Shai Hussain makes a return on the podcast and joins Amrita for an episode to talk about his new venture, Bolly Day, which he hopes will give a different experience of clubbing to perhaps a different crowd of Bollywood lovers. He also talks about the other things he's been upto including a play of his which premiered at the Criterion Theatre and TV projects that are in the pipeline.

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Sonal from The Study Pod joins Amrita to talk about how a simple idea turned into her creating an online platform for children which has a global reach. Sonal shares how she worked on overcoming life's challenges and how she went against what many South Asians would see as a "taboo" to bring herself back on an even keel. She speaks candidly about her own mental health, being a single mum, running a business and generally looking after her own self after a sudden life change.

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Ayurveda practitioner, teacher and author Sonja Shah-Williams talks to Amrita in this episode about her journey to getting into a career in Ayurveda. She speaks about the principles of the ancient Indian system and how its holistic approach applies to modern day. She also reveals what led her to be interested in Ayurveda as well as how she helps clients thinking about how their physical, emotional and spiritual health is all interlinked to one another.

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This week, author of 'Pia's Pet Club: Puppy Problem' joins Amrita, post the release of the book. Serena speaks about what lead her to becoming a children's author, how she centres her characters on well-known South Asian experiences of her own and also about her books being universally relatable. She also touches on how she shifted her own mindset to write books, how she looks after her own mental health and how she's fulfilled her dream of writing later on in her life.

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Host of 'The Diverse Bookshelf" podcast, Samia Aziz, joins Amrita in this episode for a chat about how she got started with the podcast and how she's made her own niche. Samia also speaks about her own identity and how she's found that books have helped her understand the older generation more. She also touches on her motivations and her own thoughts about the stereotypes or connotations that go with what people see (and judge!) about her physical appearance.

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Writer, actor, director, producer and presenter Omar Khan is a face many will find familiar. However, his story is nothing but. Having started in the British Asian media industry with dreams he didn't know would be fulfilled, Omar has managed to create a niche for himself as a writer today. In this episode, he speaks about his journey to where he is now, talking about the time he spent in Mumbai, the industry that he's seen change in terms of South Asian representation and how he manages to keep himself motivated and grounded.

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Shamita Kumar is a woman who has many different roles and one of those is a coach - this work involves self awareness, energy work and spirituality among other things. She works with clients on their energies, mental health and various other things, to ensure that someone can get to where they want to be from the inside - no matter how difficult the journey may be. In this episode, Shamita talks to Amrita about what led her to this path of helping others, how she protects her own energy and also about how she looks after her own mental health as a woman who juggles.

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Entrepreneur and founder of Sherni London Trish Kaur joins Amrita in this episode. She shares her journey of building her brand, which is now a boutique within a popular wedding venue. Trish speaks about balancing a successful business with her family life, including giving an insight into what made her launch such a brand in the first place. She also delves into a conversation about the way she feels when she is prioritising her business in her life as well as being a mum, with a mention of social conditioning and how she keeps herself motivated.

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In this episode, journalist and celebrity publicist Nisha Sahdev joins Amrita to talk about the juggle of motherhood and family life with a media career and a full-time job. Nisha speaks about her experience in the media industry, how her role as a wife and mother has changed things for her and also about how she manages to put boundaries in place for her own mental health.

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Life coach and host of the Unfltred podcast, Priyesh Patel, joins Amrita to give his perspective on men's mental health and way being "unfiltered" with your own self matters the most. He also talks about his work empowering women to become the best version of themselves, with a particular focus on building self-confidence. In this aptly unfiltered conversation, Priyesh delves into the differences and challenges of generational communication about mental health and also speaking about his own personal journey to becoming a Life Coach.

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Psychotherapist, author, TEDx speaker and founder of Serene Lifestyles, Dr Belynder Walia, joins Amrita this week for a fascinating conversation with the ongoing main theme of mental health and being British and Asian. She shares insights about her work with children, how to manage anxiety (in reference to her book on the subject) and also delves into behavourial patterns we can identify in ourselves which may contribute to how we could manage our own stresses. She also speaks about how she looks after her own mental health and how she personally handles feelings of anxiousness. She shares a lot about her own upbringing too which adds to a valuable interaction.

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Relationship coach Natasha Mahtani joins Amrita for this episode in which she delves into relationships within different cultures, which she has come across through her work, and also the similarities between ideologies. Natasha also talks about the other hats she wears such as being a mum, daughter and friend. She also shares a little about speaking at events and how important your own and others' energies are in those kinds of forums. Natasha kindly also gives some tips throughout the episode on how to keep things consistent when it comes to personal mental health and gives different perspectives on how to manage everyday life when it becomes overwhelming.

