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In today’s day and age, it is getting harder and harder to stand out. Traditionally, we as desi people have always put a huge premium on education, but after a certain point, does more education really help us stand out? What are the ways that we can stand out in today’s competitive world? In this episode, we discuss the ways that individuals can stand out in an increasingly competitive world. Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below. Enjoy! 01:23 – Why are Desi People so Obsessed with Education? 03:07 – [MOVIE Reference] – “Life is a race” via 3 Idiots (Compete or DIE?!)     07:31 – [STUDY Reference] – Is the World More Competitive Today than Ever Before? (feat. College Admissions (1995 vs. 2020: How College Admissions Has Changed Over the Past 25 Years)) 08:10 – How is “Standing Out” in Today’s World Different than “Standing Out” in the Past? 18:36 – [SCENE Reference] – Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address – Sometimes life will hit you in the head like a ton of bricks – do not lose faith. The only way to do great work is to LOVE what you do. 26:50 – Spaced Repetition – This is one of the best ways to improve your memory and learn more about topics that are really important to you. Prerak has created a TON of videos related to this topic, and you can find them here (Anki: ALL YOU WILL EVER NEED)!

Last time we did a Q&A, we got far more questions than we could answer. So, to make sure we could answer a few more of them, we are doing another Q&A. The details for each of the questions and the scenes referenced in the episode can be found below! Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 01:03 – Inside the mind of a master procrastinator via Tim Urban – shows you how to deal with procrastination like a boss! 01:57 – How we deal with Procrastination (& Sofia’s blog post on productivity) 06:50 – Toxic Productivity: What is it and how to manage it? 12:19 – [BOOK Reference] - Atomic Habits (One of the BEST Productivity Books of ALL TIME, please check it out!) 13:18 – SCREW Goals and Focus on Systems Instead (feat. Ali Abdaal)   14:41 – What are the Factors to Consider When Picking College/Medical School? (feat. Prerak’s Video: Picking a Medical School? Here's What You Need to Consider!) 22:24 – What We’d Change About Our Experience in College and Medical School

Today, the dream job for many kids – including desi kids – is to become an Intagrammer, TikTok-er, and YouTuber. This demonstrates just how interesting the creator economy has become in our day-to-day lives. In this episode, we are going to discuss the details behind what it means to be a creator and some great creators in the desi-space. The creator economy is defined as the class of businesses built by over 50 million independent content creators, curators, and community builders including social media influencers, bloggers, and videographers, plus the software and finance tools designed to help them with growth and monetization. Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  00:40 –What is the Creator Economy? (there are more than 50 million “creators” and it’s fascinating to see how they’ve created an economy) 02:29 – [Article Reference] Kids now dream of being professional YouTubers rather than astronauts, study finds     04:49 – Sofia’s Creator Economy Contributions and Prerak’s Creator Economy Contributions 07:20 – Misconceptions Individuals Have Regarding the Creator Economy 14:18 – Challenges of Being a Creator on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube 17:50 – Prerak and Sofia Gossiping about FAKE Creators

Do you ever wonder why our parents often are so averse to us taking “time off” to figure stuff out? Is this a prevalent theme among all desi parents, and if so, what does this say about our culture? If you want to join our next Q/A discussion, please drop us a follow at @redwhitebrownpod. Also feel free to connect with both of us on Instagram: Sofia (@thisgirlnamedSofia) and Prerak (@prerakcity).   Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 02:56 – [SCENE Reference] Gully Boy Scene about How Harvard Literally Waits for NO ONE (feat. Ranveer Singh

It seems like the older we get, the more we turn into our parents. We’ve been seeing that a lot in ourselves lately and we wanted to use this as a chance to talk about “adulting.” We chat about what it is, how it works, and how we can (slowly) get better at it! Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 01:30 - Progressive Commercial         03:03 - Adulting Definition 1: This is a really fun definition to get the conversation started! To carry out one or more of the duties and responsibilities expected of fully developed individuals (paying off that credit card debt, settling beef without blasting social media, etc). Exclusively used by those who adult less than 50% of the time

