Tuckered Out with Ami Thakkar

🎤🎤🎤🎤 It's a reunion! Twenty years after being his production assistant on a film set in Austin, TX, Kal Penn and I get a chance to sit down and catch up about it all. Kal is an American #actor , #author , #academiclecturer and former #whitehouse staff member in the @barackobama administration. You may know him from television shows such as #house , #designatedsurvivor , #sunnyside ,and #howimetyourmother ❤️ He is also recognized for his performance in the film #thenamesake and of course the #haroldandkumar series (I personally still love #tajmahalbadalandabad ) Penn has taught at the @uofpenn in the Cinema Studies Program as a visiting lecturer. We talk about it all-from our first impressions, to those fantastic middle school years, to his job as a farmhand right before he went to @ucla He talks about the meaning behind the Brown Catch-22, his journey with stereotyping in #hollywood , his experience going to #india with President Barack Obama, and why he needed a mini-fridge in the White House. We attempt to bust out with some #gujarati (our native Indian language) which Kal definitely schools me on. His new memoir, #youcantbeserious is out and is such a fantastic read, it feels like you become part of his journey. A special shout out to all the uncles and aunties we both loved growing up.....this one is for you. Episode 90 is out everywhere you get your podcasts! ⭐️⭐️⭐️Stay tuned for his book giveaway!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #southasiantrailblazers #southasianvoices #beingbrowninhollywood #beingbrowninpolitics #tuckeredoutwithami #tuckeredoutpodcast

Kal Penn can’t be serious....or can he? Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that we've got a very special conversation coming out this week! Twenty years after being his production assistant on a film in Austin, TX, I got a chance to sit down with my old pal to talk about his book, You Can't Be Serious, and breadth of work throughout his career. We touched on so many important topics, including his time at the White House and the challenges he has faced as an #indianamerican in #hollywood . My conversation with Kal was uplifting, funny, and just ...real. I wanted to give you just a little teaser today to get you excited because I definitely am! The full episode will be coming out TOMORROW, July 20th, so before then, make sure that you're subscribed wherever you listen to your podcasts and tell a friend about the show so they can listen too. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Also, I'll be doing a giveaway for Kal's book, "You Can't Be Serious", so stay tuned all week for content surrounding the interview! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Enjoy the clip and be sure to listen to the full episode on Wednesday! We will take you through his whirlwind and epic journey....and maybe end up at @whitecastle 🍔 #southasiantrailblazers #southasianvoices #beingbrowninhollywood #beingbrowninpolitics #obamawhitehouse #youcantbeserious

🎙🎙🎙🎙 As most of you know, March is #womenshistorymonth and the #iwd theme this year is #breakthebias -in our communities, workplaces, schools, and homes. You see it, you call it out. 📣📣📣📣 I could not think of a better female powerhouse to talk to as we celebrate #internationalwomensday than @joyadass 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Joya has spent 20 years covering the financial markets on TV from the floor of the #nyse , she has interviewed countless CEOs, and is considered one of the best #publicspeaking coaches out there. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 She started @ladydrinksnyc in 2010 with her business partner as a monthly meetup for women in film and TV to network and get jobs, and has lived in New York City since 1999 because frankly, she loves the #nyc attitude. She is currently the #founder of the #womensleadershipacademy ,a leadership platform for executive women. 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 She talks about how she has been in #survivalmode since she left her home at the age of 18, why her super power consists of fantastic #retreats for women, how she used her NYC dating experience while doing a stand-up comedy set at @carolinesonbway ,how it is important to train people on they way you would like to be treated, and how it's all about #courage and #preparation 🗽🗽🗽🗽 ⭐️⭐️Episode 81 is out now anywhere you get your podcasts!⭐️⭐️ https://linktr.ee/tuckeredoutpodcast #southasiantrailblazers #southasianvoices #southasianwomen #breakthebias #tuckeredoutwithami #tuckeredoutpod

