Episodes
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Did the election leave you feeling numb, angry, frustrated or scared?
In this raw, unfiltered episode, we're tackling the emotional aftermath of the election. No toxic positivity, no dismissive "just move on" talk. Just an honest conversation about what it means when national politics shake your sense of belonging.
Consider this your emotional first-aid kit, blending the wisdom of two cultures with the clarity our community needs right now.
Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of political anxiety, community trauma, and navigating identity during politically charged times.
Skip this one if you're feeling politically zen. But if your heart's been heavy and your mind racing? Pull up a chair. Let's process this together.
Duration: 16 minutes
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Imagine this: a mother of three, holding onto hope that her marriage could be saved, until everything came crashing down with her husband’s latest affair.
Hendra van Niekerk was in disbelief when reality hit her hard. She had just two weeks to gather her things and leave, making way for his new girlfriend. As if that weren’t enough, things took a darker turn when she uncovered a chilling truth—he had been stalking all his mistresses for years.
But that was only the beginning of her nightmare.
After leaving, temporarily separated from her kids, Hendra faced a heart-wrenching realization: her husband had been mentally abusing them. For years, she had been their shield, unknowingly taking the blows to protect them.
Now, without her protection, they were vulnerable. What followed was a grueling three-year battle—a fierce fight to escape his control and reclaim not just her life, but her children’s safety.
It’s a deeply emotional journey fueled by a mother’s fierce determination. Join us for Hendra’s incredible path to freedom in this episode.
#Greyzonenomore #Freetolive #AbuseFree
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Missing episodes?
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Safety is the love language of our nervous system.......Stephanie Crochet shared this brilliance in this episode. She is a Nervous System Regulating Coach and Yoga Teacher.
With over 10 years of experience as a yoga teacher and retreat leader, Stephanie is dedicated to pioneering holistic and preventative tools that empower women to live vibrant and thriving lives!
Healing the nervous system is about slowing down, taking a pause and doing less. It’s not possible to heal on the go!
Stephanie uses different strategies rooted in yoga that help relax and restore your body on a cellular level while also supporting the new neural pathways that are created in your brain!
https://stephaniecrochet.com/
Instagram @stephcrochetyoga
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Dr. Najifa Choudhury is an ambulatory care pharmacist and founder of a CBD company, Dr. Peace Lily. Through her formal education and training, she specialized in geriatric care with a focus on holistic healing. As a pharmacist, she values and trusts prescription medications but noticed most patients are fast to take a pill to fix their problems rather than figure out the root cause and try non-pharmacological options first.
As a health care professional, she believes everyone should have a holistic approach to healing and not just medicating. Three years ago, when she was suffering from stress & anxiety, she looked for natural ways to help calm her racing thoughts and during that journey of healing, she discovered the plant medicine that is CBD and all its health benefits! CBD has helped Dr. Choudhury take back control of her life and changed the initial negative stigma she had about CBD.
After using CBD herself and researching the cannabis industry extensively, she found two major issues: firstly, the immense knowledge gap amongst healthcare professionals when it came to CBD, and secondly, how unregulated the industry is. She decided to solve both of these issues and overcome this general incompetency around CBD, and as a result, launched her own company in 2019, Dr. Peace Lily - and has been impacting lives ever since. She has been able to grow her company by 400% in the last year and launch her products into retail in Metro Detroit.
In the summer of 2021, She decided to focus on Dr. Peace Lily full-time and quit her ambulatory care pharmacist job.
The transition felt seamless when she realized she was making such a positive impact on the Detroit community with her business. Her main goal is to empower more patients through education and to bridge the gap between prescription medications and CBD.
With how much the brand has grown so far and the influence it has been making in the lives of the community and others, she has considered raising capital to scale her business as the goal is to be a leading CBD company founded by a healthcare professional. So far her work has been featured in numerous media outlets such as Cosmopolitan Magazine, WXYZ Channel 7, SEEN, HOUR Detroit, Top Doc, Authority, and others. Her love of wanting to educate and empower patients as a CBD health consultant to be their best advocate has been extremely evident, and she is often asked to speak at conferences and give keynote speeches about pharmacology, CBD, and cannabis-related topics.
www.payalghayal.com
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Pakistani designer and TV personality Fariha Nasir joins me to share how she created her own identity against all odds.