We’re in our mid-20s, and it seems like you can’t turn a single corner without getting into a conversation about weddings. So, we decided we may as well just embrace it and have an entire episode on the topic. The good part is that one of us is married and the other isn’t, so this episode (hopefully) provides a nice balanced view of desi-weddings from a novel perspective. Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 08:21 – [SCENE Reference] – The Big Day (via Netflix): Describe just why weddings are so importent in Desi culture because they symbolize the two families coming together. 11:53 – [DATA Reference] – What Percent of Desi People Do/Did Feel Pressured to Have a Large Wedding  (done super meticulously through IG

**SPOILER ALERT: We do discuss scenes of Never Have I Ever in this podcast, so if you are planning to watch the show, please go ahead and skip this podcast!** Never Have I Ever is a coming of age show that announced that it will be releasing season 3 soon! In light of this announcement, we wanted to talk about the issue of desi-representation within the media. In reviewing Never Have I Ever, we are talking about the normalization of diversity in SO many ways. There is the normalization of mental health struggles, lived experiences, sexuality, and even race. It’s interesting how the show incorporates each of these themes without making them the central tenet of the shot.   Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 06:56 – [SCENE Reference] – Never Have I Ever: Where Rebecca totally Schools Paxton (LOL) 10:11 – [SCENE Reference] – Devi Breaks Down Sexism in a Pretty Damn Awesome Way   11:42 - [SCENE Reference] – Kamala goes HAM in Standing Up for Herself! 13:30 – [NEWS Reference] – Canada's Maitreyi Ramakrishnan named one of TIME's next 100 most influential people 15:51 - [SCENE Reference] – The Subtleties of the Indian Accent   18:12 - [SCENE Reference] – The TRUE Desi-American Accent    20:12 - Criticisms of the Show 24:14 – Where is Season 3 Headed?

Remember that box of cookies that you had as a kid that turned out to be filled with household supplies? What about the plastic bag at home that’s filled with a million other plastic bags? Isn’t it crazy how these experiences are so shared among desi-immigrants? And more importantly, isn’t it interesting how both of these examples show how there is a certain level of sustainability built into the first-generation immigrant mentality? In today’s episode, we dig deeper into the realm of sustainability and what it means to be sustainable from the desi-immigrant lens! Throughout the episode, we discuss how we, as desi-americans, can become more sustainable and be more proactive about the forces negatively impacting our planet.   Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 07:17 – [MEME Reference] – “Remember Royal Dansk Cookie Jars?”  (LOL) 12:08 – [VIDEO Reference] – The Ugly Truth Of Fast Fashion via the Stud Muffin Hasan Minhaj (Patriot Act) 14:18 – [Article Reference] – Recycling in India: A Market in Transition 08:22 [ARTICLE Reference] – “There are more S&P 500 CEOs named Michael or James than women chief executives” (I said KEVIN in the show, so slightly off, but my point still stand haha). 16:17 [VLOGGER/COOL PERSON Alert] – Afshan Nasseri – Creator who is VERY Knowledgeable about the Sustainability

According to the BBC, Desi individuals account for 1% of the US population and 6% of Silicon Valley's workforce - and yet are disproportionately represented in the top brass. Why? Is there something in the water? Is there something about our culture? Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 01:02 – [ARTICLE Reference] – “Parag Agrawal: Why Desi CEOs dominate Silicon Valley” 01:40 – [ARTICLE Reference] – Chanel’s Leena Nair joins an expanding tribe of global CEOs with Indian roots 02:05 – [MEME Reference] – “You either die as a founder-run company or live long enough to see your company run by an indian dude.” LOL shameless plug for our Instagram! 08:22 [ARTICLE Reference] – “There are more S&P 500 CEOs named Michael or James than women chief executives” (I said KEVIN in the show, so slightly off, but my point still stand haha). 12:17 [VIDEO Reference] – Indra Nooyi on the role of women in the workplace and on retaining humility | My Life in Full 14:08 [PODCAST Reference] – Satya Nadella on Freakonomics Describing: ““The Secret Life of a C.E.O.” 19:25 [VIDEO Reference] – “Funny indian pronunciations of words Dangerous”

