers including investors, academics, and journalists around the world.  Azeem brings a unique background to explain the intersection of breakthrough technologies and the economies and societies in which we live. An entrepreneur and an investor in many technology startups, Azeem speaks regularly on television and radio (BBC, Sky, CNN amongst others). His ..read more