Fariha Nasir is a self-taught designer and DIY enthusiast with a passion for crafting spaces that tell stories. Armed with a Fine Art degree in painting and a can-do creative spirit, Fariha launched her blog Pennies for a Fortune in 2019 to document her DIY journey of transforming her Houston, TX, builder grade house into her custom dream home. Since then, it has grown into a robust and loyal community that appreciates good design and the struggles of DIY. Fariha is also the host of TV show Problem Spaces on Magnolia Network.
www.payalghayal.com
How to follow Fariha...
Instagram
Blog
TikTok
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Going from a start up to artist is not an easy step for anyone, let alone a woman of color.
Natasha Patel is a self-taught abstract artist based out of Costa Mesa, CA. She worked nearly a decade in toxic male dominated corporate start-ups before making the leap to become an artist and creative entrepreneur full time towards the end of 2021.
She uses fluid acrylics, inks, sand, and epoxy resin to create statement abstract paintings that are bold in color and vibrant in composition. Natasha is heavily influenced by the organic patterns and structures found in nature and the universe, and is currently working on an abstract collection inspired by ancient Indian architecture and textiles.
Are you a generational disruptor? We dive deeper into what that means and how that shows up in an immigrant family.
www.payalghayal.com
Website: https://napagogoart.com/
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Payal Desai, also known as Payalforstyle on Instagram and tiktok. Her viral “Dusty Son” series on social media seeks to dispel traditional gender roles beginning right in her home - teaching her sons. The series has MILLIONS of likes and has grabbed the attention of media outlets and talk shows including the @tamronhall show on ABC @fox29philly @parents BusinessInsider (@insiderbusiness ), and more. In many ways Payal’s role as an educator (16 years in the classroom) informs much of her content creation influence and strategy.
In todays's episode we dive deeper into her journey from Educator to Content Creator. Being in the public eye and sharing about her own story of sobriety, gender disappointment, and advocacy. She had to make some difficult decisions and I am in awe of her commitment to her own values and ethics.
www.payalghayal.com
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Do you notice the subconscious competitive vibe in the brown community?
As kids, we saw it in the older generation and were even roped into it. Remember the aunties and uncles bragging about how their kids were smarter and more talented than others? This competitive message from our families, culture, and community has seeped into our adult lives. So, how do we break this cycle of trauma and rivalry among our own people?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Check out a free video series I put together for you- How to Stop Caring What the Aunties Think
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It's going to get real this summer.
I used to think I was living my true, authentic self. I believed I was following my own voice. But after facing a rollercoaster of ups and downs, I had a revelation that I must share with you, on today's podcast.
Join me this summer for a candid journey into the behind-the-scenes struggles and strengths of myself and other women. We’ll explore the challenges we faced as brown women and how we pivoted to start create something truly amazing for ourselves.
Tune in to uncover the real stories and insights that will inspire you on your own brown journey.
www.payalghayal.com
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Why are there so many successful brown ladies in their 40's right now???
I've had more of you reach out to me because you think there's something wrong with you or the life choices you have made in the past.
Well, let me clear this up for you. It's not you, it's the system.
This does not mean you're screwed.
Instead, it's the complete opposite, now you can make it work for you.
Let me show you how.
Here's the exclusive video series about- How to stop caring what the aunties think? https://www.payalghayal.com/aunties
Ready to take advantage of the End 2024 with a Bang offer, book your call here. https://calendly.com/payalmd/consultation
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Joy is available to you at all times, even in the midst of suffering. Today Dr. Sethi joins me to discuss Joy, Justice and its connection to the brown community today.
Tanmeet Sethi, MD is an Integrative and Psychedelic Medicine Physician, activist, author, and TEDx speaker who has dedicated her career to care for the most marginalized patients in Seattle’s refugee, uninsured and homeless populations as well as global communities traumatized by manmade and natural disasters as senior faculty for The Center for Mind Body Medicine. Her first book, Joy Is My Justice: Reclaim Yours Now, published in May 2023, is a radical call to claim Joy as our birthright, the deepest liberation we can know and a path to power through oppression. She is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington and a primary clinical investigator there on the sacred plant medicine, psilocybin. In her clinical practice, she weaves modern and ancient medicine to catalyze the most profound healing. More info on her practice and her book are at her website: https://www.tanmeetsethimd.com
Her Joy Is My Justice community is on Substack: https://tanmeetsethimd.substack.com
Instagram: @tanmeetsethimd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tanmeetsethimd
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanmeet-sethi-md-8550a2114/
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Most of us are first-or second-generation immigrants. We have mastered thinking inside the box over the years. But what would life look like if we were curious and willing to experience a little discomfort?