We are BACK! Welcome everyone to SEASON 3, EPISODE 1 of Red, White and Brown. WE have a TON in store for you this season, but we wanted to start with a Q/A to address some common questions we get. If you want to join our next Q/A discussion, please drop us a follow at @redwhitebrownpod. Also feel free to connect with both of us on Instagram: Sofia (@thisgirlnamedSofia) and Prerak (@prerakcity). Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 00:42 – What is the best way to Cope with Anxiety? 06:29 – [BOOK Recommendation] – The Power of Now written by Eckhart Tolle. You can find the book on Amazon, but you can also listen to a free version of it on YouTube! 06:54 – Things We Regret Not Doing More in College?   09:31 – [SCENE Reference] – Log Kya Kahenge (Double dare y’all to guess where this is from before clicking on it)! 10:27 – What are the Pros/Cons of Being First Generation Desi-Americans? 12:41 – [SONG Reference] – The OG: None Other Than Vande Mataram! 16:39 – How to Get Started as a Creator on Social Media 18:09 – [BOOK Recommendation] ­– When Breathe Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi  

In this episode, we are answering questions that have been submitted from each of you via our Instagram. If you want to join our next Q/A discussion, please drop us a follow at @redwhitebrownpod. Also feel free to connect with both of us on Instagram: Sofia (@thisgirlnamedSofia) and Prerak (@prerakcity). Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 00:50 – How to best be prepared for college? 11:33 – [MOVIE Reference] – “Three Idiots (All Is Well Scene)” An iconic scene that will help to put studying into perspective. This describes how both Sofia and I try to approach learning in medicine. 15:13 – What is the best financial advice for college and medical school? 20:27 – How to Make Friends as an Adult? We drop common tips that we have both used to network. 23:31 – [MOVIE Reference] – “Munna Bhai MBBS (Jaadu ki Jhappi)” Love this scene and it is a perfect example of using vulnerability to create connection.   29:24 – What are the BEST Ways to Stop Procrastinating? Feel free to check out Prerak’s Study with Me Videos as well as the application “Flora,” which helps to prevent you from using your phone during times when you need to focus (FREE!). Also check out this four tendencies quiz, which tells you the type of working that you are.

**This episode does contain minimal explicit language, so please take that into consideration prior to listening** **SPOILER ALERT: We do discuss scenes of Never Have I Ever in this podcast, so if you are planning to watch the show, please go ahead and skip this podcast!** Never Have I Ever was a HUGE "must-watch" for almost every desi person's quarantine. We wanted to spend some time discussing how it felt to see Desi people on the big screen. Time Stamps:  00:49 – Plot Overview of Never Have I Ever 02:08 – Positives about the Show: What did we appreciate about the show and what it means for Desi people entering Western Media. 05:03 – An Example of Devi’s Badass Comebacks (Scene from show) 08:42 – How Could the Show be Improved? 11:27 – When Desi Immigrants Start to Compare Princeton vs. Stanford (Scene from show): We discuss why we thought having this sort of scene was not particularly great for desi culture. 13:59 – Islamophobia within Never Have I Ever 16:57 – What Critics Have to Say About Never Have I Ever: What did reviews of the show think? How did it align with what Sofia and I thought? Were the characters one-dimensional? Did the show depict a “white-washed” version of Desi culture? 20:56 – What Would We Change About the Show?