#mommiesinpodcasting was by far the coolest panel @podcastmovement last week. Big shoutout to my people at @dcpofficial for inviting me to speak on stage and to @chriscolbertreport for making me realize it’s time to ramp things up 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 Dallas 2022!! #tuckeredoutwithami #tuckeredoutpodcast #southasiantrailblazers

🎤🎤🎤🎤 Premal Dharia has spent the last twenty years dedicated to challenging injustice in the #criminalsystem and nearly 15 years as a #publicdefender .She has tried dozens of cases and supervised lawyers at various levels of practice. 👩🏽‍⚖️🧑🏻‍⚖️👨🏿‍⚖️👩🏽‍⚖️ Premal will be joining @harvardlaw as the inaugural #executivedirector of the @endmassincarceration_org , launching this summer. The Institute’s mission is to end mass incarceration in the United States through a movement-centered, action-oriented organizing and advocacy program with a bold and ambitious innovation institute. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 We talk about the history of mass incarceration and the current situation as it stands in the United States. She discusses why prisoners are disproportionately Black and Latino, her work as a public defender and civil attorney, why she thinks public defenders are key to systemic change within the criminal system, founding and directing the Defender Impact Initiative, and what we need to know about #postcolonialism and the impact it has had on people of color. 📖📖📖📖 We discuss her upbringing as a South Asian woman, what she is most excited about in he new role as Executive Director, and why public defenders have the reputation they do. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Please check out episode 63 anywhere you get your podcasts! To learn more, please check out- https://endmassincarceration.org/ https://inquest.org/

🎤🎤🎤🎤 My next guests have built an organization that is not just starting the conversation around #menstrualhygiene in #india ,but they are educating people across India and changing the way menstruation has been talked about in the past and even today. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 Tarun Bothra and Kristin Kagetsu are co-founders of @saathipads ,a purpose driven manufacturing company that makes eco-friendly hygiene products. Their mission is to create hygiene products that are good for the body, environment, and community. Saathi pads are biodegradable and compostable, using plant-based materials for the leak-proof outer layers of the napkin. 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼 We talk about how personal experiences led them down this path, how so many people they had to deal with while building @saathipads didn’t quite understand or agree with what their mission was, how they were able to chat with women who have little access to #sanitarypads and ask them what their needs were, and how they were able to employ 75% women in their factories, not an easy feat in traditional and conservative areas. 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 ⭐️⭐️ @saathipads was named @time magazines “100 Best Inventions of 2019#⭐️⭐️ I have no doubt that these are the kinds of ideas and the people that will help change our world for the better. I think it’s about time to #breakthetaboo 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Episode 61 out now anywhere you get your podcasts or check out my site! 👆🏼 #southasiantrailblazers #southasiandiaspora #ecofriendlyperiod #breakthetaboo #tuckeredoutwithami #tuckeredoutpodcast #supportindiepodcasts

🎤🎤🎤🎤 I swear, I could listen to her voice all day. 🥰🥰🥰🥰 We're live people! That's right, I actually had the chance to interview my guest face-to-face. Like in the same room. Weird right? 🍸🍸🍸🍸 Pallavi Sharda and I caught up at our friend's apartment in NYC and chatted about it all, I felt 24 all over again . 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 We talk about making the decision to move to India to fulfill her dreams of working in #bollywood ,her biggest takeaways from her time there, what she would tell other young women who want to make their mark on the world's largest film industry, and the relationships and experiences that helped her grow personally and professionally. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 She discusses why there is still a lack of #diversity and #representation for #southasian women in the #filmindustry as well as #publishing ,how being an #indianaustralian forced her to redefine herself time and time again, and the reason coming back home to #melbourne was a big part of reclaiming her voice and identity. 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼 We chat about the time we roamed the streets of #mumbai back in the day, she teaches me some new slang since I’m an old #budhi now, and I try to convince her to move to NYC because.. well, it’s the best. 🗽🗽🗽🗽 Pallavi was named on the list of forty most influential Asian-Australians at the inaugural Asian-Australian Leadership Summit. Her film credits include Oscar nominated film Lion (2016), Bollywood films Begum Jaan (2017) and Hawaizaada (2015), and comedy Australian film Save Your Legs! (2012). She has worked in Hindi films like My Name Is Khan, Dus Tola, and Besharam. 🎥🎥🎥🎥 This year, she starred in Tom Jerry and The One, now streaming on @netflix and she has two feature films coming out in 2022 which I’m super pumped for, Black Site and Wedding Season!! 📚📚📚📚 She also has her FIRST BOOK coming out so stay tuned!! We lov

