Heartistry

Episoade

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  S7, Ep 9: Shailaja Dixit - Executive Director, Narika 24.07.2026 57min

  As the Executive Director of Narika, and with over 13 years in the field of domestic violence advocacy, management and leadership, Shailaja Dixit brings a diverse range of expertise to her work, heavily influenced by her passion for community building.Learn more about this incredible organization, the critical work they do, and how we can all support their efforts.Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S7, Ep 8: Muneeba Zeeshan - Mixed Media Artist & Educator 20.07.2026 47min

  Drawing inspiration from everything around her, Muneeba Zeeshan’s mixed media artwork uses different kinds of inks on paper and canvas to create abstract work that simultaneously rises, evaporates, and transcends. Through the ebb and flow of inks, she creates something that is earthy, fluid, and ethereal all at once.With her artwork having been represented at international and local art galleries and exhibitions, Muneeba's process of creating art is inherently organic, so no two art pieces are the same. But often, there are art pieces that come together cohesively, despite being completely different.One such unique piece is when Muneeba was asked to create artwork for the South Asian night at a San Jose Shark's hockey game, making her the first Pakistani Muslim Artist to be featured in this way. Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S7, Ep 7: Ep Robin Chaurasiya - Founder of Kranti, empowering girls from India’s red-light areas to education and social change. 27.06.2026 46min

  Kranti empowers girls from India’s red-light areas to become agents of social change. In the past decade, Kranti’s girls have become the first girls of their community to study abroad, to have received UN awards for their social work, given 50+ TEDx and other speeches around the world, and been featured in dozens of international media platforms. Kranti is also one of the world’s only schools for daughters of sex workers run entirely by daughters of sex workers. In this excerpt, Founder, Robin Chaurasiya, shares her "why"...Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S7, Ep 6: Jingqiu Guan - Filmmaker, Choreographer, Dancer, and Scholar 28.05.2026 48min

  Jingqui and Farah were introduced by a brilliant dancer who knew that both dance artists have created work about the train as it relates to their own culture and personal histories. What a profound reminder that you just never know how you will cross paths (or tracks) with someone, find commonalities, learn from the similarities and differences, and share a strong desire to use an artistic medium to convey messages, feelings and lessons. Why the train? As Jingqui said, “The train is so connected to migratory stories,” and spoiler alert… plans are being explored to see how Jingqui and Farah might be able to come together in shared space to each share their heARTistic approach to their stories of the train. This episode aired on @rukusavenueradio on the @iheartradio app, and is now available wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. 
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  S7, Ep 5: Aurat March - Grassroots movement in Pakistan advocating for gender equality 08.05.2026 45min

  For the second time, we welcome organizers of Aurat March Karachi to the podcast. Now in its 8th year, this grassroots movement in Pakistan advocates for gender equality and rights of gender-based minorities. Their mission is to create a society where all individuals, regardless of gender, have equal rights and opportunities. Through peaceful protests, advocacy campaigns, and community engagement, we aim to raise awareness about gender-based violence, discrimination, and other issues faced by women and marginalized groups.At a press conference leading up to the march this week, some of the organizers were detained in a physically aggressive and unlawful manner, and in the midst of all the planning that goes into this gathering each year, those involved in the movement are also responding to what has unfolded in this most recent situation. Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S7, Ep 4: Anjali Rao, Story teller, Educator & Author 10.04.2026 1h 1min

  Anjali Rao brings an intersectional and decolonial feminist lens to the study of philosophy and religion (Indic traditions) integrating storytelling, art and poetry. Deeply influenced by her dance training, Anjali's work emphasizes an embodied approach and explores how spirituality, power and politics intersect. Her first book, "Yoga As Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens in Caste, Gender And Sacred Resilience in Yoga History" by North Atlantic Books was named one of the 10 most inspiring, and "insightful and seriously worthwhile" books of 2025 by Yoga Journal and "a scholarly work and a deeply personal journey" by L.A Book Review. Sometimes it’s not even about the "what" that defines our purpose, but also the "how". This moment in our conversation with Anjali reflecting on how and when she wrote her book resonated so deeply with us (as I’m sure it will so many other women). We often put off what is calling us, waiting for the right time to do IT, confront IT, be IT. Sometimes the realization of the totality of what feminism can be the most important and powerful lesson. Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S7 Ep 3: Farhana Huq, Social Entrepeneur & Executive Coach 26.03.2026 1h 1min

  Farhana Huq is a visionary social entrepreneur, executive coach, and thought partner who transforms ideas into meaningful social impact. Her expertise spans traditional arts preservation, immigrant women’s economic empowerment, and surf and ocean culture creation through her platform, brown girl surf.In this conversation with Farhana, we hear how she balances her professional life with surfing, art creation, writing, travel, intellectual exploration, and a deep appreciation for community and nature. We are in awe of her evolving ability to reflect, grow, learn, pivot, and plant new seeds and ideas through it all.Just one example that feels so indicative of this incredible journey is how in 2012, Farhana received a $500 Amber Grant to launch a surf storytelling platform. Thirteen years later, she has just been awarded a $10,000 Amber Grant from the same organization — this time for a sustainable beauty brand that grew directly out of that journey. This is a highly competitive business grant awarded to female entrepreneurs across the U.S and Canada, and now places Farhana in consideration for a year-end Amber Grant in the amount of $50,000. We couldn't be happier for Farhana, and know that listeners will be inspired by this and so many aspects of this episode!Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S7 Ep 2: Nadhi Thekkek. Bharatanatyam Artist & Artistic Director of Nava Dance Theatre 05.03.2026 1h 7min

