In this episode, I reflect on how things have changed so drastically over the last 12 months. Working hard isn't just about passing my state exams in medical school anymore - it's a whole new dimension in this new phase of my life.  One of my biggest learning points over the last few months is that you shouldn't pat yourself on the back for achieving the basics. Patting yourself on the back from time to time is okay, but sometimes you need good mentors to push you to your limit. And once you reach your limit, the best mentors will push you even more.  Listen in to see how I went from commuting almost 3.5 hours after a night shift or 8 hour day in the hospital just so I could achieve my dream of being on the radio. A special thanks to Sabras Radio and Raj Baddhan for believing in me!

Desi Outsiders

91: Episode 91

After releasing my thoughts on feminism in episode 88, I had a very interesting interaction with a listener. We spoke about how we feel this new era of feminism has left us in a position where we don't really know where we stand. CAUTION: A lot of you will disagree with what I will say in this episode and I welcome all of you to explain why you disagree. You can email me at meenal@desioutsiders.com Thank you all for joining me in this very important discussion, I have learnt so much over the last few weeks, and I hope we can all learn together!

90: Episode 90: We Have A Listener On The Show!

Over the last few weeks, I have been trying to find productive ways to deal with stress. One easy and adaptable practice is mindfulness. Pam helps hundreds of people in her work as a mindfulness coach and has been studying the science and benefits behind this practice for years. In this episode, Pam talks to us about how we can incorporate this into our daily lives and the benefits we can expect by practicing some mindfulness on a daily basis.  You can find out more about Pam's work on www.learn2rest.com. Enjoy!

89: In Conversation with Pam Sidhu

This International Women's Day, apart from celebrating all the amazing women who have influenced my life, I want to use this opportunity to re-evaluate what it means to be a woman in the #MeToo era. Feminism is a strong force that is slowly taking over every aspect of our life, but to where do we draw the line? Are we being counterproductive with our feminist thoughts and ideas or is feminism really creating the difference that women need?

88: Am I A Feminist?

In the last few episodes, a few deep conversations were had, a few tears came into the conversation, and we left hoping we'd figure it all out in the new year.  Some answers are never concrete, but it's always good progress when we feel we are taking steps in the right direction!  Please do share your own experiences after listening to this episode, you empower us which helps us empower **YOU! ** We hope you enjoy this one 

Episode 87 - Have I Figured It Out?

Following from last week's episode, we unexpectedly jumped into a conversation about finding the true definition of happiness - of course, Meenal is questioning if it really exists after the few weeks she has been through (yes, she has a dark side)! With the new year approaching, both of us reflect on our personal growth, our future growth and share all our hopes and dreams for the coming year. Thank you for being a part of our podcast, and we promise to bring you more in the coming year. We love you all!

32: Episode 86 - Until next year

When Meenal receives an email that reads "you sound depressed, are you okay?" - we know something is clearly wrong. It's been an interesting couple of weeks for both of us. Each of us experiencing life in different ways and trying to learn from our experiences as much as possible. Not every day will be a happy, bubbly day - a concept Meenal is trying to get a hold of. Tune in to find out why we didn't record last week and why Meenal sounds "dead inside".

31: Episode 85 - Dead inside

Life can get busy.  So busy that we both didn't even get a moment to sit and record an episode last week. But it's okay, because sometimes we have to accept that life can get crazy and we can always find ways to work around it. We are currently learning how to deal with our hectic work schedules and still have time to record a podcast and also deal with our ongoing daily life activities. We talk about our struggles and how we have found our own personal ways of overcoming our anxiety of trying to get enough done during our working days.  If you have any suggestions for us, please send them over - as you'll listen, you'll realize we need all the help we can take!

30: Episode 84 - When the going gets tough

**Shane (the guy who edits this show and is married to the short one)** - This time, it's my bad that the episode was late. I'm a little tied up in Seattle as part of a work trip. Apologies. * * * Long distance relationships aren't always easy and we've all had to deal with it at some point in our life. We discuss how we've dealt with our own relationships, how we've overcome the difficulties and some tips on how to make things a little easier when you're far away from your loved ones. Enjoy!

29: Epsiode 83 - Long-Distance Relationships

This Diwali we bring you a special episode where we catch up with our lives and go through all your mails. We love reading about your opinions and used this opportunity to share what we think with all of you lovely listeners. This special episode is all about you! Enjoy!

28: Episode 82 - Diwali Special: Listener Stories

The #metoo movement is slowly gaining cadence in India. But what makes this so different to the stories being told in the US, is that India has a lot of cultural barriers which affect the movement and the stories of women that are coming to light.  We look into some case studies and present some evidence as to why women aren't likely to lie about their sexual assault stories and why women wouldn't even consider lying.  Of course, this movement is much bigger than what we have time to discuss, but we hope you send us your thoughts and opinions on this movement.

27: Episode 81 - #METOO movement in India

As we prepare for the Asian Media Awards, we wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your love and endless belief in our project. We are sending you all a big, virtual hug! This week, we discuss how Desi weddings aren't exactly the norm anymore - we're all adapting to our needs and desires when it comes to what we believe is the perfect wedding. But can we still keep traditions alive if we continue to veer away from how our ancestors conducted weddings? How important is to us, as a generation, to pass these traditions forward?

26: Episode 80 - A non-traditional Indian wedding

The Sabarimala verdict was a great day for women across the country. Ankita had visited this Temple as a child to make sure she received her blessings before hitting her menstrual age. We both dig into what the Vedas say about women being impure and why we all need to extend our knowledge and read further into historic textbooks to understand why these rules still live within our society.

25: Episode 79: Sabarimala verdict: Religion vs Law

Meenal has just moved to the UK from Gibraltar. But this isn’t the first time she has had to move away from home. Ankita also recollects her several moves and the emotional impact it had on her life. Moving away from home isn’t an easy process, whether it’s for a new job, or to go to University. This week, we discuss the ins and outs of moving and how important it is to be mentally prepared for these big changes in your life. We also go into the topic of trying to figure out where our home actually is. Is it where our parents are? Is it where are our passports says we are from? We’d love to hear about your moving stories and your thoughts on living with our away from your parents. Drop us a mail at mail@desioutsiders.com or find us on any social media platform @desioutsiders Side note: Meenal is running a half marathon in Long Beach, California to raise funds for our 12 orphans in Kenya. We would appreciate any donation, big or small - it will really take us a long way! You can hit the donate button right here: http://altcricketfoundation.org/long-beach-marathon/

24: Episode 78 - Moving away from home

English Medicine' is a term a lot of you may have seen or heard before. But what does this really mean? We discuss the serious impact of myths being passed down from generation to generation with regards to modern medicine. Ankita especially has seen this in her home town in Trivandrum and Meenal has seen family members on their death bed due to ignorance and lack of self-education. We also touch the surface on the science behind Ayurveda and herbal medicine - is it a scam or real science? If you have any of your own 'English Medicine' stories, do share it with us!

23: Episode 77 - "English" Medicines

A podcast by two young Indian women who want to be the voice of reason that fails to be heard in certain Indian households. The podcast is designed to bring meaningful conversations on relationships, dating, education, and feminism into Indian homes. Meenal is an Indian who was raised outside of India in a very traditional Indian household while Ankita was raised in India in a more liberal household. So when these two girls get together, the conversation gets rolling.

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Desi Outsiders

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