If you have seen either Roopa Mahadevan or Sruti Sarathy perform, you know just how brilliant they are! If you haven't, now is your chance!! And this time, they are premiering their collaborative project "Songs of Many Lives" which will bring their minds, hearts and music together in ways that are both rooted in their artistic sensibility, and bring so many unexpected layers to it. Swipe to hear @sruti.sarathy and @roopama speaking about the work, and even @farahyasmeenshaikh give her take on this uniquely grounded work.
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
See the live performances in the San Francisco Bay Area on Oct 25 & 26 in Mountain View and on Nov 9 in San Francisco!
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Nikita Shah is a brilliant Kalamkari and textile artist, originally from Mumbai, and now based in Brooklyn. This episode is extra special because Farah not only had the chance to learn so much about Nikita, but these two artists are both being presented as part of @whenyesspeaksf on Oct 11 & 12.
Nikita will be giving a workshop in Oakland on Sat, Oct 11, and Farah and @nooranidance company will perform on Sat & Sun in SF, sharing their unique and reflective project “Saabit Qadam - Perseverance.”
Nikita’s work will also make some special appearances in the performances! Hear them talk about all of this and more in this conversation.
Conversations like this one exemplify so much of what the Heartistry Podcast is all about. Spotlighting voices and stories of individuals who are equally focused on doing the same in the various ways that they show up in the world.
Preethi & Shruti are a dynamic duo that - through their own individual and collective artistic practice, as well as through their various endeavors, platforms and opportunities they are creating for others - are sparking reflection, dialogue, inquiry, healing, and so much more.
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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Arjun Verma is an internationally acclaimed sitarist trained by Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, Alam Khan, and Roop Verma, and has recorded with GRAMMY-winning artists London Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, and John Beasley, performed with musical greats Swapan Chaudhuri, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, and Alam Khan, and presented music at the United Nations, the Fillmore, Prague Castle, and on NBC TV.
Throughout this episode, Arjun shares about the beautiful pathways and people that led him to where he finds himself at present. Much like his music, there is a deeply reflective nature in the way Arjun communicates, one that is profoundly introspective, but never without absorbing and learning from others, and then always sharing - whether through teaching, performing, or in developing his own artistry.
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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Phoenyx Rose is a Bay Area-born, multi-hyphenated artist, healer, and movement educator whose work spans Broadway, film, music, and sacred storytelling. With over 2,000 students taught across the Bay Area, Phoenyx is known for weaving life values into every movement, igniting transformation in and beyond the studio. Her creative lineage merges ancestral power with modern expression, empowering others to see. As a performer, writer, and founder of Aurora Luxe Candles, she blends art with alchemy.
This beautiful and inspiring conversation with Phoenyx is a little extra special as it includes Aziza Noor Shaikh, Farah's daughter, as the co-host for this episode. Aziza is a direct recipient of our guest's brilliance, and throughout the conversation, you'll understand why!
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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Saadia Khan is the founder of Indus Threads, an impact driven fashion accessories brand that blends culture with elegance while empowering women through style. After leaving her corporate career, Saadia set out to build a brand that not only offers statement pieces but also inspires confidence and self-expression. With a keen eye for design and a passion for impact, she works with global artisans to create collections that celebrate individuality and bold fashion choices. A portion of each purchase goes to charities working towards women health and education. Saadia is on a mission to make fashion a force for confidence and change; championing empowerment through accessories that tell a story.
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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Muhammad Joyo @mojofounds is a Pakistani-American, born in Karachi and raised mostly in the US. His moving around a lot while young made him curious about new places and ideas, and was driven by learning and challenging himself to obtain new skills. After working at Google for five years as a software engineer, Muhammad started Elaichi Co, a chai cafe in Berkeley, with his wife and parents, and found his current passion - entrepreneurship and growing Elaichi Co, bringing him new challenges every day. We love this excerpt of him talking about the importance of growing and evolving into being a positive and strong leader.
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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Dr. Geetha Murali is CEO of Room to Read, a leading international organization that transforms the lives of children through education. Geetha is a driving force behind Room to Read’s presence in 24 countries — benefiting more than 45 million children. We loved hearing about how Geetha's diverse personal professional experience have culminated into "wins" in various environments, in ways that even she could not have predicted.
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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Seenaya @seenayaofficial was born out of a deep love for Pakistani heritage and the desire to share its beauty rituals with the world. As a mother-daughter duo—Saman and Maha— grew up surrounded by potent, natural ingredients and age-old skincare traditions passed down through generations. Inspired by their grandmother’s rituals and guided by the wisdom of their roots, they created Seenaya to bring these time-tested secrets to a new generation of skincare enthusiasts.
Hear each of them speak about how their individual paths led them to becoming Co Founders of this skin care brand that connects generations and a community of individuals who value authenticity, heritage, and the power of nature.
Devanshi Somaiya is an obstetrician-gynecologist with 20 years of clinical experience and a strong background in public health, and has worked in low-resource settings. For the past decade, Devanshi has concentrated on cost-effective solutions for cervical cancer prevention, including screening and vaccination. Currently, Devanshi leads and serves as a clinical specialist on several local and global collaborative research projects on women’s health with Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII).