This episode is all about non-traditional career paths among South Asians, and we feature two amazing guests: Shashank Gupta (Founder of Nazranaa Diaries, @Nazranaanj) and Chhavi Verg (@chhaviverg, Instagram Influencr and Miss NJ USA 2017) . Please give both of these people a follow on social media. Time Stamps:  04:20 – Why is there SUCH a LARGE Emphasis on Being a Doctor, Lawyer, or Engineer?  08:29 – INTERVIEW with Shashank Gupta, founder of Nazranaa, which is the largest Indian bridal boutique in the United States. He also cofounded Nazranaa Diaries, a TV show and web series, which has over 14 million views on YouTube. He came here from Bombay when he was 15 and has been doing INCREDIBLE things ever since! 19:52 – INTERVIEW with Chhavi Verg, who is Miss New Jersey USA 2017 and runner up Miss USA 2017! She discusses her entire journey with us and how she went from working as a model to an influencer to public speaker. She also discusses how she was able to pursue and how her journey has changed over time. 28:11 – How to deal with Judgmental People Who May Not Support Your Career Choice

In this episode, we talk about racism from the lens of being Desi-American. We talk about the current racial tensions within America today and how we can work to help create a more equitable society. This episode is intended to purely educate and shed light into an immensely important topic for all immigrants. We hope you enjoy it! Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 01:24 – What is it like being a Minority Race in America (our experiences) 08:54 – Racism in the South Asian Community: How does racism exist within the south Asian community and how has it shaped our beliefs? The fact of the matter is that our community is racist and we need to take an active stance to rectify that moving forward. 17:49 - [SONG Reference] – “Beyonce Sharma Jayegi” Beyoncé is a Queen. That is all. The title of this song is not ok. 18:47 - The Blindian Project (@blindianproject): This is an INCREDIBLE project. Please shoot them a follow J Some very inspiring stories filled with perseverance. 24:14 – The TRUTH Behind the Model Minority Myth: The only reason we have been able to be as successful as we are is due to the civil rights movements. We are not a model minority; we owe a lot of our success to the African American community. 28:39 – Tangible Next Steps to Take to Become Less Racist. Check out this podcast called 1619, which is an audio series on how slavery has transformed America. Also check out @thewokedesi and @southasians4blacklives – both excellent pages that share different ways for us to diminish racial disparities in America.

In this episode, we define colorism and its prominence within the Desi community. We also discuss examples of colorism in our day-to-day lives and even in the realm of Bollywood. Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 04:01 – [MOVIE Reference] - "Gori Gori Song" (Main Hoon Na). Lyrical Translation is here! Also, definitely 06:04 – [MOVIE Reference] – “Rock N Roll Soniye” (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna). Lyrical Translation is here.   07:55 - [MOVIE Reference] – “Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan” (Roy). Lyrical Translation is here.   12:56 – Nina Davuluri: Is Miss America Too Dark-Skinned To Ever Be Crowned Miss India? Nina Davuluri’s Instagram (shoot her a follow!) 15:52 – Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely

**SPOILER ALERT: We do discuss scenes of Indian Matchmaking in this podcast, so if you are planning to watch the show, please go ahead and skip this podcast!** Indian Matchmaking (IMM) was a HUGE "must-watch" for almost every desi person's quarantine. But, was this show a net positive or negative when it came to representing desi culture? We unpack the entire season, give our thoughts, and talk about where the show may go from here.  Time Stamps:  01:00 - Our Initial Thoughts of the Show (feat. Pradhyuman's closet) 04:25 - Classism, Sexism, Shade-ism within the Show 06:50 - Does Sima Aunty Treat Men and Women Differently?  10:24 - Acknowledging Our Privileges and Biases  14:03 - Public Perceptions of IMM Internationally (India vs. US) 19:06 - What Should the Show Change Moving Forward? 