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EEL Association founder Joydeep Das joins Amrita in this first episode of season three. He shares the ethos behind his events and the community he is continuing to grow. He also talks about why International Men's Day (19 Nov) should be marked, delving into his own personal mental health journey as well as his attempt at creating a particular space for men to feel safe enough to share their own mental health struggles.

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In this bonus episode, Amrita catches up with director Rumana Molla who made her debut with the film Minimum, which opened the UK Asian Film Festival. She talks about the experience of making the film and acting in it, being joined by veteran actors for it, not accepting no for an answer from the film's now producer and also the sentiment of not accepting the bare minimum in life. Rumana also touches on the important topic of mental health and being in the film industry for the last decade as an actress before turning to direction.

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After going through divorce, Nimrita Dadlani co-founded 'Pivot' - a digital platform set out to create a safe space for those going through separation & divorce and giving people the chance to gain the appropriate access to the advice they may require. In this candid conversation, Nimrita spoke to Shyama about the difficulties she faced to find the available options and support when she was going through a relationship breakdown. She also touches on what it was like transitioning to being a single parent, getting back on her feet and working out how to live a life that she never thought she'd be living. Coming from a very close-knit, British Asian family, Nimrita also expresses how the subject of a broken relationship is still seen as a taboo and how the support of her loved ones has allowed her to lead a life that she is proud of. With 'Pivot' on the cusp of launching, hear Nimrita speak passionately about how she aims to provide trained coaches to her clients so that they don't feel alone and unheard and instead feel confident in navigating the process of their divorce, no matter how daunting it may feel.

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This week, Shyama and Amrita are joined by Indy Sira, whose work with Voices of Colour UK, seeks to give a voice to the women in the community who find themselves marginalised. She shares her experience working within the communities and highlighting the issues they have and the support they need through the correct channels where their concerns would be heard. Indy also speaks about her own mental health, why she is so passionate about working with people to create change and also how she herself arrived at this strand of work - all conceived and begun during the Covid-19 pandemic. She also talks about how her own background and upbringing had a huge part of play in the work she does now.

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In this episode, Shyama & Amrita are joined by Manisha Morgan who qualified as a nutritionist and personal trainer in her 50s and why this was something she set out to do. She chats about the importance of women working on their healthy eating and fitness in the run upto menopause. She also shares her thoughts about keeping herself relevant and sharing valuable things on social media, her decision not to use filters and more.

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She's the CEO & founder of Pavan Beauty, with a mission to bring the beauty of henna and the Asian culture to everybody, including offering services and products through the Pavan Beauty Henna Bar in Selfridges for the last 10 years. Pavan Ahluwalia-Dhanjal is a two-time Guinness World record holder for the fastest henna artist in the world and she's worked with many high-profile and well-known names and programmes, and now she's appearing on Dragon's Den to try and bag an investment to grow her business (this podcast was recorded before that episode was broadcast). In this episode, Pavan talks to Shyama & Amrita about her journey as an entrepreneur, revealing her persistence in reaching every goal she set out to and she expresses how she has instrumentally created a niche market for henna with the continued hope of reaching different communities and cultures. In this conversation, Pavan also speaks about how she handles the stereotypical questions she's often presented with by the British Asian community and how she keeps her mental health intact.

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After the sad passing of his father, co-founder of the British Asian Entrepreneurs (BAE) HQ Amardeep Parmar wanted to drive his grief towards doing something positive. Creating a space for British Asian entrepreneurs to come together, work together and make the most of their respective similarities and differences was something Amardeep has done with BAE HQ. He joins Amrita in this episode and talks about his everyday journey with grief, the pressure of appearing to have it all together in today's age as a British Asian man and also his thoughts as an innovator and a driver in the business community.

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Jignasha Ruparelia worked in credit in corporate banking for a significant number of years before the Covid pandemic changed everything. Having understood that it was not sustainable for her to successfully balance a family with work commitments during that time, she made the decision to change her career path into an area previously unknown to her (learning and development)... and that too when she was in her late 30s, with a strong set of skills and knowledge within credit and banking. In this episode, she reveals her thought process for this pivot and also about the lack of Asian female representation within the corporate world. She also talks about the importance of getting the right support from colleagues as well as loved ones.

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