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
Zainab Jeewanjee is a relationship-driven leader who believes “service is sales, and sales is service” and thus her work is rooted in service as a deepest form of connection. She exemplifies this in her actions, and so much of what she shares with Farah throughout this conversation. A Bay Area native, writer, yogi, and global thinker, Zainab brings heart, humility, and intention to everything she builds. It is no surprise that she was invited to be Chair for the upcoming OPEN Silicon Valley conference, “SYNERGY” on May 10th in the Silicon Valley, and with her self proclaimed “card carrying feminist” lens, shares what we can look forward to this year.
Kulsoom Aftab is a dramatist, poet, actor, original content creator, director, translator, voice-over artist, script consultant, writing and acting coach, and student counsellor, and the founder and artistic director of Theatre K productions.
Before her building up her own theatre production house, she has served National Academy of Performing Arts in various capacities for twenty years. Kulsoom is an activist for meaningful entertainment, female empowerment, and original content.
In this excerpt, we loved her reflection and analysis of the multiple artistic migrations that have taken place in and out of Pakistan, and how it is has impacted the artistic landscape to present day in the country.
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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Rana Nadya is a certified fitness trainer and an entrepreneur. She has been a national swimmer for Pakistan as well. Rana completed her MBA, and like everyone in their masters dreamt of an ideal corporate job as the only future. Two years into corporate life, she knew that it was not for her, and that something was always missing. This is when Rana started doing online certification courses and training at a local gym.
In her 8 years of fitness training, she has been driven by a singular mission - to ignite a fire within other women, and to empower them to find passion and purpose in their work. Rana knew firsthand, the transformative power of earning one’s own income, and yet, it wasn’t just about financial stability. It was also about autonomy, dignity, and a sense of self-worth. Rana started her own journey from timid, corporate slave to now a confident entrepreneur. The women she trains also yearn for more - more independence, more fulfillment, more control over their own lives. Rana urges all women to take the leap, to pursue their passions, and to never settle for anything less than their dreams. And most importantly, to keep trying to find something you adore doing.
One of the ways Rana is achieving all of her desires for herself, and for others, is through a beautiful sense of community that she has helped to create.
Taabir Noorani is an artist and yogi living in Karachi, Pakistan. She owns a gym and an art business with a touch of interiors. Farah invited Taabir to be a guest on Heartistry, not just because of her artistry and other endeavors, but also because of her involvement with various other activists and humanitarian efforts. Taabir is a great example of showing up sometimes with something specific to offer (skills, etc), and at other times just "do what's needed"!
Founder of Scrumptious Wicks, Sonya Malani Panchal discovered a unique passion for candle making. When developing the scents she wanted in her candles, she made the beautiful connection between smell and taste, rooted in her nostalgia and overall love for flavors, and hence the name of her company.
We chat about her journey, and the far too often tendency of being exploited by those over asking for donated products. This is a relatable topic for so many, and we appreciated Sonya’s ability to both advise others to do what is right for them, and to call it out when it isn’t working.
We are so glad that this week's guest, Silicon Valley Exec turned Award Winning Actor & Filmmaker, Renu Razdan, shared this advice she received. Listen to this conversation to hear more about the pivot she made, leaving "weekend warrior" days behind her.
Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
We are thrilled to share this episode with Saiyna Bashir @saiynabashir_studios - an incredible and award winning photojournalist based in Pakistan. Seriously check out some of her work in that area, and then while you are picking your jaw up off the ground, note that Saiyna is also a documentary filmmaker AND is currently working on "Ustad" @ustadthefilm - a documentary on the untold story of one of the world's greatest singers, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Though it has been close to three decades since Nusrat Sahib's passing, needless to say, his music lives on in the minds and hearts of so many. We see this to be the case with so many great artists. With the recent passing of other true legends and masters, Ustad Aashish Khan and Ustad Zakir Hussain, the world of South Asian music, is certainly mourning the loss of their physical presence, but also reminded of the world treasures that we have in and from South Asia.
Thanks to storytellers like Saiyna, we even have the chance to learn more about the greats.
You must hear more about her incredible journey, when and how we will get to see the documentary, and so much more!
Listen to the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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Hearing how an idea is born AND the name it is given, is always so fascinating!
Alyzeh Rizvi, co-founder of Peepal People, a South Asian pantry brand bringing vibrant, punchy flavors to American kitchens, gave us the beautiful backstory of their company, and how it showcases her Pakistani roots through fresh, small-batch, low-sodium hot sauces.
Listen to the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts.
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We loved getting to know Nadia Rahman during our recent conversation (which happened to take place at the end of election week). Nadia is a communicator, organizer, and activist based in San Francisco. Standing up for what she believes in, navigating how to acknowledge support and endorse candidates who have made progress in some areas, but still holding them accountable to their shortcomings - all of this, and so much more, is what inspires us about this week’s guest!
Our conversation this week is with Bisan Shehadeh, Executive Director of Zawaya, based in the SF Bay Area. She says so much about their vision to achieve intercultural solidarity, respect, and understanding through the universal languages of music and the arts
On Nov 9th, Zawaya presents “We Are All Palestinian”, a concert honoring our shared humanity and the sacredness of life by diverse Bay Area communities coming together to denounce genocide and ethnic cleansing through the universal language of music, particularly by celebrating and preserving Palestinian folk music.