**This episode does contain explicit language, so please take that into consideration prior to listening** In this episode, we talk about mental health and its relation to Desi culture. Like honestly, why the HELL doesn't our culture (parents + ourselves included) feel comfortable bringing up issues of anxiety and depression? We also dig a bit into the suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput and how that's bringing even more light to the importance of mental health. We end the episode by interviewing Vasavi Kumar (MEd, LMSW), who has struggled with addiction and mental health and overcome these challenges. Hearing her perspective is truly enlightening.  Vasavi's Instagram: @mynameisvasavi Lori Santos' Podcast on Mental Health: The Happiness Lab Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 02:13 – [MEME Reference] - "For Desi People, Mental Health is Like Fight Club" - Cause, let's face it, we all agree with this.  07:49 – [MOVIE Reference] – Chhichhore Scene: RIP Sushant Singh Rajput.  18:42 - [INTERVIEW] - Great insights from Vasavi Kumar 21:46 - Recommendations for Anyone Struggling with Mental Health Struggles 27:18 - How to Deal With the Stigma of Mental Health ("log kya kahenge?") 33:00 - How to Deal with Desis Who May Not Understand "Mental Health?"

**SPOILER ALERT: We do discuss scenes of the show Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives in this podcast, so if you are planning to watch the show, please go ahead and skip this podcast!** Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives was a HUGE "must-watch" for almost every desi person's quarantine. We wanted to spend some time discussing how it felt to see Desi people on the big screen. Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. Time Stamps:  00:59 – Plot Overview of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives 02:34 – [MEME Reference] – “Gonna Tell My Kids This Was ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’” 02:58 – Our Initial Thoughts on the Show 05:42 – [Netflix Reference] Maheep Kapoor Tells Us How “She Doesn’t Give a SHIT!” 07:00 – What We Liked About the Show 09:16 – What Could Be Improved? 12:54 – [Netflix Reference] Shanaya Kapoor Has a CAVALIER? 15:02 – Public Perceptions of the Show 19:05 – Mashable India Article

**This episode does contain minimal explicit language, so please take that into consideration prior to listening** Relevant Memes and Bollywood Scenes:  NOTE: We've hyperlinked the memes referenced in the show below, but they are usually only "click-able" when you listen to the podcast via Apple podcasts on your phone. 01:45 – [IMAGE Reference] - "Deadliest Days in American History" – Puts the numbers of deaths due to COVID-19 back into perspective (as of December 11th).          05:37 – The “Patel Motel Cartel,” is a thing! Referenced podcast is linked!  08:46 – Resource for anyone struggling with Domestic Violence or knows someone who may be struggling with domestic violence. 15:00 –  The power of WhatsApp University: How to Make Brown Parents Believe Literally ANYTHING (Samosa Linked to CANCER Cure!) that demonstrates the power of WhatsApp University (i.e. how brown parents seems to be educating themselves on COVID-19). Please note that this TikTok is NOT true (despite how delicious Samosas are), and should not be re-circulated! For additional information on COVID-19, please consider reading the Op-Ed that Prerak wrote that shows 5 lessons we can learn about COVID-19 based on our experience with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

This is the last episode of season 1 of Red, White & Brown, and we wanted to leave with a bang! So, we are answering some audience questions that were sent in from all of you! Time Stamps for each of the questions are below, in case you want to skip to that specific portion. We hope you enjoyed this season, and we'll be back within the next few months with season 2! In the mean time, please feel free to reach out to us on our instagram (@redwhitebrownpod) if you have any specific requests for future episodes!  Prerak’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC79thEpQhGaazdjufC_p1SA 00:35 - A Bit of Background on Prerak/Sofia's Personal Stories  00:53 - How to Stay Motivated as a Student/What Fuels Our Passion 08:00 - How to Stay Motivated to Go to the Gym Regularly  11:45 – How Do You Put Yourself Out There as a Desi American and How to Avoid an Arranged Marriage? 17:18 – What Specialties are We Pursuing in Medicine and How Long is the Training? 19:15 – How to Prepare for Standardized Exams and Ace Them! 21:25 – How do I Stay in Touch with Desi Culture without Being Ashamed of it in Front of my White Friends? 26:03 – How do I Teach My Parents What it Means to be a First-Gen Desi Americans Without Offending Them? 30:21 – What is a Skill that We Hope to Learn that We Haven’t Already? 33:24 – What is Something We Wish We Could’ve Told Our Past Selves?