In honor of #pridemonth2021, I had the honor of interviewing my friends, Parag V. Mehta and Vaibhav Jain, a couple who has not only inspired the #LGBTQIAplus community, but also the #SouthAsian community around the world. Last March, they tried to register their marriage with the #Indianconsulate in #NYC under Indias Foreign Marriage Act, which is a pretty standard process for #Indian citizens who get married abroad (Parag is from #Texas and Vaibhav is from #Delhi). This is their story, their journey really, from the time they got denied the registration at the NYC Indian Consulate to filing a precedent-setting #petition with the Delhi High Court, urging the Indian government and its Ministry of External Affairs to recognize #samesexmarriages. We talk about the history of #gayrights in India, #Section377 of the Indian Penal Code, attorneys Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju, the faces behind the historic Section 377 #verdict in 2018, and other gay couples who are fighting for equal and inclusive rights in India. Parag and Vaibhav discuss their family's journey of acceptance and love, how they met at Vaibhav's first #Prideparade in #DC, why we all need to understand how mental illness can play a big role for many young South Asian kids who don't have the support they need, and why it is so important for them to represent the #LGBTQIAplus voices that are not being heard all over India, even while they worry about the safety of their own families. And while their case is still going on, one thing is for sure- Parag V. Mehta and Vaibhav Jain love their country. They see progress and they see a positive shift towards acceptance. They have faith in the Indian government, they have faith in the good people of India, and most importantly, they have faith in true Indian values. "India is the largest democracy in the world, let's make it the most inclusive one." Episode 59 out now anywhere you get your podcasts! www.tuckeredoutwithami.com https://lnkd.in/efZ-4-M

I get to sit down and chat with the President of the Desai Foundation Megha Desai. We talk about the #covidcrisis in #india and how the Foundation is supporting those in need on the ground. We also discuss the stigma around women's #menstrualhealth and how we need to help change the conversation for the 71% of girls in India who don't know wha their #period is before they get it. Megha Desai is doing fantastic work that I think we all need to hear about! Episode 57 is out now anywhere you get your podcasts or click on my site below. www.tuckeredoutwithami.com Also, please rate and review the podcast on Apple. It really helps! But be nice. I know where you live. #southasiantrailblazers #southasiandiaspora #givingbacktothecommunity #foundation #tuckeredoutwithami #tuckeredoutpodcast #supportindiepodcasts

Reshma Patel and I talk all things #nyc #finance and #givingbacktothecommunity. This woman was born for this role! Episode 55 is out now anywhere you get our podcasts! www.tuckeredoutwithami.com

Parentune.com is definitely changing parenthood in India by offering parents the support they need outside their family unit. Check out episode 54 anywhere you get your podcasts or my site! www.tuckeredoutwithami.com

Dr. Sumun Pendakur Discusses Racial Equity

Hey hey my fine friends!! Here are some of the latest episodes to catch on my pod... had a FANTASTIC conversation with Dr. Sumi Pendakur about all things racial equity and DEI You can find this episodes (and some more of my lovely voice) anywhere you get your podcasts or check out my site! www.tuckeredoutwithami.com Sumi Pendakur

Check out this epic episode with the indomitable Alka Joshi anywhere you get your podcasts! She talks all about #thehennaartist and her own personal trailblazing journey🔥 #southasiantrailblazers #southasianauthors #tuckeredoutpod #tuckeredoutwithami www.tuckeredoutwithami.com