Where in your professional life could you think outside the norm? Apply for a promotion, or new project, switch gears, or even take a sabbatical. Now, where have you had to color inside the lines in your personal life? Is it in your marriage, parenting, or dating?
Check out this week's episode. We continue to honor AAPI Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month.
I have a gift for you! Enjoy a video series I made for you- How to Stop Caring What the Aunties Think.
https://www.payalghayal.com/aunties
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Taking responsibility of your life is the most powerful step you can implement today. No matter what you're struggling with, there is something that you do have control of and that's where you focus your energy.
Feeling stuck, defeated and like a victim in your career, marriage, body and relationships is common but believing that there's nothing you can do is what feels powerless.
In this episode we talk about taking the first step, even though it doesn't feel like a big accomplishment in the moment. It's the little things that will help you gain power and take control.
Check out a fun video series I put together just for you.
https://www.payalghayal.com/aunties
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The fear of the unknown leads us to feel paralyzed to make any new changes in both our personal and professional life.
Better the devil you know than the devil you don't....
The known poison is easier than the unknown....
However you want to say it, the fear exists.
In today's episode we discuss how this way of thinking especially affects the AAPI community.
Check out the amazing 3 series video resource I made for you- How to Stop Caring What the Aunties Think
ttps://www.payalghayal.com/aunties
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Worker Bee Mentality is a very common theme in the Asian American Pacific Islander Community. In honor of AAPI heritage month, we dive deeper into the immigrant journey. The scarcity promoted the worker bee mindset but this is exactly what keeps you from getting the promotion, equal pay or have a healthy nurturing relationship.
Check out a gift I have put together for you.
Learn how to Stop Caring what the Aunties Think
https://www.payalghayal.com/aunties
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In Honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we will dive deeper into the significance of who and what we are truly celebrating.
In this episode we talk about what makes the AAPI community unique collectively and individually. A common thread of immigration and preservation of our culture and traditions in a new land binds us together.
For many decades and even centuries we have slowly grown to reject our own culture. However, I found that now we can reassess our reasons and re-evaluate our intentions. In todays' episode we discuss the difference between the family heirlooms we want to keep and pass down to the next generation and the clutter we no longer wish to keep.
Resources:
How to Stop Caring What the Aunties Think Freebie
https://www.payalghayal.com/aunties
IG @payalghayalmd
Private FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/beyourown1advocate/?ref=share_group_link&mibextid=S66gvF www.payalghayal.com
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How do you respond when your child does ok but you know they have so much more potential? What does the little voice in your head say? Whose voice is it?
Mostly likely it's your parent. As an immigrant you were conditioned to always do your best and that hard work always pays off. What if that was what kept you not enjoying your accomplishments? How can we stop continuing the vicious cycle?
Let me tell you...
www.payalghayal.com
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Time is running out...
Time will pass you by before you know and it and they will be all grown up...
I don't have enough time...
Do these sound familiar??
Time is the only constant and you have zero control over it but somehow you try to control it.
In this episode we discuss the various spectrum of parenting and it's relationship to time- either it's moving too fast or slow.
I share how to stop parenting from scarcity, anxiety and worry.
I'd love to hear your feedback. What resonated? What didn't?
www.payalghayal.com
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Parenting is tough, even when everything is going ok.
Knowing that there's things that you can and cannot control is the secret.
The reason most of us struggle is that we set ourself up to fail by expecting change from our children. Yes, we do have a responsibility to parent but it's ok to not be surprised when people show you who they are.
In today's episode I share about my son's struggle in his school and how I had to step up and advocate for him. All of us had lots of anxiety in the process but it's ok to change your external circumstances to help you and your child.
I have been a practicing Pediatrician since 2009 and then added my integrative medicine and coaching to the mix.
Over the next few episodes we will cover various common parenting struggles.
www.payalghayal.com
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How did you meet your partner?
Love Marriage, Arranged Marriage or Something Else.
Many of us have a subconscious checklist that we have created from our parents, culture and society which we use to meet the right guy. So yes, you chose your partner but was it really left to chance??
If you're struggling in your marriage, divorced, or thinking of separating.... listen to this week's episode.
www.payalghayal.com
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