  Dr. Nadhi Thekkek is the Artistic Director of Nava Dance Theatre, and uses the south Indian dance form of bharatanatyam to navigate place, identity, and politics through the lens of her lived experience as a South Asian woman and a child of immigrants. She reimagines how bharatanatyam and South Asian forms can serve marginalized narratives that need to occupy space in the US right now.So many moments and interactions throughout this conversation were a gateway to reflection for Farah, and we are certain our listeners will feel the same way!For those in the Bay Area, come see Nadhi and other brilliant artists of Nava Dance Theatre perform "Rogue Gestures Foreign Bodies" on Fri, Mar 13 at Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco - sourcing community interviews, historical texts, and poetry to explore the intersections of labor, agency, and belonging in our South Asian ancestry. Listen to this excerpt for a little more about the show, and get your tickets today!Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S7 Ep 1: Hamama Tul Bushra - Graphic Designer & Painter 19.02.2026 55min

  Season 7 of Heartistry is here (!!), and we are launching with a joyful and inspiring conversation with the awesome Hamama Tul Bushra!Trained as a graphic designer from National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan, Hamama earned her Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Missouri, Kansas City in the United States. Her thesis explored two folios (pages) from a Mughal album, Gulshan Muraqqa, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where she assisted the curator in research and write-ups for featured art and objects in exhibitions. While pursuing her doctorate, Bushra’s energies shifted during the initial Covid era/isolation to visual art. Meanwhile, provoked by the social, political and personal environment she was compelled to respond to her inner dialogue through painting, a passion she returned to. Today, Hamama practices a unique style of figurative painting defined by stylized forms that carefully preserve and highlight the soul and personality of each subject, enriched by cultural and traditional references and metaphors. Her signature bright color palette in acrylic on canvas and the application of material reflects her graphics background, separating her paintings from mainstream work. Fun fact: Hamama was inspired by a photo she saw of Farah and created an original work as a result! If you "watch" this episode, you might catch glimpses of this piece on both Hamama's and Farah's walls. Swipe to see this beautiful and vibrant work by Hamama.Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6, Ep 19: Aranyani Bhargav - Bharatanatyam Dancer & Choreographer 23.01.2026 1h 18min

  Aranyani is a Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer who began her training in 1990. Over time, Aranyani has developed her own distinctive approach to Bharatanatyam focusing equally on the human and divine; the religious and secular; and the traditional and modern.In 2025, Aranyani Co-founded Indian Dancers for Gaza’s children to raise awareness about the plight of children in Palestine, and later Lebanon, and helped to raise a significant amount of funds through dance performances across the world for a paediatric charity in Gaza. For all our fellow dancers out there, check out this excerpt where Farah and Aranyani get into notions of "tradition, contemporary, authenticity". Sound familiar? Listen to the whole episode to hear what they have to say about this and so much more! Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6, Ep 18: Mona Ahuja - Certified Yoga Instructor, Pilates Reformer Instructor and Deep Stretch Coach 09.01.2026 50min

  Mona Ahuja is a certified Yoga Instructor as well as a Pilates Reformer Instructor and Deep Stretch Coach. There were many moments that we loved in the conversation with Mona, but this had to be one of our favorites. Lesson: acknowledging - and acting on - the importance of how our own happiness and fulfillment can positively impact those around us. Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6, Ep 17: Mariam Magsi, Multidisciplinary Artist, Writer & Educator 12.12.2025 52min

  This conversation with Mariam Magsi has been a long time coming, as Farah knew right away upon meeting Mariam in Pakistan in 2023, that this was someone that had to be heard on Heartistry! Finally, the stars (and schedules) aligned, and we are thrilled to share this episode and the infinite reflections, takeaways, words of wisdom, you name it, we know you're going to love it! Based in Toronto, Canada, Mariam Magsi is a multidisciplinary artist, writer and educator using photography, poetry, performance and other arts to amplify marginalized stories, challenge norms and ignite change.Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6, Ep 16 - Lakshmi & Vinaya, Co-Founders of Vyolet Clothing 07.11.2025 58min

  Sisters and co-founders Lakshmi and Vinaya Ravi share their path to creating @vyoletclothing where simplicity meets quality and elegance in apparel.Hear the full episode of @heartistrypodcast on @iheartradio app @rukusavenueradio and wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6, Ep 15: Sruti Sarathy & Roopa Mahadevan: Artists, Musicians & Composers, & the visionaries behind "Songs of Many Lives" 23.10.2025 54min

  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!#PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6, Ep 14: Nikita Shah, Kalamari & textile artist 30.09.2025 49min

  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.
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  S6, Ep 13: Co-Founders of "When Eyes Speak" - Preethi Ramaprasad (Dancer, Musician, Researcher) & Shruti Abhishek (Dancer, Teacher, Choreographer) 05.09.2025 1h 2min

  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. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6 Ep 12 - Arjun Verma, Internationally Acclaimed Sitarist 28.08.2025 1h 17min

  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. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6 Ep 11 - Phoenyx Rose, Multi-Hyphenated Artist, Healer, and Movement Educator 05.08.2025 42min

  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. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6 Ep 10 - Saadia Khan, IndusThreads 21.07.2025 44min

  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. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast
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  S6 Ep 9 - Muhammad Joyo, Elaichi Co 30.06.2025 1h 1min

  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. #PassionCompassionCommitment #Heartistry #Podcast